AN: Hi everyone! I have actually updated! Yay!

So IMPORTANT NOTICE:

For those who don't know, the Stone Circle is just a circle of stones on a hill - there's nothing special about it. It's just the location where Annabeth is supposed to betray Percy!

Thank you for reviewing! I love you all so much :D


Annabeth sat on the edge of her bed with half an onion in her hands. The fumes were starting to make her eyes water and tears suddenly trickled down her cheeks as she kept slicing it with her dagger.

There was a rustle as someone was opening the flap of her tent door. Quickly, she stuffed the onion under her pillow, letting the tears fall freely. She didn't look up to see who it was, but she knew that is was Percy.

"Annabeth!" his beautiful melodic voice made her want to cry for real. His strong muscular arms wrapped around her shaking body, she could feel his breath tickling her ear.

Her head automatically rested on his shoulder, her salty tears dripped down onto his shirt. "Percy..."

"What's wrong?" he asked frantically, hugging her even more tightly. She wanted nothing more than to stay like this forever; trap time where it was...to stop the events of this evening that loomed above her, like a great tidal wave of shadows.

"I-It's n-nothing," she managed to say between breaths. "It doesn't matter."

"Of course it matters," he replied softly, stroking her hair back. "I hate to see you cry."

She sniffed, wiping her eyes with the hem of her sleeves. "N-no it's just some s-stupid little thing."

He continued to hug her soothingly, drawing circles on her back. "Do you want to tell me?"

After a few shaky breaths, she stared up at him. The look on his face made her want to tell him that nothing was wrong. Nothing bad was going to happen. The tears were falling for real now.

"I-I left my canvas at the e-elfish camp – it's the only thing I have to remember my father," she felt as if a dagger was stabbing in her gut. "He gave it to me for my sixteenth birthday."

"Oh Annabeth, I can get it back for you," he sounded so determined. He truly didn't suspect anything.

"It's dangerous," she put in; it would be the only truth she would say tonight. "There's no point."

"It's already dark outside," Percy replied quickly. "No one will see me."

The shadows around them were getting longer; soon the clock would strike 8. Time would run out. "Let me come with you then."

Percy stiffened. "No, it's fine. You can stay here – like you said, it's dangerous."

"I can look after myself," she shot back, faking anger.

He ran a hand through his dark locks. "I wasn't saying th – "

"I know. I understand, but if something were to happen to you..." her bottom lip trembled. She gave him puppy dog eyes, her usually stormy grey orbs now wide and pleading.

"I'm not going to win this argument, am I?" Percy smiled. "Come on, let's go."

He kissed her gently; it was short but still held just as much meaning to it as before. It would probably be the last one they shared. She didn't want it to end.

Percy, being the gentlemen he is, helped wrap a cloak around her shoulders before he fumbled with the flap of the tent. Little did he know that every step he took, led him closer to his death. Closer to Annabeth's betrayal.


"Where is my son? Surely he hasn't forgotten another meeting?" Sally groaned, tapping her fingers on the table.

Calypso mentally shivered at the sound of her voice, it had been a long time since the two mermaids had even exchanged a smile with each other. Her best friend was long gone, replaced by a cold war hardened warrior.

"Shall I go and check on him?" she asked.

Sally nodded grimly. "I bet this is because of that...that princess he brought into this camp. I don't even know why I agreed to it."

"You did the right thing," Calypso muttered quietly, before walking out of the tent.

She opened the door to Percy's tent, but it was full of darkness. Maybe he had fallen asleep.

"Percy?" she whispered, not wanting to sound rude.

There was no reply. Calypso knew that he didn't snore when he slept, but the empty bed proved her that he definitely wasn't there. Without wasting another second, she sped off down to Annabeth's tent. She stood awkwardly outside, wondering if she would be disturbing anything.

There was a small candle lit emanating from inside, but she could hear no voices or movements.

"Hello?"

Cautiously, she opened the flap, ducking her head down as she crept inside. There was a scent of onions in the air, though she was pretty sure that Mermaids hated the smell of them. No one cooked them in this camp.

