Percy sat frozen, as he heard the bustling of campers behind him, the fake ragged form of Piper in his blood covered hands. Annabeth, Jason, Thalia and Leo burst through the phalanx, and looking from Percy, to fake Piper to Katoptris, they came to a similar conclusion
"PERCY JACKSON! YOU MURDERER!"
"Percy, how could you be so heartless!"
"Percy, she's one of us! How could you harm a sibling, even if distant!"
Chaos was present, and the commotion grew and grew, and despite the screams of anguish and fury, only one voice came to his ears. The voice of the one he loved. Annabeth.
"Percy! Who are you? What have you become? No, the better question is, what are you?" She sobbed, shoving Percy aside and holding the mangled form of fake Piper. "How could you be so immoral? How? Why? And to think I loved you!" She brandished her knife. "I renounce all my ties to you Percy, as does the Athena cabin. We are no longer allies, nor are we friends. This what I'd call an unclean breakup," she laughed, air hitched in her throats as she gulped. "Murderer, come and take the punishment you deserve."
"Annabeth," Percy said, holding his bloodstained hands up, "You don't understand…"
"Don't understand! DON'T UNDERSTAND! Don't you even talk to me, you filthy barbarian! I DON'T KNOW HOW TO THINK, WHAT ABOUT YOU? Do you go around killing people every day Percy? Is the new rampaging monster you? Are you the ones killing demigods all over the country, in fear of losing your glory? FOR GODS' SAKES, I AM A CHILD OF ATHENA! What do you think I am, daft? I'm not someone you can control, and I'm not about to be tossed aside like a doll, maybe saved for relishing rape or murder. I WILL TAKE A STAND. For Piper, your friend, your ally, your companion of Argo II. Has glory made you ignorant? It seems so," she sneered. She leveled her knife, poised to throw at his heart. "No, I won't do it quick. I'll let every camper here have the joy of hurting you, as vengeance for Piper."
"As vengeance for Piper" Both camps echoed in unison.
A sudden figure broke through the lines as well, one that rushed up immediately to Jason, tears streaming down her face. It was Reyna, praetor. She comforted the stricken Jason, but through her tears, Percy could see the malice, the joy that Piper was dead. He felt bad for Jason, for despite antagonizing him, that guy was left with two fake girlfriends, one evil, one malicious. At least he had Annabeth. HAD her. Not anymore, thanks to Piper.
Thalia ran up to Percy, tears brimming in her eyes and brandished her spear, bristling with electricity, exactly like Lamer. "A direct attack on the liked ones of Artemis is a direct attack on me. And all the Hunters." The Hunters of Artemis of cabin 8 nodded in unison. She raised her chin higher, refusing to see Percy's miserable sea- green eyes. "You're unworthy to be called a friend of mine. Piper was a true friend. You? You are an abomination" She promptly spat in his face. The spit didn't hurt, but the action did. Percy shrank back, like a cornered animal, into the shadows, retreating until something wet and sticky hit his face. He turned to face his attacker. It was Clarisse, breathing heavily, grunting as she picked another mil of mud up. "I swear Jackson," she growled, "I will rip you from limb to limb. That girl, she reminded me of Silena." Her voice broke, "You are unworthy of calling yourself a Greek"
"Unworthy to be called a Greek." Camp Halfblood echoed.
"Unworthy to be called a Roman." The Roman camp shouted
"Unworthy to call himself a child of the Gods" A lone, dejected voice said.
The phalanx parted to reveal Lupa's grim face and Chiron's tired and depressed expression. The centaur looked as if he had aged 100 years, wrinkles etching across his face as he stared at percy in dismay.
"Chir-on?" Percy whispered hopefully, as Lupa turned away from him.
"Percy," Chiron said softly.
"Please bel-"
"I can't believe what you did. I was proud of you. You were one of my best campers, one of my favorites. You had courage and love beyond measure, and a heart of gold." He hung his head dejectedly. "Why have you come to this?" He said, so low that only Percy could hear him.
"Chiron," Percy said, as he attempted to reach out. Leo stood before him in a flash, flames flickering on his fingertips, the heat mirrored in his enraged eyes.
"One step, you liar, and I'll burn you. Not even a son of Poseidon can stand before this heat." The flames turned green, licking at Leo's hands. You don't even deserve to be burned, it would be to merciful. A sudden wall of flame surrounded Percy, and he found himself trapped within the acrid smelling flames. "This Greek fire is laced with the blood of Medusa," he explained, "and there is nothing that can stand within it. It burns quickly, so I hope you suffer the last hour of our life, alone."
