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Nico's practically dragging her by the hand as they stumble around the underground cave tunnels, completely lost and completely disoriented.
“We're lost.” Clarisse mutters, other hand on her side. “We're lost inside the tunnels of Ancient Greece.”
“We're not lost.” Nico responds quietly. “I'm following the shadows.”
“Can't you just shadow travel there?” Clarisse asks tiredly.
“Sure! If you want me to pass out and not wake up for five days.” Nico snarks. “I told you before, I'm already exhausted from whatever happened to us. And Luke…”
Nico trails off into a round of silence.
Clarisse can't blame him.
Whatever Luke was doing or is doing here, neither of them can figure out what his real plan is. He hadn't said a word to Clarisse or Nico about what the plan to rescue everyone was.
She had the feeling that it was more focused on “get everyone out” more than “let's confront the bigger problem, called: What in Hades was really going on here?”
Gods, Percy was really starting to rub off on her.
Luke had disappeared after dropping her, Nico, and the other man he had supposedly been traveling with, off at the mountain Nico and the others had apparently been held inside. He said he needed to grab one last thing before joining them, and then he vanished.
Clarisse wanted to kill him, wants to kill him, just for leaving them here with a stranger who quickly assures the two that he means no harm and that he will not interrupt whatever conversations they need to have.
‘Conversations.’ Clarisse thinks. ‘Are exactly what we need to have, because what is going on???’
Nico taps her on the shoulder and she jumps, realizing that she has stopped walking and raises her arm in a horrible attempt at a block or punch-
“They're over here.” He says, grabbing her hand. “Will is, at least. I'm hoping the others are still with him.”
Right. The others.
Because according to Nico, he, Will, Thalia, Castor, Pollux, and Annabeth have been locked up in some prison cell. Everyone except for Annabeth has been drugged, Thalia is apparently seizing, and Annabeth…
Clarisse swallows nervously.
Her long time ally and friend is now the age of a 7 year old.
Thalia hadn't gone into the details, she just told Nico to run.
And he had. Straight into Luke.
Or something like that.
Nico hasn't been very clear about what happened when they got separated.
Nico suddenly freezes midstep and Clarisse follows his eyes to see a faint purple glow emanating from a nearby cell just down the tunnel. “Will!!”
He takes off running, letting go of Clarisse's hand and for a split second, she panics.
‘I'm alone. I'm alone in a world where we are either dead or dying out. My friends and allies are children again and the father I know isn't answering my prayers.’
“Clarisse!” Nico yells. “I need help!”
Clarisse blinks. “O-ok! Hang on!”
‘What happened to being quiet?’
“Children!” The man traveling with them calls out as Clarisse starts running, ignoring the pain in her side. “Wait, please!”
His voice fades as she follows the flickering shadows- flickering Nico, actually, the boy’s face is white as the shadows roar around him and an unconscious Will.
She catches a glimpse of Castor, Pollux, chained to the wall. Will’s with Nico, and Thalia…
Thalia's lying on her side on the floor. Clarisse's first thought is that she's unconscious, up until Thalia's body seizes on the floor and a young girl's voice lets out a soft whine of “thalia?”
“She's alright, Annie.” Castor calls out. “Just stay with her.”
Annie ‘-he can't mean Annabeth, right? This can’t be where those horses took her and Percy-’ whimpers and Clarisse catches sight of a small figure huddled in the shadows next to Thalia's body.
Her stomach twists, but before she can say anything, the one light in the room flickers, and then goes out.
Nico hisses angrily as he forces the shadows to cover and break Will's chains, then places a hand on his forehead as the latter blinks wearily at him.
“...you came… back…”
“Of course I did.” Nico says softly. “Let's get everyone out of here.”
Pollux waves at them as Clarisse kneels by them to pick the lock of the chains on their wrists and ankles.
‘Like actual prisoners.’
“We've tried everything.” Castor says softly as he rubs his wrists. “Other than prayer, but-”
“I get it.” Clarisse hisses. “We just need to find something that will help-
“I can… stabilize her.” Will forces out. The boy stumbles to his feet, leaning heavily on Nico. “I think…”
Clarisse looks at Thalia, her eyes rolled back in her head as she seizes on the floor. Her arms are above her head, with small pale hands pinning them down as electricity dances at her fingertips.
