Hero. That's what his family called him, what his friends hailed him as. He didn't want to be a hero, and he certainly didn't feel like one. He hated saving the world, the quests, and prophecies. He especially hated prophecies. He figured he was done, that after saving the world multiple times, and being a part of two Great Prophecies, that him and his Wise Girl would be able to go to college, settle down and start a family. And for awhile, he foolishly thought he was finally free, free from his old life and dangers that came with it. Of course, he should've known better, he always had rotten luck with the divine.
He was halfway through his second year of college at New Rome when he got the call. Leaving the campus for the day, Percy was on his way home to meet his beautiful girlfriend Annabeth when an Iris Message had appeared. Chiron told him that he needed to get to camp as quickly as possible, and he wouldn't like why. Sure enough, when the two of them arrived after a terrifying flight, his old mentor had let him know of yet another Great Prophecy that seemingly involved him. After hearing it, he knew he had to do it alone. He was currently thinking over the prophecy as he was flying his pegasus Blackjack towards the land without gods, Alaska. The wording had bothered him, but he was confident enough in his abilities that he would be able to finish the 'quest' and return home alive.
"In the Land without gods, in the icy planes,
Dwells a being of old, one without fame.
The Destroyer comes to reclaim his name,
Uncle to the one defeated by his bane.
Immortal versus half, with a blade be slain,
The Conquer, The Chosen, The Victor to gain."
He didn't know why, but what his friend Rachel had spoken just seemed to rub him the wrong way. After much deliberation, his mentor and girlfriend came to the conclusion that the Titan Perses, Lord of Destruction was the 'being of old,' and it made sense. Annabeth had tried talking him into bringing her and another companion along, but Percy had refused. How hard could fighting one Titan be? After all, he had already fought many others and currently had a winning record.
It took approximately one week to get to Hubbard Glacier, not that he expected his foe to be there. It was just the most familiar place he knew in Alaska. He had planned to return to the glacier, and well, he didn't really plan for much after that. Maybe Annabeth should've came along…
"Hey boss, someone is sitting down there." As they flew closer to the ice, sure enough, a man sat at the edge and stared out over the freezing waters below, not moving in the slightest.
"Blackjack, don't land too close. It could be him, or it could be a mortal. We wouldn't want to freak anyone out and accidentally kill someone."
"Sure thing boss." As they dove down, it struck him as odd that the man was conveniently in the exact spot that he had planned to go. The broken ice after his battle with the ghostly Roman legionnaires was the most familiar to him, after all.
Blackjack landed and Percy motioned for him to stay where he was, about 100 feet behind the man, who still hadn't moved. Reaching into his pocket and taking out his pen, he slowly crept up behind the man. A quick thought went through his head, 'If this guy is Perses, I can take him out right now from behind, and if he's mortal, the blade would just pass through him anyways, right?'
"You could stab me in the back, literally. Your victory would be assured that way," the man spoke up, as if reading Percy's thoughts.
Taking a cautious step back, Percy hesitantly uncapped his pen, Riptide in his hands an instant later.
"Perses?" He asked from five feet behind the man. Not moving his gaze, the Titan nodded.
Now he was just confused, the way Chiron and Annabeth had made it seem, the Titan was a being of pure destruction, someone who got off on watching the world burn. But the man in front of him didn't seem like that, in fact he seemed sad, as if he recently came to terms with the loss of a loved one. Lowering his sword, he decided to walk up to the man, standing right beside him.
"I don't understand, the prophecy made it sound like you were going to destroy the world or something," he looked at his blade and frowned. "But you don't look like someone who's planning on destroying anything."
"That's because I'm not. At one point, I was, I was furious with you, Kronos, the Olympians. I had planned to destroy everything once I escaped the pit, but now? What's the point." It was more of a statement then a question, though it did just make Percy have 100 more.
"What caused you to change your mind?" The man chuckled and finally tore his gaze away from to waters below, gesturing for Percy to sit beside him. "You know the water won't kill me, right?"
Perses just smiled, a painful smile full of sorrow. "I don't plan to kill you Perseus, I already told you." He knew better than to trust immortals, but the Titan actually didn't seem like he was going to hurt him. Deciding to keep his sword out just in case, he took a seat beside the Destroyer.
"So uh, care to explain?" He asked. He really had no idea what was going on, and from what everyone told him the Titan should've been a ruthless killer, someone with no remorse. Except his expression was nothing but.
"So young, yet so powerful. I'm surprised you don't feel it." Seeing his raised eyebrow, Perses continued. "What your friends told you about me was right, once upon a time. I never cared for anything except blatant destruction, without cause. It used to bring me pleasure, and it was sick. I'm older then the gods, then most of the Titans and once upon a time, one of the most powerful."
Percy smirked. "A lot of Titans said they were powerful, didn't stop me from defeating them."
Perses looked away from the Son of the Sea and back out over the horizon. "I've heard of your exploits, almost everyone has. The name Perseus Jackson brings fear to many, yet offers challenge to others. If things weren't changing, you'd have gone your whole life in constant battle, no matter where you were."
