AN: Hey everyone, it's Celestial Iron back with another story. Yes, I know I already have two other stories going on currently, meaning that updates will come even slower. I just had this idea after I read stories where Annabeth joins Kronos's side and couldn't get it out of my mind. That said, I'm really excited for this story and hope that you guys like it too. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson series or the quotes from those books in this story.
Chapter 1
On the Princess Andromeda
Percy's POV
The mission was going horribly. After being caught and having to fight a giant crab, I ran up to the deck only to find Kronos waiting for me. As if things couldn't get worse, Kronos hit me with his scythe, making me feel like all my strength was draining away. Now all I could do was watch helplessly as two giants lumbered forward with Charles Beckendorf in their hands. My heart stopped as I saw Beckendorf with a swollen eye and cuts all over his face and arms. His armor had ripped off along with his shirt.
"No!" I yelled.
Beckendorf met my eyes and glanced at his hand as if he was trying to tell me something. Suddenly, I realized that his watch was still in tact, meaning that the Greek fire could still be detonated. The explosions must have still been armed.
"We found him amidships," one of the giants said, "trying to sneak to the engine room. Can we eat him now?"
"Soon." Kronos scowled at Ethan. "Are you sure he didn't set the explosives?"
"He was going toward the engine room, my lord."
"How do you know that?"
"Er..." Ethan shifted uncomfortably. "He was heading in that direction. And he told us. His bag is still full of explosives."
I slowly realized what was going on. Beckendorf must have fooled them once he realized he was going to be captured. He had made it looked like he was going the other way, convincing them he hadn't been to the engine room yet. That means we could still get off the ship and detonate it.
All hopes of that working vanished when one of the giants ripped the explosives satchel from Beckendorf's and turned it upside down, causing a dozen cans of peaches to fall out. Kronos stood beside me, breathing heavily to try to control his anger.
"Did you, perhaps," he said, "capture this demigod near the galley?"
Ethan turned pale in fear. "Um-"
"And did you, perhaps, send someone to actually CHECK THE ENGINE ROOM?"
Ethan turned on his heels and ran to disarm the bombs. As I caught Beckendorf's eyes again, he cupped his fingers and thumb, making a zero. That meant there was no delay on the timer, and the ship could blow up at a moment's notice. As I looked around and saw that we were surrounded by monsters, I realized that we'd never both be able to get far enough away before using it. Either the monster would kill us or the bombs would be disarmed. Only one of us had any hope of escaping. After looking at Beckendorf's eyes and seeing the fear in them, I made my decision.
Beckendorf mouthed for me to escape while he raised his left arm slowly towards the watch on his right arm. One of the dracaenae hissed, "What isss he doing? What isss that on hisss wrissst?'
Beckendorf closed his eyes tight and brought his hand up to his watch. Before it was too late, I threw my sword like a javelin at Kronos, distracting him for a while. Using all the remaining energy I had, I channeled the water from the nearby swimming pool to push Beckendorf into the water a hundred feet below.
Rumbling sounds of explosions came from deep within the ship. Monsters yelled in panic as the heat of the explosions seared the entire ship. The Princess Andromeda blew up from both sides, a massive fireball of green flame that consumed everything. My last conscious thought before I blacked out from the pain was a prayer to my father to protect Beckendorf on his way back to camp. Then, the explosion threw me into the air and into the deep sea below.
Annabeth's POV
I paced along my cabin in anticipation. Percy and Beckendorf had just went on some super dangerous mission without me, and I couldn't help but fear for Percy's -I mean their- safety. Percy and I hadn't exactly parted on good terms the last time we talked, and I hoped that after he returned we could talk things out.
My ADHD was going on overdrive while I was waiting. Whenever I'm worried or don't know something, questions and thoughts keep on popping in my head. I tried to assure myself that Percy was too smart to get himself killed a week before the prophecy and that Beckendorf would protect him, but I couldn't help but worry for that raven-haired idiot who had managed to steal my heart.
When it seemed like my heart would burst from anxiety, the sound of a conch horn permeated throughout the entire cabin. My heart soared at the sound, filling with hope that Percy and Beckendorf had returned safely. Chiron burst through the door of my cabin with a bow slung onto his back, telling me to follow him to the beach where the conch horn was blown. He galloped in front of me as we raced past the climbing wall and canoe lake to the dinner pavilion, where a large crowd had already gathered.
Chiron galloped into the pavilion first and the crowd immediately quieted down. His face looked relieved when he saw Beckendorf. "Beckendorf!" he said. "Thank the gods but where ..."
