Deadly

I: Learn to Fly

He sucked in a deep breath and drew back, as if smelling something in the night air. "Delicious," he purred. "Master will not approve, but Master is gone, and I am alone, because I escaped and I ate through space and time. I told them it would work. But they didn't listen." Something in his expression shifted, becoming impossibly morose, then it was gone. "And I am hungry. This girl is a feast. Though I prefer eating you, young man," he said, winking.

Percy barely veiled the disgust from his face, though a plan was already trickling in his mind. "Fine. We'll make a trade: you let her go. Take me instead."

The monster smirked. "Making deals now, are we?"

Plan set firmly on motion, the demigod said, "Well, you did say I was more appetizing than the girl. Let her go, and I promise, I'll come with you."

The monster faked a thoughtful face for a moment, then, raising an eyebrow, he asked, "What are the chances of you not killing me?"

Probably zero. Percy quickly capped the pen and tossed it aside, showing emphasis on the throw. He knew he was playing a dangerous game, but he was sure this would work. He caught the girl's panicked eyes and tried to smile reassuringly. He held up his hands to show that they were empty, and said loudly, "I swear. I will not kill you." Yeah, right.

The monster narrowed his eyes, but he knew nothing about oaths. What's better, he didn't know that it was a giant loophole right there that the demigod didn't swore on the River Styx.

He shoved Joanne away roughly, making her stumble, but Percy only had his eyes on the monster, who was now advancing toward him, greed etched on his face, that transformed into that awful gaping mouth he once showed earlier.

Percy backed up a step, one hand feeling for his pocket for Riptide, when the monster sensed the shift in his behavior and started charging at him, tentacles lashing out.

The green-eyed teen neatly sidestepped and swung his blade. However, the monster anticipated the movement and dodged, missing the sword by a few inches and unbalancing Percy for a moment. Before the demigod could quickly recover, the monster's face reverted back to its normal state, and he threw a hard punch to the demigod's jaw, sending him flying.

There's a flash of brief panic in the demigod's thoughts, because holy Hera he was freaking strong before he crashed to the ground, seeing white.

As the green-eyes teen lay there on the ground, stunned and seeing stars, he hoped that Joanne had half a mind to run away and save herself because they were royally screwed.

The thought was barely even finished when a rock hurtled through the air and hit the man squarely in the forehead. Percy scrambled backwards, glad at the same time horrified at what or who caused the moment's distraction.

The monster whipped around to see little Joanne, barely twelve, standing there, shaking, but holding her ground resolutely. Thank Apollo and his powers of deadly precision and accuracy.

Percy shook his head to clear it and jumped to his feet, when Joanne narrowed her eyes and drew back, flexing her shoulders, and threw.

It hit the man's right eye, drawing black blood.

The green-eyed teen only had a moment of staring of horrified fascination when the monster's face opened up in a gaping mouth again, and Percy slammed the tip of his blade into the monster's back all the way to the hilt. Black substance leaked from the wound, and the monster's hands scrabbled helplessly at his chest, staring down at it in fear.

Then a sharp tug at Percy's hand made his eyes widen and looked at Joanne, who looked frightened and at a loss of about to what to do. "Stay back!" he ordered sharply. "Go to the hill. Just find the big tree. Okay?"