Mask Of Sorrows

Chapter Three

     Percy's POV

     When I woke up I kept my eyes closed. I silently pleaded for what happened to all be a nightmare, even though I could already tell it wasn't. I felt iron cuffs around my wrists, holding my arms over my head with chains. My ankles were the same way. I opened my eyes tentatively.

     I was in a cell. It was a simple cement floored cell, with stone walls and no way in nor out. There goes my escape. I squeeze my eyes shut as a blinding gold flash appears nearly blinds me. When it subsides I open my eyes and see Zeus and Ares. The iron cuffs dig into my skin as I thrash trying to getaway. "Stop moving!" Ares commands. I obey.

       I bite the inside of my cheek as they approach to try to stop myself from trembling. "Is our little savior scared?" Zeus taunts, drawing closer. I don't say anything and they both sneer at me.

       "Ares." Zeus commands, holding out his hand. Ares smirked and pulled out a dagger from his belt of weapons. I nearly scream, but I don't.

You have to be strong, remember?

     He fastens his grip on the weapon and puts his finger up to the blade, pressing genlty. A line of ichor appears and he pulls the weapon away, ichor dripping from his finger. "Good." Zeus mused, examining the weapon and getting closer.

      Once he gets close enough he puts the dagger to my chest, which I realize is bare. I'm wearing boxers and nothing more. He slowly dragged the blade across my chest, leaving a trail of blood. He cuts from my upper right shoulder to the bottom left of my hip. It hurts and I want to scream, but I know I can't.

     He then does the same thing, but my right shoulder to my left hip so there is a large X across my chest. I grit my teeth, still holding back a scream.

C'mon Jackson, that all you got?

     He traces the old cuts again and I bite the inside of my cheek. Looking amused, he steps back to examine his work. "Your turn Ares." He muses. Ares let a wicked grin and pulls a whip out of thin air.

      "Don't get to do this often." He drew back the whip and let it loose, cracking against my skin. I let out a whimper of pain as a red welt automatically shows up.

     Ares smirks and continues unti tears are running down my face, about sixty red welts littering my chest. "We're done here. We'll send in the other gods, don't you worry." Ares taunted, then they both teleported away as I close my eyes. I keep them closed until I see another dim flash, then I open my eyes and see Artemis and Apollo.

     "Lets do this." Artemis said, smirking. "I heard you wouldn't scream for them. You're going to scream after we're done with you." I involitarily tremble and Apollo laughs. But it's not his light laugh, it's a demented laugh.

     Artemis grabs a cattle prod out of the air, the tip cackling with heat. Apollo does the same. Two Both have there names on the end. They take a step towards me in synch, slowly pushing the prods closer. I close my eyes as the heat comes closer. Then it presses into my skin. It's right on my each of my collar bones, and this time I do scream. I can feel my skin boiling, turning black as they press the thousand degree metal rods into my flesh. I scream until they pull away, then a sob escapes my throat. I don't cry or scream any more after that. Silent tears fall down my face as they cut and whip me repeatedly.

It's only going to get worse.

Deal with it.

     Then they stop, lowering their weapons. "Dionysus's turn. See you later, Perseus." Apollo sneers, and I close my eyes once again when they flash away, replaced by Dionysus.

      He doesn't say anything, just snaps his fingers. Vines creep from the ground, up the wall to where I'm chained. He opens a diet coke and leans against the wall as they get closer then they start to crawl up my legs, entangling me, slowing working there way up my chest until they get to my neck, where they tighten. I struggle to breathe as they gradually get tighter and tighter, crushig my windpipe. He looked up and seeing my probably purple and blue face he snaps again and the vines creep back into the ground.

     I gasp for air, but my voice sounds off. It's more raspy, kind of evil sounded. Like a snake's voice would sound if it were able to speak english. "Ouch." I rasp out and Dionysus smirks.

     "Well, that's all from me. Demeter wants a turn." He winked at me and Demeter came along while Dionysus dissapeared. Mental note, the  goddess of Agriculture is very painful.

      She literally took a dagger and stabbed it into my stomach. I coughed up a mouthful of blood onto the floor, adding to the collection. After she stabbed, cut and whipped me a few more times she left.

       All of the gods except Hestia and Poseidon had gone, and I felt like I was going to pass out from blood lost. Every part of me was trembling, my iron chains rattling against the stone wall. Then Poseidon came. "Dad." I croaked, my voice still that weird snake voice. "Please."

       He scowled at me and punched me in the face, and I felt a crack right bellow my eye. He then punched me in the gut, arms, legs, anywhere he could. Then he did the same thing. With a knife. I don't know how many times I coughed up blood and whimpered. Once he was done, he wiped blood of his hands. MY blood. "Hope you learned your lesson." He growled. I wanted to say 'I don't need to learn my lesson, I didn't do anything wrong' but I was just to weak. I simply hung my head.

        Then Hestia got there. "Percy." She spoke. I didn't even bother to look up, just tensed to prepare myself. "Percy, look up." She repeated. I did as she asked, but instead of being greeted by a knife or whip, I was greeted by an ambrosia cube. She held it in front of my mouth and I hesitated.

       What if it was poisoned? "Percy, trust me please." She begged. I gave in and weakly opened my mouth. She gently set it in my mouth.

Look at you, having to be fed.

     I chewed bitterly, yet immediately felt better. I felt my wounds close, leaving only scars. I felt some of my strength coming back and looked Hestia in the eyes. "Thanks." I whispered. She smiled sadly.

       "I'm so sorry Percy." She apologized. I laughed with humor.

       "Everyone has a bad ending right? This is mine." She frowned at me.

       "But you are the only hero that deserves a happy ending. The others were greedy and selfish. They didn't want to help others for the peoples sake, they wanted it for themselves. You... You just wanted to help everyone, no matter how cruel they've been to you." She said. I simply smiled sadly and shook my head no.

       "I may have had the right reasons, but I failed. How many people died because of me? Luke died. Bianca died. Selina died. Charles died. Lee died. I'm no hero." I told her bitterly. She reached up and I flinched away. She hesitated but continued.

        She ran her hand along my jaw, frowning. "You didn't fail anyone Percy. People die in war, it's inevitable. It's not your fault." She insisted.

     "I..." I stopped talking when I realized Hestia was caressing my face like a son who had come home after war. Like my mom would.

     Her frown deepened. "What's wrong?" She asked. I shook my head, not wanting to talk anymore. My mom had kicked me out after she had another kid, this one with Paul. She didn't want her to mixed up in the lives of demigods.

     "What?" She insited. She grabbed both sides of my face and made me look at her in the eyes. "Percy. You can tell me."

      "My mom... My mom kicked me out. She wanted to protect her new child with Paul." My voice cracked in the middle of my sentance. She frowned, then hugged me.

     I tensed, but relaxed. I wanted to hug back so badly, but since my hands were in chains... I simply rested my chin in her shoulder. Her breath was warm against my cold chest. She pulled away and I found myself sad, longing for more. She kissed my cheek. "Good luck Percy."

     Then she vanished.