The Animal Within

Chapter 37 - Lost

Consciousness came to Percy slowly. He couldn't be sure how long he was out for, nor how often he jerked awake only to slip back under again shortly after.

Rumbling voices echoed around him, some he recognised and some he didn't, but only one he was sure of.

Kronos.

Percy stirred at hearing his voice, struggling to lift his head – to do anything – but even that movement was too much and burning pain rippled out from his stomach. The voices faded away, and Percy dropped his head back down to the ground.

The next time Percy woke, the world was suddenly in focus again. He blinked, shifting where he lay discarded on the ground, and immediately groaned. His stomach throbbed, a fierce ache that immediately had him stopping all movement as he waited for the burn to subside.

The demigod frowned, realising that his wrists were bound in front of him with a simple knot of celestial bronze fibres twisted into a rope. His ankles were unbound, not that he could even get to his feet with his stomach aching with the slightest movement. Percy considered trying to stand, but knew that the attempted effort of pushing himself to his feet would make him pass out.

Instead, Percy took a few deep breaths and twisted slightly – ignoring his aching stomach – so he could see where he was. Underground, of course. He was in a cave of some sort, one lit with an abundance of Greek fire torches, but no visible exits. The ground was cold beneath him, packed earth, mud and stone. And a few dozen feet away from him, there was a square of freshly tilled soil that seemed to imitate a vegetable patch, though what exactly was growing in it Percy couldn't see. Nothing seemed to be poking above the soil yet.

But that wasn't what caught his attention.

Set next to the vegetable patch was a statue, made of gleaming ivory and with its feet wrapped in wool. It looked faintly familiar to Percy, though he couldn't quite make out how.

"You're awake."

Percy's eyes snapped towards the shadows and he tensed, though that proved to be a mistake as pain burst through his stomach. Percy forced himself to relax as he frowned. "Torrington." Percy's voice rasped from his dry throat.

Alabaster Torrington smiled. "Hey, Percy."

"Where am I?" Percy asked.

The son of Hecate shrugged. "That's a good question," he said. He rose to his feet with surprising grace for a demigod. "I'd better tell everyone that you're awake." He turned to face the shadows behind him, but the wall of the cave split open before he could shadow-travel away.

Percy swallowed as a giant stepped into the cavern. He'd never met the King of the Giants in person before, but it was obvious just why this giant was the King. The cavern rumbled slightly, and the Greek fire that was closest to him tilted in his direction.

The demigod alpha had faced down Zeus, he'd argued with Kronos, and he'd fought gods. But this was entirely different – Porphyrion was entirely different to them. The giant was an alpha, that much was clear, and he was the strongest alpha that Percy had ever come across.

"Porphyrion, I take it?" Percy asked.

The Giant King smiled, his white eyes near-blinding in the darkness of the cavern. "Perseus Jackson," he greeted. "You don't look like much."

Percy didn't feel like much either. He was more than aware that he was still sprawled out across the floor, probably looking like an insect to the giant in that moment. "Neither do you," Percy said. "I was expecting a little more-" the ground rumbled around him, earth creeping up his limbs and pinning him down.