Hello and welcome back:

Warning bcs it might be idk: insanity, death yeah if it may trigger you then read at your own risk

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X-X-Part 1-Chapter 6-X-X

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He heard them before he saw them. The clashing of sword on sword, the clanging of metal on metal. He heard it and immediately adrenaline started to curse through him, he swore. Not now. Not now. It was the last thing he needed, to have his limbs feel like lead. To have his heart racing against time. He couldn't afford it.

He heard the words right before the cannon came, "This is for my friend!"

The a scream split the air and a cannon followed.

Percy didn't need to see to know that the boy from eight had just been killed by the one from one. Which meant that the boy from eight had managed to kill the girl from one when —he was now sure— he'd clashed with the careers, with his buddy from eleven. Great effort from him, unlucky ending, though. For all of them. Himself included.

There were only three of them left now. Himself and two others. Two careers who would no doubt be ready to hunt him down at the moment. The boy, Kevin, from one, and the girl, Sasha, from one. A sword, and arrows. Little did they know, they already been hunted down by him.

The hunters had become the hunted.

He slowly and stealthily stepped closer, making sure he remained unheard and unseen, years of a life as a demigod giving him that stealth. He reached the point where he could hear them.

"—go after him!" the girl was saying. "He's in that direction. We can take him!"

There was hesitation from the boy, Kevin. "Mmh, I'm not sure, we have to plan this right. I saw him kill Luciana and Kiro with precise movements. We need a plan, we can't go after him now. Not when he'll probably be angry for the girl."

"That's exactly why we sent Ethan down to get him to come into us—"

"Yeah," Kevin said sarcastically. "That sure was a good plan, since he killed Ethan. That would have been three against one. Now it's only two, and you can't even fight in close combat."

"My bow is weapon enough in close combat," she said. "We can take him, Kev. We just gotta try. Hunt him down before he gets away—"

Percy couldn't wait any longer, he stepped out of his hiding spot behind the tree and made himself very visible and audible. He walked towards them, taking out Riptide and uncapping it. Watching as their faces went full with surprise and then shock because they were talking about him, and he was there.

Talk of devil and he shall come.

He continued to step towards them, even when the girl, Sasha, notched an arrow in her bow and fired it. H merely sidestepped, which resulted in her simply notching the arrow, without firing it. Aiming at him. Kevin on the other hand gripped the hilt of his sword tighter.

"I'm afraid I won't be going anywhere," he said calmly as he looked down at the dead body of the sixteen year old from District Eight. He didn't let his lifeless eyes get to him. He looked back at the careers, at Kevin. "Would have never thought to hear you're afraid of me."

"Not afraid," Kevin told him, his voice steady as he twisted the hilt of the blade in his hands. Percy stopped approaching them, standing little less than five yards away from them. "Just cautious."

"Of what?" Percy asked causally. "Me?" He chuckled softly. "So this is the end, three of us left. I can only imagine what must be going through your minds."

"That you're dead," Sasha said, and let loose her arrow. He swiftly sidestepped, then broke into a run at the same time Kevin did.

During that split second they were running at each other, Percy noted everything he'd need to know about what sort of fighter this teen really was. Unfortunately for him, he doubted he was as stupid and bad as the other ones he'd killed. This one had an inkling of what he was doing.

What was worse, Sasha kept shooting her arrows. Some narrowly missed him.

Then his sword clashed with Kevin's and the other teen was forced to step back because of the raw force Percy had exhibited in that one single blow. It was nothing compared to how he usually would fight, but it'd be enough to have him be weary. Not that he wasn't already.

But Kevin was quick to recover and try to hit him with his own blow. Something Percy parroted off and attacked back on his own. Then he decided that perhaps, he could end it quickly. He wiped his legs at Kevin's and kicked his feet from under him. Kevin fell, his knees hitting the ground hardly, making a very unsatisfying noise.

He leveled his sword at his throat, ready to make the final move, and then move on to the girl. Only, Kevin spoke.

