Lost In Memories and Curses (PJO HOO STORY)

CHAPTER 11: IF YOU COULDN'T TELL, MONSTERS AREN'T THE BEST CONVERSATIONALISTS

PERCY POV

I should not have been as surprised as I was when we had our first monster attack. It had been barely two weeks since we had gotten back from Tartarus and I was enjoying a glorious time of not having to see the ugly faces of the monsters. I really think that was all because of my dad or maybe even Apollo, leaning more towards my dad though. Apollo was cool and all (or hot, whatever) but I don't think he'd go against Zeus with him being his dad and all.

I knew they couldn't keep it up forever though, but it was still a surprise.

The second I saw the monster I knew I was screwed. I knew what it was... no, I knew a lot more than that. This monster guarded Annabeth and I while we were in prison. This monster was the one I kept on having to fight in their stupid ring, one that I struggled so hard to beat until I learned of my new ability.

Lamia.

When she arose from the sea, Annabeth, Nico, and I were sitting together (which I didn't think was very smart — putting all the Tartarus survivors together on one night watch — I instantly felt dread. I felt myself instinctively reaching towards Annabeth, knowing that a flashback was just ready to pounce on me. My heart was beating so fast I felt like it was going to rip right out of my chest. The burns I had on my abdomen and back seemed to flare up again, as if the curse Tartarus put on us made it reopen at the sight of the monster that inflicted it.

"Ah, Perseus Jackson, we meet again. Long time no see, right?" She said with a wicked grin gracing her features.

I could feel Nico's eyes boring into me, waiting for an answer.

"Lamia," I responded, choosing to ignore my cousin. I tried to swallow down the horror that was sitting on my chest, making it hard to breathe. My throat felt so dry, it was like my mouth was filled with sandpaper.

"How's the girl?" Lamia said cruelly, her eyes flickering between me and Annabeth. I growled at the slightest thought of Lamia hurting my Wise Girl and I stood up, uncapping Riptide, and keeping my celestial bronze sword between her and us three demigods. I looked back and saw Annabeth's lip quivering, her eyes dull and not in focus. I wanted to reach out to her, but I couldn't get my eyes off of Lamia. I gestured for Nico to go and comfort her.

"You stay the Hades away from us Lamia!" I shouted, getting myself into a fighting stance. My whole body flared with pain and my leg was not thanking me at all. Even with the little sessions Annabeth and I have every night, I still couldn't manage to walk more than a hundred steps without assistance. I was just hoping that the adrenaline coursing through my blood would dull out the pain.

"Oh I'm not here to fight you dear," Lamia informed me, but I only stared at her suspiciously. "Does the rest of your precious team know, Perseus? Do they know about what you are? Have you told them, or are you ashamed that you are as much of a monster as I am!"

She was cackling loudly at this point, her large serpent swishing through the water, creating large, unwelcoming waves. The rest of the team woke up at the noise and was shocked to see the creature in front of me.

"Oh good! The rest of your team is here! They all deserve to know what they're working with!"

My chest was starting to tighten. In the corner of my eye, I could hear Annabeth sobbing. I knew exactly what she was thinking of. The fight with Lamia was one that I could never, ever forget. Annabeth's screams in the background, her being tied to a pole and viciously whipped, as I fought for hours with no prevail. How I stood there, weak and battered, only to assume more and more scars and bruises. How I had finally snapped and finally screamed so loudly, every ounce of it filled with anguish, and felt a glass sphere break inside of me, enveloping me with new power. How I had controlled her blood. How I tortured her, the same way those monsters tortured us, and obliterated her. But most of all, I could never, ever forget how much I had enjoyed it.