Chapter 10:

Mya's POV:

I trudged away from the heart of Tartarus knowing that Cronus did what I asked. I thought back to what I had told him to do.

"I need you to tell them that Mya Gethern is dead," I whispered in his ear.

"Why would I do that?" he asked.

"Because you said that you would do anything for me," I told him. "Everyone needs to think that I am truly dead. I need you to whisper it in their ears or show them my dead in their dreams."

"I will do it," Cronus told me. "Just promise me you won't do anything stupid."

"I won't do anything worse than what I'm used to doing," I told him. Then I stepped across the edge of Nyx's domain and into Tartarus's.

'Was it worth it?' I asked myself. 'Of course, it was,' a part of me said. 'No, you were just being dramatic,' another part of me said. I decided to stop talking to myself because I knew I would only second guess my actions.

The one thing that either side of myself could agree on was the fact that I needed to kill any monster I passed. I did not need them to relay back to Tartarus and tell him that I was actually alive.

For hours I plodded through Tartarus killing monsters and trying to find the River Styx. I always kept my armor on, even though I knew it would give me away because of the giant glowing trident on the front, and I switched between my trident and sword depending on what monster I was facing. Monsters hated my weapons but they hated the sea-green trident on the front of my armor even more. Before they disintegrated or were pulled into my weapon they would curse me and my father. I barely heard or noticed them. I had long ago been completely covered in monster dust and grime and getting covered in more dust meant nothing to me.

I would step, slash, sidestep, slash, dive, slash, roll, slash, and then repeat depending on how many monsters I was facing.

'You are a dead girl walking,' I laughed at myself.

"Something funny?" I spun around but saw nothing. "Sorry if I startled you, but I have a message for you." I knew Eros was talking to me.

"You are not the messenger god," I hissed.

"No I am not," he agreed. "I am here because someone you loved wanted you to hear something."

"Go on then," I growled. He cleared his throat and then was silent for a few moments.

"For once, I want to talk to you again, just like before," he didn't speak in his own voice, but he spoke in Luke's. My throat went dry and my stomach seemed to sink to my feet. "He said that after he learned of your 'death,' but it doesn't look like you're very dead to me."

"Some genius you are," I growled. "Go! If that is all you had to tell me, leave!"

"Of course, daughter of Poseidon," he said. "Best of luck."

I heard the wind swoosh and I knew he had disappeared.

"I'm screwed," I said out loud.

Annabeth's POV:

Percy and I arrived at camp about an hour before dawn. Percy had called Chiron and told him that we were making an unexpected visit. So Chiron was there to greet us when we arrived, but our welcoming was short.

When we got to the Big House that is when the questions started.

"What happened?" Chiron asked as soon as Rachel got there.

"We both had a dream," I said gesturing between Percy and me. Percy sat back away from the table in the corner and was mostly covered by a shadow but he didn't seem to mind.

"If you could even call it that," Percy mumbled. His eyes were still red and a little puffy, and his hands were shaking.

Chiron kept looking back and forth between us, and Rachel kept her eyes fixed on the table.

"What was this dream about?" Chiron asked cautiously.

"Mya," I muttered. "It's about Mya."

"What about her?" Chiron insisted. His voice grew a hint of panic in it.

"She's dead!" Percy shouted. He raised himself from his chair and walked up and down the wall slowly. He obviously didn't know what to do with his hands because he kept putting them behind his head and then placing them back at his sides.

"Percy," I warned.

"What?" he shouted. "He wanted to know so I told him!"

"Percy!" I was shocked by his response.

"What, Annabeth?" he turned to me. His eyes were cold. "Did you want me to lie and tell him that she was perfectly fine in Tartarus? That she was able to face that by herself? You saw what it did to Nico, and she had basically no training compared to him!"

"Percy sit back down!" I hissed.

"Gods!" he screamed. He punched the fall next to him, and his hand went through the wall. Then, his eyes returned to their puffy state. "Sorry," he mumbled as he took a seat again.

"Rachel, did you dream about any of this?" Chiron asked with a sigh.

"No," Rachel said. "I knew something was going to happen tonight but I didn't see this happening."

"The prophecies," I whispered.

"What was that, Annabeth?" Chiron asked turning back to me.

"The prophecy for their quest what was it?" I asked Rachel.

"There will come a soldier who carries a mighty sword, they will tear your city down. There will come a hero who's weakness is their future, they will fail to save themself. There come a god who faces a threat twice, they will blame themself for the war. There come a hero who's resistance will be said to be pointless, they will determine the future of the war," Rachel repeated in a monotone voice.

I thought for a minute before it came to me.

"The first line has to be Liam, Dylan, or Luke," I said quickly. "I don't know about the second line, but the third line is speaking about Hermes. The last line has to be Mya. Her death is going to change the outcome of the war."

"How can you be sure of this?" Percy spoke up from behind me.

"A feeling," I told everyone. "And we need to get to New Rome right now!"

"The Great Prophecy," Rachel said with a nod. "Mya's death will not affect Tartarus it will only give him more hope."

"Nobody speaks of this meeting," Chiron told us. "Nobody speaks about Mya's death outside of this group. We cannot let the campers lose hope."

The door of the Big House flew open and banged against the wall. Luke appeared in the doorway and said two things.

"She's dead!" he huffed.

…

Once everyone had caught up on everything a little bit of calmness came to everyone. Luke, Percy, and I had all agreed that we had seen the same dream, and Luke told us that Reyna had also dreamt of her death as well. By the time we had gone through everything again the camp was lively.

