Pertemis: Chasing Time

Chapter 1: Wake Up With A Fight

Percy's POV

Her name was...Artemis. The only name I could remember since I was dropped in this darkness place. I didn't know anything happened before and the scary part was. I didn't even know my name. This dark place somehow brought me some feelings that I had been in here many time before. I wanted to get out of it, but I couldn't. Somehow, a wall of energy had blocked me from getting up.

I didn't like this place. Memories kept coming back and it caused me a serious headache. I knew that was the only thing I can get back my life and find the person named, Artemis. I believed she was my girlfriend. I saw her appeared in the flash backs next to me. We cuddled under the trees with the sun was setting down. Then it changed to when we kiss in an infirmary. She must've kissed me a lot I wondered.

A square light looked like a screen suddenly came up. I knew that the flash back show started to come again. I actually wished I had some popcorn beside. This time, the flash back wasn't like the other time. Instead of the repeated memories with Artemis and me, the screen showed me a girl sitting on the bed crying. I tried to look closer, and I finally realised it was Artemis. Her eyes were red shot from crying. I had a feeling that I was the one who caused this. I wanted to run up and hug her. I wanted to tell her I was there. I my feet just simply planted on one place.

She started to fade away. The image was being pulled back by some sort of powers. I tried to reach it, to call her name. But it seemed like nothing to work. It finally disappeared and for a moment, I thought it would never come back. Then a suddenly explosion spread out, a bright energy from where the image had disappeared. The bright light came closer and closer like it wanted to swallow me. I roared as finally my body and the light crashed.

My eyes straight opened like when after you have a nightmare. The first thing I could tell is that I was in some kind of a tunnel. I tried to sitting up, but body seemed not to obey. How long have I been laying here anyway? I knew I had to do something, otherwise I would die from starve. Also I wasn't sure the ceiling was strong enough for not falling down on me. I put my elbows on both sides for a boost and used all of my energy to push myself up slowly. Dusts shot out from my body as I was sitting. I could hear bones cracking inside.

I finally got up from my feet and was monitoring the tunnel. This tunnel wasn't like any regular tunnel I have seen. The floor was tiled mosaic instead of cement. There wasn't any electric cables, warning signs, fuse boxes on the wall, or lightbulbs in wire cages along the ceiling. Instead of that, the thing lit up the tunnel was reed torches, which burned but didn't smoke. In the end, the tunnel looked like some ancient magical tunnel. The tunnel led to both darkness directions. I didn't know which way to go. I closed my eyes and kept walking ahead, hoping it would lead to the entrance. A moment later, I finally saw a square of daylight. I stared to run and run, finally, I burst into sunlight.

The tunnel was built on a high level, probably on the middle of a hill. I froze when I saw the landscape in front. From my stance spreading out was a bowl-shaped valley several miles wide. The basin floor was rumpled with smaller hills, golden plains and stretches forest. A small clear river cut a winding course from a lake in the center and round the perimeter, like a capital G.

The geography looked like somewhere in north California with live oaks and eucalyptus trees, gold hills and blue skies. Don't ask me why I know that, I might've lost my memories, but I could tell many things that were happing on earth.

I felt like I've stepped into a secret world. In the center of the valley, nestled by the lake, was a small city of white marble building with red-tiled roofs. Some had domes and columned porticoes, like national monuments. Others looked like palaces, with golden doors and large gardens. I could see an open plaza with freestanding columns, fountains and statues. A five-storey-tall Roman coliseum gleamed in the sun, next to a long oval arena like a racetrack.

Across the lake to the south, another hill was dotted with even more impressive buildings-temples, I guessed. Several stone bridges crossed the river as it wound through the valley and, in the north, a long line of brickwork arches stretched from the hill into the town. I thought it looked like an elevated train track. Then I realised it must be an aqueduct.

The strangest part of the valley was right below me. About 2 hundred yards away, just across the river, was some sort of military encampment. It was about a quarter mile square, with earthen ramparts on all four sides, the tops lined with sharpened spikes. Outside the walls ran a dry moat, also studded with spikes. Wooden watchtowers rose at each corner, manned by sentries with oversized mounted crossbow. Purple banners hung from the towers. A wide gateway opened on the far side of camp, leading towards the city. A narrow gate stood closed on the riverbank side. The fortress seemed to be abandoned. No one was inside even on the guard towers.

Suddenly, a scream occurred, pulling me out from my stunning thought. It came from the left, upstream of the river. I followed the screams along the hill and the scene appeared wasn't what I wanted to see. Below my feet, just next to the riverbank, an intense fight was happening.

There was a giant with one eye, Cyclops. He was fighting with some sort of army of teenagers, wearing Roman armors and weapons. Their skills of fighting were incredible, like they were born to fight like that. They attacked in formation and followed the commander's orders. At first, I thought they were making a movie about some mythology heroes, like Clash of Titans or Hercules. But I until I saw the cyclops picked up a soldier and chewed him alive. It knew it wasn't. Even the kids had incredible skills and knowledges in battle. They couldn't stand a chance to defeat the monster. Few of the spears stuck on the giant's, made it look more furious. The cyclops swept it massive club, about the side of a wire pole, and the entire formation flew up on the air like rang dolls.

