I'm back guys, sorry it took me so long, but college offers less time to write than high school did. also, this chapter is almost twice as long as my normal 3300 words
hope you guys enjoy this chapter, should clear some stuff up
so, enjoy...
The Feather
New York City was a war zone. Rubble was strewn across the streets. Some of the buildings were little more than small chunks of concrete and iron anymore. Bridges were torn down, tunnels flooded. Piles of golden dust and bodies of demigods littered the streets, interspersed with the mortals, who lay in sleep. Blood lay in ruby pools next to fallen and scarred weapons of celestial bronze.
The fight raging six thousand feet above, on the six hundredth floor of the Empire State Building, echoed loudly in the vast expanse of emptiness the city had become. The battle was intense, and screams of pain and cries of bloodthirst tore through the air.
The demigods fought with all they had against the forces of Kronos, literally throwing themselves at the advancing army to slow them and prevent them reaching the throne room. It was losing battle. Every minute, every second, the monsters moved ever closer to their goal. It didn't help the half-bloods that the Titan Lord himself was in front of the army, taking large swaths out of the defending force with his scythe.
Percy rammed his sword through a hellhound, then spun and decapitated a Laestrygonian. He looked around, surveying the battle through weary eyes. "Shit," he mumbled. Things were not going well; they were slowly being pushed back to the throne room. He looked over and caught Annabeth's eye. She was breathing heavily and bleeding from multiple wounds, but she appeared to be fine.
Suddenly Percy felt something slam into his stomach and rebound. He looked into the confused eyes of an enemy demigod, who had just tried to stab the son of Poseidon in the gut. Of course, bearing the Curse of Achilles and having braved the waters of the River Styx, Percy was invulnerable, in all places but that tiny point at the small of his back. He slammed the hilt of Riptide into the demigod's temple, knocking him unconscious. He looked back to Annabeth, who gave him a small nod.
"FALL BACK!" He cried. The forces of Olympus heard the call and began to work their way backward, to the throne room, where they would defeat Kronos, or make damn impressive last stand. Percy hoped it was the first.
Kronos laughed sounded loudly over the sounds of conflict. "Is this the best you can manage, Perseus Jackson? To retreat like a coward and hole up sniveling in your dear parents' throne room?" Percy gritted his teeth, but said nothing, he knew that to respond would be to give Kronos what he wanted. Percy turned his frustration to the advancing army, snatching an arrow whizzing past him out of air, spinning it in his hand, and whipping it back at the demigod who had loosed it. He fell to his kness gasping and clutching at his bleeding stomach. "Why don't you come out and face me, Percy?" Kronos continued. "Or better yet, surrender, throw down your weapons now and swear loyalty for me. Nobody else needs to die. Come to our side, all you foolish half-bloods, and help me create a world where we are the dominant ones, not those immortals who parented you. I promise you a paradise, one in which you will be forever happy. Come, it is not too late, put your weapons aside."
Percy looked around him, and noticed several demigods giving each other unsure looks. He realized that after what they had all been through today, Kronos' offer sounded very…appealing. If any of them changed their mind now, all was lost. If even one person gave up and tossed away their weapon, then others would follow suite, and Kronos would only get stronger with each new pledge of fealty, while Percy's force would weaken.
"Like Hades we will!" a voice cried out, and Percy was surprised to see Clarisse shovig her way to the front, cussing angrily as she pushed people out of her way. She stopped when she had a clear view of Kronos and slammed her spear against the ground. "If you think for one nanosecond that any of these kids will betray us now, you've got another thing coming, you overgrown clock." Kronos' golden eyes blazed angrily at the insult. Overgrown clock, Percy mused to himself as he chuckled, gotta remember that one. Clarisse turned her glare to the army standing behind her. "Were any of you idiots actually thinking of accepting his offer? You truly are the most brain-dead people on the planet! He would never uphold his end of the promise, you'd be gutted the instant you crossed to their line, and then he would slaughter whatever amount of your friends remain." Clarisse's small speech seemed to harden the resolve of the army, and they turned eyes filled with a new fire to Kronos and his underlings.
