"He'd trade his guns for love, but he's caught in the crossfire
Ethan Nakamura was dead.
Silena Beauregard was dead.
Charles Beckendorf was dead.
Zoe Nightshade was dead.
Bianca di Angelo was dead.
Countless other demigods were dead, fighting down on the streets of Manhattan, giving their last breaths to defend Olympus.
Annabeth Chase, the girl he loved, was currently dying.
And Perseus Jackson? He wanted to die.
Going toe-to-toe with Kronos, the King of the TItans, was absolute insanity. Every blow threatened to shatter his bones. Every slash threatened to cut through Anaklusmos. Every word opened up another wound on his heart.
"Do you honestly think that your Father cares for you!? That the gods care for any of their children!? They do not! If they did, they would not have forsaken you, left you to die at my hands! Had those fools stayed and fought by your side, they could have beaten me with your combined strength, yet they sent you children to be slaughtered!"
No! Percy wanted to shout, They're making sure Typhon doesn't come and join forces with you! They're the only ones who can actually fight that monster! But the words wouldn't come out. Every ounce of Percy's concentration was focused on Kronos's every movement, trying to search for a weak point. Unfortunately, one could not be found.
Kronos seemed to read the young demigod's mind, however, because his perpetual sneer seemed to deepen.
"Their fighting Typhon is unnecessary, and they know it. If I were to be defeated, Typhon would retreat back to Tartarus. That idiotic beast cannot do anything on his own- he needs to be ordered at all times! Without my instruction, he would remain asleep. How else do you think the gods got rid of Typhon last time!?"
Percy was shocked by that revelation. He accidentally slipped, and overextended on one of his jabs, something Kronos took complete advantage of. The Titan smashed Percy's sword out of his hand with unstoppable strength, then kicked the demigod in the chest. The son of Poseidon was sent flying at least twenty feet, and was only saved from breaking his neck by the Curse of Achilles. That still didn't stop the wind from being blown out of him.
Struggling to catch his breath, the teen scrambled to his knees, only to pause when the staff of Kronos's scythe came to rest on Percy's shoulder. The wickedly curved blade brushed against the teen's Achilles Heel, causing tingles to run throughout his entire body. During this moment of silence, Kronos began to speak quietly, as he no longer had to shout to be heard.
"You believe that rubbish story that the Olympians subdued Typhon with their own strength? Hmph, it seems the victors really do write history… Regardless, the only reason Olympus was not crushed the first time is because the situation was similar to this one- that enormous simpleton was too slow to get here before I was cut up. Fortunately, with the gods out and only weaklings to defend the mountain, I am perfectly safe. The gods will not know of their downfall until Typhon is upon us, and by then, it will be too late!"
A crack appeared in Luke's face. However, instead of oozing blood, the opening emitted a golden light. Kronos took notice immediately, and Luke's face contorted into a crooked grin.
"And so it begins. I will finally burn away this mortal husk, and assume my true form! You are powerful, Perseus Jackson, to be able to fight me at such a young age. And your bravery must be commended, for not flinching away from this challenge. Alas, you were simply too slow, too weak, to actually have any possibility of stopping me. It took the combined might of the three Elder Gods to defeat me in the first war- you had no chance. Blame it on the gods, for their refusal to act. Had they believed you years ago, I may have never had the opportunity to rise again."
Luke's body had continued to break apart as the TItan spoke, until the man seemed to be covered in fissures. The light continued to grow in intensity, to the point where it nearly blinded Percy. Kronos continued to rant.
"Yes… blame the gods; They are the root of all your problems! Were it not for Poseidon's lack of faith, you would not have been born into this pitiful life. They attacked, and nearly killed, your mother during a petty squabble, allowed your friends to die to defend them from nonexistent threats, and continuously debated on whether or not to allow you to live even after you had saved their lives many times. Yet, you cling to them like a lifeline, because of some distorted sense of loyalty to your family- as if they care for you! Surely you have heard the stories of how I treated them? What makes you believe they are not the same as me? The gods are, after all, my children."
