Hellfire

16: Yeehaw

SIXTEEN

Percy's hands were shaking.

He gripped the sink tighter, turning his knuckles white. In his head, visions of Tartarus whirled around like a tornado. His vision was blurry. Why did his friends have to keep bringing up that place? Percy couldn't control the twitch he had. He hated it. It made him feel weak. His friends needed him on this quest; he couldn't afford to fall apart every time someone said Tartarus.

Kelli the empousai's voice echoed in his head. Slowly re-forming, fully conscious, in searing pain for months and years... He remembered how hopeless he had felt in the pit. If every monster that was ever killed only stayed dead for a few years before coming back, what was the point of killing them to begin with? What was the point of a demigod and his existence?

Percy threw up again. He really hated it when he got philosophical.

Someone knocked on his door. "Percy?" It was Leo. "Hey, man, you okay?"

Percy coughed loudly. "I'm fine," he said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

The door opened. Leo's eyes widened when he saw Percy. He didn't say anything, though. He reached into his tool belt and tossed Percy a bright pink bottle of medicine. Percy pulled the cap off and took a few hearty swigs before he trusted himself to pull away from the toilet.

"I wanted to let you know that we're stopping for an hour," Leo said. He pretended Percy wasn't on his knees, downing Pepto like a recovering alcoholic with vomit all over him. "Something about Annabeth and Jason wanting to call Olympus. Hazel needed to... pull a you because of the seasickness." He grinned.

"Shut up," Percy groaned, leaning back against the wall. The world around him was spinning.

Leo sat down in front of him. He was building something small. A potato peeler? Maybe. Percy wasn't sure. "Rough day."

"You bet."

Leo glanced at him. "So," he said slowly. "The stuff that Great-Grandma said."

He was talking about Percy's dad. Truth be told, Percy hadn't had a moment to process what Rhea had said to them. He had been busy trying to keep a hold on his temper and his stomach. "Yeah," was all he could say to Leo.

Leo looked down. "I just thought, you know, you might want someone to talk to about it. Since we're in the same boat. Figuratively and literally." His fingers twitched towards his tool belt. "I mean... Everyone talks, man. You and your dad. You guys were, you know." Leo crossed his fingers and smiled at Percy. It looked forced.

A lump formed in Percy's throat. "Yeah," he managed. "I know."

Percy liked to think he and Poseidon had the best demigod-parent relationship ever. Poseidon had never once left Percy's side; even when Percy was thirteen and got a Cyclops for a brother, Poseidon had proved that Tyson was the best thing that could have happened to Percy. He knew Jason, Leo, Frank, and even Luke Castellan all felt abandoned by their dads from time to time, but Percy never felt that way. He knew his father was just a cannonball in the water away.

The thought that his relationship with his dad might be over soon made Percy sick. He was tempted to throw up again, but he really didn't want to. Not in front of Leo.

"I've been thinking about the prophecy." Leo pulled some nuts and bolts out of his tool belt. He seemed to sense that was all Percy was willing to say on the subject of their soon to be dead dads. "You know that line about the fearless heart or whatever?"