𝒞𝒶𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓇𝓉𝒾𝒸 | ᴘᴇʀᴄʏ ᴊᴀᴄᴋꜱᴏɴ¹

18. Helena shows them exactly why the Titan Lord wants her + lung branches

❈ They ran until they were exhausted.

Rachel steered them away from traps, they had no destination in mind—only away from that dark mountain and the roar of Kronos.

"I can't go any further," Rachel gasped, hugging her chest.

They stopped in a tunnel of wet white rock, like part of a natural cave. Percy couldn't hear anything behind them, but he didn't feel any safer. He could still remember those unnatural golden eyes staring out of Luke's face and how he had roared for Helena.

Percy glanced at her. She didn't seem fazed but he saw the blood drying around her nails. She was nervous and anxious and he knew that the longer they were down here, the worse it would get.

He would normally comfort her, giving her his ring-clad hands to distract her but they still hadn't talked and Helena was set on avoiding him.

Annabeth had been crying the entire time they'd been running. Now she collapsed and put her head between her knees. Her sobs echoed in the tunnel. Nico and Helena sat next to each other.

He had dropped his sword next to Percy's and taken shaky breaths. He took the small canister Helena offered him and drank from it.

"What are you drinking?" Percy asked him.

"Nectar," Nico said, some colour returning to his skin. "Ugh, that sucked."

"When did you get nectar?" Percy questioned.

Helena didn't look at him as he answered. "Camp. I rationed."

"For two weeks?" Percy said. Helena didn't answer. "You saved our lives."

"Not for the first time." She looked at him then. Percy notes the rising anger in them. "Apparently some of us can be stupid and get away with it, but when someone else does something for someone else's benefit, all they deserve is anger."

Mark looked at his sister. How did she know Percy had been angry at her? Something had happened in the time she had caused Mt. Helens to erupt and when they found her in the arena. The only question was: what had happened to sour her view of Percy so much?

A memory flashed through his mind. That guy is from the workshop. What did he say his name was again? Lint? Lever? Levi. That was it. Mark narrowed his eyes at his little sister. The guy had said something and she just blindly believed him?

That didn't sound right. He must have done something to gain her trust.

Nico wiped the dust off his face. "Blame Annabeth and Rachel for dragging me along. That's the only thing they could agree on. We needed to help you or you'd mess things up."

"Nice that they trust me so much." Percy noticed how he hadn't included Helena.

Percy desperately wanted to talk to her but he couldn't do that down here. He shone his flashlight across the cavern. Water dripped from the stalactites like a slow-motion rain. "Nico ... you, uh, kind of gave yourself away."

"What do you mean?"

"That wall of black stone? That was pretty impressive. If Kronos didn't know who you were before, he does now—a child of the underworld."

Nico frowned. Helena nudged him.

"Don't worry, kiddo. I'll protect you."

Nico rolled his eyes but Percy could see a small smile tugging at his lips. "Whatever."

Annabeth lifted her head. Her eyes were red from crying. "What... what was wrong with Luke? What did they do to him?"

"Wasn't it clear to you?" Helena said, getting up and dusting her pants off. "The blonde weasel let the guy use his body as a vessel."