The Heroes of Olympus: The Black Swordsman

Kirito

The iron wrought gates seemed to stare menacingly down at me through the intense blizzard as my long dark coat flapped around me. Standing their I probably looked like some kind of shadowy phantom. Percy stood next to me. He had healed thanks to eating what the gods like to call Ambrosia and Nector.

Ambrosia and Nector was food that could only be eaten by gods and demigods. If a mortal like me even so much as tasted it, I would probably burn up on the spot. And I did not want to spend the rest of my life as a pile of ashes. So in order to help heal my wounds from my fight with Atlas, Darren had suggested the old fashioned way considering the limited supplies we had on us:

Eat a whole lot of pain killers and grit my teeth through it. Besides, according to Yui, ( who was somehow still in my head), The effect of bringing back my old SAO abilities would last for another 5 hours, and high level players like me back in SAO had an ability that regenerated Health Points slowly over time. It was slow in proportion to our maximum health points, but it was something. And though I didn't have an HP bar in the real world, thanks to Yui, I could almost feel my bones gradually mending the fractures.

"So I guess I enter the Gate of Fear huh?" I said.

"Yep." said Hazel. She was kneeling next to the unconscious Pompona with Darren as they tried to wake her up.

"Listen." said Percy. "I don't know much about these Gates myself, but once you enter, I know that you'll be on your own. So be carefull."

"Thanks."

Percy looked at me, his sea green eyes seemed to swim with some pretty deep thoughts. "I know we haven't known each other for about more then 40 minutes, but I just wanted to say thanks........And that you're probably one of the best swordsmen I've ever met."

Percy brought his fist up, and I pounded it.

"Oh, right." I said suddenly remembered something. I held up Riptide. "Here, you should probably have this back."

Percy took back his sword. He put a pen cap on the tip of the blade and it shrunk back into a pen. "Thanks, you've got a pretty sweet blade yourself by the way."

"Yeah, but I gotta say, Riptide is pretty awesome too."

Percy looked a little confused. "Did Hazel tell you about my sword?"

"No."

"Then how did you know it's name was Riptide?"

I paused a little before answering. "I asked it........and it told me."

Before Percy could ask me about that strange remark, Darren got up and clapped me on the shoulder.

"Look." he said. "I know you'll make it out of there, you're the toughest guy I know. But just in case........I just wanted to say.........you know......erm.

I smiled and clapped Darren on the shoulder. "I know."

Hazel got up and gave me a full tackle hug. "You come back alive, okay Kirito? Because I've got a feeling this Asuna person wouldn't take kindly to you dying here."

"You've got that right. She would cut me to pieces if I even dared to die."

Hazel laughed and let go of me. She punched me on the shoulder. "Go get them Demon Blade."

"Demon Blade?"

"Well you do fight like one."

I looked at Percy. "So what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to look around the area a little, try and see if I can find where they're holding Frank. But I'll come right back here once I find him, No way I'm letting a possible sparring partner like you get away from me." said Percy smiling.