.・゜゜・——— I AM NOT A WOMAN I'M A GOD !
FOR LOSS IS A GREATER PAIN THAN LOVE
WATER WAS THE DEVIL'S LIQUID. Not only was it suffocating, but it made her nice clothes soak and stick to her skin in the most uncomfortable way. But maybe suffocating was a little bit worse.
"Holy shit." Regina gasped as she finally took her first breath after what seemed like an hour. It came off as if she was exaggerating, but by the way Nico was breathing in the air around him like it was his first time respiring, made her seem tame. She felt like she was still choking, like the air she was breathing wasn't really air and she was still heaving up water to fill her lungs. She shook her hair but it felt like it was glued to her head, slicked down with river water. Her eye makeup was gone from her hazel eyes, and were instead transported in streaks across her cheeks. Her eyes were blurry with water, regardless of how much she tried to blink it all out. She could barely hear, as liquid filled up her ear drums, and all she could make out was the washing of various sounds. She pinched her nose and blew out of it, her ears popping open like she was a thousand meters up on an aeroplane.
"Regina, you alright?" She heard Nico gasp from beside her, his voice raspy and scratched from the water that was still itching his throat. She gave him an exhausted nod, as she swiped her drenched sleeve across her face, taking in the environment around her. It was fair to say they were no longer outside anymore.
The darkness covered around them like a blanket, only the stars weren't there to give them light. The trickling sounds of water seeped from around them, which made Regina fear that they were still drowning when they weren't. Her hands were pressed in what felt like wet soil, and she could feel small objects brushing against her legs and feet. "Nico..."
She could feel Nico's eyes on her, as he replied wearily. "Yes?"
"Are we in a goddamn pond?" She mumbled, pushing her feet against the soil beneath her in an attempt to get out. She could feel fish weaving through the gaps of her fingers, a tail flickering against her elbow. She daren't look, and instead glanced upwards at the infinite ceiling above her. It was gothic, with obsidian pillars and black bricked walls. There were deep red tones, and every so often she could hear a growl of what sounded to be from a very large dog. And it didn't sound so comforting.
"Yeah, I guess the river water had to transfer us to some kind of other water." Nico replied, walking out of the pond after Regina, his very emo clothing dripping with pond water. His black hair was flat against his face, and he shook his mop of hair around like a dog, flipping it back so that his forehead was exposed. She felt jealous that he was still in the stage of clear skin.
"Okay, well let's hurry up." Regina murmured, wringing her top like a goose's neck. "I don't really feel like bumping into whatever is growling nearby."
"That'd be Cerberus." Nico said, the sleeves of his black skull jumper flopping against his trousers. The sleeves were far too long for his own arms he could have easily been mistaken for Slenderman. He sort of gave Regina the creeps. "But don't worry, he's quite nice once you get to know him."
"Well I'm not really in the mood to get acquainted with a three headed Rottweiler." Regina said as if it were obvious they shouldn't go near him. They were two very much alive demigods in the land of the dead; they were going to get questioned.
The two headed down one of the most hollow and acoustic sounding corridors she had ever been in. It also felt never ending, which gave her bad memories of descending into the Labyrinth a year ago. Regina kept up with Nico, who fortunately seemed like he knew where he was going. She had her trust in the Ghost King, watching his eyes dart around in recognition, moving in familiarity.
Eventually they ended up in some holding cells, much like the ones they found Briares, the Hundred Handed One, in. Except these cells were coated with what could only be blood. It was everywhere: scattered on the walls, smeared on the cell railings, dripping from the ceilings. It made Regina shiver in both discomfort and fear. Whatever happened in this room, was never good. And whoever Hades locked in this room, was also never good.
Following Nico down the row of cells, trying her very best to avoid eye contact with other monsters and creatures who were locked up , they finally settled on the cell at held Percy. Except, it wasn't even a cell at all. It was a wall. She glanced sideways at Nico, who only quickly took her hand and walked straight into the wall. They came out the other side, Regina feeling like she was drowning a third time today.
The room was just a squared wall. No doors, no cell bars, no windows. Just walls. She felt like she couldn't breathe, so she wondered how Percy was holding up. Speaking of Percy, Regina braced herself to look at him, wary of the mixed emotions that would surge through her once they made eye contact. Would she be happy? Would she be angry? Would he even feel anything? She turned around to face him.
