author note:

I'm still alive! I've had a few rough patches and lost inspiration to write for awhile, but thank you all so much for bearing with me!

Falling Down - Chapter 11

And Throw Away The Key

(Percy POV)

"…What?"

Why was this always happening. Why was it that every answer was supposedly 'under his nose the entire time'.

Maybe he was just dumber than he thought he was, or something.

"You heard me." Hades continued to grin through his obviously unsanitary dental wreck, "It's been right in front of you this entire time."

Percy stared at him with wide eyes.

Realization hit him like a freight train.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the only thing that hit him like a freight train.

Before he could fully piece together his rapidly rearranging thoughts, he was slammed over the head with what sounded and felt like an enormous bag of bones.

He winced and covered his head on instinct, jumping backwards as his opponent landed on skeletal legs across from him. Well, yeah. It was in fact a big bag of bones. Though this skeleton was definitely not one of Nico's.

Percy felt his heartbeat speed up and immediately took a deep breath to try to calm it. The action wound up doing more bad than good, and he realized this as pain spread out from his lungs through his chest like a deep red flower of torture.

"Alright, Jackson, your first mission under my command is to survive for the next twenty-four hours," His voice dripped with dark venom that sounded both excited and delighted, "I wonder what your father will do to me then?"

"Dad! This was not part of the deal!" Nico screeched, anger rising around him like storm clouds.

Hades ignored him, "Your enemies are programmed to remove any impurities from the Underworld. That includes both you and your friends…well, most of them. Like I said, you have twenty-four hours. However, judging by how you look, you don't even have that long."

Hades erupted into a cloud of black smoke and disappeared as skeleton warriors began to rain from the ceiling.

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(Leo POV)

Holy.

Shit.

It was like everything was happening on hyperdrive - a feeling he was used to with his extreme case of ADHD - but this hyperdrive was about twenty times faster.

Hades was gone in an instant, which happened to be the same instant he ducked right in time for Jason's fist to go sailing over his head.

"Dude!" He yelped, backing up, "What's your problem!? Fight the skeletons, not me!"

Jason didn't look like he heard him.

Jason didn't look like Jason either. His eyes were downright hazy, and his blank expression didn't show any kind of reaction.

Leo's already-frying brain ran even faster than it had before. What had Nico said about 'something that might jeopardize the mission'? Was that the reason he kept glancing warily at Jason?

Leo didn't have time to figure it out as Jason lunged for his throat. He slapped the side of his face, enough to send the son of Zeus sprawling to the ground but not seemingly enough to bring him to his senses.

The others were engaged in battles with the skeletons themselves. Leo needed to get Nico's attention.

"Nico! Jason's out of control!" He screeched, pointing down at the larger demigod getting to his feet.

Nico's dark eyes flashed with urgency, "I know! I told you guys something was gonna happen!"

"You never mentioned-this, whatever this is!" Leo roared back, kicking Jason back down again.

"I'll deal with him - the skeletons won't attack things that belong in the Underworld - that's me and also Jason right now. I think he's infected with some kind of poison."

"What the hell does that mean?!" Annabeth's voice cut through as her knife went through another skeleton. She was standing back to back with Percy, though the latter didn't exactly look like he'd hold up much longer.

"Annabeth, did you see any plants in Persephone's garden?- I mean, like, plants with teeth? The little ones. Because those are specially designed," Nico spoke loudly and quickly, "To bite their victims and turn them into gross Underworld zombie things- it's reservable. there's a cure. We can find it. Preferably before he kills one of us."

"I saw those, yeah." Annabeth called back, "He must have gotten bitten- damn!" She thrust her knife into a disgusting skeletal forehead.

Leo was suddenly and momentarily airborne before he had the chance to let out even the unmanliest squeak. Jason had literally threw him into the air.

Aaaaand now he was falling.

Leo twisted in mid air and shot fire as hard as he could downwards out of his palms. He didn't really know what he was doing but this action could have a few possibilities: One, it makes Jason back away, Two, it slows his fall, or three, it works like some kind of awesome jetpack and he flies away.

Leo quickly discovered that the only possibility that was realistically going to happen was the first one. He hit the ground and redirected his flames to where Jason had backed off to. Leo stopped a few feet away from him.

Jason might be on his nerves right now and some weird drooly Underworld dude, but he was still his friend. Leo didn't want to hurt him.

"Alright, everybody, here's the plan!" Annabeth's voice once again cut through the clanking of weapons against bones, "We have to split up! Hazel and Frank - stay here and finish these guys off, then come after me! Me and Nico are taking Percy to safety. Leo and Piper: you two deal with Jason!"

Leo groaned out loud. The last thing he wanted to do was be caught between Piper and Jason once they got him out of this zombie stupor.

