Broken Image Chapter 10

Hey guys! Sorry for the slight hiatus, but here is the next chapter. Reminder: This story will be Pertemis at the core and end, but in order to increase the depth of the story, I am going to have Percy have to deal with a lot more romance than just with Artemis. There is a important AN at the end. Enjoy!

Percy POV – Flashback

"Perseus!"

I heard one of mentors, Chronos, calling for me. I walked over to him, and sat down next to him on a bench.

"Yes, master?"

"It's just Chronos, Perseus."

"Well then call me Percy.", I cheekily replied.

He gave one of his rare smiles, although it was small and barely noticeable.

"I need to tell you about things. Mainly about what will be the Dark Army's enemies. You see, each of the different Primordials will be able to create creatures that contain the essence of their element. For instance, Nyx will have dark creatures."

"Oh. Well. How will I be able to tell where they are?"

"Easy. You have to learn to sense the elements. Although you cannot utilize all of the elements, it is possible for you to sense it. Like the gods and other powerful beings."

"Okay. Let's go! I will have to leave soon!"

Chronos nodded. As Percy walked away, the old man felt jealous of the young man. To be able to have youth and extreme energy. Because he had lived for so long, Chronos became an old man, and he could not reverse his aging. At the same time, he was also glad that he was old. It meant that he could die soon. He was jaded to the world, tired of the fighting and violence. He sighed, and stood up.

Percy POV(No longer flashback)

I looked at her sleeping form.

Her delicate skin and figure laid silent, with only the sound of breathing and the occasional coughing present. I watched as her chest lifted and fell. No. Not like that, you perverts. Although we weren't exactly on the best of terms, or at least I wasn't with her, I still had a natural protective instinct for her. I told myself that this was because I was protective for most people, but part of me didn't believe it completely.

Honestly, I was angry at myself. I had failed to protect everyone from the dark creatures. They were only the first and probably the smallest group of Nyxians(AN: this is what I'll call them), and they already caused a casualty. And out of all of the possible campers for the Nyxians to attack, it just had to be her. Why? Why Annabeth? The more that I thought about it, the more that I felt more and more guilt. I lashed out at her. I yelled at her and assumed so many things. I had no evidence. Yes, I had a point about her not helping me, but it wasn't always easy to fight the Olympians for the sake of one person. Probably the most hurtful of my words were my accusations of her cheating on me.

I can't believe that I said that. I was in Tartarus, and so in technicality we were no longer a couple. Secondly, she has every right to choose who she is with. It is her body and mind. The disappointment and shame finally took its toll. I was so consumed with anger and rage when I was allowed back to the normal world that I had hurt someone that I loved. Maybe I still love her. I don't even know any more. Love is such a complicated thing. My emotions have not been a priority lately. Especially when it came to romance, although I have had some moments lately. Connecting with Artemis, enjoying a dream with Chaos, and now being here with Annabeth.

Ugh. I don't want to think about the romance scene anymore. I looked over to Annabeth's sleeping body. She was currently laying in a makeshift bed that I had created out of water. Take a guess in what our tent was made out of. Yeah, solidified water. Luckily I could change its color so that it would not be able to be seen from the outside. I sat next to her as she slept, looking at her face.

She suddenly had a pained expression on her face. I listened carefully as she began to mutter words. I couldn't really make anything out. Her hands then started to move and clench. A small amount of tears began to stream from her eyes. Her muttering became louder and became full on screams.

"No! Please no! Not him! I love him!", she screamed. I listened intently. Who is she talking about? I bet it was some dude from camp.

"Mom! Do something!" … "What do you mean you can't! You can't just let them do that!"

I was still confused. Annabeth was arguing with her mom? She doesn't do that often. I continued to listen.

"I. Hate. You." Now this one truly shocked me. Annabeth never used such strong words against her own mother. What could drive her to say those things?

She whispered this last part, "Percy, please come back."

My eyes widened. I was wrong. So very, very wrong. She cared this entire time, and all I did was lash at her and run away to Artemis, although not intentionally at first. I would have continued my thoughts but I heard her begin to whimper. I hated seeing her like this.

