²𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐊 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐃𝐘✸ percy jackson

XXXVI.

ΉӨЦƧΣ ӨF ΉΛDΣƧ

LUCIA WAS TIRED OF TARTARUS. To be fair, she was over the place before she even fell inside, and had been complaining about it every step of the way, but still! At that moment, she was especially tired of it!

Percy, Lucia, and Bob stumbled along in the darkness, the air thick and cold, the ground alternating patches of pointy rocks and pools of muck. The terrain seemed to be designed so that Lucia could never let her guard down. Even walking ten feet was exhausting. At least it kept Lucia busy and away from her thoughts, but damn it was she sick and tired of no solid path.

Percy left the giant's hut feeling strong again, his head clear, his belly full of drakon jerky from their packs of provisions. But his muscles seemed to ache because he limped as he walked, his legs sore. He pulled a makeshift tunic of drakon leather over his shredded T-shirt, but Lucia still saw him shiver. She pressed herself against his side to be his heater, which caused him to grin in her direction and blow her a kiss.

His focus quickly narrowed back to the ground in front of him. He reached for her hand and squeezed. Whenever he felt like giving up, plopping himself down, and dying (which was, like, every ten minutes), he reached over and took her hand, just to remember there was warmth in the world.

Percy was worried about her, his eyebrows crinkled every time he looked at her face. Lucia guessed she was failing at hiding her despair. She wiped tears from her eyes, doing her best not to let Percy see. But he knew her too well...

She was convinced they needed Damasen's help and convinced that if they didn't get it. Fate would take another terrible path since it wouldn't be following the prophecy. Lucia felt half responsible in keeping things on track. She was afraid that if she didn't make the effort, anything could happen. But the giant had turned them down.

She wondered what had happened after they left Damasen's hut. She hadn't heard their pursuers in hours, but she could sense their hatred...especially Polybotes's. That giant was back there somewhere, following, pushing them deeper into Tartarus.

Lucia tried to think of good things to keep her spirits up— carpool singalongs with her mortal father, the colors of a sunset, the lake at Camp Half-Blood, the time she'd kissed Percy underwater. She tried to imagine the two of them in New Rome together, walking through the hills and holding hands.

But Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood both seemed like dreams. She felt as if only Tartarus existed and nothing beyond that. This was the real world death, darkness, cold, pain. She was naive for ever focusing on the rest...

She shivered. No. That was the pit speaking to her, sapping her resolve. Poisoning her head.

It was in her nature to believe in life, light, warmth, and healing...She would not give up on that. No matter how many times she was faced with the opposite.

She would hold on to these things because she knew they existed.

Percy's hand in hers was proof of that. Bob leading them with mini Bob cuddling up against him was proof of that. Lucia making it this far, was proof of that. So take that Tartarus! You miserable fuck!

The more she walked the more she wondered how Nico had survived down here alone without going insane. She also wondered how Nico was feeling after the incident with Cupid. The fact he was almost outed before he was ready boiled her blood every time she thought about it. She only hoped he felt anything but shame. That kid had more strength than anyone could imagine. She just wanted him to find happiness.