He immediately understood, however, that Nico needed to take Percy because there would be a higher chance of the skeletons leaving him alone. It made sense. Annabeth's whole plan made sense. He respected that. But that didn't mean he wanted to deal with the son of Zeus and his zombie problems. Let alone his relationship problems.

Leo grabbed a stray bone off the floor and threw it, hitting Jason square in the forehead, "Come on, dumbass! Catch me if you can!" He then took off out of the throne room, grabbing Piper's hand on the way out.

He turned over his shoulder and called to the rest of his crew, "Good luck, team! We'll take care of Jason; you guys get Aquaman to safety! We're counting on you!"

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(Nico POV)

Nico bolted towards Percy the second Zombie Jason disappeared out the door after Leo and Piper.

He was beside the son of Poseidon in an instant, "Percy, get on my back."

"Won't that like…crush you? In the woods that one time was tough enough for you." Percy said lamely. His eyes almost looked foggy and he was swaying ever so slightly even in his battle stance.

This was not good.

Come to think of it, Percy having an attack right now might be the worst possible thing to happen.

"Trust me, I'll be okay. Just do it. You can't run - don't even think about arguing with me."

Percy nodded with a faraway look in his eyes as he awkwardly piggy backed Nico.

Nico noticed with a start that Percy was significantly lighter than he was back at camp when he found him covered in blood in the forest. Back then, Nico had barely been able to hold up his dead weight. Now, he was able to stand with relatively sturdy legs under the weight of the son of Poseidon.

It was extremely unsettling.

"Let's move!" Annabeth shouted and made a beeline for the door. Nico didn't hesitate as he took off after her, dodging flying skeletal appendages as best he could.

"Good luck, guys!" He shouted as he passed Hazel and Frank.

Gold met black as Nico passed by his half-sister. Time seemed to stretch on for an infinity and she nodded with the confidence of a goddess, curls bouncing and eyes gleaming, skeleton dust smeared on her left cheek.

"We'll take it from here!" She exclaimed and Nico pressed onwards, skidding into the hall as Annabeth practically tore the door off its hinges.

He didn't slow down to wait for her - Nico could feel Percy fading in and out of consciousness by the way he wavered on his back. Time was precious.

Who knew how many more attacks Percy could stand until it was his last straw.

No, he couldn't afford to be negative right now. He needed to get Percy to safety.

Nico flew down the halls, knowing exactly where he was going and knowing Annabeth was close on his tail. He knew the best place to take him was (obviously) the castle med room. On the other side of the castle. However, the more steps he took the more sure he was that he wouldn't be able to get to there in time.

They'd have to make due with a regular room.

"Nico…."

Nico turned his head to listen to Percy's unexpected raspy and uneven voice,

"Dude, slow down….. I'm gonna puke."

Dammit.

Nico slowed to a walk and Annabeth raced ahead to the nearest door, pulling it open.

"This will have to do, we don't have much of a choice." She said, sounding on the verge of panic. Nico passed her as he entered the room, which didn't look all that different than the one they were staying in honestly, except with an added bathroom, which didn't matter really but it would come in handy. Nico set Percy gingerly in one of the chairs, not even blinking an eye at the wet feeling of foreign blood dripping down the back of his shirt as he did so.

"Keep your eyes open, Percy." Nico said steadily, grabbing the guy's shoulders and squeezing them, "You're gonna be alright."

He definitely didn't look alright. There was blood seeping through the front of his t-shirt, not too much but not little enough to not be worried about it.

Percy nodded but the cloudy dissociated look in his eyes told him his words didn't reach him.

"We need water." Annabeth said sharply, throwing open the door to the bathroom and Nico heard the sound of faucets being hastily turned on.

"We need to splash his face or something, then he can tell us what the hell Hades meant." She said, coming back into the room and lifting Percy, supporting his weight as they slowly shuffled into the bathroom.

Nico followed, feeling slightly out of place as Annabeth guided him to shakily put his hands in the sink and splash water over his face.

Gradually, his eyes cleared slightly and he looked considerably more awake, yet a deep dread seemed to cast shadows over his face.

Percy stood there for a minute or two that seemed to stretch on forever, blinking like memories and information was being fed back to him.

"I…..am gonna puke." Percy stated, and promptly turned and threw up about a pint of blood into the toilet.

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(Piper POV)

Running away from your newly-zombified boyfriend while your best friend screamed his head off beside you wasn't an experience Piper was too keen on trying again anytime soon.

Jason was fast - especially for a zombie dude who was slamming into walls by accident every ten strides.

They were nearing the door that they used to get in from Persephone's garden. Piper flicked away sweat from her forehead, pressing onward.

"Wait a minute," Piper called to Leo, who was just a stride and a half behind her, "Did Nico ever tell us what the cure even is?"

