Ξ Athena's P.O.V Ξ
Annabeth's idea had come together. Foes bore arms to the Doors of Death. The line of the prophecy had come true in the way Annabeth knew it had too. I was immensely proud of her; she had realised what had had to happen and had managed to make it come to pass.
But in juxtaposition with that pride, I felt worried. I was worried what that would mean for her and Percy, to bear arms, quite literally meant to be armed, usually with firearms but any weapon would be sufficient. Did that mean they now had a fight on their hands to enable them to escape? The Doors were free now, and someone still had to hold the button.
I could see a way for them to have left, but for it to play out that way, the odds were, well not good, is putting it mildly. Still I couldn't see another way for it to happen to enable them to escape.
'Two demigods, a Titan and a Giant', I thought rubbing my temples, what are the odds?
'Right?' Hermes said telepathically to me. 'Sounds like the start of a bad joke.' He said almost gleefully.
'Let's not,' I said back, the last thing I needed was for Hermes to pitch the idea to the Muse of Comedy. Knowing my luck the joke would last for millennium.
Ξ Clarisse's P.O.V Ξ
Normally I was all for a fight, my dad being who he was. But on this occasion, I could really do without one. Obviously, Prissy and Princess survive they're sat right over there, but they've already survived the fight of their lives just to reach the Doors. And to beat Tartarus? Is it any wonder that they always win at capture the flag when they've accomplished so much together as a team?
They just needed to find a route out, if anyone could come up with that strategy it was Princess. She'd managed to pull off her plan, in a way only a child of Athena could, I had no doubt she'd pull this off too.
Chapter 36 – Annabeth
What is this? The God of the pit hissed...
...Damasen glanced at Annabeth a clear message... Go. Now...
I nodded my head in agreement. Yes, Damasen would be a good distraction, he could provide what they needed to get away. I wasn't the only one who nodded to this either.
... "Father, you wished for a more worthy opponent?"...
... "You wished me to be more war-like? Perhaps I will start by destroying you!"...
I glanced over at my father he'd had some uncolourful things to say about Damasen in previous chapters. The surprise on his face was evident. He hadn't expected the peaceful giant to try to be more war-like. Though, had any of us? I know I hadn't, especially when he'd originally turned down Princess's plan.
...The... army swarmed him, but the... drakon flattened everything in its path...
I hate drakons. It had to be the bloody drakon didn't it.
...Damasen jabbed at Tartarus, forcing... the god to retreat...
...Bob stumbled away... his...cat at his side. Percy gave them...cover...
Of course he did, say what you want about Prissy, he always looks after his friends.
...causing blood vessels in the ground to burst...
...monsters were vaporised in Styx water... a Cocytus shower... doused with liquid Lethe...
Cheers erupted from the campers, me included, we all knew you didn't want to be on the other end of Percy and his water powers. I looked over at Percy and he seemed surprised at our reaction which caused me to frown. I looked at the Gods, some looked proud, Poseidon mostly and strangely Athena, some looked angry, Zeus and Hera. Some looked indifferent, dad and Hephaestus, and others looked confused. Whether they were reacting to us, or Percy I didn't know but how they could be angry when he was doing everything he could, to make sure they lived, I didn't know.
Ξ Percy's P.O.V Ξ
They cheered? They weren't afraid?
I guess the surprise must have shown on my face because Annabeth squeezed my hand and whispered in my ear.
"I told you everything would be okay."
"But it was his blood." I whispered confused.
"Rivers Percy, the rivers of the Underworld is what you controlled, not blood." She whispered.
"I'm so glad that's how they see it." I whispered back.
She squeezed my hand.
"It was water Percy, not blood." She said again and I nodded feeling more than a little relieved that our friends saw things the way Annabeth did, that had been one of my biggest fears that they'd all fear me that they'd not want anything to do with me. It was apparent that this wouldn't be the case and I was grateful.
The relief was a short lived respite to the dread that had been slowly building within both Annabeth and I since we started reading about the Doors. Neither of us wanted to relive the loss of Bob, Small Bob or Damasen. They sacrificed everything for the two of us. I still felt guilty about it. I just hoped Annabeth had been right, like she usually is, I hoped that one day, they might regenerate once more. That one day they would see the sun and the stars themselves.