He was asleep.
"Motherfucker." Regina grumbled, shaking her head at the black haired boy who was currently drooling in his sleep. She didn't expect anything less from him. Nico bent down and unclasped the chains that hung around Percy's wrists, and shook his shoulders to wake him, and hissed his name.
But that was a big mistake.
Soon enough, Percy was awake and his sword was pressed viciously against Nico's throat, which took even Regina by surprise. On one side, she wanted to help Nico because he looked like he was dying, and on the other, she didn't really feel like interrupting because Percy looked like he had the upper hand, and she didn't necessarily feel like being his next target.
"Want — to — rescue..." Nico managed to murmur, his head against the stone floor of the cell. Percy's sword was so close against Nico's throat that it was drawing blood. His eyes were angry and frantic, which could only mean Nico had pissed Percy off prior to them rescuing him. She didn't mind the turn of events, though. Percy didn't even realise Regina was standing there yet, and she didn't know if she wanted him to see her or not.
"Oh yeah?" Percy said angrily. "And why should I trust you?"
"No — choice?" Nico spluttered, and Regina raised her eyebrows in approval at the very logical answering of the boy. But it didn't go through with Percy, who only tightened his grip around the halt of his sword. Then Nico piped up again, "plus — I — bought — Regina — with — me —"
Percy's whole body stiffened as Nico nodded with his head, indicating behind him. The green eyed boy inhaled slowly, then looked up and saw Regina with her back against the wall, the girl's lips thinning in either awkwardness or somewhat fear. She was holding her breath and she didn't know how to let it go.
It seemed everyone had been growing up recently, and she was sure that Percy grew up the most. The structures of his face were far more sharp and defined this year round. His jaw was tense, and his eyes bore a certain maturity in them. She didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. He grew into his messy hair, so now it actually suited him and didn't make him look like an untidy twelve year old. His body was more athletic than lean now, and when he stood, she gulped at the fact that she had to look up. She could feel her heart hammering inside her chest, and her palms were sweating and clammy. She balled them up quickly.
"I didn't think you'd come back." Was the first thing Percy said, his voice still the same as it was before. He was looking at her with what she thought was hurt. Or maybe it was betrayal. Or maybe it was anger. Whichever it was, it wasn't a good expression. Regina's heart couldn't help but break at it.
She nodded though, biting the inside of her cheek as she watched Nico get up off the floor, wiping the nip of blood from his neck. "I didn't think I would either."
His eye contact was so intense, Regina had to look away. She looked at the floor, then looked at the walls. She looked anywhere away from him. She felt a kind of guilt, even when her brain tried to remind her he was the one ignoring her. He never talked to her after the incident. He led her to believe that he never truly liked her. That it was all a lie. Not her.
But maybe she should have been the bigger person. Maybe she shouldn't have let her stubbornness get in the way. She should have talked to him, done everything she could to get him to explain. She should have done something.
"Um, we should probably go."
The pair turned to look at Nico, forgetting that he was even in the room. While Percy looked at him like he was a traitor, Regina agreed and stood beside the younger boy, letting him lead the way through the corridor he randomly opened up through one of the four walls of the cell. She guessed it was the perks of the child of Hades.
Together they walked through, Regina right beside Nico as Percy trailed behind them. It wasn't hot, but Regina was sweating. She hated this awkward feeling, but there wasn't much they could do. The goal was to get Percy out of the cell and that's what they did. Then the next step was to escape the underworld, which they were doing. What was she going to do after that?
Roughly twenty minutes of silence passed, and it was quiet for two reasons. The first, none of the teens chose to speak to each other. The second, Nico had spent the whole time putting skeleton guards to sleep as they walked, and while it seemed easy, it was exhausting to Nico. By thirty minutes, Percy and Regina had Nico's arms around their shoulders, dragging him along the corridor as his head rolled back and forth in weakness. Then the alarms went off, and Nico was about to pass out any minute.
"What do we do?" Percy asked Nico, his eyes darting around as the sound of footsteps and paws began to increase.
Nico yawned, his eyes pressing shut, then blinking open again. "How about ... run?"