It came from underneath the bed. Looking around her to check if anyone was coming, she reached under and her fingers locked onto it. She examined it; none of it had been eaten. As if whoever cut it was doing it purely out of boredom.

That was when she noticed the round tear marks on the bed. Suspicion crawled its way into her heart, chilling her to the bone. Something was wrong...very wrong. Annabeth's leather bound diary lay shut on a small table next to her bed, a blob of wax had fallen onto it from the almost extinguished candle.

Listening for footsteps, she plucked up her courage and slowly opened up the small book, her heart thumping with uneasiness.

I don't know what to do...I'm so lost. It's either the option of letting the elfish nation die or kill Percy to save them. Percy doesn't suspect a thing, he thinks that I can be trustworthy – but I'm not. It's going to break my heart to betray him...

Her eyes widened tremendously. Sally was right. She was right all along. Annabeth wasn't just here out of love...

At the stone circle...at 8 o'clock tonight.

Calypso silently screamed, flinging the book onto the ground so it crashed into a pile of armour with an ear splitting clatter of noise. She sprinted out of the tent, so her movements were just a blur of colour.

"Sally, Sally!" she cried desperately.

"What, what is it?" her friends eyes mirrored the raging seas. "Where is he?"

"A-Annabeth – she betrayed him," she choked.

Sally looked up immediately. "Tell me everything."


She could hear his footsteps behind her, she could sense his confusion. They were going a different way to the camp...one that went past the stone circle. Her eyes were already filling up with water; it took every part of her to stop crying. The trees around her seemed to be calling and screaming at her to stop. Screaming at her to stop what she was going to do. The horrendous act of killing something so innocent...

A loose rock tripped her up slightly, but she kept running up the hill, speeding past the landscapes around her. The ragged rocks of the stone circle glared threateningly at her, battered and torn by the heavy wind on the hill.

She had lost sound of Percy's footsteps behind her, only the roaring of the lightning and thunder shattered in her ears. Someone was watching her, piercing holes into her back.

Stopping in the middle of the circle, she looked back at Percy – who ran evenly up to her. He smiled reassuringly since it was too loud to speak. He took hold of her hands which were shaking furiously, he said something but she couldn't hear him over the screaming of the wind.

Instead, she leaned forwards and hugged him, burying her face into his shirt, breathing in his warm scent. She relished the moment as he hugged her back.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, even though she knew that he couldn't hear her.

The skies grew darker; rain started falling down sheet after sheet. Every drop pounded on her as if it were acid.

The dagger...the dagger that she had once given him, the dagger that she had already stabbed into him before waited for her. It was strapped to her forearm; it would take one smooth movement to unsheathe it. The hilt was dry and firm, the metal sparkling in all its radiance.

She mustn't waste a single second; she mustn't get this wrong now.

With a quick thrust, it pierced into his back. Blood split onto her hand.

Percy fell away from her, his mouth open with a face contorted with pain. But he still looked like an angel to her.

"Annabeth!" was all she could hear over the storm.

Tears fell down from her cheeks as she watched him fall to his knees, his face ashen grey. Scarlet liquid trickled onto the wet grass.

She couldn't meet his eyes; instead she backed away until she could feel one of the stones of the circle behind her.

She had actually fulfilled the task.

Soldiers poured out from behind the crevices and trees, their faces full of determination. They crowded around Percy until she could see him no more.

What had she done?

She knew who she loved more now.

It wasn't Castor...

Not even her father.

The death that would destroy her the most would be Percy's.

His death would be her fault. His blood was on her hands.

They were taking him away, down the hill towards the camp. She couldn't walk, no limb would move. Only she was responsible for her own shattered heart, the guilt was greater than she ever imagined.

"You did the right thing."

The rain had stopped now, but the pain still wasn't over. Her head snapped up to see her brother, standing next to her with his long blond hair tangled and dark. She hated him. With every inch of her soul – he was the one that condemned her to kill the one person she loved. Castor looked so confident and proud; it made her shiver with rage.

