Argo II: After Tartarus

Piper X

It didn't make sense.

Piper could feel her sweat running down her back and her eyebrows pinched violently together. She forced herself to focus back onto the other demigods who were no longer struggling with the lack of sight. They seemed to have gotten the hang of listening to the monsters' heavy footsteps to anticipate where next to go, the deep breaths signalling where they were facing and the putrid smell that came with the beings. They, of course, didn't have the precision that Percy had but it was...decent. Slowly, long after Piper had yelled until her throat was raw, the remaining three monsters where they were either killed with arrows piercing lethal points, swords and daggers swiping bluntly or Hazel manipulating the mist to make them bash their heads against the walls. They were forced back to the crack that Hazel had made bigger with her powers, stumbling and bloody. Out of the four original, they had managed to kill three of them, leaving the final one just in front of the crevice. Piper landed the final blow, sending the monster tumbling down into the darkness, its eyes staring into Piper's soul as the howls descended further and further into the darkness. She couldn't help but be reminded of a different time back in Arachne's lair. Piper stepped backwards and fell to the ground in relief. She watched Hazel kneel down and bring the ground together again to erase all traces of the crack. The sound was unbearable as the rocks ground against each other, setting Piper on edge but at the same time, all she could do was sit and let her aching limbs rest. 

"Are they gone?" Leo asked, his blindfold only barely intact. Piper laughed, her throat exploding with pain. She coughed a couple of times before replying with a shaky voice, "it's all good. You can take them off."

Leo let out a whoop making the group laugh. Frank poked his head from around Piper's door. 

"How long was that?"

Annabeth squinted at her wristwatch which Piper didn't even notice until now. It was weird for a demigod to keep items like watches around for more than a day without them breaking. 

"Only around 30 minutes. Nearly a record for blind fighting."

Percy pointed at the watch, "it's sad that we even have a record."

The group laughed again. Never before had Piper noticed how time is so much like water; that it can pass slowly, a drop at a time, even freeze, or rush by in a blink. She swore the fight felt like hours, her feet told her as much. 

"Is anyone hurt?" Hazel called out, her arms already filled with ambrosia and bandages. 

Annabeth lifted her arm showing off a nice bruise forming. "I am. I may have got knocked around a bit." Piper shot her an apologetic look but Annabeth waved her off as Percy quickly joined her by her side. 

Jason too had an injury, as Piper saw a large neat scratch running from his shoulder down to one of his armpits. He caught her eye and smiled to show her he was fine which allowed her breathing to become easier. Hazel helped out Annabeth and Jason while Leo and Frank dusted themselves off and fist-bumped, Frank albeit begrudgingly. Piper was going to join the duo by the old split in the floor before Jason held her back. 

"You should have some," he said, offering some ambrosia, "your throat must be killing you."

With no willpower to use said voice, she nodded and gratefully took the square of ambrosia. Comfort quickly flooded her system when she tasted black bean soup her dad used to make her. 

"You did amazing." Piper looked into his sky blue eyes and cleared her throat, it no longer throbbed. 

"Thanks." She hesitated, feeling the familiar sense of shame rush through her. "I just can't help but feel I could've stopped you and Annabeth from getting hurt. We're already banged up as it is."