Title: Part One- A Promise To Keep
Main Characters: Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase
Status: Final Battle of the Giant War
I suggest keep a few tissues by your side. I can guarantee you're going to need them.
Percy POV
It was the morning of the final battle. The happiness from last night had been completely wiped from everybody's faces.
Fear, determination and anticipation made everybody remember the weariness, the pain from previous battles. I felt absolutely beat. My sword arm ached. In fact, my whole body ached. This was one of those times that I wished I still had the Curse of Achilles.
This was it. The final battle. The moment of truth. The moment, where we see if everything we've worked so desperately and bravely for, is worth it.
I could feel Annabeth's warm, comforting presence by my side. I literally saw images from every stage in my life, and Annabeth was in almost every single one of them, loyally by my side, being my tolerating acquaintance, best friend, and, eventually, protective girlfriend.
We looked into each other's eyes, for what could have been the last time, for all I knew.
I don't know how it happened, but somehow, we were suddenly in each other's arms. My face was buried in her hair. Tears were trailing down my cheeks.
I wasn't going to say anything reassuring. It would most likely backfire on me later.
We just held each other, relishing in one last loving moment. I knew that there was a possibility that one of us might not live to see the next sunrise. I was hoping against hope that it wouldn't be Annabeth. I'd lost her once, and that was unbearable. I couldn't go through that again.
"We're approaching the field, Team. Prepare for the final battle," Leo's flat voice echoed throughout the battered war ship that had once shone and gleamed but, like its crew, had been worn down and battle- wearied. I also noticed that, for once, Leo hadn't cracked a joke. The world was (literally) ending.
"Percy," Annabeth whispered.
I pulled back a hair and stared into her beautiful grey eyes. "Yeah?" I whispered back.
"I've never said this to you, or to anyone before, so consider yourself privileged."
I curled my lips slightly. Even in the gravest of times, she could still crack a joke.
"I just want you to know that- well," she broke off and kissed me suddenly, fervently. I was momentarily stunned, but I caught on soon, responding with more nerve than I'd ever expressed before.
She pulled back, breathing heavily. "I love you," she said. I froze. What?
"What?" I said, staring at her.
"You heard me." Her grey gaze was gravely piercing, even more so than usual.
A shudder rippled through the ship. My heart went into over drive. We had landed. But I couldn't leave her hanging, when I might never see her again after today.
"Annabeth_" I said, desperation in my voice. There was so much I needed to tell her. And I was out of time. Just a few more seconds, I pleaded silently to the gods.
Annabeth was looking up at me, tears starting to well up in her eyes. "You don't have to say it back, just because. I just had to get that off my chest in case you died."
I caught her hands in mine. She had got the wrong message. I just didn't know how to say it back. "Annabeth_" I tried again.
But she was already pulling from my grip, walking away, presumably to suit up in armour and collect her knife.
I couldn't let her parade into battle without saying it back. What if she died? I'd be guilty for the rest of my life.
I jogged up behind her and caught her around the waist. Once again, we had a staring contest. She blinked rapidly, trying to hold the tears in. She was failing miserably.
"Annabeth," I whispered. "I- I- I don't know what to say_"
She shook her head and broke free. "Then don't say anything_"
"Percy! Annabeth! Let's go!" Piper called from top deck. I was out of time.
Annabeth began the ascent to the top deck. This was my last chance. I bounded up the stairs and caught her hand again. I bent down and kissed her fiercely. "Please don't die today. I love you too, Annabeth. I never thought I'd be saying that to anyone but my mum. But there you go." I took a deep breath and glanced at her.
She squeezed my hand one more time, met my eyes, then continued walking up the stairs.
It was eight scared, but determined demigods and one murderous looking satyr with a promising looking baseball bat against thousands of Gaia's minions.
I glanced at all my friends for what might have been the last time.
