A Pyrrhic Victory

by yellowhellow

Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase were the best of friends. Practically inseparable. That is, until the day of the concert. After that, Percy starts sporting mysterious injuries and pushing everyone he loves away until one day he disappears from the lives of everyone he holds dear to him with no explanation, only to return four years later, a different person. AU. Percabeth.

9. The Beginning of the End

HEY GUYS! SORRY THAT IT TOOK ME SO LONG TOO UPDATE! WHENEVER I SAT DOWN SND STARTED FIXING THE CHAPTER, SOMETHING ALWAYS POPPED UP. I WAS GOING TO UPDATE LAST FRIDAY, BUT IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY SO...THINGS GOT COMPLICATED. ANYWAYS, I HOPE THAT THE LENGTH MAKES UP FOR THE LATE UPDATE. I WAS WORRIED THAT I MADE THIS CHAPTER TOO LONG, BUT I DECIDED TO POST IT ANYWAY.

DISCLAIMER- I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS. THEY BELONG TO THE GENIUS WE KNOW AS RICK RIORDAN. SOME PEOPLE CALL HIM TROLL RICK (DUE TO HIS VERY PAINFUL CLIFF HANGERS. BUT THEY SAY IT WITH LOVE! AND A LITTLE BIT OF HATE...) OR UNCLE RICK, BUT WHATEVER.

"To get a dream of life again,

A little vision of the start at the end,

But all the choirs in my head sang,

No, oh, oh"

-Florence + The Machine: Breath of Life

PERCY'S POV-

"We want you to join us."

"What?" I had literally just gotten here, and the first thing Chiron threw at me was that?

"You heard me Perseus. We want you to join us. There is no other easier way to phrase this." Chiron talked to me like he would a five year old.

"I can't believe you, any of you." I clenched my fists. "I was called down here to waste my time, only so that I could be asked to join?"

Chiron gave me an innocently questioning look. "You were the one that chose to come. We never forced you."

"Yeah, but when you receive some mysterious note telling you to meet someone at an alleyway for a "proposition", it strikes curiosity. You know?"

"Mhm" Chiron leaned back in his wheelchair. "Does that still change the fact that you had no need to come, yet you did?"

"I-" I sighed and looked down at my feet. I had been offered a chair, but I refused to sit. "No, no it doesn't."

"Good, but that's not what we're here to talk about. We are here to discuss whether you would like to join the Olympians or not." Chiron folded his hands neatly in front of him.

I traced the wood burnings on the table sitting in front of me. Before Luke had left me here, he had given me a warning look. Thinking back on it, he must've already known what I was in for, and didn't think I should join.

Chiron must've waited long enough because he spoke. "If you decide to become one of us, Kronos's Army will no longer be a bother to you or your family."

This caught my attention. "That can't be right though. Couldn't they kill everyone I care about, if I join you? That's what they said they would do."

"Percy, Kronos's Army isn't some random gang who kills for the fun of it." Chiron's eyes held a steely aspect to them. "They kill when there is a need. Once you join us, there will no longer be one. Either way, you would still have to choose. Do you want to be one of us or one of them?"

"I don't want to be one of any of you. I want to go on with my life like a normal human being."

"If you decide to do that, then we would have to keep you under constant surveillance to make sure Kronos's Army goes nowhere near you or your family."

I shivered at the thought of having next to no privacy for the rest of my life.

"After a while, we wouldn't be able to do that anymore." Chiron jabbed the table. "The Olympians aren't some babysitting company. Once we stop keeping our eyes on you, it will only be a matter of time before they get to you and those you love. I don't think you want that."

"I don't, but can you at least give me some time to consider this?" My voice was desperate.

"Absolutely. No one expects you to rush into anything."

"Under no surveillance." I stated.

Chiron looked taken aback. "That wouldn't be a wise choice."

"Please, I want to feel like I am on my own with this."

Chiron thought for what seemed like forever, until he answered. "Very well then. No surveillance."

"Thank you." I turned to leave.

"But don't say I didn't warn you." Chiron cast me one more glance, before wheeling away.

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Once I was out of the Olympian training headquarters, I decided to go for a stroll in the park. There was no reason to go to school. The administrator would only ask questions and either way, it was two-thirty. School would end in less than an hour.

I turned a corner and saw a drug store. Knowing, I had twenty bucks, I walked in.

"Yeah man, it was crazy! The car just flipped over and whoosh!" The cashier was having a conversation with one of his customers.

