Dedicated to Rainbow Pickles, for a huge flurry of support.
Wrestling is my best skill, if you read this, you're getting one too. PM me, and tell me what you want it to be about.
"I will not die, I'll wait here for you! I feel alive, when you're beside me! I will not die, I'll wait here for you! In my time of dying!" –Three Days Grace, Time of Dying
"Here they come!" The call rang out from Chiron. Gaea's army was climbing over the hill that led into Camp Half-Blood. Percy's grip on his sword tightened. He was in front of all the campers, leading the battle. The Romans had joined them too, everything had been explained to the other camp. There were so many monsters, too many to count. The number seemed like it should be measured by thousands instead of hundreds. Many of the campers behind Percy slumped, dejected at the sight facing them. Percy raised his sword into the air.
"FOR THE GODS!" He roared. He was answered by his friends behind him, beating their shields, and making lots of morale boosting noise. "CHARGE!" Percy gave the order.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The demigods sprinted towards the monsters, raising their weapons as the monsters hissed and spat, preparing for the first contact. The two groups met in a clash of Celestial bronze, and scaly beasts. Yells of pain and blood came from both sides as the fight began.
Percy looked to where he could help the most. The Ares cabin was having a problem with a couple of hellhounds, but they were children of the war god. They'd clear it up in no time. The Apollo kids were raining down arrows on a squad of dracanae. Percy's gaze turned to the Hephaestus cabin. Leo was leading his group well, while he attacked with fire. He heard a cry from a girl, and turned to see a daughter of Aphrodite on the ground, about to be crushed underfoot by a giant. Percy leapt into action, and yanked the girl from under the giant's foot. The massive foot shook the ground, missing the girl by quite literally, a hair.
Percy stabbed downward at a toe. His sword stuck in deep. The giant howled in pain, and began stomping around trying to get rid of the blade inside him. Percy pulled out the sword, and was almost immediately thrown off. The giant looked down, and began slamming at the ground with his fists. Percy rolled underneath the left fist, and jumped on top of the right one, running up the giant's arm, cutting as he went. He got to the giants neck, and began carving it like a Thanksgiving turkey. Ichor was falling like waterfalls, and after a short time, the giant fell, and began disintegrating. Percy leapt off the sand dune and cheered. The response he got from the two camps was deafening. Leo shot fire into the air, and some of Gaea's army began to retreat. Chiron galloped up to Percy.
"They've retreated for now, I suggest we convene a war council." He said. Percy nodded.
"Give the signal to pull back, everyone could use some rest." He said. And I need to find Annabeth. A long horn blast sounded, telling everyone to pull back.
"We nearly had them!" Clarisse slammed her hand against the ping pong table. Will Solace of Apollo shook his head.
"No we didn't, we were barely hanging on." He said.
"Speak for yourself sun boy!" She snarled back. Will got up.
"Now you listen-" He began.
"Quit it!" Percy yelled. "Arguing amongst ourselves isn't going to help us win. Now pull yourselves together." Will and Clarisse backed off.
"Yeah, you're right…" Will said. Clarisse just grunted and sat down.
For the next 20 minutes, Percy (assisted by Chiron) laid out a plan to decimate Gaea's army. Eventually, the counselors disbanded, and went off to tell their cabins the plan. Percy, being a cabin of one, went off to find Annabeth. He was worried about her. Boyfriends tend to get that way in the littlest of situations. When shoved into a full blown war, well… emotions intensified. He eventually spotted the Athenians in front of their cabin, some being patched up by Apollo healers, some of them sharpening swords and preparing for the next skirmish. He saw Annabeth being tended to by a healer. He rushed over, and practically slid next to her.
"Oh gods are you alright?!" The worlds came out quite quickly. Annabeth smiled.
"I'm fine Perce. Just a little cut on my leg." Percy wasn't convinced.
"Are you sure you're okay to fight? I'd prefer you didn't fight at ALL really." Annabeth smirked.
"I'm not some helpless princess." She said.
"I wasn't trying to say that you were!" He protested.
"Seaweed Brain?"
"Yeah?"
"Stop talking." She grabbed the front of his shirt, and pulled him in for a kiss. Percy didn't resist. It was slow and reassuring, full of love and concern. "I'll be fine." She said as they broke apart. Percy nodded, and got up.
"I love you, Annabeth." He said.
"I love you too." She said. He turned, and ran off to find Chiron.