There was Piper, beautiful and determined, with her dagger Katoptris clenched in her hand;
Jason, handsome and ruthless, utterly unforgiving, like his almighty father Jupiter;
Hazel, young Hazel- only fifteen, yet so powerful and shadowed by this daunting prophecy;
Then there was large, bowling ball Frank, looking like he was about to change into a bull and charge Gaia head on;
Nico, looking as creepy and mysterious as ever, with his black hair, black clothes, black knife and even blacker expression- I admired him for having the courage to face Gaia, when he was only a tad older than Hazel;
Leo, who for once wasn't grinning like he was about to stick a screwdriver up your butt hole while distracting you with fire- in fact, he looked like he was about to go all Flame Ninja on Dirt Woman;
Coach Hedge, who was swinging his baseball bat while muttering, "Swing ba-da-ba-da, swing ba-da-ba- DIE!";
Then there was Annabeth. Annabeth. Need I say more? She looked strong and regal, like a queen, standing in the battle field, the wind tousling her blond hair, her eyes glowing with a fierce light, her bronze knife in hand.
I knew, in that moment, that I truly did love her. And that if she wasn't in this world tomorrow, then I wouldn't be too far behind her.
I saw Jason and Piper kiss farewell. Frank and Hazel were also sharing one last tender moment. We all bunched up, smiling in gratitude one last time. I knew we were all thinking the same thing: we may be about to die, but it wasn't too bad to die with such awesome friends as these.
There was complete silence. Then the earth itself swelled up into a giant face.
"It's time," Gaia said, her voice rocking the timbres of the ground. "Now you will see how puny your forces are against the great might of my army!"
As if on some telepathic agreement, the enemy charged forward as one. They swarmed forward in one giant tidal wave of Ancient Greek nasties.
A sudden spur of the moment thought struck me. It was now or never. The tidal wave was increasing in speed, the enemies choosing their targets, watching us.
I reached into my pocket and felt the object inside. I smiled slightly and glanced at Annabeth, retracting my hand from my pocket.
We all surged forward, screaming insults and swinging our weapons wildly.
"Annabeth!" I yelled, trying to make myself heard over the deafening sounds of thousands of monsters snarling and screaming, and of our friends shouting and shrieking right back. I dodged the strike of a dracaena and stabbed the snake woman through the gut and turned on a telekhine.
"Yeah?" she screamed back, taking on a hellhound.
"When this war is over, will you marry me?" She froze in her tracks after the hellhound burst into dust.
Another monster lunged at her, and she simply stuck her dagger out, and caught it in the right spot. I finished off the monster I was attacking, then quickly walked over to her.
She was staring at me. "What?" I took her hand.
"I mean it. Will you marry me when the war is over?"
She put her hands over her mouth, her eyes glistening. I quickly pushed her behind me and stabbed an oncoming monster.
I glanced behind me, to get attacked. By Annabeth. She had her arms around me, kissing my face, my neck, anywhere she could reach.
"I take that as a yes," I whispered, holding her. Then I was forced to drop her by an oncoming Cyclopes. She caught herself on her knees while I fought the snarling, mono- eyed monster.
I stabbed it in the gut and it exploded into dust all over me. I turned back to Annabeth, who was on her feet again. She grinned at me and I winked back. It literally hurt to let her go, but she had disappeared in the general chaos, and I was kept busy as monster after monster attacked me without break.
I was perfectly fine now, but I knew I would tire eventually- I couldn't go on forever. What would the morning bring?
By the time the first rays of sunshine had hit the horizon, I was dead on my feet. Our group of nine had come together. I think Hazel was asleep on her feet. Nico was a deathly ashen colour, Jason had a huge cut running down his arm that was bleeding heavily and Coach Hedge had lost his wooden cudgel, having replaced it with a large Cyclopes club.
We huddled together, back to back, forming a circle. Annabeth was pressed into my side, her eyes fluttering, already in Dream Land. She started to lightly snore.
"Heroes!" A deep voice boomed. Annabeth quickly stood erect, rubbing her eyes with the heel of her hand. Hazel, who was on my other side, inhaled sharply through her teeth. She clutched my hand, and on her other side, she leaned into Frank.
Exhaustion hung heavy in the air. I bet we were all thinking of the cosy beds waiting back on the Argo ll.
"The Army of the Earth had been defeated. You have satisfied me greatly with your exquisite performance. I'm sure you all deserve a long night's rest. However, for me to annihilate the gods for good, their tools must be dismantled. It is to my great advantage that my army sacrificed themselves to tire you. I'm afraid the real battle has barely begun." The deep voice continued.