"How did she look like, when she died?"

Percy stilled and it was exactly what Kevin had hoped for. Because then a second later an arrow pierced his arm, and then Kevin was back on his feet and then he was kicking at Percy's sword making it clatter to the ground at the very same time the demigod had crouched down to get the dagger from his boot. He threw it —at the same time his sword fell out of his grip— at the girl. It hit home.

She fell backwards. Dead before she hit the floor.

Percy's vision was blinded for a moment, blue eyes—dead blue eyes were in front of him. And— there was so much blood. His hands were full of it. They were still dirty. His clothes were still dirty. Blood coated him everywhere on him.

He tried to reaching for his sword, a boot crashed down on his left hand. Before he could acknowledge that his hand has just been broken, fracture in so many tiny places, a foot connected with his gut. Then he was sent spiraling backwards. His head hit something and he saw black for a second or two.

Why was he so weak.

Why was he letting Kevin beat him.

He'd failed her.

That was why.

He'd failed her.

He'd been sleeping, while she'd been tortured. Tortured because they had wanted to get to him, to find him. She'd been tortured because of him. Killed because of him, her family, a beautiful family, would never see their daughter Manila again. Her brother, would never see her sister again. Ever again.

It was his fault.

It should have been him.

Why was he coming to this realization now? Why hadn't it come when he'd been by her side? Why did it need to happen when he was at the mercy—at the mercy of his enemy. Of an eighteen year old that had been taught how to fight so he could one day win the games would he be chosen, or would he choose to volunteer like he had.

Why was he letting him.

He had a war to fight. One that did not take place here. One that—

His vision cleared. Like it wanted to warn him. Warn him that he was about to lose something very important. He saw Kevin, looming over him. He couldn't see him well, there was blood in his eyes. Yet, he could see the arrows he held in each hand.

Then his ears exploded, and he yelled. For the first time in months, he felt new pain. For the first time in months, he yelled in that same pain. Then he couldn't hear his yells anymore. He was nothing. He could hear nothing. Nothing at all. He might as well die.

Then he was stabbed through the gut, and he gasped.

"Annabeth," he said. He wasn't sure how loudly, he knew he opened his mouth and did what he usually did when he spoke, but he didn't hear it. He only felt it.

His hands clutched the snow beneath him. He clutched it like his life depended on it. Which it did. He felt that feeling in his gut. Like something was twisting around. He felt it and then, even after the sword had been yanked out, he felt relief flood him. From where the wound had caved a hole in his back, the snow healed him, kept him alive.

It was out of his control. There was blood coming out of his ears. A lot of it.

He was dying.

He knew he was.

Annabeth.

Something collided with his face, he felt his nose break, he didn't hear it, but he felt it. Then there was a blade stabbing him again. And again.

With every stab wound he gained, he repeated her name in his mind. Over and over again. It gave him strength, it gave him more will to fight. It gave him a reason to fight. He could barely see Kevin, above him, desperately trying to kill him. Little did he know, like this, he was as good as immortal. On snow, on his solidified element. He was.

Poseidon.

His father was somewhere. A prisoner of war like he'd been. Probably being put to torments similar like his own. Probably worse.

Annabeth.

She was out there somewhere, she was out there, and he would not give up, not for her. Not for any of his friends who were fighting a war outside of this country. Who were fighting their own friends. Who were fighting the very earth. He only hoped they'd hold on longer.

He'd manage to go back.

He'd manage, if it was the last thing he'd do.

He moved his arm, elbowing Kevin in the face, then he pushed him off. The walking dead. That was what he must have resembled. He started chuckling. Then he started laughing. Really loud. He couldn't hear it, but his throat was raw. He could only guess it was loud.

His ears were still bleeding, but his wounds were not.

Kevin looked about ready to piss himself and then beg for mercy. Oh, Percy wouldn't give it. Probably because he wouldn't hear the pleads, and then also because he wasn't feeling like it. No, he was feeling like tearing this guy apart.

