Torture of Percy Jackson (Percy Jackson Fanfiction)

Chapter Five

Bonjour, mes amis! Despite what you guys might think, I'm not that evil. I hate cliffhangers just as much as you do! But I love doing them. I'm still bubbly and I wanted to give you an extra chappie to read. The next dedication is going to one of the three people who commented and the other two have already been dedicated in a couple. blackjackxx and --Moonlight-- to be exact. you know who you are if you've read the comments. I'm glad you wanted me to update again. It warms my heart. But I am evil. Just not when it comes to reading. It's my escape from reality, as well as writing and my friends always push me to let them read it. They always make me read their school essays for grammar because I am a grammar freak. Perks of having two teachers as parents and geeky sisters just like moi! So they can read this little story if they want now. To the chapter, my lovely readers!

Chapter Five: At the Hunt's campsite, morning in the forest.

Point of view: Perseus Jackson

"W-what?" Phoebe splutters out.

"Phoebe, I was captured and I went to Tartarus. Again." I say softly.

"Prove it." Atalanta tells me.

"Thals, I need you to get off." I remove her from my torso and hand her to Artemis.

I take off my cloak. "What are you doing?" Phoebe asks, eyeing my cloak.

"I'm proving to you that I have been down in Tartarus. Just like Atalanta wants." I say and pull off my shirt and let it fall to the ground, on top of my cloak.

A couple hunters let out horrified screams, some gag, some faint or throw up, and the rest just stare at my chest, their eyes frozen at it in terror.

"By the gods of Olympus." One of the older hunters breathes, Lucy I think her name is.

"What does that say?" Atalanta points at my midsection.

"Read it. I don't know what it says. They carved it into my flesh and I blacked out from the lack of blood in my body. I'm dyslexic, but it's in Greek. Problem is, it's in small writing and it's upside down. The gods didn't even see it." I shrug.

Atalanta comes up to me reluctantly. My form is rigid, so I don't startle her. She leans in front of me and squints to make out the words. She puts her finger on the words and follows them, all the while touching my skin. I involuntarily shudder. She reads them as she traces with her index finger. "You will...always re...return to us, you are our...our. Phoebe, this last word is too small. Can you read it?" Atalanta turns to Phoebe, who, after a moments hesitation, comes up and looks at the word.

"Pawn. The last word is pawn. You will always return to us, you are our pawn. What's the 'O' below it?" Phoebe looks up at me. She studies the words again.

"Oceanus. You haven't even seen my back yet." I turn around. "They all branded me, but you can barely see them with everything else. But I know where each one is." I bend down and put my shirt back on and drape my cloak over my arm. I look up at the stars at my favorite constellation, the Huntress. My back to them.

"Percy, you were there for seven months. Are you okay?" Thalia asks.

I chuckle without humor. "I was there for longer, Thalia. I'll never be okay. Not after everything that has come to pass. The person who dragged me down there in the first place is what ruined me the most. The reason I swore off the company of women." I say, still looking at the sky. The last of the moonlight shines upon my silver skin, just like the hunters.

"Oh gods. Please tell me..." Thalia begins, but stops. She can't say it.

"Did you guess who it was?" I ask without looking at her. I put my hands in my pockets and look at the ground.