To my utter horror, the earth rumbled and out of a large tunnel that had appeared marched a line of Laistrygonian Giants, or Canadians, in English. Behind the Laistygonians came the Hyperboreans. And behind the Hyperboreans came the Big Shots themselves.
Polybotes and Alconyeus had returned. I saw Otis and Ephialtes. Jason cringed when he saw Porphyrion emerge.
We were doomed. The army was just a diversion. The real Giant War was only just beginning.
Annabeth POV
The fight was quick and brutal. None of us were expecting it, after a long, tiring night of endless fighting. Poor Hazel was knocked unconscious immediately by her father's rival Alcyoneus. Nico, Frank and Leo rushed to her aid. It was too late. Her body was dragged away, probably never to be seen again.
This strengthened my resolve against the Giants. Despite being so tired that my vision was starting to blur, I charged forward and took on a Laistrygonian. It was like playing that Wack the Beaver! game, where you have to try and hit the beaver with a mallet when it pops up. The giant tried to hit me with his club countless times, but I dodged every strike. Percy was running across the field towards me, ducking random strikes in his direction from enemies. He finally reached me, and stabbed the giant in the back of the thigh. He roared and turned on Percy. I slashed at the same spot that Percy had hit. The giant disintegrated.
The fight was a blur after that. I don't remember half of it.
It was much harder fighting the giants, especially in my critical state of exhaustion.
We lost Leo to a freezing gush of icicles from a particularly scary- looking Hyperborean. Even Leo's fire couldn't stand against the giant. We saved that giant especially for Jason and Piper to destroy.
Eventually, Coach Hedge was lost as well, to a particularly hungry Laistrygonian.
Slowly our numbers dwindled until on Percy, Jason, Frank and I were left. Jason was heartbroken. He had watched Piper die from two fatal blows on the head by a club wielded by a giant.
Nico had passed out from exhaustion, and was never seen again after Otis took his revenge for Nico escaping the giant bronze jar.
Poor Frank was devastated. Hazel had been the first to go.
But we stuck together after all those losses, watched each other's backs as two battled a giant and the other two kept watch.
We were slowly defeating the Giant Army. That is, until Frank was taken unawares by a giant who had crept up on us. Percy choked back a sob.
The circumstances were looking very, very grim. Jason and Percy each took one of my arms as we backed away from the advancing Giant Army. We all knew we were going to die.
Suddenly Percy ran forward. "Gaia!" he shouted. My heart leapt into my throat. What the Hades was he doing? "I propose an alternate compromise!" Oh, no. I hated that word. Compromise. Percy, what are you doing...
An invisible force seemed to halt the Giant Army.
"A compromise, you say, Sea Spawn?"
"That's right. A compromise." Percy stood with his back defiantly straight, his fists clenched.
On top of this horrifying situation, it started to pour torrential rain. Oh, just perfect.
"And what do you propose, Son of Poseidon?" Gaia's voice was amused, gently patronizing, even.
"I offer my life willingly in return for the safety of Annabeth Chase and Jason Grace."
Oh, no. No, no, no. Stupid Percy and his stupid bravery and courage and his stupid stupid STUPID but noble ideas.
He was giving his life to the enemy to save me. After all these years of fighting, he eventually surrenders. For me. For the sake of Love.
It's times like these when I loathe Aphrodite.
Your love story will be a tragic one. She had once said. I backed into Jason. He put his hand reassuringly on my shoulder.
"You would willingly give your life to me to save your little girlfriend," the Earth goddess mused.
"Yes. Willingly." Percy shook his head and water droplets were flung everywhere. A faint murmur could be heard from the hoards of giants.
Gaia considered the offer. There was deadly silence. Suspense hung in the air.
"Very well," she boomed. "Porphyrion, take him. Our business here is finished."
"Wait!" Percy shouted. "Can I- I have to say goodbye." His voice broke on the word goodbye.
