Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Chapter 12: The Aftermath
Annabeth's POV
We had raised the anchor as Percy had taught us and set sail for the cliff. As we approached we noticed even from our distance out at sea the waves rushing over the cliff and the shaking of the cliffs themselves.
"Look the castle is moving to the edge of the cliff." I said in amazement.
Everyone just stood on the deck of the ship looking at the scene unfold in front of us and then with a final shaking of the cliff and the onslaught of a huge wave the castle slipped over the edge of the cliff and crashed into the sea below. A huge explosion filled the night sky and debris flew through the air so far that it fell only a few yards from the ship. Everyone was stunned and all I could say was, "Percy!"
Everyone turned to me, I had tears pouring down my cheeks. I saw the tears on my friends faces as well. Suddenly a bright light shown in front of us and when the light dissolved standing before us was Theseus and in his arms was Percy. My heart almost jumped out of my chest when I saw him. Then Theseus laid Percy on the deck and said, "I don't feel a pulse." Will Solace ran over to Percy and knelt down beside him, he tried many different prayers, chants and potions, but nothing seemed to work. I looked at Nico and he realized what I was asking.
"His spirit still resides within him, but it is slowly slipping away. We have to do something soon to restart his heart." Nico said gravely.
"Do we have a defibrillator onboard?" I yelled.
"No, its on order." Theseus said dejectedly.
My mind raced I couldn't think straight and then I remembered Percy's training lessons. I centered myself and focused, then it hit me. The last line of the prophecy it said.
Wisdom restores with the power of three
An idea suddenly flashed into my brain.
"Theseus, use your mental link with Percy try to keep his spirit from slipping away." I said. Theseus nodded in acknowledgment.
"Nico use your power over rock to ground Percy's body." I said.
"I don't know how to do that." Nico said.
"Use the focus techniques Percy taught us, please try." I yelled.
"Alright, I'll try." Nico said anxiously.
"Thals place your hands over Percy's heart here." I said as I grabbed Thalia's hands and placed them over Percy's heart.
'Now concentrate on a low level electrical charge direct the charge to your hands and then release into Percy's chest." I said.
"I.. I.. I.. don't know if I can." Thalia said nervously.
"You have to try or he's dead, please. Use the focus techniques I know you can do it." I said anxiously.
"OK" Thalia said.
At first I didn't know if it would work. Will Solace came over to help monitor Percy while they tried. The first jolt of electricity surged from Thalia into Percy, his body jerked in response. Will shook his head, still no pulse.
"Again" I yelled.
Thalia concentrated again and then let out another blast of electricity from her hands into Percy's chest. His body jerked up even more this time and then he gasped for air. His eyes opened for a moment and then closed in exhaustion. I looked at Will.
"His hearts beating weakly, but he's alive. He's back from the brink. I looked at Nico.
"Yes, his life force is returning." Nico yelled.
I looked at Thalia and she sat backwards against the bulkhead of the ship exhausted.
Suddenly, Theseus grabbed me into a hug, I hugged him back in response. Then he pushed me forward with his arms to look at me.
"You did it my dear. Thank you!" Theseus said as I could see the relief in his eyes.
I looked around and said, "No, we did it." I was so happy, but I was stunned, it worked and it fulfilled the last of the prophecy. I looked at Percy sleeping on the deck of the ship and couldn't help but smile he was alive, thank the gods I thought.
Theseus, Nico and Will helped carry Percy down below to one of the crew quarters to rest. I sat on the couch at the controls with Thalia next to me.
"Thals you alright?" I asked.
"Yeah, I'm tired that took a lot out of me." Thalia said.
"Thank you for trying and even more for succeeding." I said as I gave her a big hug.
"Percy's one of my best friends I couldn't let him die saving our butts. The embarrassment would have killed me." Thalia said with a smile.
Theseus walked back up and stood in front of us.
"Mind if I join you?" Theseus asked.
"No, sir!" Thalia and I said at the same time. Theseus just smiled and sat between us.
"You both can rest easy Percy is doing fine. He burnt himself out pretty bad, but he'll recover. I warned him before he left, but you know my little brother when it comes to saving those he cares about he'll always put his safety last." Theseus said.
"Sounds like his big brother too." Thalia said with a smile.
"Well maybe a little." Theseus said as he laughed quietly.
"I guess you know about what they were doing in that castle?" Thalia asked.
"Yes, Will and Nico informed me. It certainly is terrible. I will inform the other gods, they will be incredibly upset by this of course. Many of they're children dead and the remaining thirty most likely scarred for life. Apollo and his children will be incredibly busy with the psychological ramifications of this abuse." Theseus said.
"You warned Percy before the quest?" I asked curiously.
