𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬'𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 • 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘺 𝘫𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴𝘰𝘯

Percy Almost Dies (Not The First Time And Not The Last)

"Well, Hade—" 

Grover cleared his throat. 

"We're in a public place... You mean, our friend downstairs?" 

"Um, right," Percy said. "Our friend way downstairs. Doesn't he have a hat like Annabeth's?" 

"You mean the Helm of Darkness," I said. "Yeah, that's his symbol of power. I saw it next to his seat during the winter solstice council meeting." 

"He was there?" Percy asked. 

Annabeth nodded. "It's the only time he's allowed to visit Olympus—the darkest day of the year. But his helm is a lot more powerful than my invisibility hat if what I've heard is true...."

"It allows him to become darkness," I confirmed. "He can melt into shadow or pass through walls. He can't be touched, or seen, or heard. And he can radiate fear so intense it can drive you insane or stop your heart. Why do you think all rational creatures fear the dark?" 

"But then...how do we know he's not here right now, watching us?" Percy asked. 

Annabeth, Grover and I exchanged looks. 

"We don't," Grover said. 

"Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better," Percy said. "Got any blue jellybeans left?"

"No," Grover replied.

"I've got blue Sour Patches. They're my favourite flavour," I told him.

"Can I?"

"Sure! As long as you save some for me, you may."

When I saw the tiny little elevator car we were going to ride to the top of the Arch, and I knew I was in trouble. I hate confined places. They make me nuts. Probably because of my ADHD, but also because when I was in the orphanage, I was stuck inside my room all day, due to odd things happening every time I went out. To make matters worse, when I was 6 years old, three girls locked me in a closet for five hours. I only got out when the matron went to serve me dinner and realized I wasn't in my room. Since then, I dreaded closed spaces.

We got accommodated into the car with this fat lady and her dog, a Chihuahua with a rhinestone collar. I figured maybe the dog was a seeing-eye Chihuahua because none of the guards said a word about it. We started going up, inside the Arch. I'd never been in an elevator that went in a curve.

"No parents?" the fat lady asked us. 

She had beady eyes; pointy, coffee-stained teeth; a floppy denim hat, and a denim dress that bulged so much, she looked like a blue-jean blimp.

"They're below," Annabeth told her. "Scared of heights." 

"Oh, the poor darlings." 

The Chihuahua growled. The woman said, "Now, now, sonny. Behave." 

The dog had beady eyes like its owner, intelligent and vicious. 

Percy said, "Sonny. Is that his name?" 

"No," the lady told him. 

She smiled as if that cleared everything up. 

When the elevator made a 'ding' sound, I knew we had arrived at the top of the Arch. I got out of the elevator quickly and took a deep breath, admiring my surroundings. Rows of tiny windows looked out over the city on one side and the river on the other. I probably would've found the Arch much more beautiful, if it was in an open surrounding, but since it wasn't, I was dreading every second of it. I was ready to go pretty quick.