Chapter Text
The fire of the beast roared as the young man’s sword pierced the metal shell. The shell ripped more as the weapon pulled through, and the boy stepped back to assess the battle.
Percy looked over camp half-blood, how his friends were fighting for their lives because multiple Colchis Bulls had somehow infiltrated the camp. How they could get in puzzled him, because Thalia’s tree was still standing tall with the golden fleece perched in its branches.
Another explosion rips through the army as one of the monsters self-combusts, causing injury to a few of the campers in the area. Percy felt a hand grip his upper arm.
Annabeth spoke on breathless puffs with soot and ash staining her face. “There’s no evidence of a breach. It has to be one of the campers.”
“Can we stop these bulls before we accuse one of the campers? They’re getting further into the campgrounds.”
Annabeth nods and runs off.
A blast of fire catches two of the bulls and melts them into a mess on the charred grass. Leo Valdez then runs further to catch another bull in his flames.
“Leo! How many left?” Percy shouted across the field.
“Just 2. Have you had luck with using water?” Leo shouted as he ran over to look over the camp on the hill.
Percy grumbles. “Like I said, last time I used water, it got worse. Are your brains fried or something?”
Leo just rolls his eyes before dashing off to burn the one he saw. The water boy stumbled back and sat against the pine tree. How could this happen? He asked himself as he worked on his wounds and burns. Bandages had begun to be applied to the boy’s arms and legs after he pressed ointment into cuts, and he ate an ambrosia square. Though Percy just couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something wrong.
Percy was proven right when the final bull was slain, its bellow was most likely even heard in New York City. As the cry was made, multiple bodies came out of a split in the ground, reaching and grabbing for any purchase on the earth. Once a head breached the surface, the man gasped for air.
This man had long and greasy hair with many gray streaks; he was bone thin with hole marks and scars all over his dark skin. His eyes glowed green, not just the ones in his skull’s sockets but all over his body, blinking and taking in every bit of visual information.
The son of Poseidon pulls out his sword to be at the ready to attack this cryptid of a man. But before he can get a blow in, he sees that the green monster is helping a bigger man out of the dirt.
This one had a fuller body type and looked too kind to be anything dangerous. He had a shaggy bout of ginger hair paired with his beard that went well with the blue sweater he was wearing. The man surprisingly also had a much taller build, only slightly shorter than Percy, making him also realize that the monster man was much shorter than Percy had noticed.
Percy got up to help, but his leg caught on something, and he slowly started to feel the cold dirt consume his legs. He cried out, and the two grown men tried to pull him out. The green man knew that it was no use, though, as the dirt covered Percy’s face. He panicked and flailed. Percy knew he was going to die, to drown in dirt like his worst fear mentioned. Nobody was going to save him after he saved countless lives. He only noticed when he tried to breathe… he could. He could breathe in the dirt. It was still a struggle, and it hurts to do so, but he can breathe.
The young demigod sat there in the dirt to think for a bit. How can I get out of here? He thought to himself, trying to look around but failing. He then remembered what Piper told him when they tried snowboarding together, that if he ever got trapped under an avalanche, to spit to find which way is up and down. He collected as much saliva in his mouth as possible before hawking. He then starts pulling at the dirt opposite to where his spit landed.
The digging was surprisingly easy, like he was meant to dig through this dirt, towards his exit. He couldn’t shake the feeling of helplessness, though, that he would never find the surface, and he would be digging forever.
It had been hours before he felt something other than dirt, especially after the tunnels started getting tighter. Percy had soon felt something odd. When he felt it, a small gasp came from somewhere to the right. he quickly started pulling at the cold wrist before a small boy was revealed. It was Nico!
“Percy?” His voice shook, and he looked almost translucent, like a shadow.
“You were pulled down here, too?”
Nico shook his head. “I just woke up here. I-it’s too tight in here.”
Percy pulled him closer, and he surprisingly came along. Nico usually stayed away from physical affection unless it was from Will, and especially from Percy, but he held the younger kid for a moment before continuing to dig while holding Nico still.
Percy continued to pull through, now thinking about if there’s any of his other friends are stuck down here with him. He kept digging while comforting the claustrophobic Nico.
He felt helpless.