Kronos was silent for a minute. "…So be it," he finally said. He lifted his arm, and suddenly the color seemed to be leached from everything. The colors were still there, but it was almost as though they were looking at everything through a think sheet of grey glass. Percy tried to run forward, to begin the battle anew, but noticed that his legs were moving as fast as molasses in winter.
"Dammit!" his voice was slow and distorted. "He's controlling time," he called to the others, who by now were completely confused by their leader's actions. A few eyes widened in surprise at his words, and a few people gave experimental movements of their own and found that they, too, were being affected. Percy looked up and found a horrible grin plastered across Luke's face; Kronos obviously thought he had won with this.
But something caught Percy's attention. Kronos' army was moving as slowly as he was. Something was wrong with Kronos' power. The Titan Lord noticed Percy's gaze and glanced down at his forces. His eyes widened in surprise. "What's going on?" he yelled, pinning Percy with an accusing stare, as if it had been the young demigod's fault that his army was moving at a speed previously reserved for turtles and snails. Percy smirked; this was something.
Kronos growled in frustration before looking back at the creatures under him. Then across to Percy. Then to the creatures under him. "Must be because I'm so close to the gods' seats of power…" he heard him mumble. He looked between the opposing forces one last time, before shrugging and flying off toward the throne room.
"Annabeth!" Percy called, finding his voice extremely disturbing to listen to. "Grab Thalia and Grover, we're going to the throne room!" She gave what normally would have been a quick thumbs-up and sprinted off into the crowd, though in all likelihood, she was moving at about the pace a baby crawls. "Clarisse," Percy said, turning to her. "You and Nico take over here, do not let them through." She nodded grimly and made a shooing motion at Percy. Percy turned and "ran" toward the throne room, hoping against all hope he could reach it before Kronos had destroyed everything.
Grover, Annabeth, and Thalia broke from the main force and ran after him, all of them dodging fallen columns and shattered walkways as they moved. As they got further and further from the main battle, they began to move faster, until eventually they were running at normal speed. Percy reached the throne room doors first, and he didn't even bother to stop and yank them open. He rammed his shoulder against them, causing them to burst open. He sprinted into the room and immediately located Kronos, who was busy hacking away at Hephaestus' throne. However, every time he took a swing, a metal limb sprung up and knocked the scythe away. Kronos' eyes burned with frustration as he tried to maneuver around the grasping devices.
Percy closed the distance between them in a flash and slammed into the Titan Lord, sending them both skidding across the room, scythe flying out of his hands. Percy spun Riptide in his hand and plunged it downward, praying that somehow he'd hit Luke's weak spot. He was disappointed though, when the bronze blade hit Luke's chest and slid off the side, not even leaving the barest scratch. Percy swore. Kronos brought his fist up and caught Percy in the side of head, knocking him off of Luke. Stars exploded in front of Percy's eyes, but he recovered him self, climbing as swiftly as he could to his feet. He felt slightly dizzy. As invincible as he was, a knock like that from a Titan Lord still sent his head spinning.
Kronos had recovered his weapon and was now fighting both Annabeth and Thalia in close combat while Grover played his pipes furiously. Vines began sprouting from the ground and trying to wrap themselves around the Lord of Time. He easily snapped them, but they served to distract his attention. Percy leapt across the dimly-glowing hearth in the center of the room and joined the fray once more, stabbing and parrying where appropriate. He deflected as many blows as he could, and even took a few on his body to prevent them from reaching his friends. He couldn't let that scythe so much as even scratch them, else their souls would be torn from their bodies. He was the invulnerable one, so he did his damndest to make sure that he would lose no more friends today.
All at once Kronos planted a foot in Annabeth's stomach while nailing Thalia in the chest with the shaft of the scythe. Both flew off and hit the walls of the throne room. Annabeth gasped in pain while Thalia groaned. Percy only doubled his efforts, trying to make his blade move faster than it ever had before. He could fight on par with Luke, he knew he could. Percy had been the only one who had ever been near his skill, and Luke was the only person who had ever been classed as better than him with a weapon.
