[1] 𝐼𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑢𝑠 - 𝑃𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑦 𝐽𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑠𝑜𝑛

3.01

-

PERCY WAS SO SCREWED.

He and his friend, Charles Beckendorf, were sent to bomb Kronos's giant monster ship - the Princess Andromeda.

To make a long story short, they were about to be ambushed and Percy had left to distract the monsters. He was almost at the rendezvous point when a voice made him freeze.

"You're late."

Katniss and Luke stood on the balcony above him.

Luke had a smile on his scarred face. He wore jeans, a white T-shirt, and flip flops like he was going to the nearest beach for a vacation.

Katniss smirked. She wore a Greek chiton, tied with a belt. Her black hair was brought into a high ponytail of which a braid came out of. She could have been your average college-age kid, but her eyes told the truth. They were solid gold. She wore a circlet, an almost perfect copy of the other, but this one was gold - as if to taunt him.

He still had the silver one, the one that used to belong to Zoë. He was reluctant to let it out of his sight. It was one of the last remnants he had of Katniss, but because carrying a circlet around at all times is super inconvenient, Beckendorf had managed to enchant it for him. It could change to a silver bracelet to the circlet at will.

"Percy..."

For a moment, she sounded normal. So like Katniss it almost made Percy want to cry in relief, but then her face twitched. A shudder passed through her body as though she'd just drunk something really nasty.

"Nice to see you again Percy," Luke said. "Have a good school year?"

Percy grunted in response. He was starting to regret saving his sorry life last winter.

Katniss spread her hands. "Come, bow before me."

Her voice was heavier, ancient, and powerful—the voice of the Titan lord Kronos. The words scraped down Percy's spine like a knife blade.

"Yeah, that'll happen," Percy muttered.

Laistrygonian giants filed in on either side of the swimming pool as if they'd been waiting for a cue. Each was eight feet tall with tattooed arms, leather armor, and spiked clubs. Demigod archers appeared on the roof above Katniss and Luke. Two hellhounds leaped down from the opposite balcony and snarled at him. Within seconds he was surrounded. A trap: there's no way they could've gotten into position so fast unless they'd known Percy was coming.

He looked up at Katniss, and anger boiled inside him. Not at her, but the Titan who took her form. This wasn't Katniss. She wasn't cruel and despicable, she was kind and loyal. He didn't even know if her consciousness was even still alive inside that body. Maybe, the way her voice had changed...or maybe it was just Kronos adapting to his new form.