House of Hades: Percy Alone.

Chapter 14

Death by a dozen arai should have been quick. they should have ripped him to pieces in a matter of seconds. He was aware of them, raking their arms across his arms and torso. He could feel their teeth sinking into his limbs. He could hear them taunting, jeering at the end of his life. 

But his heartbeat slowed. If this was the end, what good was a struggle? He saw the black forest around him. Eerily calm, except for the slaughter happening in the middle of it. a demigod trapped somewhere he should have never even seen. in above his head, with no perceivable way out. 

Percy felt his life flash before his eyes.

.

They were on a ridge overlooking the Atlantic. The sea was always one of Percy's favorite places, but that day it was especially nice -glittery green and smooth as glass, as though Poseidon was keeping it calm just for them.

Rachel was sitting shotgun. Her red hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she wore a white blouse over her swimsuit. Percy had never seen her in anything other than a ratty T-shirt and paint splattered jeans before, and she looked like a million golden drachmas.

"So." Rachel smiled at him. "About that invitation"

"oh... right." Percy tried to sound excited. He did want to go, who wouldn't? She had asked him to a three day trip to the Caribbean, which was amazing. But Percy had other things he needed to think about. He was supposed to be on call for a mission. Something big was supposed to go down, any day now. And next week was his sixteenth birthday. Bad things were prophesied for his sixteenth birthday.

"Percy," she said, "I know the timing is bad. but it's always bad for you, right?"

she had a point

"I really want to go," Percy promised. "It's just-"

"The war."

He nodded. He didn't like talking about it, but Rachel knew. About the war, about Percy's struggles, Percy had confided a lot in her recently.

Rachel put a hand on his arm "Just think about it, okay?"

Percy tried to give her a smile.

She pursed her lips. "Look, just forget it for now. Let's pretend we're a couple of normal people. We're out for a drive, and we're watching the ocean, and it's nice to be together."

I could tell something was bothering her, but she put on a brave smile. The sunlight made her hair look like fire.

"Okay," I said. "Just a normal afternoon and two normal people."

She nodded. "And so . . . hypothetically, if these two people liked each other, what would it take to get the stupid guy to kiss the girl, huh?"

"Oh . . ." I felt like one of Apollo's sacred cows—slow, dumb, and bright red. "Um -"

Rachel leaned in, kissing him. Percy closed his eyes, savoring the moment. 

.

More of the arai had joined the assault on Percy. He couldn't see Bob anymore. they overpowered him, slamming him onto the ground. He felt the shards of obsidian against his skin, cutting deep. The arai piled on his back, tearing gashes along his spine. He tried to look up, to see a glimpse of light, even just the red haze of Tartarus, but the demon ladies held him down. 

.

"I saw a lot out there in the world, Percy," Luke said.

At his feet was a black scorpion, about the size of his fist. It fixed its eyes on Percy, pinching its claws. He couldn't call for help, no one would hear him from the middle of the forest.

"Didn't you feel it-the darkness gathering, the monsters growing stronger? Didn't you realize how useless it all is? All the heroics-being pawns of the gods."

The scorpion had hobbled onto his shoe. It moved back and forth unpredictably. Percy was frozen, attention divided between the scorpion and Luke's cold words.

"They should've been overthrown thousands of years ago, but they've hung on, thanks to us halfbloods."

Now the scorpion was on his leg, pinching on his pants to keep firm

"Their precious 'Western civilization is a disease, Percy. It's killing the world. The only way to stop it is to burn it to the ground, start over with something more honest."

The scorpion plunged its stinger into Percy's thigh, and the world went black.

.

The arai cackled gleefully. They smelt victory. the great fall of Perseus Jackson they cried. death at the hands of the children of mother night.

the high pitched laugh continued,disembodied, and seemingly endless 

How can you stop us now? you don't even have a weapon

. 

He felt the cold of Quintus' whistle in his pocket, even as he burned alive. but Percy didn't use it, he couldn't. He didn't trust Quintus. 

the telekhines continued to throw lava at him, bringing the fires around him hotter and hotter. He wasn't dead yet somehow, proving surprisingly difficult to burn the son of the sea god. 

"Your father's nature t protects you," said the tallest of them, "makes you hard to burn. but not impossible, youngling. Not impossible

They threw more lava, and Percy screamed, His whole body was on fire. The pain was worse than anything he had ever felt. He was being consumed. Percy fell, crumpling to the metal floor, the sound of howling sea demon children around him. 

and the tugging sensation in his gut. Percy couldn't recall exactly what happened. A naiad. the sea. the feeling waves and the currents. 

An explosion

.

He didn't know how he was still alive, but he was. Percy's body burned with pain, but his mind was calm. 

"Get off me," he said, quietly at first. Then he tensed his body, starting to fight back. "GET OFF ME!" He roared. He twisted his body to face upwards, forcing the arai off, if even just for a split second. they kept a firm grip on his limbs, clawing into his wrists and ankles. 

He roared again, struggling against his bondage. Some of the arai even looked spooked "I'LL KILL YOU," He screamed, at no one in particular. "I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU."

Percy reached deep inside himself. It had been so long he barely remembered what the sea felt like. but the slightest memory was enough. The sea was calm on some days, but when it needed to be, it was merciless. Waves and currents strong enough to overthrow the largest of battleships. Typhoons and Hurricanes with the power to wipe out a city in a day. He felt a Tugging sensation in his gut. 

"I don't need a weapon to defeat you"

Percy let the sea pour out of him. He let the ocean mix with his anger, frustration, rage. He let it explode.