Chapter 36: We make our own fate
Here comes the next chapter. I know I didn't update in the weekend and I apologize. However, I just had to update today because today is the 4th month anniversary of this story! I really hope you enjoy this chapter. Also I want to thank my beta reader "I'mAnidiotButWhoCares" for beta reading this chapter. You always do an awesome job so thank you. By the way, this will be the second longest chapter I had published so far.
I don't own any of this except for the plotline.
Read, enjoy, and review!
Percy's POV
There was a deadly silence between Achilles and me once Cassandra said that. A few seconds later, I regained the voice in my throat.
"I am afraid that I can't die yet prophetess," I told her calmly. "There are many important things that I still need to do."
"Not even the gods can oppose fate Jackson," she reminded me. "You and Achilles will die tonight," Cassandra sentenced.
"Well, I believe that we make our own fate with our actions," I claimed. "I had changed prophesies before the things that should have happened took place but they never did. And tonight I will change two more," I declared.
"I will like to see that, but first why don't you two salute the imperial guards of Troy behind your back?" She suggested.
With those words, every muscle in our bodies became alert again and ready for combat. We turn around and I nearly cursed. In front of us were about fifty Trojan soldiers in a golden armor. They were the imperial guard of Troy, the elite of the city. Before we could do anything though, the battalion split in two groups and started to surround us.
"Achilles, back to back!" I yelled.
Soon enough, our backs were covered by the other for more protection. Then I began counting the soldiers on my side and when I was done I formulated a plan.
"How about you take care of the 25 to your left and I take care of the 25 to my right?"
He nodded in agreement.
"Then en garde!" I said laughing as I moved forward with my sword raised.
The Trojans were very well trained but, as a demigod and magician, I was stronger and faster than them. I knew that Riptide can't hurt mortals so I enchanted it before we reached Troy. It consisted on slashing a mortal like those guards with riptide but, when the sword pass through their body like an illusion the soldier will fall into a deep sleep and won't wake up for half an hour. I wasn't going to kill them, just make myself sure that they won't get in our way.
Sure enough, as I dodge their blades and slashed with mine every soldier that came in contact with the illusion riptide becomes when it strikes mortals fall collapsed and fall asleep. The Trojans were very surprised by what was happening but keep attacking and I keep dodging.
Achilles, on the other hand, was slaughtering every soldier that came within a yard from him. I knew I couldn't stop him and that it was either those Trojans or us but i felt a Little guilty because, if i hadn't brought Achilles with me here they wouldn't need to die. They will have probably died anyway when the Greeks get inside but that didn't made me feel any better to be honest.
After about 7 minutes of fighting we either killed all the soldiers or put them to sleep.
Then I looked at Cassandra, "I am sorry but so far I don't think that I am going to die tonight," I told her.
However when I looked at her more closely I noticed that she was grinning with malice.
"What are you grinning at?" I asked her.
"At the death of the man that had killed so many of my countrymen," she said while looking up.
"Dammit," I cursed in my head. "Could she mean…?"
To make myself sure, I looked back to the direction that Cassandra was staring and I saw Paris with a bow in his hands and an arrow in it with Apollo invisible, to his mortal eyes, at his side.
I knew what was about to happened. And I had to stop it.
I used a spell to move 5 times faster than usual and when the arrow was about to hit Achilles left heel, thanks to Apollo's powers, I get in its way and let it stab my liver.
I screamed in pain.
Rachel's POV
I was in the Greek camp closed to the kings. The enemy armies couldn't break inside because of the fire spell of Zoë. Maybe I hate her but her arrows do are useful if used properly.
At any rate, all the Greeks were in full battle armor just I case the enemy breach in but that was highly unlikely that that will happen as long as the fire circle surrounds the camp.
That's when I felt it.
The pain wasn't like any kind of pain I had ever felt. It felt external like if something else outside of my body was agonizing and I could feel it like a headache. That' was when it hit me: Percy is badly wounded.
Worried sick, I searched for his mind in Troy until I saw an image of him taking an arrow that was going to stab Achilles left heel. He put himself in danger for trying to protect Achilles.
"Oh Percy, why do you have to have so much loyalty to your friends to the point that you are willing to suffer from such a painful wound like that one?" I thought to him.
"Because friends are very valuable to me," He thought me very weakened.
"Hold on, I will transfer you energy form my body so that you can heal yourself with magic," I told him silently.
As fast as possible, I sent him a lot of my energy to aid Percy heal his wound.
"Hmm, maybe what Kronos wanted Percy to do in the Trojan War was to make more friends and, when they will face tons of dangers in the battlefield, he will try to save them even if that could get him killed," I thought.
"Rachel you look very worried," Odysseus said. "Are you all right?"
"Um, I receive a mental message from Percy," I told the kings. "It seems that Percy get in the way of an arrow that was about to stab Achilles heart and hit Percy's liver instead," I said lying only about the heart part.
The kings gasped.
"Is he… dead?" Menelaus asked afraid of the truth.
"Don't worry too much, he is about to use a spell to heal him entirely," I informed them.
