Chapter Text
Hazel
The day started off as well as it could when you’re travelling on a moving monster buffet on your way to defeat mother nature herself. They were in the air, meaning that she didn’t wake up to the immediate feeling of sea sickness and the urge to vomit.
Instead, Hazel awoke to the sound of infectious laughter coming from the dining hall and the buttery smell of waffles. By the time she stumbled into the dining hall, the room was a mess, with whipped cream and batter smeared across the table.
She didn’t want to know. Everyone seemed to be in high spirits, even Percy had recovered enough from his unfortunate poisoning to laugh at Leo’s obnoxious jokes. He seemed alright but then… Hazel was sure she was imagining things, but Percy just didn’t seem himself.
Ever since Tartarus, neither him nor Annabeth had really been the same. They insisted that they were, but she could tell in the way they lost their breath more easily, and the way a darkness clouded their eyes when they thought the others weren’t looking. Even the odd cough told her more than enough about their stay in the pit.
It worried her, but she also knew that Percy was the type of person to be able to brush these things off like it’s nothing, he was the hero of Olympus. The guy was God-like, and Hazel would mistake him for one if she didn’t know any better, she had mistaken him for one.
Frank interrupted her thoughts with a tap on her shoulder, “You ok Hazel? You look like you need a waffle.” He said, sliding one onto her plate. She smiled back at him, she opened her mouth to thank him when the ship lurched, sliding the waffle right back off her plate. Piper screamed, “Monster!” before a bright light seared against her vision and everything went black. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Percy
The first thing Percy noticed when he opened his eyes was that he couldn’t actually see. The second thing was the splitting headache pulsing in his temples.
“Hello?” He called, shivering as his voice echoed. This was seriously creepy. A groan punctured the silence; someone moved to his left.
“Percy is that you?”
Percy sighed in relief, recognising Annabeth’s voice instantly.
“Yeah, but I can’t see you. Any idea what’s happed wise girl?”
“I.. I have no idea. But I think it’s a God.” She answered, her voice quiet.
Of course it would be a God. Percy thought, because they just couldn’t help themselves from making his life harder. At this point, it was becoming comedic. More groans and rustling sounds filled the space,
“Man, I got a killer headache right now.”
“Leo is that you!” He called. There was a beat of silence before,
“Yup it’s me.”
The others started to wake up one by one, until everyone was accounted for. It was still pitch black and Percy couldn’t see two inches Infront of his nose but hey, at least they were all still alive! Brightside thinking. He could feel something smooth and cool under his hands. Stone? There was no way to tell.
He could hear Hazel and Frank whispering to each other; Leo was unusually quiet. Percy suddenly felt like he’d swallowed a rock. This was wrong. So wrong. Just as he felt himself begin to panic, the room was flooded in light.
He blinked at the sudden change, waiting for his eyes to adjust. When they finally did, he wished they hadn’t. They were in a large room; the walls and floors made of smooth granite slabs. The seven were sprawled out across the floor, shielding their eyes from the sudden light. Standing in the middle of the room was a Goddess.
It was easy to tell really, she was tall, her skin porcelain and smooth. Her hair was jet black, darker than the night sky and flowed in long silky waves down her back. Her mouth was twisted into a grin, but her eyes were what scared him the most. They looked almost depthless, as dark as the pits of hell, and glimmering with chaos.
“Hello little demigods. I’m sure you must know me. My name is Eris, and I believe a few of you have met my mother.”
Her voice was lyrical, almost beautiful if not for the sharp edge, as if she was preparing to strike them down with a single word. Percy felt his mouth go dry. The way she looked… he didn’t need Annabeth to tell him that this was a daughter of Nyx, too bad he wasn’t exactly friends with the goddess of night.
“Now don’t you worry, I’m not going to kill you, or capture you for Gaea. She can find a way to do that herself if she so wants your blood. Instead, I have something much more entertaining in store.”
It took Percy a moment to find his voice, when he did, he cringed at the slight tremble,
“And what might that be?”
Eries looked at him in bemusement, before she tipped her head back and laughed.
“Well Perseus Jackson, I was intrigued by the stories my mother told of you and Annabeth Chase.” Her eyes flicked to Annabeth, gaze cold as she looked the daughter of Athena up and down.
“It made me wonder… See, my domain is strife and discord, all the good things of the world, and I have been bored recently. In order for you and your friends to leave today, I will show them either your or Annabeth’s most painful memories. Only when they have seen every last one will I let you leave.”
Percy paled, “And what If I say no?” He said, his voice challenging.
“Then I suppose I really will have to kill you.”
She pursed her red lips mockingly. Shit. He could fight, but he had no idea where they were and could feel no water around them, plus how was one supposed to fight a Goddess?
By blood bending a voice in the back of his mind whispered. No, he promised Annabeth, and he wasn’t sure he would be able to live with himself if he did that again. The feeling…He turned to face his girlfriend, she had that determined, focused look on her face when she couldn’t quite find the solution to a problem.
She shook her head silently at him, as if reading his mind. He sent her back a small smile, ignoring the death glare she sent back.
“Swear on the river Styx that after you show my memories you will send us back to to our ship.”
The goddess smiled slowly,
“Ah so you will be then one to show me?”
He nodded slowly.
“Percy no! I… I will.” Annabeth whispered.
He could tell she really didn’t want to, but she would do anything to keep him from harm. He turned to her, like hell he would let her do this.
“It’s ok I can do it. We’ll be out of here as quickly as possible.”
The rest of the seven looked as uneasy as Annabeth about the situation, but Percy knew he had to do this. He just hoped whatever she showed wouldn’t be too had to relive, though he had a feeling it would be.
“Yes, I will be the one to show you.”
Eris laughed in delight, clapping her hands together in excitement. Dark red nails clicking.
“I swear on the river Styx to return you and your friends to your ship after the viewing. Let’s get started, shall we?”
The stones around them morphed until they showed a familiar looking apartment and a significantly scrawnier Percy walking in the door, his head down and his shoes scuffed. It was then that he realised just what his friends were going to see. The secret he had kept so close to his heart that not even his mother knew the true extent of.