Poisoned Percy

Die in pain, mortal!’ Before I could raise my sword in defence, another daemon’s claws raked my shoulder. If I’d been wearing armour, no problem, but I was still in my school uniform. The thing’s talons sliced my shirt open and tore into my skin. My whole left side seemed to explode in pain.

Nico kicked the monster away and stabbed it. All I could do was collapse and curl into a ball, trying to endure the horrible burning….

‘Hold still, Percy,’ Thalia said. ‘You’ll be fine.’ But the quiver in her voice told me the wound was bad. Nico touched it and I yelled in pain.

‘Nectar,’ he said. ‘I’m pouring nectar on it.’

He uncorked a bottle of the godly drink and trickled it across my shoulder. This was dangerous – just a sip of the stuff is all most demigods can stand – but immediately the pain eased. Together, Nico and Thalia dressed the wound and I only passed out a few times.

The Keres will be back,’ he warned. He looked at my shoulder with concern. ‘That wound… the Keres are spirits of disease and pestilence as well as violence. We can slow down the infection, but eventually you’ll need serious healing. I mean a god’s power. Otherwise…’

He didn’t finish the thought.

‘I’ll be fine.’ I tried to sit up and immediately felt nauseous….

I struggled to my feet. A wave of nausea almost made me black out, but Thalia grabbed me.

‘Percy,’ she said, ‘you’re in no condition –’

‘I have to be.’ I watched as another petal withered and fell off the carnation. Four left before doomsday. ‘Give me the potted plant. We have to find the cave of Melinoe.’

As we walked, I tried to think about positive things: my favourite basketball players, my last conversation with Annabeth, what my mom would make for Christmas dinner – anything but the pain. Still, it felt like a sabre-toothed tiger was chewing on my shoulder. I wasn’t going to be much good in a fight, and I cursed myself for letting down my guard. I should never have got hurt…

I raised my arms like I was lifting something over my head. My bad shoulder burned like lava, but I tried to ignore it.

Thalia and Nico stared at me in amazement.

‘Go,’ I said. ‘I can’t hold this for long.’

Yellow spots danced in front of my eyes. My wounded shoulder nearly screamed in pain. Thalia and Nico scrambled into the riverbed and made their way across the sticky mud.

Not a single drop. I can’t let a single drop of water touch them.

The River Lethe fought me. It didn’t want to be forced out of its banks. It wanted to crash down on my friends, wipe their minds clean and drown them. But I held the arc.

Thalia climbed the opposite bank and turned to help Nico.

‘Come on, Percy!’ she said. ‘Walk!’

My knees were shaking. My arms trembled. I took a step forward and almost fell. The water arc quivered.

‘I can’t make it,’ I called.

‘Yes you can!’ Thalia said. ‘We need you!’

Somehow, I managed to climb down into the riverbed. One step, then another. The water surged above me. My boots squished in the mud. Halfway across, I stumbled.

I opened my eyes. I was surrounded by darkness, but I was completely dry. A layer of air covered me like a second skin, shielding me from the effects of the water. I struggled to my feet. Even this small effort to stay dry – something I’d done many times in normal water – was almost more than I could handle. I slogged forward through the black current, blind and doubled over with pain.

I climbed out of the River Lethe, surprising Thalia and Nico, who jumped back a good two metres. I staggered forward, collapsed in front of my friends, and passed out cold….

He levelled his spear at me and charged.

If he’d been at full strength, I have no doubt he would’ve pierced me right through the middle. Even weakened and just out of the pit, the guy was fast. He moved like a tornado, slashing so quickly I barely had time to dodge the strike before his spear impaled the rock where I’d been standing.

I was so dizzy I could barely hold my sword. Iapetus yanked the spear out of the rock

Nico left Ethan to the skeletons and charged Iapetus. I was already ahead of him. It felt like my shoulder was going to explode, but I launched myself at the Titan and stabbed downward with Riptide, impaling the blade in the Titan’s calf.

‘AHHHH!’ Golden ichor gushed from the wound. Iapetus whirled and the shaft of his spear slammed into me, sending me flying.

I crashed into the rocks, right next to the River Lethe.

Iapetus knocked him aside without even looking. ‘I will kill you all! Then I will cast your souls into the eternal darkness of Tartarus!’

My eyes were full of spots. I could barely move. Another couple of centimetres and I would fall into the river headfirst.

The river.

I swallowed, hoping my voice still worked. ‘You’re – you’re even uglier than your son,’ I taunted the Titan. ‘I can see where Atlas gets his stupidity from.’

Iapetus snarled. He limped forward, raising his spear.

I didn’t know if I had the strength, but I had to try. Iapetus brought the spear down and I lurched sideways. The shaft impaled the ground right next to me. I reached up and grabbed his shirt collar, counting on the fact that he was off balance as well as hurt. He tried to regain his footing, but I pulled him forward with all my body weight. He stumbled and fell, grabbing my arms in a panic, and together we pitched into the Lethe.