Name: A Long Fall
Author: Pein
Warnings: Dark, character death.
Disclaimer: I do not own this.
Dark…too dark. The sheer weight of the unseen pressed upon Percy's eyes, making it a horrible struggle to open them. He winced, groaning quietly as he made an attempt to move, pain seeming to strike him into shock.
"Percy?" a quiet voice whispered into his ear, fingers running down the short length of his twisted neck. "Perrrrcyy…" the voice grew to be tormenting, and Percy's eyes snapped open, to meet the sparkling grey depths of his love.
All of his limbs were bent at an awkward angle, and he reeked of death. The stench of dried and rotting blood seeped into his nose, and he almost retched, if he could move.
"You've been down here a while, Perrrrccyy." Annabeth cooed, which was very unlike her. However, Percy's mind was foggy, clouded at best, and he could barely make out that it was his girlfriend that he was speaking to.
"H-" Percy stopped breathing momentarily, it seemed as though his voice had not been used for years, his throat sore and raspy. His ribs were broken, having healed at odd angles, protruding from his skin, showing through his ripped shirt. "How long..?"
"Long enough, Perseus.." her lips brushed his cheek, and for a moment Percy's mind cleared as he felt the strange cold skin scrape across his. "I was kept waiting.."
As she brought her hand up to caress his face, Percy almost fainted once more. Her fingers were all broken, and much like his ribs, had healed wrong. They must have been terribly infected, as her skin was almost a grey color, void of life. Annabeth's once warm hand was cold as she brought the mass of rotting flesh to his forehead, cooing relaxing things to him.
As Percy closed his eyes to erase the vision of the nightmare before him, he remembered falling…
And falling…
And falling…
To the point where Annabeth soon grew slack in his grip, had stopped talking, the color fading from her cheeks. He had desperately clung onto her, for days, weeks, maybe even a month before they had finally hit the bottom, all strength that was keeping him alive leaving him as his brittle bones shattered.
And so here he lay, upon the frozen and unwelcoming floor, sharing the nightmare that Nico had as well. He almost laughed out loud at the situation he was in, perhaps he was becoming insane.
But no, he had to reach the Doors, his friends were counting on him. Percy pulled himself to his horribly mangled feet, managing to take a few stumbling steps away from where he landed. Glancing back, he saw one of the most terrifying things he would ever experience.
Where Annabeth previously lay, was merely a pile of old, forgotten bones, few strands of blonde hair littered here and there. Bits of leftover flesh seemed stuck stubbornly onto the cracked surface, and the arm bones were stretched out on the direction Percy had begun to stumble.
Before he lost his composure, the lost demigod continued on, leaving behind old memories, and beginning his journey to close the Doors. After all, his friends were counting on him.
