Percy Jackson Blood of Olympus (Percy Jackson fanfic)

XIXPercy

Percy shivered on his bench. He gingerly touched the bruising on his face where Polybotes had hit him with the butt of his spear. His back ached more than he’d let on when Annabeth and Jason were there. He hadn’t wanted to let them think he was in too much trouble, or they might have made a rescue attempt last night.

It was morning now, though it was still very dark in his cell, the daylight lit up the hallway outside a bit more. The day that Gaea was supposedly going to wake by feasting on the blood of two demigods. And if his friends failed, Percy knew he would be one of them, and Annabeth would be the other.

While he was just sitting there, waiting, Percy thought about Nico de Angelo’s imprisonment in a large jar. Percy had had a dream about him, several dreams in fact. Percy wondered if the others were having dreams about him right now.

Suddenly he heard the uneven sounds of Kelly's feet on the stone floor. She appeared on the other side of the bars and leered at him.

"Are you ready to die, Percy?"

He didn't answer, just stared back into her red eyes.

Kelly continued, "The sacrifice isn't until noon, but Polybotes said I could come down here and take care of you for a while."

She let that sink in. Percy didn't think "take care of" meant food, a bath, and new clothes.

"You know what I haven't had in a while?" Kelly said as she inserted a rusty old key into a home in the wall. Two of the bars began to lift up, and she stepped through and pulled out the key, "Fresh blood."

Percy instinctively backed away, putting what little distance he could between them. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his pen.

Kelly saw the movement and laughed, "Do you want to fight? I thought it would be less exhausting for you if I just took what I wanted without a fuss and left," she sounded very eager for a fight, "but if you insist."

She lunged for him, Percy made to uncap his pen/sword, but she was too fast. She pinned him on his back and Percy yelled as the opened wounds hit the stone. They had a quick wrestling match in which Percy managed to scramble away and put his back to a wall.

Kelly got to her feet and Percy uncapped the pen. Riptide sprang into full length, but Percy's poison and hunger weakened arms could barely support its weight.

Kelly paced in front of him, smiling in a sassy kind of way, "Come now darling, I thought you were better than that! Reel him in." Those last words didn't make any sense to Percy until he felt the chain around his neck tugging him sideways.

Kelly had complete control over that chain, Percy remembered. Great, he thought.

Instead of fighting against the chain, Percy walked backwards toward the ring in the wall. Kelly followed him, slowly. When the chain was all but gone, Percy couldn't have even ducked his head, and Kelly closed in.

She put a hand on his bare shoulder, her talons digging into his skin. Percy tried to lean away as she bent her head toward his neck. At the last second, Percy swung Riptide and the empousa disintegrated.

Shaking from exhaustion, Percy put the cap back on his pen and returned it to his pocket.

He stood there, trying to keep his back off the wall so it didn't sting. The chain prevented him from moving very much though. After what seemed like forever, Percy heard Polybotes' grumble from the hallway.

"Empousa, are you finished yet? We'd better get moving!"

When he saw Percy standing alone in the corner, he grinned down at him and said, "Well well well. Apparently you've got a lot more strength than we thought. Maybe a few extra bruises might help the situation?"

Before Polybotes could open the gate again, Percy said, "Didn't you say we were in a hurry?"

"Oh all right," Polybotes sighed, "The preparations just take so long..." He turned back and yelled down the corridor, "HEY! PORPHYRION! SEND ONE OF THEM DEMONS DOWN HERE, THE LITTLE BRAT KILLED OUR LAST ONE!"

Percy rubbed his ears. Giants could sure be loud when they wanted to. Meanwhile, a shuffling sound began making its way towards Percy's cell. It was an earthborn. Percy kind of felt insulted. Those things were incredibly slow.

Polybotes inserted the key and all the bars lifted. Polybotes told the earthborn to tie Percy's hands and bring him out.

The earthborn cautiously approached with the rope. Percy considered cutting it down too, but decided he really had used up all his energy against Kelly. And this wasnt a fight for his life...yet.

 Percy was led roughly through the corridors and up the incredibly long staircase. He was walking behind a huge pair of shaggy green clawed feet that belonged to one of the giants. The procession held just about every giant, monster, or titan that Percy had ever met.

The sunlight hit him like a club to the eyes. Thousands of ghouls from Gaea's army massed around a central stone table about a foot off the ground. The earthborn led Percy straight toward it. Percy looked up as a shadow passed over the scene. The familiar warship peered over the giant army and Percy could hear his friends yelling his name from here.

Percy decided now might be a good time to fight back, before they got him on the altar. But the earthborn was stronger than he anticipated. Percy tugged hard on the rope, but the creature only jerked a little. Percy tried digging in his heels, but the earthborn nearly pulled him off his feet.

Soon, he was at the altar. A sick feeling started in his stomach as he realised today might be the day he would die. Now's your chance, he thought. He kept waiting for one of his friends to jump out of the ship and come to his rescue, but nothing happened.

Too late. Several hands siezed him and forced him onto the stone slab, tying him down tight so that he could only turn his head.

The giant, Porphyrion raised his hands for silence, "Today will be the day the earth mother is reawakened. Today, we shall spill demigod blood! Today, we will have our sweet revenge." He turned his evil eye on Percy, "This little swine shall be the first to die for Gaea, followed by his puny, little, friends!"

This speach amounted to great cheering. Percy's heart sunk, Never mind, he thought, get out of here while you still can. He was resigned to his fate, but he didn't want anyone else getting hurt.