Percy Jackson - The House of Hades

Chapter 7 - Percy

Dreamless sleep = happy demigod. For once, this was the case with Percy.

When he opened his eyes, nearly four hours later, he couldn't believe any time had passed at all. The trees around him still glowed the same blueish color, and a little river of water was dripping down on his forehead. Annabeth was passed out with her head on his chest.

For a moment, he was unsure about the fact that trees didn't glow, and that it was the only light given off. By heck, why was he in a forest, covered in water and leaves, with Annabeth next to him. The Annabeth part did not bother him, but everything else did.

Then the previous memories for events came back to him. The fall, Arachne, the Toyota. A fake Welcome to Tartarus sign stuck out in his mind.

He jumped to his feet in surprise, bringing out Riptide in one swift motion. He was in Tartarus and fallen asleep. How stupid could he be? There were monsters and an earth goddess watching his every move.

Annabeth's head hit the ground, and she grumbled something in her sleep, then turned over.

Percy backed up against a tree, his eyes scanning the area all around them. He jumped off of the tree. It had burned him. He looked down at his hand, and then saw the blisters on it. Annabeth and him had fallen asleep against that tree, yet it hadn't hurt them. Maybe their clothes were protective or something.

Percy willed the little river of water to grow. Pulling Annabeth out of the way, a steady stream came down. He stuck his head underneath it and took a sip. Just as great as he'd remembered. Maybe the water had something else in it. Perhaps nectar? "if there is, his wounds should have cured by now," thought Percy.

Then he stuck his hand under it. The water healed the redness and blisters before his eyes. And then he could feel all of his other cuts and bruises mending. A small fracture in his collarbone that he refused to tell Annabeth about healed. He could feel the bones coming together. He hadn't told Annabeth because she had enough problems.

Percy wished he could heal other people. He had once tried to heal Annabeth with his water powers shortly after the Titan war. The result had been a very wet, very angry girlfriend. He didn't want to try that again.

Snap! Percy heard a twig close by. His heart hammered so hard on his chest he feared that it might bruise itself. He swallowed loudly. Annabeth was unaware of the current surrounding. Percy didn't want to wake her up. Sleep was the best way for her to heal now.

But he couldn't just let a threat go unhandled. He had to see what it was. With one final look at Annabeth, he lifted his sword again and followed the source of the noise.

He prayed that she would be okay by herself. Annabeth was always resourceful. Being a Daughter of Athena, everything around her was like a raw materials, waiting for her use. Percy was pretty sure she could use anything to kill something if it came at her. But still he worried about his choice.

Snap! He heard it again. He started to jog, but he was worried he would get lost. The trees light began to fade, and Percy was grateful for the light given off by his sword. Sighing, he slowed down and just looked around. Every tree looked the same.

Percy lowered his sword. The sounds echoed in the forest. He wasn't sure where it was coming from now. He took a step near one of the trees and leaned against it. Slowly, he peered around the side. There wasn't that glow. There was only darkness, and the snapping of twigs.

He heard a low growl and backed up, tripping over a tree root. With a snap of its jaws, a creature jumped out of the forest and lunged for Percy.

"Uh oh... here came trouble." Percy thought.