She growls angrily.
“Do it.”
Will nods and presses his hands to Thalia's forehead.
Thalia screams and kicks out at something, anything-
“Grab her legs!” Will shouts.
Clarisse pounces, grabs her ankles, and puts her entire body weight on the young girl's feet.
“Come on, Thalia, you can make it.” Will gasps out.
“Please make it…” Annabeth begs.
Thalia's eyes flash white, then silver, then roll forward to where she stares up at the ceiling.
Her body, finally, stops seizing.
“Ow…” Thalia gasps out.
Will collapses into Nico’s arms, who holds him tightly while nodding at Clarisse to get a hold of Thalia and Annabeth. Pollux appears next to her and lays a hand on Thalia’s head and shoulders in an attempt to steady her.
Which leaves Annabeth to Clarisse.
Castor fumbles with the one torch in the room, but lifts it higher so Clarisse can finally see the young girl’s dirt and sweat covered face.
She sighs in relief at the sight of the other girl.
“Hi, Annabeth.”
The little blond girl she hasn't seen in weeks (has it been weeks? How long have they been here, a few days?) blinks up at Clarisse.
Then, for some reason, Annabeth shrieks and starts backing up.
Away from her.
‘What-?!’
“Annabeth?” Clarisse kneels in front of the younger girl, who looks sick and terrified out of her mind. “It's me, Clarisse.”
She knows this reaction.
It's fear.
But Phobos and Deimos are nowhere near here, and Annabeth knows Thalia, so why-
‘No.’
She locks eyes with Annabeth. “Do you know who I am?”
Annabeth shakes her head. “I know Percy, Thalia, and Luke.” She whispers. “I don't know you.”
And that isn't a punch to the gut that hurts worse than what Ares ever did to her-
She clenches her fists. Tells herself to focus.
Thalia sighs and reaches for Annabeth, hands brushing, but the 7 year old whimpers and draws her knees up to her chest.
Gods above, what had Luke done to them?
Clarisse quietly decides that she would kill Luke after they finally make it home.
“She doesn't remember anything past the age of 7.” Thalia whispers. “She only knows Percy, Luke, and me.”
Annabeth leans her head on her knees as Clarisse struggles to process.
“How?!” She hisses. “Annabeth and Percy didn't meet until they were 12! She shouldn't-”
The words catch in her throat. “She's the daughter of Athena for Gods’ sake, she shouldn't be like this.”
“Clarisse!” Thalia hisses.
She already knows. Names have power, after all.
(Maybe that's why she said it. After days of moving around with no sign of anything except grieving gods and vicious monsters, she just wants someone to watch her back.
Annabeth was that person. So was Silena.)
“I'm sorry.” She whispers.
She slowly reaches out a hand to Annabeth, who's watching her with wide eyes.
“I'm sorry.” She repeats.
Thalia watches her while Annabeth keeps an eye on the hand.
Her gaze finally meets Clarisse's.
And for a brief second, there is recognition in her eyes.
Then Annabeth blinks and it is gone.
“It's ok…” Annabeth whispers. “You just scared me.”
“I won't do it again.” Clarisse promises. “Now, come on. Let’s go find your Seaweed Brain.”
Annabeth huffs, probably from recognizing the nickname, but takes Clarisse’s offered hand.
~~~
The group gets through two rooms, one Annabeth refuses to go into for some reason, but Thalia stays with her while Clarisse and Castor decide to tear them apart from floor to ceiling. When they’re done, every cell door is open, and the bars are twisted apart and covered with vines.
Scratches and marks from a spear and knives Clarisse finds in the first room cover the walls, and Castor attempts to rip open every hole he can find.
(They find a nest of spiders in a hole in the second room. Clarisse wastes no time killing those, just to see a small smile form on Annabeth’s face when they come out fine.)
In the third room, they find Percy in a corner of a cell.
He’s not moving.
Annabeth shrieks and visibly brightens up, face twisting with relief and worry. “PERCY!!!”
She practically rips herself out of Thalia's arms and runs over to him.
“Percy! Wake up! We're here!”
Percy stirs.
Takes a second to open glassy sea-green eyes and blink.
