Chapter 6: The most unwanted result possible
Yeah, well! You didn't think it could end any other way, did you?
The bunker door closes behind a red Nico who barely arrives on time.
Everyone tries to stop laughing when a confused Leo comes to greet us.
- Did I miss something? You guys look a lot more relaxed than I thought you would be. What is that...
- Don't you dare ask! Let's get down to business - Nico interrupts a little less red.
When I think that everything is fine (as always) a thunderous Kraaack like the noise of metal, breaking and scratching metal come from the back of the workshop. Everyone looks in the direction of the noise, I touch the countercurrent in my pocket and realize that the others also have their hand on their weapons. Léo opens his mouth to say something, but before he does, the air is filled by a Bamm! Something very heavy falling to the ground. Dust covering the bunker floor now forms a small fog over the ground.
All demigods remain alert in silence until I hear one:
- Is alive! - in an irritatingly familiar voice.Before anyone could have any reaction, Léo finally got the chance to speak.
- I ... I suppose I should have talked about this earlier, but Annabeth was gone and all Hecate's other kids were too busy so I ...
- Did you bring the traitor to the bunker? - Annabeth interrupts incredulously, I agree with her there was no need, was there?
- Come on, he already regretted what he did and the spells only needed to be adjusted so the machinery was ready to be used! - Spells? Machinery? Aren't we just going to do a medical exam? What did I get into?
- Come on Annabeth for Percy ok? - Grover says trying to calm Annabeth, why didn't I do that first? Oh, yea, I am too busy trying to contain my sudden fear of this "medical exam".
Annabeth coldly looks at Leo and then at me, at last, she looks in the direction of all the noise where a charred Son of Hecate slowly gets up and tries to stagger towards us. She then lets out a long breath and continues.
- Okay, by Percy and just this once, you still haven't been forgiven, traitor. - She says looking at Alabaster as if she wanted to strangle the boy, which she probably really wanted.
Leo claps enthusiastically and continues:
- Very well! Since we're all here, let's get this gracita going! Percy, please? - It was bad enough that he called the machine gracita, and even worse when I realized that the path he was pointing at led to a dark metallic chamber full of needles.
- I don't even go there or laugh at Estige! - I say terrified by the sight and avoiding Leo's pushing.
- Please, Percy, I promise it won't hurt, too much. -Léo says while still trying to push me towards the camera.
- Not at all! - I answer as I get out of reach again.
- You have faced monsters bigger and sharper than that. - says Grover trying to help me.
- Yes! and I never let them hit me! - I'm sorry Grover, but at the moment all my demigod instincts scream for me not to get into that thing.
- Go, Percy, Get in! Get in! ...- Tyson starts to cheer and soon Will, Leo and Alabaster join the choir.
- What was Percy? Is the great hero afraid of some needles and darkness? - Complements Nico making fun of me.
- You should be more understanding so you spent a lot of time in a pot! - I answer without thinking too much. Nico seems a little shaken when he remembers the event. As if he just had a great idea Nico comes close to Annabeth and whispers something in her ear, what is it? After that, she walks slowly towards me and when she is less than a meter away from me she kisses my cheek and says;
- Come on seaweed head, you are braver than that! - I see it was a revenge on Nico's part. But, why turned to me? Anyway, sudden confidence fills my chest. My face is probably red, but that's not important now, I better get into that contraption before I change my mind.
- Uh, Ok let's get this over with, - I reply as I fit into the tight space of the camera, it was exactly what anyone 15 years old and up needed to fit between the needles and machine parts. The others sat comfortably in front of a large monitor divided into several screens as if they were going to watch a movie.
-Just stay here and don't move, are you all right? - Asked Leo as he tied the machine to me as if it were a madhouse.
Of course, it was not all right, my first reaction was to summon counter-current and break the machine into pieces. Even so, I force an uh-hum while I nod and swallow any regrets, it's too late.
Leo closes the heavy metal door and the chamber is completely dark. what it's good, at least I can't see the needles anymore. On the other hand, I have no idea what is going to hit me first, fear starts to eat away at me and I gather all the strength I still have to stop something from exploding. A clanc and another crack of the machinery make me lose my breath involuntarily letting go a - by the cow of Hera- it will start.
A wave of heat filthy my body as if I were burning from the inside out. I'm falling, I can even feel the wind on my face, stopped and immobilized, but falling, is it just my head? There is nothing within reach of my hands, nothing to lean on, everything is dark and my heart will go out of the way if it continues like this. I feel the needles in and out of my arms, but without any pain, only the cold metal entering and leaving my flesh.
The heat ends, I feel the support of the stretcher under my back. My breath is still very heavy and my body is rigid as a stone, but I know that it is finally over, the pain of the stinging needles is over taking my arms, I have to relax but then cramps increase the pain.
A light illuminates the chamber. The sight of Annabeth coming to me already makes me feel better. She puts a few drops of nectar in my mouth.
The sweet, warm taste of blue ho-chocolate cookies lays me down and I manage to recover from the shock as the pain slowly subsides as Annabeth unties me from the bed and takes me out of the chamber.
- I will never do this again in my life! - I complain when I return to the state of lucid looking specifically at the inventor of the evil contraption.
- And I don't even think that's possible! I built it to be extremely reinforced to withstand the explosions of any known demigod, but when the test started the whole bunker trembled as if there was an earthquake going on! - Criticized Leo with a school janitor who complained about the inappropriate use of the school tables.
Will was with the others in front of the giant screens outside the chamber that showed several different graphs and tables, he carefully analyzy the graphs as if they were a death certificate when he started to speak.
- And now we know why, the machine that Leo and Alabaster built ...
- Hey! I also helped! In fact, I probably did about 75% of the planning! - Annabeth protested feeling terribly insulted, how do I know? Well, his eyes seemed to want to stick the blueprints of the machine in Will's face. But, calm as the children of Apollo is, he just continues to speak without being uncomfortable.
- OK, sorry, Annabeth. The machine that Léo Annabeth and Alabaster built provides data for all basic medical exams and reading of energy provided by the spells implemented by Alabaster and ... - I can't take it anymore, it's my life in this game and if I leave it probably will continue until tomorrow!
- Will, please tell me what's wrong with me. - I say anxious and maybe a little desperate too.
- Ah! Yup. Getting to the point, Percy, you are becoming a god.
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