The Darkness Within

Chapter 21

Percy POV

"You..." Annabeth mutters, tears streaming down her face.

We stare at Arak's unusually pale face, his red eyes gleam with delight.

Piper gasped. "That's not possible. Your name is Arak, not Unknown!"

Arak's mouth creeps into a sneer. "News flash, Beauty Queen: I lied. Arak is the name I chose for myself to honor my mother," He points at Annabeth, "that you killed."

Annabeth's brows furrow. Suddenly realization hits her and she instantly pales.

"Your mother...she's..." she stutters.

"What's wrong, Annie? Spider got your tongue?" Arak laughs, crossing all four of his arms.

"Your mother is Arachne..." Annabeth whispers as she looks down.

I'm not ashamed to admit that if we were in any other situation, then I would've laughed at the irony of it all, but we are all entangled in sharp spikes, so I decide to postpone my celebration.

"Took you long enough, Athena-spawn." He laughs. "You are supposed to be smart. I was right under your nose the entire time."

Frank looks up confused. "If you're Unknown, then how did Sepia give you the information?"

Unknown stares at him in disgust. 

"You are in my domain." Tartarus answers. "I can see all that happens in it."

Annabeth facepalms. "Why didn't I think of that?"

Unknown rolls his eyes.

"Perseus," he begins, "you have been betrayed by everyone here. Join us. Give us Annabeth and you and Pax can be apart of something  greater."

"I think I'll pass." I growl.

Tartarus frowns. "I expected better from you, Perseus."

The spikes dig deep into my skin as Tartarus jerks me out of the spikes. He tosses me back and forth.

"Puny demigod." He curses.

He throws me across the land and I hit my head hard on sharp rocks.

"NOOO!" Hazel screams as Frank holds her up.

I squint, trying to make out my surroundings.

Everyone is trapped in spikes. Annabeth starts to wail at the injustice of it all. Piper tries to charmspeak Tartarus, but I can't make out what she is saying. Jason is bleeding all over from attempting to fly out of the spikes' grasp. Leo is suffocating in his own fire. Hazel is moving back and forth, trying to make some room to swing her sword. Frank is turning purple from trying to turn into other animals.

And Pax?

Pax is missing.

Nothing is working.

I can see only darkness. I am consumed by it. My eyes can't make out anything anymore. I am swarmed with dark emotions. The betrayal when I was cast into the pit. The pain and anger of spending 1,000 years in Tartarus. The hatred towards the people who didn't believe me. The discomfort of knowing I am no longer a carefree child.

I sense a light.

I try to find the light but I cannot see it clearly. It is as small as a drop of water.

It is a minuscule point of happiness.

Not enough to light up the darkness within me.

I wallow in my own self-pity and sadness. Nothing is going to change. I will never be accepted. I will never be good enough to please anyone.

The light buzzes and flies around me, like a firefly looking for its mate.

I look at it curiously. It seems so familiar, yet so far away.

I see times and places. Faces I cannot recognize. Then a familiar face.

Chris Rodriguez.

Why him? I don't know. He and I never interacted much. 

Suddenly another face comes into view.

Clarisse La Rue.

Scenes of my former life pass by.

Training with the campers. Singing campfire songs. Pranking my friends.

Two more familiar faces show up.

Connor and Travis Stoll.

The light grows bigger and bigger as I recall everyone who stood beside me during hard times.

Charlie Beckendorf

Silena Beauregard

Zoë Nightshade

Bianca Di Angelo

Ethan Nakamura

Bob

Damasen

Nico Di Angelo

Luke Castellan

All of a sudden, a familiar sassy blonde comes into focus.

Pax

Pax risked her life to give me a new one. She was with me the past three months. She helped me through my emotional trauma. She supports me with every decision. She stands up for me when I am in need.

Pax

She is my light.

The light that vanquishes the darkness within me.

The light slowing grows bigger and takes over the darkness.

A/N: I legit cried writing this scene. It's so powerful. I hope you guys enjoyed it.

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That's it. I have nothing else to say.

Thanks for reading. The next chapter will be up Sunday.

A crying author,

Sapphy.