[CHAPTER NOT EDITED THROUGH GRAMMARLY. WILL BE EDITED AT A LATER TIME.]
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"Somebody speaking."
'Somebody thinking.'
Disclaimer: I do not own PJ, MCU , or any other anime/novel/manga/fanfic that I may use.
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Chapter 1: The Death of a Hero.
"Percy! Come on!" (Annabeth)
Percy turned to face the grief filled face of his girlfriend who was trying to pull him the last step into the elevator to take them away from this hell and shook his head.
"I'm sorry Annabeth, but I can't." (Percy)
Annabeth's watery eyes widened in recognition.
"No! Don't be stupid seaweed brain! I'm not letting you kill yourself!" (Annabeth)
Percy smiled wryly, there was no way she wouldn't be able to understand his thought process.
"You know that's not me wise girl, I can't walk away while they sacrifice their lives for us." (Percy)
Annabeth's attempts to hold back her tears no longer mattered, they began to pour down her cheeks as she looked at the resolute face Percy had.
"Bu… I.. please Percy, I.. I can't lose you. You will die if you stay." (Annabeth)
Seeing her so close to breaking down, Percy swallowed the pit of guilt he felt and put his hand on her cheek to make her look at him.
"I know what will happen, but I can't. Even if I die, even if I risk the fate of the world, even if I can't come back to you, I can't walk away while they sacrifice themselves for us. Damasen gave up his millennia of solitude for us to fight his father of all things and bob is trying to shield our escape with his own body." (Percy)
Seeing her about to shout again, Percy quickly sealed her lips with his own. The familiar taste that he came to love about her coming through and the feel of her body pressed into him made him want to drown in her presence.
He pulled away slightly and spoke while slowly moving her the last few steps into the elevator.
"I love you Annabeth, but they need you up there. They need your wisdom to finish this quest, it's on the last leg of the journey and they can't do it without you.
Me? I'm just the extra muscle. They should be fine without me." (Percy)
"And what about me?! I won't be fine without you! Goddamn it Percy, you jumped into Tartarus for me! I can't just leave you." (Annabeth)
Percy shook his head.
"You have to Annabeth; this quest needs you. But our friends down here need me, they will die if we leave them like this." (Percy)
"But.. I… We.." (Annabeth)
Annabeth became panicking while looking between Percy and the two friends fighting for their escape. She was trying desperately to think of something to say to make Percy go with her or for a reason to stay with him.
Fortunately and unfortunately, she was always a fast thinker. She could easily understand that Percy's fatal flaw wouldn't let him walk away and they needed her up there. She was the main brains of their group.
He wouldn't be Percy if he chose the fate of the world over the lives of those he considers true friends. The only reason he would leave her is that she was making it out alive and despite everything in her being wanting to stay attached to him at the hip, she couldn't risk letting the world burn just to be with him.
The look in his eyes said it all, he was staying.
He was staying, and he was prepared to die.
Annabeth grabbed him by the rags that was once a shirt and pulled him for the hardest kiss she could manage, one filled with all her emotions.
Percy responded and for a moment, they weren't in hell anymore, they weren't surrounded by hordes of endless monsters, and a physically manifested primordial god wasn't in plain sight going on a rampage.
The only thing left was each other, their emotions, and dreams for their future climaxing higher than any other Greek hero's before them.
They pulled away with reluctance and stared into each other's eyes one last time.
""I love you.""
*Slap*
And then Annabeth slapped Percy across the face.
"Now listen here seaweed brain and make sure this sticks! DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON ME! I don't care how many years it takes; I will have Nico check the halls of the dead every week and if I find you there, I will kill you all over again! So…. Come back to me. I'll be waiting." (Annabeth)
Percy could only chuckle and do his best to engrave her image in his memory as he nodded and watched her step into the elevator.
Their eyes were locked on each other until the doors closed.
They both knew that they were unlikely to live through their quest, but Percy could at least be relieved to know that his lover was on her way back to the surface.