...Bob limped to the Doors...
...his posture twisted and hunched...
...Tartarus breaking the spear had broken something inside him...
I flinched at the accuracy of that statement. He'd done so much for us. I didn't think I'd ever be able to repay him.
... "Go," he ordered "I will hold the button."...
... "Percy" ... She hated herself for letting Bob do this...
"It was the only way." Annabeth and I whispered together. I turned to face her, and she locked eyes with me, and I knew no matter how much we hated ourselves for it that what we had said was an absolute truth, we just needed to come to terms with it. The message in Annabeth's eyes was one I hoped she saw mirrored in my own, we'd get through it together.
... "We can't just leave them!" ...
"Percy!" Our friends groaned they all knew I had to at least try.
... "You must friend." ...
... "I can still press a button. And I have a good cat to guard me." ...
"The best" Annabeth whispered, and I squeezed her hand in what I hoped was a reassuring manner. But I could feel the grief welling up inside me.
... "Besides, it is your destiny to return to the world. Put an end to the madness of Gaia."...
Maybe not my destiny, I thought breaking eye contact to glance at Leo.
Ξ Leo's P.O.V Ξ
This was insane! Like crazy insane! I knew Annabeth's plans were brilliant when they came together, holy Hephaestus, I'd seen a few of them pull together first hand, but to pull off that down there! Did I mention it was insane?! But it was also totally epic! In a way only Annabeth's plans were.
...Fifty yards away, ...the drakon trampled through monsters...
That thing is powerful, I wonder if I could make a mechanical one? I pulled out my pad and pencil once more and jotted down a few ideas.
...on its back Damasen yelled insults and jabbed...
...taunting Tartarus further away from the Doors...
No way!
"He's drawing him away from you." Malcolm said.
"Yes" Annabeth whispered sounding broken, it broke my excitement of how epic it was that her plan had come together and made me remember that Annabeth and Percy, both, looked like they were grieving. Then I remembered Thalia's plan, I couldn't take away the loss, but I could and would try to help.
...You cannot kill me! He bellowed. I am the pit itself. You might as well try to kill the earth. Gaia and I – we are eternal. We, own you, flesh and spirit! ...
I couldn't help it I started laughing.
"Oh yeah, Queen Dirt Face is eternal, eternally dead." I managed to say through my laughter and soon the other campers were laughing with me.
Ξ Sally's P.O.V Ξ
The children were laughing, I might not get the joke, but it was so nice to see them laughing. Percy and Annabeth even managed a small amount of laughter too. It was a scene I hoped to see so much more of in our future, Percy, Annabeth, and their friends laughing together in our home.
... "Bob don't!" ... "He'll destroy you permanently. No coming back. No regeneration." ...
I didn't have to hear the tone to know how desperately Percy wanted to save Bob, to save his friend. I knew the two of them had been withdrawn because of the trauma of everything they had experience, I don't know why I didn't also expect them to be grieving as well. But I should have, I'd seen the signs in the two of them before Percy had gone missing. It was stupid of me to miss those this time around. Paul wrapped his arm around my shoulders and squeezed me closer to him gently.
"Don't blame yourself," He whispered, "I missed it too."
I couldn't help but blame myself, but I felt a little better, that I wasn't the only one to miss the signs, even though that was marginal. I had a feeling that what I thought had been another attack building was actually grief, and the fear or reliving the loss of their friend.
... "Who knows what will be? You must go now. Tartarus is right about one thing. We cannot defeat him. We can only buy you time."...
... "Twelve minutes, I can give you that."...
"Thank you, Bob." I whispered allow the tears to fall from my eyes. I'd never be able to give Bob back those twelve minutes, but those twelve minutes meant everything.
... "Percy... Hold the Doors." Annabeth... threw her arms around the Titan's neck. She kissed his cheek...
