𝔯𝔦𝔭𝔱𝔦𝔡𝔢

Ambushed

Sorry this took so long, I forgot that to be a wattpad author I actually have to update-

But this part is... somewhat long? It's the longest chapter in this book so far. Hopefully that makes up for it.

||Percy Jackson||

Two hours earlier...

It always surprised me how adept Hazel had become with magic in just a few years. When Annabeth and I had made it past the Doors of Death, the rest of the seven had been more than willing to regale us with the tales of Hazel's newfound abilities. Hearing it was one thing, seeing it close up... that was entirely different.

"Ready, Hazel," Nico called out, backing a few steps away from me and Tartarus. I exchanged glances with my brother, wondering what was going to happen.

Maybe Hazel would go all Thor style and have a bifrost-looking beam land on the ground between us. That would be an unforgettable sight.

Thankfully, that wasn't Hazel's approach to it. A split second after Nico moved, a silvery glow started to emerge from the ground. I admit I blinked quite a few times to make sure I was seeing it right.

It was definitely there.

An incandescent substance had fully formed by the fifth time I opened and closed my eyes, not quite solid yet not liquid either.

Giving in to my curiosity, I stuck my foot in it and yelped at how cold it was.

Tartarus's hand immediately leapt to his forehead, the ever-present frown lines heavily accented. "Percy," he said exasperatedly.

"You guys ready?" Nico murmured. I looked up at him. He was staring at the pool of silver with blatant unease, which didn't make me feel any better about jumping in it.

I tensed, shooting another glance at Tartarus, who looked like he was going to be sick.

"What does it feel like?" Tartarus asked cautiously.

Nico's only response was, "Do you really want an answer to that?"

"Wonderful," I muttered, gazing down into its depths. I must have been imagining it, but when I looked carefully enough, I could almost see a light at the very bottom of the pool. The journey through this... portal... must be pretty quick if I was able to make out the ending point from here. "Let's get this over with, shall we? T, you look like you want to go first."

Tartarus shook his head immediately, but I was already nudging him towards it. "Just push me," my brother mumbled, squeezing his eyes shut.

I grinned when I saw his fingers were trembling at their tips. He was definitely nervous.

"If you insist," I smirked and shoved his back. With a fearful yelp, Tartarus fell straight through it, disappearing from sight a lot faster than I thought he would.

My heart skipped a beat as I looked down and saw that he had completely vanished even though I could still see that light at the bottom of the silvery pool.

The hairs on my neck stood up.

I looked up sharply.

Nico noticed my attention shift right away. "What is it? You alright there, Perce?"

From what I could observe from my surroundings, we didn't seen to be in any danger. That said, there was a multitude of creatures across the universe who could keep themselves hidden from the naked eye.

My gut told me something was about to happen, but telling Nico that might give him the idea that I was paranoid after all these years in exile or too hypervigilant.