Then he sees Annabeth bending over him and visibly relaxes, tension draining from his body and he beams at her.
“Annie!”
Annabeth grins down at him. “You drool when you sleep.”
She giggles at the confused look on his face and hugs his neck tightly. Percy chuckles and hugs her back, nearly burying his face in her neck.
“And Thalia's here too.” Annabeth adds.
He looks up at everyone else with shockingly clear eyes and blinks.
“Hey, Seaweed Brain.” Clarisse says with relief, slowly raising her left hand, palm forward, in an attempt to keep him calm.
Percy just stares at her, then visibly tightens his grip on Annabeth, eyes narrowing in… in what?
Clarisse suddenly remembers, from just a few moments ago, Thalia's frantic whisper that she, Luke, and Percy are the only people Annabeth knows.
Her heart sinks.
‘Oh, no…’
“Gods, Percy.” She hisses. “Please tell me you haven't lost your memories again.”
Annabeth's eyes widen. “Again?!” She repeats loudly.
She pulls away from Percy and frowns at her. “What do you mean, again?! Who hurt him?!”
Clarisse locks eyes with Thalia as Annabeth whispers “Luke said we wouldn't get hurt again…”
…She's going to kill Castellan with her own bare hands.
But Percy hasn't answered her question yet.
He's visibly better, no longer looking like he's about to turn into a ghost if he blinks wrong, but his eyes.
She knows recognition when she sees it.
Clarisse keeps her hand steady. “Do you know who we are?” She asks.
Percy's quiet for a moment, still clinging to Annabeth as she slowly looks between the two.
Then he nods.
“I know who you are.” He says quietly.
“Ok.” Clarisse says back. She's trying not to shake.
‘If you did something, Castellan, I will personally make sure that the Gods will never bring you back to life again.’
“Can you tell me who you are?”
He nods again.
“I know that my name is Percy Jackson, my mom is Sally Jackson, and my dad is Po-”
He swallows. “The God of the Sea. I know that this is Annabeth Chase, daughter of A- …the Goddess of Wisdom.”
Then he looks at Clarisse. “I know that you're Clarisse La Rue, daughter of the God of War.” He slowly lifts up his arm and points at the others with her. “You're Will Solace, son of the God of Sun. You're Nico Di Angelo, son of the God of the Dead. You're Thalia Grace, daughter of the God of Thunder.”
He blinks at Castor and Pollux, then frowns as if thinking of something. “...You're Castor and Pollux, right? The sons of Wine.”
“That's us.” Castor confirms, nodding slowly.
“I…” he trails off.
He still doesn't let go of Annabeth. “I know who you all are.” He says again. “I know a lot of other names too. But they're not here right now, and… And everything else is like… like someone smeared all the details in a painting.”
“Gods dam it.” Clarisse hisses, the words spilling out of her mouth. She's beyond relieved that Percy recognizes her, but he and Annabeth can't do anything at the age they are right now.
Percy flinches. “I'm sorry!” He whines, clinging to Annabeth.
“It's not your fault.” Thalia quickly jumps in, saving Clarisse from having to deal with the Savior of Olympus crying like….
Like a child.
…they're all children now.
“You just don't remember a few things.”
“Understatement of the year.” Nico grumbles.
Will elbows him and hisses something Clarisse can't make out.
“Just…” Thalia holds out her arms. “...come over here and we'll stay together from now on, ok?”
“Please?” Annabeth whispers. “My head's been hurting ever since we got separated from Luke.”
Thalia freezes, her face pale. “...You've seen Luke?”
‘Uh oh.’ Clarisse thinks. ‘Nico and I probably should have mentioned that sooner.’
Annabeth nods. “Yeah! He's been making sure we're ok and taking care of us.”
Thalia narrows her eyes. “Taking care of you how?”
Annabeth and Percy look at each other, clear worry in their eyes. But before they can answer, the stranger cuts in.
“None of you are going anywhere in your condition.” The man says firmly. “How far do you think you will get before-” His voice breaks and he grips the spear he's wielding like it’s his last hope.
“-before Nikolaos comes and drags you back here?”
The kids all stare at him.
“...You know who he is?” Nico asks.
The shock on his face turns to anger. “You’ve known who he is?!”
