Percy estimated five hours had gone by.
Then his fingers twitched.
*Click-click... click.*
Percy’s eyes opened.
He didn’t move, didn’t even breathe. The sound had come from the edge of the tree line, where the moonlight filtered through like broken glass.
Then again—
*Click-click-click...* Giggling. Soft. Too soft. Too wet. It sounded like someone trying to imitate a child’s laughter, but not understanding how lungs worked.
His stomach clenched.
The sound of pine needles crunching followed. Just one step. Then another.
Silence.
His hand hovered over Riptide, not yet unsheathing it. Whatever this was, it had waited for five hours. It wasn’t rushing.
Then—
*Click.*
Closer now.
*Click-click.*
A faint breath. Then, a word—
"Perseus..."
His heart slammed against his ribs.
The voice was brittle. It scraped like dry leaves and bone against stone. It wasn’t a whisper, nor a shout, nor even truly a voice. It crawled into his head and wrapped cold fingers around the base of his spine.
*"Perseus..."*
He turned slowly, eyes scanning the trees.
Nothing.
He waited, heartbeat slowing. He kept breathing shallow, barely moving.
Then came the sound of dragging cloth. A shuffle. And another breath.
"You taste like summer rain..."
His breath caught.
The forest had gone dead. No crickets. No cicadas. No wolves. No wind.
Just the thing.
*Click.*
Riptide was in his hand now, blade extended. The metal glinted dully in the dark, but even its weight did little to comfort him.
*Giggle.*
"Did you miss me, little hero?"
Percy gritted his teeth. He took a careful step back, using the tree trunk as a guide.
"Not tonight," he whispered.
The thing laughed. A jagged, broken sound that had no throat behind it.
So...what do you all think?
Yes I know everyone wants updates and I will get to them soon.
