Binding Ties
A Heroes of Olympus fanfic by Aisling Yinyr Ngaio
Pairing: Percy x Annabeth
Chapter 1: Duty
It was a war zone even worse than the Invasion of Camp Jupiter last month, or the defence of Manhattan last year. Monsters and shades from long ago clashed fiercely with demigods in full battle armor, some with feathered helmets, others with plain unadorned bronze helmets. Among the melee, a giant bald eagle escorting five demigods had a purpose other than merely dishing out death: they were trying to hold position at the ornate doors at the other end of the cavern-like antechamber.
"We can't hold out much longer!" yelled the dark haired boy who was quickly the tiring from amount of fire he had summoned to keep the attacking forces from reclaiming their position. "You see them yet, Pipes?"
Piper's nerves were already frayed with dividing her concentration between her Cornucopia, Katoptris, and the portal through the Doors. "No, Leo! They'll come when they come. Now concentrate!" she yelled back, her voice almost drowned by the sounds of thunder, both from the golden eagle standard she could still vaguely see in the distance, and the protection afforded by her boyfriend next to her.
Above them, the eagle swooped down and started changing forms midair, landing on the ground as an elephant that could've easily passed as Hannibal's twin, and charged into the crowd of slower but stronger monsters, giving the others some breathing space, but only just. Arion, carrying Hazel, was already nickering non-stop throughout the battle that it didn't take their equestrian expert to interpret the constant challenge he was trumpeting their foes, though he got marginally more excited when Hazel's agitation attracted the many precious metals beneath her father's temple. Hazel's brother, Nico, while mostly recovered from his experience in Tartarus, was very markedly focused on the battle and refused to look at the Doors longer than the split second every five minutes or so checking whether his long lost friends had returned.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Piper shouted "They're coming!" a moment before two teenagers, both seriously worse for wear, appeared on the other side, to a chorus of delighted and relieved "Percy! Annabeth! Thank the gods!" But even as Jason and Piper beckoned them forward as the rest of the group continued shielding them, they replied with an urgency that had nothing to do with finally having the chance to escape, "Guys! We've managed to lose them for now, but they'll be right behind us again in no time. We've got to act fast. One male, one female, blood seal. Hurry!"
Dumbfounded, Leo yelled, "Don't be stupid, guys! Come back here, we'll figure out a way that doesn't involve leaving your sorry asses in Tartarus again!"
"DON'T ARGUE!" Percy's yelled command was shocking to the group, as he'd never raised his voice to anyone before. "We have to do what we have to, or everyone will die! EVERYONE! Now hurry!"
Witnessing the stubborn stance of the dark-haired boy, Piper tried to appeal to his comrade, who was apparently still sporting an injured ankle, the injury that started it all. "Annabeth, please, you must know a way that-"
"No, Piper," Annabeth's voice, while hard with desperation and sorrow, managed to soften slightly while she glanced behind her to check that their enemies had not made any reappearances. "Not before hundreds of monsters from Tartarus reform much quicker than they usually do because they've found the Doors. The House of Hades will never survive such an onslaught. Don't you understand? This is the only way." So saying, she brandished her Celestial Bronze knife and held it close to her left palm, signifying the end of the conversation. "Do it."
There wasn't anyone in the group who didn't understand the significance: Percy and Annabeth, having survived Tartarus in an impossible feat to find the Doors, are volunteering to stay behind so that no one else would see the insanity of the pit, would never carry the burden of the memories there that even now Jason could see in their eyes. And even if Jason had been gone from Camp Jupiter for almost eight months now, he stood tall as he accepted the decision and placed his duty before his desire to save his teammates. He plunged his gladius into the ground to clean it of monster blood, then looked at Piper in an unspoken agreement. She swallowed, tears streaming down her face, and raised Katoptris.
But at that moment of readiness, there was suddenly a ruckus on the Tartarus side, and suddenly Percy was hurtling through the Doors so fast that he took Jason and Piper down with him as he fell to the ground. As they scrambled to their feet, Jason glanced down to see his shirt stained with red - Percy's left palm was bleeding from a shallow slash. And Annabeth's clear command to "Stop him!" rang out three seconds before Percy started lunging back to the Doors, yelling her name over and over.
Jason understood immediately what had happened. Hard not to expect the daughter of Athena to come up with a plan ensuring that at least one of them survived, and hard to imagine that neither of them were thinking of how to save their other half. Annabeth had taken Percy's blood, so that only she would remain behind to close the Doors. His heart was so heavy with unknown emotions that only the pair could evoke in him, he had to take a few seconds while grappling with Percy before yelling at the others to help him, all while Percy was carrying on a deafening yelling match with Annabeth.
"Annabeth, don't do this, please! We're staying together! Together!"
"Don't you remember, Percy? I swore on the river Styx to do my best to keep you safe. And even if I didn't-"
It took the combined efforts of Frank, Leo and Hazel to take over from Jason in keeping Percy back, and even that was a herculean feat, as Percy was struggling with desperation, despair, and an unknown strength that came with his experience in Tartarus.
"That was... We were thirteen, and the camp was dying! And how am I supposed to be safe when you're not here?"
Annabeth only smiled regretfully through her tears, whispered a last "I love you, Seaweed Brain" before looking at Jason and a stunned Piper, nodding, then bringing her dagger down onto her left palm, and slamming both her palm and blood-soaked knife onto the Doors.
Jason raised his gladius in a Roman salute, said "Ave, Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena" to the background of Percy's renewed screams, and sliced his palm together with Piper slashing hers. The moment their bloody palms touched the Doors, it started closing immediately, rumbling to the cries of the monsters in the cavern, who were realising that their escape route out of Tartarus was being sealed. Finally, the Doors slammed shut with a final boom, and flashed red.
It was over.
- Finis, aut est? -