Percy PoV
Annabeth was looking at me, teary eyed and face caked in grime. Her blonde hair was filthy and she had blood adorning her temple, but she was still beautiful. Rushing to her, I felt a sob lodge itself into my throat, one I swallowed forcefully as I embraced her. She clung to me, arms around my neck like a vice, but after a few seconds I pulled back and moved to Jason.
"No," His lids were barely open, lips parted only slightly as his weak breaths escaped him. Jason's skin was pale and clammy, cold to the touch. A makeshift bandaid of ripped clothing was wrapped around his torso, red bleeding through. But, I didn't have time to dwell on his condition, didn't have time to go looking for Voldemort myself and kick his butt.
"Percy," his voice was a whisper and his arm reached out weakly, trembling with the effort. Clasping his hand, I hoisted him up and stood, carrying him; he was in no condition to walk.
"I'm here, Jason, I'm here." His head lolled and he clenched my shirt briefly where his arms hung limply. "Draco, help Annabeth, we need to get out of here, fast." Draco nodded, scrambling to help Annabeth up— who protested until her legs buckled underneath her when she stood. After a few moments, she was able to stand with Draco supporting her weight. Leading the way out of the now bar less cell, I slipped back around the corner, trying to adjust to Jason's added weight. Climbing back up the stairs, I clung unto the banister, trying not to fall backwards, stepping over the unconscious bodies of Death Eaters. Reaching the upstairs corridor, we walked back the way we'd entered and passed through the door.
Suddenly, an alarm started blaring through the walls and as we stepped back through the door with the V on it, the sound of rushing footsteps echoed in our direction. More are coming. We paused and I glanced around for an escaping, spotting another door at the end of the dark hallway. That would be where they're coming from. We had to leave, now.
"Draco," My eyes searched his and he shook his head.
"They've put up a ward, I can't apparate us back to Hogsmaed." I cursed in Ancient Greek, looking at the door again. Their way in, our way out. Knowing we'd be even more cornered if we stayed here, I strode forward until I reached the door. Wrenching it open, I ducked under the doorway as Jason lifted his head, his body wracked with seizing tremors as he coughed his lungs out on my shoulder. I could feel the neck of my shirt soak until a warm liquid seeped through. The smell of iron filled my nostrils and I frowned. How long has he been like this?
"Annabeth," she hummed in response, already looking at me. "How long has he been like this?" Her eyes slipped to Jason's face, hidden in my neck, his shallow breathing barely brushing the hairs on my nape.
"I don't know, my perception of time's been warped. His condition started about a week before we first saw him," she pointed at Draco and he grimaced.
"So, four, almost five months." He supplied before rocking them forwards as they walked through the door.
"What happened?" I persisted, noting the knot in Annabeth's brows. She shook her head and cleared her throat.
"He's been poisoned." My entire body tensed with the effort of not spinning around to face Annabeth, knowing it wouldn't bode well for Jason. We already had limited time, but now we needed to get Jason to camp as soon as possible. We needed to leave more than I needed to question Annabeth.
"We'll talk about this later." Pressed against the wall, I walked forwards until I reached a corner, peeking around it just in time to see a Death Eater rush by. Squinting into the dark, I watched and waited for another one, but after two minutes, no one passed. Nodding my head to Draco, I rounded the corner and jogged to the alcove ahead of us. Squeezing into the space, I creeped slowly through the tight area until it open up into a grand room.
"Draco," I whispered, voice tight and controlled. "Do you know where we are?" I could feel their breaths down my neck.
"I think so. I've only been here once, and it was when I first saw Annabeth and Jason. I don't know why Voldemort didn't choose Malfoy Manor, but I'm pretty sure there's a back door through that door and down the hallway behind it." Draco's hand slithered our in front on me, pointing to an oak door to the right of us. The distance between us and that door was more than fifteen feet. It was too much open space.
"Are you sure that'll lead us out of here?" We stilled as a stringy haired woman passed the alcove, only three feet from us. I had never been more happy for the cover of darkness.
"No, but it's all we have." I released a breath I was holding. Taking a quick glance I sprinted for the door, heart pounding at the possibility of being spotted, yanking on the knob, it was locked. Whipping out my wand, I shielded the lock with my body as I whispered a quiet,
"Alohomora." The door unlocked with a click and I pushed it open with my foot, tucking my wand back into my belt, snagged between the belt and the material of my pants. Stepping through, we enters another dark hallway and the further we went, the lower the ceiling got. Soon, I was hunched so low, I was finding it hard to hold Jason up. The air got cooler and I could feel what felt like a breeze pass over my heated body, cooling the sweat at my temple. The ground beneath us turned from smooth stone to tightly packed earth and after minutes of hunched walking, we emerged into the night air. We were out. Straightening up and moving out of the way for Draco and Annabeth, I adjusted Jason's position, making sure to keep his head elevated.