“I thought he was dead.” The man responds, looking ashamed. “If I had known he was alive-”
Nico growls until Will grabs his shoulder. “What?!”
“Just hear… him out…” Will whispers.
“Why?” Thalia asks.
“Because he’s been helping us.” Percy’s voice comes from where he’s still sitting with Annabeth. “Because we’ve both been sick.”
‘Poison.’ Clarisse automatically thinks. ‘It’s some sort of poison. It’s something bad for demigods. It’s-’
“Clarisse.”
Her eyes meets Percy’s, and they’re clear.
“Trust me.” He whispers. “Please.”
She stares back at him.
‘...dam you, Percy Jackson. Dam you for this.’
“Fine.” She tells the man. “What do you want us to do?”
She looks back at Percy, looks for that one moment of clarity where she saw her friend, and she sees a child instead.
“What?” He asks. “Was it something I said?”
Clarisse closes her mouth and looks away.
~~~
The makeshift camp is steady enough for the children to collapse together in a heap, while the man
“Please.” He says when asked. “Call me Arepo. I just want you all to be safe, and I can't allow myself to leave you like this.”
They should just leave. Leave the camp, leave the mountain, leave the area all together.
“We don't have the strength to go anywhere else.” Nico argues.
He's right, they don't. Clarisse herself has a wound Arepo was able to bandage up, Will's drained of energy, Thalia and Nico are stable but exhausted, Percy and Annabeth are seven years old, and as of right now, the only two who are capable of getting more help are Castor and Pollux.
And Luke, but he's gone with the wind right now, and they have no way of knowing when he will be back.
“This should be enough for you all to feel a little better until we find a town.” Arepo remarks, stirring a small pot. “I was originally going to take your friends to Thebes to meet with a wise healer. Then the horses took them.”
‘They were HORSENAPPED, La Rue!’ Luke’s words ring in her ears and she bites her lip to keep quiet.
“...We’ve met the healer from Thebes.” Thalia says finally. “It was Nikolaos.”
Arepo goes silent.
His hands tremble as he pours soup into the bowls made of clay he had somehow kept in his satchel.
“We could-” Pollux begins.
Arepo raises a hand to cut them off. “Please let me do this. You children have done enough to keep yourselves alive, now it is my turn to look after you.”
He continues pouring the bowls, apparently ignoring the way the children look at each other.
“-my turn to look after you-”
“Can you think of anyone who would do that for us?” Thalia asks gently. “Other than- you know.”
She looks to her right where Percy and Annabeth have fallen asleep, hands grasped and fingers threaded together.
“...Percy’s mom?”
The group goes silent again.
Clarisse can sense it. The tension in the air.
Arepo does not want to talk about Nikolaos.
She doesn't blame him.
It's not everyday you see a close friend back from the dead and being possessed by a Titan- oh wait.
Percy suddenly starts coughing, eyes flying open as he leans away from Annabeth. He bends over
“Ugh…” He grumbles. “Not again…”
“Percy?” Clarisse tries to get his attention.
The young boy’s head snaps to her, sea-green eyes wide and clear.
“...Clarisse?” He asks.
The girl sags and tension bleeds out of her shoulders. “Thank the Gods…”
Percy looks confused, but wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and shakes it out next to him. “Why are you surprised? You asked me that… an hour ago?”
“More like two hours.” Clarisse grumbles.
Percy blinks at her, then looks down at his hands, turning them over as if looking for something.
“Huh.” He says finally.
“What’s wrong?” Will asks.
Percy shakes his head. “Nothing. I… uh…”
He sighs. “This might sound bad, but I feel like something’s wrong.”
He looks at his hands again. “With… with me.”
“I'm surprised you remember who we are.” Castor tells him as Percy looks around the small room. “It's… it's been a while since we've seen each other.”
“The water helped.” Percy mumbles. “It… refreshed my mind? I guess?”
He wraps his arms around his knees. “It was for a minute, but something surfaced.”
“Percy, please stop making water puns.” Thalia grumbles.
Clarisse catches a glimpse of the 7 year old smiling and frowns.
If… he hadn't gotten exposure to the water when he did, would that mean that Percy would have fought them when they came with Annabeth? She knows how important the two are to each other, maybe-
Clarisse clenches her fist and tells herself to breathe. Everyone's been reunited- so far, at least. Out of the people they knew were here.
