"You knew. I almost killed you, but you knew…"
Of course she knew. She knew all along that he was still alive, still in there somewhere. Not even Kronos could destroy Luke. Gods, had it really been… nine years since she'd met him? Nine years since he'd promised her that they'd always be a family, that they'd always be there for each other?
Yeah, she knew. Because Luke promised, and he'd never break a promise. Not to her.
"Shh," she whispers, and her voice is trembling, because he's dying. Oh, gods, Luke is dying. Luke Castellan, son of Hermes, is dying right in front of her and there isn't a damned thing anyone can do about it. Even if Apollo himself appears right at that moment, Luke will still die. "You were a hero at the end, Luke. You'll go to Elysium." Please, she's begging. Athena, Zeus, Hades, Persephone, Hecate, Hermes, every god and goddess in existence and then some that aren't, she's praying to them that they'll see the good in Luke. He saved us. He saved all of us. Please…
"Think… rebirth. Try for three times. Isles of the Blest." He looks so weak, so hurt, and he's dying-
"You always pushed yourself too hard," she whispers, and she's choking back sobs now, because she can't fall apart, not here, not now. She has to be strong, strong for him, because he'll be upset if he sees her breaking, and she doesn't want that. He's protected her, for so long, through all those years, and she doesn't care that he went to the Dark Side and she doesn't care that he was Kronos's mortal host, because he's Luke and he's still a hero and that's all that matters.
"Did you…" He coughs, and she can see the blood on his lips. She may not be a doctor, but she knows he doesn't have much time left. "Did you love me?"
She wipes the tears away, a little angrily, because damn it, she will not do this, not now. After he… after he dies… well, then she'll fall apart. Then she'll cry. But now… she can't, because she wants Luke to think that she'll be okay. She can't let him see her cry.
"There was a time I thought… well, I thought…" She glances at Percy, noticing for the first time since Luke stabbed himself that the son of Poseidon is still there. She can't lie to Luke. She can't lie to either of them, not here, not now, and-
It wasn't supposed to end this way.
Yeah, cliché, because everyone thinks that. Everyone thinks that because life is unpredictable, life throws things at you that you can't anticipate, and then fate turns and twists and the end slams you in the face and you're not ready. You're never ready for those words, for the end. And then you try to backtrack and you try to pinpoint the moment when it all went wrong and all you can think is It wasn't supposed to end this way.
It wasn't supposed to end with Luke bleeding on the floor, staring up at her, asking if she loved him- if she still loves him. It wasn't supposed to end with both the people she loves- because she loves Percy too, and she can't deny that anymore- staring at her and silently demanding the answer she doesn't want to give, because there's no answer she can give that won't hurt someone. Even if she lies… which she can't do, not now, because she can't lie to Luke or Percy and it wasn't supposed to end this way…
"Yes," she chokes out, staring into Luke's eyes. Staring into those blue eyes that she trusted so much, those blue eyes that haunted her nightmares since the day he disappeared from Camp Half-Blood when she was twelve. "Yes, I… I loved you." And I still do.
She glances at Percy's face, and his expression, the pain in his eyes, is enough to break her heart all over again. She wants to tell him that this doesn't mean that she was in love with Luke- and even if she was, because even she doesn't know, that doesn't mean that she doesn't love him. She wants to tell him that, wants to speak those three words, wants to tell him I love you, but she can't. The words stick in her throat and Luke's dying and she just can't.
Luke turns towards Percy, and his voice is rasping, the light in his eyes fading, and maybe he has only seconds left now. "Ethan. Me. All the unclaimed. Don't let it… don't let it happen again."
Percy doesn't say anything, and he looks like he's in shock. He stares at Luke numbly, and Annabeth wonders if he's seeing the dying half-blood at all.
"Promise me," Luke insists.
And it's Annabeth's voice that replies, though she isn't exactly aware that she's speaking. "I promise, Luke. We promise." That simple two-letter word, that we, was a desperate attempt for her to tell him that she needs to explain, that it wasn't supposed to end this way, that this doesn't mean that I don't love you, that I'm hurt and I'm lost and I need you and I love you and I don't know what to do and I don't know what to say and please, please let me explain…
"We promise," Percy echoes, but his voice sounds almost hollow, and he isn't meeting her eyes.
Luke's hand goes slack in hers, and she's too… too destroyed to cry, because in a single moment, she's lost both the people she loves.
"I'm s-sorry," she stutters, and she can't tell if she's talking to Percy or Luke or both.
Percy doesn't ask her if she loves him. She wishes that he did, because if he did- gods, if he would just ask her- she'd tell him. If he asks her, she'll tell him the truth. But she can't just say it, she can't, and she doesn't know why. Maybe it's because the first person she ever loved is lying dead in front of them, and she watched him die.
Instead, he turns towards her, and he gives her a small, sad smile. In that moment, she knows that he's just as broken as she is- and that, right now, there's nothing she can say that will make anything better. Maybe one day, she'll be able to start to heal the wounds she's suffered as well as the ones she's caused, but for now, there's nothing she can do. There's nothing anyone can do.
"I know," he mumbles, and his voice is so quiet she can barely hear. He looks away, and she feels like someone's stabbing her. The physical injuries she's sustained in battle- those don't hurt nearly as much as the emotional ones, the feeling of everything inside of her crumbling into dust.
Because Luke is dead, and Percy might as well be.
No. No, she… she can't think like that. Even if Percy hates her- and if he does, she can't blame him- but even if he hates her, he's still alive. He's alive and that's all that matters.
He's alive and she's alive and Luke's dead and it's not fair. Because Luke was a good person. Because, for all his flaws, Luke didn't deserve to die. And Percy doesn't deserve to be hurt the way he is.
"I know," Percy repeats, his voice a little louder. "I'm sorry, too."
What do you have to be sorry for?
She's still holding Luke's hand, though she knows he's gone. She knows that he's dead and she can't change that. She knows that she's screwed everything up again.
It wasn't supposed to end this way…