Chapter 19

"Annabeth?" The voice that'd become familiar to her over the past couple of days rang out across the clearing. Her ears pricked up at the sound and unconsciously her eyes searched for the person behind the voice, even though she knew fully well who it was.

She couldn't see him. She just saw the decaying, yellow tinged grass that lay slumped around her feet, and the crisp, blackened canopies above her. To most it wouldn't be a pleasant sight, perhaps it could be called ugly; but to Annabeth it was beautifully tragic. Peaceful even... Despite the fact that only days ago it was a battleground for children as young as ten. it filled her with a grim feeling in the pit of her stomach. So many children died battling for a parent most of them had never even met. And she couldn't save them. So many children would never see the outside world and what it has to offer. So many were with Hades at that very moment.

The titan war had aged her in ways she'd only read about before. She was more aware of her decisions now. She war wiser...

She put those thoughts of the war to the back of her mind - for now, at least. She knew that the faces of the fallen would haunt her at night for a while to come. But she also knew it wasn't wise to let grief and depression rule her life. She couldn't become depressed over something she could no longer control. They were dead. They were dead and there was nothing she could do about it. But still...

Before her internal voice could criticise her anymore a certain son of Apollo's face appeared before her. Without thinking she drew her dagger and pressed it into the soft skin of his throat. But even though he could be killed a any moment his bright slightly cocky grin, identical to his dads, didn't falter. His carabien blue eyes regarded her, as if he was waiting for her to notice something. And that was when she realised ...

"Will, why are you upside down?" She raised a sceptic eyebrow, but her lips were beginning to turn up into a smile almost identical to his as she took in what he was doing.

The six foot something boy was hanging from a thick tree branch only by his legs, his mop of blond hair was static and pointing in all directions. His bow was slung across his back like he was something out of robin hood and his arrows had fallen out from their sheath and were scattered around the woods. His faded camp half-blood t-shirt was riding up to show his stomach, but he didn't seem to care. This was why she liked to hang around him; because he always made her smile.

"Oh-you know..." She could almost sense the bad pun that was about to come. "just hanging out"

She scowled at him and flipped her hair out of her face.

"That. Was. Awful" She grumbled, but her smile was creeping back onto her lips.

"Hey - I thought it was pretty good!" He exclaimed, his head was starting to go beetroot red now. He calmly pushed away her dagger from his throat.

"Well, it's not" She smirked up at him, not even realising their close proximity.

He gutted out his bottom lip. "I guess we just agree to disagree"

"No" She smirked knowingly "Your humour's just horrid"

He put a hand over his heart and pouted jokingly. "I'm hurt, Annie"

"Ugh, Annie?"

"Well I like it!" He grinned.

He was so annoying! Like father, like son.

She hated his humour, but at the same time she loved it. It was a refreshing way to keep her mind off of the war.

In a way they needed each other at the moment. They were staying sane. Together.

Annabeth silently lay herself on the ground, closing her eyes and breathing in the silence. She could feel Will watching her with every move she made.

She didn't know how long she was there on the grass, but all she knew was when she opened her eyes Will was beside her, watching intently. She liked their friendship. They could talk and talk or they could just be silent and enjoy each others company. It was fun.

"Thank you" Annabeth said, sitting up to be at his level. He half smiled at her.

"For what?" His eyes connected with hers. Grey on blue.

"For helping me get through everything" She was truly thankful. "To be honest without you I think I may have gone insane. So thanks"

He went to pick up his arrows: he couldn't bring himself to look her in the eye.

"I really should be thanking you..." He said as he picked up his fourth arrow.

"Me?" She couldn't help but feel surprised. "But you're the one who-"

"No! Without you I would go mad" He came back to sit beside her, took her hand in his and looked into her eyes like he was pleading with her to understand. "After losing Amber I just... don't know what to do anymore. I can't sleep, I have to be force fed by my brothers, I can't even fire straight anymore!"

She squeezed his hand and observed his lost frown. Amber was a daughter of Demeter and Wills girlfriend. They were so in love it was sickly sweet and when Annabeth saw them together she wished that maybe she and Percy could be like that someday. But Amber died in battle. And Will was left to helplessly watch as the love of his life was stabbed and thrown away like a ragdoll. Or so she'd heard.

"So where do I come into this?"

"I just feel like you understand more than the others. And you just make me genuinely happy. Is like when I'm with you I don't have to fake a smile because I genuinely feel happy around you." He smiled sadly and looked at the floor to hide his glassy eyes. "But sometimes I just can't keep the thoughts of her from following me..."

She sighed and pulled his head to rest on her shoulder.

"I know" She stroked his head and allowed him to cry on his shoulder. "It's not smart to keep all of your emotions bottled inside..."

She was aware of how hypocritical she was right now. So she just let his tears soak into her t-shirt and stroked his hair.

They were each others rock right now, even though both of them were unstable. At the moment they needed each other to stay sane.

Percy

Today felt different. Percy kept seeing more and more people running around, but they were strange - almost transparent. They were like they were from another time. He kept walking through them, but they didn't notice - as if he was invisible...

