After a nice, nightmare free sleep, Percy was awake and ready for the day. He found that Toriel had turned off the lamp to help him sleep better. That was kind of her. She had also left a slice of the butterscotch-cinnamon pie she had made on a plate for him!

The pie smelled great, but Percy felt like it might be better to wait to eat it, because it looked so filling and delicious it would probably completely heal him, kinda like ambrosia and nectar, which he hadn't had on him when he fell down here.

Percy happily pocketed the pie, and left his room.

He looked down the hall, and saw two other doors. Percy thought he probably shouldn't go in there unless he got permission, because this was Toriel's house after all.

He walked out of the hall, and decided to go in the direction Toriel had went before he headed downstairs. Percy walked to the room across from the hall, and saw Toriel sitting in a comfy looking chair in the living room.

Toriel had seen him come in, and she said, "up already, I see? Um, I want you to know how glad I am to have someone here. There are so many old books I want to share. I want to show you my favorite bug-hunting spot. I've also prepared a curriculum for your education." Percy's skin was crawling, now. He felt really guilty about needing to leave soon. Toriel was just so lonely!

"This may come as a surprise to you... But I have always wanted to be a teacher," she said. Percy was glad for the change in subject. "...actually, perhaps that isn't very surprising. STILL. I am glad to have you living here. Oh, did you want something? What is it?" So much for the subject change.

"Nothing." Percy did at least want to have a look around the house before he left.

"Well, talk to me again if you need anything." Toriel went back to her reading, and Percy walked up to the kitchen.

There was a fridge, a sink, and an oven. The stovetop was very clean. Toriel must use her fire magic instead.

The rest of the butterscotch-cinnamon pie was on the counter, but it's size intimidated Percy way too much for him to eat it.

Percy left the kitchen, passed Toriel, and headed downstairs, where he hadn't been yet.

Before he got far, though, Toriel quickly came downstairs too, and walked up to him. "I think you should play upstairs instead." Toriel briskly took his hand and walked him back upstairs.

That was the exit, wasn't it? Downstairs must be the exit to the Ruins.

After Toriel walked back to the living room, Percy went downstairs again. She caught up to him again, though. "It is dangerous to play here." Toriel took his hand again, lead him upstairs, and then walked off.

Yup. That was the exit alright. Toriel must have known when he headed down there because of the cell phone, he knew that, but he didn't want to just leave it in his bed and run off, that wouldn't be fair to her.

Percy wanted to leave on good terms with the goat monster, so he went over to talk to Toriel.

"Oh, hello! Did you want to hear about the book I am reading?" Toriel smiled up at him. "It is called '72 uses for snails.' How about it?" Conflicted, Percy said, "sure."

"Here is an exciting snail fact. Did you know that snails... Sometimes flip their digestive systems as they mature? Interesting."

"Mmm..." Percy said, only half listening. "Hey Toriel? Um, how can I exit the Ruins?" Percy bit his lip, waiting for an answer. He knew the answer, but he wanted her to know it when he left.

"...I have to do something. Stay here." Toriel set down her book, and briskly walked off toward the direction of the stairs.

Percy sighed, but he did not stay there. He went back downstairs, where he knew she would be. Sure enough, there was Toriel. "You wish to know how to return 'home,' do you not?" Percy stayed silent. "Ahead of us lies the end of the Ruins. A one-way exit to the rest of the Underground. I am going to destroy it. No one will ever be able to leave again. Now be a good child and go upstairs." Toriel walked farther down the hall.

Percy followed her, determined to leave, despite the consequences.

He found her standing a little farther on, a sullen, but determined, look on her face.

"Every human that falls down here meets the same fate. I have seen it again and again. They come. They leave. They die." Percy stood there, still determined. "You naive child... If you leave the Ruins... They... Asgore... Will kill you. I am only protecting you, do you understand? ...Go to your room." She continued along the hall, evidently hoping he'd go back.

Percy took a deep breath, but knew that it was now or never if he wanted to leave. He continued on.

Toriel was there at the corner, the same expression on her face. "Do not try to stop me. This is your final warning."

Toriel walked on, and he followed.

She stood there by a door, by the only exit of the Ruins.

"You want to leave so badly? Hmph. You are just like the others. There is only one solution to this. Prove yourself... Prove to me you are strong enough to survive."

The lights dimmed, and with that, they entered a Fight.

Toriel blocked the way.

The music had been empty since he entered the basement, but now it returned... Full of heartache.

Percy wanted to just talk to her, but he couldn't think of any conversation topics.

Next was Toriel's turn, and she started throwing her fireballs at him. Percy dodged most of them, but he got hit by a few, and his HP went down to 246/252.

Percy tried to think of something to say again, but...

On Toriel's turn he got hit again, but he was not backing down.

Percy thought about his options: He could Act, but that didn't seem to be working. He could Fight, but even though Toriel was attacking him, there was no way he was just gonna attack her after everything.

He could use an Item, but that wouldn't do anything. And... He could use Mercy. Percy thought about that. Toriel's name wasn't yellow, so presumably he couldn't spare her yet...

The Froggit! There was one Froggit who told him that sparing was just saying you won't fight. And that one day, he might need to spare someone even if their name wasn't yellow. Percy felt that time was now. He spared Toriel.