"Ready yourselves!" Percy said. The monsters were making their way down. The second phase of the battle was about to begin. He prayed to whichever god may have been listening that the plan worked. He lifted his left arm into the air.
"Ready… NOW!" He brought his arm down in a karate-chop like motion.
There was a chain of explosions around the advancing army, then the ground caved in around them. There was a cacophony of wails and shrieks as they fell down. 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Percy counted down in his head. There was a second chain of explosions, taking debris form the first explosion, and shoving it down the hole where most of Gaea's army now was. The calls form the monsters were abruptly silenced as the rocks and dirt covered them.
A large cheer went up from the campers, a howl from Gaea's troops. Incensed, they charged forward, with intent to kill as many demigods as they could. The fighting began, and it seemed as if Hades had risen up around them. Blood and ichor flew through the air as the two enemies met. Percy dashed around the battlefield, hacking away that at anything that would do his friends harm. As he cut down a dracanae, he saw it. He had a perfect view of Annabeth, holding her own against three telekhines. She blocked one's sword, punched it in the stomach, and killed it with her ever-present knife. But things went wrong, as she landed on her injured leg, and buckled. The two remaining telekhines walked up to her, weapons raised.
"NO!" Percy cried. He sprinted up to the terrifying scene just as the blades of the monster's weapons went down…
…And he took a sword to the leg, and a glancing spear blow to his left shoulder.
"PERCY!" Annabeth shrieked.
Percy didn't even register the fact that he'd been hit. He leapt up, cut the first telekhine's spear in half, and then cut the telekhine itself in half. The other one tried to chop at him overhead with its sword, but Percy blocked it, kicked it in the chest, and dispatched it where it lay. Then he looked down, and saw the cut on his leg bleeding quite profusely. Annabeth lay on the battlefield, clutching her injured leg. Percy capped his sword, and picked Annabeth up.
"You can't… your leg…" She said weakly. In response, he began running as fast as he could, Annabeth clinging on. All around them, the battle raged. Campers and monsters alike fell victim to sword and arrow as Percy forged on.
Eventually, they reached, the medical tent the Apollo kids had set up. Percy put Annabeth down on a cot, and called a healer over.
"Make sure she lives." He ordered. The healer looked at him.
"I should patch you up too!" He said. Percy turned, and ran out of the tent.
They were going to pay for what they did to her. Giving a guttural yell, Percy leapt directly into hordes of monsters, cutting and killing anything that came upon him. He summoned water from the creek in the woods, and began throwing it at the monsters. The water was honed sharply, slicing through monsters. Where it did not cut, it formed globes around the beast's heads, cutting off their air and drowning them. Most of the campers had fallen back, and were watching Percy decimate Gaea's forces. Percy made no sound, but his sword and water combo evoked many a death cry form a monster. The army soon saw that there was no hope of victory against this terrible foe, and began to retreat for good. They were followed by arrows from the camp's archers, who were finishing off stragglers.
There was a cheer from the campers as the last of the monsters had fled. They had won the battle. Percy spared no time to celebrate with them, all he could think about was Annabeth. He pushed through throngs of kids, and eventually reached the med tent. Annabeth was sitting up, waiting for him.
"Hey Seaweed Brain. Sounds like we won." She said. Percy wrapped her into a bear hug. "Easy there, no need to crack my ribs!" She said.
"I thought I'd lost you, that you were going to die alone on a field with nobody…" Annabeth placed her hands on the side of his face.
"Look me in the eyes. I'm fine. I'm all patched up, and I'll heal." She said, without breaking eye contact. Percy nodded.
"I love you so much." He said, lightly kissing her.
"I know you do, and I love you even more." She responded with a smile. "C'mon, let's go celebrate. You DID just fight off the entire army." Percy looked at her in surprise.
"How'd you know that?" He asked.
"Well, I couldn't hear anybody but you. I assume everybody else just sat there and watched you. Don't let it go to your head, but you're pretty powerful, and you're an amazing swordsman." Percy puffed out his chest.
"It's gone to my head." He said jokingly. Annabeth just rolled her eyes.
"More seaweed in there than I thought. Let's go let everybody know I'm not dead." She got up, and threw an arm around Percy for support.
The two walked out into the victorious day that had been won by a powerful force known as love. Percy's love for Annabeth. It had fueled him ever since he had carried her to the tent. Even the monsters could sense a power that they could not beat. As long as the two loved each other, anything could be done. The power of love.