Without waiting for an answer, he jogged over to Jason and I and I tackled him to the ground and smacked his face, then kissed him passionately. He sat up and took my face in his hands, heedless of the huge red hand mark on his face. "Annabeth, I'm so, so sorry, but I want you to live a long and happy life, even without me, and you have to find someone else, and I love you so much_"
"Percy," I whispered. "This is really the end."
He looked into my eyes, his beautiful sea green eyes shadowed with fear, pain and determination. "Maybe for me. But you have your whole life ahead of you. Promise me you won't do anything rash. Promise me you'll live a happy life, find someone else_"
"Percy." I whispered, stroking his face. "It can't end this way. I will never find anyone else like you."
"Don't ever replace me," he grinned his signature grin, crookedly handsome and mischievous. "But you will find someone else you love, I guarantee. Just, please, Annabeth," he pleaded, all teasing gone now. "Promise me. As a last wish, you know?" Last wish. Percy was going to sacrifice himself to Gaia for me. Last wish. No.
Tears coursed down my cheeks. "Percy, no. Please don't do this. You proposed to me. We were going to get married…" I heard Jason inhale sharply, but he didn't comment.
"I'm sorry," Percy murmured. "So, so sorry." He scooped me up in his arms and hugged me tight. I wrapped my arms around him and kissed his shoulder, his throat. Our lips met in a passionate kiss. The fresh, cold rain water droplets intermingled with my warm, salty tears created a strange tingle on my face.
I didn't want to let Percy go. My arms refused to unwrap from his neck. He gently untangled himself from me.
"Promise, okay?" he whispered. "A happy life. With someone else." I managed a tiny nod. Last wish.
Percy stood up and pulled Jason, who had been trying to remain oblivious to our little scene, into a man hug. Percy's cheeks were wet, as were Jason's. I couldn't determine whether it was rain water or tears. My guess was both.
"Nice knowing you, Jackson," Jason said gravely, patting Percy's shoulder awkwardly.
"You too, Grace. Tell Thalia that she's still a Pinecone Face." Jason managed a tiny chuckle and he agreed. Percy glanced at me and added, "Please look after Annabeth for me."
Jason nodded and the two boys shook hands. Percy helped me up. I hugged him one last time, and we kissed.
Once again, I refused to unwrap my arms. Percy seemed reluctant to let go of me. But eventually we did. He kissed my forehead, his warm lips lingering. He grasped my hand one last time, then let go, our fingers touching, stretching towards each other, then he was gone.
And there was something in my hand. I didn't look. My eyes were glued to Percy.
He threw one last wink and reassuring grin my way as he trudged through the pouring rain towards Gaia and her minions.
"A lovely, heart warming scene, Percy Jackson," Gaia chuckled. "I'm sure your girlfriend would appreciate this sight. Lights out, hero." A giant bashed Percy's head with his club. My brave, idiotic boyfriend slumped forward onto the ground. Red liquid seeped out, intermingling with the rain.
I screamed and tried to run forward, but Jason constrained me. "Annabeth, he sacrificed himself. Gaia owns him now. You can't help him."
I sobbed into Jason's chest as Percy's dead body was dragged away.
It was over. The Giant War was finally over. And the biggest sacrifice yet had been made.
Bigger than Luke Castellan's sacrifice a few years ago, bigger than all those other people who had died because of the enemies of the gods.
Because Percy Jackson, the most famous hero of the century, had fallen.
I opened my clutched hand and looked at the little parting gift Percy had left me with.
I choked on another scream.
Because it was a ring. Not a real engagement ring, mind you. Just a cheap plastic thing with coloured glass instead of diamonds, painted a tinny silver. I recognised it. He had been wearing it last night, as part of his costume.
I closed my hand protectively over it. I would treasure it forever.
I squeezed my eyes shut and breathed deeply against the coming tears, holding my precious ring in cupped hands to my heart, where I would wear it at my heart forever.
What did you think? Poor Percy…
Also, just to clear a few things up, there were no gods to help defeat the giants because I didn't really know how the gods would defeat their respective giants.
And, is Nico or Hazel older? Like, in number age, not literal age- so, it's not counting the time Hazel spent in the Underworld, or the time Nico spent in the Lotus Casino.
Please review, tell me what you think might happen next!
Thanks for reading,
MashPotatoeSquishBanana :():