"Dude" You do have competition!" Leo exclaimed almost gleefully, he was trying so hard to do what the children all were trying so hard to do, distract Percy and Annabeth. But it's hard to distract a person from grief.
I saw Annabeth shake her head and the children smiled, they knew, as I think did everyone that there was only one person for Percy and Annabeth, and that was each other. I didn't think any of the author's I had met in the past year could write a pairing any better than them.
... "We will remember you and Damasen as heroes, as the best Titan and the best Giant. We'll tell our children. We'll keep the story alive. Someday, you will regenerate."...
The other children were nodding their heads. I couldn't help the excited flip in my stomach at the thought of future grandchildren. But I agreed with the rest of Annabeth's statement, and I vowed to also help keep the story alive in any way that I could.
... "That is good. Until then, my friends, tell the sun and the stars hello for me."...
I finally understood why, I wasn't the only one, recognition flooded all of the children's face's as Percy and Annabeth tilted their heads back to look at the late afternoon sun. Knowing now what they were going to do the children did the same, as did Fredrick, Helen, Paul, and myself along with a few of the gods.
"Bob says hello." We all said. I felt the tears returning to my eyes as I looked at Paul. He nodded, we silently agreed that we would also say hello to the sun and the stars for Bob. We would help Percy and Annabeth fulfil that request.
... "No more time. Go." ...
I watched as Percy wrapped Annabeth in a hug and buried his head in her shoulder just like she did with hers in his. I knew I wasn't the only one spilling tears. Their grief finally was being expressed.
...Annabeth grabbed Percy's arm... dragged him into the elevator car...
...The god of the pit pointed at the Doors of Death and yelled: Monsters, stop them! ...
"Too late!" Cheered the children and relief flooded though me even though I knew that they'd made it out to hear that they were now in the elevator ready to leave it settled a fear inside me that they'd had to defeat a primordial in his strongest place of power. I was beyond grateful that that had not been the case.
...Bob winked at Annabeth. "Hold the Doors closed on your side," ...
... "They will resist your passage. Hold Them –"
The panels slid shut.
Finally they're leaving that awful place, finally they're returning to the world of the living. Silence settled over the throne room. As glad as we all were that they were now on their way out, there was also some new grief that joined Percy and Annabeth's.
Nico was trying hard not to show it, but he was very clearly grieving for Bob, the Titan had been his friend. He wasn't crying but he had been, I could see that. I suspected that Will's hand was taking a lot of the pain Nico was trying not to show. Will to his credit didn't react to the pain he must be feeling in his had as Nico squeezed it for support, he held on helping in the only way that he could.
The other children had been quite attached to Bob through the reading were now also giving him, and I suspected Small Bob and Damasen as well, silence in respect of his sacrifice for their friends. Before I could look to the Gods to try and interpret their take on Bob's sacrifice, Lady Hestia broke the silence.
"There's one more chapter," Lady Hestia said, "And then I believe we should be able to show you what happened when they reached the surface." She looked at Lord Hades who nodded.
I wandered what it meant, and I hoped it that it was nothing bad and if it had to be something bad, that it wasn't anything close to what we'd been reading about over the past few days. I watch Percy and Annabeth let their grief consume them while the others got ready for the next chapter. The other children were pretending not to notice to allow them time to grieve as they needed too, I was grateful that they all knew how to handle grief, but my heart broke just a little more, because they knew.
I decided I'd give Percy and Annabeth until we were into the next chapter before trying to help them round. It was important for them to grieve, I didn't dispute that, but I didn't want to let it consume them for too long.
Ξ Poseidon's P.O.V Ξ
All that anger, all that pain, sadness, and heartbreak it hadn't been another panic attack it had been grief for Bob and his sacrifice. Self-anger at not being able to save him, I could feel the waves of grief rolling off my son now as he clung to Annabeth.
I understood now why Annabeth was picturing a monument and why Percy was going to seek permission from Chiron for it to be at camp. Maybe he wouldn't have to, maybe Athena or myself could commission it for camp, if it would help them, I'd do it. I now understood that Bob was not as dangerous a friend to have as I had once thought.
Ξ
~ Author's Note ~
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