I grabbed a bag of cheesy ruffles and walked up to the counter.

"Really? I heard some teens did it!"

The cashier scanned my chips. "It happened a few minutes ago, very near here. They were looking for some boy. Eh, what's his name?" He turned to me. "That'll be one dollar and seven cents."

I gave him my twenty.

"I think it was Peter Johnson or something like that." The customer obviously didn't want the conversation to end.

"Nah, it was some queer name like er…" He gave me my change and I turned to walk away.

"Jackson!"

I stopped mid-step.

The customer raised his voice. "They were looking for some kid named Percy Jackson!"

"That's right!" I could hear the pity in the cashier's voice. "Wouldn't want to be him."

I walked back up to the counter. "Excuse me, I hate to break into your conversation, but what are you talking about?"

"You haven't heard? It's all over the news!" The cashiers name tag read 'Bill'. "Some teenagers rampaged a store looking for a boy named Percy Jackson! They're going crazy trying to find him!"

"How far away was this from here?" I tried not to let my fear show.

"A few blocks away, right George?"

George nodded seriously. "I was telling Bill here how he should close up early today. In case they came here."

"I can't do that!" Bill shook his head. "My boss would kill me if he found out I shut down early!"

"Better your boss kill you than those wild lunatics!" George turned to face me. "If I was you, I'd go home quick! Don't want to be caught in the middle of this, do yah?"

I already am. "Thanks, I guess I'll take your advice and go home now. Before something worse happens."

"Right you should! Good luck!"

I ran out of the store as fast as my legs could take me. On my way past a trashcan I dumped my chips. No need to have them slowing me down.

Right when I was about to turn a corner, I heard an explosion. Looking back, I saw that the drug store I was just in, had exploded. No one had survived.

Before I could really take everything in, two boys with bandanas covering the bottom half of their faces walked out of the ashes. None of them seemed to be anyone I recognized. For once, Ethan wasn't one of them.

The one wearing a red bandana pointed at me. I had no choice, but to make a run for it.

I pushed through various crowds of people, earning a bunch of growls and rude Remarks. How stupid I was to tell Chiron that I needed no surveillance.

I end up in the empty park I was planning on going to, and I'm about to hide under a bridge, when I realize something. I'm a coward.

I'm a pathetic loser who's risking the lives of innocent people, just because he's afraid. I feel disgusted to be me.

I hear the sounds of pedestrians screaming in the distance, and I make a choice. These people don't need to die for me.

"Come on out, Jackson!" A voice eager for a kill shouts nearby.

Instead of hiding, I walk out to meet them.

Standing in an empty field of grass, are the two boys dressed all in black. I hold my ground as they come towards me.

"Told you it'd be easy to find him." The same person who spoke first, states again. "All we had to do was shoot a few people, and bam! Here comes the hero!"

The person wearing a blue bandana says nothing.

"What are you waiting for?" I make sure that my voice doesn't shake. "Aren't you going to take me to your boss or something?"

Red bandana guy speaks. "It's not that easy. We need to show at least some sign of struggle. Can't have the boss thinking we didn't try."

I know what's going to happen before it does. The silent guy stands still as his partner takes out a gun and points it at me. "Don't worry, this will only hurt a lot."

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BIANCA'S POV-

The first thing that pops into my head when I find out about the exploding drug store is "I've got to pick up the kids".

The story is all over the news. Some teenage gang is attacking various stores in search of a boy named-well I don't know what his name is. I turned off the television before I could hear it.

"Is there any way you could bag that a little faster?"

I had stopped by to pick up a gift for Nico, and was now waiting for it to be wrapped.

"Sorry miss, my hands are shaking too much to hurry." The 60-year old man finishes up what he's doing. "Here you go."

"Thank you." I pay the man and rush out of the store. I can't wait to see Nico's face light up when he opens this!

As I'm driving down the street, I notice two ninja-like figures sneaking into the park. Overcome with curiosity, I grab my shoulder bag and stop the car. They are obviously looking for someone, and I intend to find out who.

The two masked figures seem eager to find who ever they are searching for. The tallest one with a red bandana wrapped over his mouth is practically quivering with excitement. "Come on out, Jackson!"

Jackson? I think for a moment until it suddenly dawns on me. These are the people who are attacking all those public areas in search of a boy….a boy who's name is Jackson.

I duck behind a tree, feeling suddenly unhidden. I should run, but I don't, due to my burning questions.