Toriel was silent, and attacked him again, hitting him once, but Percy was determined. When it was his turn, he spared her again.

This time, she was silent for a little bit longer before she attacked. It was a subtle difference, but an important one. Percy smiled. He was also able to dodge her attack this turn.

Toriel was acting aloof. Percy got hit by her fire again, lowering his HP to 237/252, but he didn't care. As long as this worked. When he spared her a second time, the silence was even longer.

Percy felt like Toriel was looking right through him. He was able to dodge again, which was good. When he spared her this time, it was a shorter silence again, but Percy felt he was getting through to her.

He dodged Toriel's fire, and spared her again. "What are you doing?" She said. Percy smiled again, dodged her attack, and spared Toriel a third time, determined to get out of here without harming her.

"Attack or run away!" She hit Percy twice this turn, lowering his HP to 231/252, but he spared her again. "What are you proving this way?" Toriel took a deep breath. Percy dodged the fire, and spared her again. However many times this took, he was not giving up.

"Fight me or leave!" Toriel yelled. Percy dodged, then spared her. "Stop it." Toriel prepared a magical attack. HP 230/252. Percy had gotten hit again, but the fire didn't hurt as much as before, as if she didn't want to harm him. Percy felt excited, and spared her again.

"Stop looking at me that way." Toriel's expression changed, and she looked a little bit more resigned. Dodge, spare. Toriel started acting aloof again, her expression changing back. "Go away!" She screamed. Dodge, spare. He was getting the hang of these attacks.

Toriel looked uncertain now, and she was silent again. Percy narrowly dodged her fire, and after he spared her again, she started looking sadly acceptant about him leaving. Percy was ready to dodge her attack again, but when the fire rained down, this time, it completely avoided him. Spare.

"I know you want to go home, but..." This turn, she didn't attack him at all. Spare. "But please... Go upstairs now." Again, no attack, and he spared her. "I promise I will take good care of you here." Toriel was smiling sadly now. No attack, spare. "I know we do not have much, but..." No attack, spare. "We can have a good life here." She frowned sadly again, and he spared her.

"Why are you making this so difficult?" Spare. "Please, go upstairs." Spare. She was silent, and sad, frowning deeply now. Spare. "Ha, ha." She started smiling again, her eyes still sad. Spare. "Pathetic, is it not? I cannot save even a single child." Spare. "..." Percy didn't want her to be lonely, of course he didn't, but he knew he'd have to go. Spare. He was determined.

"No, I understand. You would just be unhappy trapped down here." Percy saw from her expression that she really _did_ understand. Although she was unhappy about it, she did, and was now resigned to his decision.

"The Ruins are very small once you get used to them. It would not be right for you to grow up in a place like this. My expectations... My loneliness... My fear... For you, my child... I will put them aside."

And with that, the battle ended. "If you truly wish to leave the Ruins... I will not stop you. However, when you leave... Please do not come back. I hope you understand."

Percy didn't fully understand, but he would respect her wishes. And he would still keep the Cell Phone she had given him, at least until he got back to the surface.

Toriel hugged him, and Percy hugged her back. "Goodbye, my child." Toriel started walking off, then looked back once more at Percy, and he gave her a sad but determined smile before she walked off for good. Despite everything, he'd miss her.

Percy walked through the door, and found another long hallway. He walked down it, and at the end was an opening. He walked through, and on the other side, found a dark room with a little pocket of sunlight shining in from above, onto a small patch of grass. Sitting in the middle of the grass, was a little golden flower with a face on it.

Percy drew his sword for the first time since he had killed that poor Froggit, and held it ready at his side. "Clever. Verrrryyy clever." Flowey smirked at Percy. "You think you're really smart, don't you? In this world, it's kill or be killed. So you were able to play by your own rules. You spared the life of a single person." Percy was silent.

"Hee hee hee... Froggit, Whimsun. Vegetoid, Loox. Migosp, Moldsmal. Think about those names. Do you think any of those monsters have families? Do you think any of them have friends? Each one could have been someone else's Toriel. Selfish brat. Somebody is dead because of you." Flowey laughed maniacally, and plopped back into the ground.

Percy capped Riptide, and leaned against the door. He sighed, and rubbed his forehead. "I know," Percy said to himself. "I know what I've done. You don't have to tell me. I've killed more monsters than I can even count..."

He sighed again, and said, "I know, those monsters were just different, or that's what I tell myself anyway. Maybe the monsters I've killed aren't so different from the ones here... Those monsters might have just as many feelings as the creatures here, but are just better at hiding them. How should I know? I never even gave them a chance."

Percy sat in silence for a moment, then stood up, and faced the exit of the Ruins. Percy took a deep breath, and said, "let's try this again." Percy heard a faint, whooshing sound from the other side of the door as he opened it. Percy didn't think much of it, and on the outside, he saw a path covered in snow, shadowed by trees on either side, and right in front of him, Percy thought he might have seen a faint glimmer of blue on his left side, at about eye level.

It must have just been his imagination though, he only saw it for a second. Percy Jackson took a tentative step forward, into the snowy forest.