²𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐊 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐃𝐘✸ percy jackson

XXVII.

ΉӨЦƧΣ ӨF ΉΛDΣƧ

WHEN THEY REACHED THE LEDGE, Lucia was almost certain that she'd signed their death warrants.

The cliff dropped more than eighty feet. At the bottom stretched a canyon gorge: a river of fire cutting a path through a jagged obsidian crevasse, the glowing red current casting horrible shadows across the cliff face.

Even from the top of the canyon, the heat was intense. It radiated into her causing her to burn up like a furnace. Lucia stepped further away from Percy to keep him from burning up, he frowned in disappointment as a bead of sweat fell from his forehead, simultaneously a breath of relief fell from his lips at the loss of her heat.

The chill of the River Cocytus hadn't left her bones, but now her face felt raw and sunburned.

Lucia never got a sunburn before, She always tanned. But if she were to guess how a sunburn felt she'd guess it was like this, her skin felt like it was burning, it was hot to the touch. The usual comforting warmth she always felt within her now felt suffocating.

Every breath took more out of her, Almost as if her chest was filling with lead. The cuts on her hands bled more rather than less. Lucia started seeing a blur the longer she looked around, this darkness took over her, her aura flickered on and off...She needed to get to the river before it managed to kill her.

Assuming they could make it down to the fiery river, which she didn't have much hope for, her plan seemed certifiably insane.

"Luz, hey..." Percy tried to reach out.

She moved away, avoiding his touch. "Stop, it'll hurt you.."

"But..." Percy frowned and ran a hand through his hair in frustration, he looked around and examined the cliff. He pointed to a tiny fissure running diagonally from the edge to the bottom. "We can try that ledge there. Might be able to climb down."

He didn't say they'd be crazy to try. He managed to sound hopeful.

Lucia was incredibly grateful for that, but she also couldn't shake that she was leading him to his doom. She didn't want anything to ever happen to Percy, but if he ever got hurt because of her... The guilt and grief would eat her alive.

She wished desperately that Annabeth were here to tell her whether her plan sucked or not. She then quickly chided herself for thinking of her best girlfriend in this miserable place.

She wanted to borrow the blonde's levelheadedness, Lucia wasn't thinking too rationally right now. Her emotions were swirling in her stomach and made her feel like she was about to implode. All she wanted to do was survive with her boyfriend.

They had to try, they had to do anything. If they stayed there, they would die anyway.

Blisters had started to form on their arms from exposure to the Tartarus air. The environment was like a nuclear blast zone. Lucia felt like there was toxic waste rising in her throat.

Percy went first. The ledge was barely wide enough to allow a toehold.

"Be careful, Don't rush." She warned. "And one step at a time."

"No, really Luz? I was going to skip my way over there ." He muttered as she followed.

She pouted and narrowed her eyes which were watering due to the sulforous air. "Hey watch the sass with me, You Kelp Head,"

He chuckled, a small soft chuckle but it caused Lucia's chest to feel lighter.  "It'll never happen again, Sunlight."

Their hands clawed for any crack in the glassy rock. Every time Lucia put pressure on her hands, she wanted to yell. She'd ripped off the sleeves of the nurse's dress and used the fabric to wrap her bloody palms, but her fingers were still slippery and weak.