A few seconds pass, until the figure of a young boy steps out from near a bridge. Even if I can't see his face, it is obvious that he is no older than twelve or thirteen. I quickly reach into my bag and take out my cellphone, planning to call the police. What happens next makes me freeze.

The two ninja guys walk towards the boy. One of them speaks, but I can't tell which one it is.

"Told you it'd be easy to find him. All we had to do was shoot a few people, and bam! Here comes the hero!"

"What are you waiting for?" I recognize this voice. "Aren't you going to take me to your boss or something?"

The victimized boy steps forward, and I hold back a gasp. My heart clenches when I realize that the boy these people are after is Percy Jackson, the boy I've known since he was in diapers. The boy whose mother and brother were waiting for him to come home, somewhere in this world.

"It's not that easy. We need to show at least some sign of struggle." I don't care who says this. What matters is whom he is saying it to. "Can't have the boss thinking we didn't try."

I choke back a sob when I see the speaker take out a gun and point it at Percy. "Don't worry, this will only hurt a lot."

Yes it will, for me.

I jump out from where I crouch and push Percy out of the way.

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PERCY'S POV-

Two things happened at once.

Number one: The wind got knocked out of me after being pushed onto the ground by a mysterious force.

Number two: The sound of a gun going off rang through the park.

A dreamlike quality passed through me when I looked up and saw red bandana still holding his gun the way he had been before it went off. Both him and his partner were standing frozen in what seemed like shock, waiting for some type of reaction from me.

My breath caught in my throat when I saw why they were acting this way. Lying on the ground next to me was Bianca, working in vain to stop the free flow of blood coming from the bullet wound on her stomach. I latched on to the grass, feeling as if the world itself was slipping away.

"We need to leave." In the distance, blue bandana finally spoke. "It will only be a matter of time before they arrive."

From the corner of my eye, I see that red bandana seems to not of heard a word. His dark blue eyes were wide in shock and…was that guilt?

"Let's go!" Blue bandana dragged his partner away from where Bianca and I lay. Good riddance.

I crawled over to Bianca and put my arm behind her head.

"Percy…I'm really sorry." She says.

I shake my head, wiping the tears forming in my eyes. "This isn't your fault, none of it."

"I'm not apologizing because of that. I know this isn't my fault." Bianca's voice shook. "It's not anyone's, but I'm still sorry because-" a sob escaped Bianca- "because I don't think I'll still be here to see you guys grow up. I won't be around to keep you guys safe, like I promised I would."

"No, no don't say that!" I gripped Bianca's hand. "I don't want to hear you talk like that anymore!" I notice Bianca's bag and grab it. "Where's your cellphone? We need to call the police or-or the ambulance." I'm shaking all over and can't force myself to stop.

Bianca grabs my arm. "Percy listen to me."

"Where's the phone Bianca!?" I tug at my hair with both my hands. "We can't waste any time!"

"Percy, listen to me." Bianca puts effort into sitting up and cups the sides of my face. My breathing is unsteady and I feel on the verge of a panic attack.

"No, I need to find the phone." My eyes flicker to Bianca's bag. "Before it's too late."

"Percy, I need you to look at me." Bianca forces me to meet her eyes. "This isn't like all those other times when I let you off the hook for not doing what I tell you. This is different."

"I know, but what does that have to do with anything?" My hands ache to dial 9-1-1.

"Everything. It has everything to do with this because I can't afford to leave you off the hook now. "

"Bianca you're not making any sense!"

Bianca reaches into her bag and takes out a box wrapped in a deep red wrapping paper. "I need you to give this to Nico. Tell him that I love him and make sure that he knows I mean it." Bianca's face is an ill-looking pale color, very different from her usual healthy olive skinned glow. "Hopefully he won't get into too much trouble when I'm gone." Bianca chuckles slightly.

"What are you-" Bianca's eyes started to flutter close, meanwhile blood gushed even more from her wound. "Bianca?" I shake her, but she doesn't respond. "Bianca! Wake up! Get up! Do something please!"

In the distance, I hear the sound of an ambulance parking nearby.

"Bianca!" My vision becomes blurred with tears that I have no chance of stopping. "Someone help!"

"I told you I heard a gunshot!" Various footsteps push past the park trees. "They're over here! Oh my gosh! A little girl got shot!"

I hear the stomping of feet, and look up to see a crowd of paramedics being led by a middle aged woman towards where Bianca and I lay. A man with a scruffy beard pushes me away from Bianca and puts two fingers on her wrist. "She has no pulse!"