"You think that this was the right thing?" she spat, stepping forwards to him. "As if I had a choice. As if killing an innocent soul was the right thing. You disgust me, Castor. Not even all the beings in the world can compensate for the murder you have committed – "

"This was not murder!" he fired back. Their eyes mirrored each other. Both full of an endless fury. "Would you rather have every elf massacred for the sake of one monster?"

"Yes!" she screamed, red clouded her vision. "The only monster here is you and you alone. The only evil here is you, only you would make their own sister kill the man she loves. I would rather die than watch him being tortured – "

"Then don't watch because you know what? That's exactly what I'm going to do," Castor hissed. "You are letting your heart cloud you mind – "

She hit him, straight in his face. Castor yelled out in pain, clutching his nose in agony.

"You were the one that told me to follow my heart," she said softly, though her voice trembled. "Why do you betray your own words?"

He scowled, wiping the blood viciously away with the back of his hand. "I've learnt better. What has following your heart ever achieved? Nothing. That's what."

"You're wrong Castor and for that, you've just lost a sister."

Annabeth spun around and sped down the hillside, crying openly as she ran.


Percy was thrown down on the mud covered ground, his hands tied behind his back. Blood continued to drip onto them, but he tried to stay awake. The physical pain was nothing. Nothing compared to what damage in his heart.

The spell had been broken. It was Annabeth all along. She had been plotting to kill him, just like she originally had. He should've seen it coming, but he really thought that it was real. He thought that every word she said was real. But now...not even the three little words she kept saying could make him believe.

Yet, he still loved her and he would forevermore. He could never lose that emotion, no matter what the elves did to him. No matter what she said to him now that he knew...his heart would never be full without that single emotion.

That one vital emotion. Love.

His green eyes met green eyes.

It was his father, the king of Atlantia. The one who had abandoned him at birth. Percy couldn't hate him though; hating took up to much effort. There was no point to hate him. Even though the King had left him, casted him aside like a broken sword – Percy still couldn't blame him. There was nobody to blame. It didn't matter, since Percy knew that he was a mistake and sometimes...mistakes need to be corrected.

"You are an enemy of the Elfish nation; there is no need for a trial," he spoke harshly with his voice projected out to all the soldiers around him. "You will be stripped of your magic and tortured until death."

Percy clenched his jaw. The prospect made him tremble. Never before had he felt so weak. This was his own father, his own father. Why did he hate him with so much loathing?

The king raised a hand and dark green energy flowed from it, encasing him in a blinding cloak of light. It didn't hurt, but he could instantly feel weaker...more vulnerable. As if he was a mere human.

He opened his eyes and the light was gone, the bright light of his aura was now a dull green. No magic was interlaced, only his immortality remained.

"Take him away," Poseidon commanded.

Two soldiers stepped forwards, pulling him up and dragging him to a tent. They sealed the entrance with magic, leaving him alone, drowning in his blood. He could see the shadows of the guards standing outside.

His wrists stung from the harsh rope that bound them together, but Poseidon had taken away his only means of escape. Magic. It hurt more than he could imagine...to have his own father hate him, to have Annabeth betray him.

There was the faint sound of talking. He could hear one beautiful voice standing out from the others. Annabeth.

"Let me see him – "

"I'm sorry my lady, but no one is permitted to see the prisoner."

There was a shuffle of movement.

"I am the princess of Athane – you dare to defy my orders?"

"No," the guard squeaked.

A thud of noise and then the flap opened.

He didn't meet her eyes; he didn't even know why she bothered to see him. To mock him? Or to gloat? He was a gullible idiot after all.

"Percy," her voice was barely a whisper, full of love and sorrow. "I'm so sorry – I had to, my people would be – "

"It's fine," he still didn't look at her, afraid of her piercing glare.

"No, it's not fine," she insisted, kneeling in front of him so that he had to see her face. Her eyes were rimmed with red and her hair was knotted from the rain, yet she still was the most beautiful thing he had laid eyes on. "I-I betrayed you, I thought that it would be the better option than letting everyone I know die..."

