Ariana's Trials

Part 13

3rd POV

Ariana was terrorizing the camp. She had woken up and destroyed nearly everything in sight, kicking, slashing, and blasting whatever got in her way, her rampage sparing nothing but the strawberry fields and the cabins. Percy, who had fallen out of bed, saw his sister's eyes, once a sparkling sea green, now endless black voids, empty of all feeling. Jack returned and remembered what Ariana had told him "Imagine a psychopathic killing machine with no morals whatsoever. That's what happens if he gets me or my brother" 

Jack had told Percy who had control over her, and Kaldur was at a crossroads. It was his sworn duty to protect her, but she was doing something horrible, what action should he do? Help his Princess or try and stop her from hurting everyone? Noha had his mind made up, he was trying to restrain her as they did to him. No harm would befall her, and the rampage would stop. So far, many people had been scared to approach her, since, if not for Percy, A small boy named Ellis would have been dead from Ariana's blood-bending. She had momentarily stopped the blood in his body from flowing, and he went into shock. Percy was the only one able to stop this by pushing his will against hers and forcing his blood to keep moving normally.

"Ariana! Get out of whatever nightmare you're having!" He shouted. Ariana, for the entire rampage, never uttered a single word, only keeping an unnatural smile curled across her lips grotesquely, it only wavered when Percy swung in with his blade and Ariana was forced to parry. 

The two were caught in a deadly game of chicken, and not even Clarisse wanted to interrupt this. Much speculation was traded, Percy was always the best swordfighter, but Ariana's arrival questioned his title. Now was good, but also a bad time to see which of the twins was stronger. So far, Ariana held the lead.

"Ariana! Snap out of it!" Percy shouted. Ariana merely tilted her head like she was asking a question, the smile still dancing across her lips before swinging harder at Percy. "Dammit!" Her blade clipped him a little, leaving a long red mark across his chest. Noha took the opportunity to loop a length of chain around Ariana's right leg and tug her down to the ground, where Kaldur helped by pulling the chain Noha looped, while Noha managed to restrain her left arm. 

The smile fell from her mouth and was replaced by a siren's song, many people falling victim to its alluring call, moving toward the swirl of blood-red water that rose from the lake. Ariana was going to drown her victims. Annabeth, being the only camper to survive the sirens, managed to cram a gag into Ariana's mouth before anybody died, then grabbed Ariana's arm and pinned it.

"Percy, have you got any idea how to stop her?" Annabeth shouted

"Nico said she freed him by actually going to wherever this "Pitch" guy is and running away into a white room, then they made the room fill with water and Ariana opened a portal back here" Percy yelled back

"That was oddly specific" Annabeth added "How do we get to wherever she got Nico from?"

"We dream about it and take action. I don't think that Ariana is under the same influence Nico was though" Percy said

"Well DUH!" Annabeth added, "How much Seaweed is in your head?" Percy shrugged, and Annabeth facepalmed "I can't believe I agreed to marry you" Percy frowned, and Annabeth laughed. Noha came back with more chains, and they finished restraining Ariana, who was screaming profanities through her gag. Clarisse made her way over.

"Prissy, it looks like you're not the best swordfighter. Your sister here drew first blood" Clarisse nodded towards Ariana, who was failing around in the chains, then closed her eyes 

"I wasn't trying to hurt Ariana" Percy grumbled, then, in a matter of moments, the chains around Ariana shattered

"Ice?" someone wondered. Ariana shook a fine layer of frost off herself, her left hand coated in thick blue permafrost, which was promptly broken into chunks as Ariana closed her fist

"No bonds can restrain the sea, little brother." her grotesque smile reappeared, and she flung herself toward...The camp hearth. She was after the camp's hearth, Hestia's symbol, the heart of the camp. everyone smart enough to notice her goal started after her, but Ariana's speed, her running perfected from years of training in martial arts, and a headstart meant she reached the hearth first, where a ten-year-old girl waited, a short wooden stick charred at the end from ages of poking the fire. Jack, taking Ariana's temporary halt as an opportunity, did what he did to win their games of tag: He froze her feet to the ground and kept the frost growing until she was coated up to her shins.

"I'm sorry, my love" he whispers, and Percy slams his sword hilt against the back of her neck before she broke free, then, Percy, who had aggravated his cut, howled in pain as blood continued to seep down his chest, staining his orange shirt red with the flow. Percy ripped the bottom hem off his shirt and pressed it against the cut, trying to staunch the increasing flow while Annabeth handed him a piece of ambrosia, he crammed it into his mouth

"Thank you," His muffled voice said "We need to find a better way to restrain Ariana"

"Heat and light," Jack said "Heat to stop her from forming more frost, Light to stop Pitch from just snatching her up" he added. Percy gave a nod, and it was agreed.