Disclaimer: Same as always. Credit given to where credit is due.

Enjoy!

Chapter 26

"Thissss way," the dracaena said.

They had walked down toward the broken ruins of the black marble palace that once was the home of the Titans. Percy was led through rooms that had been slowly built up. When he tried to touch the dark marble, he found out that it wasn't just mist or an illusion, like he'd thought it was. The marble was solid. He could feel the cold marble against his skin.

Of the giant palace, only a couple human-sized rooms had been built up. Apparently, Annabeth was in one of those.

They pointed into the second room they passed, and Percy stepped in.

The room was rather barren. It looked like it was still in construction, which it was, but it just had that empty feeling. It wasn't scary. The only things in the room were a mattress and a torch that hung on the wall. There were no bed sheets or blankets or pillows for Annabeth to sleep with, which must have been cold and uncomfortable.

She was there, sitting on the bed looking exhausted. She didn't turn to look this way. It was almost as if she expected it was Luke or something.

"Annabeth," Percy croaked.

She turned his way in surprise. Most of her appearance hadn't changed aside from her expression, but there was something different about her hair. Her hair was usually blonde, but now it was streaked with grey.

From holding the sky, he thought. The weight should've killed her.

He took a small step forward. All she did was stare at him as he got closer.

Five more steps forward and he was standing directly in front of the daughter of Athena. He stared down at her, taking her appearance in. He found himself checking for any other wounds or anything that might seem out of place. He found himself extremely concerned about her. It shouldn't have felt abnormal but… There was something different this time. He didn't know what.

"You're okay," he said at last.

Annabeth stood up so that she could look at him face-to-face. Her eyes were unreadable, but she immediately wrapped her arms around him and rested her chin on his shoulder. He couldn't see her face anymore, but she said, "You idiot! Why did you get captured?"

He hugged her back and squeezed her tightly. "You're okay," he repeated. "You're okay."

Annabeth pushed herself away from him. She was blinking hard, her eyes red. "Why, Seaweed Brain? What is wrong with you?"

"I—I wanted to…" He stopped himself. For a second, he wasn't sure what to say. Why had he gotten captured? Obviously it was to save Annabeth but he knew she would ask why he tried to save her right away.

"I was worried," he decided. "You fell off, and I just had this sudden urge to follow you, even though it was an insane idea. I just… I promised myself that I would save you I guess."

"You being here means something has gone horribly wrong," Annabeth said worriedly. "Wait, you said something about an insane idea. Don't tell me you jumped off the cliff after me." She looked at his expression and groaned. "You jumped off the cliff after me. Why would you do something so idiotic and reckless?"

He scowled. "It was to save you."

"But you could have died!" exclaimed Annabeth. She blushed and turned away. "I—I couldn't live knowing that. If the others showed up saying you jumped off the cliff, and you never appeared again, I'd be horrified knowing that it was my fault that you died."

"I don't care. I would've come to find you no matter what happened," he said without hesitation.

"That doesn't change the fact that you did something stupid!" Annabeth argued. "You really are a Seaweed Brain." She gave him a harsh glare, but then it softened and she said, "But I'm glad you're here despite the fact. I'm glad that you're here with me."

Percy wasn't sure what to do. He stood there in front of her for a moment, just soaking in the fact that she was okay. He could feel his heart racing in his chest, and a weird feeling crept up his throat. Reacting on impulse, he suddenly kissed her, and it was after he pulled away when he realized what he'd done. He froze, unsure of what Annabeth's reaction would be.

After a dozen seconds, Percy decided to break out of his own stupor to help Annabeth break out of hers. He put his hands on her shoulders and said, "All that matters to me is that we're here together. That gives me more confidence than anything else in the world."

"That was…" Annabeth seemed to be searching for the right word. "…sudden."

Why had he kissed her? It couldn't be because… That wasn't possible. Did he actually…? Percy looked down at himself. Sure, he and Annabeth had been friends for a little while. He enjoyed her company. But did she enjoy his? There was this one time when Annabeth had hugged him after punching him after he fought Ares. Then when he made a comment about how her hair smelled like lemons, she subtly hinted that she was embarrassed but would continue to use lemon shampoo. There was the time she defended him on the boat. And she worried about him a lot.

