Chapter 1
Hey guys! Here's the next chapter, from Annabeth's point of view. We appreciate all of the follows and the reviews we received for the prologue.
And now for a shameless deal: if we reach a total of 10 reviews, we will post the next chapter right away. If not, then you'll just have to wait and see when we post it.
As always, all characters belong to good old Uncle Rick. Enjoy the chapter!
Annabeth rolls, ducks, and slashes at wave after wave of enemies. She has somehow completely lost Percy in the battle. However, no matter how hard she tries, she is forced backward, to the base of a tall hill.
We're losing, she thinks to herself. One glance around the immense battlefield tells her that her instincts are correct. She can see that other members of the Seven have been forced back to the base of the hill as well. The hill where Gaea will rise.
Annabeth nearly falls as a wave of heat pushes her backward. Her eyes snap up, meeting a scene she knows she'll never forget. Festus is on fire, thrashing upon the battlefield. Monsters are disintegrated with screams of fury. But that's not what she notices first. As the mechanical dragon takes flight, Annabeth can see a tiny figure holding on to its back. Leo.
She wants to scream, to yell it's too dangerous! but by the time the thought crosses her mind, it's already too late. The pair set of a massive explosion in the sky. No one could've survived that, not even a son of Hephaestus.
Annabeth feels tears prick her eyes. Leo.
Suddenly, a dracanae slashes at her abdomen. Her stomach feels like it's on fire, a sticky mess of crimson. Annabeth stumbles, her vision a red haze of agony. Then a tall figure steps in front of her, jabbing at them, shielding her from the monster.
"Can you stand?" the low voice of Jason Grace questions. "Percy would kill me if I let you die."
Despite the pain, Annabeth manages to push herself to her feet, breathing heavily. She has lost too much blood, and is out of ambrosia - she had given it all to Hazel earlier in the battle, whose injuries had been far more severe than her own.
"I'll be fine," she mutters, stumbling to her feet. She almost falls, but Jason somehow catches her arm, holding her up.
"We have to get you back to the ship," he says urgently. Annabeth know he's right, she's already dizzy on her feet and she can feel her consciousness waning. Yet somehow, she can't bring herself to leave without Percy. It wouldn't feel right. They are a team. They always have been.
Just as Annabeth opens her mouth to reply, a figure kneeling at the top of the hill catches her eye. Percy. Annabeth thinks.
Beautiful sacrifices, a voice purrs. Beautiful sacrifices to wake the goddess.
Jason tugs at her arm. "We have to go, Annabeth. You're losing too much blood."
Annabeth barely hears him. "Percy," she whispers. Jason's eyes jerk to the figure at the top of the hill, and Annabeth can practically hear his eyes widen in surprise.
She watches his lips move, saying something to the primordial.
You? Gaea's voice almost laughs. A puny demigod? Try to defeat me? As if, she scoffs.
Annabeth realizes what Percy is about to do. "No," she whispers in despair. "Percy! No!"
She watches in slow motion as the one person who knows her better than she knows herself plunges his sword into the ground. The monsters and demigods surrounding the base of the hill are thrown off their feet as a shield made of water forces them backward.
Annabeth lets out a yell of pain as she is thrown to the ground, and sees a blast of power, a light, penetrate the sky. Waves upon waves of water crash into the ground, and Gaea screams in anger and fury.
Then, just as soon as it began, it ends. The hill still stands, although cracks have broken its surface. Annabeth desperately searches for Percy, but he is nowhere to be seen.
"No," she whispers, stumbling to her feet, ignoring the wave of pain it causes in her abdomen. "Percy!" Annabeth screams.
Annabeth runs up the hill, continuing despite how her legs give way as she climbs. However, each time she falls, she stands back up, determined to find the son of Poseidon. For a moment, Annabeth thinks she sees Nico di Angelo standing at the top of the hill, before he disappears in a whirl of shadows.
Although Annabeth ignores the pain in her ankle, the pain in her abdomen, she cannot bring herself to ignore the pain in her heart. Percy is nowhere to be found. (She knew she wouldn't find him. She knew, she'd always known, because Percy was a hero, and heroes didn't get happy endings.)
