Percy had heard Jason tell him that the Cupid was no fat, chubby baby with sparkly wings and lovestruck eyes. But Jason hadn't told him who Cupid actually was.

And now, standing before the cold, evil Cupid/Eros, Percy finally understood how love was the cruellest reality a man could ever face. Love could tear you apart inside out, gnawing on the inside of your heart through the blood and muscles until what beats in your chest is a hollow shell of it's previous inhabitant.

Percy had thought Aphrodite was cruel, toying with young demigods' love, dream and hope. Amd he'd thought she was cruel. But after facing Cupid, she sounded like a welcome rose laurel wreath.

So what did Cupid do to break Percy?

He took away the two most important women in his life - Sally Blofis and Annabeth Chase. The deal was simple, choose one of them. The other dies. It was a matter of a one worded answer. Annabeth or Sally?

Percy's green eyes shone in the dark, silent night with unshed tears as he faced the captor. Cupid was invisible, but his mere presence was like a shard of ice, wrecking havoc in the otherwise peaceful night. His invisible hands held Annabeth in one hand and Sally in the other, and all three of them were standing dangerously close to a cliff thousands of feet above the dry and jagged rocky landing. A step further, and you'll be a squashed bloody pickle. And there they were, Annabeth and Sally held captive by Cupid.

Percy stood helpless, frozen with fear and anguish just a few feet away, but there was nothing he could do to help them. One wrong move and both his mother and girlfriend would disappear forever.

"Well, young hero? Who's it going to be?" Cupid's voice rang through the clear night like the hiss of water on burning embers. It was terrifying to say the least.

"I can't choose," Percy answered, his chest heaving with pain and defeat. His shoulders were slumped, Riptide hung futlie in his arm and his fingers shook with fear for the women who meant to him more than life itself.

Cupid chuckled, his laughter ricocheting like sandpaper against rocks, deep and throaty. "Choose, Perseus Jackson or they both die."

Percy growled in anger and despair that seemed to draw him into an endlessly dark and dismal abyss as his green eyes swept across Annabeth. She was beautiful even though her jeans were tattered and torn and her white shirt was stained with blood from the underlying bruises and cuts. Her hair spilled around her, lighting up like a golden halo in the moonlight. Her stormy grey eyes were closed to conceal her pain from Percy, her full lips drawn taut across her face in a grimace as she tried to hold in her pained scream for Percy's sake. She was trying so hard and Percy just stood.

And then there was his mother. Her chocolate brown hair held back in a ponytail, dark eyes clear with stark pain and unbridled courage. Her head was held high, and like Annabeth she refused to harry Percy with her cries.

Percy was broken. How could he choose? It was defying all laws of life to choose between two of the people who mattered the most.

"You are a monster, Eros," Percy cried, tears rolling down his cheeks from bloodshot eyes.

The response was a soft chuckle. "That, I know. Choose Percy. Weigh your pros and cons. Your girlfriend or your mother? Which love do you choose?"

Percy head hurt with thousands of thoughts pounding on the inside of his skull like a double edged hammer. In spite of himself he found himself recalling thoughts and memories from his past.

Sally wrapped an arm around seven year old Percy as they sat together in the balcony of their tiny little apartment talking about Percy's father as they tried to pretend for a few minutes that Smelly Gabe was just a horrible nightmare in their lives.

"You have your father's eyes, Percy. And his hair. Every time he looked at me, his eyes would glow like emeralds, just like yours do when you see cookies. And your is just as untamed and beautiful as his," Sally said quietly.

Percy looked at his mother with bright and round eyes. "But he abandoned us, mom?"

Sally looked away, trying to hide the pain in her eyes. "Your father was a brave man, Percy. He was special like you but he had responsibilities, duties to attend. He... He was lost at sea.."

"I'd like to meet him."

"You will meet him sooner than you think."

...

"Percy, oh my god, you've grown!" Sally cried rushing to emnrace her ten year old son. She hadn't screamed at him for getting kicked out of another school or for mysteriously setting the teacher's car on fire. No, she had hugged him like he'd won the best son award and gave him blue chocolate chip cookies with milk. She sat across him and listened to him ramble about how much of a torture school was. She had listened to everything.

...

"Mom, did Gabe hit you?"

Sally looked up at her son, eyes startled by his question even as she pulled her sweater sleeve over the angry red mark on her skin. She had denied it of course, but Percy always wondered why she never fought back. His mother wasn't no weakling, she was a strong woman and Percy couldn't comprehend why she'd sacrifice her happiness with Smelly Gabe.

The answer came soon enough.

It was for him.

Eleven years of her life had been holed up in misery and angst with Gabe so Percy would be safe. She was the personification of Love. She was everything that had sculpted Percy.

She was his mother

...

But then, there was Annabeth. The live of his life.

Annabeth... The girl who had been his best friend, stuck with him even through his infamous Seaweed Brain moments, had taken a poisoned knife without batting an eye. Annabeth who made him understand what true love really meant.

