Percy

The icy voice was followed immediately by at least three pairs of hands that grabbed me with iron grips, forcing my hands behind my back. They tied them together, and did the same to my feet. A gag came next, forfeiting the shout that I was hoping Grover would hear.

But it wasn't these things that bothered me most. It was the voice. I knew that voice...

I was thrown into another room. And literally, I was thrown. I landed on my side with a painful slam, and I groaned into the dirty rag at the pain shooting up my body.

"Shut up!" Someone yelled, then a sharp kick made contact with my already bruised side. Pain lanced up my side, and I fought the urge to slip into unconsciousness. But I couldn't. I needed to stay awake and alert.

I grit my teeth, then looked blindly around the dark room.

"Stop, Erebos. We need him conscious to answer our questions." Again, that voice that was eerily familiar. But it couldn't be.

"Whatever, but if he does something that annoys me, I'm doing it again. We can always wake him up." The voice was raspy and rough, as if the speaker's vocal chords had once been burned or something. I was assuming he was the one that kicked me. I didn't like this guy. For obvious reasons.

A light was turned on, and I blinked furiously, trying to clear my eyesight, which was still used to the darkness. When it was good enough, only with a few black spots dancing in my sight, I spotted the legs of a table and four chairs sitting on the wooden floor that I was laying on. Other than that, no furniture was in my view. But I did see three pairs of feet in front of me.

I stared at their boots for a second, then made my gaze travel up. I would describe the two men behind the man that was standing in front, closest to me, but I was so surprised, outraged, and utterly mad at the sight of the first that I didn't even look past him.

He was a tall, tan, and handsome man, with sandy blond hair. A scar started at one of his blue eyes, stretching down to his mouth. It crinkled as he sneered down at me, saying, "Hello, Percy Jackson. Long time, no see."

I hated that voice. I hated his sneer. I hated him. I wanted to yell at him, punch him, or possibly kill him, only if it was in a painful way. But my mouth was gagged, my hands were tied. I could only glare at him with every ounce of hatred in my body, cause every single bit of it was reserved for this guy.

The anger must've shown in my eyes, for the demigod before me stopped sneering, raised an eyebrow, and leaned back, saying coolly, "Woah, why the angry face, Jackson? I guess I'll be nice and let you talk. But no shouting, or else you have to sit in the corner. With a bloody nose." He smiled evilly down at me, then beckoned forward one of the men behind him.

The guy that came up to me was a broad shouldered man, with short brown hair and dark eyes. He was holding a knife, and I watched him approach warily. But he didn't hurt me, only cut my gag, allowing my mouth to make understandable noises.

I scowled at the blonde demigod, but didn't say anything. Words wouldn't be able to describe the amount rage that was coursing through my body. Oh, you might want to know his filthy name.

Luke Castellan, son of Hermes.

Luke was still looking at me with an amused complexion. He said, "Come on, Perce. Why aren't you greeting me? When friends haven't seen each other for a long time, they are usually happy when reunited."

"You're no friend of mine, Castellan." My voice was low and trembling with anger. Pain shot through my body every time I breathed. The hurt, maybe even broken, rib was not a friendly condition to me.

Luke smiled, then said, "Well, let's cut the greetings then, and get straight to the point. You've been pretty annoying, I have to say. You get around a lot and interfere in our plans without knowing it, and it's not helping that you are keeping one of my men in your group as a prisoner. I would like him back, but I'll do that soon. For now, I have a few questions I need you to answer."

"And who says I'll answer them?" I said with a defiant voice, craning my neck up to look at him straight in the eye. It appeared as if nothing was bothering me, but my mind was racing. If possible, even with more rage. Nakamura was one of Luke's men, so that meant Luke was the one who ordered the assassination on Annabeth. I vowed to hurt this man in every possible way for what he did to Annabeth.

But that also meant that Luke was the leader of this. I don't know if was in charge of the whole rebellion, though. He might just be the captain of this small group, which could be a portion of the real group. I filed away the information, grateful nonetheless that I had gotten some pretty important facts. The problem was if I would be able to report it to the gods. Or if I would be able to get out of this at all.

