Caught (A Jeyna HoO Fanfic)

Caught Chp. 6

CHAPTER SIX- JASON

I first see a cave. Then, a walk into it and see her... Reyna. I try to reach her, but my arms won't work. She's suspended above an acid pit, writhing angrily. "Let me GO! Quiloe!" she screams. The manticore comes out of a dark tunnel. "Most unfortunately, my mistress, Gaea, needs the blood of two demi-gods, one female and one male. We just need one of your friends. If they come to save you, which I assume they will, they will be leading themselves straight into my trap. The rest of your not-needed friends will be consumed by me and my hench-people." he says smoothly. She tries to gnaw her cuffs. "These hurt. Can you, like, not tie them above me?" she demands.

"Sure. I'll send you to the dracnae. They will be pleased for... Torture company." he sends for the dracnae to come. "Maeve, Maddie, Millie! Company! Remember, you cannot eat her. She must be saved for our mistress." he hollers above Reyna's shrieks. Several hissing, blond women with fangs enter the room and take Reyna away. "Jason... Jason!" someone calls.

I wake up sweating. "Jason, you've been out for fourteen hours. You fell asleep at around seven, I think. It's 9am. Get up!"an exhasperated Piper drags me out of bed and into the dining room. "We're almost there. Actually, I think were hovering above Baden-Wüttenburg-err-umm- Schwarzwald right now. Wake up!" she shakes me a bit.

"Uhn. I'm awake!" I say I uncomprehendingly and hazily stare at the plate of eggs, pancakes, and sausage in front of me. "Eat up man!" Percy slaps me hard on the back. I jerkily jolt foward into my scrambled eggs. Piper and Leo crack up. "You had a dream, didn't you?" Annabeth asks seriously. "Yeah.... Reyna's in huge trouble. And if we help her, it's like walking into a trap that's inescapable." Everyone hushes to a silence. "We're still going, but we have to be careful." Annabeth says calmly. They all nod. A beep comes from Leo's watch, which is connected to the ship's main control- board. "We're above the manticore's cave. What's his name? Do we know?" Leo remarks automatically.

"Quiloe." I say quickly, remembering my dream. He nods. "To the front deck! We're landing now!" A quiet bump and a shudder of the Argo II agrees with him. We clamber out and onto the soft, mossy dirt and damp, long, grass. "Woah." a collective gasp spreads as we notice the cave's mouth. Beyond that is unseeable. All darkness. "Weapons out?" I suggest. My friends all nod in agreement. Leo pulls out his new toy. "Shoot Leo." Percy says. It's a wicked, two-sided Celestial Bronze axe, complete with a bound, well-oiled leather handle. "It's sweet, huh?" he shoulders it and tosses me a black flashlight. "Go ahead, sergeant." I turn the light on and we plunge into the depths of the cavern.

************Break*************

"Gods it's dark." Annabeth exclaims.

"Duh, Wise Girl." Percy says. She nudges him. Then I hear it. A scream. Reyna. We all head in that direction. I halt suddenly. We're above a large room, poking out of a window. But what hits me hardest is what I see in the room. Reyna's chained to a wall, her wails muffled by an old scrap of cloth. A bunch of those blonde dracnae are biting her, cutting her with wicked-looking knives, and scratching her with their long claw-like nails. Her beautiful white gown is tattered and destroyed. It hangs limply above her knees and wounds and marks cover it. The manticore comes in, swishing his long, spiked tail and grinning evilly. "You are a pretty creature, my dear. Shame to waste you." his tongue flicks out and licks her face. She flinches and a shriek of laughter bursts from a dracnae that was gnawing at her chest. Reyna twitches in pain as another slits an opening into her neck. A taller one rakes her long talons across her shoulder and then rips off some more fabric from the hem of Reyna's dress. Tears run down her face. I can't stand it anymore and I jump down onto the manticore. Reyna widens her eyes in shock. Annabeth and Percy roll down along with the others. Annabeth goes immediately to attack the dracnae that surround Reyna. Leo and Percy lunge forward to assist her. Piper aids me. Cleverly, she disarms him and plunges Katropis into his elbow. I slice off an arm while he wriths in agony. An entire army of dracnae encircle us. I find my way to Reyna and hold her weak body tight. "I missed you." I whisper into her ear and she lifelessly speaks back "We're all dead." and drops unconsciously into my arms.