In the midst of all the chaos, no one seems to notice me so I grab the red colored present Bianca got Nico, stuff it into her bag, and start walking unsteadily away. I look back once more to see the lifeless body of Bianca, regretting it on the spot.

I turn on my heel with a sense of determination, taking my cellphone out as I cross the street.

I dial the number given to me less than three hours ago.

"Hello?"

"I'll do it." My voice sounds nothing like it had a moment ago with Bianca. All gentleness is gone, replaced with something cold and empty.

"Percy, is that you?" Gosh, how I wish I could punch someone right now.

"Yes Grover it's me." Or is it? Who am I anymore? "Didn't you hear me? I said that I would do it."

"Do what? Percy, I need an explanation here." Grover sounds utterly confused.

"Join the Olympians!" I almost trip over a piece of uneven concrete, and curse. "What else did you think I meant?"

"Calm down, man! You're screaming into the phone!" Huh, I didn't realize. "Are you sure you want to do this? You don't sound too good right now."

"I wouldn't be calling if I wasn't sure." I make more of an effort to keep my voice controlled. "Why would you care if I don't sound good anyway? Your job is to recruit new members. Stick to doing what you're supposed to and don't ask questions."

"Aye aye, captain." Grover says sarcastically. "I'll tell Chiron. Meet Luke at the same place around five-thirty."

Before he hangs up the phone, I hear Grover whisper something that sounded like, "Son of the sea? Yeah right, more like the son of lightning."

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ANNABETH'S POV-

"I wonder what's taking Bianca so long." Nico puts down his mythomagic cards for a moment.

"Bianca has a life too, Nico." Thalia sais. "You can't blame her for wanting to have some alone time."

We were sitting in our usual spot under the park oak in front of school, waiting for Bianca to arrive and pick up Nico. Right now it was four fifty-five, and she still hadn't arrived.

"Yeah, but.." Nico traces the wooden carvings on one of his mytho-action figures, "I have a really bad feeling."

I rest my chin on my knee. "A bad feeling? What do you mean by that?"

Nico starts stacking his cards into separate areas. "I don't know I just-" Nico lets out a choked breath-"have an intuition."

"Nico, quit it with the mystic talk and explain correctly!" Thalia hands Tyson an apple she had saved from lunch. Whenever Percy didn't pick him up, he would walk over here and wait along with the rest of us.

"Thanks." He said.

"I will, only if you promise not to laugh." Nico's eyes flicker to Thalia nervously.

"I will do no such thing." Thalia replies seriously.

Nico gave up and decided to tell us anyway. "It's like a-a-" Nico puts a hand on his chest-"a feeling that I have in my heart. Something's telling me that everything we know is about to go wrong."

"A prophet type of thing?" Thalia's face is completely blank as she says this.

Nico lookes down, and went on fiddling with his items-o-nerd. "Yeah, exactly."

Thalia studies Nico's face for a second. I have a feeling that if she had the chance to finish, whatever came out of her mouth would probably have been sarcastic, but she didn't because in the distance was the silhouette of Percy coming towards us with some disturbing looking red liquid smearing his clothes.

Before he was even three feet away from us, I spoke. "Percy, what happened to you?!" I walk up to him and try to check for any injuries, but he pushes me hand away. "What's wrong?"

When Percy looks me in the eye, I see that his eyelids look slightly swollen from crying. "Everything."

"What do you mean by everything?" The way he puts so much venom into one word frightens me. This isn't how Percy acts.

"Is that Bianca's bag?" Nico is still sitting where I left him, tilting to the side in order to get a closer look at what Percy is holding.

"Yeah." Percy answers in a hoarse whisper.

"Where's Bianca then?" Nico looks around as if expecting his sister to jump out of the blue.

Percy drags himself over to Nico, and kneels in front of him, hugging the bag to his chest. I follow. "Bianca's not…here."

"Did she go home without me?"

"No she left somewhere else." Percy can't seem to look at Nico.

"Where?" Nico seems bewildered beyond belief.

"I'm not sure, but I don't think she's-she's coming back." I take a closer look at the stuff on Percy's shirt.

"Seaweed brain, is that blood?" It's a miracle that my voice doesn't shake.

He doesn't answer.

"Percy, cut it with your little zombie phase. You're freaking out Tyson!" Thalia gestures over to said 8 year-old, and only now does Percy seem to notice him.

"Take Tyson over to the play-area. He can't hear this."

