𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋

꧁𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐘 𝐜𝐡𝟑𝟗꧂

Percy

"I think I'm gonna kill you, like, right now," Kelli snarled.

She lunged for me, and I sidestepped. But she grinned and swiped her claws at my face. They raked through my cheek and I felt the warm blood flow come tumbling down. It stung numbly. I staggered back and readied my sword again, a little more angrily.

"You did that before," she hissed, grinning.
"Maybe you don't have the IQ of a sloth then," I retorted.

She yelled in frustration and leapt at me again. I rolled behind and swung my sword for her neck, but she ducked and kicked out. My sword responded, slashing through her calf, making her scream. She attempted to take my legs from beneath me with her claws, leaning down, so I jumped and pinned her arm to the ground.

But before I could finish it, I felt movement behind me. It wasn't Annabeth. How... How did I know that? How did I even know there was something behind me? At the time, I had no idea. It had made no sound. The figure was running at me, so, without even turning around, I slashed my sword. The momentum carried the monster dust, which hit the back of my body and billowed around me in golden sparks.

"TAMMI!" Kelli screeched, like she'd just smashed $200 foundation (that she really, really needed for that ugly face) and it wasn't salvageable. She also really needed a mint. I briefly wondered if she'd ever heard of extra.

She got up and lunged again, but I parried her strike with ease. I had to end this soon - Annabeth had about three empousa on her.

Another empousa went for me, but Luke's left shoe kicked it in the face and it stumbled back. After, the right shoe kicked it again and it fell into Annabeth's sword. I bit back a laugh: defeated by a pair of shoes.

Kelli was fast, but not as fast as me. I decided to get information out of her, take advantage of the situation.

"Did you know we were here?"
"No comment."
"How did you reform so quickly?"
"No comment."
"Are the Doors of Death in the same place?"
"No comment."
"Are you annoying?"
"No comment."

I kicked her back and held my sword to her throat.
"Answer me!"
"No, I have nothing to lose. I would never betray him."
"Ah, so you serve a him?" Kelli cursed. "Interesting."

What him?

Suddenly, Annabeth cried out and I whirled, heart crawling to throat. She had a deep scratch in her arm, but she just threw her sword to her left hand and stabbed the last monster.

"You okay?" I asked Annabeth and she grimaced.
"Fine. Nothing ambrosia can't f-- PERCY!"

Time slowed down. I seemed to be aware of everything.

The whole world felt different, alien. It felt like I was viewing it from a different angle.

Annabeth's face was urgent, her arms splayed forward, blood coursing down her right arm. I could feel her body in front of me, her blood flowing through her veins, the water in her eyes, the sweat. I felt the thick air, suffocating me, crawling down my throat, scratching from the inside. I felt every water molecule in the air, thick sludge that hung freely. I could feel the fast paced river a mile away in both directions. What was closer? Where we came from. It was... it was the Lethe. I could feel it. Its rapids, the rocks flowing through it. Everything. And finally, I felt the body behind me. It was moving fast, mismatched body parts flying straight at me.