Was it the same in reverse? They were only fourteen. That was kind of young to be having a serious relationship. However, in the Greek world, everything would end much earlier. He remembered Chiron once telling him that most demigods lived until their early twenties before being killed by monsters. Was it because in two years he was going to die? Was that the reason why he felt this way so soon?

Yes, Percy felt attracted to her. He definitely liked her. But did he love her? He wasn't so sure what love was. He'd never been through anything like this before.

He took in everything about her: the blonde princess curls, her grey eyes that churned like the waters at Westover, her pretty face. He thought about his plan. What would the hero in a story do at this point? He had to save the ones he treasured most whilst staying good. But Percy was no hero. He was a traitor. No, he had to save her by hurting her. She had to understand. If she liked him back, she would understand.

"Annabeth…" He swallowed and prepared for the dive. "I have something to tell you. It's my plan to help you get out of here, but it's also a plan to help save camp."

And then he told her the plan.

Of course, Percy made sure that the monsters couldn't hear him. Too bad Annabeth's reaction was enough to make them suspicious.

"No!" she exclaimed. "I'm not letting you do that!"

"It's the only way," he argued.

"You idiot," she snarled. "That's not the only way. You can't do everything yourself, Percy. Sometimes you have to rely on others. Though that doesn't mean you submit, it means you wait patiently."

"I'm not going to sit back and relax while they plan to destroy everyone," Percy said with finality. "I'm going to do something about it. You may not be happy, but you have to understand. You have to realize that I'm doing this for everyone. If only one life has to fall to save plenty, it's worth it!"

"I—I agree but you can't…" She grimaced and looked away. "Don't do this!"

"Do you not want to save camp?"

"I do! I just… I don't want to…"

"You understand, right?"

She nodded, though with a tense look. "I understand. Still, it doesn't have to be you!"

"I'm the child of the prophecy." He pointed to himself. "I'm taking full responsibility for this. I won't let anybody else die. If I have to die when I turn sixteen, it's better if it's this way. More will survive. It will be worth it."

"Worth it?" Annabeth turned away and let out a weak chuckle. "Worth it? You come in here, captured, before deciding to kiss me, essentially saying you have… you have romantic feelings toward me… or are very confused about your feelings. Then you tell me that you want to go away to sacrifice yourself. Don't you understand how insane that sounds? You might as well have just said that from the start instead of confusing me with these stupid feelings!"

She turned back to face him. Her eyes were red.

"Why? Tell me why you decided to kiss me."

Percy pressed his lips together in thought. "I—I don't know. It was just… impulse?" He tried to figure out his feelings. "I like you, Annabeth. I guess it started back when we were friends. Even when we were twelve, you were pretty. I liked your hair. I liked your personality. And even though you call me an idiot, I feel like it's a term of affection. You were worried about me when I fought Ares, and I worried about you when you listened to the Sirens' song. This past summer, we really opened up. I feel like you're important to me."

"Why me?" asked the daughter of Athena, who had tears in her eyes. "Why not Thalia? You can relate to her more."

He looked down. "She likes Luke. She joined the Hunters because of him."

"I know that!" Annabeth glared at him in anger. "She told me. He betrayed her. For the first time, Thalia felt weak. For the first time, Thalia realized that she'd fallen in love. That made me think what you meant to me. Every time I thought about you, I thought about happy things. I thought about how stupid you can be. I thought about how fun we had before the theft of the master bolt. And now, I'm thinking that I can't lose you. You've almost died so many times. You saved us from that Cyclops that very first time, and I realize you have a lot of skill with a sword; but you aren't invincible Percy. And just because you want to bear the Curse of Achilles, it won't make you any more invulnerable. It's dangerous!"

"I told you," he growled, "that I will take the burden. I told you that I will make sure Olympus' fate hangs in my hands. When this is all over, we'll live peacefully, as if gods and titans didn't exist. We'll go to school. We'll go to university. We'll grow up together."

"It's an insane idea." She tried to reason with him. "You're making a dangerous gamble. If things don't play out exactly the way you envision them, catastrophe will ensue. It's not wise."

"If you live a live without risk, you'll never accomplish anything," Percy said. "To bring change, you must stand up and fight. Change does not come by passively watching. Change comes by taking action. I'll be the hero."