I prodded at her arm, whispering, "Hey, get up."

She continued to whimper and sob. I grabbed her shoulder, the uninjured one, lightly and then shook her. "Please, Annabeth, wake up", I spoke a bit louder.

She didn't respond and coughed heavily. I had enough. I cannot allow her to suffer again. I grabbed her face softly and shook her with slightly more force. "Wise Girl, please get up now! I'm right here! I'm here!", I practically shouted, my voice slightly cracking as I tried to hold tears in. It didn't matter how we fought or how we felt, there was simply no way that I could throw away all of the memories that we created together.

At the sound of her old nickname, Annabeth immediately opened her eyes and woke up, breathing heavily from her nightmare. I wiped away the tears from her face and pulled her into a hug, careful not to hurt her. I heard her sigh in disbelief, "Seaweed Brain?" She quickly pulled me in tighter as she began to cry even more.

I carefully rubbed her back, allowing her to let it all out. On top of our fighting, she just had to deal with an assault by two Nyxians. "I'm right here", I repeated. We just sat there in that position for what seemed like two hours. It really was only about 10 minutes. After Annabeth had finished, she looked up at me.

"You came...",she spoke to me. I scratched the back of my head.

"Well, I was supposed to stop those monsters way before they reached camp. I'm so sorry. I didn't protect you.", I apologized. She looked at me with a soft gaze.

"It's okay.", she said. She added a soft, "Are you mad at me?"

I looked at her, pondering her words. I smiled at her, "No. I know the truth now. In fact, you should be mad at me for assuming everything."

She beamed at me and hugged me again. Her face hardened again with a glimpse of hope shining in her eyes, "...but does that mean we are..."

I gazed into her eyes, "I...I'm sorry. Trust me, it isn't because of anyone but myself. I don't think I'm ready for a relationship with anyone right now. Not with you. Not even if Artemis liked me. There are more important things."

I saw her bite her lip, most likely in frustration. However, she nodded, understanding my words. I was glad she didn't get angry or sad. Or not openly at least.

"Artemis? Why would you say that?", Annabeth asked me inquisitively.

I chuckled. Of course her curiosity had stayed as sharp as ever. I looked at her in the eyes, "Well. I've been staying with her Hunt for a while. And well, sometimes we've had some close moments."

Annabeth looked at me expectantly, clearly wanting some more answers.

I sighed, "Please don't. It's complicated. Sometimes Artemis and I are the best of friends, and then next minute we'll be fighting."

She nodded. "Okay. Percy..."

I lifted my head up.

"I don't care who you're with. I still love you."

I smiled. I was glad that someone still cared. Ever since mom died...it's been so lonely. Artemis didn't help either because she seemed to be so temperamental when it came to me. Chaos had helped a little. Her voice was beautiful. And here was Annabeth. Although the circumstances were not the best, I was glad that we had a little more closure.

"Percy? You're crying.", I heard Annabeth point out.

I placed a hand to my eyes and wiped it off. "What? No. I just have...stuff in my eyes."

She laughed at me. Or rather, my words.

Annabeth POV

Although I laughed at his words, my heart felt a pang. He had gone through so much. And even more since he came back from there. I pulled Percy into another hug. We both needed it. I inhaled his sea scent, the smell that I could become addicted to. For now though, Percy needed a friend more than he needed a girlfriend.

"Percy", I whispered, "What's happened you left?"

For the next hour or so he told me all of his stories. All of them. He started with Tartarus, which brought tears to my eyes. Not only from his pain, but also from the reminders of my pain from long ago. One could never truly forget Tartarus, just suppress it. But Percy had been there twice.

Following that was his experiences with the Hunt. I couldn't help but tense when he talked about them. It wasn't that I didn't like the Hunt, it was that I worried for what Percy had to deal with. He would be on good terms with Thalia, and mediocre terms with Artemis, but what about the other girls who had no idea who he was?

