This story just popped in my head. Tell me what you think. ONE-SHOT! Oh, and by the way, the setting is after TLO, before TLH. Enjoy!
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To Lose Riptide
Percy's POV
"Die, son of the Sea God!"
"It's 8 in the morning! Can you come back later?"
She cackled. "Your death cannot be delayed anymore. You're death comes NOW!" she threw a fireball at me so fast that I barely had time to react.
I ducked, just in time to see a tree burst on fore behind me. Circe threw another fireball which hit me in the chest And sent me sailing ten feet backwards. I think that one singed all my arm hair off. She threw another, but luckily Tyson, my Cyclops "brother" caught it just in time with his hands.
"Cute lady tried to kill brother." He roared, then threw Circe's own fireball at her. Apparently, that fireball was magical, since once it hit her she started to scream, like she was in agony.
"NO! Noooo…" her voice started to change, becoming smaller and smaller. "You will pay for this, Jackson!" she said in a very small voice. I suppressed a laugh. She tried to take a step, but couldn't, since her feet started to change. They became covered in feathers, elongated, and became chicken legs. (A/N: You know where this is going. Stereotypical, huh? The evil enchantress turning to an animal because of her own magic… sounds like the ones in those Disney movies, right? Anyway, ON WITH THE STORY!) Before she could change completely, she threw another fireball at me, but I had a feeling that this one was more dangerous than the last one. I ducked, but instead of hitting another tree like the first one, it curved and turned around like a missile. Before it could hit me, I managed to slash it with my sword, Riptide. It disintegrated, but riptide did also. My sword blade started melting, until all that was left was the hilt and an inch of the blade.
"What happened to my sword?" I cried. Riptide was a gift from my father, Poseidon, and my favorite sword. Actually, it is the only sword that felt right in my hand. I tried using others, but they felt awkward, like another hand was sewn over mine.
"Don't worry brother. I am sure we can fix it." Tyson put a hand on my shoulder, reassuring me that it's okay.
"Are you sure you can fix it?" I asked.
"Yes, brother. Maybe we can ask the Hephaestus cabin for help. They are good blacksmiths."
"Yeah, I guess." I answered.
Then he turned towards the chicken that was Circe. "What do we do with her? Fried chicken tastes yummy."
"WHAT? NO!" I am NOT eating crispy fried Circe for dinner. I kicked the chicken hard, which sent it sailing towards the trees and out of sight. I had a feeling Circe won't be bothering us ever again.
Annabeth's POV
Where is Percy? He was supposed to help me get those reports for Chiron ready. If I find him playing Xbox with the Stoll Brothers again… I don't even wanna think about what I'd do to him.
"Annabeth! Annabeth!" Someone yelled from Thalia's Tree. I turned around and looked. Percy was running towards me, grimy and covered with soot, as if he slept in front a fireplace last night.
A ran towards him, and when we came close, he stopped and caught his breath. "What…happened to you?" I asked him.
"Circe… I…killed…Tyson…Riptide!" he said, panting.
Now I'm confused. "W-w-w-wait. What? You and Circe killed Tyson with Riptide?"
He looked at me in disbelief. "No! Circe tried to kill me. Tyson came to help, and we destroyed her, but she destroyed Riptide!"
Then it hit me. Percy fought Circe, who was a magician. Knowing her, she probably used fireballs.
"Oh. That's what I thought you said." I said sheepishly.
"Yeah, right."
"Oh yes I'm right. You got a problem with that?"
"No."
"So that's why you look like you just swam in a volcano." Percy looked me, confused, then looked at himself, and blushed, embarrassed.
"I'm… going to clean up. Let's talk later."
"Ok."
With that, he ran into his cabin.
Percy's POV
What do I do now? Riptide was gone. I took a quick shower to try and remove all the ashes that covered my body and maybe to help me think clearly, but all it did was make me more worried. What if they can't fix my sword? What if some monster attacks and I can't defend myself? The thought of a monster attacking me out of nowhere and me not having anything to defend myself with except a broken sword was pretty scary. I'm going to talk to Annabeth later and hopefully she'll have an answer to this mess.
Annabeth's POV
Percy came to my cabin after lunch, which he usually does whenever he has a big problem. Usually, it' just about homework and stuff, but now it seemed like he was really in trouble.
"Hi Percy." I said.
"Hi." His eyes had that distracted look whenever he doesn't know what to do.
He sat on my bunk. I hugged him from behind and he kissed me. "Tell me what's wrong." I cooed.
"I…actually don't know what to do, Annabeth. Riptide's gone, and apart from you, it's the most cherished thing I ever have." I hugged him tighter. "You know, if you aren't being so cheesy right now, I might actually try to help you."
He raised an eyebrow. "Try?"
I smiled. "remember what I said? I am never going to make it easy for you, Seaweed brain. Get used to it."
He pouted. It's so cute when he does that. "Yeah, but-"
MY smile grew wider. "I'm joking, alright? Now, get off my bunk and go to Hephaestus cabin. They can help you better than I can."
"Fine." He said.
