Percy Jackson and the World of Magic

Chapter 18: Black Fins

3rd Person P.O.V

Two days has passes since Percy had finally learned who attacked Atlantis, even if it led to more questions being asked than being answered. The morality between the Avengers was an all-time low, they were only working together to stop the common enemy: Ultron, what happens after Percy didn't know unless he were to look into the future but he didn't because he didn't care.

All this time he was searching for the truth, but knowing it now made him uneasy. It left feeling empty, without purpose.

He needed to find that purpose and to do that he needed to do exactly what Gaea said, get answers!

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Percy woke with a gasp. For a moment he panicked. He didn't know where he was. Then he remembered-the Ostrokan. He'd swam underneath the table to hide and passed out in exhaustion after making his way to Atlantis. Now he rolled over onto his back and opened his eyes. How long had he been here? He felt as if he'd slept for days. His body was numb from the hard floor. His mind was numb, too-from all the questions still plaguing him, the ones that had no answer. 

He recalled the lethal darksong spell he casted upon entering the ruined city, casted it upon Wakandan soldiers no less. He had no choice, he knew he'd do it again if he had to. "I'm changing" he thought "and not entirely for the better"

There were barnacles on the underside of the table, glowing whitely in the darkness. He pressed his palm against their sharp edges. He wanted the pain. Wanted to know he could still feel something. 

Voices drifted through his mind, his and his mother's.

"Mom can't you be a mom for once? And forget you're the Regina?" Percy had shouted on the morning of his Dokimi. 

Atlanna had smiled sadly at him, "No, Percy" she'd said "I can't". 

Percy had been so angry at her for that. But now he understood that Atlanna had loved her people so fiercely she'd given up many things for them-including time with her family. Percy was beginning to see that love wasn't pretty words and easy promises. 

Love was hard. 

It challenged you, changed you. It filled your heart and sometimes hardened it, too. Love demanded sacrifices. He had made many in his life as a demigod, and knew he would be called upon to make many more. 

As he layed on her back, her palm still pressed against the barnacles, his stomach growled. It sounded insanely loud in the large empty room. Percy was hungry and had no idea what to do about it. He hadn't eaten anything more than reef olives an eel barries in days since he left Clint's house in the dead of night. Only Amora knew what he was up to and didn't attempt to stop him. 

"I'll starve to death under this table" he said to himself "Years from now, someone will find my bones here. They'll feel so sorry for me". Sighing he swam out from underneath the table.

TideSides were small free standing snack bars that sold drinks and finger foods. Percy had visited the one in the Ostrokan whenever he'd stay late to study, his royal guards trailing discreetly behind him. He swam to one of the room's walls and took a lava torch down. The lava needed to be replaced, it was cooling giving off a dull orange light but still allowed him to see where he was going. He poked his head out in the hallway and cautiously looked up to the spiraling hallway. 

It was empty and sad. 

There were no students in it now, no black robed professors, no ostroki carrying baskets with conches in them shushing everyone.