He stood on his feet, and Kevin now really looked terrified.

He stumbled to where the boy from one was, laying on the blood-covered snow. He kneed him in the face with energy he wasn't sure he still had left in himself. Must be the snow. "You think, you could kill me?"

He kicked him in the face. Then with his robotic arm grabbed him by the throat and raised him up, off his feet. Kevin's sword slid out of his hands and they started clawing at Percy's metallic one. The demigod slammed him into a tree. "You can't kill me. You stupid fool. You are nothing compared to what I am. Nothing. Now," he said as he let him go, letting him fall to his knees, holding his throat, coughing and surely making gagging sounds which Percy could not hear.

Percy grabbed his sword and leveled it at Kevin's throat. Holding his hair with his broken hand, so that he could then hold his head steady as the blade would pierce his neck.

"You don't deserve this," he said, not entirely sure the young man could hear him. "But I'll make it quick, like I made it quick for all of the others. Although perhaps it'd only be fair if I beat you like you did me. But then that'd take too long and I fear I might actually die in the process, you see—" He pointedly glanced down at himself. "—I'm not exactly stable right now. So I don't know. Say your last words or something."

The young man wasn't yielding, he didn't say anything. Percy swayed slightly on his feet. He started dwindling why the guy wasn't simply fighting back. Oh, maybe because he probably looked completely and utterly insane. He surely felt like it so he wouldn't be surprised if he did look it.

"Well," Percy said, trying for a bored sound but unsure of where he achieved it. His sword moving and nicking his Kevin's head, drawing blood. "To whoever this guy's family is, I tried to get him to tell you how much he's always loved you. Then it's his own fault he didn't open his mouth."

Had one blinked they'd have missed it. The moment where he pushed the blade through Kevin's neck. Mercilessly. Without hesitation. Then he yanked his sword out.

His vision cleared. His mind cleared. The realization of everything that had happened in the past who-knows-how-long hitting him hard. He deserved that pain. He fell down, stabbing his sword to the ground. He was on his knees as he saw the jet come over. He saw it clearly, yet he didn't hear anything. Then there were people around him. Grabbing him by the arms, hurriedly dragging him towards the jet. He let them.

Slowly, his vision tunneled and turned into black.

~.~.~.~

Her heart broke into a million pieces. All in the span of two hours. All because she'd been awake and watching that gods-damned screen. Because she'd been watching the games. Been watching him. She'd heard it, the plan the careers had devised to round him up and then take him out all together. Had she been there, she would have come up with a much better plan, one which would have succeeded. They weren't children of Athena, though, and their plan had sucked. To the very core.

She'd then also seen, how the boy from four, had lured Manila off and away from Percy. Stupid girl, she should have waked him then and there, would have saved herself while he took care of it. She paid for that mistake, dearly. Because then she'd walked into a clearing, and the boy fell on top of her, having climbed into a tree. Something had snapped in the impact, and seeing as though Manila didn't stand up, Annabeth feared it had been her spine. She'd screamed, loudly, and Annabeth could only hope, for both her and him, that Percy had heard it.

The video did change to him, showing as he woke up. As he fell right into the trap. Then his pen was becoming a sword and he was running. Right where the careers had wanted him to run to. Right towards them. Instead of having to chase him, he'd arrive to them. They'd be the ones choosing the fighting grounds, they could prepare it, snare it and put traps wherever they'd like, and he'd walk right into it.

He left everything behind, she knew immediately it would be a big mistake, something he'd regret later. For now, she watched, her heart beating loudly, as he made his way to the girl he'd grown attached to. To Manila, who had kept screaming, the sound a background noise as he moved through the trees. Zipped through them as if they moved away for him, as if he could do so without looking.