"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon," Percy muttered desperately. He twisted, turned, ducked, jumped, anything to avoid the blows coming at him. He didn't want to even risk Kronos finding his weak spot. All the while, he landed as many blows as he could all over Luke's body, trying to find wherever it was that Luke had anchored himself to the mortal world. The scythe slashed past him, and Percy dodged it, thinking that Luke had himself wide open. He had started to move in for any round of guessing when he felt a chill on his neck. He glanced back over his shoulder to see the scythe coming back, Kronos had been trying to get in behind him. The Titan Lord had to have an inkling of where his weak spot was! Fuck! Percy spun and caught the blade with his left hand, stopping it cold. However, his back was exposed, and he felt something slam into the small of his back, hard, sending him flying across the room. He landed in a heap against the wall.
"Percy!" Annabeth yelled, running over and crouching beside him. She placed a hand on his shoulder as he pulled himself into a kneeling position, coughing violently. That kick had hurt a lot more than it should have. It took Percy a second to figure out why. Shit, he hit the weak spot. Percy looked up into Kronos' golden eyes. He was smiling happily at Percy, easily blocking the freshly renewed assault of arrows and vines that Thalia and Grover were sending his way. He seemed really happy about something, like a kid who had just been told he didn't have to go to school for the rest of his life…and had been given a lifetime's supply of candy. Yeah, this fucker was happy about something. He looked positively glowing with joy. Percy froze. He wasn't just metaphorically glowing, Luke was actually glowing. "What the hell…" Percy murmured.
Kronos laughed evilly. He held up a hand and turned it over, as if examining the sudden luminescence he was afflicted with. "It looks like it's almost time." He turned to Percy and the others. "Soon I will burn away this useless body and resume my true form, and then, ah then, everything you know will end. Of course, you'll be dead by then, I should have just enough time to kill you before I emerge. After all, I want to kill you, Perseus Jackson, with my own hands. Seeing you disintegrate in the glory of my true form would be such a disappointment, don't you think, grandson?"
Percy's gut churned as Kronos said that. He had never even considered that Kronos was his grandfather. He shook his head, he knew that Kronos just wanted to distract him, to open up a hole in his defense. "Kill me? With your own hands?" Percy laughed. "That's impossible for two reasons, grandfather." Percy spat the word out harshly. "One, even if you do manage to kill me, guess what? They're Luke's hands, not yours. Two, you can't kill me. You forget that I took a nice little dip in the Styx?"
Kronos laughed. Percy felt a twinge of doubt. "You see, the thing is, little half-blood, that I can kill you, because I know where your weak spot is." Percy's eyes widened. "I see the fear in your eyes. Oh yes, Perseus Jackson, I know where it is. The spot that Nakamura almost got, the spot that I just kicked. I wondered why it felt so different when my foot made contact." He cackled evilly. "It's over!" he cried. He triumphant yell died rather quickly though. His glow was getting brighter, but Kronos suddenly keeled over and grabbed his head. "You fool!" he yelled. "Let me finish this now!"
Percy's heart leapt into his throat and he looked at Annabeth. Was it possible? Was Luke fighting Kronos' control? Either way, Percy saw this as a golden opportunity. He climbed to his feet and began to move toward Kronos, but felt a tugging at his sleeve. He turned, only to be met with two worried seas of gray.
"Percy…" Annabeth whispered.
"Annabeth, we can't go over this now. We don't have the time. I could end this now."
She shook her head. "That's not what I was going to say."
Percy hesitated. "You mean, this…isn't about Luke?"
"No."
"Then…"
"Percy," Her arms were suddenly around him, her head buried in his chest, "be careful, please. I can't lose you." Percy was stunned, but he still had the sense to wrap his arms around her back.
"I'll be fine, Annabeth," he whispered. "I promise."