"Don't be the hero!" she shouted. "I want to be with you, alive. Don't be a hero."

"I have to do this!"

"Percy…"

"The small of my back. The day I turn sixteen, it has to be you who kills me."

"I can't do that!"

"Yes, you can. I trust you."

"I can't kill you!" she cried.

"Yes, you can!"

"No, I can't!"

"I love you." He grabbed her shoulders. "We're only fourteen. And I don't really know what love truly is. But I believe that I love you. And if you love me, you'll put me out of my misery. If you love me, you'll realize that your mother is right. Necessity comes before luxury. If we love each other and spend happy days, we'll be living a life of luxury, ignoring the pain and destruction around us. Please, Annabeth."

She wrapped her arms around him and wept into his shoulder.

"Please, Annabeth. Please."

After a couple minutes, she raised her head. She stared at him and said, "I'll—I'll do it."

Percy stood next to Luke along the bank of the River Styx.

The polluted water flowed past them full of human junk. They stared at the water for a minute before Percy asked, "So, what was the backup plan that you were thinking of?"

"He was thinking that I could host him," Luke said with a shudder. "If… if I were to bathe in the River Styx, my body would have the strength to withstand his Titan spirit without combusting. I—I would become the host of the Titan lord. That is why I'm betting so dearly on the sacrifice of the Ophiotaurus. The Titan lord chose me because of my spirit and my will, but at the same time, I know the consequences. He's… he's done a lot to me to convince me of this plan." He pointed to his scar, which was open and bloody.

Percy frowned. "Do you have to?"

Luke nodded. "I must."

"And if I were to…?"

Luke gave him an incredulous look. "You would host him? Out of your own free will?"

"If it's the only way."

"Only way?" questioned the son of Hermes.

"Never mind."

"You also need the blessing of your mortal parent," said the son of Hermes. "And even then, I have to go. He won't let me out of it because you're going to try it."

Everything is going to be okay. I give you my blessing, Percy. You are a hero… Percy shut his eyes to block out the painful memory. It was just before she died. Her last words. Her last breath. "My mom was wonderful. She blessed me. I know it."

Percy turned to face Luke when something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. He turned until his back was facing the river and found himself face-to-face with a Greek warrior.

For a second he thought the ghostly warrior was Ares, because the guy looked exactly like the god of war—tall and buff, with a cruel scarred face and closely shaved black hair. He wore a white tunic and bronze armour. He held a plumed war helm under his arm. But his eyes were human—pale green like a shallow sea—and a bloody arrow stuck out of his left calf, just above the ankle.

"Achilles," Percy said.

The ghost nodded. "You seek the path given to me by my mother. I will warn you."

"Warn us?" asked Luke.

"Do not do this," he said. "It will make you powerful. But it will also make you weak. Your prowess in combat will be beyond any mortal's, but your weaknesses, your failings will increase as well."

"You mean I'll have a bad heel?" Percy said. "Couldn't I just, like, wear something besides sandals? No offense."

He stared down at his bloody foot. "The heel is only my physical weakness, demigod. My mother, Thetis, held me there when she dipped me in the Styx. What really killed me was my own arrogance. Beware! Turn back!"

He meant it. Percy could hear the regret and bitterness in his voice. He was honestly trying to save them from a terrible fate.

But Percy had already made his decision. And so had Luke.

"I have to," Luke said.

"So do I," Percy added.

Achilles lowered his head. "Let the gods witness I tried. Heroes, if you must do this, concentrate on your mortal point. Imagine one spot of your body that will remain vulnerable. This is the point where your soul will anchor your body to the world. It will be your greatest weakness, but also your only hope. No man may be completely invulnerable. Lose sight of what keeps your mortal, and the River Styx will burn you to ashes. You will cease to exist. Prepare yourselves, foolish demigods. Whether you survive this or not, you have sealed your doom!"

With that happy thought, he vanished.

Percy glanced at Luke, who gave a confident nod in return.

Percy concentrated on the small of his back—a tiny point just opposite his navel. It was well defended when he wore his armour. It would be hard to hit by accident, and few enemies would aim for it on purpose. No place was perfect, but this seemed right to him, and a lot more dignified than, like his armpit or something.

He pictured a string, a bungee cord connecting him to the world from the small of his back. And he stepped into the river.

