ATLOP: Trial by Fire

Of the Ocean's Rage

There was venom but I could-

My vision was blurry, my breath shaky.

He wasn't healing .

Why wasn't he healing?

Pallas, bleeding in my arms, her pearl core that I'd painstakingly made shattered by Athena's blade.

No. I wouldn't- I couldn't-

My hands shook, no, I could fix this, I could heal him.

A hand landed on my shoulder, "Triton, we don't have much-" Herophile faltered. "Four letters, way to tell passage of existence-"

I just needed them to leave, I was trying to heal him.

"Time," Rhodos said. "Triton we don't have much time."

Didn't they think I knew that? I was trying to heal him!

Metu was in front of me, when did he?

"Triton, he needs a healer. Now."

I clutched Persi, so small and broken. "He-"

Metu gently reached forward, scooping my little brother out of my arms, soho amaraman, my little kraken. Percy, he needed me, right now, Metu couldn't take him away!

I flicked up, Mevu steadying me as Metu swept away. I rushed after him, guards leaping out of the way, Nāmaka of the Hawaiian waters pausing in a side-hallway as she watched us rush past.

It only took a few seconds to reach the royal infirmary, but those seconds were precious.

He was weaker, he needed to be healed, where was the tafahu? What was taking them!?

"Pull yourself together," Benthesikyme hissed to me. "You can't fall apart right now."

I took a breath, then another. Right, I needed to hold it together. Persi needed me.

I stared at his pale form, he looked so weak and broken.

A mer hurried over, murmuring rapidly to herself as she looked Persi over.

I hovered closer, why wasn't the tafahu fixing him now? I could be trying to heal him while this vlua tafahu just looks at him.

What caused this? Who hurt him?

Metu pulled me back, "Let the healer work."

I snarled, not looking away from Persi.

Laying on the bed, so small and weak. His breathing was so faint, the pin told me how much he was weakening.

He was barely breathing, fading quickly.

I swallowed, he had to survive.

He had to.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

"I brought you some tea," Rhodos settled next to me with a taipanu in hand. She offered the sponge drink holder to me.

I took it but didn't drink.

Persi was still laying on the bed.

The healer was mixing more medicine for when he woke up. If he woke up-

No he would. The venom may have been deadly and many might have gone into permanent comas from it but-

But we gave him the antidote.