They broke apart, and before Percy could move, Annabeth leaned up and placed a quick kiss on his lips. He looked stunned, and his mouth opened and closed a few times. "For luck," she said quietly, giving him a small smile.
Percy's face split in a grin, remembering how had asked her for a kiss for luck earlier, only to be turned him down. He turned around and ran straight at Kronos, who had dropped his scythe, still trying to reassert control over Luke's mind. When Kronos saw him approaching he screamed, "NO!" and threw out of his arm. A huge force slammed into Percy and sent him backward. When he hit the ground, all the air rushed from his lungs, leaving him floundering for oxygen for a second. He had let go of Riptide when Kronos' wave had hit him. He had no idea where it was, but it didn't like it was going to reappear back in his pocket fast enough.
"Percy!" Annabeth cried, worry coloring her voice. But Percy was on his feet already. So was Luke, scythe gripped tightly in his hand, the glow radiating from his body growing stronger and stronger.
His teeth gritted, Kronos pulled the scythe back and threw it at Percy. Percy narrowly dodged it, rolling out of the way just as the blade flashed over head. Something wasn't right. Why would Kronos throw the scythe, knowing that Percy's weak spot was on his back? There was absolutely no way he was going to hit it when Percy was facing him like this.
"Percy…" The voice sounded strained, and Percy's head immediately whipped around to Luke, standing there with a pained expression in his blue eyes. Blue eyes. They weren't golden anymore.
"Luke?"
"Percy, hurry. W-We don't have much time. Please, use the scythe. My-my weak spot," Luke said faintly, unbuckling his armor and revealing a small area of skin under his arm. Percy stood frozen, not knowing what to do. "Percy, hur-" Luke gasped and fell to his knees again. He looked up, his eyes flashing between gold and blue. "He's trying to take back control. Percy, do it now!"
Percy reached down and picked up the scythe, once the sword known as Backbiter, an abomination of steel and celestial bronze. Percy took a few hesitant steps forward. This was it, all he had to do was slash Luke in that little patch of skin, and it'd be over, everything would be over. All he had to do was kill Luke. And then it hit him. This wouldn't end it. No, because Kronos' scythe didn't kill people in the conventional way. It didn't draw blood, didn't sever muscle and tissue. No, it separated someone's soul from their body. If he slashed Luke, then the only person he would kill would be Luke. Kronos would still be inhabiting the body, and after a few moments, Kronos would take over. If it had been a normal blade, if would work fine. It would kill the body to strike the Achilles' heel, the body, and everything inside of it, including both souls. But, since it was Luke's body, not Kronos', to cut him with the scythe would only kill Luke's soul, and Kronos would win with no more resistance against him.
Percy didn't know what to do, even though he knew this was it. This was the decision the prophecy had foretold, here and now. He had to choose. The next ten seconds would determine whether Olympus stood or fell. He had reached Luke now. One of the last lines of the prophecy suddenly sprung out at him.
The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap
And just like that, Percy knew exactly what he had to do. He raised the scythe. Luke looked up at him and smiled weakly.
"Thank you, Percy," he said while closing his eyes. Percy moved the scythe, cutting into the weak spot. He gasped in pain and fell forward onto his hands and knees, the scythe falling to the ground with a clatter as he did.
Luke's eyes snapped open as Annabeth screamed, "Percy!" She ran forward and skidded to his side. "What the Hades are you thinking?" she cried, tears pouring down her face.
Percy reached out and grasped her hand before speaking very quietly, "Just be my lifeline, Annabeth. I'll come back." Grover and Thalia arrived just as Percy slumped over.
"Percy…" Annabeth sobbed, pulling his head into her lap. Grover collapsed to the ground and Thalia stood trembling.
"You!" she spat harshly, turning to Luke, only to jump back. "What the Zeus?!"
Annabeth looked up, and saw Luke was no longer glowing, rather, he was lying on the ground convulsing. Words were pouring out of his mouth, in three different voices.
"-ell are you doing in my body you fucking idiot?!"
"Savi-"
"I'll destroy the bot-"
"-ur ass, you stupid bastard."