"Yes, I warned him that the full use of his powers could burn him out. You see he is extremely dehydrated. Will has him on an I.V. giving him plenty of fluids." Theseus said.
"So he does use the water in his body to increase his strength?" I asked.
"Clever as always my dear, yes as a son of Poseidon we can use not only the water around us to increase our power and to use in battle, but we also use the water within our bodies." Theseus said.
"That's so cool." Thalia said.
"It can be, but it is also very dangerous as we have just seen." Theseus said.
"I know it is, the way he could make hurricanes, tidal waves and earthquakes at the same time, that's quite impressive. Plus he was still able to increase the strength and durability of his muscles, skin and bones." I said.
"That is impressive, but the most dangerous thing he did was learn a technique that I hadn't taught him." Theseus said looking quite serious.
"What technique is that?" I asked nervously.
"He defeated Coeus by using the water within the titan's blood. I informed Percy that his power over these techniques were stronger than mine or in fact our fathers because as a demigod he has over eighty percent of his body made up by water. A titan or a god is typically around twenty percent. I guess in the heat of battle he used the water in Coeus body to defeat him. He then sent Coeus over the cliff into the sea, he's now in my father's custody. Poseidon told me that Coeus is in pretty bad shape and I assume Percy figured out how to use this technique." Theseus said.
Thalia and I just looked at him with our mouths open.
"If he could do that to a titan, what could he do to a demigod or human?" I asked not really wanting an answer.
"I think you can guess my dear, he could tear a demigod or human to pieces with this technique. He could destroy entire armies with this power." Theseus said gravely.
Thalia and I were frozen, I could tell by the look on her face that this information worried her incredibly. I was worried too, if he got angry and he couldn't control himself he could really hurt someone. Then I thought, Theseus knows this power.
"Theseus you can do this as well can't you?" I asked.
"Yes, the power is not as strong as it was when I was a demigod, but yes I can do it." Theseus said.
"Percy is incredibly dangerous then?" Thalia said, I could tell that it was extremely hard for her to say that about one of her closest friends.
"I'm afraid so and there will be consequences unless he can be fully trained to control this ability." Theseus said reluctantly.
"What do you mean by consequences and training?" I asked nervously.
"For one the council may want him destroyed." Theseus said sadly.
"They can't do that he saved them so many times." I said angrily.
"My dear, I won't let that happen, but that's why the training is so important." Theseus said.
"You act like this training is pretty tough." Thalia said.
"It's more than tough, it is a year of training away from humans, he would go to Poseidon's palace and would have to be trained by Poseidon, Triton and myself. Together we can help him control his powers fully so that emotional outbursts do not set them off." Theseus said sadly as he looked at me.
"He would have to leave for a year." I said not believing what I heard.
"Yes, and he could not come to visit, he cannot have any contact with demigods or humans, its too dangerous." Theseus said.
"He'll miss his first year of college." Thalia said.
"Yes, he will, Athena and Sally are already talking to the school about Percy postponing entry, they're making up a medical excuse with a little help from Hermes." Theseus said.
"He will be crushed, he's looking forward to his first year." I said sadly, knowing what else his departure would mean.
"There is no other choice my dear, I'm so sorry." Theseus said as he gave me a hug.
"Have you told him yet?" I asked.
"No, I will wait until he's feeling better. Poseidon, Athena and I want to tell him." Theseus said.
"He will hate you!" I said feeling the anger within me grow. I couldn't think what life would be like without him for a year.
"He won't be the only one who will hate us, but they'll get over it I hope." Theseus said as he stood up and walked to the bow of the ship. Thalia was quiet for a minute and then she said, "He's talking about you." Thalia said.
"I don't hate anybody." I said.
"Come on. You don't fool me I see the anger in your eyes, your mad because he will have to be away from you for a year. We both know that, but you are too smart to blame them, they're just doing what's best for him." Thalia said reassuringly. I knew she was right, but I was too angry to think at the moment.
"I don't care." I said, lying of course.
"Can you take the controls?" I asked.
"Sure." Thalia said.
I got up and walked below. I walked into Percy's room and he was sleeping comfortably. I sat on the bunk bed across from the one Percy was sleeping in, he looked so peaceful now. I couldn't imagine not seeing his face or those beautiful sea green eyes for an entire year. I just put my head in my hands and cried. The emotions just flooded through me. I know Aphrodite had not part in this. This was all my emotions, my hurt. I cried until I couldn't cry anymore, I laid back on the bunk and cried myself to sleep. There had been too many up and down emotions today. I was exhausted and I just couldn't think anymore today. I dreamed of Percy and what life would be like without him, it was terrible!
More to come!