Luke chuckled, "Oh, you'll answer them, Jackson. Erebos, help him into a chair."

A man with long, scraggly light brown hair stepped forward, grinning. He looked like a madman who was capable of doing great damage. Two swords hung from his waist, and that made me remember mine that was ripped out of my hand when I got ambushed, and thrown to the side. I couldn't feel if it was in my pocket, but I hoped it was. Even though I couldn't think of a way that it would help me, seeing as my hands were tied.

Erebos jerked me up roughly, then shoved me into a chair. I winced at the movement, my rib protesting against the jarrings.

I stared angrily at the table, waiting for my interrogation.

"So, Percy. Tell me a bit about your current quest. What was the reason behind this. And don't lie, cause Diomed here-" he gestured to the man who had cut my gag "- is a son of Dolos, the god of deception and trickery. He will be able to tell when you lie."

Oh. That puts a damper on my plans of lying to them.

"The reason why you're here, Jackson?" Luke pushed, staring intently at me.

Fine, I just wouldn't answer. Let's see how Castellan swallows that.

I stubbornly kept my mouth closed, refusing to release any sign of emotion or information. I gazed right into Luke's eye, daring him to push me harder, to punch me, to kick me, to force me to give answers.

Luke's eyes narrowed, and he said, "Well, you are an annoying, obstinate brat."

I smirked, glad that I had irritated him. Then I said, "Why don't you torture me into telling you?" Not that I was suggesting that, but I was curious. Before, when I had known him, he would of tortured and beat someone into submission without a second thought. But now he seem reluctant.

"Well, you see, Jackson," Luke began, "I have an important job that I need you to do after this. And if you were all beat up, it wouldn't quite work. But don't worry, I have other means of making you talk without physically hurting you."

I raised an eyebrow. If it wasn't physical, only mental stuff, I was pretty sure I would be able to withstand a lot. I'm pretty good at not being persuaded into something.

"Give me all ya got, Castellan." I smirked cockily, staring challengingly into his eyes.

"Oh, I wouldn't become too confident yet, Perce," Luke sneered, walking over and taking the chair opposite of me at the table. "So, where to start? Well, I know a lot of things. You might be surprised, but I have some loyal spies, placed around Greece, helping me. I know the exact number of your group, where you are, how much food you have, where your next stop during the trip will be, all that sort of stuff."

I struggled to keep my face expressionless. The only way he could know all that was if there was a spy in the group of Questers. That's not possible. Well, I guess it is possible, but I would be really shocked. We all have known each other since we were young, we were like a family. Was there really a traitor amongst us?

Luke continued. "So I don't need any information about you, I just need information about why you are here. What is your mission, I asked. You refused to answer. But that information isn't as important to me as something else. That was just to see how lenient you would be."

Luke twisted in his chair, getting to a more comfortable position before continuing. "So, next question. I'll skip the first for a little bit," Luke said, calmly brushing some dust off the table. "Apparently you recently met a certain daughter of Athena named Annabeth Chase. Pretty little girl, isn't she? We call her 'Siren.' I'm not going to tell you why that's her nickname from us, though, 'cause I don't feel like it. I'll let you struggle to figure out why on your own."

My jaw clenched, and I jerked my head up, glaring suspiciously at Luke. Is he going to tell me why he wants Annabeth? "Yeah, what does that have to do with it?"

"I also am aware of your close friendship, that even progressed a little more at the end of your lovely time together. How sweet. But, a law was made! You two can't see each other. You'll live your lives not to the fullest, and have a terrible non-happy ever after." He smirked. I don't know if he was aware of how much this was hurting me, but I didn't let it show.

"But, you both want to see each other again. Very badly, from what my spy told me on Annabeth's side. Apparently the girl doesn't eat much, and spends her time holed up in places, not saying anything. She's tearing herself apart, and it's all because of you, Jackson."

I tried to control my breathing, my hands trembling. I didn't want Annabeth doing that to herself. I didn't want her to be tearing herself up and making herself unhealthy because of this. It's my fault.

No. Luke wants you to feel like this. Stop moping around, and refuse Luke. Deal with guilt and Annabeth later. A part of my mind commanded my face to become hard, resistance etched across my countenance.

