We Both Walk Among the Dead: A Percy Jackson Fanfiction

Ch. 16 :)))

hey guys, here's the next chapter, it's very special, you'll find out why ;) By the way, last chapter i made a mistake - it's "The cabin was cold because no one had been in it for THREE weeks" not two, sorry XD I'm an idiot with math, obviously. Enjoy :)

            The thick, isolating blackness of the subway tunnel smothered my vision, so I had to blink into aura mode every other second. I growled, annoyed at the stupid use and waste of energy, and at the disgusting scents from the subway. It smelled like piss, shit, garbage, rotting corpses, you name it, it was there. Not only that, but I could hear the click click patter of the rats down here. There was no hiding my shudder at the thought of them crawling over my skin, naked tails wrapping around my throat, and I was suddenly glad that nobody could see me in the dark.

            I shifted from my leaning position on the wall, flashing into aura mode so I could see where Kira’s bright red aura was. Seeing it that colour made me growl again; it was the colour of affection and excitement. I could understand why she was so anxious to see the boy who helped her survive when she needed it, but it still nonetheless pissed me off that we had to talk to him. If I had it my way, I’d call him up, get the info, and send him back before Kira could even say hi. But that would be unfair to Kira, who obviously was excited and happy to see him again.

            Gnashing my teeth in random fury and just general pissed-offness, I moved so I could stand directly beside Kira. I heard her shuffle, and then step a bit closer to me. My anger abated a little, and I suddenly wanted to just slip my arm around her waist and squeeze. I still remembered the exact feeling of her tiny waist in my arm after she’d fainted, warm and the bottom ribs poking out just a little. But that memory brought back the feeling of her blood wetting my shirt, and the terrified feeling that I’d seriously hurt her.

            Snap out of it, dumbass, I snarled at myself, shaking my head and peering through the darkness at the others. I could barely make out their outline, though I could hear them stepping quietly in the darkness, whispering, and Elliot’s snores. Another bolt of anger stabbed through me, but I kept my growl in. The clock had read 2:04 when we’d finally found a place suitable for Kira’s necromancy standards, and it had taken at least another hour of arguing and complaining before we’d gotten far enough in the subway tunnel to find an abandoned area. Then Kira had gone off in the darkness, scaring me that she might be run over by a passing subway. Before leaving she’d told us to stay away from the third railing, that I could hear humming with electricity. Ree and Carson of course had no trouble walking on it, but the rest of us stuck close to the other side of the tunnel.

            Then Kira had come back, and I’d jumped when I heard her whisper directly beside me, “This way.” I’d followed her, and was more than just a little surprised when she’d grabbed my hand. My breathing went shallow, and I wondered if I should grip hers tighter, when she dragged me over to the indent in the slimy tunnel walls, and pushed me in. Then I’d heard the rumbling of a subway train, and the headlights had blinded me when it passed by, flinging garbage debris into my face because of the wind. Then I’d felt Kira move away, and I was alone again in the dark, furiously beating myself up mentally for not holding her hand tighter.

            I blinked, brought back by Elliot’s loud snores. I longed to tell him to shut up, but his twin was sitting beside him on the dirty ground, brushing used needles away from his brother’s sleeping form. I knew exactly the reason why I couldn’t interrupt Elliot’s sleep, and I turned my head again, gritting my teeth together again painfully. His brother, glancing down at Elliot every other second, had confided in me before we’d entered the tunnel. He’d told me how Elliot had been having nightmares recently, about his childhood. Only me, Al, and Ree actually knew the story; the others had the gist of it but not all the details. I knew that Elliot had been pretty sick a few years ago, with a bad tumour in his lungs. Somehow he’d survived it, but it had left him weaker, and his brother considerably more protective. It was the main reason why the twins joked so much, their reasoning was that life was too short to not enjoy it to the fullest. So when Ellis had told me that Elliot was having nightmares about those times, it had made me jumpy, and stare at Elliot. Apart from the dark circles beneath his eyes, he looked pretty healthy to me, but then again, he’d been a healthy boy before the tumour too.