Percy Jackson - Bane of Tartarus

Chapter 11

3 days later

Percy's POV

Tartarus has been as warm and welcoming as ever. Ah, this fresh air makes me wanna cry. Thanks to river Phlegethon I've been getting by without depending on my supplies. Avoiding monsters is just slightly difficult than impossible in Tartarus but somehow I've managed not to attract too much attention. There have been occasional dracaena, hellhound and cyclops attack but I've survived. No titans or giants yet, so that's good sign. Atleast there is one plus side to all these monsters, I can follow them to their base. I hope that's where they are keeping Artemis.

My happy days in Tartarus ended as I spotted the titan Perses patrolling outside a cave with boulders for door and if that wasn't enough I also spotted four nervous cyclops and six hellhounds. Well that complicates things, there is no way I can fight my way through that. Atleast I have a pretty good idea about Artemis' location. I should go get some reinforcements. A titan and a giant fighting by my side just might turn this in my favor. I smiled at the memory of my last visit and started walking towards the fiery river.

I could feel the heat emanating from the direction I was walking increasing with every step. After walking for a couple of minutes the river was in my sight. I knelt by the river and took a sip from river, stood up and followed the river upstream until I saw the shrine of Hermes. Food at last, I ran towards it. There was a whole steak, some mashed potato and peas with a folded piece of paper. I picked the piece of paper and opened to find a note addressed to me:

Hey Perce, If you have found this note

then atleast you've somewhere you can

find food. Don't worry until you come back

Hermes will be getting a lot of offerings.

Nico

Wow, death breath remembered about the shrine of Hermes. I must thank him once I get out of this paradise. I finished the steak quickly and used my new powers from Poseidon to quench my thirst but sadly I didn't have that degree of control over my power as I would have expected which resulted in me being completely drenched in water. The unexpected bath atleast lifted my spirit. I stood up and once again started walking toward the direction I remembered from my last visit.

After walking for a few hours I saw a very familiar marsh and a huge hut not too far from it. I haven't slept in three days, just a few quick naps. The sight of that hut gave me the hope I desperately needed but I couldn't seem to get rid of the feeling that something bad has already happened or just about to happen. I tried to ignore these thoughts and sped towards the hut. As I was carefully crossing the marsh I figured out what was that feeling about. Outside the marsh stood four empusa looking hungrily at me, licking their lips and drooling like I am the Thanksgiving turkey and they haven't had food in a millennia. Well, that's disturbing. I stopped moving in the middle of marsh, unsheathed both the knives, silver knife in my left and the stygian iron knife in my right hand. I didn't charge at them because I knew with my current energy level and this marsh I am as good as dead if I charge them so instead I decided to wait for them.

"Well sisters it looks like the hero of Olympus will be joining us for dinner" shouted the empusa with a jagged sword which looked like a bone of some monster.

"It's dinner time already! I just had breakfast. Oh well, you lovely ladies should go on ahead without me"

"You are coming with us Percy Jackson, there is sea food in the menu today", the same monster replied. I hate that joke. I am in no condition to fight but here it comes, I thought bracing myself for the fight.

Instead of moving forward towards me the empusa slithered back in a hurry followed by a loud roar and sadly I knew where the roar came from. It was a Maeonian drakon, the very same one that Damasen had fought every day. Wait that means my giant friend will be here soon all I need to do is buy some time and fight those empusa. With that thought I ran towards the group of monsters.

As soon as I got out of the swamp the drakon still on my tail, one of the empusa with a jagged sword jumped at me. I guess she was hungrier than the others. I quickly ducked to avoid the sword and slashed her using the stygian iron knife. She wailed in pain making two of the other three empusa join the fight. The empusa I had hurt was turning back to face me. I couldn't allow that or I will be surrounded. I threw the stygian iron knife at her. The knife got embedded in its neck and she turned into golden dust. Now I had only one knife so I took out Riptide. I could feel the vibrations in the ground as the massive drakon approached me. I wondered where Damasen was, why isn't he charging the drakon already? Did Tartarus destroy him? No, it can't be. The dread started to settle as I remembered Damasen charging on the back of that drakon to fight Tartarus so that I could escape. Damasen gave his life to save mine. I abandoned him.

I was so overcome by guilt that before I could parry the attack a knife made a deep gash in my chest. My strength gave out, tears escaping my eyes as I remembered all the people I have failed. I remembered all the people dead because of me, Zoe, Bianca, Bob, Damasen....it was a long list. Oh all the unkept promises I thought. I heard the loud roar again but this time it was so loud and so close that I began to lose consciousness.

"I'm sorry Annabeth", I whispered before everything went dark.