His face broke her just as much as seeing what the boy had done to Manila. It was so, broken. He looked dead again. Hollow and lifeless like when she'd seen him curled in that cell, afraid of her touch. For a moment there, his expression had morphed into the same one he'd worn then. Broken. Utterly broken. Someone who was ready to give up. Someone who had already given up. Then it was gone, and replaced in it was only rage.

The boy from four ran. Smart choice. She knew though, that he wasn't running just to flee, but also to lead him to the careers, who were ready to take him on as a pack.

Her last minutes she had to take her eyes off the screen. That was private. It shouldn't be displayed on a screen for thousands and thousands to see. It shouldn't be shown as an entertainment show. How could the people of the Capitol enjoy this. How could they clap at it, laugh at it. Why didn't they go in an arena and fight to the death. Why did they do this?

He'd cried, and Annabeth really, really wished he hadn't. It broke her heart, to see him like that. To see him as he'd been only two months ago. She cried herself. For both the girl —she had started to feel for her— and for him. His flaw was loyalty, personal loyalty, and if the time she'd seen them on this screen told her anything, that she had his loyalty to the very heart. He had been ready to freeze to death so she'd be warm. Ready to give her more provisions to make sure that even if they got separated she'd have a better shot at survival.

Now that person was dying.

She'd been hurt while he'd been sleeping.

That, Annabeth was sure got to him. Too deeply.

In those minutes there, she saw him break. Saw him get shattered. Let himself be shattered.

He didn't stop it.

"Oh my God," Mrs. Lewis whispered from beside her on the couch.

Annabeth didn't respond to that. She couldn't respond to that.

Then she died. Manila died and he lay still. Five minutes. Where she thought he might die. Where she had thought he'd been frozen up like a statue. Then the tears stopped flowing. His features relaxed and locked into place. He looked dead. His skin was pale. His eyes were hollow. His lips blue.

He stood, not a heartbeat later he was running, sprinting, towards the District Four boy. It didn't take him more than a minute for him to catch up. She saw the fear on the boy's face as he heard himself being chased. Chased by what looked to be a demon.

Then Percy was on top of him, pinning him to the ground. Grabbing the dagger from his hands. Threatening him. He seemed ready to torture the poor kid. Do to him what he'd done to Manila. She was ready to look away, unable to look at him as he'd do that. She didn't want to see that part of him. She wasn't sure anyone would want to see it. In fact, she was pretty sure that if anyone did see it, they'd be scarred for life.

Yet, Percy didn't do that. He didn't hurt the boy. He went on a rant, on how much he was ready and longing to do it. Though he didn't. He explained why and Annabeth choked back a sob. Even then. Even after the guy had just killed his friend, tapped into his fatal flaw. He was ready to forgive for the sake of others. For the sake of the family of the boy who was no doubt watching, and praying. Like she was.

The boy didn't manage to say much before Percy then drove the dagger in his heart, cutting him off, killing him immediately. He didn't seem to regret. Not yet. He would though, when he'd acknowledge it. When the realization would hit him that he'd killed a seventeen year old. Had him pinned and mercilessly killed him.

At least he hadn't suffered.

Percy had then continued to walk, not run, towards where the careers were camped. Towards their trap. He started hugging himself, the cold hitting him. Then the jet came. His expression didn't change as it picked up his friend. As it picked up the teen he'd just killed. He kept it in an emotionless state. A mask to cover up everything he was no doubt feeling.

She bit her her lips, and she swallowed. Hard.

The shot changed, and it showed the boy from eight, slowly, silently, creeping his way towards the careers. His axe held tightly in his hand as his eyes looked as alert as ever. He was on the same course as Percy had been, only, much ahead.

Then the careers had spotted him, heard him when he stepped on a twigs and made that cliche noise that averted the bad guys of your whereabouts. He stopped dead. Then an arrow pierced the trunk next to where his head was.

The careers ran to him, and too late for him to back out now. He was scared, they were careers. Probably both fed better than he'd been, less injured and in much better conditions. He was just himself. And he was outnumbered. Perhaps he could still take them.