I didn't know these people. But somehow, I felt a connection to them. Like I was their guardian and I had to protect them no matter what. I tried to find somethings. Kind of weapon to attack, but around me was just sticks and stones. That would've just scratching the monster. My hand suddenly fell into my pocket, and touched something about a side of a pen. It actually was, but I could feel a power radiated out from the pen. I thought it was like some magic tools in Harry Potter, so I pointed the pen at the Cyclops and concentrated to make it disappear. But nothing happened. The monster was still standing and crashing on the soldiers. I examined the pen and uncapped it. It suddenly glowed and expanded bigger and heavier, until I was holding a bronze sword.

The blade balanced perfectly. The leather grip fitted my hand like it has been custom designed for me. Etched along the guard was an Ancient Greek word, I somehow understood: Anaklusmos-Riptide.

I stared at my reflection on the blade as the memories suddenly poured back. It showed me many battles of me with this sword on hand. The power seemed to transfer into my body. At a point where it was too much for my head to gain and my body to absorb, I dropped the sword and fell on my knees. I looked at it in fear, but the sword still laying there, glowing even more under the sun.

"Fire" someone yelled from the battle.

Immediately, the catapults shot fire balls at the Cyclops. Three caught his chest and two on hit gut. The Cyclops fell with a tremendous roar. Unfortunately, it fell on the formation, which was setting behind. A girl wore a regal purple cloak over her armor. Her chest was decorated with medals. She was about my age, which I didn't know my own, beautiful with dark hair. She was commanding the troops to fall back as the Cyclops was falling on her. In any more minutes, she would be crashed to dead under the weight of that raw meat.

Without hesitation, I picked the sword and sprinted toward the girl. I wrapped her and jumped aside as the Cyclops hit the ground. We laid flat on the ground with our faces were only inches apart. She stared at me in shock as I stared back into her piercing black eyes. A moment later, I realised that our arms was around each other. I cheeks stated to turn color as she had realised what was happening and started to blush. We untangled ourselves and I held her up. I opened my mouth to say something, but a roar came to interrupt it. The cyclops had crumbled to dust a moment ago, was now starting to re-form, like a snowman un-melting.

The girl I just saved looked annoyed like she had expected that to happen. The cyclops picked up his club and roared in range. Kids started screaming as the formation started lacking.

"Hold your ground!" the girl ordered.

The monster sniff around until it stared at me and licked his tongue. One word came into mind my at the moment 'oh s**t'. The monster charged at me like a bull. I started to run for my life. This could've been the craziest day of my life. I woke up after a long sleep in an ancient tunnel, found out a secret place like Wonderland, eye witnessing a bunch of teenagers wearing armors and carried weapons fighting, and now being chased by a tone of raw meat.

The cyclops bellowed his club as I rolled on the ground to dodge it. I knew I couldn't stand like this for long, I would be tired from running in any more minutes and the cyclops would catch me, then it will be over.

So I stopped and turned back. Then I started running straight at the monster. The cyclops thought I was going to sacrifice as it lowered its hand on the ground to catch me. I suddenly turn when I was about jump into its trapped hands. I sprinted on his left and slashed my sword, which made a serious cut on it. The cyclops roared in pain as it crumbled on one knee.

The monster tried to grab me but I dodged all of his attacks. As I was running, my body just felt stronger and faster. I jumped on the cyclops's thigh and stabbed by sword on it to make a hold. The monster screamed as it trying to sweep me away. I forced myself to jump up and stabbed on its skin to make another hold. I kept jumping and stabbing on the cyclops, like rock climbing. The monster screamed in pain each time my blade cut through its skin and started to crumble down.

Finally it caught me when I climbed up to its chest. The cyclops threw me on the air with its mouth wide opened for me to fall in it. I got back my balance on the air and pointed my blade down and fell for an incredible speed. I landed on its nose with my blade buried deep onto its closed eyes. The cyclops stumbled backward as I jumped off its face and rolled on the air. My feet touched the ground as the same time the monster crumble into dust.

Everyone looked at me in awe and shock. I was about to say something when a scream occurred at the tunnel. Another cyclops ran out from the dust of the tunnel with a tremendous roar. The new cyclops ran down to us with its eyes were staring at me. Behind, another growl came, and the cyclops I'd just killed rose up. I was in the position of sandwiched.

Just then a voice came into my mind. It sounded familiar but I couldn't figure out who it was, water Percy, water. The Cyclopes were coming closer to me now. I decided to follow the voice. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the river. I thrust out my hands. An intense tugging sensation filled my gut, and the river obeyed my will. The river surged. Whirlpools formed on the river on my side. Giant watery hands erupted from the stream, copying my movements. The giant hands grabbed the Cyclopes, who dropped their weapons in surprise. Then the hands lifted the squawking monsters in a liquid vice grip.

I heard the kids yelling to back away, but I stayed focused on my task. I made a smashing gesture with my fists, and the giant hands plunged the gorgon into the river. The monsters hit the bottom and broke into dust. Glittering clouds of Cyclopes essence struggled to re-form, but the river pulled them apart like blender. Soon every trace of the gorgons was swept downstream. The whirlpools vanished, and the current returned to normal.

I stood on the riverbank, my clothes and skin steamed as if the water had given me an acid bath. I breathed hard. To exhausted from the fight. The moment had gained too much of my energy. Until then, I realised how quite the kids had become. I turned back, started to walk few steps before unconsciously collapsed on the ground.