Suspected Terrorists

《64》

Man, I'm getting bad at updating. Next time I decide to abandon an update schedule, someone slap me and remind me that it's a terrible idea.

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Hazel

"Okay," I muttered. "Mist powers..."

I approached the dome warily, almost expecting a rogue tendril to suddenly wrap itself around me and drag me off into darkness. My ankle ached in memory.

Experimentally, I prodded the purple smoke with the tip of my sword (that I'd retrieved from where it'd been dropped). The tendrils hissed and shifted slightly, as if I'd poked a ball of snakes,  but continued to weave about each other like they'd been undisturbed.

Satisfied that the smoke wouldn't attack me all of a sudden, I sheathed my sword and pressed my palms against the dome. It moved and slithered beneath my hands but somehow remained solid against a gentle push.

I closed my eyes, but continued to picture the scene in my mind. The dome held strong against the next forceful shove I sent. And the one after that. In my mind's eye, I continued to shove, all the while a familiar, grey mist poured out of cracks in the pavement and latched itself onto me. I shivered, despite the lack of cold or even feeling in general. The formless, intangible Mist thickened and clouded around me, building and in mass and pressure. Soon the dome began to bend under my weight and the smoke began to disappear beneath my hands. The Mist attacked the smoke like an acid, eating away at it slowly and painfully until it broke. The dome of smoke seemed to shatter as the purple tendrils slithered away.

I opened my eyes to see Peter, Reyna, Will, Katie and Travis stood in front of me in the empty space where the dome of smoke used to be.

"Hey," I greeted, relaxing my arms.

"How'd you-?" Travis began to ask before a pained cry inturrupted him. I whirled around, already drawing my sword and raced towards the sound, processing the scene as I approached.

My brother stumbled away from Tartarus, clutching his side - a dark patch forming in charcoal-coloured t-shirt under his hands.

"NICO!"

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Nico

Tartarus backhanded Leo, sending him flying off towards Frank and Hazel. Piper growled and her emotions transcended her brain in the moment as she just launched herself at the primordial. Out of surprise at her audacity, he didn't even react until her sword pierced the flesh of his left ankle.

He howled and stomped in Piper's direction. But Annabeth came to her aid with her dagger and stabbed his other foot.

Tartarus growled angrily and bent down to claw Annabeth with his menacing talons. Percy swiped at the towering demon with his sword as Annabeth jumped back. The two fought in a rhythm that would be seemingly impossible unless they were reading each other's minds (Which they obviously weren't. Though, you never know when it comes to Annabeth's brain power).

Before Tartarus could engage Percy with more than a desperate grab, Frank entered the fray once again clawing at Tartarus with his own eagle talons. The primordial stumbled back, clutching his neck. In his weakness, Piper and Leo pressed forward, slicing his leg while Leo sent a blast of flame into his chest.

He fell back and the Earth seemed to shake under the strain. I jumped forward with my sword, stabbing his hand whilst it was reachable. Tartarus roared - mostly from anger - and raised his hand. From thin air he conjured a weapon - a fearsome double-ended spear. A thick, wooden staff that held two sharp points, larger than a gladdius on each end. I didn't even have time to duck before the blade was thrust into the side of my abdomen.

At first I didn't feel any pain. But before the confusion could set in it came down on me like a tonne of bricks. I gasped as the spear was removed. I clutched at the wound, desperately trying to press the blood back into my body. But the crimson liquid continued to pour through my fingers as I bled, profusely. I stumbled, choking, feeling blood in places it wasn't supposed to be. Acid burned in my throat and I coughed. Red spewed, droplets landing in a splatter on the ground. Oh. So, not acid...

"NICO!"

The noise didn't register as anything more than that - a noise. I couldn't process the voice as words; I couldn't hear Will's pain and fear.

I barely felt myself collapse into his arms. But his warmth radiated into me, making up enough for the blood loss that I had a final moment of clarity.

I glanced up. Leo and Piper lay on the ground, pressed beneath a marble pillar that they couldn't lift. Beyond that, Frank was sat against a wall, unmoving, and a dark patch of liquid stained to brick behind his head. Hazel and the others she'd freed were trapped behind a wall of purple flame, unable to get closer.

Percy flew back under the force of Tartarus' kick and hit a wall with a sickening crack. He stirred, lifting his head just in time to see Tartarus loft his spear and stab it through Annabeth's chest.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Percy screamed.

Tartarus laughed.

And then the giants appeared.

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I'm so sorry about how late amd short this is. I had a little more but this was the best cutting off point. You can leave your tears, screams and dissatisfaction with the cliffhanger here. :-)

Love you all,
~GingerbreadHalfblood