Before he could even raise his axe, an arrow pierced his shin, and then Kevin's sword was stabbing towards him. He pushed it to the side with his axe. Stepping back as he did so.

Their fight confined for a good five minutes until Kevin had the guy disarmed. Yet, he didn't look scared. He was ready for it. He had been before he had decided to walk to them. To challenged them. He knew he would have most likely lost. Annabeth respected him and when she heard the cannon, she closed her Rey's for a moment, praying to Hades —or whoever controlled the underworld now, Alcyneous most likely— to let him reach Elysium.

Then when she looked back at the screen, Percy was visible, spying on the careers, hiding behind a tree. His face as impassive as it had been then. If he was scared, he didn't show it. He didn't show anything. Annabeth knew, though, that he wasn't scared. He was calm. As calm as one could be when facing what he was facing.

She watched, as he continued on spying on them, hearing them debate on whether they should hunt him down or not since they were the only ones left and he was good at what he did. That perhaps they'd need to plan before jumping into it, not simply jump into it. She agreed with the guy, although if they went with the girl's idea then it'd be over quickly.

Although, it wouldn't be either of their choices, because he was already there, and he was ready to kill. It could be seen in his eyes. The killing calm.

He stepped away from his hiding spot, making himself visible and Annabeth had to hold back a giggle.

Dramatic much?

"I'm afraid I won't be going anywhere," he said calmly as he looked down at the dead body of the sixteen year old from District Eight. He looked back at the careers, at Kevin and Annabeth could swear she saw an amused twinkle in his eyes. "Would have never thought to hear you're afraid of me."

"This is about to get ugly," Jake voiced out. "Isn't it?"

Annabeth nodded absently. "Not ugly, really ugly."

"Not afraid," Kevin said, his voice steady as he twisted the hilt of the blade in his hands. He stopped approaching them, standing little less than five yards away from them. "Just cautious."

"Of what?" Percy asked causally, and Annabeth hated that tone. So dead and void of emotions. "Me?"

Of course you, you stupid reckless fool, Annabeth wanted to scream at him. They'd be even bigger fools for not fearing you.

He chuckled softly. "So this is the end, three of us left. I can only imagine what must be going through your minds."

"That you're dead," Sasha said, and let loose her arrow. He swiftly sidestepped, then broke into a run at the same time Kevin did.

During that split second they were running at each other, Annabeth noticed Percy's eyes running over Kevin, no doubt to pick up everything he could. Annabeth had seen Kevin fight more than once, had seen him take lives like they were nothing but slaughter animals. Had seen him cut through the other tributes like they were butter. So perhaps, this fight would be interesting, perhaps it'd require something more than force for Percy to win.

She was ready to got here and take the girl out without a second thought. Because she just kept shooting arrows at him. Some even just narrowly missing him.

Then his sword clashed with Kevin's and the other teen was forced to step back because of the raw force Percy had exhibited in that one single blow. No doubt the factor that his right arm was robotic and he barely felt anything through it, and that he could channel extra force through it helped.

Kevin was quick to recover and try to hit Percy with his own blow. Something Percy parried off and used to attack on his own. Then he seemed to come to a solution in his mind, she could read it in his eyes. Soethgn to end the fight before it could get too bloody and messy. Unnecessarily so. He wiped his legs at Kevin's and kicked his feet from under him. Kevin fell, his knees hitting the ground hardly, making such noise that Annabeth was sure it had hurt the guy.

Percy then leveled his sword at his throat, ready to make the final move, and Annabeth really thought, just a few more minutes and it'd be over for him.

"How did she look like, when she died?"

Percy stilled. Annabeth stilled. How dare he say that. How dare—a second later an arrow pierced Percy's arm, and then Kevin was back on his feet and then he was kicking at Percy's sword making it clatter to the ground at the very same time the demigod had crouched down to get the dagger from his boot. He threw it —at the same time his sword fell out of his grip— at the girl. It hit home.

