WILL
It's dark. That's all I can process at first. I wonder how Bianca can tell where she's going at all. She and Piper lead at the front, and Jason follows behind me. I'm almost certain that Percy told Piper and Jason to make sure I was kept out of danger.
The next thing I notice, after how dark it is, is that I can sense the life drained around me. Only slightly, and I assume it's due to Apollo's connection with the sun. I never realised how much I relied on light to keep my energy up.
'Stop.' Bianca says. I freeze and turn to see Jason turn his back on me, his arm out to create a barrier between me and anything that might be out there. I take out the small dagger Nico gave me for my birthday last year. Clutch it tightly.
'Any idea what we should brace for?' Jason asks, holding his sword out already. Piper has her dagger. Bianca slowly takes two smaller swords out from their sheaths on her back. One in each hand.
'The dead.' She says quietly.
'The what-' Piper starts, before a dull battle cry cuts her off. Instantly an army of disheveled, gaunt looking people run towards us.
'They're already dead!' Bianca yells, cutting one off quickly, 'they've been in purgatory for years. If you kill them they go straight back there.'
'So no mercy?' Piper asks.
'None.' Bianca agrees. The main crowd reaches us, and the three of them have formed a loose triangle around me.
Bianca looks as if she's been training for the last couple years. Though she's nowhere near as quick and seamless as Nico, she easily compares to Piper. Together the two girls get into a steady routine, bouncing off each other well.
Jason fights like Nico. I would expect him to be a bit slower, but he moves so quick I can barely keep up. He uses his sword, cutting off the enemy as fast as they approach, but I notice that even mid swing he uses his left hand to take out a dagger and hurl it behind him, past me, and at someone who'd gotten past the girls and was inches at getting to me. Jason isn't phased.
I turn to watch Piper, and see she's turned her back slightly to help Bianca. Someone comes at her with a knife, and before I know what I'm doing I've hurled my dagger, like Jason had, and hit them in the head, inches from Piper. She sees him drop in front of her, and disappear back to purgatory.
But another comes at her, and though she knocks him to the floor, he manages to cut at her leg before disappearing to Purgatory again. She lets out an involuntary yell, and Jason instantly turns to check on her, letting one of the army through to me. Without my dagger, I'm helpless. He tackles me, and I'm clutching at his wrist, forcing his sword away from my neck.
'Jason!' I yell, 'Jason.'
Release. He disappears. I gasp for breathe, as Jason kneels beside me. The army is gone.
'He get you?' Jason asks.
'No.' I say quickly, 'no.' I turn to where Piper was. She and Bianca stand, catching their breathe. Piper holds my dagger in her hand, 'Piper, let me see your leg.'
'What?' She asks.
'You hurt your leg.' I say, 'let me see.'
'It's fine.' She insists.
'That's the adrenaline.' I counter, 'It'll hurt more in an hour. But it'll hurt less in an hour if you let me look at it now.'
'Let him look.' Jason says. Piper nods and sits beside me.
'I believe this is yours.' She says, handing me my dagger, 'thank you. I didn't see him.'
'It's nothing.' I say, stretching her leg out and getting the bandages out.
'Well, I would have died.' She counters, 'so thanks.'
'Should we be worried about more coming?' Jason asks Bianca.
'It's likely. We should move again once Will's finished.' She says.
I work quickly, and am done in four minutes.
'How does that feel?' I ask, 'not too restricting?'
'No, it's great. Thank you.' She says, sincerely.
'No worries. Come to the infirmary once we're out of here and I'll give it a proper look.'
'Can't wait.' She says.