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IF IT WASN'T FOR PERCY'S HELLHOUND pet, they would have died within seconds, death by ghouls. It was an army of dead people chasing after them while Percy and Regina had to keep their stamina and strength to drag Nico against the dirt of the ground. He was heavy as well, his head banging against Regina's shoulder as she tried to run as fast as she could away from the sound of hissing and chanting.
Then Mrs O'Leary arrived and celebrated when Percy asked her if she could take them to the River Styx, they managed to hoist the passed out Nico onto her back and jumped on themselves. As dangerous as their situation was, Regina couldn't help but blush deeply when Percy sat behind her and his arms reached out around her body to control where Mrs O'Leary was running to. She could feel his heartbeat against her back, his arms grazing against her own. She shook her head slightly and tried to concentrate on keeping Nico from falling off the hellhound's back.
They arrived at their place of destination, all of them jumping off of Mrs O'Leary's back. Regina's feet landed in black sand, and she would have thought it was really cool if she didn't know where she was. She was surprised Hades didn't make it into quicksand, although she did continuously move her feet around just incase.
Percy grabbed a pack of ambrosia from his backpack, unraveling it from the foil it was secured in and gave it to Nico, who chewed on it weakly.
"Uh." He mumbled, rubbing his eyes so ferociously she was sure he was seeing double. "Better."
"Your powers drain you too much." Percy said, recalling his observation. She noticed it too, the way every time he pointed at a guard to paralyse it, he would get fainter and fainter.
"It's probably best if you relax for a while." She said, worry creeping inside her as the new found protection for the youngest boy took over. "I don't want you passing out again."
"Okay mum." Nico mumbled, yawning sleepily. "With great power ... comes a great need to take a nap. Wake me up later."
"Woah, zombie dude." Percy said, and it took all Regina's might to not chuckle at the name he gave him. Percy hooked his arms underneath Nico's armpits and pulled him up, the child of Hades struggling to regain his balance as he looked like he could pass out again. "We're at the river. You need to tell me what to do."
Regina frowned as Percy healed Nico up with the rest of his ambrosia. "What do you mean? I thought this whole mission was just to get you out of Hades's cell?"
Both boys glanced at Regina. The black eyed boy then spoke up, "its about the prophecy. The only thing Percy can do to have this war in his favour."
Regina was annoyed because Nico was looking at her like she should know what the hell he was talking about. Like she didn't only get introduced to this world a year ago. She tried to connect any dots. If he ate the black sand he would get flying powers? If he fought Hades he would grant him a magical wish to defeat Kronos? Regina took a step back and ran a hand through her hair. She hated looking like an idiot.
"I'm gonna—" Percy began to speak, offering his knowledge of what he knew to help Regina out, but he was unfortunately interrupted by someone with Greek armour walking towards them.
Quickly, Regina drew Bloodthirst, stepping cautiously in front of Nico, shielding him from whatever was coming their way. A Greek warrior making their way directly to her was usually always a threat. The guy was very tall and buff, his ripped arms bare and glistening even when there was no sun. His face was scarred, but it didn't make him ugly. His jawline was so sharp she thought his bone would rip out. Underneath his helmet, his golden blonde hair ran like waves, blowing in the hurricane of wind that surrounded them. He wasn't a monster, because his eyes were very human. Pale green, like frogs on a lily pad. And when Regina looked down, there was an arrow impaled in his left calf, just above his ankle. The man took his helmet off, and Regina's eyes widened. She knew exactly who he was.
"Achilles." Percy murmured, beating Regina to it. She knew much about him; he was all Thomas seemed to talk about when they had discussions about Greek heroes they found hot. And she was not going to deny it: this man was beautiful. Except, he wasn't really there. His image flickered like a hologram. Then she remembered his fate. He was a ghost.
"I warned the other one not to follow my path." Achilles said, his voice loud without shouting. "Now I will warn you."
Regina stepped beside Percy, because Achilles's eyes were staring so hard into his that it seemed threatening. But Percy remained steady. "Luke? You spoke with Luke?"
"Do not do this." Achilles said, and that was the moment it all clicked together. She managed to recall the tale of Achilles. She remembered the Trojan war and she remembered that his mother dipped him in the River Styx by the heel to make him invincible to the enemy. Percy was going to dip himself in the River Styx. Achilles seemed to watch Regina put the pieces of the puzzle together, and when he spoke, his eyes began to flicker from Percy's to her own, as if he was speaking to her too. "It will make you powerful. But it will also make you weak. Your prowess in combat will be beyond any mortal, but your weaknesses, your failings, will increase as well."
