Back to the Way I Was

Chapter 2

Percy's POV

Percy watched with pure shock as Tia continued to suck the blood dry from the bear. So, when she said she killed the men before, did she . . . that thought was too disturbing he had to put it out of his head. He summed up that the guys who had Tia as their slave were not good guys and deserved to die.

"Uh, Tia? Can you stop for a minute?" Percy asked, holding his sword a bit higher. Tia stopped drinking blood, which was a bit of relief, but her mouth was covered with blood that it was hard not to be slightly scared. If a twelve year old had blood on her around her mouth and hands and had suddenly smiled like nothing was wrong, who wouldn't shit their pants?

"What's wrong? Do you want some?" Tia offered. Percy quickly shook his head.

"No! It's not that. Just, are you a vampire?" Percy asked. It seemed like a stupid question, but at least it's a legitimate one. Tia giggled and smiled at Percy.

"Of course I am."

Then, something occurred to Percy. "Then why didn't you kill the Hellhound that attacked you? You could kill a freaking bear, but not a Hellhound."

Tia shrugged. "It caught me by surprise and I panicked. I'm a twelve year old girl who saw a big ass dog from Hell, what do you expect? Did you expect me too skip around the dog happily?"

She's got a point.

Percy shuddered at the sight Tia drinking blood again. He should've catch up on it by the time she said she couldn't handle the sun, but as always, he was a Seaweed Brain.

Seaweed Brain . . .

Why Percy? Annabeth's pained expression flashed across Percy's mind. Percy gasped slightly in pain as he collapsed to one knee. He held his head with his hand while the other gripped the sword as tightly as he could. He gave a slight groan of pain as voices kept ringing in his head.

It's your fault!

You're the cause of her death!

How could you do this?!

You're pathetic!

"Percy, are you alright?" Tia asked. Tia's real voice snapped him back to reality. He was breathing heavily and his sword was practically trembling because of his hand gripping it too hard. He dropped the sword to the ground and sat down, leaning his back against the walls of the cave.

"I'm fine." Percy simply said. "Just a little headache."

"Well, you should rest." Tia said, a clear worried expression flashed across her face.

"No, I should be going," Percy shook his head and stood up, taking his sword with him as he put it back in its sheathe. "Thanks for everything, Tia."

"Wait! Don't leave me alone!" Tia said.

"Sorry, but I need to travel in daylight which is a problem for you. I can't wait at night, because the hunters are after me." Percy explained. Tia clearly looked disappointed. Before he could leave, Tia ripped a piece of his shirt. Percy didn't mind that, but he was certainly confused. He looked at Tia questioningly with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh, it's so I could track you." Tia explained. "I can use your shirt to track your scent, so expect to see me around night." She said. Great, now I have a twelve year old vampire chasing me at night, Percy thought.

Percy gave in and sighed. "Just, be careful on your way to, wherever I might end up later." Tia gave Percy a quick hug, which Percy returned. He ruffled her hair before leaving her alone in the cave.