Trapped | ✓

Chapter 9

Instantly, we brightened up after the disturbing situation we had just left behind. The dumb immortal had left us a breadcrumb trail. He must've been in a foul mood, because at the same time Annabeth and I screamed, "Spiders!" and took several large steps backwards. Phobos was creating a trail of our fears.

"So we gotta follow those-" I started.

"Nope. No spiders. That is not happening." Annabeth interrupted me.

"We have to if we want to find Phobos. This is what we're up against. We're gonna have to face our fears," Jason said.

"Well that sucks," said Piper.

And then the spiders disappeared. I was momentarily relieved, until I realised we'd lost our trail.

"Crap. How are we gonna find him now?"

"I guess, just go the way they were moving to? They were going all in a line, that way," Leo said, pointing. "Then just follow the trails of traumatised people."

"That sounds horrible," Hazel frowned.

"Which is why we've got to stop it," I said. "Come on!"

We walking along the road, when a lady just ahead of us screamed. The rest of the pedestrians on the street followed suit.

"Deimos, you little shit," I said. "Where did you go?"

Suddenly two teenagers stepped out from an alleyway. One was tall and lean, the other a big ugly brute. It was them.

Phobos laughed. "Your mortal insults are priceless!"

"Insults? I'm not here to insult you, idiot." Percy stifled a laugh at the irony of my words. "I'm here to get rid of you."

"Oh, yeah? How? You can't kill me. And I've got control. I can make you see your worst nightmares."

"I'm not scared of you. Or what you can do. And yes, I know you are fear itself, blah, blah, bow down to me, all that crap. I don't care what you are. Because I will crush you like a bug," I hissed. I remembered what he had done to Jacob and was filled with a whole new anger.

"A bug, hmm?" And spiders were everywhere. On my clothes, under my clothes, on my face, in my hair, and I wanted to cry out, because I couldn't handle it they were spiders and I could hear a girl screaming, and it could have been me, and the spiders were under my skin, and scuttling - I hated that word - scuttling under my skin, inside me, and I couldn't get them out, and the spiders were also in my eyes, blocking my vision, and I could hear Phobos' cruel, cold, laughter and then I couldn't hear or see anything at all, and it wasn't because of the spiders anymore. They weren't there.

And I opened my eyes and my head was on Nico's shoulder and we were all seated on the ground in an alleyway and Phobos and Deimos were gone and I could taste nectar in my mouth and-

And I wondered if I was mad. It was as though everyone was still not quite there. They didn't seem to notice me waking up. It was as though I was trapped in some sort of limbo, spiralling into the dark and lonely depths of madness.

Wait, what?

And I opened my eyes and my head was on Leo's shoulder and we were all seated on the ground in an alleyway and Phobos and Deimos were gone and I could taste nectar in my mouth and-

Woah. Okay. Yes. I was awake. I looked over at the group, and they were all staring back at me with concern.

"Wh-What?" I asked, groggily.