Dear Maverick, as to why Thalia was a little of Standish is currently referring to when they first met and Reyna kissed Nico when they were little. But there could be more you just aren't aware of anything else as of yet.
To FruitQueen. Yes. Yes she does. And soon.
To Deadly Cute. Read and find out.
Chapter 35
Percy's mind was running on overtime as he calculated every possible way they could get out of this with no casualty's. And the answer kept coming back the same. There wasn't.
"But we've got to try!" Jason yelled across the link to Percy.
"I agree. We've got to. Are you ready?" Percy yelled back turning to look to Jason who simply drew his sword and nodded as cannon's fired and jars of Greek flame burst into life on the side's and deck of the Andromeda. "Then let's begin!" Percy shouted to the crew. "Nico get everyone out of here! You know where to take them! Jason and I will hold them off. Go!" Percy yelled as he and Jason ran jumping off the side of the Andromeda, Jason flying up to the ship as Percy fell into the water then shot out directly onto the deck of Luke's ship.
Immediately after seeing Jason and Percy land on Luke's ship Nico called everyone to him, taking seven people at a time, shadow traveling them to the one place that the three had agreed would be safe. He never once would stop, not even as he saw Percy's arm sliced open, followed soon after by the top of Jason's head, dropping blood into his eyes as he fought on. "I won't let this be in vain." Nico thought shadow traveling away again with six more.
Annabeth watched tears in her eyes as her love left her standing on the deck of the Andromeda to fight for her, and everyone else aboard. "Percy! How could you leave me! Together. We are supposed to do this together!" was shouted across the water as Annabeth began backing up. If he wished to leave her on the deck. Fine. She'll get across herself, she was done waiting the moment blood began flowing from Percy's arm.
Looking across she saw Piper, tears in her eyes, but right next to her. Looking into each other's eyes they agreed then. It didn't matter what their boyfriends thought, they would help them with their last breath. To die together, not live apart.
With one final nod, they drew their daggers running and leaping off the deck of the Andromeda, shooting across the expanse towards the side of Luke's ship.
But they never made it, as an arm wrapped around both of them, dragging them backwards towards the shadow.
"Nico! Let us go. We've got to help them! They could die! They are too much, there's too many! NICO!" Annabeth yelled tears spilling from her eyes as she turned back to look at Nico, seeing that he too had tears in his eyes but a fierce look of determination accompanied them.
"And will you make their sacrifice in vain?" Nico said, deadly serious as he stared into their eyes, seemingly straight into their souls, weighing their worth. "Will you throw away what they are doing for this ship and its crew? Look. Look at how they fight. It's not for anyone else here but you. And you would throw it away?! Does their blood mean so little to you?!" Nico yelled his voice raising with emotion and volume every word.
And they did look. Watching as more and more cuts appeared over the two boy's body. They'd managed to take out one of the Titan's watch it seemed, but it still looked hopeless as they battled on, their blood wetting the deck of the enemy's ship.
And as Annabeth looked she saw that she and Piper were the last aboard the Andromeda, Nico had managed to get everyone else away, but at a cost. Blood flowed form Nico's nose and mouth, the strain of shadow traveling with so many people so many times in a row showing its cost. She looked one last time as she felt herself beginning to disappear into the shadows just as caught her eye. Winking one last time and mouthing his final words across the expanse to her as Nosiri's sword pierced him through his stomach the blade appearing out of his back.
Her scream was lost into the void of in-between as she emerged from the shadows screaming, Piper matching her in intensity as they fell to the ground crying as Nico desperately disappeared into the shadows, hoping beyond hope he wasn't too late.
Percy knew as he shot through the air, that this would likely be his last time fighting beside Jason. He could feel it in his bones, in the way the ocean seemed to embrace him one last time when he'd dropped into it. But as he flew through the air he looked back to the Andromeda, catching sight of Annabeth running to the spot he'd just been anger in her eyes as she yelled at him. Then he saw Nico getting the first group ready to depart. And he knew that it was alright. They were who he was fighting for. And if need be, give his life for.
Shaking away the rest of these thoughts Percy turned to look into the eyes of Nosiri as their swords collided in mid-air the battle for the Andromeda truly beginning.
The fight quickly became a battle of four on three as two of the Titan's watch engaged Jason, as Nosiri and his fellow Watch engaged Percy. The clashing of swords was the only sound reaching Percy's ears, and all he was focused on was the fight. He threw away thoughts of stances, and strategy, instead he let the sword move him. Letting the flow of the battle flow through him, emerging himself into the fight, letting intuition take over.