Now he just needed to make sure she made it there safely.
With a final look at the closed doors, Percy turned away.
*BOOOM!*
A massive explosive sound shook Percy out of his thoughts and back down to the reality of where he was.
'Right, monster swarm, primordial god, I got this.'
Doing a quick survey, he saw Damasen fighting the uncoordinated Tartarus in the distance, they were getting further from the doors and edging past the shrine of Hermes on their way toward the delta of despair, the combined pool of the four rivers, Styx, Lithe, Cocytus, and Phlegethon.
And in the area he was in, Bob the titan was wounded but was holding the button for the elevator while his saber toothed cat and the Drakon were fending off the horde of monsters.
'We need to take out Tartarus or else the monsters will never stop coming but we also need to make sure the button is pressed for twelve minutes. I'll try to help here and then rush toward Damasen to help, still, that's a primordial god, one hit and I'm dead.'
Looking down at himself, Percy could only shake his head bitterly. He was exhausted, mentally, and physically, his clothes were rags, he was covered in blood, dust, and filth. And he looked like a walking corpse at this point with how pale and thin he looked.
Despite all that, he knew he made the right choice, he couldn't leave his friends to die like this.
With a deep breathe, he reached deep inside of himself for that feeling he's had since he was twelve and pulled.
*pop* *pop* *pop*
With a sequence of pop noises, veins of water from the five rivers of Tartarus burst from the ground and sprayed over the surrounding monsters like land mines.
Monsters hit with the water of the Lethe stopped moving and just looked around in confusion, not knowing where they were or even who they were.
Those hit with the Styx's water simply disintegrated into golden dust while those hit with Archon, Cocytus, and Phlegethon screamed out in pain, sadness, or agony from being burned alive before the first and last dispersed into golden dust. Only those hit with Cocytus's water could consider themselves lucky but even then, most took their own lives in their grief.
The sudden attack brought the attention of Bob onto him who shouted in anger.
"PERCY! Why! You could have lived!" (Bob)
Percy gave him a wry smile.
"Sorry man, I can't just walk away like that. You would die for me and I would do the same for you!" (Percy)
Bob was speechless at that and before he could respond, Percy shut him up with a surprisingly analytical response. Percy might not always think things through, but on the battlefield, he was always quick at understanding what he has to do.
"Enough Bob, you can yell at me later. Focus on healing your legs for now and don't you dare take your finger off that button! I'll help keep the monsters off your back and then we can both go help Damasen. Tartarus is eternal but he hasn't had a physical body before, he doesn't know how to fight and ended up limiting himself. I was too scared to think straight when I first saw him but watching him fight Damasen changed my mind, we still have a chance! If we can kill his body, he will be forced back into sleep just like Gaea was millennia ago." (Percy)
Bob looked thoughtful at that before nodding.
"Were not done with this conversation Percy but…. Thank you friend." (Bob)
Never before had anyone shown such loyalty to him in his thousands of years of life. It would be heartwarming if it weren't in such a precarious situation.
With a nod to each other, they both got to work.
Bob focused his powers over healing on himself and held the button while Percy stood still with his sword planted in the ground to keep himself upright.
He didn't have the energy to move his body like usual, but he knew a way to fix that. The waters of the Phlegethon heals mortals and burns the divine. As a demigod, it would heal him, but it would hurt, very very badly. Thankfully, he was a son of the sea so with an added affinity, he wouldn't die no matter how much he bathed in it.
Percy focused on the veins of water he kept bursting around the battlefield and gathered the correct water before bringing it to himself.
Watching it gather in a sphere above himself, Percy bit his cheek and let it fall.
Pain was the only thing registered for a few seconds after that. Thankfully, Percy had experience with such pain throughout his life and especially his experience with Styx, so he managed to gather himself quickly enough.
The waters pulled away from a physically healed Percy. His skin was burned in places, he was mentally at his breaking point, and he looked more red than white, but his injuries were gone.