"You mean I'll have a bad heel?" Percy said. He was never good at reading between the lines. "Couldn't I just, like, wear something beside sandals? No offence."
"Percy." Regina almost whispered. "I think he's talking about more than just his heel. The traits that define you might get in the way of your battles. You know, your Fatal Flaw?"
Achilles nodded, and pointed delicately at Regina. "Your companion is correct —" and at the word 'companion', Regina glanced with wide eyes at Nico, who was suddenly even more awake. They were thinking the same exact thing. The prophecy. 'The history of the companion is repeated in vain."
She quickly interrupted the Greek heroes speech before he could say anything else. "Sorry ... companion?"
Achilles glanced at Percy, then glanced at Regina. There was a hint of regret in his eyes, and as quickly as that came, it was replaced with a deep haunting of grief. "A companion. A partner. Your other half."
Regina felt her cheeks burn up, and beside her, Percy's face was red. "Okay," Regina continued, wanting desperately to know more about the companion history but wanted to move on from the awkwardness Achilles had created. "You can carry on with your speech now."
"The arrow in my heel didn't truly kill me." Achilles continued, as he kept glancing at Regina with a big sense of loss in his eyes. It was making her nervous. She felt Percy's hand brush against hers. "What really killed me was my son arrogance. Beware! Turn back!"
His last words were angry and brittle, and he sounded like he truly meant what he said. He didn't want Percy making the same mistakes as he did. Could this be what the 'history of the companion' meant? She wanted to ask, but this was Percy's moment. This was about Percy and no one else. He was going to be the hero of this war. And she would stand by him no matter what.
"I have to." Percy said, his voice cracking slightly. "Otherwise I don't stand a chance."
Achilles's head lowered. "Let the Gods witness I tried. Hero, if you must do this, concentrate on your mortal point. Imagine one spot of your body that will remain vulnerable. This is the point where your soul will anchor your body to the world. It will be your greatest weakness, but also your only hope. No man may be completely invulnerable. Lose sight of what keeps you mortal, the the River Styx will burn you to ashes. You will cease to exist."
Regina forgot that there was always a catch. And the catch didn't seem like an insignificant catch, either. Percy could potentially die if he stepped foot into that river. Was this really worth risking his life for? Her hands trembled slightly. Why was she so terrified? Then her heart sunk a little more when Achilles's icy eyes stared into her own.
"Do not let him lose sight of what really matters." He said, his head nodding at her like they had some telepathy thing going on. "For loss, is a greater pain than love."
And with that happy note, he completely vanished like he was never even there in the first place. His intense words and startling eyes apparently made Regina so freaked out that she found her hand clutching around Percy's wrist, and she quickly shook it off when she noticed. "Wow, he's a charmer, right?"
"Percy." Nico sighed in regret. "Maybe he's right."
"This was your idea." He said in what came out as anger. Regina watched his hands shake and saw the sweat trickle on his forehead. He was scared.
"Percy, if you really wanna do this, and if you really want to defeat Kronos, then do it." Regina told him, her hazel eyes staring into his sea green pair. "It's a risk, but I feel completely positive that the option you choose is the path you were meant to go down."
Regina's heart did a flip when she saw the left half of his mouth flick upwards. "I didn't think you'd get wise in only a year."
"I'm not wise. You're just super dumb." She retorted with a playful smile, hoping that he would take it the way that she prayed he would. And he did. The right side of his mouth joined the left side, and it formed one big smile. Regina practically melted.
"I've just got to keep grounded." He said, convincing himself more than the others. He swiped his tongue across his lips in thought, and Regina wondered if he was going to do it or not. But she knew now she would not be mad at him, whatever choice he made.
And he made his choice.
That was the fourth time someone felt like they were drowning that day, but this time, it wasn't Regina.
𝖆/𝖓
whoop whoop! We're developing people we're developing.
Anyway, we've finally got the Percy and Regina reunion everyone was waiting on. My awkward babies.
Also I hope it's kind of becoming clear what the history of the companion is, because I'm trying to make it as clear to the audience as possible, but mysterious to the characters. Lemme know.
Also this Achilles is based on the song of Achilles one, because we don't like the og one.