He entered the mess hall late. Everybody's eyes followed him as his tired feet carried him to the one place he was used to going to: the Poseidon table. He sat with his head in his hands, his palms digging into his eye sockets. He had grown used to the eyes that were constantly trained on him, like he was some sort of bizarre new creature that was invading their homeland. They wouldn't listen when he told them he hadn't changed. He guessed they were only looking at his physical appearance, not who he really was. To be honest, it was starting to convince him that he had changed. That he'd never be welcomed like he once was, because now he wasn't the same boy who fought the minotaur and Ares, or the same boy who saved Olympus - at least, to them he wasn't.

Until recently he had felt the same as he did as a mortal. Nothing seemed to have changed for him (with the exception of his new look.) But now he felt pain in every one of his limbs with every move he made, he could barely even keep his eyes open. He didn't know what it was; all he knew was that it hurt. Allot...

There was also the thing with the ghost people. Something told him not to ignore that.

"Umm, Lord Perseus" Chiron's voice rang out as he made his weary was to the newly transformed God. Percy still hadn't been able to convince the centaur to call him 'Percy' and not 'Lord'. "Is everything okay?"

Percy looked at him, his neck aching from the movement. He was prepared to answer when he saw them... It turns out he wasn't the only one sitting at the table. No... sitting alongside him were people who bared an uncanny resemblance to him. And at the other end of the table was twelve year old Percy.

He jumped back with a jolt, ignoring the pain in his limbs and looked at his old mentor with wild eyes.

"Do you see them?" He all but shouted, his panic clear in his eyes which were draining of gold and becoming their old sea green in the midst of his panic.

Chiron was taken aback.

"Percy... calm down" he spoke slowly, like a father to a son. At that moment Percy didn't even realise he'd been refereed to as Percy.

"Who do you see?" His tone was firm and solid. Wise with age...

Percy just regarded him with fearful, glassy eyes. Nobody saw them but him.

"I'll tell you later I just need to go" Percy rose from his seat, eyes panicked and withdrawn. Nobody understood. Nobody saw them.

Chiron clasped his shoulder, his old eyes worried.

"Lets just talk about this..."

But Percy was already walking away... The last thing he wanted was for him to lose control. One moment of recklessness was all it took for all of these demigods around him to die. Just one moment...

Chiron ran to catch up, spinning him around to face him. That was when he realised; his sentence died in his throat as he took in the boy that was standing before him.

His skin was tinged bright yellow and glowing. It wasn't a healthy glow either, like a mother gets when she's expecting a baby: moreover it was unnatural and alien. As if sunlight was coming from every one of his pores. Even his black hair was becoming golden and his eyes were becoming their new golden colour. His eyes were brimming with fresh tears , both out of fear and pain. His body was shaking all over, like he was having a mild seizure and his teeth were chattering, even though it was summer. He looked like an alien wreck.

"Please..." He begged, his voice shaking and the part of him that wasn't all god shined through "I don't want to hurt you"

Chiron then realised what he meant: Percy was losing control of his form and couldn't control it much longer. He needed to release his true godly form.

"Children" His voice screamed urgency "close your eyes and don't open them until I say you can"

When everybody had taken his orders he nodded once at Percy - a nod of respect - Percy realised suddenly, before he too covered his eyes and turned away. It was finally safe.

"Thank you" He near whispered. He then let go and released his true godly form. He allowed his body to crumple to the floor like a puppet, releasing all the pain, confusion and helplessness of the past few days in one bloodcurdling shout. He let it ripple through his throat before his vision turned black.

After minutes of screaming the bright light subsided and Chiron allowed everybody to open their eyes once more. What they saw shocked everyone: Percy was lying on the floor, his body twisted to unnatural angles and once again it was that of sixteen year old Percy, not eighteen year old Percy. His golden blood inchor was dripping steadily from his head and his eyes were blankly staring into nothingness. He looked like a dead body, like he looked in the throne room, except his red blood had been swapped for golden.

Annabeth couldn't help herself. Before she knew it she was running towards him, kneeling beside him and stroking his cheek softly. She felt, for lack of a better word, lost.

"Well?" She shouted a the crowd that'd formed "Somebody help! Somebody help him!"

They just stood frozen. She didn't know what else to do but press her forehead to his own and stare into his blank eyes as she wept. She wept for everything they'd been through, everything they have and everyone they'd lost since they first met when they were twelve. She wept because she knew whatever choice she made nothing would ever be the same.

Her cries, much like his screams rang in the ears of the other campers for what felt like hours.

The last time Chiron saw her cry like that was when she first arrived at camp after Thalia was turned into a tree. She cried and cried for what felt like an eternity on Lukes shoulder. But something told him that it wasn't the same this time: she was in love with Percy Jackson. And it was not platonic love, like with Thalia. He always knew they'd end up falling in love with each other if they both survived. And he was right.

It pained him to see the girl he basically raised so upset.

"Grover - please contact the gods. Perhaps they'll know what's wrong.."

All he could do is hope for h=the hero of Olympus to be okay; he wasn't ready to lose another hero.

Okay heres the new chapter. Im not even going to make an excuse for myself as to why this has been such a long time since I've updated. All I can say is that I hope you enjoyed this chapter and hopefully I'll update more regularly now. I'm very sorry for disappointing you guys and I hope you haven't given up on this story (though I understand if you have.)

If you like this story I probably like you more :) 3

Hopefully you'll carry on reading the future chapters. :)