What My Curse has Done To Me

Percy's POV

Percy entered the fight with only 50% of her usual confidence. The power she had used earlier had caused her to feel drained and unfocused. And it didn't help that she was also experiencing flashbacks. With every swing of her daggers the images of her friends flashed through her mind, every training they had, every joke they shared, every battle they entered together. The edge of her vision started to fade but she gritted her teeth and forced herself to keep fighting, she will not fail, not again...

Percy slashed and hacked, she didn't stop, afraid that she might collapse from her curse any moment now. Her demigod senses were in overdrive, the assassins couldn't even get near her.

Vertigo backed away slowly, his eyes widened in fear as he watched the young demigoddess defeat his last assassin. He turned around and tried to run away but was stopped by six young figures all dressed in spandex.

"Now where do you think you are going?" Nightwing asked with a victory smirk. Vertigo stubbled back and tried to run away but was again stopped by Riptide as she blocked his path again.

"H-How is this possible?!" Vertigo demanded to Percy, his face as pale as a piece of paper. "They are the top assassins in the world! What kind of monster are you?!"

Percy flinched slightly at the word monster, another flashback crossed her mind, making her vision more blurry than ever. 'Hang in there, Percy. You are almost there.' She said to herself.

"I told you Vertigo, no one knows my techniques. In fact, those who knew are no longer alive in this world." Percy smirked at the villain's shocked face. It's true, after all these years of fighting monsters and titans, Percy's techniques were almost a mixture of greek and roman. It would take an experienced demigod or her friends to figure out her moves.

Nightwing grinned at Percy, noticing the defeated and unconscious assassins behind her.

"Give up Vertigo, you're done for."

Dick's POV

Dick watched with a grin on his face as the authorities came and collected the intruders of the Gala. Policies showed up to take records of what happened and his teammates were relating their information to them. Percy walked up to him and gave him a small smile in which he gladly returned it.

"Nice job back there," Dick said to her. "You took out an entire legion of assassins all by yourself!"

"Thanks, I tried my best..." Something about Percy's voice just doesn't sound right, Dick looks down at her and notices that she is awfully pale underneath her mask. He was instantly worried.

"Riptide, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm-" Percy didn't get to finish her sentence before she passed out.

"Riptide!" Nightwing cries out in alarm and quickly catches his girlfriend before she hits the floor.

Hearing his desperate call, the team quickly rushed towards him.

"What happened to her?" Megan asked, concerned for her friend.

"I'm not sure," Nightwing answered her truthfully. "One minute she's fine and the next she collapsed."

"The Princess didn't seem to have any physical damage," Kaldur said. "Maybe she overused her powers? But I didn't see any traces of magic..."

"Let's get back to the Cave, then we can figure out what happened," Nightwing said, worry laced in his voice. "We better go before this place gets crowded with reporters and paparazzi." He was right. Out in the law of the palace, people are starting to gather, dozens of reporters can be seen waiting with their cameras and microphones ready.

"Yeah, I see what you mean." Artemis agreed, glancing at the reporters too.

"Team, move out."