I ran in right behind him. My hopes were lifted once I saw Beckendorf with a few scratches and black eye but overall perfectly safe. My eyes scanned for Percy, analyzing everything with my stormy-grey eyes. Upon first glance, Percy seemed to be completely missing, causing me to panic. I tried to ease my nerves by telling myself that Percy must have been caught up talking up to some campers or hiding somewhere so he could surprise me, but one look at Beckendorf's face and I knew the truth. The other campers must have realized the same thing as I did since they all started to give me sympathetic looks.
Attempting to appear strong and confident when inside I was screaming in desperation, I grabbed Beckendorf's arm and demanded. "What happened? Where's Percy? Is Luke-"
"The ship blew up," Beckendorf said with a stoic expression on his face. "Percy saved me before the explosions wrecked the ship. A hippocampus brought me here safely, but Percy was still on the ship when it exploded. On the way, Poseidon told me through the hippocampus that Luke wasn't destroyed. I'm sorry, Annabeth."
"No," I muttered finally breaking down. "No. No."
At that moment, Silena pushed through the crowd. She looked absolutely awful with her hair uncombed and no makeup on, but her face instantly brightened when she saw her boyfriend. "Charlie!" she exclaimed in delight before racing into his arms. Noticing everyone's sadness, Silena then asked, "Hey what's wrong? Beckendorf's back, the mission was a success!" She then noticed Percy's absence, and her smile immediately melted off her face. "Oh my gods," Silena said finally understanding the gravity of the situation. "I'm so sorry, Annabeth. What are we going to do without Percy?"
No one had an answer and just looked down in the ground instead. Percy had been the unofficial leader in camp, someone everyone looked up to for guidance and courage. Not to mention, he was supposed to be the hero of the Prophecy that would come true next week on his birthday. Without him, it felt like someone had taken away our anchor and left us without any answers.
Filled with disappointment, everyone turned and walked off in twos and threes to mourn. Unable to hold it in any longer, I stomped over to my cabin, tears trailing down my cheeks uncontrollably.
Beckendorf's POV
I watched sadly as everyone left, filling my insides with guilt. Seeing Annabeth with such pain on her pain on her face only made me feel worse. Eventually, only Chiron and I stood in the dinner pavilion as even Silena went back to her cabin to mourn. Noticing my sadness, Chiron put a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sure you did everything you could to stop him from sacrificing himself. But no one can convince that boy when his friends are in danger. Will you tell me what happened?"
I began to explain the entire story, starting with how we were caught and how Percy used his control over water to push me out of the way of the explosion. I felt worse and worse as the story progressed, unable to control the overwhelming sense of guilt of being responsible for Percy's death. Chiron gazed down at the valley. "We must call a war council immediately to discuss Percy's death."
"Another one lost," Chiron continued, shaking his head in misery. "The Fates are indeed cruel."
Looking at me straight in they eyes, Chiron said very gravely, "Perhaps, it's time to discuss the Great Prophecy. Beckendorf, please retrieve it for me. You will find the prophecy in a locket around the Oracle's neck. Please wait to read it; we will discuss the prophecy at the war council as well."
I nodded solemnly, heading towards the attic of the Big House with grim determination.
The attic was full of memories of Percy's adventures and quests. It took all my willpower not to breakdown right there. Racing up to the three-legged stool, where the Oracle sat in a tie-dyed dress, I quickly unclasped the necklace holding the prophecy and brought it downstairs to the war council.
All of the senior counselors had gathered around the Ping-Pong table, which was the informal headquarters for war councils. When I came in with Chiron, I was instantly greeted by a shouting match. Clarisse, in her full battle gear with her electric speak strapped to her back, was in the midst of yelling at Michael Yew, the counselor of the Apollo cabin. I rolled my eyes at their stupid argument over a chariot, which had been going on for the past several days. "It's our loot," yelled Michael at Clarisse's face. "If you don't like it, you can kiss my quiver."
Tensions must have been really high since no one laughed or even acknowledged the argument. Everyone had grim expressions on their faces, but Annabeth was the worst by far. She sat beside Silena with red, puffy eyes, staring absent-mindlessly at the Ping-Pong table. Looking at Annabeth, I felt a lot more enraged at the argument.
"STOP IT!" I yelled. "What are you guys doing?"
Clarisse glared at me. "Tell Michael not to be a selfish jerk."
"Oh, that's perfect, coming from you," Michael said.
Clarisse turned to Chiron. "You're in charge, right? Does my cabin get what we want or not?"
