The Darkness Is Coming

Blood

STILL ALABASTER AND PERCIE'S SIDE OF THE PAST DAY OR SO...YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN

May be slightly triggering at the end!

Third Person POV

Alabaster knew he was screwed the moment the charmspeak wore off. Pelipa, he assumed she was back to Piper now, had disappeared, and when he checked the spot where the other daughter of Aphrodite's body had been, it wasn't there.

He debated trying to find the girl, but knew that could prove disastrous. She could ambush him, Percie could return while he was gone, he could get lost.

Nervously, he began to sort his books, providing himself with something he could use to distract his brain, which was racing a mile a minute.

"I'm back." Percie was in a foul mood. Alabaster tensed at her angry voice.

"What happened?" He asked as carefully as possible.

"That accursed Pegasus of Jackson's gave me a concussion." She growled. Turning, he found her rubbing the back of her head with a scowl.

"Blackjack?"

"Is that the demon's name?"

"I believe so. Have you tried icing it?"

"I haven't had a chance, you moron." She snarled. "I had to get back here and my head hurts too much to vapor travel."

"Sorry, sorry." Alabaster held his hands up in a gesture of surrender, trying to appease the angry woman.

The back of his mind very unhelpfully noted that she was even more gorgeous when she was furious, but he shoved that as far down under other thoughts as he could.

"What are you staring at?" Percie demanded, forming a small block of ice in her hand and holding it to the back of her head.

"Uh, nothing..." He muttered, feeling his cheeks heat up.

"Whatever, don't let that fire grow any for a while, I need it to be cold."

"Fine." He muttered.

Moving back to his books, he crossed his fingers, hoping he was in the clear.

"Where's Pelipa?"

To say Alabaster's heart skipped a beat was very inaccurate. His heart jumped up and began to tap dance in his throat.

"She said she was going exploring..." He muttered, trying to put the situation in the best light. AKA the situation that wouldn't get him killed.

"And that puts her where, exactly?" Percie sneered.

"That.... is a good question...." Alabaster forced himself not to flinch back on instinct. He knew what was coming.

"You don't know where she is?" Percie asked menacingly.

"No."

"Do you know her mental state when she left?"

"No?" He answered it as a question, then inwardly cursed himself for sealing his fate.

"You monumental idiot!" Percie exploded. "You lost us one of the best partners we could possibly have! What is wrong with you?!"

"I was distracted, okay!"

"By what?!"

Alabaster turned out a lie before he could even consider telling her the truth. "I practicing a new spell!"

Percie gave him a disgusted look. "Well, we have to go find her now. Let's get going."

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

After their third hour of searching the park, Percie seemed to accept the fact that Piper was gone.

She refused to talk to Alabaster, shunning him even when he tried to apologize, and every time he got too close to her she shot him a glare. If looks could kill, he would be dead ten times over.

"Look, Percie, I'm sorry!" Alabaster insisted.

"Great." She snapped sarcastically.

"Oh come on, Percie, please-"

"If you're looking for forgiveness you aren't going to get it so shut up."

Alabaster bit his lip.

"I smell smoke." Percie said suddenly.

"I may know what that is..." Alabaster told her hesitantly.

Percie turned to him slowly, her eyebrow arched in expectation.

"When Peli-when Piper disappeared....so did the body of that blonde girl."

Percie punched him in the face.

"From now on, you tell me things like that right away. I can't afford more people knowing where we are, we'll have to move now, you imbecile!"

She turned away and began to stomp back to her camp.

"I ought to decapitate you where you stand you useless..." She trailed off, muttering too quiet for him to hear.

"Look, I know that I did some stupid stuff, but do you really think she would have been under wraps for much longer?" Alabaster asked, trying to salvage himself. "She's strong willed."

"Well you mooning over her like a lovesick schoolgirl didn't help, I'm sure."

"Me?" He stared in disbelief. "I wasn't mooning over her at all!"

"Then how come you were so distracted? You're the type of boy who falls in love, that's easily distracting. You fueled her powers and she could break away!"

"She's not the one I'm in love with!" Alabaster blurted.

Percie stopped, surprised. "But all the signs, you were distracted, it had to have been her. What do you-"

"You're wrong." Alabaster snapped angrily, fully fired up now. "You're always wrong when it comes to me! You never get it!"

"What does that mean?" Percie growled back at him.

"You act like I'm not even here, like I don't have a role! Without me you'd have been caught already!"

"Oh really?"

"Yes. I've technically been in the world longer than you, Hades, I brought you into this world! My magic separated you from Percy! Mine!I know you. I can gauge an attack, especially yours. You're sporadic, you're impulsive, you don't stay on task, you finish some and leave others! You're predictable because you're linked to Percy, he knows what your next move is most likely to be."

"You can predict my attacks, huh?" Before Alabaster could retort, her sword was heading for his head. "Did you predict this one?"

"Yes." His sword clanged with hers and they began to fight. Percie let out a primal scream of rage and a hurricane flared up around them.

"You always think you're right, even when you're wrong!" Alabaster bellowed. "You act like you're a queen sitting on a throne of iron spikes! Well you aren't!"

His sword sank deep into Percie's stomach. Both of them froze, staring down at the blade.

"Oh gods..." Alabaster went pale. "No, I didn't mean for this to happen..."

Percie slowly drew the sword from her stomach, tossing it to the ground and dropping her own.

"Percie, can you hear me? Percie, I-"

"I'm going to kill you." The girl snarled, her hand on her bleeding wound.

Alabaster backed up, fear and sadness shining in his eyes. Percie moved to take a step towards him and he sprinted off into the forest.

He didn't see Percie collapse on the forest floor. He didn't see her shaking as she tried to stay strong and stay awake.

He could only see the hatred in her eyes as she had glared at him.

And he ran from that hatred.

[A/N Idk why this one took so long to update, I didn't have any inspiration I guess]