Over and under, back and forth they fought, sometimes Jason switching partners with Percy, both fighting back to back protecting the other as they had in practice countless times before. Soon thunder clouds filled the sky as lightning flashed, and a small whirlpool of water was swimming around their feet trying to protect them and push back their attackers.
It was then that Nosiri chose to break the silence, "Tell me Percy and Jason. Did your loving Aunt ever tell you what we can do? Did she ever tell you the power of Kronos? Allow me to show you." Nosiri wickedly spat at Percy, a feral glint in his eye.
Percy could barely respond as suddenly Nosiri's attack sped up to fast to follow with the eye, he reacted on pure instinct. Stopping Nosiri's blade a few centimeter's away from cutting his arm away. But not soon enough to stop the blow, as pain shot up Percy's arm and blood flowed from it.
Looking over he saw Jason in a similar position, having barely stopped a blow to his head, blood leaking down and into his eyes. But with little more than a though Percy washed the water away, freezing water over the cut on Jason's head to keep more blood from impairing his vision.
"It is truly a testament of your training and abilities that you could even stop that attack Percy, Jason. What the great Lord Kronos has given us is the ability to speed up time for ourselves. Now as this is a taxing attack, we can't do it every strike, nor for long. We can only do an attack like that a few more times. But the question is, is can you two stop the ones we have left?" Nosiri questioned as the battle began again in renewed vigor.
Each party struck out, defending on a level few would ever master, and attacking on levels some would say were unheard of. Cuts began appearing over both parties. Soon Percy was decorated in slices and cuts, up his arms, on his side, his shoulders, one even above his eye. None were deep, but the amount of them was draining his blood and energy away. Jason was in the same boat as they made eye contact, forming a plan quickly over the link.
The tides momentarily turned when Percy shot forward driving one of Jason's metal stakes into the chest of Nosiri's partner, an astonished look painting his face as blood began pouring out. Before he could react further, or even touch the spike a huge bolt of lightning shot down from the sky, frying the man, his death instant but not painless as his charred body fell to the deck.
With the momentum turning Percy and Jason attacked as one, pushing the three remaining members of the Titan's Watch back, and working together to block and strike.
Percy was beginning to feel confident again, that maybe… just maybe they could get out of this alive. But those thoughts left the moment he turned to see a smirk playing across Nosiri's face. "I must say Percy. No one has manage to slay one of the Titan's watch since Captain Theseus sailed the seas on his original ship. You've met I believe. Regardless, that is as far as you'll go." Nosiri darkly gloated as he and his comrades renewed their attack pushing Jason and Percy back to the railing of their ship.
Percy could feel that the battle was coming to an end, he and Jason were too tired, they'd lost too much blood, and were outnumbered. Turning in that final moment as he beheld Nosiri preparing to use his abilities to end the fight, he came face to face with a crying Annabeth, struggling in the arms of Nico as he pulled her and Piper back towards the shadows and safety. He could feel that Jason too knew they were finished and was saying his last goodbye to Piper in those final moments.
Making final eye contact with Annabeth he mouthed his last goodbye, "I love you." His eyes alight with a sad acceptance as he felt the cold steal of Nosiri's blade pierce his stomach and out his back. Falling to the deck as the sword was ripped from him, his hands went to the wound, turning to look at Jason as pain overran his senses and blackness began creeping into this vision. Jason too was looking to him as a blade was ripped from his chest, his mouth agape, but his eyes steely in their resolve.
Falling to the deck, Percy felt his blood run from him, felt his hands growing cold as Nosiri laughed at the sky as the ocean stormed in Poseidon's fury, and the lightning lit up the sky in reaction to Zeus's Rage.
Percy could barely feel the kick that sent him over the edge of the boat, and he barely saw the arms reach from the shadows, snatching him and Jason from the air and pulling him into darkness as he slipped into oblivion.
Calypso felt something was wrong. She couldn't place what, but something had occurred, and her fear only grew as the sky darkened and thunder and lightning exploded in the day, and the earth shook as never before. To add to her worry she began feeling unwelcome presences on her island. Anger filling her she flashed away to her island.
To her surprise she found it full of demigods and blessed, all tired and wounded, many with cuts and burns upon them, bandaged and worn. It was then she felt someone run up behind her, and turning found herself looking down upon a short elfin looking child of Hapheastus.
"Miss! You've got to come with me at once! Please hurry, Nico said to get you the moment you came!" He shouted excitedly running off towards Calypso's home looking back with fear in his eyes, and worry crease across his forehead.