There were shouts behind us and Draco grabbed hold of my hand,
"Percy, we have to go." I hesitated. In Jason's condition, I wasn't sure he could handle apparating, but we had no other choice. I nodded and clenched Draco's hand. Then, we were tilting and the scenery around us was fading, along with the shouting voices. My stomach was twisting and the ground beneath my feet vanished, reappearing seconds later as cobblestone. As we landed, Annabeth staggered, hunched over, and hurled, nothing but water and stomach acid coming out. Jason, strangely and thankfully didn't throw up. He didn't even stir and I didn't know what to make of that.
"W-what was that?" Her voice was hoarse as she wiped at her mouth, leaning on Draco for support. I could see the look of disgust on his face and I snorted.
"Later, right now, we need to get you guys to camp?" Slipping into an alleyway, Annabeth stuttered behind me.
"Wait, what? Percy, aren't you coming with us?" I ignored her question and ducked past an empty cart, avoiding the streetlights. "Percy, what is—"
"Annabeth," I hissed her name and she quieted. "Look, I know you have a lot of questions, but now is not the time." Spotting, the Hogs Head, I sprinted across the street and slipped inside holding the door open for Draco and Annabeth. Not having paid attention when we were last here, I let Draco take the lead. Following him through an old wooden door, we entered a cluttered closet with a bookshelf. Draco pushed against the bookshelf and it turned on a well hidden platform. Stepping unto the platform we entered the tunnel and watched as the bookshelf slid back into place, it only looking like a wall of earth on this side.
It was dark and damp and I could barely see in front of me, and I was thankful for Draco's platinum hair. Last time, we had used the Lumos spell, but with Annabeth and Jason with us, we couldn't use magic in front of them. There was no way to hide a stick conjuring a ball of light. When we finally reached above ground, Draco stopped.
"Where do we go now?" I stepped forward, my arms aching from having to carry Jason for so long. I gestured my head,
"The Black Lake." He nodded and waited for me to start walking. I sighed and close my eyes, trying to sense the lake. Once I got it, I started walking. Dead leaves crunched under my feet, adding to the nature song. The hooting of owls, the chirps of cricket wings, the whispering of the wind and the trees, and the crunch of dead leaves. The closer we got to the Black Lake, the more the niggling in my mind intensified until it was a soft pressure and we were facing the Black Lake. Setting Jason down on the bank, I dunked my hand into the water and swished it, the Hippocampus I'd summoned when I left the infirmary swimming up to the surface. Gesturing to Annabeth, I helped her onto the Hippocampus, turning back to Jason.
Carefully, I brushed his hair away from his forehead and scooped up some water from the lake, letting it drip onto his face. His eyes fluttered open and I smiled, fishing the gillyweed I'd hidden in my pocket separating it in half, I gave one half to Annabeth.
"Eat this, it'll help you breath underwater." She opened her mouth to protest and I shook my head. Now wasn't the time for questions. Hesitantly, she ate it, making a face. "Hey, Jason, you have to eat this okay? It'll help you breathe underwater, just eat it..." propping his head up with one hand, I fed it to him with the other, watching as he chewed and swallowed, his eyes falling shut again. Hoisting him up careful, I sat him on the Hippocampus in front of Annabeth. "Make sure he doesn't fall."
"Wait! Percy, what are you doing? Why aren't you coming with us? What's going—"
"Annabeth, I don't have time to explain much, you have to get to camp. The person who took you, his name is Voldemort and I nee—"
"Percy," she shook her head, bewildered and confused. "This Voldemort or whoever didn't take us, Atlas took us." Before she could say anything else, I patted the Hippocampus on its backside and it took off, ducking under the water.
"Percy, who is Atlas?" An explosion went off nearby and we spun in the direction it came from. All the way on Hogwarts Hill was a raging battle, and area engulfed in flames, most likely where the explosion came from. Out of the flames rose a giant being dressed in blue and gold holding an insanely long scepter. The being turned, looked directly at me and smiled, reaching out a giant hand and beckoning me.
"That is Atlas, and trust me when I say, I am the only here who can defeat him."
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Only two more chapters!
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Gotta go work on them, bye!