May Angels Lead You In

Introduction

Godspeed

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE PERCY JACKSON SERIES BY RICK RIORDAN AND I DO NOT OWN THE SONG "GODSPEED" BY ANBERLIN.

Warning! Contains spoilers!

Burning down Neverland (Scatter the ashes)

White lines, black tar, the matches

Is this another death by misadventure?

Tell me what you got, what you really got

...

"Now," Chiron continued, "if you please, counselors. Percy has brought something I think you should hear. Percy-the Great Prophecy."

I handed Percy the dry, old parchment. His fingers fumbled with the string. For a moment, he didn't look like a hero at all. He just looked scared, maybe even a little regretful.

It seemed a little odd to think that Percy had once begged me to tell him the prophecy.

"Percy, I don't know the full prophecy," I explained. "But it warns about a half-blood child of the Big Three-the next one who lives to the age of sixteen. That's the real reason Zeus, Poseidon and Hades swore a pact after World War II not to have any more kids. The next child of the Big Three who reaches sixteen is a dangerous weapon."

"Why?" He said.

"Because that hero will decide the fate of Olympus. He or she will make a decision that either saves the Age of the Gods, or destroys it."

"That's why Kronos didn't kill me last summer."

"You could be very useful to him. If he can get you on his side, the gods will be in serious trouble."

"But if it's me in the prophecy-"

"We'll only know that if you can survive three more years. That can be a long time for a half-blood. When Chiron first learned about Thalia, he assumed she was the one in the prophecy. That's why he was so desperate to get her safely to camp. Then she went down fighting and got turned into a pine tree and none of us knew what to think. Until you came along."

Two years later, Percy looked like he was scared to know of the future, even though it had been haunting him for years.

He carefully uncurled the paper and began to read the prophecy that I had long ago memorized.

"A half-blood of the eldest dogs…"

"Er, Percy?" I interrupted. "That's gods. Not dogs."

"Oh, right," Percy said, frustrated. His dyslexia seemed to get even worse when he was nervous. "A half-blood of the eldest gods… shall reach sixteen against all odds…"

He hesitated, starring at the next lines. He started to shiver.

"And see the world in endless sleep, The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap."

Percy paused for a moment. His left hand slid into his pocket as if he were reaching for Riptide.

"Percy," Chiron urged. "Read the rest."

Percy starred back down at the parchment in his hands.

"A single choice… shall end his days. Olympus to per-pursue-"

"Preserve," I said gently. "It means to save."

"I know what it means, Annabeth," Percy grumbled. "Olympus to preserve or raze."

The room fell silent.

I had known of the prophecy for years now, and I still had vivid nightmares about it. I was terrified by what it could mean, but never had it seemed as frightening as when Percy Jackson read each line himself. It was like he was telling of his fate in some creepy, twisted way.

After a few antagonizing minutes of pure silence Connor Stoll said, "Raise is good, isn't it?"

"Not raise," Silena corrected. Her voice was hollow, but it was startling to hear her speak at all. "R-a-z-e means destroy."

"Obliterate," I added. "Annihilate. Turn to rubble."

"Got it." Percy looked more than overwhelmed. "Thanks."

My eyes were glued to Percy. His unruly, jet black hair stuck out in all directions and his sea green eyes seemed unusually empty. Then I noticed that everyone else was looking at Percy too-with concern, or pity, or maybe even a little fear.

Chiron closed his eyes as if he were saying a prayer. In horse form, his head almost brushed the lights of the rec room. "You see now, Percy, why we thought it was best not to tell you the whole prophecy. You've had enough on your shoulders-"

"Without realizing I was going to die in the end anyway?" Percy retorted. "Yeah, I get it."

Chiron gazed at Percy sadly. Chiron was three thousand years old. He'd seen hundreds, even thousands of heroes die tragic deaths. I knew for a fact that he didn't like it, but I also knew he was used to it. He made no effort to reassure Percy.

In all the years that I had known Percy, I had always assumed that he would be the omen in the Great Prophecy, the one I had been waiting for. But now with his sixteenth birthday approaching in a matter of days, everything was so much more real than it already was. All I could think was that Percy wasn't going to die. Percy couldn't die.

"Percy," I said. "You know prophecies always have double meanings. It might not literally mean you die."

"Sure," Percy said. "A single choice shall end his days. That has tons of meanings, right?"

For once, Percy had me cornered. I couldn't respond.

"Maybe we can stop it," Jake Mason offered. "The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap. Maybe we could find this cursed blade and destroy it. Sounds like Kronos' scythe, right?"

I had already considered Jake's proposal, and I came to the conclusion that it didn't matter what the cursed blade was or who it belonged to. Either way, destroying the blade probably couldn't stop the Great Prophecy. Percy was doomed to have a blade reap his soul.

No, Percy couldn't be doomed. Percy, of all people, couldn't have his soul reaped. As crude as it sounds, I almost wished that Thalia had fulfilled the prophecy long ago, or that Nico had been just a few years older. Anyone but Percy.

"Perhaps we should let Percy think about these lines," Chiron said. "He needs time-"

"No." Percy folded up the prophecy and shoved it into his pocket. "I don't need time. If I die, I die. I can't worry about that, right?"

The room went silent again as Percy waited for someone to agree with him.

My eyes were downcast, but I could feel Percy's gaze.

I couldn't look at him. One peek, and I'd be overwhelmed with sorrow and anger that I knew I couldn't control. I wanted to kill Kronos for ever starting any of this, and I wanted to punch Percy for being so obnoxious. He absolutely had to act like some sort of great hero and take things into his own account. He wouldn't even consider the possibility that he may not be the one to die in the end, that there might be life after the war.

"Let's move on," Percy said. "We've got other problems."

None of us realized then how right he was.

...

They lied when they said the good die young

Stay with me

Stay with me tonight

Author's Note: This is the same story as my first fanfic "Hear You Me", only there will be five parts including this one, and it is edited to make sense during and after The Last Olympian.

Please review, but flames aren't welcome. This is my second time to publish a fanfic.

To everyone that reviewed or favored "Hear You Me", thank you so much! I could not be more pleased with the response.

Thanks for reading!