The Gift of Time

8|| Backbiter

Percy's POV
I walk deep into the ocean before lying down and taking in the water. I watch as the fish swim by above me, and tune out their conversations. Fish tend to talk a lot. I think about the next few days, and my mind strays to the conversation I just had with Annabeth.

I feel like I shouldn't have said what I did. Where did a question like that come from anyway? It seems like a question that would be asked for a purpose. As if she needed to prove something to someone. Maybe saying what I did wasn't a good idea.

"It wasn't. Answering her question the way you did applies more suspicion on an already suspicious circumstance. You shouldn't have said that." Kronos says

"You're right. What do I do?" I ask

"Wait. Maybe she won't say anything with the solstice coming up." He says

"Or maybe she's waiting until the solstice."

"In that case just don't be seen all night and you'll be fine."

"True."

With the solstice coming closer I can't help but feel a sense of dread that Kronos is leaving. Sure I've been mastering the domains, but it still scares me that I'll be all alone. Believe it or not, Kronos has been a very big help in this whole thing. Sure I get sick of his snide comments, but I digress.

My only concern really is what is going to happen in the event that they find out at the solstice. I mean everyone is going to be there. All of the gods, the hunters of Artemis, the Roman's, and the Greeks all in one place. Adding a person possessed by Kronos into that mix is not a good idea. But here I am.

A little while goes by and I very faintly hear the horn sound for lunch, so I get up and exit the water. I enter the dining pavilion before I sit at my table and eat my food.

~~

Later that night, I snuck out of my cabin way past curfew and snuck into the forest. Why am I doing this you may ask. That's a good fucking question. Something about channeling more power from a nearby cave, and I don't protest because why would I. I'm just hoping the harpies don't find me.

I'm walking through the forest in a very familiar path when I realize where I'm going. I'm going to the cave where Rachel stays when she's here. I haven't seen Rachel in quite a long time, so I don't know if she's here or not but I imagine she's not.

After a while of walking, I enter the cave and immediately feel the power radiating off the walls. Why is this cave so powerful? No idea, but I think it has something to do with the oracle staying here. She's powerful or something.

I walk into a hallway lined with lit torches, and an ominous feeling grows in my gut. This cave is kinda suspicious if you ask me, but oh well. At the end of the hallway, there's a room in the shape of a hexagon. On each wall is a torch that is lit with weird looking green fire. I'm not one to ask questions when it comes to weird circumstances, so I just continue in. On the ground there is a spiral design that lines the floor.

"Perfect. I need you to sit down in the middle of the spiral." Kronos says

"Okay, I know I said I don't question suspicious circumstances, but what the fuck is going on?" I ask

"You have to gain control over backbiter." He answers

"And why couldn't we do this in my cabin?" I ask "Getting eaten by harpies isn't normally on my to-do list."

"Since I'm not fully faded the blade still belongs to me. Until I fully fade you can only summon it in sacred places. Like temples and such. Since this is where the oracle 'lives' and says prophecies it's considered sacred." He says "We also have to do it on Olympus."

"Yeah because that's not a terrible idea." I say

"Oh it is, but you have to do it." He says

Great. I sit down in the spiral and he tells me to do the normal stuff. Breathe, focus, and envision what it is I want to happen. I close my eyes and create an image of what I remember backbiter as, and imagine it materializing in my hand. Before I know it, I feel an unfamiliar weight in my hand and open my eyes to see backbiter. I lift it up and notice that it's rather top-heavy, and I can't imagine why it would be.

"Scythes are much different than swords. All of them are top-heavy because that's what leads the battle. You must learn how to wield it in order to be able to use it correctly. It might be your symbol of power, but that doesn't mean you can just wave it around." Kronos explains

"Why a scythe?" I ask "What does a scythe have to do with anything?"

"I don't know. Is it a problem that I chose a scythe?" He counters

"Yes! Now I have to learn a whole new style of combat just to use my domains." I complain

"Oh boo-hoo. It's not that hard once you get the hang of it. Besides, now that's it's your symbol of power it comes naturally to you. Quit your complaining." He says

Rude much. I stand up and exit the cave while admiring the details in the handle of backbiter. It might be totally impractical that it's a scythe, but it is really pretty. You might be wondering, 'didn't Kronos say that you can only summon it in sacred places?' Yes. But I didn't summon it outside the cave I'm just holding it outside the cave. As long as I don't make it disappear it will stay as a solid object.

Holding it reminds me of the battle of manhattan and how Luke's version of backbiter was a sword, so I got to thinking. I thought about backbiter turning into a sword and sure enough, it turned right in my hand.

"Huh." I say

"Way to take the easy way out. I was wondering if you were going to figure it out." Kronos says

"We're lucky that was a traumatic experience in my life or else I wouldn't have remembered." I say and he goes quiet

I know he feels bad about what he did after spending this time with me, but I still rub it in his face. Truth is, I want him to feel bad. He put us all through hell and he deserves to remember it. I guess he makes up for it by giving me his domains though.

I walk back into my cabin successfully avoiding becoming harpy chow, and set backbiter in my dresser. I quickly change before plopping down in my bed and drifting off into another training session.