tartarus and back ⇩

27. Goodbye, Damasen.

The last thing I remember was going out to explore the swamp and then getting attacked.

I sat up in the large bed and saw Damasen in a deep conversation with a large man wearing a janitors suit and wild silver hair.

"What- Who...?" I asked.

Damasen looked over to me. "Oh, good you're up. This is Iapetus."

The silver haired man waved at me. "Please, it's just Bob."

"What happened? Why is Bob here?" I said, waving at the giant.

Damasen grimaced. "You had another episode."

For the past year, Damasen noticed me starting to go loony and then passing out, only to wake up and not remember. That meant this could've been happening since before I even met the giant, and I didn't even know it.

"Bob came here with the other two demigods." He continued.

I looked across the large bed and sure enough, two demigods were laying at the head of the bed compared to me being at the foot. They were both sleeping soundly, cuddled up against each other. The boy had messy black hair, and the girl had curly blonde hair. They looked about sixteen or seventeen, but it was hard to tell.

At the same time as I asked, "Who are they?" the drakon roared in the distance.

The boy sat bolt upright. "What? What – where – what?"

"It's okay." The girl took his arm.

"That noise ... where are we?"

"How much do you remember?" she asked.

The boy frowned. I noticed his sea green eyes looked a little familiar, but I couldn't quite place it.

"I– the demon grandmothers – and then ... not much."

"Who are you?" I asked, suddenly alert. "Iapetus- I remember that name. You are my uncle, you are a titan. Damasen, how could you allow a titan and two-" I looked at the pair again- "demigods in here?"

The boy looked confused. "Wait a minute- Kai?"

I was this close to drawing my sword and attacking. "How do you know my name?"

The blonde girl looked concerned. "Kai- it's me, Annabeth. And this is Percy. Don't you remember us?"

I felt like I had been punched in the gut. My craziness had increased so much that I was hallucinating my old friends. I fred my sword and in a flash had it held up to the boys throat.

"How dare you.." Then I screamed louder. "HOW DARE YOU! STOP MESSING WITH MY MIND! Stop... please stop messing with my mind..." I sobbed.

I flinched when a hand touched my shoulder. I looked up and saw the blonde girl staring down at me with gray eyes.

"Kai... it really is us."

I reached out and touched her arm. I moved to her shoulder, then cupped her face. I could feel her, feel the warmth radiating from her body.

"Annabeth?" I croaked. She nodded.

"Oh, Annabeth." I reached out and hugged her. A moment later another set of arms wrapped around me, and I knew it was Percy. We embraced as tightly as we could.

Damasen loomed over the bed. "There is no time, little mortals. I hate to interrupt the reunion. The drakon is returning. I fear its roar will draw the others – my brethren, hunting you. They will be here within minutes."

Annabeth's pulse quickened. "What will you tell them when they get here?"

Damasen's mouth twitched. "What is there to tell? Nothing of significance, as long as you are
gone."

He tossed them three drakon-leather satchels. "Clothes, food, drink."

I was shocked to receive a pack. "What- Dameson, what is this?"

"It is your time to leave, child. You cannot survive in this environment much longer."

"But- but Damasen! Who will gather your herbs, or cheer you on as you slay the drakon? Who will help you eat the stew, and make clothing? Who will you talk to?" Without meaning to, I had formed a storm cloud above me. I swiped my hand and the rain stopped pouring as the cloud dissipated.

Dameson picked me up in his large hand. "My dear, I survived millennia without a companion. I assure you, my time with you was the highlight of my curse. I shall never forget you."

"But... what if I can't survive without you?" I cried.

"Because, Kai, you are strong. You are a survivor. You survived for a long time on your own, and now you have companions. You will see the light of day again."

"The Prophecy of Seven," Annabeth said.

"The Prophecy of Seven?" I asked.

Percy had already climbed out of the bed and was shouldering his pack. He frowned at her. "What about it?"

Annabeth grabbed Damasen's free hand, startling the giant. His brow furrowed.

"You have to come with us," she pleaded. "The prophecy says foes bear arms to the Doors of Death. I thought it meant Romans and Greeks, but that's not it. The line means us – demigods, a Titan, a giant. We need you to close the Doors!"

"Romans?" Clearly I had missed a lot.

The drakon roared outside, closer this time. Damasen gently pulled his hand away. He set me down on the ground.

"No, child," he murmured. "My curse is here. I cannot escape it."

"Yes, you can," Annabeth said. "Don't fight the drakon. Figure out a way to break the cycle! Find another fate."

Damasen shook his head. "Even if I could, I cannot leave this swamp. It is the only destination I can
picture."

"There is another destination. Look at me! Remember my face. When you're ready, come find me. We'll take you to the mortal world with us. You can see the sunlight and stars."

The ground shook. The drakon was close now, stomping through the marsh, blasting trees and moss with its poison spray.

Further away, Kai heard a booming voice urging his followers forward. "THE SEA GOD'S SON! HE IS CLOSE!"

"Annabeth," Percy said urgently, "that's our cue to leave."

Damasen took something from his belt. In his massive hand, the white shard looked like another toothpick, but when he offered it to Annabeth I realized it was a sword – a blade of dragon bone, honed to a deadly edge, with a simple grip of leather.

"One last gift for the child of Athena," rumbled the giant. "I cannot have you walking to your death unarmed. Now, go! Before it is too late."

I wrapped my arms around the giant as best as I could and cried. "Goodbye, Damasen. I will see you again!"

"We must leave," Bob urged as a kitten climbed onto his shoulder.

"He's right, Annabeth," Percy said.

"Come, Lucy." My voice broke as I called my hellhound. I saw Percy look at her with an unrecognizable expression, but he looked away quickly.

We ran for the entrance. I couldnt look back as I followed Percy, Annabeth and Bob into the swamp, but I heard Damasen behind us, shouting his battle cry at the advancing drakon, his voice cracking with despair as he faced his old enemy yet again.

"Percy, Annabeth. It seems I have a lot to catch up on. But I only have one question for now. How long has it been?" I asked.

Annabeth and Percy looked at each other then back at me.

"Kai," Annabeth said. "it's been nearly six years."

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i don't think I have the math right buuut wtv
sorry about the short update, i've been unmotivated recently.
thank you all for 1k reads, i'm beyond ecstatic. I never expected my story to get any attention. I love all of you.
please let me know if there are any grammatical errors.

1260 words

-xoxo, author