The Darkness Is Coming

Taking The Heat

Third Person POV

The sound of campers tramping through the forest towards them began to become evident.

"Nico, get me out of here!" Percy pleaded. The fear in his eyes was so surprising that Nico offered his hand to his cousin.

"Thank you!" Percy broke down and nearly started sobbing as he grabbed Nico's outstretched hand. They dissolved into the shadows and landed behind the Big House.

"You have a Hades of a lot of explaining to do." Nico hissed.

"I know. And I will, just keep the campers away from me until I do. I don't want to die by a mob." Percy sounded absolutely terrified, as if he knew exactly would happen if a group of furious campers would find him. The confident boy who could best anyone at camp and was possibly the nicest person around was gone. Nico wasn't sure if he'd ever come back.

"Come on, let's go inside and talk to Chiron." He suggested.

"He won't hate me?" Percy asked shakily.

"Not if you explain what happened."

Percy nodded and seemed to steel himself before pushing off the back of the building where he had been leaning dejectedly.

Nico led him inside. "Chiron, you in here?"

"In the back, my boy!" Nico felt Percy flinch behind him at the sound of the old centaur's voice.

"I can't do this." He whispered.

"Yes you can!" Nico hissed back.

"No, I can't. I killed some of his best students!"

Nico grabbed Percy and turned him so the two of them were facing each other. "Listen to me. As far as I know, you didn't do any of those things. A psychotic parasite inside your head did them. We're going to explain that to Chiron and then the campers, so get your act together because I am not going to carry you through this!"

Percy nodded and swallowed before straightening his back in an attempt to look confident. "Right."

"Nico, are you coming back here?" Chiron asked.

"Yeah, I'm coming." Nico turned to Percy again. "Wait outside the door until I tell you to come in."

He nodded and followed the son of Hades down the hallway.

"Hey, Chiron." Nico stepped into the office. Chiron, who was standing at his bookshelf in horse form, turned and smiled.

"Nico, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Well, I've got someone outside, and he's got some important stuff to tell y-" Before Nico could finish there was a shout and a scuffle outside the door of the office.

"How dare you try to attack him!" Clarisse screamed outside the door.

"I w-"

"Shut up!" The daughter of Ares stepped into the room, dragging Percy by his shirt with the tip of her spear resting against his throat. "Look who I found outside, waiting to strike." She sneered.

"Let him go, Clarisse." Nico snapped.

"Oh so you're in league with him now, eh? No problem, I can kill two." Clarisse pressed the spear tighter and a small trickle of blood dripped down Percy's neck.

"CLARISSE!" Nico roared. "Let him go!" 

The tone he used startled Clarisse enough for Percy to wriggle out of her grip. He backed up quickly until he was leaning against the wall and carefully touched the small wound on his throat, healing it with the very blood that dripped from the opening.

"Alright, di Angelo, what are you playing at?" She finally snarled.

"Get out, Clarisse. This is a personal matter."

"But he-"

"I will take care of Percy. GET OUT!" Nico shoved Clarisse backward and slammed the door in her bright red face.

"As I was saying," He turned slowly. "Percy needs to talk to you."

"Nico, is there a reason you brought the boy who killed some of my best students into my office?" Chiron asked slowly.

Percy made a strangled noise in his throat.

"He's here to explain that, actually." Nico looked over to the son of Poseidon and motioned for him to speak.

Percy took a deep breath and a single step forward. He seemed to know that he was leaving himself open if Clarisse decided to bust the door down or something, but he still turned so he wasn't facing the door before he started his story.

"It started when I found that son of Apollo kissing Annabeth." He explained the past days. 

"Percy, re-explain the possession to me." Chiron said when he was finished.

"It felt like I'd been set on autopilot, but someone else punched in the coordinates. I couldn't stop her, I barely had the strength to fight her at all. Then I found a way and got out into her...our? Whatever. Our mind. I ran around there and eventually found this little door. I opened it and jumped out and suddenly we were separate people."

"Hmm... I will consult the gods to find out how the two of you separated. Meanwhile-" Someone began to hammer on the door.

"CHIRON! CHIRON ARE YOU OKAY?!" Will shouted from the other side of the door. Percy backed up to the wall where he had been before.

"You can let him in." He said quietly.

Nico opened the door and Clarisse and Will burst in, followed by several campers.

"What the Hades, Clarisse!" The son of Hades snapped.

Will, however, had caught sight of Percy. Marching forward, he laid his dagger against the boy's throat.

"I lost my first patient in several years because of you. You'd better have a Hades of a good reason for all of this."

[A/N So Clarisse overreacted and brought in the cavalry]