She gasped and looked at Thalia. "W-Was that Percy's voice?" Thalia nodded numbly. "H-How-?" And then she looked down, Percy's last words to her suddenly making sense. "Be your lifeline, huh?" she whispered. "I think I can handle that." She grasped his hand even harder.
"Help me here."
"You fools, you cannot-"
"Shut up," two voices commanded simultaneously from Luke's mouth.
"It's my body, I'll damn well do what I please."
"Concentrate!"
"I am!"
"It'll never work!"
"We told you to shut up!"
"I am the Titan Lord, I am Kr-"
"I don't give a damn who you are, you're leaving my body now!"
"Get. OUT!"
And suddenly a great force exploded through the room, accompanied by a blinding light. When it cleared, Luke was no longer thrashing or speaking, but laid very still. Percy was in a similar state. Neither appeared to be breathing.
"Percy," Annabeth pleaded, leaning her face over his. "Percy." Tears begin to drip onto his face. "Please come back, Percy."
And suddenly he drew a deep, stuttering breath, as Luke did the same. The boys' eyes opened at the same time. Luke sat up and looked around, while Percy just stared at Annabeth. He threw her a lop-sided grin. "Told ya I'd come back."
She gave him a watery smile as she brushed some hair out of his eyes. "Yeah, you did."
Percy sat up and glanced over at Luke, who was now watching him. "Percy-" he started.
"You've got some pretty heavy stuff going on up there, you know that?" Percy interrupted, tapping his head. "You might wanna get that checked out."
Luke grinned weakly at him. "You might wanna look at get some mental help yourself, Mr. I'm-gonna-go-plunge-into-someone-else's-body."
Percy shrugged. "Seemed like a good idea at the time."
Luke was silent a minute. "Thank you, Percy," he finally said. "That was…ridiculously reckless and foolish, but probably the bravest thing ever. I didn't think I could be saved, I didn't even want to be saved. But, now, looking back, I'm glad you did. To die with that bastard would've really sucked."
Percy waved his statement away. "I was following the prophecy. Besides, you were fighting him this entire time. It's why his powers weren't working correctly, and why I had the chance to oust him from your body. Plus forcing him out would've been impossible without both of us." Percy's tone grew colder. "That doesn't mean I've forgiven you, you've still got a lot to make up for, especially Beckendorf and that pit scorpion."
"And I haven't forgiven you either," Thalia leaned down, grabbed the front of Luke's shirt and drug him to his feet.
"Thalia, I-"
He never finished, Thalia's hand came around so fast that there was no way he could've stopped it or moved out of the way. The crunch resounded brilliantly in the throne room, and Luke stumbled back, grasping his jaw. Thalia flexed her hand, punching him had hurt a bit, but she didn't care. She advanced on Luke, who shied away from her, expecting another fist to coming flying at him. Instead, he felt arms wrap around him and the air being crushed from his lungs. "Th-Thalia?"
"Don't you ever do something like that again, do you hear me? Never!" Luke swallowed and nodded. "I'll skin you alive next time you do. You got lucky this time, because Percy's a blockhead." At a sound of protest from said son of Poseidon, she added with a smile, "Given, a brave, strong, caring blockhead, but still a blockhead. We almost lost you, though, so no repeats."
It was at this point that the rest of the demigod force of Camp Half Blood burst through the throne room doors, bristling with weapons and eyes blazing, ready for a fight. Percy grinned and waved merrily from his sitting position, and laughed when he saw some of the looks the campers gave him, like he was insane. But he didn't care, it was over, finally, the war was over. Luke was alive. Kronos was defeated. Olympus was safe. All in all, it was a damn good day.
Clarisse marched over and glared at them as Annabeth helped Percy to his feet. "Well?" she spat our harshly.
"What do you think? It's done, Kronos is no longer a threat."
"You killed him?"
"You can't kill an immortal, Clarisse," Annabeth said.
"No, Percy drove him from my body," Luke stated, walking up to join them.
