The Darkness Is Coming

A Way Out

Percy tiptoed into the forest. It was dark out and the moon shone over him. He could hear the cleaning harpies chasing someone off in the distance, near the cabin, and smiled a little. At least his timing was golden.

He slunk between the trees before settling in a clearing and spinning a small ball of water on his finger.

"Alright, I know you're there, get out where I can see you." He finally announced.

"Impressive. I've only just arrived." Percie stepped out from the shadows, her seemingly trademark evil smirk twisting the features that could well be very beautiful.

"Good for you." Percy responded acidly.

"Ah ah. I will not take that tone of voice from you. Have you so easily forgotten that I hold the power here?" Percie asked sweetly.

Percy glared at her for a few moments before tossing the ball of water in the air and letting it burst into a fine mist that dropped around him. He stood slowly.

"So what have you found out?" Percie asked.

"The son of Hephaestus has returned." Percy shrugged. "He brought a girl." That's pretty much all that's happened."

"The son of Hephaestus?" 

"Yeah, Leo. Remember, I thought he was dead."

"Ah, yes." Percie's lip curled up in disgust. "The fire user."

"That'd be the one." Percy said, his voice emotionless.

"Figures, he'd be the one to survive an explosion of fire."

"Better him than Octavian."

Percie looked up. "Ah yes, Octavian. I'd rather he survived, actually. We could have worked together."

Percy let out a laugh at this. "No you couldn't have!"

The abomination that claimed to be a daughter of Poseidon tipped her head at her supposed brother. "What does that mean?"

"Well, if you're my opposite, then you'll not want to work with anyone. I can tell even relying on me makes you angry." Percy smirked. "But you have to if you want information on the camp."

"I assure you I can make alliances if need be."

"Yeah, and your first instinct will be to stab them in the back." Percy said seriously.

"No!" Percie seemed to have a problem with being wrong. "That's not what will happen!"

"Yes it will. And I guess we are a little closer to each other than you and I thought."

"What?" The black haired girl was completely confused.

"As soon as I promised to help you, I was working as hard as possible to do one thing."

Percie scowled. "And what was that?" A dagger of ice formed in her hand.

Fire erupted in a ring around the clearing, drying the air quickly and forcing Percie inward. Percy smirked. 

"Betraying you."

---------------------------

Nico POV

I was actually getting some decent sleep when someone began to hammer on the door to my cabin.

"What the Hades do you want?" I bellowed, rolling over in bed to glare in the general direction of the noise.

"The forest is on fire and I can't find Percy!" Piper shouted.

I leapt to my feet, getting tangled in the blankets and hitting the floor hard. "Ow!"

"Nico, are you okay?"

"I'm fine! Have you checked the Big House?"

"Yes! And his cabin and the beach and everywhere else I could think of!" Piper shouted.

I winced as I finally managed to disentangle myself from the black sheets and pulled on a pair of tennis shoes over my bare feet.

"Well we need to find him! Actually, find Leo! He could put it out!" 

"Okay!" Piper's feet pounded on the porch briefly, then faded into the distance. I could hear the fire roaring as I fumbled for a shirt.

Pulling the black material over my face, I flung the door open and squinted in the light.

"Holy Hades!" 

Half the forest was aflame, burning bright orange in the darkness. Demigods were running rampant, the cleaning harpies nowhere to be seen. I sprinted for the trees.

"I can't find either of them!" Piper ran up again. Her multicolored eyes were reddish in the light of the fire.

"Well where the Hades are they?" I muttered angrily.

"Uh..." Piper said.

"What?" I snapped. This stupid fire had me up at midnight, I was not in a good mood.

"I found them." She pointed.

I whirled, not even registering that she was pointing right at the flaming trees.

"Oh my gods!" Two figures were staggering out of the trees. The taller, more muscular one had the shorter, scrawny one's arm over his shoulders.

I sprinted towards them.

"Percy!"

He looked up, his brow covered in sweat and soot. There were minor burns on his arms, which meant he had been in the fire for a while, since I knew fire took a while to hurt him.

"What the Hades happened?" I asked, reaching him and slinging Leo's other arm over my shoulders.

"Percie....Leo....had this idea. We tricked her....almost had her....stupid branch." Percy seemed slightly delirious as he muttered an answer.

Piper ran up and grabbed Leo, easily holding up the scrawny son of Hephaestus.

She was just in time. As soon as Leo was in her arms, Percy collapsed. 

"Aw, come on!"

[A/N almost had her! how do you think she got away?]