The Harvest Trials

Chapter XII

Hazel

Saturday was just one of those days. Leo, Nico, and I had a Harvester shift from eight in the morning until four in the afternoon, about fifteen minutes ago. Percy, Jason, Frank, and Will are all in the field today. And I know from experience that the field sucks. It's definitely a step up from a Harvester, but still exhausting. Reyna and Piper had spent all that day doing nothing in the cell.

When the three of us arrived, we just sat and had small talk. Until the door opened and Jason and Will were shoved through the door. Nico and Piper jumped up to help the two into a seated position. The two looked like crap. Jason surprisingly looked decidedly better than Will. His hair was matted with sweat and he was breathing heavily, fingers twitching like the nerve ends were damaged from electricity. 

Will on the other hand, was almost dead on his feet. Nico, also exhausted, struggled to get him to the wall. Reyna hopped to her feet and grabbed his other arm. Will was so pale, it was startling. Being the son of Apollo guaranteed an automatic tan, but it was long gone. The circles under his eyes were a dark shade of purple, and the sparkle in his eyes was almost nonexistent. Nico choked back a sob as he lowered Will onto the floor. The latter didn't seem able to focus on anything, seemingly catatonic.

"Will? Will, what did they do to you?" He asked, heartbroken. "They were forcing and testing his healing all day. It really drained him. He just needs rest," Jason croaked. Nico nodded and snuggled in next to Will, bringing the older boy closer to him and holding him close.

The door opened again and in stumbled Frank. He was shaking, claws retracting from his fingers, only to reappear again. His arm would grow larger and cover in dark fur, and then revert back to normal. I approached cautiously. "Frank, are you okay?"

"Yeah, just give me a minute," he whispered, standing and taking big breaths. When he'd calmed himself considerably and steadied himself, he stopped changing and his shape-shifting tapered out. I could tell right away that it'd been over worked and much like Jason's nerves were fried, so were Frank's in a way. I led him to the bathroom and started the water in the shower, giving him a quick kiss before returning to the main cell.

Five minutes later and Percy still hadn't shown. We were starting to get worried. And then I felt it. A foreboding sense of death. "Nico, do you feel that?" He raised his head to look at me, his eyes going wide. He nodded.  

I heard the lock click once more and Percy was thrown in. Literally. The guards tossed him through the door, leaving the unconscious demigod to tumble and roll to a stop in front of us. Reyna and I were by his side in seconds. 

He looked the worst of all. I could feel his spirit, fleeting and trampled. "He's dying," I announced. "Not on my watch," Reyna growled in determination. She placed her hand on Percy's forehead and closed her eyes in concentration. 

"What are you doing?" I asked, bewildered. "She's lending him her strength," Nico answered in awe and pride.

"But...the power barrier!" I exclaimed. Reyna's hand started to glow golden. I'd seen her use this power before, or more like heard of it after. Her hand had never glowed. "I'm working on that!" Her teeth were gritted and her face shock white. I realized that she was pushing past the damper that stopped us from using our powers. And I realized for not the first time how truly strong and powerful Reyna was. Plus, she didn't have to endure the Harvesters or anything, so she had all her strength reserved. 

Her other hand began to glow as well and she pulled Percy into her lap, her right hand moving to the back of his head and her left resting on his chest, over his heart. Her eyes were closed tight and blood began dripping from her nose. With one final burst of strength, she yelled in defiance, forcing her strength into Percy. His eyes flew open and he gasped.