…Has anyone else been taken?
Has Chris?
“Do you know who we are, Beth?” Thalia asks Annabeth.
“I know you, Percy, and Luke.” She says proudly. “That's…” she frowns. “That's it right now. But I trust you, and I trust Percy. If you both know these people, then that's ok.”
She visibly winces and brings her hand to her head, pressing her wrists against her temples as if in some kind of pain.
“I could heal it.” Will offers.
“Actually.” Nico cuts in, grabbing his boyfriend's hand. “I think we need to give them a second.”
He stares at Clarisse, who stares right back.
She does not want to have this conversation right now, especially in front of a decade younger Percy and Annabeth.
…They were 17, right? With all the chaos of the Wars, she hadn't bothered to check.
Demigods die young, after all.
Especially here.
(But They don't have to die here.)
Clarisse squeezes her eyes shut. No, she's not dealing with that right now.
Nico, Will, Castor, and Pollux leave, possibly to find Luke, possibly to find a way out, and while Clarisse knows that she should go with them, she just wants to collapse.
The air between the remaining four is quiet, filled with silence of a conversation the older girls are not wanting to have.
So it's Percy who asks the question.
“You saw Luke?”
Clarisse snaps her head up from looking at the floor for two reasons. One, it's Percy who's asking, not Thalia. It's Percy, somehow aged seven years old, with more memories back, except for the ones that matter in a situation like this-.
There's hope in his voice and a light in his eyes and Clarisse feels sick to her stomach (because the camp felt that way about Luke once, she felt that way about Silena once-)
“Yeah.” She says, throat dry. “Yeah, we saw him. Nico and I.”
Percy frowns. “Nico shouldn't-” he begins, voice taut with- with something that dissolves as soon as the words leave his mouth.
“-be anywhere near him? Exactly.” Clarisse lets the venom flood her words, even as Annabeth flinches.
“But Luke's been looking out for us!” She protests.
“That's what-” she cuts herself off.
Annabeth, like Percy, is also 7. She doesn't remember what Luke did.
And from the way Thalia is glaring at her right now, Clarisse doesn't think she will.
‘That's what I'm afraid of, Wise Girl. That Kronos is alive in Luke, that he doesn't know it, that he already has a hand on you and you don't know it until you have his mark around your wrist like Silena did. That you'll betray everything you've ever believed in because of a few well placed words and a smile. Those things start wars, you know. Betrayals and words and smiles.
We can't live through another war.’
She doesn't tell Annabeth that.
Thalia knows, somehow, exactly what she was just thinking.
She blames the eyes.
“Clarisse.” Thalia says lightly. “Is worried that Luke will get in trouble and he'll take you two with him when he does.”
“Oh.” Annabeth says.
Percy's quiet, his hands brushing against his knees.
Clarisse swallows. “...You're not wrong.”
Thalia looks from Annabeth to her.
“I've been worried that Luke would try something ever since I found out he was here.” Clarisse confesses.
Thalia doesn't say anything for a minute.
“...you thought he would try and manipulate Percy and Annabeth against us.”
Clarisse nods, feeling sick.
Thalia lets her head thud against the wall. “...I've been worried about that too.” She admits. “Even though we're young again, even though I grew up with him, I still…”
Her eyes move from Clarisse to the Saviors of Olympus. “I just…”
“They don't know.” Clarisse whispers. “They have no idea what's going on.”
“Clearly.” Thalia looks back at Clarisse.
“...do you think this is a trap? Luke helping them?” She asks.
Clarisse snorts. “Pine tree, you really want to say that after you told the monster who imprisoned us everything about us?”
Thalia winces. “Fair.”
Clarisse sighs. “But to answer your question…” She trails off, staring at the floor.
“For some reason, I feel like Luke is trying to be better for us.”
She quickly narrows her eyes at Thalia. “It doesn't excuse what he did, but… he, Silena, and others were all manipulated by-”
She cuts herself off.
“By Time.” Percy mutters, lifting his head from his knees and looking directly at Clarisse. “You were going to say Time.”
“...Percy, how do you know that?” Thalia asks carefully.