Imagine jumping into a pot of boiling acid. Now multiply that pain times a hundred. Still, that would be far off from understanding what it felt like to swim in the Styx. Percy planned to walk in slow and courageous like a real hero. As soon as the water touched his legs, his muscles turned to jelly and he fell face-first into the current.

He submerged completely. For the first time in his life, he couldn't breathe underwater. He finally understood the panic of drowning. Every nerve in his body burned. He was dissolving in the water. He saw faces—Thalia, Annabeth, Luke—but they faded as soon as they appeared.

He was losing the fight. The pain was too much. His hands and feet were melting into the water, his soul was being ripped from his body. He couldn't remember who he was.

The cord, a familiar voice said. Remember your lifeline, dummy!

Suddenly there was a tug in his lower back. The current pulled at him, but it wasn't carrying him away anymore. He imagined the string in his back keeping him tied to the shore.

"Hold on, Seaweed Brain." It was Annabeth's voice, much clearer now. "You're not getting away from me that easily."

The cord strengthened.

He could see Annabeth now—standing barefoot above him on the canoe lake pier. He'd fallen out of his canoe. That was it. She was reaching out her hand to haul him up, and she was trying not to laugh. She wore her orange camp T-shirt and jeans. Her hair was tucked up in her Yankees cap, which was strange because that should have made her invisible.

"You are such an idiot sometimes." She smiled. "Come on. Take my hand."

"Is Percy okay?" shouted a distant voice.

"He's fine, Thalia." Annabeth smirked. "Just like usual."

Suddenly Percy burst out of the river. He collapsed on the sand.

His arms were bright red. He felt like every inch of his body had been broiled over a slow flame.

He looked around for Annabeth, and perhaps Thalia, though he knew they weren't there. It had seemed so real.

Just as the colour of his skin turned back to normal and the pain subsided, Luke burst out of the water, gasping for air. He tried to catch his breath for a couple minutes before asking, "Did it work?"

Percy, feeling completely re-energized, pulled out Riptide, which he'd received from the son of Hermes just before they got to the River Styx, and uncapped it. The three-foot-long blade elongated and glinted in the darkness of the Underworld. With a smirk, he replied, "Let's find out."

Hestia sighed and closed her eyes.

Percy Jackson was making a dangerous gamble. If he won, he would be remembered as a hero, perhaps a martyr. If he lost, he would be known to followers of the Olympians as the traitor. Or perhaps he would not be known at all if the Titan lord was successful in his ultimate goal.

As Atlas had said, the lives of all mortals meant nothing if their plans succeeded. And by definition, demigods were mortals.

The lives of heroes were tragic ones. They ultimately meant to go on a quest of vengeance or redemption and ended up as heroes because of such adventures. They did what the normal couldn't… what those without the mental and physical strength had no chance of doing. Most demigods trained, but surviving even the weakest of creatures was a challenging feat. There were some extraordinary demigods who were given gifts at birth, though their lives tended to feel like a curse.

Hestia understood Percy Jackson's plan clearly. Unlike what most of the gods and goddesses might do, she didn't care much to take action. She's the home and hearth, the last Olympian when all is lost. She loved children, and often kept watch over the children of other gods, but preferred not to have any children of her own.

One reason as to why she preferred not to have children was because with children came attachment. Although many demigods are children not meant to happen, the gods still care about them. With the ancient laws, they could not show direct compassion, but through indirect sources they could show their children that they truly cared enough. After all, the sacrifices at camp had to go somewhere.

With compassion and attachment came favouritism. Hestia would find it hard to refuse to her own child. The other deities managed through it, though only Athena went through it expressionless.

Hestia considered Percy's point of view. She thought about monotheism and the belief in one god only. Perhaps that would be more idealistic. If one god had all the qualities deemed "good" by his or her followers, then it would be harder to dislike that god and side with the devil. However, Hestia believed that as the gods that started in the Hellenic area, they represented humanity better than some other deities.

There were many gods and gods of almost anything in the world. They were plentiful and varied, just like humans. They had strengths and weaknesses, like humans. Some were smart, some were not so smart. Some were crafty, and some were violent and messy. Some were powerful and some were weak. Some were mysterious and some were blunt.

What if there was a world with no gods?