Clarisse leapt back, "Castellan, what are you-"
"It's fine, Clarisse. Without him we wouldn't have beaten Kronos."
"I still don't trust him, Jackson."
"That's fine, I don't either, just don't gut him alive, k?" She grunted. "By the way, how'd things go on your end?"
"We're here aren't we?"
"The enemy demigods?"
Clarisse whistled, and out of the crowd came Nico, leading a line of undead minions, each carrying a half-blood, bound and battered, but alive. Nico walked up to Percy and smirked at him. "So you won then, eh?"
"'Course I did."
"Bet you're glad you bathed in the Styx."
"Yeah, I'm glad I came up with that idea."
"Yeah- wait, hey!" Percy laughed and ruffled Nico's hair, while the son of Hades just glared at him.
"Oh calm down, I was joking. Yes, it really did help, and it was a good idea."
"Damn straight it was," Nico breathed. "Anyway, so what are we going to do with the-" Nico's words suddenly died in his throat as his dark eyes widened in surprise at something over Percy's shoulder. "What in Asphodel…"
Percy spun around, only to be swept off his feet into a large golden light. A voice laughed from all directions. "Now, Perseus Jackson, you may have stopped me, but I will ruin your life. I will turn them all against you, I will make you suffer." And suddenly images and began to flood his mind. He screamed; having information forced into your head was excruciating.
"Percy!" his friends cried, but he couldn't hear them.
"Now you understand. Olympus isn't safe. You know what you must do to make it safe. You know what you must sacrifice."
"No," Percy whimpered.
"It's unfair, isn't it? You've done so much, and yet, you must give up everything. Kronos laughed. "You have to, and you know you will."
"I don't want to."
"It doesn't matter. You will anyway. I've now guaranteed that I will see you, Perseus Jackson. And when I do, you will not enjoy it." He cackled one last time, and the light faded, dumping Percy to the floor.
His friends were around him in an instant, helping him up, asking if he was ok. He stood shakily, his limbs trembling. He looked to the prisoners and felt like he was going to be sick. He looked away. I don't want to, I don't want to. Tears began to stream down his face.
"Percy?" Annabeth asked worriedly. "Percy, are you ok?"
He looked at her before whispering so quietly that she was the only one who could hear him, "I'm sorry. Please forgive me."
"Wha-" Annabeth started but Percy was already moving, toward the prisoners.
"It's alright, Percy," Clarisse explained, as she saw how he was staring at them so intensely. "They're unarmed, and they surrendered to us and promised to follow the gods. A few of them even helped us near the end. They're on our side, trust me. There's no need to-" Clarisse suddenly shouted as Percy pulled Riptide from his pocket and uncapped it. "-threaten…them…" Clarisse's voice slowly died from angry to frightened awe as Percy slashed riptide through the nearest demigods neck, cleaning severing his head.
Thalia, Luke, Nico, and Grover gasped, and Grover slid to the ground. Annabeth just watched in horrified silence as Percy stabbed the next half-blood through the chest, she slumped to the ground, lifeless. She couldn't comprehend, what was he doing. Tears tracked their way down her face as she watched Percy slaughter the prisoners. What had happened to him? He would never do this. Who was he? "Percy…" But that person wasn't Percy. That person coated in blood, wide-eyed, tears still streaming down his face. That was bloodthirsty murderer. Nico and Luke snapped themselves out of their stunned states and made to stop Percy. Nico motioned, and his skeleton warriors began to close on the son of Poseidon, while Luke ran at him, Thalia, who had also recovered, at his side. Grover brought his pipes feebly to his lips and tried to play a tune, but it was just a bunch of noise. He was too confused, too mortified by what was happening to play anything.
Annabeth watched as Percy threw Luke off his back, slamming him to the ground. He watched as he bound Thalia in ropes of blood from his fallen victims. Watched as he cut down demigod and skeleton alike, picking up one of the warriors weapons and whipping it at Nico. The blunt end caught him in the head, and he was knocked out. His minions disappeared. Watched as he grabbed Clarisse's spear and turned it against her, knocking her out with her own voltage.