The young boy blinks slowly. “...I think… I was there?”
He glances at Annabeth, still leaning on his shoulder. “I don't know.” He says softly. “The more I just… focus, the… weirder everything gets.”
Clarisse almost asks him how old he thinks he is before she hears footsteps.
Percy's open eyed gaze shutters and he leans back against Annabeth, pulling her closer and holding his fist in front of her like holding a sword-
“We're back!” Pollux announces loudly, dragging his twin behind him. Nico and Will reenter the room, along with Arepo and-
“Luke.” Thalia says, bitterness flooding her words.
The teen swallows. “Hi, Thalia.”
The two stare at each other.
Clarisse can feel the tension rising in the room, her ears are ringing, practically calling for blood, and she instinctively reaches for a weapon-
“Please don't fight.” Percy whispers.
The group whirl around to see the duo pressed up against the wall.
Annabeth's shaking.
They're both clearly terrified.
“Please.” Annabeth begs, hands pressed against her head again. “It- it hurts-”
Luke's face drops, and Thalia visibly looks like she's about to throttle someone.
“Later.” She tells Luke.
He nods wordlessly and hands her a sword he had apparently found along the way as well as a small moving bundle of cloth.
She gently takes the bundle of cloth, holding it in her arms, and gently flips back the cover.
Then, her eyes widen, shock floods her face, and she snaps her head back up at him. “What-?”
“For later.” He says.
He gestures to the other man and they both walk to the front.
Leaving the younger demigods alone.
Clarisse watches Thalia hold the bundle close, tears filling her eyes as she rests the open area on her shoulder.
There's only one person that could possibly be.
“That's Jason, isn't it?” Clarisse asks softly.
Thalia nods and shifts her posture just enough so the group can see the blond haired toddler almost half-asleep. He blinks sleepily at Thalia, then reaches a shaky hand up at her.
She lets the hand brush her cheek as she cries.
Jason coos softly, apparently not old enough to say anything yet.
“Hi, Jason.” Thalia whispers.
Her younger brother smiles and waves with the raised hand.
Thalia continues to cry as she holds her brother close, cheek to cheek, tears spilling down her face as she gazes after Luke.
“You're right.” She tells Clarisse. “This doesn't excuse what he did.”
She leaves the other part unsaid as Jason falls asleep in his sister's arms.
…Clarisse is going to kill Luke with her bare fucking hands.
“We probably need to move.” Clarisse says finally. “They've probably noticed we're gone by now, and we're wasting time just sitting here.”
“Several of us are injured, and Nico is not passing out again.” Wil argues.
“And where are we going to go?” Pollux asks. “We don’t know this place or where we are right now. All we know is that we’re stuck in a mountain somewhere, and we have no idea why we are even here to begin with!”
“Can we at least talk about it?”
Everyone turns to look at Nico.
“Talk about what?” Thalia asks.
“Why us?” Nico asks. “Why are we the ones here and not anyone else? What makes us so important that we end up in a world where two different stories are being told? One where the Gods want us and another where they want us dead?!”
He starts shaking. “We haven't even been here a week and we've already seen two gods we know take the form of- of creatures, we got kidnapped by a monster we should have recognized was a monster- and the- the Gods actually care about us here! They want us here! And I don't know what to do with that! Just- someone please tell me! What did we do to deserve this?!”
“-Deserve this- deserve this- deserves this-”
Nico's last two words echo in the dark cave as he stands, breathing heavily and trying to calm down.
‘Nothing.’ Clarisse thinks. ‘We didn't do anything. We just woke up here one day and we still don't have all the pieces. The only ones who might know are whatever things brought us here.’
“I honestly don't know.” She says finally. “I don't know, Nico. I don't know how we got here, I don't know what makes us so important that they took us and not anyone else.
But what matters is that right now, we get as far away from this place as we can. If we get caught again, none of us are making it out. We'll be stuck here, isolated and with no idea what is going on back- back home.”
She forces the last word out.
“We've got to get back home.” Will says firmly.
“But do we really?”
Everyone turns to look at Castor, who holds his brother close. “Does any of us really want to go back there?”
Clarisse can't bring herself to answer.
Because if she does, then she's admitting to herself that there might not be a way home after all.