Percy held her gaze, their lips almost touching. He could smell her pure forest scent that lingered in the air around them.

"But I've realised that as much as I care about the entire elfish nation – I care about you more. I-I so sorry, I just – "

"And I forgive you," Percy smiled shakily, using the last of his energy to share one more grin.

"You forgive me...after what I did, I don't deserv – "

"Annabeth, don't. Don't say that you don't deserve it. I'll still love you, no matter what you do."

She hugged him tightly. "We have to go – let me untie that rope."

"No, wait."

Her eyebrows creased. "There's no time to waste – "

"Let me stay here," he whispered. "Let the elves win the war...let the feuding stop. Please Annabeth..."

She shook her head in disbelief. "No, no...You're not actually doing this. You can't – "

"I have to," he replied. "I'm half dead already. You can continue to live a happy life, the mermaids will be gone forever – "

"A happy life?" she scoffed. "Percy, you're not serious."

"I am," he stated simply. Honestly rang through his words.

"No! I won't allow it – you are not giving up your life for me or anyone else. Think of the misery it would cause me."

He looked down shamefully.

"Annabeth! Get the hell out of there!" her brother stormed into the tent, grabbing her arm tightly.

"Get off me," she hissed, tugging it away. "Let me go!"

"Go," Percy urged.

Castor smiled smugly. His nose seemed slightly crooked for some reason, but that didn't stop him from dragging his sister out of the tent – however much she struggled and screamed.

"Percy!" but her voice was already fading.


"We're too late," Sally bent down to look at the blood on the ground. "They've killed him."

Her body collapsed from beneath her, all she could do was stare at the pool of blood that was soaked into the grass in the middle of the stone circle.

Tears trickled down her cheeks. Her son, her only child was gone. Murdered, slaughtered like an animal. All because of the elves, it was their fault. Calypso was crying next to her, the poor fragile girl had already been through so much. War had had an effect on her, fighting was never in her blood.

"I swear that every single damn elf shall pay for this," Sally glowered, rising up – keeping her eyes fixed on the camp down the hill.

Sparks crackled from her fingertips.

"N-not now," Calypso said, putting a tentative hand on her shoulder. "On the battlefield."

Sally nodded grimly, her lips rising upwards to a snarl. "Of course. Every mermaid shall fight today – we will not retreat until every single elf has surrendered."

In a blur of colour, the two mermaids sped off down the hill, running faster than the wind blew through the trees around them. Moonlight streaked down the mountains as they went, illuminating the shadowed fields and deserted moorlands. Stars lit up the sky, the once miserable weather had suddenly turned mild.

Sally arrived at the camp, swiping up the conch shell and calling all the mermaids. In a matter of seconds they stood before her, weapons ready and lips pulled back in a lust for blood.

"My fellow soldiers – tonight we go to war. The last and final battle. We shall not stop until we can walk out victorious!"

The army cheered, thrusting their ragged banners into the air. Each face was contorted into a feral expression, their eyes gleaming with the desire to kill.

Sally looked away for a moment, her eyes lingering on Percy's tent. A stab of guilt hit her, every harsh word she had said to him...every cruel action she had inflicted...she had never said sorry once. She had been a letdown, but her pride had blinded her. But now it was different, she was fighting for a true cause now.

Pursing her lips together, she signalled with her hand and the army followed after her through the soaring mountains. High cliffs and waterfalls, walls of rock, forests of luscious leave, they all faded into nothing as the battle field came into view.

The field was a humungous stretch of craters, marshes and mud. There were severed limbs half buried into the ground; dried blood was splattered onto rocks. The mere sight of it screamed Death. This is what Sally had to see every day for the last ten years.

The mud went up to her knees, weighing her down but she was determined not to give up. It was worth it.

Howling wind started up again, making the loose strands of her bun fly in all directions. Smoothly, she placed her helmet on her head and raised the blood red war flag.