Percy had nothing to say. Kronos was right. The gods did use their children. The gods did make meaningless sacrifices under the guise of following the Ancient Laws. The god did ignore all the good he had done for them, and instead focused on whether he was a threat or not. But…
"I don't fight for the gods."
Kronos recoiled as if he were struck, due to the conviction behind that simple statement.. The Titan's golden eyes were wide in shock, seemingly unable to comprehend the demigod's word. Due to his surprise, the King had removed his scythe from the teen's neck, which Percy took advantage of by standing up and drawing Riptide in one smooth gesture.
"So what if they ignore us when we aren't useful? So what if they make us fight their battles for them? So what, if they don't care about us?"
With every question, the son of Poseidon lashed out at the Titan of Time, with previously unseen ferocity. The tables had been turned, and it was Kronos who was on the defense now. Percy could have sworn he saw Kronos' eyes flash blue- the cerulean blue of Luke Castellan. Along with that, the golden glow from the Titan dimmed drastically. Percy ignored it, intent on forcing Kronos back.
"I fight for my friends! For the ones who stand by me even when the gods won't! It doesn't mean a damned thing if the gods want to sit up on their stupid thrones and just watch! So long as us demigods have each other, we don't need the gods! We have the strength, we have the wits, and we have the courage to fight these battles; not for the gods, but to protect each other and those who can't protect themselves! We are heroes, and if that means we must die to save the world, then we'll march to our deaths with a smile on our faces!"
Kronos' eyes- no, Luke's eyes returned to that cerulean blue- permanently- and a genuine smile stretched across the man's scarred, gaunt face.
"Well said, Percy."
With that, Luke lifted his bare arm in front of Anaklusmos, to block the son of Poseidon's jab. The younger demigod was stunned when the blade pierced the son of Hermes' wrist. Blood trickled from the wound, but that was ignored when Luke cried out, a bloodcurdling scream that would haunt Percy for the rest of his life and afterlife.
Both Riptide and Luke fell to the floor- Luke, because in too much pain to stay upright, and the sword because Percy dropped it in his shock. Backbiter had melted into a metallic-colored liquid, and stained Luke's white jeans.
In a panic, Percy lunged towards Luke's prone body. He shook the older demigod, trying to make sure he was alive. The blond coughed up blood, and took in a shuddering breath.
"Good… blade, Jackson." The man broke off into a coughing fit, crimson liquid dripping out of his mouth and down the side of his face. He took in another deep breath, turning his head to where Annabeth lay, unconscious.
"Tell her… Tell her I'm sorry. I was weak, and I... couldn't keep my promise."
Confused, Percy nodded his head, and moved to quiet Luke.
"We can still save you! Some Nectar and Ambrosia, you'll survive-" The teen was cut off.
"You're a great friend, Percy. Better than I ever deserved… make sure you keep Annabeth safe. And Thalia. And… well, it's a bit too late for Silena and Beck…" Luke trailed off into sad chuckles. A tear fell from his right eye.
"Don't let it happen again. Me, the unclaimed… knock some sense into the gods, would ya?"
The son of Poseidon was too choked up to even breathe, so he nodded again instead.
"Thanks… and also… sorry." The blond's voice became quieter and quieter towards the end, to the point where Percy had to lean in to hear his last words. As a result, Percy also had to hear when his former enemy stopped breathing.
Luke Castellan was dead.
Tears blurred the surviving demigod's vision. They fell to the marble floor, only to quickly be replaced by more. Soon, Perseus Jackson, saviour of Olympus, was reduced to pitiful sobs in front of the corpse of one of his friends.
Being a demigod was rough. This was the life they lived; struggling everyday to survive, sometimes falling to their opponents. But seeing the gratitude of all the people he saved, whether it be from an Empousa or a Titan?
Percy wouldn't give it up for the world.
This ended conveying a message the opposite of the song lyrics. This says that Percy is caught up in this mess, but wouldn't trade it, whereas the person in the song would. Oh well, I like it. Enjoy, and check my profile for a few more song-inspired one-shots. And my other stories, but you'll probably get annoyed at my lack of progress.