Percy's POV
At the Camp Half-Blood armory…
"Nyssa!" I called. She emerged from behind one of the five large-scale automatons they've been working on. I still remembered when they first turned them on, and they almost destroyed the whole camp, got Chiron in a wheelchair, and gave every camper a heart attack. (A/N: HAHA! New one-shot idea.)
"What?" she asked, annoyed.
"I need your help." I said.
"Wouldn't be the first time." She pulled up a chair. "So, what do you need?"
I took out Riptide. "Can you fix this?"
Her eyes glowed with curiosity. "Whoa! What happened to it?" she asked.
"Circe destroyed it. Long Story." I answered. "So, can you do it?"
"Sure. It helped that you still have a part of the blade left; I wouldn't have to measure its size anymore. So, how long do you want it?"
"About three and a half feet."
"Okay. It will probably be ready in about.. oh say, tomorrow."
My anger that had been building up since that morning escalated. "Tomorrow? Capture the flag is tonight!"
She sank back in her chair. "Hey, don't get angry at me! It's not my fault the blade's broken beyond repair."
My anger subsided. "Oh, sorry."
"It's okay. I know how important Riptide was to you."
I turned to leave. Before got out the door, I turned to her and said, "Thanks, Nyssa. I owe you one."
She smirked. "Actually, you owe me about five already."
-Time Lapse-(that night at capture the flag)
"Here." Annabeth offered me a sword. She tried to find me a replacement for Riptide all day, but all of them just doesn't feel right.
I took it grudgingly. It just felt wrong, like all the others. "Do I have to join? I can call sick tonight or something."
She smacked me playfully on the arm. "Yes, you have to. You're on my team for tonight, and if we lose, I'll blame you. Besides, you're a great swordsman even without Riptide. I'm sure you'll do fine."
"Thanks." I said.
I was on guard duty. Thanks, Annabeth. That means less fighting, and I so did not want to fight right now. Unfortunately, half of the Ares cabin went for me, again. They do this every Capture the Flag. Do they ever give up?
"He's lost his sword! Cream him!" Clarisse shouted.
There was about six of them, and only one of me. Luckily, the creek was nearby, so I slowly made my way towards it. The moment I stepped in it, my senses opened. My eyesight grew better. Suddenly, the blade didn't feel as awkward as before. I hilt-slammed the idiot that tried to have first crack at me, and slammed my shield at another. Two down, four to go.
"Do you guys ever give up?" I asked.
"Not as long as you live." They said in unison.
One of them tried to stab me, but I blocked it, crouched, and slashed at his thighs so deep, he might now even walk for days.
Unfortunately, I didn't see Clarisse come up behind me with her spear. She slammed the butt of her spear behind my helmet so hard that I crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
I woke up in the infirmary. It was light out. Perfect. It was already the next day. Annabeth was sitting next to me, her arms crossed on the bed, sleeping.
I nudged her gently. "Annabeth."
"No, mom. Just five more minutes." She moaned.
I had to keep myself from laughing. Suddenly, I got a brilliant idea.
I leaned to her ear and whispered, "Annabeth, there's a spider on your arm."
That woke her up. She screamed so loud my eardrums may have popped.
"What was that for?" she demanded.
"You wouldn't wake up." I explained. She glared at me.
"So, did we win?" I asked.
"We lost." She said, but somehow, I got the feeling that that wasn't important to her right now. "So, how do you feel?" she asked.
"Like my head just went through a blender." I complained.
She smiled. "That's what you get for being careless."
I sighed and stood up. She followed me to my cabin, and I closed the door behind us.
We sat on my bed. There was an awkwarrd silence between us.
"I'm sorry." I finally said. "You were right. I was careless and-"
She kissed my lips. "Just shut up. It doesn't matter anymore. The important thing is that you're okay. Besides, if it makes you feel better, Clarisse a got a beating later after she knocked you out, courtesy of me."
"Sometimes, you're even scarier than Clarisse, you know Wise Girl?"
"Yeah, I know Seaweed Brain."
Annabeth's POV
Percy was still depressed. Even after all that talking and trying to make him feel better, I can't belieeve he's still depressed. But luckily, I have a perfect gift to make him happy.
"Percy, I have a gift for you." I said.
His eyes gleamed. I could tell he was excited.
"Close you eyes." I teased.
"Oh come on. Can't you just give it to me?"
I pretended to think. "Um, no."
"Fine." He closed his eyes.
I took out a pen from my pocket. I opened his hand, and gave it to him.
His opened in realization. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" he said.
Percy's POV
Riptide was back! But somehow, it seemed to be different somehow. For one, it doesn't have a cap anymore. I clicked the pen, and it became Riptide, the same, but different. (A/N: Just think of his sword in the lightning thief movie, XD.) This time, it had wave designs engraved in the blade, and owl designs in the hilt. All in all, it looked better than before.
"Annabeth, this is great! Did you do this?" I pointed the designs.
She blushed. "Um, yes. Do you like it?"
I frowned. "No, I don't. I absolutely hate it." When I saw that she was about to cry, I laughed and said, "Just kidding. I love it!"
She sniffled. "Really?"
"Yes." With that, we kissed.
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