"Advance on the elfish camp!" she yelled to her soldiers. Her voice echoed through the Great Plains, reaching every ear of every mermaid.

The high wooden walls of the camp were getting closer and closer. Smoke rose from inside as if they were having a bonfire...or a pyre.

Closer...

Two hundred metres away.

She could hear the soldiers chatting behind the walls, their voices loud and booming. She could hear their raucous laughter and hated every sound.

One hundred metres away.

Straining her ears, she could hear crying. Amongst all the feasting and celebrating, someone obviously was not in the same mood.

Five metres.

Sally smiled in triumph and raised her hand upwards, blasting the entire wall to splinters. The screeching of the woods burst, flying high up towards the clouds and raining down in daggers. Smoke curled on the floor, disappearing into the breeze. All the soldiers were running around, frantically trying to find their weapons. She wanted to laugh at their amateur ways. Her army started approaching the camp slowly, green fire lit up into her hands giving her a sense of power.

Then she saw the traitor. The demon that had killed her only son. The blond haired princess that was trembling by a tent, a golden dagger in her hand. It was probably the same dagger that had murdered him.

Yelling a war cry, she leapt towards her with her hands crackling with raw green energy – ready to blast the treacherous demon into smithereens.

"Stop!"

A sudden voice boomed over every other.

Sally hissed and spun around, locking eyes with the one man she hated the most. Poseidon. Oh, she would have great pleasure in torturing him to death.

The king of Atlantia approached her, until there was a gap of ten metres between them. He gestured to one of his pathetic little soldiers.

A black haired sixteen year old boy was pushed into Poseidon, his hands were bound behind his back and blood was soaked into his shirt. His features were beyond the standard of any elf, yet he lacked any aura of magic. The king yanked his head up, so that Sally could see his eyes.

They were identical to the King's. A beautiful dark green.

"Percy!" she cried, her heart lifted at the sight of him. Sally summoned a ball of fire to blast at the King, yet she was stopped yet again.

She hadn't noticed the sharpened steel dagger that was resting on Percy's neck, the blade almost digging into his flesh. Horror flooded into her; surely Poseidon would not dare...

"Let. Him. Go," she growled, her lips curled up into a snarl.

"Only if you surrender you and your army," Poseidon replied, his voice equally as menacing.

There was complete and utter silence as every soldier watched them with unsure expressions.

She met Percy's eyes.

"What kind of creature are you?" she spat, her eyes locking on Poseidon's again. "He is your son!"

A greasy black haired elf stepped forwards, as if he going to attack her. The elves and mermaids eyes widened as they realised that the two commanders had once been a couple.

"Stay out of this Triton," Poseidon said without looking at him.

"You can't do this," she breathed, extinguishing the fire from her hands.

A flicker of sadness washed across his face. "Just surrender, Sally."

The delicate way he said her name brought back memories. Those few months they shared together... everything was perfect back then.

"He's your son," she repeated, terrified that he would actually kill Percy.

Poseidon stared at her as if to say: 'Don't make this any harder than it already is'

He pressed the dagger deeper into Percy's neck, making him cry out slightly in pain. "Surrender, it's the better option."

"You don't have the guts to kill him," she retorted. Though her heart was thumping loudly in her chest, because the dagger was getting deeper and deeper.

Blood trickled down Percy's neck...

No, she couldn't watch her own son die. She couldn't let him down like this.

"What do you say?" Poseidon whispered.

"Sally – " Calypso tried to say, coming up behind her.

"I can't – "

Percy let out a ragged breath; his skin was getting paler and paler.

Her child...her son...

"Wait."

Poseidon visibly breathed a sigh of relief. "Do you surrender?"

She bit her lip, looking back at the rows of mermaids behind her. She would be letting them down, all of them.

"Yes. I do."


The shrill cry of a raven pierced into the deathly silence of the night air. A white feather landed on the ground, perfect and pristine.

Thalassa smiled, picking it up. The signal had been called, her life had almost begun.