With a wave of his hand, the leftover water shot out in linear lines toward approaching monsters.
They screamed out in burning agony before exploding in showers of golden dust.
Percy moved toward Bob's back and stood guard like a sentinel. He controlled the waters to the best of his ability and peppered the battlefield. Any monster that got to close, he quickly dispatched with lethal accuracy using his blade.
Still, this wasn't normal water, it was much harder to control since these waters belonged to their own gods who were not subservient to his father. They were older than his father and the only reason Percy could use them was that they allowed it.
Tartarus never made many friends, but he made many enemies. He was never kind to the rulers of the waters who flowed through his land and body. They wouldn't directly fight a primordial, but they wouldn't stop Percy from using their waters to get some indirect revenge.
In the distance, the Drakon was stomping monsters and spitting acid while the saber tooth cat was ripping straight through beasts of all sizes without stopping.
Despite all that, it was a losing battle. The monsters would never end as long as Tartarus was consciously fighting them.
This was a battle for time, not victory.
It took twelve grueling and painful minutes before the sound Percy and Bob were waiting for arrived.
With an almost gentle *Ping*, The sign above the doors showed that they arrived at the surface.
Relief hit them like a hammer and the doors dissolved into light, they were no longer tied down to Tartarus. Death was free and no more monsters would be joining the war in a short amount of time.
Percy and Bob turned to each other and nodded; it was time for the next step.
Bob, who healed enough to run again, grabbed Percy in his giant hand and brought him onto his shoulder before whistling for his cat who came running over.
Bob pet its head gently.
"Good cat, come now, we are going for the big guy." (Bob)
The big cat nodded and helped Bob clear a path.
Meanwhile, Percy shot a tiny trickle of Phlegethon water at the Drakon. It wasn't enough to hurt it, but it definitely got his attention.
*ROAR!*
Percy could have sworn the Drakon had just gave him a rage filled look that said: 'Dude! I'm on your team, no team kills!'
He ignored the weird feeling and made an arrow sign out of water pointing at Damasen.
Thankfully, it seemed to understand and began charging in that direction.
Bob and his cat followed in the path it cleared while Percy never stopped causing land mine explosions of water. Monsters in the thousands were constantly screaming out in agony and cursing Percy but he didn't care, this fight would never end without taking out the source.
With the straight-line running speed of a Drakon, the ancestor of dragons, and Bob, a first generation titan, it took only minutes before they came upon the duel between Damasen and Tartarus.
"Stay still you worm!" (Tartarus)
Tartarus was slowly getting the hang of having a humanoid body, but he was still clumsy. Damasen was dancing around him like a storm peppering his body with holes using his Drakon bone lance.
"Begone father! Return to your slumber!" (Damasen)
Tartarus(location) may be large enough to count as a small continent, but it was larger in the north and south rather than west to east. The fight had brought them from the doors of death in Tartarus's heart at the mid-western end to the Delta of Despair at the mid-eastern end.
Both Tartarus and Damasen were keeping a certain amount of distance from those waters, even if it may not kill them, there were few fates worse than to those who touch them.
Percy quickly analyzed the condition of both fighters.
Damasen was bleeding in multiple places but avoided any direct contact with Tartarus. He was a giant born to oppose Ares, but he still couldn't match the sheer destructive force of nature that Tartarus had in a single wild swing of his arms.
Tartarus on the other hand was full of holes bleeding black ichor rather than the customary gold ichor of immortals. He even had half his neck sliced clean through, but he didn't look bothered by that. He wasn't slowing down or growing weaker than when he first appeared.
On the contrary, he was slowly getting used to his body and eliminating wasteful movements.
The Drakon charged straight into the fight without pausing from its run and tried to bite down in Tartarus's body while he was turned away.
Unfortunately, despite the Drakon's size of a of a small building with the length of a subway train, it was NOT a silent creature by any means.
It only took one back handed hit from Tartarus to smash the massive head of the beast into paste.
