Wrath of a Halfblood (A Percy Jackson Fanfic)

1.9

Hours after the fight with Ares and the feast held in her honor, Percy was finally able to escape long enough to catch a few moments of sleep. 

Her descent into the realm of Morpheus was anything but peaceful, however. 

She shot awake with a shriek of terror, leaving behind her dreams of the pit. 

Percy stumbled out of her tent blindly making her way towards the sound of crashing waves. She could barely see, the only light being that of the silver moon overhead. Nausea crept up her sweat-soaked throat and she collapsed into the shallow water. 

She tried to focus on the feeling of sand pulling away from her fingers and drifting off with the tide. The sound only sounds her ringing ears registered was the fatalist duet of her panting breaths and the movement of her father's domain. 

She choked on the lump in her throat releasing a desperate sob as her shaking fingers sunk into the eroding sand. 

Falling.

Tartarus. 

Fear. 

Annabeth. 

Bloodlust. 

Fight. Fight! FIGHT! RUN!!!

Let's see how much misery, misery can take.

It all came rushing back once again just as it did during the fight with Ares. There was nothing to do except weather her own storming emotions and praying to survive yet another episode. 

"Persephone."

A voice called out but the soothing tone was too distant for her to place in her panic. 

"Calming beathes, Persephone. You must breathe. Focus on my voice. Hear my command. Come back to yourself, dear one." The voice spoke once more, an unplaceable melody in each inflection. 

"You are hurting yourself, Persephone. You have to calm down." The voice commanded once more adding further divine power to his words. 

"I'm going to touch you now, Persephone. It's going to be alright. I'm right here. I can help you." 

She flinched as she felt a delicate hold grasp around her aching hands. She hadn't even realized she had been scrubbing her arms so hard, trying to get rid of blood and monster dust that only existed in her own mind. 

When her panic snapped she descended into uncontrollable sobs, collapsing into the stranger's embrace. 

She sat there for a moment in his arms, allowing the lull of the sea water to wash away her terror. 

She felt foreign hands combing through her hair as she felt her sanity return. 

She was not in Tartarus. 

She was not in New York. 

She was in Ancient Greece, in the camp of the Acheans on the shores of Troy. 

She was in the arms of a man, who had stayed with her, who had talked her out of her episode. 

She leaned back looking up into the purple eyes of her rescuer. His gaze was kind and gentle, it took a moment for her brain to recognize his changed features, "Mr. D...Dionysus?" 

His handsome smile was kind as he brushed the sweat-soaked curls off of her forehead and behind her ear. "It's okay, Persephone... Just breathe with me. Follow my pacing." 

He held her hand to his own chest, breathing in and out as slowly as he could. Percy didn't even think God breathed and yet here he was... Mr. D. gingerly brushed away the tears running down her face as he held her hand to his heart, allowing her to follow his movements and calm at her own pace.