Currently, Percy hated himself. The world had been worse off than he had originally thought. As he walked through the streets of New York, his home city, he couldn't help but be sick to his stomach. Blood ran through the streets like a river. Dead bodies were strewn about. The lights of the city nowhere to be seen. Percy had never seen the city this dark before. It made him fell uneasy. The once thriving island of Manhattan was nothing more than a wasteland now. The last time he was here, it wasn't this bad. But that had been a long time ago. Things had obviously taken a turn for the worse. He cursed at himself. He should have never left the mortals to defend themselves. But that was the past, and he couldn't deter from his mission. He continued to walk through the city. As he got closer to the Empire State Building, he started to see more and more people walking about. Most were looking for food and water. Some would give him dirty looks as he walked by. Percy supposed that it was because he looked clean, something that seem to be a rarity from what he gathered.
This wouldn't hinder him. He need to make his way to Olympus, or at least whatever was left of it. His last visit to the home of the gods hadn't went to well. But that was irrelevant now. He pressed on. Closer and closer he moved towards his goal, as he did the crowds started to grow. Percy noticed several food banks that had been giving out rations. While it didn't look like much, something was always better than nothing.
He kept moving. As he approached the block that where the Empire State Building resided, he noticed that this was the only building that still had power. Percy figured that it was no coincidence. 'Hopefully, the elevator still worked', he thought to himself. When he stepped into the foyer, he stopped for a moment. He had been here so many times before. Since the end of the war with the Giants, Olympus was his home away from home. His father had requested that he spent some time there to train with some of the gods. Weapon training with Ares, tutoring with Athena, and hunting lessons from Artemis. By the time Percy had turned 19, he had perfected most fighting styles. Surprisingly, he wasn't even that bad with a bow anymore. Of course, this was only because of the countless hours that Ares and Artemis had made him practice.
He smiled a little. He had many fond memories of Olympus. From parties thrown by the gods to just walking around its streets with his closest friends, Percy truly loved it. His fondest memories of Olympus were of Annabeth and himself just exploring its secrets. But those days were just that. Memories. He sighed and snapped from his thought. He had a job to do. He walked towards the elevators and pushed the 'Up' button to signal it. He could hear the elevator groan as it was brought to life. 'It probably hadn't moved in years', he thought. Moments later, the machine dinged and the doors slide open. He stepped inside, and inserted the key that Zeus had presented to him at the end of the last war, and turned it. A secret button appeared. 600th floor. He pressed it.
A feeling of dread started to build up in his chest. He wasn't entirely sure what he would find on Olympus, but one way or another, he was about to find out. He wondered if anyone was still alive. He knew for sure that the major gods had passed on, but maybe there were still some minor gods or godlings still alive. At any rate, it didn't matter. He was here for a singular purpose.
The Doors of the elevator slide open as it reached its destination. As they did, Percy's heart fell. The entirety of Olympus was reduce to nothing more than rubble. The only standing building was the Hall of the gods, which to his relief, was the only reason he came here in the first place. Needless to say, Percy was a bit on edge. Nothing ever worked out the way he needed them to. But he pressed on. There was no reason for just to sit there and stare.
From what he could gather, Olympus was completely empty. Not a living soul had walked these streets for years. The sight of this once great city of the gods was much like the current state of the city below. In a very morbid way, it made Percy chuckle to himself. Zeus and the other inhabitants of Olympus had always thought of themselves as much better than the ones that lived in the world beneath it. Now, it seem that New York was doing something that the Olympians hadn't managed to pull off, they survived. But in their defense, the mortals probably weren't the first priority of the Children of Death.
He passed storefronts and bodegas, all of which had burned or broken down. Percy seen multiple bodies on the ground inside and outside of the stores. He guessed that many tried to run for cover from the evil that had overran the city limits, while others stay to fight, losing terribly. The sight reminded him of Camp Half-Blood. Percy was dumbfounded. He tried racking his brain for answer as to why these two beings would ever have a reason to attack the Greeks. As far as he could tell, Zeus and the other children of Kronos and Rhea were decedents of the two wandering warriors.
He pushed the thoughts out of his mind. He need to stay focused on his current task. Percy moved to the large front doors of the hall, pushing them open with ease. Once inside, he noticed that all but one throne was destroyed, Athena's throne. He felt a glimmer of hope. The only way to destroy a throne of an Olympian was to kill said Olympian first. He started to search relentlessly in hopes of finding any leads to the whereabouts of Athena. 'If anyone can help me defeat Order and Khaos, it would be Athena', he thought to himself. As he examined the backside of the throne, he noticed a small insignia on the bottom right-hand corner. It had eight points, almost like arrows, surrounded by a circle. And at the middle of the design sat a triangle with a open eye. Just below the symbol was a circular slot with weird markings on the inside of it. It took Percy a minute, but he finally recognized what it was. He looked down at his hand. On it, was a ring that Annabeth gave to him. She told him that it was her fathers ring and that her mother gave it to him to signify her love for him. Percy wondered if Annabeth was aware of the true function of the ring, but decided not to dwell on it too much. 'Not that it matters anymore', he thought. He took to ring off his hand and inserted it into the slot. As he turned it, the ground of the hall began to shake. The floor around Athena's throne began to open, revealing a staircase beneath it.