She fell backwards. Dead before she hit the floor.

A cannon sounded.

Annabeth whimpered as Percy seemed to have lost his sense of sight, like something was obscuring his vision. His left hand blindly searching the snow for his fallen sword. She gasped when the boot connected with his hand, when she heard the bones break underneath the weight. Then as Kevin kicked him in the gut, sending him back. His head hitting on a sharp rock. He didn't stand up.

She started shaking as Kevin grabbed two arrows, from Sasha's quiver, two brand new arrows, shining in the moonlight and approached Percy.

"No," Annabeth muttered. "Please no." She knew he couldn't hear her, but it was all she could do as she watched Percy open his eyes, blink the blood out of them and stare at Kevin.

He didn't move.

Then Kevin stabbed both arrows in his ears and Annabeth cried out and jumped to her feet. The same moment that Percy yelled. His yell rang through her ears. It rang and it didn't end, even when he closed his mouth and his head fell back. When Kevin yanked the arrows out, showing bleeding ears.

"Ooh," Cesear said. "That does not look good. Could it be, that the one everyone is betting on, will actually be beaten? That Kevin from District One, will actually make his way home?"

She fell to her knees, her hand covering her mouth as she stared at the dagger Kevin held above Percy's stomach. She sagged on her heels, a sob shook her as it was stabbed in his gut and her lover gasped. Gasped in pain. His eyes unfocused and Annabeth feared he didn't see clearly anymore.

Then he muttered the word that was her undoing. "Annabeth."

A sob shook her violently, and the tears came down faster than they did before.

He wasn't going to die.

He would not die because of these Hunger Games.

Not when she still needed him.

Not when there were people that were searching for them.

When the world was going to hell.

He clutched the snow beneath him. His fingers curling in it and Annabeth smiled through her scowl. He was trying to fight back, albeit unknown to everyone else watching. He was calling on his powers, pleading it to help him. To heal him.

There it was, relief on his face. If only for a moment before the sword was yanked out and his body raised with it. Then slumped back on the ground, were relief seemed to flood him again.

Then his lips moved again, though no sound came out. She read them. He was mouthing her name.

Kevin looked angry, enraged. Probably wondering why the bastard was still alive. While he was still breathing. Why the cannon hadn't gone off yet.

He punched Percy, hard, in the face. There was a loud crack-like noise and Annabeth just knew that his nose had been broken. She dug her nails in her palm.

"Come on, Percy," she muttered, she prayed like he was a god, she pleaded. "Get up."

Then Kevin had his dagger out again, and he was stabbing him, again, and again, and again.

He didn't react to them. Merely kept his eyes on Kevin, unfocused. Annabeth just knew he was losing it. Losing. Losing the will to live, to fight back. Losing his life. Losing everything.

Kevin tried killing him, in so many ways, but the cannon never went off.

"What is he, a god?" Mr. Lewis, the mayor of District Six, said incredulously. "Why isn't he dying? He should have been dead with the first one."

The Cesear's face appeared next to the live feed from the arena where he was a prisoner in, where he was being stabbed in. Repeatedly. "Seems as though this one is one heck of a fighter," he said. "He should technically be dead. But, he's still alive. Somehow."

Lies.

Annabeth could see it, that Cesear Flickerman was lying. She knew he knew exactly why Percy was still alive. Why he was still breathing when those wounds would have killed any other. He knew. He was lying. She wondered how wonderful it'd be, if he was ratted out. If a rumor that the presenter of the Hunger Games and most popular entertainment on the screen in Panem, was a liar.

Then the screen went back to the arena.

To Percy and Kevin.

Kevin was about to stab Percy again, the dagger angled over his heart, and Annabeth literally stopped being. She stopped breathing. She stopped moving. She stopped thinking.

Then Percy moved.

His right elbow hit Kevin in the face. Then he punched him in the chest. Pushing him off himself. He kicked him away with what strength he seemed to have left.