"Foul creature! How dare you side with my traitorous son! Back to the cursed swamp with you!" (Tartarus)
Percy's eyes widened at the sight.
"Holy shit!" (Percy)
Bob and his cat could only nod their heads in agreement to that statement.
A single hit and one of the strongest creatures in Greek myth, the ancestor of dragons, was turned into paste. It would be reborn as the same mindless creature it was before and hunt down Damasen in their eternal cursed battle in 24 hours.
Damasen tried to take advantage of Tartarus being distracted but it was a trap.
Tartarus's fist came down and Damasen could only block with his lance, there was no avoiding it.
*BOOM!*
The lance was made from the bones of the Drakon, a material stronger than celestial bronze, imperial gold, and Stygian Iron. Drakon bones are on the level of adamantine in hardness but as there is no longer any Drakon's in the living world, their bones are not well known or used.
The lance held firm against Tartarus's blow but that doesn't say much for Damasen. His knees buckled and smashed into the earth and he was being slowly overpowered and pressed down.
"Give in child. You cannot win against me, I am eternal!" (Tartarus)
Damasen clenched his teeth and spoke through bloodied teeth.
"Screw you father. You wanted a more warlike child; well I will show you warlike over your broken corpse!" (Damasen)
"Foolish brat!" (Tartarus)
Percy looked on and knew he needed to act.
Bob had his spear snapped earlier, weakening him greatly, and had no method of a ranged attack so it was left up to him.
But this wasn't the same area where the doors were. Percy was only able to summon the waters of the different rivers due to being in the heart of Tartarus where veins of water were spread throughout the area like veins filled with blood. Each of the veins only contained a single type of water.
Now, the only water in sight was the Delta of Despair. The combined water of 4 different rivers.
Percy attempted to call on the water with his power only to feel like a truck slammed into his gut.
Blood dripped down his lips and his version turned dizzy.
"Percy!" (Bob)
'Shit.' (Percy)
That one attempt almost took him out of the fight. The god's and goddess's of the rivers denied his attempt at using their waters.
Without any water, Percy was only left with his trusty sword. Riptide or Anaklusmos in Greek, a celestial bronze sword that had been by his side since he slayed his first monster, one of the furies, at the young age of twelve.
It is usually kept as a ballpoint pen when not in use and will always return to the user's pocket. When uncapped, it becomes a 3-foot-tall double-edged sword and causes the fear of most monsters around it. When combined with Percy's hydrokinetic powers and Curse of Achilles, Riptide became an arc of pure destruction. It was given to Percy by Chiron to fight monsters. It used to be the weapon of Hercules, who got it from Zoë Nightshade.
Without the curse, and with no water in sight, it might not be able to show its full potential, but it was still a deadly blade in Percy's hands.
"*cough* *cough* Bob, throw me." (Percy)
Percy coughed out a bit of blood while Bob tried to use his healing powers to help him. Bob's eyes widened at the request.
"Are you crazy Percy!? That's suicide!" (Bob)
Percy turned a deadpan look at him.
"Bob, this entire situation is suicide. We are fighting a fucking primordial god in his territory. The only reason we are still alive is because he decided to play around in a humanoid body and closed off his senses to the whole place." (Percy)
Bob didn't have anything to respond to that.
"Now, we only have one chance. If we can 'kill' this body of his, he should be forced into sleep just like Gaea was. This is just a hunch, but we really don't have any choice at the moment.
Damasen managed to cut halfway through Tartarus's neck, if I can finish the cut, Damasen can end the fight.
He has Tartarus's full attention right now, if you can throw me right at his neck, I can finish this." (Percy)
Bob might have been a bit naïve before, but with large amounts of his memories returning, he could see the logic in Percy's words. He was incredibly weak right now, with his spear broken, his essence was damaged. His cat might be able to last longer than the Drakon with its agility, but it couldn't do much damage.
Percy's blade was their only shot.
Bob saw the resolute look on Percy's face and nodded.