Percy told me about how he had a rough start with the hunt. He explained all of the work and tricks that he had to deal with. His frustration with the hunt had almost driven him to an uncontrollable rage, but luckily Artemis had stopped him. I noticed that Percy was a little tense when he talked about Artemis. Was it because I was here? Or was it because she was a danger to him?

After finishing with the Hunt, Percy told me about how he had fought with Nyx. My jaw dropped when he described the situation. Percy managed to defeat a Primordial goddess. I smiled in happiness when I found out that he won, but that smile instantly disappeared as soon as he told me that he almost died.

"How are you alive?", I asked quickly.

He scratched the back of his head. "I'm not too sure if I'm allowed to tell you."

I gave him my best puppy-dog face. This had always worked before, so I hoped that it still worked. I saw Percy look away, knowing that he wouldn't be able to resist. I crossed my arms and glared at him.

Percy suddenly looked up into the sky and then nodded. He shouted, "You sure?" I shook my head. Has he gone mad? He shouted again, "Okay! Have a good day!" I stared in disbelief. Was he having a conversation?

Percy looked at me again, "Okay. My master has allowed me to now tell anyone that I want to know about what happened when I was dead."

"I thought you said that you didn't die."

"Well...technically I did die, but my masters preserved my body with their powers."

"Your masters?"

"Yeah. For 3 years I trained under Pontus, Ouranos, and Chronos. During those three years I had learned to use Air, Water, and Time powers, as well as their variants. Chronos was able to stop time for those three years. Those three years were awesome. I loved training with those guys, even though there were some pretty nasty moments."

I once again looked at him in wonder. But then I was hit with confusion. "I thought Primordials were bad? Like Nyx."

"Well, some are good. Some are neutral. Some are bad. Nyx and her husband are bad. So is Gaea."

"Gaea's back?"

He nodded his head. "But yeah. That's pretty much it. Enough of me. How are you feeling?"

"Everything is sore. My shoulder hurts like a bitch. I am feeling a little woozy, though." With that, I passed out.

Percy's POV

Oh, shit! Even though I was able to heal some of Annabeth's outer injuries, I had completely disregarded the fact that a serpent might have poisonous fangs. I smacked my own forehead, "I am such an idiot."

I quickly and carefully picked up Annabeth and made my way outside. I willed my water creations to disappear. I went to the only person I knew that could help Annabeth: Apollo.

I had never tried water-teleporting with another person before, but at this point, I had no choice. I thought carefully. I couldn't risk trying to make her into water molecules.

I had another idea. I will turn into water, and I'll just carry her. I turned myself into a water state and encased Annabeth in myself. Yeah, that sounds weird, but now isn't the time to judge.

I quickly took off, making sure not to rock too hard to knock Annabeth around. Luckily, we were near the Empire State Building. I didn't even bother to use the elevator. I flew directly up to the top. "Yo, Ouranos! Now would be a great time to block any of Zeus' thunderbolts! I don't have the time for his antics!"

I received a chuckled, "Sure thing, Percy. I got you." I felt a barrier of air surround me, and I smiled. I kept speeding towards the top, hoping that Annabeth would be okay.

When I reached the top, I could see many people looking at me, some out of fear and some out of awe. I was still in my water form, but I sped towards the throne room. I knew that today the Olympians were in a meeting; Artemis had informed me earlier.

I broke through the doors by hardening my water self. I flew right into the center of the court. I could feel every Olympian staring at my watery form, but they were even more intent at looking at the body in the center. Athena gave out a scream and Poseidon looked very perplexed.

I softly dropped Annabeth onto the floor. Athena immediately ran towards her fallen daughter, tears streaming down the normally stoic face. I transformed back into my regular self. I uttered a few words before passing out again, "Apollo, save her."

A few hours later, still Percy POV

I tried to open my eyes. I used as much of the little strength I had to try and open my eyes, but to no avail. I grumbled in my head and just laid there.

I heard two pairs of feet step into the...room?...that I was laying in. They began to speak, and I listened.

The first voice was soft, but had a very confident tone as well. I was almost sure that it was Annabeth.