Running after him, her own worry growing she entered her home to find her worst fears present.
There in the living room, upon her two couches sat two deathly pale boys, her boys. Her lovely little children she'd watched grow up. Percy with a wound through his stomach, the edges of the wound a sickly green, and Jason with a cut next to his heart that was bleeding freely though it was covered in gauze and some sort of poultice.
She looked to see two girls weeping over the boys, a blonde haired beauty, and obvious daughter of Athena crying while holding Percy's hand, and a kaleidoscope eyes daughter of Aphrodite her beauty to be respected. It was then she saw Nico, running about, followed by a daughter of Bellona, who was doing her best to be strong for her friends.
As Nico caught sight of Calypso he ran over, burying his face in her clothes as he wept, returning to the days of his childhood when he'd had a nightmare and run to her room at night. "Aung Calypso. I can't… I can't fix them. I don't know what to do. Or use. Nothing stops the poison in Percy's wound, nothing, not the sea, not ambrosia, I can't figure it out. And Jason's wound won't stop bleeding, it just… it just…" He broke down crying as thoughts of him having failed his brothers and not being able to save them filled his mind.
"Sh. Sh. Sh Nico. Now think. What heals all poisons? What can you grow, that can do that?" Calypso began, walking Nico through the process. Knowing he needed to figure this out for himself or it would haunt him ever after.
"Mom's flower!" Nico shouted, the idea completely eluding him in his haste and worry.
"Right! Now hurry, get some from my garden, it will be faster than you growing some, and grind it up into a poultice while I clean their wounds." Calypso instructed taking over now that hope was adorning Nico's face as he ran out of the house.
"Now you two! Quit your crying. Are you strong women who will listen and help save your men's lives, or are you weak willed girls who break down at the first sign of danger? From these boys descriptions of you in letters to me you sounded like the first, but perhaps they were mistaken?" Calypso demanded staring hard into their eyes as their strength and determination returned to them.
"What do we need to do?" Annabeth demanded, Piper nodding her agreement as Reyna took off after Nico.
"Annabeth is it? I need you to get hot water boiling, lots of it. You'll find the right sized pan in the kitchen. Piper! I need you to go get the linens from my room, and tear them into strips about four inches wide. Hurry girls!" Calypso instructed as they rushed off to complete their tasks.
As they returned Calypso began throwing enchantments, heating the water quicker and soaking the linens in them, as Nico returned with the new poultice he'd made.
Cleaning the wounds elicited the first signs of life from the boys as they cried out in pain at the deep cleaning, Annabeth and Piper grabbing ahold of their hands and whispering loving things into their ear trying to calm and comfort them.
Soon both wounds were clean and had been covered with Nico's poultice. "Annabeth, I want you and Nico to take Percy and toss him into the ocean. Even if he floats away let him, there's nothing better for him now. Nico's poultice will take care of the poison and the water will do the rest, he'll return when he wakes. As for you Piper. Come with me." Calypso commanded taking Piper towards the bathroom where she quickly called for two large metal tubs.
The first she filled with Ambrosia, the second with Ice and water. "Now Piper. We must submerge Jason up to his neck in the Ambrosia first. The next step will be up to you. Nico and I must go take care of the rest of the crew. Listen carefully. After exactly, and I mean exactly not a minute more or less, after thirty minutes, you are to pull Jason from the tub of Ambrosia and submerge him into the tub of ice for two hours. After those two hours return him to the Ambrosia for another thirty minutes. Once again putting him into the ice for two hours after. Then pull him out and lay him in my bed, covering him will every blanket you can find in this house. And you let him lay till he wakes up on his own. Don't let anyone disturb him. Is that understood?" Calypso questioned, her eyes never leaving Piper's.
"Yes ma'am. I'll do everything you say, I promise." Piper confidently spoke, her eyes drifting towards the body of Jason, love filling them momentarily before they snapped back up to Calypso's gaze.
"Good. I believe that." Calypso said leaving to take care of the rest of the Andromeda's wounded
As Annabeth walked Percy out into the water, her eyes never left his face, her hand tracing invisible lines down his cheek. "My love, my love. Why did you leave me? I would go to the end of the world for you. Do you know that? I almost did just searching for you. Please… Return soon my love." She whispered, bending close to kiss him goodbye as she let his body float away into the ocean, carried and caressed by the current.
Here's my deal. Twenty reviews, (each person may do two.) today and I'll post the next chapter at midnight or so.