Chapter Text
It was supposed to be a simple retrieval, that’s what Grover told him. He just needed some help, Grover said, since there were two of them and the Di'angelo siblings were a bit unwilling to listen to him. But then monsters attacked. Well, a monster attacked, a manticore of all things. Apparently, a manticore was a Big Thing, which Percy thought was somewhat called for considering he got dragged off a damned cliff and manhandled about. It was all so quick, so sudden, so fast that Percy was still trying to catch his bearings when he spotted Ethan holding up a… cave roof? He couldn’t really see what it was all that well.
He didn't know Ethan that well, only had a brief chat with him back when Percy was unclaimed and naive. The other demigod had disappeared not too long after Thalia's tree was poisoned so they didn't really have a chance to chat. But, Percy couldn’t help but listen to the younger demigod. Percy was always an empathic soul, always finding himself shouldering the burdens of others. So of course Percy listened, of course he believed the fearful demigod trapped on his knees. Ethan mentioned something about not being able to let go of what he was holding or catastrophic things would happen so Percy offered to help. The moment he took it, he regretted it forever. Percy’s entire body burned as he was forced into a crouch, his muscles burned as he tried to stand up, to do something to make it stop hurting. But what hurt more was Ethan and that remorseless look in his eyes.
“You can’t leave. This is where you’ll stay until we get our prisoner.” someone said, Percy could barely hear it. His ears rang, his eyes stung, he could barely breathe. He tried to use one of his hands to grab onto Ethan as he walked away. He also regretted that as he let out a yelp of pain. Although it was less of a yelp and more of a scream like he was being murdered, and he felt like he was too. He forced his arm to go back to holding, whatever he was holding. It was, so heavy..
“Are we sure he’ll last until one of them gets here? Atlas, he’s not going to make it..” Ethan said. One of whom? Who deserved such vitriol? Wait a moment.. Atlas? Was he… holding the sky? That made sense on why it was so heavy, this was a punishment specific to the Titan. He wasn’t going to live to see his mom ever again, was he? No.. that wasn’t an option. Percy gritted his teeth, they wanted a prisoner? He was bait, he wouldn’t be here forever.
“He’ll hold.. He’ll make it” someone spoke, maybe Atlas, maybe not. Percy wanted to believe him but the strain in his body didn't seem to.
Percy didn’t know how long it’s been, it could have been minutes, it could have been hours. He was tired, he was exhausted, he was in pain. He stopped paying attention to what was happening around him, he started focusing on his breath and not collapsing. Can’t drop the sky, he shouldn’t be holding it at all, this isn't your punishment to bear. Someone will come for him, eventually.. He just has to hold on, think of it like Grover on Polyphemus’ island. Breathe, oh what was that one technique camp taught him called.. Square breathing? Yeah, breathe in, one.. Two.. three. Four.. hold, one.. Two.. three. Four.. breathe out, one.. Two.. three.. Four.. hold, one.. Two.. three four.. Repeat, again and again.
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“They aren’t coming for him, we have NOTHING TO USE AS LEVERAGE!” Someone, Atlas, shouted - there was no mistaking the influence and divinity in that voice. Percy knew pretty much everyone’s voice on the mountain now. There was nothing better to do now. He had lost track of time a while ago. At first, he counted every repetition of squared breathing, restarting whenever he forgot the number he was on. Eventually, he couldn't remember how many times he restarted. Where was camp? Chiron? Annabeth? Grover? Why hasn't he been found yet?
Percy really needed a way to track time that isn’t counting how long he’s been breathing. Holding the sky has gotten easier though, with all the time passing. Either that or his nerves were dying.
“They’ll come, he’s their hero after all.” That was, a new voice. Luke.. Percy, for the first time in a long time, moved from the position that made it the easiest to hold up the Sky. He glared at Luke with all the spare energy he could muster.
“I thought you said that he was getting weaker by the day” Luke said, hands in his pockets, blue eyes determined with a dead mans grace. Percy’s vision blurred with the strain this position gave.
“He is, he doesn’t even listen to our attempts to convert him” Atlas groaned, Percy dropped back to his previous hunched over position. It helped ease the pain of holding up the sky. His square breathing messed up, as he panted to get his breath back.
Atlas and Luke kept going back and forth for a while, long enough for Percy to get his bearings back. Their voices started to decrease in volume as they moved away. Percy wanted to leave, he hated where he was, he wanted to go home, go back to camp, back to his mom.
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'How long has it been?' Percy idly pondered. 'How long has be been forced to hold the Sky? Has anyone noticed him missing? Has anyone tried to find him?'
At some point, Percy had switched to keeping his eyes closed. It was easier for him, let him ignore the jeers of the monsters, let him fade into the pain. The taste of cookies painted his tongue, ambrosia was forced down his gullet to keep him alive. It hurt to swallow, but he swallowed nonetheless. He didn't have much of a choice. Plus, the repetition let him count the days - assuming they fed him daily. Today was day 485.
He was pretty sure the bones in his legs had shattered now, or his muscles had given up on him. He couldn't really balance properly on his knees either. But he would ignore the pain, he had to. He couldn't let go of the Sky, he wouldn't cause so much death or carnage. It was why he didn't protest when the monsters came with chains to keep him imprisoned. He had to keep everyone safe, even if they had forgotten him. His prayers had gone unanswered, there was no flash of light, no comfort of the sea breeze. Instead, there was just pressure on his shoulders, on his back, on his heart.
When he closed his eyes, he could imagine the air brushing his hair being fingers, the weight on his shoulder being a comforting pat on the shoulder. Sometimes, the jeers of the monsters shifted into warm, encouraging words if he let it.
That didn't stop the rattling gasp when a voice echoed in his mind. It was a familiar voice, power thrummed in each syllable. It wasn't a Gods' voice. It wasn't a Titans'. It felt like more but he didn't know what. Couldn't fathom it.
"Now, it is about time to set you free, little demigod..."