Percy was so tired, so frustrated, so depressed. He was crying, but he couldn't stop, he couldn't stop this, else everything he had fought for would be destroyed. All his friends would die, and the gods wouldn't stand a chance. Percy slashed through a half-blood and turned expecting to impale the girl who had been tied behind him. When he turned, he saw that she was free, and that she was looking at him. He froze, Riptide hovering out in front of him. She smiled, violet eyes sparkling at him. She slowly walked forward, impaling herself on the bronze sword. She reached up and gently rested her hand on his cheek. He flinched, but she just smiled even wider.
"Thank you, Percy," she spoke, her voice gentle. "I know what you're giving up by doing this. I didn't want this, they forced it on me. Thank you, for freeing us." She leaned over and planted a kiss on his cheek, and then slumped forward, dead. Percy slowly pulled Riptide free, fresh tears clouding his vision. He looked up and noticed the last prisoner sprinting for the doors out of the throne room, ignoring the fact that he was plunging through the ranks of the camp's forces. Percy cocked back his hand and threw Riptide.
Several things happened at once.
As soon as Riptide had left Percy's hand, Luke grabbed him from behind and slid his arms under Percy's. Riptide pierced the demigod's chest just as the doors burst open, revealing the gods, returning triumphant from defeating Typhon. Poseidon, being the hero who had made the decisive difference (at his son's prompting) was leading, and thus was sprayed with blood when Percy's sword hit its target. His eyes widened in surprise at the scene that met him.
Maybe it was the sight of his father covered in blood, he didn't know. But at that instant something snapped inside of Percy. He began screaming incoherently, thrashing and writhing about in Luke's hold, trying to break free, to do anything. Nothing made sense in his mind anymore. Diamond-edged fragments of thoughts were caught in a vortex of pain so absolute Percy felt like he was drowning. And he didn't know what it felt like to drown. And then, he didn't know why, but he started laughing. High, broken, hysterical laughter. Despite the blood covering him, despite the arms that gripped him roughly, despite the tears flowing down his face, he laughed, and laughed, and laughed. He didn't know why, he didn't care. Maybe it was his body's defense, because he no longer had control of his body at all. He had retreated to his mind, though that place was no more comforting than the outside world. Every thought, every action. Everything hurt. And he knew it was only going to get worse.
The next time Percy became aware of himself the gods were sentencing him to Tartarus, thought Poseidon protested angrily. He looked around the throne room. He wasn't sure exactly how much time had passed since the battle, but the room was pristine again. Percy was barely aware when his friends came up to him one by one to say their goodbyes. Grover was first, he hugged Percy, and bawled horribly. Percy looked at him with dead eyes and told him quietly to sever their empathy link. He didn't want him suffering what he was going to suffer.
Surprisingly, Clarisse was next. She stomped up to him and glared at him before saying in a threatening voice, "Don't you go dying until we figure out what the fuck's going on, Jackson. I still have to kick your ass many more times before we're through."
Then Nico stepped up. "I'll visit you as often as I can, though I'm half inclined not to, after that crack in the skull." He grinned, but upon seeing that Percy's face remained emotionless, it slowly faded away. "We'll get you out, Percy, I swear." He shook Percy's hand and backed away.
Next was Thalia, who threw her arms around his neck. "Take care of yourself, alright? I'll come visit with Nico when I can, I swear. Goodbye, Percy." She lightly kissed his cheek. "I will see you free again, I promise."
It was Luke next. He gripped Percy's shoulder. "Regardless of whether you've forgiven me or not, I'm going to do my best to get you out of there. I know that Kronos still had something up his sleeve, and I know that what you did somehow stopped it." He clapped his shoulder and joined the others.
Percy raised his head and looked around, expecting one more person to bid him farewell. When he saw her, see was standing on the other side, staring at him with unreadable gray eyes. He slowly approached her. She flinched every step he took, and when he got closer he expression became scared and angry. "Get away from me," she hissed. "Go to Tartarus where you belong." The small, remaining portion of his world shattered. His mind broke, and he plunged once again into unconsciousness.
