The Tail

I swear

Percy's POV

The minute my head touched the pillow, I was plunged into a nightmare. Colors swirled around me and dissapeared to reveal a scraggy island. There were dark ruins across the hills and fog surrounded the water. San Francisco, Alcatraz Island. I walked across the waves and into one of the buildings. I saw a crowd of monsters around 200-500. I zoomed around the corridors not knowing were I was going. I finally stopped in front of a cell where I could hear the muffled sound of whimpering. I forced myself forward through the door and what I saw almost broke me. My friends were against the wall in chains. Even though it had only been a few hours since they had been captured, theh looked as if they had been here for weeks. Five cyclopes were standing there with whips. They repeatedly sent them flying and hit my friends. My heart clenched painfully as I saw Jason cry out in pain. Piper and Hazel were whimpering. Worst of all, Annabeth was just hanging limply and it looked like the fight had gone out of her. I winced as Frank, Nico, and Leo were whipped. I turned around angrily clenching my fists. Against the wall stood Prometheus in a fancy suit and tie laughing. "Oh Hello, Perseus. I didn't see you there. Planning to rescue your friends with those pesky mermaids? Think again!" He grinned as Hazel whimpered. "If you don't give yourself up, I'll kill your friends. All of them. Even those mortals. You may not know it but you are the flame of hope for the demigods. Not these fools." I clenched my fists angrily and yelled,

"That's not true!"

"Oh but it is, Perseus. I'm the titan of forethought. I break you, I break them. Give yourself up. I won't hurt your friends, and I'll let them go free." I thought about it.

"Swear." I whispered.

"I swear on the Styx." He hissed back.

I sat up in bed. Tears pricked my eyes threatening to fall but I wiped them away. I had to stay strong. I got dressed and went into the kitchen. Mom, Paul, and I ate quietly. "Do you know where you're going?" I nodded and told them San Francisco. As the clock chimed seven, I stood up with my parents. Mom came forward and hugged me tightly.

"Stay safe. I love you," she murmured.

"Bye Mom. I love you too." I held back tears as this might be the last time I would see her. I breathed in her chocolate chip cookie smell. I gripped her one more time before turning to shake hands with Paul. I looked into his brown eyes.

"Take care if her, f-for me. If I d-don't make it." He nodded back grimly. I breathed deeply and walked outside and toward the beach. I tried to enjoy the sound of the waves. Good bye Dad. I'm sorry I wasn't able to see you again. I love you. I thought to him.

P-Percy? What do you-? I closed off my mind and shielded myself from him. I didn't want him to know. He would know soon enough anyway.

I walked toward the waves, we would be swimming straight to America. I met the four in the usual spot and nodded grimly at them. I handed them a few extra Celestial Bronze weapons I had. Simultaneously, we dived into the ocean and swam toward Alcatraz.

***

I zoomed through the water faster than the mermaids with my tail and demigod powers. In only 2 hours, I was out of the ocean and on Alcatraz Island. I quickly dried myself and stood up. Looking around, I spotted a few scraggly bushes and ran nimbly making my way toward them. I skirted the perimeter of Alcatraz and tried to find an entrance to the underground fort. They wouldn't be here for at least another hour anyway. I kept Riptide in my pocket so the monsters wouldn't notice the presence of Celestial Bronze. Speaking of monsters...

I dove behind a bush when I spotted a dracenae slithering past. I weaved through the bushes folowing the monster. I followed her to a rock face where she stopped and hissed, "Demigod Scum." I rolled my eyes. Real creative Prometheus. I watched as the rock face shimmered and dissapeared. The dracenae slithered in and vanished from sight. I know where the entrance is now. I walked back toward the beach just in time to see the mermaids wash up on the shore. I quickly jogged over to them and dried them with a flick of my wrist. My water powers have become so much more advanced since the Moon Pool.

"Follow me." I whispered to them. They nodded and ran after me as I made my way back toward the rock. Once there, I turned back toward my friends.

"Thank you, for doing this." I told them gratefully blinking back tears. I truly was grateful and I was sorry that I couldn't spend more time with them.

"Of course." Bella hugged me and the rest followed. I hugged them back and pulled away.

"Let's do this."

Rikki nodded back and grinned, "See you soon." I nodded back even though it wasn't true.

I hissed in an imitation of the dracenae, "Demigod Scum." The rock completely dissappeared. I took a deep breath and plunged into the darkness with my friends following behind.