Chapter 9

Choices

Poseidon's POV

"Damn. Stuck between two choices. Both would be perfect, but both carry risks. What if his body can't handle it? I doubt that Hades would allow for a THIRD chance." I thought. I watched the ocean floor as I swam in the warm waters of the Caribbean. I glanced at Percy's face. Air bubbles floated out of his mouth, and he looked peaceful almost as if he was sleeping. Although he was no longer alive, the water still healed his body, and the scythe wound was completely healed up, if not a little pink.

I turned back to watching the sea floor, mulling over what I planned to do. And Athena said I was the stupid one! If this worked, Percy would be…formidable, to put it lightly.

I looked back down at Percy's face and saw that more air bubbles were pouring out. They collected in front of me, forming one giant air bubble. Then the middle began to shimmer with the colors of the rainbow. An Iris message. I accepted the message from Iris, and two figures appeared.

My brother Zeus appeared, and so did my niece Athena. Both looked serious, but Athena had an extra spice of dislike about her. Dislike towards me. I nodded to them in greetings. "Zeus. Athena." I said. They nodded back and returned my greeting.

Then they launched into an attack of words. Both were adamant about preventing me from helping my son. "Poseidon! You know the rules! No direct help from the Gods and Goddesses!" But I shot back at him, "Yes, because aiding Thalia was an indirect aid, right?" Zeus looked away, and I knew I had made a point. Athena rounded on me then. "Fool. The risks here are enormous. If Perseus can not handle the change, he will be a danger to all of us, not just Kronos." She spoke in a very calm way, as if she was discussing the weather over one of my islands. Incidentally, whirlpools born of my anger circulated there in the seas. I had no reply for her statement though. I spoke in a clear, calm voice, "I have faith in my son." But Zeus bounced back. "Brother, I understand. But I do not have faith in him." It was spoken in complete calm, and I knew they would not be swayed. I was not Apollo, but even I could foresee this. Another quiet tone filled my words and I spoke, "I am truly sorry you feel that way." With that, I cut the connection, and the bubble popped out of existence.

I pulled Percy closer to my chest. His cold body chilled the warm waters of the Caribbean around us.

Annabeth's POV

I lay in my bed, in my full battle armor. My bronze knife lay beside me, its point glinting dangerously in the light. I stared at the blade. "One quick slice would do it, Annabeth. Just once across the jugular." I fingered the smooth warm skin there, feeling my pulse underneath the thin membrane of my skin. I held my hand there for a good five minutes, thinking back to my biology books from school in my room. The pulse is the pounding of blood against the walls of the arteries. The arteries are the largest blood vessels in the body. I shivered. The blood would stain my sheets. I laughed once, more a bark than a laugh, filled with dark humor. "Percy was dead, I was contemplating suicide, and I worried about my sheets? Wow, I really am messed up in the head." I slowly closed my right hand on my bronze knife, and tightened my grip, as if my grip would give me the courage I needed to end my life.

I could almost hear the clatter of Janus' silver key as if slid into a lock. The god of choices was giving me a choice. I stood at a crossroads in life, (or death) and I needed to make my choice now. I straightened my grip on my knife, and tensed my arm to drive it across my jugular. But, my arm met the heavy resistance of my logical mind. "If I killed myself now, who would beat the living crap out of Luke?" I smiled, and once again, dark humor squeezed out of my smile. But I saw the real reason I stopped, in my head. Percy Jackson was opening up a gate to another road in the crossroads that I had not seen before. The Ancient Greek writing on the gate said "Wait for me."

Percy extended his hand to me, and led me into my strangly peaceful dream, you know, the one where Percy and I walked on the beach, hands entwined.

My last ADHD driven thought was, "Who is going to tell Tyson?"

Tyson's POV

Oh, I can't wait to see my big brother Percy! He's gonna be so excited when I show him what I made for him! I gazed dreamily into space as I thought about what he would do with it, once it was finished. But there my heart dropped into one of my three stomachs. (I have no clue if a Cyclops has multiple stomachs…just something creative to put there. =]) It needed multiple foldings and blessings from each of my daddy's sea sages… "OH MAN!" I yelled out loud, causing several of my fellow forgers to jerk up in alarm. They glared at me. I apologized and then went off into my daydream again, thinking about big brothers reaction to my gift. I smiled broadly, and turned back to the bronze shield that I was supposed to be making.

Nico's POV

I floated above the waters of the River Styx, dredging up iron deposits from its depths. My old Stygian sword had been comfortable, and truly fit my arm. But now it was part of Dad. I knew I would not be getting it back anytime soon. As I picked up a particularly large slab of iron ore, I shifted my thoughts to Percy. What was Poseidon doing with him? As I felt my back pop, and a brief moment of pain, I thought sourly, "Man…this better be worth it!" I sighed, and stooped to pick up another piece. "OOF!"