I stepped from the vortex onto the grounds of Camp Half Blood. It was pouring and dark and the whole camp had turned their attention to the top of the hill where Percy stood, Minotaur horn in hand. Lightning struck to light up his exhausted face and the cloud of dark smoke lingering over his shoulder. Suddenly he collapsed, rolling down part of the hill as a single camper broke from the crowd. Fearlessly the blonde girl caught him, kneeling down in the grass as I appeared by her side. It was Annabeth, seven years younger, the rain pinning the hair to her head as she cupped Percy's face. "Get him some help!" She shouted over her shoulder. Even as a child she was born a leader as I knelt down beside her, reaching out to rest my hand on the one she had on his face. It drifted through and rested against Percy's face as I felt the smoke and darkness seep under my skin, shivers rolling up my spine. "Come on...the Gods put you here for a reason," Annabeth breathed to Percy as I snapped my hand back being thrown out of the memory and into another.
I tumbled into a sheep, though the creature didn't seem bothered what-so-ever as I quickly stood, searching for Percy and watching as he, Annabeth, and Grover ran from a cave...giant in tow. "Run!" Percy shouted over his shoulder, swiping at flying creatures that tried to get in their way.
"Thanks, I'll give that a try after I'm done running for my life!" Grover shouted, the Golden Fleece tucked under his arm as Percy smirked.
"Focus Seaweed brain before I kick you off this place myself," Annabeth snapped as I smirked. Feisty as ever. Quickly I ran beside Percy as his head turned to me, or more of the shadow of his head. It was like his shadow had pulled away from his body so while he continued to run his shadow stared at me with a menacing grin.
What happens when you save him? Are you really okay with letting him steal her back? I tried to ignore its hissing words slamming my hand on his shoulder and practically tripping as the force of the darkness ebbed into my body. The shadow disappeared with a cackle as I let go of Percy's shoulder, only to trip over a rock, the force pitching my body over the cliffs as I surged forward in time.
I hit the ground hard, coughing and trying to get the air back in my lungs as I found my limbs feeling a little heavier than they had. When I finally looked around, though, I discovered I was in some junkyard of sorts - though knowing whom I was dealing with it was probably a magical junkyard. My gaze fell on a pair of kids in a empty space of ground, a young boy holding an older looking girl and crying. I pulled in a shaky breath, noting the blood on her clothes and how her body hung limp in his arms. "No...don't leave me..." he breathed as I looked to the side where Annabeth and Percy bowed their heads. Annabeth would every so often lift her hand and sniffle, attempting to hide the handful of tears that dripped to the dirt as Percy reached up to give her shoulder a gentle squeeze. I wanted to hold her, stop her from crying but knew it was a waste of time as I gripped Percy's face with both hands, my legs feeling weak as I was slammed with the darkness. It was slowly draining me and I could feel my hold on the past slipping away.
My eyes opened to a dimly lit hallway, echoes of running footsteps bouncing off the narrow walls as Percy, Annabeth, and some massive creature went bounding past me. I followed as they turned a corner into a clearing and ducked behind a waist high stone block. "I have an idea," Percy remarked, trying to catch his breath as he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a crystal whistle as Annabeth eyed it and then looked up at him. In the distance I could hear shouts of whatever they were running from as Percy nodded. Suddenly he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Annabeth's cheek and I felt my heart plummet at the soft blush appearing on her features. Regretfully I reached over and rested my hand around the one that clasped the whistle, wincing and whimpering as tears rushed to my eyes. Slowly I pulled myself to my feet, watching as Percy went off to defeat enemies at impossible odds and trying to tell myself that they deserved to be together as I stumbled into another time vortex.
The smell of sulfur burned in my nostrils, surprising me as I looked around at my first experience of the Underworld. It was terrifying but I found myself unable to appreciate all of it as I turned to Percy standing on the edge of the River of Styx. Grover stood next to him, seemingly speaking words of encouragement as Percy nodded, clenching and relaxing his hands before finally diving into the green rushing river. I pushed past my aching muscles and pounding head and followed him. Immediately I felt the burn of the river seeping into my skin. Past or not it seemed that the sensations of the Underworld were unavoidable as I drifted towards his struggling body, my fingers brushing against his. Suddenly my head filled with images of Annabeth as my mind melded with Percy's. She was the one person that could save him from this river. I took the last of the darkness before letting go, drifting in the burning liquid with a bowed head. Each memory telling me that she deserved to be with Percy.
My head popped out of the camp's lake with a gasp as I crawled up to the shore, flopping face up on the pebbles. My head turned to see Annabeth picking up stones and skipping them across the surface, a small sigh falling from her lips. "There you are!" Percy greeted as I slowly sat up, pulling myself to my feet to walk over to the two.
"Here I am," she muttered with a weak smile as Percy blinked.
"Are you alright?"
"I...I don't know. Now that Kronos has be imprisoned again it's like everything is different."
"We're at peace," Percy stated as I stepped behind him, watching Annabeth as she shook her head.
"I'm no so sure. It almost feels as if everyone is pretending it's the case."
"Don't talk like that, I didn't risk everything for you to talk like that." Annabeth rolled her eyes at that remark, stepping back as I gripped Percy's shoulder, doing my best to stand on my own two feet.
"How chivalrous. I hope Butch appreciated how you risked everything just for me."
"Annabeth...what the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing, it's nothing," she muttered as my vision faded and the world went dark.
Six...I had found six but I knew I wasn't finished. There was one more, Percy in the present day. But I couldn't see anything; it was as if my eyes refused to open. My body screamed at me, begging for it to end and I was just about ready to follow.
Nakia...the call, pulled my thoughts back as I looked around in the darkness.
Nakia...please...off in the distance a small circle of light appeared as I started to crawl towards it, the light getting larger till I found myself reaching through it.
My hand dropped from Percy's face, the dark color returning to his skin as he slowly started to wake. I did it...
Painfully I fell onto my back as Annabeth shifted to my side, collecting me in her arms. "No, Nakia. Fight it! You can fight it!" She shouted, petting my hair from my face as I attempted to smile, lifting my hand to brush against her cheek.
"'A light in times past/And a friend will walk her last,'" I quoted as Annabeth shook her head, pulling me close against her.
"No! The omen is wrong!" Percy sat up as he tried to understand what was happening as her lips rested against my ear. "You were never just a friend to me," she whispered as my eyes closed once again.
I fell into whiteness.