²𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐊 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐃𝐘. percy jackson

XXIX.

ΉӨЦƧΣ ӨF ΉΛDΣƧ

AS THEY STARTED DOWN THE CLIFF, Lucia concentrated on keeping her footing, avoiding rockslides that would alert the empousai to their presence, and of course, making sure she and Percy didn't slip off and die.

About halfway down the precipice, Lucia begged, "Stop, okay? Please. Let's take a mini break."

Her legs wobbled badly, so bad she almost stumbled off. She crouched down to ease the ache in her muscles. Rubbing at her legs to try and feel them again.

Percy cursed himself for not calling a rest earlier. He sat beside her. "Princess, I'm sorry."

She shook her head, "I-I'm okay!" She tried smiling.

They sat together on a ledge next to a roaring fiery waterfall. Percy put his arm around her, and she leaned against him, shaking from exhaustion.

He wasn't much better. His stomach growled in her ears. If they came across any more monster carcasses, she was afraid starvation might make them devour it.

At least they had each other. They would find a way out of Tartarus. They had to.

Sure Lucia didn't live in a world of fates and prophecies for as long as he had, but no matter how much she believed in their power, she wanted to believe in the power of them more.

They were supposed to be together. They hadn't survived so much just to get killed now. And no matter who tried separating them, at the end of the world they'd find each other again. That had to be true.

"Things could be worse," Lucia ventured. Doing her best to be optimistic for both their sakes.

"Yeah?" Percy didn't see how, but he tried to sound upbeat.

She snuggled against him. He pressed his lips against her forehead, breathing in her scent. A gentle sigh fell from his lips.

"We could've fallen into the River Lethe," She tried. "Lost all our memories."

Percy's shuddered. "I've had enough trouble with amnesia for one lifetime."

Only last month, Hera erased his memories to put him among the Roman demigods. Percy stumbled into Camp Jupiter with no idea who he was or where he came from.

"And the Lethe," he muttered. "Not my favorite...."

"What is it?" Lucia asked him.

He focused his gaze on her, " A few years ago, when you were..." He cleared his throat, "Taken... Thalia, Nico, and I, fought a Titan on the banks of the Lethe, near Hades's palace. I blasted the Titan with water from that river and completely wiped his memory clean."

"What was the Titan's name?" Lucia asked.

"Uh.. Iapetus. He said it meant the Impaler or something."

"The Piercer." Lucia corrected, "He was Kronos' brother, they were in Tartarus together...When did this happen? Wh-Why were you three on the banks of the lethe?"

Percy's eyes got darker. He hesitated to speak, and his jaw clenched. "Ethan Nakamura, he came and stole the sword of Hades, Persephone asked us to bring it back before he could use it to resurrect the Titans from Tartarus."

Lucia felt herself fall back into a memory.

In the dimly lit corridor, Lucia tried catching her breath after an intense sparring session. It was one of many, now that Kronos had allowed her to wander freely, he wanted her to be as lethal as a weapon. That meant working day in and day out against monsters, demigods, and even some immortals to sharpen her up.