.||The Curse of the Sea||.

~*Chapter Thirteen*~

- - Percy's POV - -

As I disappeared in a flash of golden light, I thought of Annabeth, her warm smile, sparkling eyes, and wonderful personality. I wanted more than anything to be with her now, safe. I promised myself that I would come back to Annabeth soon, one way or another.

I reappeared on a sandy island surrounded by crystal blue waters. It just wasn't any island though. It was saddle shaped and between two cliffs hung a rickety rope ladder newly repaired from when Grover and Tyson broke it in the Quest for the Golden Fleece. Actually, the island didn't look too well without the magical influence the fleece had with nature. The grass was yellowing and the trees were bare and thin. Polyphemus' plump sheep had thinned and merely lay around in small groups seemingly exhausted with hunger. Before, if anyone who wasn't a cyclops passed through the sheep, they would be eaten. Now though, it looked like I could walk serenely through without them even moving. I took the chance.

I took this in in only a few moments before running straight for the cliffs. I raced around the sheep heading for the ocean, once there, I could swim home safely. Nothing could touch me in the water, I would make sure of that. Now I was merely a few feet away from the edge and I prepared to jump. Before I could however, Prometheus flashed in right of me effectively stopping me. I skidded to a stop and Prometheus grabbed my arm. He took out his god-killing sword and I reached for Riptide, only to find my pockets empty. "Curses!" I thought angrily. Instead I stood in a defensive stance hands raised. Prometheus laughed heartily.

"Oh, Perseus, what are you going to do now?"

"Kick your ass." I moved quickly and threw my hands forward. A wall of water rose from the sea and dropped toward Prometheus. He raised his arms over his head and cringed, waiting for the water to fall, but it didn't. He looked up surprised to find the wave frozen like a glass substance. He looked at me in disbelief.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

I let the water drop on his head but this time it was boiling hot. He screamed in agony as red blisters appeared on his scarred face and across his equally scarred skin. I ran straight toward the cliffs again passing Prometheus. I aimed a kick at him and managed to hit his ribs. He groaned and I smirked. I prepared to jump, but again I was stopped. Not by Prometheus this time, but by a scythe sticking out of my gut.

~* T I M E S K I P*~

When I woke up again, I was in immense pain. I lay in a cold stone cave on my back. I raised my head with effort to look at my stomach. There was a large gaping hole through it that pulsed with blood. The skin around it felt like it was frying in a pot of hot oil. It was half closed as though someone had poured water on it but it still hurt like Tartarus. I eased myself up slowly until I was sitting against the wall. I ripped off some of my t-shirt and tied it around the wound. I pressed my hand to it to trying to stop the bleeding. My breaths came in labored gasps as I sat in eternal darkness. Finally, after what seemed like forever, a boulder rolled back to reveal Prometheus and Kronos. I gaped in shock at the titan lord. He grinned widely at me.

"The Sleeping Ugly finally awakes. About time too. We were getting worried you died."

"Missed me already, Kronos?" I asked. "That's sweet. And as for me being ugly, I got that from you." He growled angrily then smiled after remembering something.

"Let's see if we can beat that attitude out of you, eh?"

I shrugged. "You can try, but Persassy never dies."

Both Prometheus and Kronos smiled cruelly at that. "Let's see about that."

The next few hours was torture, literally.