Annabeth spoke to the second person, "I feel so bad for making him carry me all the way over here."

The second voice responded, "Do you really think he would have not done it?"

This second voice sounded very matter of fact, as well as objective. Yet, there was a certain tone of worry and care that emanated from the voice.

"That's a good point, Lady Artemis. He's too caring to both of us."

Ah, so she was speaking to Artemis. Well of course I'm caring! It's in my nature.

Artemis spoke with a confused voice, "What do you mean, both of us?"

"Percy told me about all of his experiences. When he spoke about you, he would put you in the best possible light, even if you had done him wrong. He cares about you a lot. I can tell." Annabeth responded. I detected a slight hint of jealousy when she spoke of that last bit.

Artemis sighed. "Yeah. It feels good, despite him being a male and all."

Annabeth giggled at this. Personally, I didn't think it was that funny. Artemis sighed again. "It's too bad."

"What's too bad?", Annabeth allowed her curiosity out again.

"It's complicated, Annabeth."

"Don't worry. I'm a daughter of Athena. I'll understand."

Artemis giggled at this. "Oh fine. I may not know you too well, but because you were close to Percy."

"Am. I am close to Percy. He forgave me."

"Good. Anyways, here's the deal. Percy and I have gotten...somewhat close. I care for him, no matter how much I ever try to deny it. This is going to be a problem for the hunt. I can't just leave the hunt, but I don't want to just be without Percy. I'm conflicted. Lady Chaos advised that I try two things: be the fearless hunt leader that I have been for many millennia, and a life where Percy and I are close."

I heard silence. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Annabeth spoke, "But. Ugh. Percy has such a knack for attracting women."

"I assume you still love him more than ever."

"Yeah. He told me that he didn't want to be in a relationship with anyone. Not me. Not you."

"Really? Oh."

I heard these words, but I wasn't paying attention. My mind had stopped at when Artemis explained her situation. She was just going to drop me. Like I was insignificant. And because why? Chaos told her so? Or did she feel like her hunt was too important. I couldn't blame her.

I came to a realization. I was hurting her. She was feeling conflicted and in pain just because of me. It was with Annabeth. My presence was harming everyone. I can't allow myself to cause people anymore pain.

I suddenly heard those two pair of feet approach me again, much closer to me this time. Annabeth and Artemis were right in front of me; I could feel it. I once again tried to open my eyes, and it worked.

My sea-green orbs opened and saw a breath-taking sight: Annabeth and Artemis. The two women were just stunning. I blushed a little but pushed it away. "Hey there beauties", I whispered.

They both blushed.

"Percy, are you okay?", Artemis asked. I was a little surprised that she used my less formal name, but I was happy about it nonetheless.

"Yeah, just tired. No biggie."

Annabeth spoke up, "Thank you, Seaweed Brain." She gazed into my eyes, and I into hers. Artemis coughed. Oops. Great. Damn emotions. I have to remember what I'm doing to the both of them.

"I heard you guys."

Artemis and Annabeth took a step back.

"You...heard it all?", Artemis asked. I simply nodded. Both of the ladies gulped.

"And I've decided."

"Decided what?", Annabeth asked with a whisper.

"I'm leaving."

"WHAT?", both of them exclaimed.

"I'm not going to cause you two any more pain. Annabeth, I'm just giving you a heartache and making you sad. Artemis, I'm just causing you to choose between the hunt and me. I can't cause you two any more pain."

I turned into water, and teleported out of the room. The last thing I heard was a loud, "Percy!"

Hi again! I hope you guys were okay with this chapter. Anyways, big news! I am going to start another PJO story. It is going to be AU and no gods. I just had an idea for a story and I thought, why not? Yes, it may delay some chapters, but not by anything noticeable. I just wanted another vent to write PJO. Sometimes I find it hard to come up with ideas, so I thought that a new story might allow me to take breaks and write something with a different tone. It is called "Something New", and will be Percy x Zoe(too lazy to put the dot thingies, sorry). Anyways, yeah. Review! :)