He chuckled. A sick maniacal sound which frightened her. Because it sounded nothing like him. Nothing like the Percy Jackson she loved. That chuckle turned into a full blown laugh. A horrible sound. Really loud. A really loud horrible sound. It rung in her ears uncomfortably.

His wounds had stopped bleeding. All but his ears. Those were still leaking blood. Annabeth wondered how much his hearing had been damaged. If he realized it.

Kevin looked ready to piss himself. Annabeth would be, too, because Percy looked like The Walking Dead. The teen from District One looked ready to beg for his life, or at least have mercy and end it quickly. Yet, when Annabeth looked at Percy, she saw he had no intention of doing that.

He stood up, on his feet, and the expression on Kevin's face was one of pure terror.

Percy stumbled to where he was, laying on his knees, in a crouch, on the bloodied snow. Annabeth watched with horror, as Percy kneed him in the face, with strength that one in his conditions shouldn't have. Then Annabeth remembered the snow. Water in a colder state. Still water.

"You think, you could kill me?" he asked in a tone that chilled her to the very bone. The way he said 'me', his lip curling deviously, his eyes narrowing.

He kicked Kevin in the face. Blood splattered on the white snow, staining it. Then she watched in silence, having ceased any sound as Percy grabbed him by the neck with his robotic arm, locking it around his throat. Then he raised him off the ground. Kevin seemed to unwillingly drop his sword. Then both his hands started to try to pry the metallic hand of his throat. Percy merely slammed him into a tree.

"You can't kill me. You stupid fool," he said, and Annabeth was surprised that it hadn't been a roar. Only a a mock. His voice steady and calm. "You are nothing compared to what I am. Nothing. Now—" he then said as he let him go. Kevin fell to his knees, his hands holding his quickly darkening throat. Gasping for breath. Gagging as he tried to choke down air.

Percy grabbed his sword, Riptide, which Annabeth now hated seeing, because this was not what it was supposed to do. Heck, Celestial bronze shouldn't even be able to touch these people, much less kill them. But it was able to. Annabeth had the slightest suspicion that Gaea had something to do with this. Something for sure.

She caught her breath as he leveled his sword at Kevin's neck. One quick flick of his wrist and the guy would be dead. His left hand grabbed his hair, and Annabeth knew it wasn't only to keep him from running off. It was for something else too. An executioner's grip. That was what it looked like. Percy looked like an executioner. She wasn't sure she could watch.

"You don't deserve this," he said, not so calmly. It was clear he was fighting an internal battle. The more savage part of him wanting to torture the guy in front him. It must have taken him much restraint not to do so. Especially when he looked so deadly. "But I'll make it quick. Like I made it quick for all the others. Although perhaps, it'd only be fair if I beat you, like you beat me. But then that'd take to long, and I fear I might actually die in the process. You see—" he glanced down at himself, at the wounds on his stomach. "—I'm not exactly stable right now. So I don't know. Say your last words or something."

Kevin said nothing. Annabeth didn't blame him.

"Well," Percy said, sounding bored. "To whoever this guy's family is, I tried to get him to tell you how much he's always loved you. Then it's his own fault he didn't open his mouth."

She should have blinked, then perhaps she'd have missed it. The moment, where Percy pushed the blade forward and through Kevin's neck. It had been without hesitation and absolutely merciless. Kevin was dead before she could fully comprehend it. Then Percy yanked his sword out.

A I'd followed as Kevin's body hit the ground.

The last cannon sounded.

It didn't take long for her to then watch as he fell to his knees on the snow. As he stabbed his sword through it. As realization hit him of everything he'd done. As his eyes seemed to clear, become more focused. A misty veil she hadn't realized had been on them, vanishing.

Then the screen changed. She knew she wouldn't be seeing him any time soon. Not until the interview for the victor.

.

I'm not fully sure about this chapter but...yeah.

Review and follow. Tell me what you thought.

Hunter