The Rise of Gaea

Percy 27

     Percy opened his eyes with a shuddering gasp. Strong arms were restraining him, and Percy thrashed, terror spiking his heart, before he realized it was Annabeth.

     "Percy!" she squeezed his hand. "You have to stop the storm!"

     A screaming hurricane was whipping around his room, and Percy could sense similar swirling waters outside. He concentrated, and the water all streamed out, including the water that drenched him and Annabeth to the skin.

     He relaxed back against the mattress, breathing heavily.

     Annabeth took a shaky breath, and let it out. "Are you alright?" she asked.

     Percy nodded, trying to slow his breathing. "What happened?"

     Annabeth bit her lip. "Chiron gave you something that put you to sleep. You had a nightmare, and I couldn't wake you up."

     She looked completely exhausted, and Percy felt awful for keeping her up all night.

     He wiggled over, making room. "Come here."

     Annabeth climbed into bed next to him, and snuggled up to his side. 

     Percy sighed contentedly.

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     "So." Percy leaned forward, addressing his captive audience. "Gaea rises in two days, on August 1st, but only if she can get blood from two of us."

     Leo frowned. "But can't she get blood from any two demigods?"

     "True, but she wants ours. Maybe it's a revenge-thing, maybe she feels like adding an ironic twist, who knows. But you're right, Leo. So, we just have to assume that she's coming, and plan from there." Percy squeezed Annabeth's hand.

     There was silence; everyone looking at each other as if waiting for someone else to announce a plan.

     Percy had figured this would happen. Thankfully, he had a plan worked out. "Well, here's what I'm thinking..."

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     "Are you sure?" Luke asked.

     "It seems a bit extreme." Reyna commented.

     Jason looked thoughtful. "I think it could work."

     "I'm in." Piper grinned, reaching across the table to give Percy a high-five.

     "Good." Percy looked out towards the doorway, and saw a man in a Hawaiian shirt; waiting. "Well, thanks guys. Annabeth and I have something to do."

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     Poseidon led them down to the dock, beside the Argo II, and the three sat down with their feet dangling in the water.

     The sea god was quiet for a moment; his green eyes troubled. "Apollo said there was a wound too powerful for him to heal." He combed a hand through his messy black hair, so much like Percy's. "Could I see?"

     With help from Annabeth, Percy pulled his shirt off, revealing the clotted stab wound Tartarus had inflicted.

     Poseidon studied it gravely, his gave tracing the sable marks that twined up Percy's neck and under his arms. "How did you get this?"

     Percy swallowed back the bile that rose in his throat at the thought of Tartarus; his horrible appearance, unnatural rasping voice, and the agony he had inflicted.

     Also, he thought with a shiver about how good it had felt to rip him to pieces, in a terribly dark way.

     "Tartarus." He answered shortly.

     "Well, yes, Percy, I figured that-"

     "No, Tartarus." Percy interrupted his father.

     Poseidon choked. "You met Tartarus? Are you sure?" He looked into the depths of Percy's eyes, and seemed to see the truth.

     "Wait, you met the physical embodiment of Tartarus??" Annabeth looked horrified.

     "How did you escape with your life?" Poseidon asked in amazement.

     Percy wriggled back into his shirt to distract himself from the memory of tearing Tartarus up, and the rush of power that had engulfed him. "I don't want to talk about it."

     "You don't have to, Percy." Annabeth promised gently.

     Percy exhaled. "So, Dad, I discovered I can charmsing." He sought to change the subject.

     Thankfully, Poseidon went along with it. "I have found that to be a rare quality among my children." He mused.

     Percy knew that his father was talking about his children from hundreds of years earlier, in ancient times. "How powerful do you think it is, exactly?"

     Poseidon reached down and dipped his hand through the water, and Percy shifted as some of it splashed onto him. "About as powerful as your friend Piper's charmspeak."

     Percy nodded, satisfied that his plan would still work perfectly.

     They sat in comfortable silence, gazing out at the rippling waves splattered with fragments of sunlight.

     Poseidon wore a smug smile that Percy wouldn't understand until later, when Annabeth was changing into her pajamas, and he found a small seaglass box in his pocket that housed a glittering silver, sapphire and diamond ring and a note that read, 'Good luck.'