Percy held up his hands to stop him from continuing. "What do you mean changing? Are you saying that I won't have to fight anymore? I can finally live a free life?" When Perses looked back at him, the look I'm his face killed all future dreams he had. "I'm sorry, godling. But that is not in the cards for you, or anyone related. Not anymore."
"Why? Is something coming? Another threat rising? Am i prophesied to die soon or something?" He started to feel a panic in his chest when the sad look never left the Titans face. For the longest time, no one spoke.
After a few minutes, Perses finally broke the silence. "It's not what's coming, young hero. It's what's leaving. The world you knew is at its end, for it has no purpose anymore." Percy bolted to his feet and held his sword at the ready. "So you are threatening my home then. I won't let you take it easily." Perses didn't move though, instead just sighing.
"No one is attacking anything. I meant it when I said I'm not going to harm anyone. Please, let me explain. I don't know how much longer we have and I know you'd want to be with your loved ones when it happens."
"When what happens?" Percy asked, never lowering his sword.
"The extinction of the entirety of the Greek Pantheon and every being in existence related to it." The sentence stunned Percy, who lowered his sword as he processed what was just spoken.
"What do you mean?" He asked quietly, looking down at his blade. How can an entire pantheon go extinct? How is it possible that every being in relation to something that large can be wiped from existence?
"Times are changing. Humanity no longer needs the religions of old. The belief of the Gods and everyone associated was what kept the pantheon going for millennia, yet the only true believers left are their children. The numbers are so small that the metaphorical flame that kept us going is going out, and when it does so too will everyone associated with it. There will be no reason for any of them to exist, because their sole reason for existence will be gone."
Looking out over the horizon, Percy let the words sink in. "But, I thought the gods were what kept the world going. How can the gods just disappear like that? Will the Sea be gone because my father dies? Will there be no more lightning if Zeus is gone? How would any of that work?" He couldn't grasp how something like this was even possible. He looked behind him to see Blackjack playing in the air with some birds. "How can life just disappear?"
"But you see, life won't disappear. Humanity doesn't need the gods, they haven't for awhile now. I don't know if they'll remember us, but they already think of us as myths anyways. Beings created to help the ancients understand certain phenomena. Who's to say they're wrong? Uranus is gone, yet the sky still exists. Gaea is dead, yet we still stand on the ground. We aren't needed, and the forces of nature and magic recognize that fact."
"How? How can you even feel it?" He would be lying if he said he wasn't scared, the Titans words were frightening him. Everything he's ever loved, and nature deemed it unnecessary? How is that even possible? Weren't the gods the forces of nature?
"Our magic," the Titan stated in melancholy. "It's fading. I'm sure the Olympians felt it, but they aren't old enough to know what it means, or they simply don't think it'll apply to them. They are the rulers of the cosmos. Or so they think, yet the fundamentals of everything around us cannot be ruled over by a single being, or a set of beings forever. Kingdoms rise, and kingdoms fall. It's the natural progression of time, and the Kingdom of the Greek Pantheon is at its last breath." Perses looked at Percy's shocked expression and slowly stood up. He walked over to the stunned demigod and placed a hand gently on his shoulder.
"Go, be with your loved ones. They are far, and time is short. Every day could be the Pantheon's last, and you shouldn't be alone when it happens." The Titan walked away and sat back at the edge of the Glacier, resuming his gaze over the setting sun. Percy shivered from the cold, but quickly shook it off. "What about people like my mother?" He asked in a quiet voice. He didn't want him or his family to just disappear, and he especially didn't want his mom to go. The only thing tying her to this world was him. Would he be the reason for his mom never existing?
"She will be fine, I imagine. She would never have met your father, and you would never have been born." He was about to say something when he stopped and thought about it. Never have been born? If he was never born, she wouldn't of had to deal with smelly Gabe all those years. Never would of had to worry about protecting him from the wrath of the other gods and the monsters of his world. Was this really for the best then? A single tear fell down his cheek as he imagined his mom always happy, pursuing her dream from the start. Maybe Perses was right, maybe his godly family had to go, maybe it really was causing more harm than good.
He knew deep down that the Titan wasn't lying. He didn't know how, but he could tell the words he spoke were genuine and his grieving attitude was just that: grief. He was grieving over everything he's ever known and loved, about to be wiped from existence.
Without even thinking about it, he placed the cap of his pen on the tip of his blade, then pocketed his pen. Without another word, he walked over to Blackjack, who saw him coming and landed, and mounted his steed.
"Where to Boss?" The black Pegasus asked excitedly.
"Home," he muttered, not bothering to specify New York.
"But the Titan?"
"Is not important. I just need to see my Wise Girl and my mom." His friend was confused, but didn't say anything as he took off and headed home.
