Thunder and Blood

31

Percy

It's a hydra.

I finally got Void to tell me what the monster is. 

No wonder the campers haven't killed it yet. If you cut one head off, more grow back in its place. I hate Hydras with a burning passion. I might not have put Stiles up against it if I had known what it was. 

Well, too bad. 

If he dies, that's one less thing for me to worry about. 

"Give this back when you're done." I hand Stiles riptide, still in pen form. He looks at it, then up at me. 

"This is a pen, Percy." He says. "A pen."

"Yes. Now-" I tilt the tip away from me, not feeling like being impaled today, "uncap it."

He does, stepping back as the bronze sword emerges. "Woah." He exclaims. "I need one of these." He stares at it in awe. "I really need one of these."

"I'll see what I can do." 

I'm really starting to hate Void. I want to smile, to laugh, but he won't let me. I'm basically emotionless, and the thought of it sickens me. I now know how Stiles felt, I remember being scared of him, I remember how emotionless and cold he was, all I can do is hope my friends don't think the same of me. 

Stiles and I walk towards the fighting, the screaming and yelling of the campers is so loud we could hear it from the cabins. But it only gets louder as we get closer. I don't know if anyone has died, some part of me hopes not, but the other part could care less. 

"I can't kill that." Stiles stops dead in his tracks when he sees it. 

"Sure you can. We believe in you."

His gaze is turned to me. "We?"

I realize what Void had made me say. 

"I know how it feels." Stiles says quietly. "Having him control you." I meet his gaze. "It only gets worse, Percy, he'll make you hurt your friends, kill them."

My stomach turns over. "Worse will happen if I don't."

"Like?"

"He'll take my memories." I admit. "And if I don't remember who I am, that means I can't remember who my friends are. And if I- and if I don't remember them, I won't have anything stopping me from killing them." Bile rises in my throat, I try to search for Annabeth in the crowd. "The only reason I haven't gone crazy is because of Annabeth, I only have limits because of her." I look back at Stiles. "And without her, those limits won't exist."

By the look on his face, he seems to understand. "Trust me Percy, if it ever comes to that, it won't be your fault. Whatever he makes you do, that's on him, not you."

I feel Void begin to take more control over me, not liking the topic of our conversation. "Alright." I say, changing the subject before he can make me do something I'll regret. I give Stiles a pat on the back. "Now go show that monster who's boss."

"Don't let me die, please." He adjusts his grip on riptide. 

"I have it under control, all you have to do is try your best."

"You'll pull me out if it looks bad, right?"

"Right." I don't know why I'm sending him off this early. He should at least get some training first. He barely knows how to wield a sword and here I am sending him to fight a monster I barely defeated. If I had faith in him I would feel better about this, but if I'm being honest, I really don't.