"Remember we need to keep this out of the camper's head," Chiron warned us. "It will only make them doubt our chance of winning this war."

"So this is really happening?" Luke said amazed. "I mean we're really excepting she died like that? It doesn't seem like Mya to me."

"And what does?" Percy snarled. "She died a hero and we have to remember that!"

"I never said she didn't die a hero!" Luke shot back. "I don't know it just doesn't seem like her."

"How would you know?" Percy's voice was cold.

"Percy, please don't," I warned.

"Are you serious?" Luke scoffed. "You're defending him? I didn't even do anything I was just saying what was on my mind."

Percy shot up and slammed his fists on the ping pong table.

"Of course, she's defending me!" Percy shouted at Luke. "Do you not remember what you put her through!"

I rushed over to Percy and tried to pull him out of the room but he pushed me off of him. In his eyes the was a glint of pure hatred.

"Percy!" Chiron warned.

"You weren't there for her when she needed you, Luke!" Percy shouted. "I was! No matter what I was!"

"Percy, I'm sorry just please calm down," Luke pleaded. Percy scoffed and walked out of the Big House.

"I should go," I said while gesturing at the door. No one said anything but Chiron nodded.

I rushed out of the door and onto the wraparound porch. I saw Percy storming to the beach. All of the campers that were ten feet near him took a few steps back and just stared at him.

"Percy!" I shouted. I knew he could hear me because all of the campers snapped their heads towards me when I shouted his name. I cursed in Ancient Greek and ran after him.

By the time I got to the beach he stood waist-high in the ocean. Beyond the magical borders of the camp, black storm clouds began to brew. The waves on either side of him began to rise higher and higher. Finally, they pounded the beach at twenty feet high. Campers began to form on the dunes.

"Go!" I shouted at them. "It's not safe! Inform Chiron!"

I don't know how they heard me over the sound of the waves but they quickly disappeared. I turned back to where Percy had been. He now stood on top of the waves, but he still looked out at the ocean.

"Great," I muttered. I ran to where the waves hit the beach and dove straight into the water. I got pushed and hit from every angle but I managed to break the surface. I was a strong swimmer but in conditions like the one I was in now my skills did nothing for me.

'Think!' I screamed at myself. I dove back below the surface and tried to propel myself forward and closer to Percy. I heard thunder rumble and the crackle of lightning from underneath the waves. When I resurfaced again I could tell I was closer but I didn't know if I had enough energy to make it to Percy.

"Percy!" I shouted. Water went into my mouth and nose. I coughed and choked on it. He didn't notice me, so I dove back under the waves. I pushed myself until my lungs screamed for air and couldn't go any longer before I popped again. I took giant breaths trying to make up for the loss of air and when everything stopped spinning I was able to see where I was. I was right next to Percy's foot. I grabbed his leg and that's is when he finally noticed me.

He said something but I couldn't hear him over all of the noise. He threw his hand towards mine and I took it. Quickly he pulled me from the waves and towards him. I grabbed his face and yelled in his ear.

"Please stop!" I shouted. "We all miss her, but this is not the way to handle things!"

Nothing happened. The waves grew larger, the wind blew harder, the storm got worse. I stared at his face. His cheeks were spotty from crying and his nose was red.

"Please, Percy!" I plead. When he heard me say his name he snapped from whatever trance he was in.

"Anna-Annabeth?" he stuttered. He looked around and finally released what was going on. "Did I-did I do this?"

"Just stop it, please," I whispered in his ear. Everything grew calm the waves disappeared and we flew thirty feet into the ocean below. I didn't scream. I wasn't scared. I just whispered into his ear, "I love you."

He didn't respond but he pulled me closer to him. Together we fell into the ocean below us.

Luke's POV:

"I'm sorry, Chiron," I told the old centaur. "It was my fault. Everything was my fault."

"What do you mean, Luke," I looked up from the ping pong table and saw both he and the girl were looking at me.

"Mya's death, Percy's outbreak, and everything else," I stated.

"How so?" he asked me.

Before I could answer a camper burst into the room. Chiron sat up taller in his wheelchair.

"Percy and Annabeth," the camper huffed.

"Where?" I asked quickly.

"The beach," they said while pointing towards the door. I looked back at Chiron and he nodded for me to go. The girl with red hair was right on my heels as we sprinted towards the beach.

I could see the waves before we were over the dunes. Campers surround the area behind the dunes and I shouted at them to move. I slipped trying to get up the dunes quickly but I made it after a few seconds. The girl stood right next to me on top of the dune. Together we watched in shock as the waves calmed, the wind died down, and the storm clouds dispersed. For a moment Annabeth and Percy stood on top of the tallest wave unharmed, and then they began to fall.

"No!" I shouted. The girl placed her hand on my shoulder stopping me from running towards them.

"They'll be fine," she whispered. She grabbed me by the arm and led me back to the Big House. The campers watched us and whispered amongst themselves.

"Go!" I snapped. "There's nothing to see here!"

"You killed Mya Gethern!" someone shouted from the back of the group.

"How said that!" the girl shouted. "Come forward!"

The kid made his way to the front of the group. His face reminded me of someone but I couldn't figure out who.

"Jack Collias?" the girl questioned. "Why would you say that?"

"A voice whispered in my ear and told me that Mya Gethern died," the boy paused. "And the only way for a dead soul to return to the Overworld is by an exchange. A soul for a soul!"

The crowd gasped. I felt the blood in my head rush to my feet, and I quickly became dizzy.

"The boy did no such thing!" I heard Chiron's hoofs pound against the grass. "Jack Collias, I would like to see you at the Big House. Now!"

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~Emily