"You stayed for us, you're ready to die for us. In all the years I lived, you are one of the only beings I can say are a true friend to me Percy. If this doesn't work, it was an honor, my friend." (Bob)
Percy smiled slightly at that.
"I'm only doing for you what you were trying to do for me." (Percy)
They nodded to each other in silence for a moment before Bob lifted his large hand to his shoulder and Percy jumped on.
"Be ready Percy, you only have one chance." (Bob)
Percy nodded and took a deep breathe.
It was do or die, he has been in this situation numerous times in the last few years, and while he wouldn't honestly admit it, he lived for this shit.
"Let it rip Bob." (Percy)
"Give him hell." (Bob)
Even weakened, Bob was still a first-generation titan.
With the feeling of being shot out of a canon, Percy raised his blade and shut his mouth. He never understood the need for a battle cry when you didn't want your opponent to see you coming.
Tartarus's large and frightening humanoid form enlarged in his eyes and he saw his target.
The neck had a large incision almost halfway through and was spilling black ichor.
Percy's life flashed before his eyes right as he angled his blade to his target.
His childhood with his loving mother. The crap they had to put up with for that piece of shit Gabe. Killing Ms. Dodd's and then the minotaur. Camp, and each progressive year which became crazier and more dangerous than the last.
Traveling to the underworld, fighting a god of war in mortal combat, traveling on forbidden waters to places stuck in Greek times, retrieving ancient artifacts, holding up the sky, traveling - fighting - and destroying the labyrinth, and fighting a war for the fate of the world against the titans throughout New York City.
He must have fought and journeyed through half of Greek myth by now.
Then getting kidnapped and memory wiped by Hera only to end up as the Roman praetor.
The journey across the ocean and the numerous challenges along the way.
Jumping into Tartarus.
And most of all, Annabeth. She appeared in almost all of his memories from the start of his journey in this crazy world till now.
Her last words to him before entering the elevator ringing clear in his head, Percy put everything he had into the swing. His hopes for a future with Annabeth, his dreams for after this was all over, and his desire to live all fueled him.
But often times, sentiment isn't enough.
*Shlik* *Clang!*
Percy was brought back from his thoughts when he noticed he wasn't moving, and his arms were numb.
He slowly turned his head and his eyes widened.
His blade was buried in Tartarus's neck, but it wasn't enough. His blade was stuck in the flesh and couldn't break the bone.
"Hahahaha!" (Tartarus)
Tartarus's booming and chalk board scraping voice shook Percy to the core. He was frozen, his instincts to live couldn't break through the primal fear of seeing THAT face looking at him so closely. The whirlpool like face of Tartarus was looking at him over his shoulder.
He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby become a monster. And if thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee.
"A mosquito wants a drink? Very well, I shall give it to you." (Tartarus)
With nothing more than a forceful jerk of his neck, Tartarus sent him flying, Riptides pommel slamming into his face… towards the Delta of Despair.
"PERCY!" (Damasen + Bob)
"Hahaha! Begone insect!" (Tartarus)
Percy couldn't do anything. The force of such a small movement from Tartarus was enough to match Bob's throw and he could feel his face bleeding.
He fell towards the waters of death and saw the final scene of Bob running towards him while Damasen was shouting something at his father while still pressed under him.
Time seemed to slow down to a crawl and Annabeth's last words rung in his ears.
"Now listen here seaweed brain and make sure this sticks! DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON ME! I don't care how many years it takes; I will have Nico check the halls of the dead every week and if I find you there, I will kill you all over again! So…. Come back to me. I'll be waiting."
Percy could only smile wryly.
'I'm sorry wise girl, I'll always love you.'
His eyes trailed toward the approaching black water and with a final thought, he chuckled.
'A son of the ocean dying from water? How ironic.'
*Plop*
Percy hit the water and disappeared from view.
Percy Jackson, son of the sea, leader of Greek demigods, Praetor of Roman demigods, savior and hero of Olympus, the greatest of his generation….
Had died in Tartarus.
But something else was born.