For another week of travel, Percy hardly spoke, deep in the recesses of his own mind as he went over the conversation with the Titan of Destruction again and again. The more he thought about it, the more he realized it was for the best. No more gods meant no more half bloods, which in turn meant they wouldn't always live in constant fear, always looking over their shoulder no matter where they went. No more children fighting wars they shouldn't have been fighting in the first place, wars they never even asked to be a part of.
He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't realize when they landed at Camp Half-Blood. Annabeth was on the porch of the Big House talking to Chiron, and when she turned around, she grinned and ran towards him.
"Percy!" She cried with glee, seeing he was alive and well. As she ran to him though, she started to notice something was off, he was depressed and conflicted.
"Percy?" She asked again as she neared him. He slowly dismounted Black Jack and walked up to his girlfriend, the love of his life. He slowly pulled a confused Annabeth into his embrace and held back tears.
"I love you, Annabeth Chase," he whispered into her ear softly, on the verge of tears.
"Percy, I love you too but what's wrong? Did something happen with Perses? You won, right?" She pulled away and looked him in the eyes, but couldn't tell what he was thinking.
"Can we go see mom?" He asked out of nowhere, causing her to raise her eyebrows.
"Of course. I've missed Sally. You don't want to tell Chiron and me what happened though?" He shook his head no, and she filed it away to ask him about it later when he calmed down.
"Sure. Sure, let me just go tell Chiron we're going. We can ride there on Blackjack." As she turned and walked back up the porch, Percy slowly mounted his loyal companions back once more, somehow knowing it was the last time he would ever do so. He patiently waited as Annabeth walked back over to them, mounting the Pegasus behind Percy and wrapping her arms around him. Neither of them spoke as Blackjack took to the sky and flew toward Sally Jackson's apartment.
Landing on the roof, the two dismounted and headed towards the maintenance hatch, taking the stairs to Percy's mom's floor. As they walked down the hallway approaching the door, Annabeth tried to study her boyfriend, but still couldn't get a read on him.
"Are you sure you're alright, Percy?" They made it in front of the door and he took a deep breath. He rubbed his hands through his hair and knocked on the door before looking over at her.
"Yeah. I just have to see her, that's all." She was about to ask another question when the door flew open. Sally Jackson looked at her son and his girlfriend before wrapping them both up in a hug.
"I didn't know you were stopping by!" She said as she hugged them right.
"It was kind of last minute," Annabeth replied as Percy glanced at the window and noticed a brilliant wave of white, from the ground to the sky and spreading in all directions. It started at the Empire State Building and Percy already knew what it was.
"What is that?" Annabeth cried out, pulling out of the embrace and running towards the window, noticing the brilliant white wave expanding from Olympus. Sally whipped around and also saw the same phenomenon, her face going deathly pale. "What's happening," she muttered to herself before turning back towards her son. "Percy?" He looked behind his mom and saw his little sister Estelle, two years old and oblivious to everything. He hoped beyond everything that nothing would happen to her, she was just a mortal, after all. But if he was never born, would she still have met Paul? His eyes started tearing up as he met his mother's teary eyes. The light was closing in fast, just a block away now.
Taking a deep breath, he rubbed the tears that were forming out of his eyes. "Mom, no matter what happens, know that you're my favorite person in the world and I'll always love you." His mom gave him a questioning glance at his cryptic words as she looked out the window once more, the white light about to pour in soon. He ran towards his panicked girlfriend and hugged her tight as the light washed over them.
"Percy?" She called out as the two of them started to turn into energy, and within a second, the two demigods were now a part of the light, never to be seen again. The Era of the Gods had come to an end.
(-)
Sally woke up from her slumber with tears as she held her stomach. Looking around, she noticed her husband Paul asleep with their daughter next to her. She quietly got out of bed and went to the bathroom. Flicking the light on and closing the door, she slid down the door and let her tears fall.
20 years ago, she had met a man on the beach when she was 19. For the life of her she couldn't remember his name, but from that union she became pregnant before the man disappeared. He had told her that if their child was born, he was going to do great things in life, as did the heroes in myths of old. Shortly after, the man disappeared and was never seen from again.
She had planned on naming the child Perseus Jackson, like a hero she had read about in one of her classes in highschool, but during her second trimester there were complications, and the child died.
Last night she dreamed of the child, so vividly she could've sworn he was alive and well. He had made a name for himself like the heroes of old, the son of a God, one that saved the world so many times and was loyal to his friend's and family through and through. She buried her face in her hands and wept, wept for the child that never was, the hero that never got to be. She wept for her unborn child, Percy Jackson.
As her tears slowed, she shakily stood up and opened the bathroom door. It was still dark out, and her husband and daughter were still sound asleep. Making her way to the living room, she sat down and opened up her computer, pulling up a blank word document. She was an author, but never before had she attempted to write about something so dear to her. She didn't even think as she put her hands on her keyboard and started writing her next book.
'Look, I didn't want to be a Half-Blood."
This submission was a part of an Emerald Library writing competition starting on July 31, 2021. To participate or vote in the competition, you're welcome to join the discord link we have on the profile.
Written by Ernesto5700. Winner.