Percy smiled. He was on the right track. He started his descent down the stairs. The further down he went, the darker it became. After a bit, he felt a shift under his feet and heard a rumble. He assumed that the entrance was shutting because the lighting in the already dark hallway turned pitch black. He shrugged and pressed on. After a couple minutes of fumbling around in the dark, he started to see a dimly lit room up ahead. He picked up the pace, nearing his destination. Once inside, he found he was holding his breathe. The room in question wasn't a very big room, but it was inside that mattered. On the far side of the room, five display case lined the border on the room, each of them displaying a different weapon.He made his way over to them and examined them. In the first was a long sword made entirely of gold, the second was a Bow. The third and fourth were two daggers, one look as it was forged on the sun while the other looked like a piece of the moon. And the last weapon was a trident. As he examined them closer, he noticed nameplates on the bottom corner of each display. He had heard of this room before while he and Annabeth had been explore Olympus. It was the vault of the gods. It was said to house the war time weapons of the gods.
"Percy" he heard from behind him. He quickly turned towards the center of the room. He stiffled back a gasp.
"Ann..Annabeth?" he was taken back. "How are you...I thought you were..." he trailed off.
"I am" she said. She smiled softly. "I knew that you would find this place. At least, I hoped."
"What's going on? How are you talking to me right now?" he asked. He felt as if his brain was about to explode.
"When i was in the process of rebuilding Olympus, I was tasked with build a secret vault for the weapons of the gods. When I was almost finished with it, my mother approached me. She told me that she wanted me to leave an essence of my soul here, to act as a guide to whomever finds it."
"So, you aren't really my Annabeth. You're just some copy." he stated.
"I'm still every bit of your Wise Girl" she smiled. Percy fought back tears. "I have all of my memories, all the way up until...my final moments. I remember fighting by your side until my dying breathe."
"How is that possible?" he asked. "How could you remember your death, but still be here talking to me?"
"Im tethered to this vault, Percy. When my soul left my body, it returned here. I prayed for the day that i would be able to see you again. I've missed you so much." She started to choke up a bit. A single tear ran down her ghostly check. "Its not a mistake that you've found this place, Percy. It has always been your destiny to save the world. This time isn't any different. Take these weapons. All of them. Search the world for others that have been wronged by the evils that have plagued us, and equip them. They will help you fight, and win."
Percy was at a loss for words. "Can't i just stay here with you?" he asked jokingly, but he already knew the answer. He sighed. "I've really missed you. And now i have to leave you again." She nodded. "This really sucks, you know."
"I know," she said, and she snapped her fingers. "The weapon cases are open to you. Take them." Percy nodded, and walked over, gathering them all into a bag that had been laying near the entrance.
He stood and start back towards Annabeth. "When this is over, im going to figure out how to get you out of this vault, you know." he smiled at her. "I'm not going to leave you stranded down here."
"Percy..." she said softly. "I can't stay here. This place is my prison. I need you to destroy this vault."
"What?" he asked, his jaw dropped. It becane clear to Percy what she was asking for. "Annie, i can get you out of here. I promise."
"I'm so tired, Percy. I'm only a fraction of myself anymore. Please. I want to rest." She was right. Percy could tell. He didn't want to admit it, but she looked like she had aged decades during their interaction.
"I'm ready for this all to end, Percy."
He nodded. He wasn't going to let her be in pain any longer. He had failed her once by letting her die. He wasn't going to fail her again. "What do i have to do?" he asked.
"There is a lever near the entrance of the tunnel. On your way out, pull it" she said. He nodded once more. "I love you so much, Seaweed Brain. I'm so happy that i have had you in my life."
"I love you too, Wise Girl. I'll never forget you." He found himself crying. He picked up the bag of weapons and started towards the door. He turned one last time to see Annabeth. She smiled at him, and waved. He turn again and started walking towards the exit. As he did, Percy remembered his first meeting with Annabeth. He remember their first quest together. He remember their first kiss. Before his knew it, he had arrived at the end of the tunnel. He seen the lever, and with a heavy sigh, he pulled it. A timer had started above the lever. 10..9..8..7.. As he exited the tunnel, he kept counting. 6..5..4.. The floor around Athena's throne began to close. 3..2..1.. As the final piece fell into place, he felt the ground shake a bit.
And with a heavy sigh, he said to himself "Goodbye, Annebeth."