The kings looked more relieved.
That's when I prayed.
"Gods, if you can hear me, don't let Percy die," I begged, looking at the sky.
Percy's POV
The pain was excruciating but the energy that Rachel sent me made me feel better. I tried to get up and ended siting on the floor made of stone. That's when I looked at Cassandra. She looked pale and grim.
"That… wasn't supposed to happen," She said confused and even scared. "Why did that happened?" She screamed.
"Like I said, I believe that the future isn't written in stone," I said while blue waves surrounded me and started to heal my chest magically. Then I casted the same spell I made that allowed me to put other people to sleep that I used on riptide just that I can launch it like a blue colored beam. I used it twice to put Cassandra and Paris to sleep. Apollo left soon after when he realized that he can't interfere directly and without Paris he can't do a thing here.
I tried to stand up but I collapsed to my knees again. I may be healed already but I had still not recovered all my strength.
Achilles approached me and looked at me with an expression of mixed emotions: Worriedness, gratefulness, and surprise.
"You… saved me," Achilles even more surprised when he said that like if he didn't believe it. "You get in the middle of an arrow that was going to stab my only weak spot. If you hadn't taken that arrow I would have died," He said realizing what I did for him. "Why did you do it?" Achilles asked me.
"Because you are my friend," I answered. "I saw Apollo helping Paris to aim the arrow at your heel and I knew what was going to happened if I didn't intervene," I explained. "I would have never forgiven myself if I just let you die if I could stop it from happening."
Achilles was quiet for a while. Then he smiled. It wasn't the cunning smile of a warrior. It was a warm smile of friendship and trust.
"Perseus Jackson, I owe you my life and I will have to repay my debt someday," He declared.
"Um that's not necessary," I said.
"Don't be modest," Achilles scolded me. "A debt is a debt and I owe you one. Therefore I have to repay it, as simple as that," He said like if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Well fine but right now I can't think of anything for you to repay me," I told him. "Maybe another day you can repay me."
He nodded.
"Well, according to my dream, Hector is inside that building to the north," I said pointing at the Trojan meeting hall. "I was planning to help you fight but I had to use a lot of energy to heal my wound and I still need to use magic to get us out of here, so I am afraid that you will have to kill take care of Hector yourself," I said. "Even so, considering what you did to those imperial guards," I said while looking at the blood and limbs scattered on the floor, "I think that you will be fine without me," I stated. "So go ahead and save Patroclus," I urged.
"I will just wait here," Achilles said as he moved toward the building.
I made a spell so that I could see, in a well two yards to my left, whatever Achilles was seeing.
I saw him entering the building and attack Hector so fast that he barely had enough time to block the strike with his own sword. He was surprised because he probably thought that Achilles and I wouldn't get this far alive.
After he recovered himself from the shock, they began to engage each other with all their might in a circle. Hector was a great warrior but, thanks to the curse of the River Styx, Achilles was stronger, faster and better trained. In just a few minutes his determination to save Patroclus life overwhelmed Hector and knocked him down and tossed his sword far from his reach.
"Good bye prince of Troy, it seems to me that you will never become a king," Achilles said before piercing the heart of Hector with his sword.
There was an absolute silence in the hall the moment that the light of life left Hector's eyes.
Then Achilles came to look for me.
"Good job, Achilles," I congratulated him. "Let's celebrate later though. Right now we need to escape the city."
He nodded and followed.
Right before I left though, I removed the spell that was forcing Cassandra to fall asleep. She woke up startled.
"What happened?" She asked.
"I put you to sleep with magic and now I removed the spell," I stated.
"Why?" She asked me.
"Because I want you to know that we are not dead but Hector is," I claimed.
Her eyes widen.
"You are lying! That isn't supposed to happen!" She yelled.
"Then check the hall yourself to find out and remember what I said: I believe that we make our own fate," I reminded her.
Afterwards, I grabbed Achilles hands and we flew our way, past the walls, toward the Greek camp.
Before we get there, though we heard all the bells of Troy rang at once. According to what I had read at camp half-blood, all those bells are only ringed when something horrible happened and the entire army needs to return to the city at once.
The soldiers seemed to have got the message and return Troy as fast as they could.
Then we landed inside the camp so that we didn't have to touch the fire and everyone started cheering at us.
"Did you do it? Agamemnon asked.
We just nodded.
Nestor started talking in the top of a wagon so that the soldiers pay attention to him.
"Achilles and the Hero of the sea have returned from infiltrating the city of Troy and killed Hector!" He yelled to the army.
"Hurrah!" Many soldiers yelled.
"As long as the Hero of the sea led us we will always win!" Nestor yelled.
The soldiers roared again.
"And now, let's celebrate like there is no tomorrow!" He yelled.
The cheering double at the end of the speech.
Hope you like it. I am afraid that I will have to focus on school this week but I have good news: I will have vacation from school from 29th of October to the 7th of November. That means that I will have more time to update during those days. I hope you had read the last two author notes I made because I am going to delete them soon. And for those that celebrate, when the time comes… HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
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