Run | TMR X PJO [ Editing ]

Chapter four, in which Percy finds out what exactly a Griever is.

Like the night before, Percy tried his best to get some sleep. He eventually did, but with that came the dreams. He saw Annabeth, and remembered his friends. Grover. Tyson. He saw Luke, saw him as he died. He remembered everything. Who he was, and his life. But when he woke, the dreams faded. he only remembered snippets, never the important things. But only Annabeth remained clear in his head. It was weird, how only Annabeth stayed. Percy got a headache from trying to remember any part of his past. He soon gave up and followed Thomas to breakfast, where many of the boys were already up. It was only his second morning at the Glade, and Percy couldn't help but feel proud for surviving. Newt was arguing with Minho when he arrived.

"Show him after breakfast!" Newt was yelling.

Minho shook his head and groaned. "He's gonna lose his stomach if you do that."

"My word is final!" Newt crossed his arms smugly.

"Fine then. You get to clean up the contents of his shucking stomach if it comes to that," Minho said. "Tell me when he's ready." He left.

Newt rolled his eyes. "Hey Percy. You wanna see the bad news before or after you eat?"

He wasn't sure on how to answer. "Uh what's the news—"

"Might as well see it now," Newt said cheerily. "You're in for a nice surprise."

He took off, heading for a spot on one of the walls surrounding the Glade. For a guy with a limp, he was pretty fast. Percy hurried to keep up. They stopped at a section of the wall covered in ivy. It didn't look like much, to be honest. What could be behind it? Secret killer machines ready to assassinate Percy? Food? Weapons? Percy wasn't expecting a window. Newt pulled back the green vines to reveal a panel of glass, several feet wide. This was his first look into the maze. There really wasn't much. He saw stone and ivy, and the stray Beetle Blade (spies from the Creators, Newt had told him.) It didn't look like the big, bad maze that everyone had made it to be. Percy was expecting booby traps and swinging blades at least. The Maze was well, just a really big Maze.

Percy was confused. "What are we looking for...?"

That got him a snicker from Newt. "Greenie, you'll see." They didn't have to wait long. They saw that thing.

There wasn't a good way to describe it. Percy was already bad at names. But if he had to choose, he would name that thing the Robot Goo Alien Machine From Outer Space. It was about as big as a cow, and probably weighed more. He shuddered at the thought. Its arms were made out of metal, some with spikes, and others with who knows what. It looked harmless enough.

Until it launched itself at the window.

"Holy klunk—" Percy scrambled back from the window. The cow monster left, and he stood back up. "What was that?"

"Well my dear shank, that was what we call a Griever," Newt laughed humorlessly. "Those buggers come out at night. And nice girly scream by the way. Really sets the mood."

Percy hadn't realized he screamed. But that thing was terrifying. Part creature, part machine, part who knows what? That Griever thing was beyond anything he had faced before. He hated to admit it, but deep down, fear controlled him. It rooted him to the ground, and Percy wasn't sure he had what it took to be a Runner.

The boy clapped him on the shoulder. "Now, let's go get some grub, kay?"

He nodded mutely. No wonder he and Minho were arguing earlier. It was either lose his appetite or make him barf. So when he got a plate of eggs from Frypan, he just sat there staring at it. Percy knew that it would get cold, so he shoveled it down. It didn't taste like anything. Not after that Griever.

Minho approached him a minute later. "Well? Let's go running! After we get some supplies, of course." They went to the Map Room, where the Runners kept track of the Maze. Hundreds of papers were stacked neatly into boxes. It drove Percy nuts. Who had the time to be that careful?! And just looking at the maps made him dizzy. The lines seemed to float off the page and swirl into meaningless goo.

"Yo, Perc. Shoe size?" Minho was rummaging through a closet.

Percy sat down and took his shoe off to check. "Uh, ten."

Minho whistled. "Big feet." He dug around in the closet, finally holding up a pair of sleek black sneakers. "Put these on." Percy tried them on. They fit perfectly. He jogged around in place to break them in.

"They fit nicely," he noted. 

"This isn't a ballet program," the Keeper snapped. "We need weapons now." They went to a basement, where Minho unlocked the door with a set of keys. And the place was covered in weapons. One wall was entirely for bows and quivers of arrows. Every weapon imaginable was there.

"Now shank, take your pick. You'll just need a few knives and klunk," Minho said. But Percy was distracted by a gleaming bronze sword hanging on the far left wall. It had an eerie glint to it. Three feet of metal with a leather hilt. Percy took it in his hand. It felt... familiar.

"I want this," Percy said.

Minho shook his head. "You won't need it. Just take a few knives and we'll be good. The sword will weigh you down."

"I don't care," he replied, insistent. "This was my sword. I... remember."

"Have you gone insane?" Minho sounded concerned. "Whatever. Take it or leave it! We need more supplies." Percy took the sword and a set of throwing knives and followed Minho.

"What else do we need?" He asked, trying to make some small talk.

"Oh slim it."

The Keeper got Percy some other materials. A watch. Water. Food. And finally.... "These are what we call Runnie-undies. And these bad boys keep your—"

"Oh that's nice," Percy said, snatching the underwear from Minho. The other boy chuckled and shook his head. "Are we ready to go now?"

"Yeah. Follow me."

The pair of them reached the doors. And they set off into the Maze.