Curse of the Hero - Percy Jackson

XIX

XIX

Percy was but a blur of chaos and destruction, killing each and every Crihorn that managed to come close to him. The monsters were all running for their lives, retreating back to their fortress. Percy clutched his sword, the yellow glow slowly fading, the monsters retreating back to their kingdom that was surrounded by stone walls, the walls themselves were sturdy and thick, they were tall as hell, it seemed impossible to breach the gates. Once the final Crihorn stepped inside the gates, the gates shut forcefully, locking the monsters inside.

Percy turned towards the crusaders who were cheering with joy, happy with their momentary victory, but Percy knew the battle was far from over. Percy turned towards Edeline and Wymer who were both smiling, Percy looked at the battlefield and resisted the urge to vomit. The battlefield was littered with corpses of both Crihorns and crusaders, red blood was mixed with black, it was gruesome.

Percy instantly turned away, not wanting to see the scene again, he would never get used to the act of war, even though he was extremely skilled with a sword, even though he killed monster after monster, human after human. He still couldn't get the thought, the image of war out of his mind, it plagued his dreams, it made his nights filled with terror, sometimes giving him insomnia. Percy shook his head and turned towards the crusaders who were cleaning up the battlefield.

They picked up each of the dead bodies of the crusaders and lined them up in a small spot, covering their carcasses in a small cloth, each of the crusaders paid their respects to their lost comrades. The dead remains of the Crihorns were dragged onto the front of the kingdom walls for the Crihorns to decide whether to hold them a prof burial or not. The crusaders were already setting up tents, ready to re-engage if need be. Percy looked around the area, trying to get ahold of his surroundings.

Multiple red tents were set up along the top of a hill to provide at least some high ground. Percy turned towards both Wymer and Edeline who were talking. They had serious faces which Percy rarely saw, especially on Wymer. Wymer wasn't the serious type, he was usually fun going and full of corny jokes. Now, he kept a straight face, a look of both determination and seriousness ever present in his features.

"Hello Percival." Edeline said, turning towards Percy with a small smile. Percy waved, joining the two.

"So, you're a Templar now huh?" Wymer said with a small smirk. There was the Wymer that Percy recognized. Percy couldn't help but smile too. He didn't expect to reach the level of the Templar's, they were literally the elite of the elite, the most powerful of the crusaders. And Percy was now one of them, he didn't wear the colours of the Teutonic Knights, he now wore the colours of the Templar's. Percy wore a simple white and gold tunic along with combat boots and a pair of trousers.

If it weren't for the fact that multiple crusaders saw Percy transform into a Templar, they could've mistaken Percy for a normal civilian, minus the sword that was strapped across his hip. Wymer chuckled a little patting Percy on the back, Percy rubbed his back a little, feeling sore from all the fighting.

"I knew you could do it, you were more than qualified to be one of the Templar's, hell, I could even go as far to say you may be the most skilled of the Templar's." Wymer said with a look of pride. Percy shook his head, he didn't think so. There were multiple swordsmen or women better than him, thousands even, Percy didn't like to think that he was the best at anything, no matter how much Edeline and Wymer kept saying it.

"The war isn't over yet, this is just the start." Edeline stated, looking at the kingdom of the Crihorns, everything was silent apart from the bustling of the crusaders, working frantically to set up their temporary outpost, their base of operations.