??????????? ? percy jackson

—— chapter fifty-nine.
( kidnapping mission did not work )
❝ Everything I needed, you already
gave me. You let me stay. ❞

The second fight was beginning.

Ethan Nakamura, if Aether heard correctly, was proving himself.

Aether's never seen Nakamura around at camp. He had probably arrived earlier than Aether had been there. Regulus bats his eyes in recognition. “Shit? Nakamura!”

“You know him?” Aether queries with a bemused look.

“Yeah, a long time ago,” Regulus said, then looking down like he remembered a bad memory. “His godly parent didn't claim him. He was stuck in the Hermes cabin for who knows how long. I was friends with him before I got claimed.”

Percy and Ethan were fighting and fighting. You guessed it, fighting. “I think he wants to impress them,” Aether mutters, looking at the demigods fighting.

“He needs to,” Annabeth spoke suddenly. “If he doesn't. He won't be able to join…”

“Who cares,” Regulus whispers harshly. “We’ll just sneak him out and bring him back to camp.”

“You're suggesting we kidnap Ethan?” Aether whispers back.

“You're fucking crazy,” Annabeth murmured.

“Hey, he is — well, was — my friend,” Regulus retaliated. “No way in hell am I allowing Ethan to join this crazy army.”

“Well,” Annabeth was the first to speak up after a long pause, “Let's figure out how to get out first, hm?”

“Uh-oh,” Aether muttered sharply, “Percy’s going to get himself killed is what we should worry about first.”

The fight with Ethan was gone and replaced with Antaeus now. He was obviously doing something but Aether had yet to guess what. “What the hell is he doing?”

Percy was hanging onto a chain for dear life, Antaeus yelling at him to get down. Aether didn't know how he did it but Antaeus was dead, dissolving away, pouring bit by bit until there was nothing left to see of him.

“Jackson!” Luke yelled angrily. “I should have killed you long ago!”

“You tried,” Percy reminded him. “Let us go, Luke. We had a sworn agreement with Antaeus. I'm the winner.”

Percy knew what Luke was going to say. He said, “Antaeus is dead. His oath dies with him. But since I'm feeling merciful today, I'll have you killed quickly.”

He pointed at Annabeth and Aether. “Spare the boy and girl.” His voice quivered the slightest. “I would speak to them before — before our great triumph.”

“Can't I at least be there too?” Regulus whispered weakly, wincing dramatically.

Percy took out a dog whistle and Aether's eyes widened and he exclaimed a bit louder than he was supposed to, “crap, he’s actually doing it.”

Aether, Annabeth, and Regulus exclaim extremely loud as the Laistrygonian giant holding them smashed into a wall. Mrs. O’Leary actually came, that was something. Quintus wasn't lying after all about that.

The audience was absolutely stunned.

“Let’s go!” Percy yelled at them. “Heel, Mrs. O’Leary!”

“The far exit!” Rachel cried out. “That's the right way!”

Ethan remembered his cue and followed after them. Together they raced across the arena and out of it with Mrs. O’Leary behind them. Aether could hear the sound of footsteps jumping out the stands; trying to catch them.