"Then, Percy Jackson," Hestia whispered to the hearth, "problems would arise in other ways."

If there was a world with no gods, the world's problems would fall on humans only. The blame game would be between countries rather than between mortals and immortals. Violence was everywhere even without deities. It would not stop just because deities didn't exist. It was a painful truth but the truth nonetheless.

Everyone has a different view on what is right. Just because one person thinks they're doing something right, doesn't mean another person will. Everyone has opinions. Everyone is different. That is what makes everyone unique, and that is what makes everyone the same.

The future had been laid out already. The end was set. Only the path would change.

Just then, a tired looking god entered the room. He had earbuds in his ears and an iPod in his hands. Hestia could sense distraught from the god of archery.

"Hello, Apollo," the goddess of the hearth greeted quietly.

"Hey, Aunt Hestia," Apollo said quickly.

"What's wrong?"

He took his earbuds out. "Sorry, what?"

"What's wrong?" Hestia repeated.

"Oh." Apollo's eyes look downcast. "I've been looking for my sister but I can't seem to find her anywhere. Everything's been clouded by mist. I contacted Bianca, that unclaimed girl who's on the quest, to help me find her. But I just… I can't find her."

"You told me you saw Percy Jackson in Washington D.C.," Hestia reminded him. "Why don't you ask him?"

Apollo scowled. "No thanks."

"Why not?"

"I don't like him."

"You don't?" Hestia was interested.

"Artemis doesn't like him so I don't like him," Apollo replied stubbornly. "At first, I was amazed by this new kid, but Artemis is right. Now that I think about it, he reminds me of Orion. I don't like him. I don't think he'll be something great or whatever. He'll just end up cursing the gods and joining the Titans anyway."

"I see…" She looked at the constellations on the ceiling. "So you broke the rules instead of asking a powerful yet unstable demigod to find your sister. I find that quite interesting."

"Well, it's not like the Council really likes him anyway," Apollo shrugged. "Zeus hates him. Ares hates him. Dionysus hates him. Athena thinks he's bad luck. Artemis agrees with Athena. I agree with Artemis. Hermes and Hephaestus don't really care. Same with Demeter. Let's see… who's left? Um, Hera also dislikes him because he was born out of wedlock. And Aphrodite finds his love life uninteresting. That's eleven, right? The last is Poseidon, who will protect his son. I mean, even Hades hates the kid. Evidently, Thalia is the one people favour as the child of the prophecy, even if Athena is still hesitant. If Artemis let's her go from the Hunters…"

"No one believes in the son of Poseidon?" asked Hestia.

The god of archery shook his head. "Nope."

"Then perhaps he would do well as our enemy," she mused aloud, hoping it would provoke Apollo to some sort of reaction.

"Whoa whoa!" Apollo put his hands up and waved them frantically in a refusal. "I know I said he'll end up joining the Titans, but no one said it would be good if he was our enemy. We have to kill him. That's the obvious solution."

"He fights for the lives of the campers," she said, turning back to the hearth. "Without camp, he would gladly bring the downfall of Olympus. He shares no compassion. In fact, he once said he would convince Hades and Poseidon to halt their aid to Olympus to allow it to fall."

He went wide-eyed. "What?!"

"But I suppose that doesn't matter if the Council dislikes the boy," Hestia said. "After all, I am no longer an Olympian."

Apollo looked down. "Right."

"Perhaps you should rest. I'm sure your sister is fine."

"Of course. Thanks, Aunt Hestia."

The god of archery slumped out of the room, troubled and worried.

Hestia waved her hand over the flames of the hearth. A colourless picture of the three Fates appeared before her. The middle one took the scissors and cut the string in front of her. It split into two pieces, each end dangling like the silky string of a spider's web.

The goddess of the hearth gave the image a sad look.

"Brace yourself, Perseus Jackson."

Lots of confusing stuff in this chapter, I know. Sudden "love." If you have any questions, send me a PM or review. Unfortunately, I can't answer guest questions. And, I don't feel like making answers public. That is the unfortunate part about being too lazy to make an account. Still, ask me questions. It's good to know your concerns. Also, if there are any problems you have with the chapter, review and tell me. I'll be offended but I'll understand. After all, my pride can only inflate so high.

Thanks,
SharkAttack719