Chiron shuffled his hooves, obviously wanting to get back to what the meeting was really about. "My dear, as I've already explained. Michael is correct. Apollo's cabin has the best claim. Besides, we have more important matters."
Clarisse slammed her knife on the table. "Sure. Always more important matters than what Ares needs. But until I get satisfaction, no one in my cabin is lifting a finger to help. Have fun dying."
As Clarisse was about to storm away, Annabeth slammed her hands on the table and glared at Clarisse. "THAT'S ENOUGH!" she yelled, her voice hollow from sadness. "We have a war on our hands that could very well mean the end of Western civilization, and you're acting a little brat. I won't allow you to just walk away from this meeting and the war because of a stupid chariot. Our hopes in this war are already slim, and we need everyone we can get. It doesn't help that Percy's ..." Annabeth choked up, unable to finish her sentence.
A long period silence enveloped the room as everyone bowed their head down in sadness. Finally, Clarisse softened and broke the silence. She placed a hand on Annabeth's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get into this when you've just lost ... Anyway, I'll put this argument on hold until after the war. For Prissy's sake. That bastard Kronos has gone too far this time."
Sticking her hand out, she shook Michael's hand, symbolizing a temporary hold on the argument. Chiron released a sigh of relief. "Now that that's settled," Chiron said, "if you please, counselors, Beckendorf has brought something I think you should hear. Beckendorf-the Great Prophecy."
I strengthened my grip around the necklace. Opening it up, I uncurled the dry paper inside and read:
"A half-blood of the eldest gods ... shall reach sixteen against all odds."
I hesitated slightly before reading the rest of the lines.
"And see the world in endless sleep,
The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap.
A single choice end his days.
Olympus to preserve or raze."
The room went silent, everyone all pondering what to do since Percy was gone. Finally, Connor Stoll said, "Since Percy's gone, that must mean we have a few more years, right? Until Nico turns sixteen."
Chiron shook his head. "No, Kronos's preparations are almost complete. The prophecy will go on uninterrupted. I suspect that Kronos killed Percy on purpose, so that we'd have to revert our backup plan."
Connor looked even more confused. "What's our backup plan?" he asked.
I suddenly realized how Kronos had twisted the prophecy in his favor. There was another child of the eldest gods who was stuck in her age, a day before she turned sixteen. Kronos must have thought she would be more easy to manipulate than Percy. Swallowing deeply, I muttered, "It's Thalia, isn't it? Kronos was intimidated by Percy's loyalty and skill in sword fighting, so he brought the prophecy back to Thalia."
Looks of surprise marked everyone's faces. They all looked down, hoping silently that Thalia wouldn't have to take the burden, one that would certainly take her life. When Chiron nodded sadly, another silence swallowed up the room. The war was about to get a lot more interesting.
Ethan's POV
I patted down my hair, which was still on fire. Almost everyone on board had survived the explosion, thanks to the armor we all wore that could withstand Greek fire. Percy, the little brat, was able to survive due to his ability to withstand fire. Kronos had brought his unconscious body with us as we swam to the shore. I don't understand why. If I were him, I'd just leave him to die out in the ocean, but I didn't have the guts to question Kronos's actions.
Once we were all safely on land, Kronos laughed sadistically, confusing me greatly. "Yes. They played right into my hands. The explosion separated Percy from his friends just as I had predicted and now I have him all to myself," Kronos said while looking down at Percy. "Finally. My chance to control the prophecy!"
I narrowed my eyes. "What do you mean? How do you plan to control the prophecy? His fatal flaw is loyalty; he will never serve you."
Kronos turned to me. "You ask me how I will convince Percy to join us when his loyalty lies with the gods. Why that is simple. I simply redefine his loyalties in our favor," Kronos said while placing two fingers on Percy's unconscious forehead. A golden light emitted from his fingers into Percy's mind, erasing all of Percy's memories.
Laughing wildly, Kronos announced, "Victory is upon us. With Percy wiped clean of his memories and under my control, nothing will stop me from destroying Olympus, once and for all."
AN: If you couldn't tell, the story begins when Percy and Beckendorf go on the mission to blow up the Princess Andromeda, but instead of Beckendorf dying, Percy saves him instead. I always thought it was out of character for Percy to leave Beckendorf to die, so I changed that in this story. Also, I apologize that a majority of this chapter was simply taken out of the Last Olympian. It won't be like that in later chapters. Anyways, please review, favorite, and follow, and tell me if you like my first attempt at first person point of view. I was originally going to stick with third person like in my other stories, but I really wanted to focus on the emotions of the separate characters. Thanks for reading.