"Gah! No, he didn't! That asshole!" Leo growled, "Frankly, I have no idea what we're gonna do!"

Piper bit back a swear.

They bursted out of the door to the garden, not missing a step as they dove into the mess of vines and disgustingly good smelling flowers.

Piper heard Jason yelp and grimaced - he must have slammed into some thorns or something. But now was not the time to be getting sad about her boyfriend's new condition. They needed to find that cure.

Leo had dashed ahead of her and was slicing through vines and branches with precise fire on his fingertips.

"The deeper in we go, the more plants we'll find and the better chance of slowing him down while we think of something" He said through gritted teeth.

"But have you thought of anything yet?"

"No!"

"You're a mechanic! You're supposed to be good at impromptu fixes!"

"Unfortunately, your boyfriend Superman Zombie Edition 2.0 isn't a machine, Piper!"

Well, he did have a point.

Piper watched as Leo struggled with slicing down a particular plant that only turned from green to purple when he hit it with his fire. Upon closer inspection, she noticed it started blistering under the heat, transforming slowly into what looked like a whole different plant.

Piper's first thoughts were along the lines of wishing Persephone didn't include weird fire-activated plants into her gardening plans.

Piper's second thoughts were accompanied with a gasp of realization.

"Leo, we need to find the plants that bit Jason in the first place!"

"What? Why? Are you nuts? That's like, super dangerous considering our situation." Leo said, finally breaking the now-purple blistered vine and stepping through.

"Just trust me, I have an idea."

0000000000

(Annabeth POV)

"…So that's…your idea?"

Percy nodded grimly at her expression of distress.

"I'd love to say that what you came up with was completely off from what Hades meant but…I think you're right." Nico said hesitantly from his place leaning against the doorjamb to the bathroom, "I don't like it, but it might be the only way."

Percy nodded again.

They were still in the bathroom, Percy no longer puking horrid smelling blood but still looking worse for wear. He was now sitting on top of the toilet seat while Annabeth sat on the side of the tub holding his hand.

Nico flicked his eyes towards her, "I can't guarantee that this is what Hades had in mind, because I'm not him, but it's the best shot he's got."

Annabeth swallowed.

She didn't like this at all. A terrible feeling rose up in her stomach. The chances of Percy making it out of today alive were getting slimmer by the minute.

Nico suddenly looked up towards the door and less than a second later Annabeth heard the distinct sound of hollow bones slamming against wood. Despite having Nico with them as their anti-skeleton being, they could probably sense Percy's current impurities from a hundred miles away.

Why were the skeletons here in the first place? Hadn't Hazel and Frank said they'd take care of it? What if they….were defeated?

Annabeth turned towards the deep endless mass of green underwater mystery depicted in Percy's eyes. If they didn't act now, she'd never see those eyes again. There was no other choice. They were out of time.

Nico gave her a tiny nod and left, Annabeth heard the sound of him opening the door and taking a brave step into the madness, shutting it tight behind himself.

"Annabeth…"

"Percy, promise me you can do this."

He was silent. She turned to face him completely.

Sad but determined green eyes under sweat-drenched dark bangs stared back at her. The smell of blood and sickness radiated from him more strongly than anything she'd ever experienced.

"Promise me."

The tension in the air was thick enough that she felt it stick to the back of her throat.

His voice was a raspy whisper, "I promise."

"I can't lose you." She whispered back, pressing her forehead into his shoulder so he wouldn't see the tears that threatened to spill over.

"You won't." He said back, running a hand through her hair.

Annabeth could tell he wasn't sure if he was lying or not. Her heart twisted in a painful way she hadn't thought was possible.

This illness, this sickness, was different from all the other times she almost lost Percy. Those other times she had choices, chances. She always had something she could do to save him.

Not this time. This time, there was absolutely nothing she could do. She had no plans, no tricks, no quick smart ideas.

She was helpless.

Slowly, she separated from him and pressed a kiss to his forehead. Annabeth stood up abruptly and moved over to the way out of the bathroom.

"Promise me one more thing," Annabeth said, looking back at him.

"Yeah?"

"Promise you won't do anything stupid, Seaweed Brain."

He cracked a grin at that.

"Sure thing, Wise Girl."

As she closed the bathroom door and made her way to the door where she knew Nico was fighting for their lives on the other side in the hallway she made a silent prayer to any Gods that were listening.

Please, please, let Percy be right about what Hades meant.

As she turned the doorknob she paused and took the image of last little grin Percy gave her and imprinted it into her brain. She placed it in the depths of her heart, locked it, and threw away the key.

author note:

sorry this one wound up being a little shorter than previous ones! I wonder what Percy's plan is...guess you'll just have to find out in the next chapter! Thank you to everyone whos been leaving reviews, this is my first fic and they help me the most out of everything!