Horizon's Point: The Rise of the Lyre (Jason Grace)

Chapter 19: The Grace Siblings

Guards in the form of Ichthyocentaurs milled around the plaza grounds, as we drew ever closer, I feared that they would spot us. However, they did not, I suspected that that would be all of the good fortune the Gods would allow us, so did not take it for granted by any means.

"So, what's the plan?" I whispered so quietly that not even Echo could pick it up if I were in a hulking cavern.

"I say we take out the guards and barge through." Percy declared equally as quiet as I.

Jason shook his head, "There must be a moment when they move her to a point to be executed. I don't want to cause a scene and kill everything and everyone in our path."

I turned what he was suggesting over in my mind, it would be wiser. However, Thalia and Jason were going to have to share air on the way out and Jason's current source was rapidly depleting. We couldn't waste any time, there had to be another entrance.

"No," I decided, "You can't waste any more oxygen, we can try to sneak in from around the back."

Jason started to protest, but Percy cut him off by dragging him by the arm after me. We swam around the back of the castle; raw iron bars kept it secure and was that-

I suddenly halted, motioning for the others to follow me without even looking at them, I swam down and smiled with satisfaction. There was another entrance to underground, right here. I locked eyes with my brother who had come up beside me and we shared the same thought.

Holding up three fingers, then two, then one, then a fist, we rammed at the bars with the side of our bodies, bringing the full force of the mighty ocean with us. Tumbling inside the hole, the sound of Ichthyocentaurs rumbling for their weapons and swimming over to our location grew ever louder, along with the shouts for reinforcements. We had to move faster. Jason grabbed my hand and we swam into the nothingness of a dungeon.

For a long while I couldn't see anything, but felt the walls closing in, growing steadily lower. On a number of occasions, I had to yank Jason's hand so that he wouldn't hit his head on the celling.

Then, we found steps, and then a safe door. The boys grabbed for a key to no avail, however, I knew a thing or two about locks. Drawing one of my swords, I started to pick at the lock. I don't know how I know how to do it with a sword, but I did and it was useful so didn't think too much on the subject. In a matter of seconds, they swung open, revealing an air-tight room where the walls were lined with cells. All of these were occupied by dead bodies.

As I stepped into this room, my lungs closed up at the thick, muggy air that smelt of decaying carcases. I blamed the sent on the dead people. Percy flopped out into the room with Jason's arm slung over his shoulder, what had happened? My friend wasn't moving and his head was lulled forwards, his skin pale and face emotionless.

Fear overcame me; he had run out of air and I wasn't paying enough attention to save him! Tears pricked at my eyes as I recalled him laughing at the stupid jokes that me, him and Leo would make. His smiling face, his strong arms around me, his good-nature. This couldn't be how he ended, drowned like my mother!

I rushed over to his side as Percy gently placed him down on the stone-cold floor. Feverishly, I checked his heart beat. There was the steady drumming, slowly dying. I realised that I could save him, he wasn't going to be another victim of the ocean, not like my mum.

I concentrated on all the salt water that could be in his lungs, slowly raising my hand, inches above his face and pulled it upwards, with it all of the water that he had inhaled then tossed in onto the ground beside us.

Percy shook his shoulders, a mournful expression creeping onto his face. Then Jason sat bolt-upright, coughing and gasping for air.

"What-what happened?" He asked, looking around.

I laughed out of relief and wrapped my arms around his neck, allowing myself to cry. Percy sat back onto his knees and hugged him.

"Dude, you almost died." Was all that he could say.

I dislodged myself from his body and held both of his hands in mine. "And, no. You are not allowed to joke about that." Was all that I could force out before an undeniable surge forced me towards him and I planted a kiss onto his lips. It was brief, but enough to leave him dumfounded with Percy patting him on the back sympathetically. Wait- had Annabeth done a similar thing?

There was a loud shout and the clattering of metal, then a girl screaming and the sound of a blade impaling flesh. Without thinking, I charged into the darkness that would have made Nyx proud and prepared to fight whatever was hurting Thalia.

It took me a while to navigate the labyrinth that these cells formed, but eventually I found the correct place. The only occupied cage and she was small, dishevelled and bone-thin. Her electric blue eyes were sunk back into her scull and her silver tiara seemed to have had all the light sucked out of it, her punk look now appeared as rags on her fragile body. It seemed like she was just one sudden movement away from breaking.

"Thalia?" I asked, this has to be her, if I could get her to respond then maybe it would all be alright.

She lifted her head slightly revealing the raked skin on her cheeks, all bleeding. She was losing too much blood, too quickly. "Who- Abigail?" Her voice was hoarse and so quiet.

"Here," I slashed down the bars and broke her chains that held her down, helping her to sit up I gently got her to drink some water. "It's going to be alright; Jason and Percy aren't far behind."

She nodded weakly, I doubted that she had taken in my words, but at the sound of her brother's name her eyes lifted slightly. She was leaning against me while I was crouched down as I heard the battle cries of the boys and knew that I should help them.

'No.' I told myself, resisting the urge to leap up and join the fight, 'Thalia needs you.' That conscience told me, so I stayed put, nursing Thalia's injuries and speaking to her in soothing tones as if she were a small child. I fed her some of the Ambrosia and Nectar that I had taken with us in my bag, hoping that she would soon be strong enough to limp out of here with us.

Just then, I heard footsteps approaching. Tensing my body and not daring to leave Thalia's side, I drew my trident, only to be met with Percy and Jason's exhausted faces. I put it away and gestured towards the starved, weak girl in my arms. Jason didn't need any further telling, he was in front of his older sister within seconds and I allowed him to take her into his strong arms, lifting her gently and assuring her that it was all going to be alright with a smile on his face.

As we went back the way we came -Percy and I on the lookout for any monsters and Jason looking after Thalia- my brother informed my on their fight with the guards. They were cyclopes wielding copper clubs, they weren't fully-grown as the adults couldn't fit into these small chambers of the underground.

Every now and then, a cyclops would come round a corner whistling to themselves without any time to comprehend that we were there before they had two children of Poseidon on them and were reduced to monster dust.

"Alright, this is the way out." Percy declared as we reached the massive door, I helped Jason bring out the last Anemoi so that he and Thalia could make it back without too much assistance from Percy and I.

The moment we got out, we became outnumbered by Ichthyocentaurs wielding copper spears with murderous looks on their faces.

"Go," I whispered to Jason beside me, Thalia was now unconscious and that air wasn't going to last long for the two of them, "We'll catch up." I promised, turning slightly to look at him.

Nodding, my best friend kissed me on the cheek and shot upwards. I guessed that it was now my turn to be left there, deciding on how to react. But it didn't matter because the moment that he left; the creatures started to try to bring them back down.

"Hey, Pup? I say we have some fun with them." Percy grinned like a mad man and I returned the smile, this was going to be the last fight before home, we could do it.

With that, we charged, swords in hand and the full force of the ocean on our side.