crow's calling - Percy Jackson (2)

chapter seven

     The Titan crushed Kelli to dust. Wren was immediately filled with the alarming concern (fear) that she was going to be next. Her following thought was that she was hallucinating, and given everything she'd been through in the last... however long, it didn't exactly seem impossible.

He was ten feet tall, wild silver hair with eyes to match. In his hand was a massive push broom that was more like a weapon than it was a maintenance tool, and the name tag on the ripped-up janitors uniform read Bob.

Wren yelped as the Titan turned in her direction, but he didn't even actually spare her a glance. Instead, he looked to the remaining two empousai leering over Percy. One was foolish enough to attack, but a spearhead jutted out from the end of Bob's broom, slicing the monster to dust as she lunged. The final vampire tried to run. Bob threw the broom like a giant boomerang (ha - broomerang), slicing straight through the her before returning Bob's hand.

What in the ever loving hell?

"Sweep!" The Titan cheered as he did a victory dance. "Sweep! Sweep, sweep!"

Percy couldn't speak. Wren was just as confused, probably even more so. "How..."

"Percy called me!" The janitor smiled, "Yes, he did."

Wren went to sit up a little more, but the slices that Kelli had inflicted on her back with her claws made her wince in pain. She could feel herself bleeding, feel the ripped material of her shirt sticking to her courtesy of the crimson blood. "Called you? He... You're Bob?" She shot a look to Percy, "The Bob?"

Then Bob was leaning over her with a frown, pointing at her wounds before crouching beside her. "Owie."

Percy was still woozy from all the pain, but he pushed himself up when he noticed Wren flinch away from the Titan. "It's okay, Wren. He's friendly."

Wren couldn't remember the last time she'd met a friendly Titan, and she'd trusted enlugh monsters who feigned friendliness to deserve her weariness, but the janitor tapped her back and the slash marks mended instantly. Of course, it didn't save her further torn and blood stained shirt, but at least she was no longer bleeding. Little wins, she supposed.

Healed by a Titan - Tartarus was seriously getting weird.

Bob bounded over to Percy, healing his bleeding neck and arm as quickly as he healed Wren. When the Jackson boy let out a sigh of relief and seemed to be able to move freely again, Bob's eyes crinkled with glee and he cheered. "All better!"

"Thanks for the help, Bob. It's really good to see you again." Percy breathed.

"Yes! Bob. That's me. Bob, Bob, Bob." The Titan shuffled around, clearly pleased with the sound of his own name. "I am helping! I heard my name. Upstairs in Hades's palace nobody calls for Bob unless there is a mess. Bob, sweep up these bones. Bob, mop up these tortured souls. Bob, a zombie exploded in the dining room."

Wren turned to Percy with an exceptionally puzzled look. The Jackson boy had no explanation whatsoever.

"Then I heard my friend call! Percy said, Bob!"

He grabbed Percy by the arm, hoisting him to his feet.

"That's awesome." Percy nodded, "Seriously. But how did you-"

"Oh, time to talk later." Bob shook his head with a suddenly serious expression, "We must go before they find you. They are coming. Yes, indeed."

"They?"

Both demigods scanned the horizon, but neither could see any approaching monsters. Ahead of them, all they could see was a grey wasteland. Behind them... well, the scene didn't exactly change all that much. Of course, that didn't mean there was nothing there. Neither one of them was that naive.