He still remembered the day she'd taken the knife for him. She was bleeding profusely, her lifeline growing weak but she was unfazed. He remembered vowing to never let her get hurt. But fate had laughed him in the face when she'd been shredded both physically and mentally just hours later.

Luke had died, Kronos was sent back to Tartarus and the world was in chaos around him with fire and rubble eating up the city. But right then, all that mattered was Annabeth. Annabeth, for who he had given up God ship. Annabeth, the memory that had him going when all the other memories had failed him. Annabeth was his connection to life.

She had walked away to fulfill her destiny. And Percy had been a nervous wreck. He'd never felt emptier without her. And then when she turned up, she was hurt yet again. He had not kept his promise. But he made another promise. He would never leave her. Ever.

So he jumped into Tartarus with her. It wasn't a choice, it was his destiny to follow her. And he did just that even though he knew that he might as well die in the pit.

...

Percy smiled up at Annabeth from where he was down on one knee on the floor. Her eyes were swirling with untold emotions and love. Her lips quivered as she pulled them into jer mouth to suck. Her grey eyes moved from Percy's face to the diamond ring he held in his hand in a dark velvet box and finally settled on his green eyes.

She smiled, letting the tears finally escape from her eyes and dribbled down her face. She was nodding. "Of course, Seaweed Brain. I'll marry you."

And they had sealed their engagement with a kiss that could have set fire to the rain.

Annabeth was his.

Annabeth, his girlfriend. His best friend. His love. His fiancé. His life. His everything.

...

Percy's green eyes darkened. He couldn't choose.

A small part of his conscience was asking him to choose Annabeth. It said that Annabeth was his future, they were yet to live their lives. But Sally had already lived. Let her go.

But his heart leaped into his mouth at the thought of his mother dying. If he killed her, he'd never forgive himself. He'd never be able to see the sun shine again.

And if he let Annabeth go... He was finished. It was suicide. He couldn't even make himself think of it.

And so with two impossible choices before him, Percy closed his eyelids on his throbbing sea green pools. His fatal mistake was staring him in the face.

Annabeth.

Sally.

Annabeth.

Sally.

Annabeth...

Suddenly the fog in his mind lifted. Percy's vision was clearer. His heart fluttered with fragility that made it seem like he was going to break down. Dread curdled in his gut. He'd made his decision. It was stupid, reckless and dangerous. But the decision was for the best. He knew this, but a twang of sadness cut through his soul.

"I've made my decision."

His sentence provoked multiple response.

Cupid laughed, his cold laughter sending a frisson of fear through Percy's spine.

Annabeth's eyes shot open with so much force. Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears and pure agony. Her body tried to jerk out of Cupid's hold on her arm, but she only succeed in twisting it. "No Percy! No! I forbid you to choose. You can't," she screamed. Her voice was filled with raw emotions, burning with anger.

His mother was crying now. She shook her head vehemently. "Choose Annabeth, Percy. Choose life."

But Percy wasn't listening. He squared his shoulder and clutched his sword tightly in his hand. Smirk. He was smirking at the cruel God, his head thrown back with amusement. He wasn't going to give Cupid what he wanted. He wouldn't.

"I choose..."

Percy's voice cut through the silence like knife through melted butter. He had everybody's attention now and he was smiling sardonically. The fates had indeed decided to make his story a tragedy.

"... Myself."

Percy raised his sword to his neck and with lightening speed he'd cut a smooth gash across it. There was silence. There was no pain,

And then it began.

Intense crushing agony spread through his neck, warm blood trickled down his neck seeping through the blue fabric of his shirt. There was so much pain... Percy sank to his knee. Riptide clattered silently next to him.

He heard the screams.

Annabeth and Sally. They were screaming. The scream was so loud and piercing, filled with pain and agony and torment. His eardrums were ringing, but it was nothing compared to how his afflicted heart burst with sorrow at their screams.

His eyes closed and he felt himself falling back, but he never fell. Imstead a pair of hands grabbed him.

Annabeth.

Annabeth took his head and cradled him in her lap, tears cascading down her tan cheeks like waterfall.

Sally was weeping, her hands round Percy's shoulders.

Cupid had let them go.

Percy wanted to reach out and tell Annabeth to stop crying. He wanted to kiss her on her lips and tell her how she meant everything to him. He wanted to hold her and just... be with her. But nothing was real. He couldn't lift a finger.

"Stupid Seaweed Brain. Why? Why?" Annabeth cried, her voice hoarse from screaming.

"Please Percy. Don't leave us," his mother begged.

"Percy please. I love you. Goddamnit, you promised you wouldn't leave me. Please..." Annabeth's sobs was like a knife to his heart. The reminder of his promise to Annabeth was a stab to the gut. It fueled him to open his eyes a crack, through the pain. He was met by watery grey eyes clouded with tears.

Green to grey.

The world stood still.

"I love you Annabeth. I'm sorry."

He squeezed his mother's hand with the last ounce of life before wiping away a lone tear from Annabeth's face. His hands dropped lifeless to the ground.

His green eyes were shrouded with mist.

Percy Jackson was gone. Dead.

He had saved Annabeth and Sally, but he'd given thema fate worse than death by dying on them. For them.