Luke smiled, "Well, I don't know if you know this, but I kind of need Chase for my little plan-" I scoffed. Little my eye. "-and you are kind of crucial to getting her. You see, you could be an easy bait. I just need you to cooperate, and you could lure Annabeth right into my grasp, ready to complete my plans. She'll come to you easily, especially if we say you're in grave danger." The blonde demigod chuckled, apparently amused.

"And why on earth do you think I will cooperate?" I asked, eyebrows raised.

"Oh, I didn't you would. That's why persuasion is in store for you. Erebos! Bring him in!" Luke ordered. I watched curiously as Erebos exited the room, making his way towards a door on the right. He returned soon, and his hand was tightly placed on the shoulder of a young boy who wore a scared but defiant look upon his complexion. His measly brown hair hung past his ears, and his dark brown eyes were scanning the room constantly. I noticed his hands, that were cuffed together at the front, were thick and calloused, as if he worked in the forges a lot. But he looked about eight years old, so he couldn't be that strong.

Luke gestured to Erebos to bring the boy to him, then looked back at me when the boy was standing next to Luke. The son of Hermes stood back up and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, replacing Erebos's hand. "Percy, meet Harley, son of Hephaestus. Harley, Percy Jackson. We met Harley yesterday. I thought I could use him to help me, so I grabbed him and brought him back to this house."

I didn't say anything, still unaware of what this had to do with me cooperating.

"So, you cooperate, answer questions truthfully, don't put up a fight, and being a good and willing boy," Luke paused, then smiled evilly. "Or Harley gets to spend some quality one-on-one time with Hades."

Harley glared up at Luke, and I admired his bravery, but I was also frustrated. There was no way I would lure Annabeth here, possibly to danger. But I also couldn't let this boy get hurt. He was technically Leo's half-brother, a fellow demigod, and harmless and young. I couldn't let Luke kill him.

I didn't say anything, still thinking furiously of a way to get out of this.

Luke waited, then unsheathed a sword at his side. I studied his sword, and realized it was a different than most. The blade was half celestial bronze, and half steel. This meant he could kill monsters, demigods, and mortals. He held the sword up, then brought it against Harley's neck. The boy gulped, and fear flashed in his eyes. I could tell he was terrified, but was trying to conceal it. He glanced at me, but didn't plead for his life, or yell at me to give in to save himself. A headache was forming in my head from the vicious mental battle my mind was having with itself.

Luke's sword pressed farther into the little boy's neck, and a faint line of blood appeared. "Come on, Percy. Are you gonna let another little kid die in my hands because you refused to do something?"

My mind flashed back to that year. To that day. That one day when Luke did that one thing. But that one thing meant so much to me. It brought me more grief than ever before.

"Fine! I'll cooperate! Just stop hurting him!" I cried desperately. I knew that I was putting Annabeth in danger, but I figured that I would be able to do something, or stop before anything bad happens. Even if I had to get myself hurt in refusing, I would do it for Annabeth. And I wasn't going to let Luke kill a child. Again.

Luke's sword paused in it's descent, then the wielder smiled, "I thought that would do it. So, Percy, ready to become bait?"

Harley was panting slightly, and looked tried to back away from Luke when the sword was taken off of his neck, but Luke held him steady.

"And remember, no bad stuff is going to come from you towards us. If it does, I'll make sure Harley here isn't going to see life much longer."

I was disgusted at Luke's attitude, and said indignantly, "He's just a boy, Luke! Are you really going to kill an innocent child? That's just plain cruel, Luke, but I'm sorry to say that it wouldn't shock me if you were that heartless."

Luke laughed, and it sounded like he wasn't affected at all from my statement. "Oh Percy. How do you think we got this house, hmm? A husband and wife once lived here, with three kids, ages ranging from about five to twelve. Inferior peasants don't mean anything to me, and I brought them an early demise. Their screams and cries for mercy were quite annoying, so I ended them all quickly, glad to be rid of their noises."

I shook my head, speechless. My heart ached for that family, and their relatives and friends. "You're evil."

