They were screwed.
Must it all come down to this?
Killing Giants, combining the Greek and Roman Camps, even falling into Tartarus…..
Must it end now?
Percy had always believed that, perhaps, he would have had a chance…...after all his mother had named him after one of the few Greek heroes who got a happy ending…
Percy and Annabeth stood side by side, fighting off the endless horde of monsters. Stabbing, slashing, blocking, helping each other out…...they were an unstoppable team.
On the ither side of the battlefield, Leo, Festus, Jason, and Piper took on Gaea. Octavian was still screaming about Greek traps but no one listened. Frank was a fierce dragon and Hazel zipped around on Arion, wielding her spatha.
Percy stabbed a monster then turned around as Annabeth ducked, allowing Percy to bisect the monster behind her. Annabeth then rolled to kill another monster sneaking up on Percy while Percy slashed in a wide arc, taking down four Cyclops at once. The air around the two was filled with golden dust.
Percy heard a scream, then a whoosh. He turned to see Octavian attached to a missile fired from a Roman catapult, straight torwards the sky where…
"Look out!" Percy hollered. But deep down inside his heart he knew it would be too late.
With a blinding flash, an explosion rocked the air. Percy desperately looked, and he saw Jason and Piper falling towards the ground. Leo, Festus, Gaea, and Octavian were nowhere to be seen.
Percy raised his hands, water erupted from the ground and cushioned Jason and Piper's descent. But he felt himself somehow sinking into the Earth.
"Oh, shit." Percy thought as the earth yanked him downwards. Around him, demigods and monsters alike were pulled down into the earth. And rising out of the earth was old Dirtface, the explosion must not have managed to kill her.
Nico and Hazel, the only two who could shadow travel, teleported around to help other stuck demigods but it was using up their strength rapidly. When Nico was busy on saving another demigod an earth tendril snatched the son of Hades into the air.
Percy had somehow manages to free himself from the mud and lunged through the air, Riptide cleaving through the tendril holding Nico. Nico tumbled to the ground where his half sister caught him.
Monsters were killing all the demigods stuck under the earth, the tide was turning against the demigods' favor. Percy managed to save Annabeth and a few others, but still he desperately looked for the missing son of the forge god. He was gone definitely.
He felt upset. Calypso was probably still on Ogyia, waiting for Leo to return. He sighed, wishing Leo good luck in the underworld.
"Fools! You cannot stand against the might of the Earth goddess!" Gaea bellowed. Earth tendrils snaked through the air, Percy and Annabeth once again fought side by side, severing the tendrils.
Annabeth gritted her teeth. "We will get through this, Percy!" she said. Percy looked at her sadly, he knew they stood no chance. He cursed the Fates for their cruelness.
Percy and Annabeth were the only few who had not gotten to the safety of Camp Half Blood yet. Percy heard Grover scream through the enpsthy link, "Come on Perce!"
Percy calmly answered, "On the count of three, catch."
Grover was confused briefly, then he realized what Percy was about to do.
"Percy, don't!"
"I have to."
Grover knew it was pointless to argue.
Annabeth suddenly stiffened, her entire body was controlled suddenly like in those Star Wars movies. She twisted her body to see Percy fighting off the earth tendrils, one hand extended towards her.
"Per-cy, what the hell?" was all she managed.
Percy looked at her, she saw determination in his fiery eyes. But through that she also saw pure love.
Percy pulled Annabeth forward, kissing her on the lips. It seemed blissful to Annabeth, but to Percy it felt sad. He knew what he had to do.
They pulled apart.
"I will always love you Wise Girl. I swear it on the River Styx."
Thunder boomed overhead. Annabeth looked at him confused, but replied, "I love you too, Seaweed Brain."
Percy smiled, then suddenly jerked his hand forward. Annabeth flew through the air, landing in the safety of Grover's outstrecthed hands.
Percy turned to face the Earth Goddess.
"You have lost!" Gaea cried gleefully, "Puny demigod, go to Tartarus!"
Percy pointed Riptide at the giant figure.
Gaea smirked, an earthern scythe forming in her hand.
"Die!" she slammed the scythe down, and Percy rolled out of the way. He shot up, slashing upwards but Gaea blocked the strike.
Gaea laughed, sending two tendrils to distract Percy. As Percy destroyed the tendrils Gaea lunged forward with her scythe, Percy managed to block but the blunt end of the scythe caught him in the stomach. He was violently thrown backwards.
Annabeth watched the scene unfold with growing horror, as Percy took on a Primodial one-on-one. She wanted to rush out to help him but Griver held her in place. Grover was bleating something about fate and Percy's will.
Gaea strode towards Percy, saying, "Time to die, son of the sea brat and that bitch Sally Jackson."
Percy looked up, murderous fire gleaming in his eyes.
"What did you just call my parents?" he demanded.
"I called them a brat and a bitch."
Percy roared, lunging at Gaea with a flurry of strikes, forcing Gaea on the defensive. Gaea growled, "I will kill you painfully!"
"How many people said that to me? If you want to kill me take a number first, Gaea." Percy retorted as their weapons locked.
Gaea snarled in frustration at the demigod putting up such great resistance in front of her. She struck but Percy parried, and water sprouted underneath him, propelling him onto Gaea's head.
"Die! Die! Die!" Gaea screamed, waving her scythe above her head to get rid of the pesky demigod. She threw the son of Poseidon off her, but not before Percy stabbed Riptide into her forehead.
It would have been an otherwise fatal blow, but as Percy picked up his sword he realized Gaea was not dead. Gaea laughed at Percy's shock and in a sudden move, plunged the scythe into Percy's stomach.