Hey everybody. (: I present to you, my first one shot! It's set in the Last Olympian. I believe I can leave you to figure out where and when. Do leave a response or some constructive criticism for me. That said, here is "Choices", enjoy.

Choices

Mom and I ever talked when I was little, heart to heart, on the couch, on cold winter evenings. We talked quite a bit – mostly about the future. But there was one thing I distinctly remember, well, what I can remember in my current state, of course, and that was about choices. Choices we'd have to make in life. She always told me that I'd have to consider the consequences of any choice I'd have to make. Back then, I never realised the gravity of her sentence, I was too young, too small. I've always taken it with a pinch of salt. But I'm afraid to say that now I did, all through painful ways.

The doors burst open like in an explosion. Slung on a camper's shoulder was Percy's left arm and slung on another was his right. Percy was unconscious, worn out, dizzy and barely even alive. Blood flowed endlessly from the wound. Gravity weighed down on him and tortured him. He had never felt such pain. He had never felt so tired. He had no energy to even scream. He was near death.

Annabeth took backward steps while facing Percy. That was the first time she knew what sorrow truly meant. She wasn't injured, but she could feel the pain that was swallowing Percy up by the minute. Her beautiful grey eyes fixed a fearful stare in his half closed sea of green.

"Percy," Annabeth pleaded, "stay with me, Percy." She had her dagger and invisibility Yankees cap tucked underneath her arm. Her face was covered in sweat and badly bruised, her hair was a disheveled mess and worry was written all over her face. For that moment, nothing else mattered except for saving Percy.

The doors opened again.

"I told you, I told him to do it, I did. Gods." Nico was arguing again. And it was obvious who with. Nico looked pissed and frustrated. He had his face buried between his hands. "He didn't want to, okay?"

"What do you mean he didn't want to?"

"He just," Nico shrugged, "I don't know, didn't want to."

"Oh for crying out –"

Silena nudged Thalia. "Let's not make this ugly," she cleared her throat and added, "it's already ugly enough, if you can tell."

Annabeth laid Percy down on the bed gently and carefully as the campers hurried to get some nectar. There was a growing worry and fear in her that even Nectar wouldn't even be enough to heal her boyfriend. He was injured beyond all kinds of injured. He was about to die, and she had to do something quick. A life, camp half blood, the prophecy. All of them were at stake.

"Don't worry seaweed brain," Annabeth whispered, running her fingers through Percy's hair, "the nectar will get you all healed up. I'm not going to let you die."

Percy managed laboured breaths. He wasn't going to and couldn't make it. He tried his best to reach for Annabeth's hand and cherished what could be his last few moments beside her. He wished that time would just stop for them, but no, reality did not work that way.

"I think.. it's too late. I can't.. make it." He used his other hand to clutch his wound tightly as the pain surrounded it, the wound on his back, the place where he had been stabbed by Ethan Nakamura, cruel betrayer and soldier of Kronos.

Campers came running hurriedly to Percy's bedside with the Nectar, hesitated, and handed it to Annabeth slowly. "This is all we had left."

Annabeth stared at the cup which was not even a quarter full. It wasn't enough. She started to cry, her face was flooded with tears. She cried like she never cried before. This was it.

"I'll take it," Percy breathed. Annabeth swallowed, and fed him. He was done in less than a minute.

Annabeth couldn't even look. The tears filled her saddened eyes and blurred her vision. Everything was in her blur. Then she felt Percy touch her hand.

"Wise girl," Percy pleaded. He squeezed her hands with the little bit of energy he had left. "Even if I die, I'll die knowing that the battle can be won as long as you're around. I love you, you'll do great."

The tears were monsters. Uncontrollable. "Tell me, what were Nico and Thalia arguing about?"

"I made a wrong choice. I didn't go into the river Styx."

And that was his last sentence.