"Why, thank you, Jackson," Luke said, taking a low, mocking bow. "Now, tomorrow we leave, and you are going to get us Miss Chase. Mess up, Harley dies painfully. I'll see to the 'painful' part personally. Miss Chase, as I have been informed, is going to take part in a game, and if we fail in what we will do there, that is where you will come into play. However, if we succeed, we won't have any use for you. You can then figure out if you've done enough to achieve Elysium in your life once we dispatch of you."

"Oh, I don't think Percy will be dispatched from this earth, Castellan. Not on our watch." That was a new voice. I spun my head around towards the doorway, where three figures stood. I recognized two, and my face split into a wide grin.

"I agree with Jason. You see, as much as Percy can be annoying, he's our captain and friend. So we should probably save his helpless butt from your death threats. Probably empty threats, seeing as you don't look strong enough to even lift a sword." Nico's drawling voice came from the figure on the right, and he was standing next to Jason. Both of them held their swords out, and they were tense and alert, ready to fight.

The other person, a girl about my age, looked like she was not a lady to pick a fight with. Her buff stature screamed I'm mad, don't mess with me at the moment, making her seem even more scary than I'm guessing she would normally appear. Black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and a red bandana was tied on her head, holding back any hair that escaped the ponytail. Dark almond shaped eyes were narrowed, glaring fiercely into the room. Her cocoa brown skin was glistening in the light, and in her hand she held a deadly looking axe.

Luke looked up, startled at their sudden appearance, then yelled, "Erebos! Diomed! Get them!" While his two sidekicks rushed forward with weapons drawn to face my two second-in-commands, Luke grabbed Harley and started towards the other door.

I yelled in frustration, and watched as the fierce looking girl grew even madder as she stormed off towards Luke and Harley.

"Jason! Help me!" I shouted, hoping he would get a free moment to cut off the ties around my limbs. Jason glanced at me, then feinted in his current attack, putting Diomed off balance as his sword hit nothing but air. Jason was at my side in an instant, and his sword cut through my bonds like they were nothing but pieces of thread. I nodded a thanks, shaking off the ropes, then drew Riptide and charged towards Luke.

The girl had reached Luke, and attacked him, causing him to let go of Harley to defend himself. I thought the boy would make a run for safety, but he stayed and tried to fight too. His hand had closed around a metal torch bracket, and he was trying to hit Luke with it. As I watched, Luke pivoted, slashing down at the boy. Harley wasn't expecting it, so he didn't react. Fortunately, I arrived in time, parrying Luke's sword away.

Luke snarled at me, then resumed his fight with the girl, who was wielding her axe with proficient ease and swiftness. She managed to keep Luke occupied for a moment, but Luke was a excellent swordsman. Like, a really good one. He sidestepped a swing from the girl, and feinted at her right side, causing her to whip back her axe to deflect it. But Luke brought his blade around again lightning fast, aiming for her left calf. An axe is heavy, which is good if you want powerful and strong hits, but it also brought down the speed at which it could be used. The girl had no time to bring her weapon around, and Luke's sword sliced open her shin, cutting through her thin greaves.

She cried in pain, collapsing to the floor.

"No!" Harley shouted, before wrenching himself out of my grasp and running to the girl. I ran after him, planning to pick up the girl's attack from where she had left off, but I heard another shout behind me, and turned in time to see Diomed's knees buckle, sending him to the ground. Jason had done a full turn, his sword moving with great momentum, and brought the flat side around to hit Diomed square in the side of his head.

Diomed was unconscious, if not dead, from the force of the impact. Nico also managed to knock his opponent out. Erebos and Diomed weren't all that skilled fighters, as I had just figured out.

I turned back around to see Luke grinning. "Looks like you got out of this situation, Jackson. But don't worry, we will meet again. Erebos! Let's go! Grab Diomed!"

I rushed forward, hoping to stop Luke. But as I ran towards him, he pulled out a round object. I hesitated, wondering what it was. It looked like a Athenian bomb. They were bombs that Athena herself had created, and they could do a profitable amount of damage. Nowhere near a Fire bomb, but it still would blow up the whole house if he detonated it.