The next time his mind woke up, he was in Tartarus, and Kronos was smiling over him. It was then that his suffering truly started, the only thing to keep him company the deep sense of betrayal.
There was silence around the room as the demigods completed the tale. Percy had told the majority of it, but everyone had even added their own bits. Annabeth squirmed uncomfortably, not only because she had just been painfully of how badly she had abandoned Percy, but because something was wrong with Percy's story. The great shining light that had caught Percy, and his apology to her, she didn't remember them. Something was wrong.
"So that's it then?" Sally Blofis questioned quietly. She had her arm around Percy, as if afraid that to let him go would be to lose him again.
Thalia looked down at her shoes. "We're sorry Mrs. Jackson. Lord Poseidon thought it'd be better if we told you he was gone, rather than tell you he was suffering at the hands of Kronos."
Sally stared at her. She wasn't sure what to say. She wasn't sure if she was angry or not. All she knew was that the horrible, wretched emptiness that had settled in her gut since the day the blue lights failed to appear at the top of the Empire State Building was gone. Percy was here, back, with her. She was still finding it hard to believe. She was going to have to have his grave removed from the cemetery.
As joyed as she was, the story disturbed her, knowing that her son had lost sanity, has gone on a killing spree. She could see in his eyes that he was still unstable, that everything still was not right with him.
She looked at Percy before asking quietly, "So what was it that Kronos showed you, dear?"
Percy stiffened. Sally stroked his hair, and his eased up a little. "He showed me the faces of fifty demigods, the ones that I killed. He then showed me the faces of fifty minor gods, and explained that in each of those demigods resided a minor god. They had followed Kronos' lead in possessing bodies. They were going to sneak their way into the throne room under the guise of captured soldiers, then transform and destroy the seats of power, ruining the gods and everything we had fought for."
A stunned silence met his words. "Y-You mean…that's why you…why you…" Nico stuttered.
"Yes," Percy said, his voice low.
"Why didn't you tell else before?" cried Grover.
"I couldn't. My mind was too far gone."
"That's what mother meant when she said you saved Olympus twice! Oh gods, Percy you did it all for us! I'm so so-"
"What I don't understand," Percy said coldly, talking over Annabeth as if she had never opened her mouth, "is why nobody realized that Kronos was behind it, what with the shining light and all."
"Um…Percy…" Nico said nervously, licking his lips. "We…we didn't…"
"We didn't see that light Percy," Luke took over for him, "and neither did Annabeth hear your apology to her before you killed the demigods. She would've mentioned it if she had, I'm sure."
"You…you didn't see it? But…But I know you did, you all called out my name when I was caught."
"Perhaps I can shed some light on that," said a new voice, from a man now sitting beside Percy on the couch as if he had been there the whole time. He was wearing sandals, tropical shirts, and Bermuda shorts, despite the fact that it was almost winter. His dark beard was well trimmed. His sea green eyes sparkled.
"Dad!" Percy exclaimed at the same time Sally spluttered out "Poseidon!"
"Lord Poseidon!" the other demigods cried, bowing.
The God of the Sea waved his hands in front of him. "Settle down. Everybody just sit back down. Hello, Percy, good to see you."
Percy smiled, "Good to see you too, dad."
"Now, son, what you did on Half-Blood Hill was foo-"
"I don't care. You were the only one who was opposed to sending me to Tartarus, aside from Mr. D., who was just apathetic. You were only one who worked with my friends to try and get me out for three years. You're the only one who deserves my respect."
"Yes, well, making enemies of my siblings may not have been the best decision, but," he shrugged, "what's done is done. Anyway, yes, the reason you have different accounts of that day. Let me tell you all about a Titan, a Titan known as Mnemosyne."
A/N: So yeah, just a nice explanation of what went down and why all this is happening, hope you guys enjoyed, review please, let me know what you think, ask me questions or anything
oh, and the title, in case you were wondering, is taken from 'the feather that broke the camel's back'