He turned away. As did Chiron and Lupa. The two camps. His girlfriend. Refusing to believe him. Refusing to believe it was a ruse. Having no faith in him. Would his Father still believe him? Percy prayed furiously as the flames began to lick uncomfortably, his blood repelling the heat. A gale like fore smashed against his sanity, almost crumbling the walls of his mind- "I HAVE NO SON"
At this, Percy broke down and wept, finally losing control over his suppressed emotions. His own father had disowned him. All he had left was his mother, and she was handicapped from the last war. Paul was dead. He wished for death, praying for Hades to take his soul, praying for darkness to take over, praying for eternal wandering, praying for at least a chance that the judges would see though his heart and understand.
"Ahem"
His prayer was disrupted by someone clearing his throat rather loudly. Percy opened his squinted eyes to see 4 lone figures before him. Two olive skinned siblings stood before the cage, both tall and lanky, too grim for their age. Their bodies glittered with jewels and skull related jewellery, and gave off a goth/ emo air. And, of course, the stale stench of death. Percy, now unable to move, ensnared between the vine- like flames, its tendrils surrounding his body, wrapping him like a cocoon, despite still blazing with heat. All that was free was his head. His mind. His speech. He inclined his head, dangerously close to the flames, and regarded them with his hopeless eyes, "Nico. Hazel."
"We believe you, you know." Nico said, toying with his skull ring.
"We still feel her aura. Her life force." Hazel uttered absently.
"She's very much alive." Nico said, inching closer to Percy's cage.
"Then why," Percy whimpered, exhausted, "didn't you say."
"Because we have a plan," Hazel said, indicating the third figure who stood before the prison of flames. She looked up at Percy, and he recognized her immediately. Understanding dawned on his face- "Hestia?"
"Percy," the young goddess whispered, reaching into the cage, caressing his face, despite the tongues of flames licking greedily at her arm. "Do not give up Hope. You gave it to me, didn't you?"
Percy managed a weak smile, before closing his eyes. "Hestia. Please. Kill me. Save me the pain. You know I am innocent."
Hestia looked at him, her eyes kindling with the warmth and light of a campfire- "Of course I know you're innocent. Only I, and hades, ironically enough, believe you. Athena and Ares were almost jumping with joy."
Percy whispered, "Then you know what I desire. Please. Kill me"
Hestia brushed Percy's unruly hair from his damp forehead, shaking her head as she said, "I can't. Rachel, could you…"
The fourth figure, wearing the cloak of the fates, stepped forward, and from her mouth, emitted a serpent that spoke out of sync with her lips, "Persssssseussss Jackssssssson. One desssstined for greatnessssss. One destined for power. One dessssssstined to die. But not by the godsssssssss, no, no, my precioussssssssessssss, you will be ssssssslain by the one you will sssssssssserve. But today persssssssseussssss, you are not to die." The figure collapsed after uttering the last words, the emerald green glow dissipating from her eyes and the serpent returning to her mouth. She fell unconscious to the ground, the cloak obscuring her face falling back, the hood revealing the red haired, freckled girl Percy had once loved.
Hestia nodded to the unconscious figure, "Do you understand? By the fates, we are supposed to release you."
"Release me? Release me? Release me from my misery with death! Release me from my pain, my sorrow with death! I do not wish for the gift you call life, it is also a curse that has brought me to my knees. I have succumbed to the perils of life, and now I hear the knell that summons me to the gates of death." Suddenly, Percy tumbled out from his cage, the flames dissipating before his eyes, as Hestia, with surprising strength, caught his stumbling form and steadied him.
"I'm sorry Percy. You have one of the largest hearts, but would the greatness you deserve be good or evil? Evil deeds too are great. Kronos was great, as were the giants. Greatness is often misinterpreted." The goddess said cryptically, before she too, disappeared in a flare of flames.
Nico and Hazel took Percy's hands as they averted their gazes from the goddess. With one command from Nico. The trio was sucked into the earth, and the name of Percy Jackson was forever one of disappointment or anger, used often as curses, by the demigods of both camps. The memories of Percy Jackson brought great pain, and slowly, was erased from all thoughts, until all that was remembered of him were his sea- green eyes.
Piper shivered at the chill of New York City. Her employer had given her a new task. A task of murder. Delight flitted across her beautiful face, attracting the stares of many pedestrians. She wasn't afraid of her beauty anymore. She now knew that beauty had strength, contained power, and she was once a fool for not realizing it. She now flaunted it with clothes, tailored for her own uses. After all, even clothes could be a weapon. She was no stranger to nudity and corruption now. Her employer made sure of that. She stopped in front of an apartment building in Manhattan, admiring the view and it's architecture. Who was she kidding? the architecture? She wasn't one of the lously Athena weaklings. She whipped out some lipstick, suddenly feeling self concious, as she rummaged her bag for a folder. She opened the folder in which her mission was typed on. Her void- like eyes, the beauty gone, scanned down the page to greet her task, a marriage of mind and spirit. In the folder lay a crisp blank page, only blemished by 2 bold words- Sally Jackson.