At the top of the hill, she finds a pen lying on the ground. Riptide. Annabeth picks up the small pen, her heart sinking with despair. She falls to her knees.
"No. Please. Please," she chokes. Annabeth is devastated, because she knows that if Percy were alive, the sword would have returned to the pocket. If Percy were alive, he would have been right here, bruised and burnt out, but here. (If Percy were alive, she would be okay.)
Tears stream down the daughter of Athena's face, and she can hear the footsteps of the remaining members of the Seven climbing up the hill. Panicked whispers fill the air.
"Is he…?" Hazel asks, her voice breaking, the unfinished question on her lips. She can't bring herself to use her powers to sense his death. Maybe her emotions are interfering. Or maybe she's just too afraid.
"I-I think so," Frank replies brokenly as soft sobs escape Hazel's lips. He gently pulls her close, tears streaming down his own face.
A familiar pair of arms wrap around Annabeth, a shallow attempt at comforting her (because how can she be comforted when Percy is dead, her best friend, her lover, her other half - ?).
It's Piper.
She doesn't say anything, doesn't have to, because right now, actions speak louder than words (and they always have, really, and Percy knew that, he fell into Tartarus for her, he plunged his sword into the earth for her, and now he is gone, and she can't tell him how grateful she is, can't say a word, because he's dead, Percy's dead, and he's not coming back - )
Jason's large hand rests on her shoulder. "Ave, Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, Hero of Olympus."
(She tries not to notice how his voice trembles.)
. . .
When Annabeth opens her eyes, she's lying down on a bed in the sickbay on the Argo II. She doesn't even remember traveling to the ship, doesn't remember falling into oblivion, doesn't remember how these bandages appeared on her abdomen. Maybe she was unconscious. Or maybe she didn't care.
For the briefest of moments, she wonders where Percy is, and why he isn't holding her hand, waiting for her to wake up, a concerned frown on his lips, like he was in the Battle of Manhattan. Then, it comes back to her in flashes of memories. He's gone.
He's gone, and he's not coming back. Annabeth remembers when she first met him, remembers you drool when you sleep and as long as we're together and I love you whispered late at night before bed.
"You're awake." The soft voice of the daughter of Aphrodite snaps her out of her reverie.
Annabeth blinks. "Who-who else didn't make it?" she forces herself to say. "Other than - than -" Her voice breaks. A tiny part of her wants to scream. Wants to jump out of bed and demand where Percy is, because he can't be gone, and she's a daughter of Athena, she is tough, she is strong -
It's a lie, of course. She was only ever strong in Percy's arms.
Piper looks away. "Leo," she whispers. "H-he sacrificed himself. In an explosion."
Annabeth squeezes her eyes shut, remembering the explosion of gold coloring the azure sky. She tries to pretend her heart isn't broken.
How many times does she have to say goodbye?
Before Annabeth can say anything else, Jason walks into the room. There are bags under his eyes. She pretends not to notice the haunted look that clouds his face.
Pretending. She knows she going to have to do a lot more of that.
"We're almost there," he says. Annabeth knows he means Camp Half-Blood, home. But a part of her doesn't want to go home because she knows that once she's there, she's going to have to let go of Percy. And isn't home where the heart is?
Her heart is with Percy.
"Nico's already back at camp," Jason continues. "He shadow-traveled there to - to give the news."
Annabeth winces in pain. "Percy," she whispers, even though she knows, deep down, that he won't be there.
Jason's dull blue eyes turn to Annabeth. "Get some sleep," he says softly. "We'll wake you up when we get there,"
Piper looks at Annabeth. "Sleep," she whispers.
Some part of Annabeth knows that Piper is using charmspeak, yet she doesn't care. Asleep, she can escape. Asleep, she can be with Percy. Asleep, she can pretend that her nightmare isn't a reality.
Annabeth falls into the arms of sweet oblivion, a grim smile gracing her face.
How was that for a dramatic, tragic chapter? Anyways, please review. Write anything good, or bad. Remember: ten reviews and the next chapter will be posted ASAP. See you in the next chapter!
