Reincarnation to the Past

Chapter 85

Persea's POV

We are seated in a different auction house, this one much darker and sketchier than the one Lì introduced me to. For one, this was an actual underground auction, located at the bottom of a not-so-seedy restaurant. It takes place at a fixed time on fixed dates, where various illegal and expensive items are sold and bought, namely slaves or beasts. It is very exclusive that too, requiring a password for entry—the only reason we knew where it was was because the dryads had overheard the location also. And since we didn't know the password, we may or may not have utilized the myst to gain access and also know the password in case it came up later. We were then led to a private room on the second floor by a masked woman and informed that the auction would start shortly.

Unlike the first auction house I'd been to—where the stage was in the centre of the room, with the booths on all four sides of the wall—the stage for this one took an entire wall, with chairs on the first floor and booths constructed on the opposite wall (second floor), such that you couldn't see the other bidders. It ensured the privacy of each individual. And if that didn't, the veils and masks that we were required to wear took care of that job.

"What can you tell me about the fox?" I asked cautiously, taking in my surroundings. I could sense a collision of auras from all sides. If I were to guess, I'd say a lot of prominent parties were present here and that they were purposely releasing their auras to suppress the normal folks, those weaker than them, or even any competition.

Hestia stood leaning against the balcony rail with an excited look in her eyes. "Well, I've never met the cub. But the mother was a nine-tailed fox. Although I think their cubs start out with one tail, with each evolution, their remaining eight tails manifest. Ooh, and the mother used fire when trying to save me."

"Fire. Then it must be a beast with either your or Hephaestus' aura." I mused thoughtfully.

"My aura??" Sister Hestia tilted her head in confusion.

"Yes, the qi that creates the beasts are in fact the godly auras. If I had to bet, I'd say it is yours given how it sacrificed itself to save you." I settled in, gently placing the umbrella on the side. Since it's made of metal, the water simply rolls right off, so there's no need to wait for it to dry or anything.

The auction was soon underway, with various items, including pills, martial techniques and beasts, being sold. Even slaves were offered here, much to my disgust. I simply zoned out around five minutes in, trapped in memories of the past. It was only when Sis. Hestia grabbed my hand that I forced myself out of my haze and focused.

I was right; it was a fox cub made from Hestia's aura. The poor thing looked like it was abused and starved, the light having dimmed in it's eyes. My heart ached on its behalf; it looked like it was devoid of hope and tired—so tired that even death seemed like a better alternative. I remember having felt that way once.

I remembered what it was like to be devoid of light. I spent more than two years on my knees, my hands stretched on either side and bound to chains on the walls. I can still remember the burn after spending the first twenty-four hours in that position and the numbness that followed. I always refused to bow to others, so when Zeusy decided to chain me up, he did so by forcing me on my knees and keeping me like that for two whole years. The gods who hated me, like Zeus, Ares, Hera, and Athena, and some minor gods, would visit me every day to torture and abuse me. I remembered the feeling of hot iron being pressed to my skin over and over until my voice grew hoarse from screaming. I remember them driving nails into my skin, all the way to my bones. I remember the whipping, the stabbing, the kicking, and the punching. I remember them healing me, only to start all over again. They'd feed me stale bread and two glasses of water, three if their torture sessions turned too brutal. I remember the tears that bled from my eyes every night as I drowned in physical and mental pain until finally my tears ran completely dry.

They wouldn't let me out for anything! I was stuck in that forsaken room for 2 years and treated worse than an animal. They wouldn't let me go to the bathroom—no, I had to piss and take dumps in that room, in that position and lay in it. It was Hades or Hephaestus who would wipe me clean whenever they visited. It was Hestia who would clean up my filth.

I remember my hope blossoming the first time Apollo and Hermes came to visit me, only for it to shatter with a few words. I remember holding on to that last thread of hope. I remember spending every waking minute in that dark, forsaken dungeon, waiting for my father to come for me. I remember the exact minute when that last flicker of hope died out—when I realized that my faith had been misplaced—and I accepted my fate; in fact, I started to long for it. It was the only time I ever gave up.

If I had gone back to that time, I wouldn't have stayed, knowing that Father would never come. I would not have trusted him or given him that much power over my hope. I would have taken Hades hands, I would have listened to Hestia's pleas, and I would have responded to Hephaestus' frustrations. It's funny. They were right there—the people I should have put my trust in—right there in front of me, and yet I chose to ignore them. I chose to hold out for someone who never bothered to visit me, not even once while I was shackled up.

"sea-ersea-PERSEA!!!" Hesita yelled into my ear, snapping me out of my stupor and reminding me why we were here in the first place. SHIT! I brought my attention back to the auction, which was still focused on the fox, thankfully, and raised the next bid. Someone else raised the bid, which I countered, and this went on for a while. For every offer I gave, a party to my right countered, and it was starting to piss me off. As it is, my mood has been sour for the past few days. Is someone waiting for me to explode???!!!

I glared at the wall to my right, not seeing who was on the other side. I was just about to send a shadow soldier to the other side to see who was bidding against me when I realized that the person on the other side already possessed my shadow soldier. Because of how distracted I was, I didn't even realize that we were in the same building, which surprised me since I was usually very conscious of him.

I stopped counter-bidding, much to Hestia's surprise. "It's okay. I have another way to get the beast. Don't worry, Sis Hes; I won't let you down." I promised her with a smile.

*****

(A/N: How Percy was chained up. I wanted a better picture but this was all I could find in the particular position.)