Reading Confused By Time

Chapter 8: Reading Unstoppable

Chapter 8 Reading Unstoppable

Annabeth was completely still as she glared at the immortal in the cell. "Well," Frank said as he readied his bow, "so much for avoiding him."

"You are such a smart ass Frank!" Nico yelled and stared at the son of Mars. "But when you are with us you are quite quiet..."

"I am not!" Frank said with a frown, but stayed quiet.

Annabeth's eyes focused on Percy. He was kneeling in the middle of the cell with manacles around his wrists and chains pulling his arms to the side. His body was limp and his head rested on his chest. Percy's bare chest was almost completely covered in golden ichor and Annabeth assumed it wasn't Kronos'. At first Annabeth thought he was dead, but then Kronos stood right beside him and placed his hand on his grandson's head. Percy flinched back like he'd been burnt and made a sound halfway between a dog's whine and a whimper of fear.

"Let him go," Annabeth ordered.

"Kronos doesn't listen to Demigod scum!" Hyperion said and sneered at Annabeth.

"None of the Titans seem to like you Annie, I wonder if they know something..." Thalia murmured and looked at her friend.

"Then maybe we won't kill you," Clarisse added. "We'll only drag you in chains before the council on Olympus and let them decide what to do with you."

Kronos nodded slightly, "A tempting offer, young demigod. I would love to do so, if I could actually get out of this stinking Pit-" the walls and ground rumbled and Kronos rolled his eyes, "oh, knock it off, Tartarus! I did nothing wrong!"

"Looks like father doesn't like Tartarus," Zeus said and looked at his father, who was glaring at him, his eyes cold and very angry.

"Wouldn't you not like it? Do you wish to?" he asked in a smooth voice that hid everything he was thinking about.

"BURN!!!" Apollo and Hyperion both said and burst out in laughter.

"So childish" Iapetus said but smirked.

Frank frowned slightly and lowered his bow a fraction to look incredulously at the Titan King. "You've obviously done something," Leo grinned, but then frowned slightly. "Wait, you're-"

"Grounded," a weak voice offered, "by his step-father whom he attempted to overthrow."

The demigods didn't recognise Percy's voice at first; it had been so long since they had last heard him. "Percy," Annabeth murmured and Percy weakly lifted his head off his chest, his dull green eyes staring into hers.

"Hey, Wise Girl," Percy slurred and attempted to give her his famous lopsided grin, but it ended up being more of a grimace.

Everyone thought that Poseidon was going to explode again, but the king of the sea's merely closed his eyes, and focused on who was reading the book.

"A lovely family reunion, isn't it?" Kronos asked in amusement as a corner of his mouth lifted up into a small smirk. Annabeth noted that his voice no longer sounded like a knife scraping across rock, but was deep, rich and filled the corridor all the way to them without him even trying to do so – she assumed it was because he had his own body back.

Thalia raised her bow so the arrow was pointing at his forehead. "Give us Percy."

Kronos raised an eyebrow. "Threatening a Titan usually proves to be very detrimental to one's health, grand-daughter. If you wish to walk out of here and with all limbs attached then I suggest you learn respect."