Chapter 4

Percy

After lying next to Annabeth for an hour or so I decide I should go in early for swim practice. I have to be there in an hour anyway and being underwater helps clear my mind. Carefully, I move Annabeth's bare body away from mine and I kiss her forehead before getting up and grabbing all of my clothes. As I put my clothes back on, I look over at Annabeth sleeping peacefully for the first time in a while. She was so beautiful and my heart aches knowing that I have kept this secret for so long and I was so stupid to think that she would think anything less of me. I glance at her one last time before leaving her dorm quietly. After a cold walk, I head in to the locker room and I am surprised to see a freshman from my team there so early. Most of my teammates are probably asleep or just waking up. After struggling for a brief second in remembering his name, I realize that it's Aaron and then recall how he always follows me around which is strange but I try to not judge him for it. I walk past him and say.

"Hey Aaron."

" Hey Percy. Swimming early too?"

" Yah I usually do."

My locker is behind him so I have to turn my back on him. As I am getting my suit out, which I don't need but I use for appearances, Aaron says in an uncharacteristic, ancient voice.

" I bet you do Perseus Jackson. Being a son of a sea god would make one feel more comfortable."

I freeze and slowly turn to face him. I know that he's not human because of his familiar voice. Quickly, I reach into my pocket and feel Riptide.

Awesome! Nothing like killing a monster before 6 in the morning. Perfect way to start off my day. Not.

" Who are you and what do you want?" I ask him.

" Oh pardon me, you wouldn't recognize me in this form Percy." the monster changes from Aaron the nerdy freshman to...him. The bastard who tortured me and made me the messed up person I am today. I will never forget his face.

" You. Shouldn't you be stuck in Tarturus for eternity where you belong you piece of shit."

" Well that's no way to treat a immortal being Perseus. My wait until your father hears about your manners and how you acted towards me before I kill you permanently. See my dear boy your girlfriend thought she killed me but I am immortal. I can't die and although it took me some time to regenerate, I am back to fulfill my quest to kill the great Percy Jackson. I always knew you were going to the Doors of Death so I followed you as a spirit, almost like a breeze that you can't see. And in that moment when you and the girl escaped, so did I. You brought me here and now it's time for you to die. "

He lungs at me and I pull out Riptide and deflect his sword. He comes around and I block his sword with mine and quickly kick his feet out from under him. He stands again and says," You're good, but I am better. You might think that you can beat me but I already know how much your body can take remember? Especially with this sword of mine, which you must remember is a son of Poseidon's worse nightmare."

I look at his sword remembering all of the pain that it caused the terror and me it still plagues me with. Even if Annabeth and I didn't run out of ambrosia and nectar, it would not have helped. This sword is designed against my powers and that means my power to heal from water. It's like a poison to my body. The only good thing is that when he was torturing me with his sword, he didn't cut very deep. As he told me back then, it was to make the pain worse little by little. He was right. Now even with a giant pool behind the door, the water is useless to me. One stab to any part of my body and I would be a dead in minutes.

" Ready to die, Jackson?"

" Not today asshole." I say as I lunge my sword at him in which he side steps away from me, and quickly turning to grab me by my arm. His cold hands clench around my arm hard and in a swift motion, he throws me hard across the room. I hit the floor hard and my vision becomes blurry. He charges at me and I block his blow just as his sword comes close to my head. I kick upwards and hit him hard in the chest, which sends him across to the other side of the room. He lays there lifeless or knocked out and I walk over to assess the situation. He is on his back and I knell down next to him. He looks up at me and says with venom.

" Do it. Kill me."

Sending him back to the Underworld where he would be trapped would be a blessing to the world, and me so I raise my sword and start to thrust downward when, while my guard was down, he quickly stabs me in my gut. I fall to the ground in utter pain and when I touch the wound, pulling back to see my hand covered in blood. My body is burning and I blink fast as my vision grows blurry. He gets up, stands over my body and begins kicking me in the stomach. I heard something snap and yelled in pain all the while my body is hot and on fire from the sword's stab wound. Knowing I am in utter pain and helpless, he tells me with a smile on his face.

" You are weaker then you are when I first saw you. Your father should be ashamed to call you his favorite child. And now you will die, so I will let you enjoy your last moments."

I wince as my words are shaky and I am panting, "I'm going to kill you!"

He laughs and says, "Well my friend, I'm afraid I already did that. So see you in hell Percy, I will be waiting. Oh and I will say hi to your girlfriend for you too. She will be delighted to see me again I am sure."

He then stops and ribs his sword out of my body abruptly. I screamed out in utter pain and he remarked with a laugh, " Oh I have missed that sound so much. Goodbye Percy. "

I lay there in unbearable pain, my body burning and my mobility slowing decreasing as the poison sinks in. All on the floor around me, I am surrounded by my own blood. Besides the sheer pain I am in right now, all I can think about is Annabeth and her safety. I have accepted that I am going to die without telling I love her or seeing her one last time. He was going after Annabeth and I have to warn her and make sure she gets out safely. My cell was on the scattered floor, just a couple of feet away. Painfully, I scoot over to it and quickly look at the time. It was 5:45, twenty minutes until practice starts. I don't know how the Mist will hide this, but I needed to get out of here and die without an audience. I slide my bleeding body out of the locker room, slowly leaving a trail of blood following my trembling body. I push open the locker door and my head is throbbing. All I care about now is Annabeth. I grab my cell and I dial Annabeth. She picked up after two rings and I woke her up whom she doesn't seem happy about but I don't care.

" Percy? Wh-what's wrong? Aren't you at practice?"

" Annabeth" I say in a painful and shaky voice," He is back. I just fought him in the locker room and I-I got stabbed with his sword. You need to leave campus, say a family emergency or something because he is coming for you.. You need to get to camp, you'll be safe there."

" Percy, no I am not leaving you here. I am coming right now," she says determined and she hangs up the phone before I can tell her that it will be no use. The poison is spreading through my body and it will be too two late when she comes and save me.

I lean myself up against the lockers and wait in pain as I know that my time is near and I can feel the Fates ready the take me.