Thalia takes Tyson's hand. "Fine, but you better tell me what's going on when I come back."

When Thalia and Tyson's footsteps fade, Percy turns to Nico. "Bianca got into an accident."

"What?" Nico is caught by surprise, and so am I. "How bad of an accident?"

"I-I don't know yet. I wanted to be the first one to tell you what happened because I was there and I saw it all."

"Tell me what happened already!" Nico rips out fistfuls of grass.

"These two members of a-I don't know really, had cornered me in the park. One of them took out a gun and-" Percy gulped.

"And what!?" Nico stood up, glaring at Percy.

"Nico, sit down. Let him finish." I try to pull Nico back onto the grass, but he turns to me and sneers.

"You can't tell me what to do! Only my sister can and she's not here!" Nico stomps his foot. "Tell me where she is!"

"I didn't mean for her to get caught in the middle of it. I swear, I didn't know she was behind that tree-" Percy isn't given a chance to end his statement.

"I don't care for explanations! Just tell me where my sister is or I swear that I'll smash you headfirst into that tree!" Despite Nico's scrawny stature, at this moment it isn't hard to believe that he would really do that.

"She took the bullet for me!" Percy's face turns red. "No one asked her to! I didn't know it would happen!"

Quick as lightning, Nico throws a punch at Percy's face.

"Nico!" I grab his arms before he can do anymore.

"It was your fault! You must've done something stupid to set off that gang and Bianca got hurt for it!" Angry tears run down Nico's face. "You always do stuff that gets everyone into trouble because you're selfish like that! You say you don't mean to do things, but you don't stop yourself from doing them in the first place!"

"Please relax!" I'm practically begging Nico to stop.

"She said to tell you that she loves you. She wanted me to give you something." A bruise is forming above Percy's lip, but he seems to feel no pain.

"I don't want to hear her words come out of your mouth!" Nico tears himself away from me, and grabs his stuff to leave, but Percy won't have any of it.

"She said to make sure that you really believe it when I tell you." Percy takes a cautious step towards his ex-friend.

"Shut up already!" Nico puts his hands over his ears and walks away. Percy takes the brave route and grabs Nico's arm.

"Take this." Nico eyes the bag that Percy shoves towards him. "Please take it, and I promise you that you'll never have to see me again. Bianca left something inside it for you."

Seconds pass, until Nico snatches away the bag from Percy's hands. "I'll hold you to that," he says before fast-walking away.

"You don't really mean it, do you?" I stand a meter away from Percy. "About him never having to see you again?"

Percy purses his lips. "I do."

He lifts up his hood and starts to go on his way. "You can't expect to be able to walk away so easily after what happened."

"Annabeth, leave me alone." Percy doesn't stop.

"Why would I leave my friend alone when it's obvious that he needs someone to be there for him?" I cross my arms.

At this Percy pauses. "Because I'm not your friend anymore." He balls his hands into fists. "Now, stop trying to tell me otherwise and get out of my life!"

I feel as if I have just received a blow in the heart. I can almost hear it breaking as if it was some fragile piece of glass doomed to feel the full impact of Percy's words for the rest of eternity. What hurts most is that he doesn't break his pace. He keeps on walking as if he had merely told me what the weather was, and not left me feeling empty and alone.

At that moment, Thalia appears next to me with Tyson in her wake. "What happened?"

"I wish I knew myself." I take in a shaky bite of air. "Call Sally and tell her that Tyson is staying over at my house tonight. Percy left and I don't want to drop him off at the apartment. That would mean seeing Percy's face again."

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NICO'S POV-

I sit in my room, cross-legged in front of the flames of my bedroom fireplace. The hospital had just called to tell my dad that Bianca was dead. Blood loss, supposedly, but I know the truth. It's all Percy's fault.

In my hand, I hold two things, both of which I feel have a special spot of hatred in my heart. I look to my left hand and see the action figure Bianca gave me; the last gift I will ever receive from my sister, he Greek god Hades in all his dark cloaked glory. Pathetic, like me. It's all fake, none of it is real and I just pretend it is in order to escape the world.

I look to my right hand and see the slip of paper that started all this thought process in the first place. Even with the flickering shadows messing up the light, I can see what it says clearly.

"The stage of adolescence in which a child expresses themselves with a certain object."

I scoff because I finally understand what it all means. I'm done with being in that stage. I refuse to stay stupefied for any longer, and I'm deciding to quit "expressing myself" because no one will understand what I'm trying to say anyway. Starting now, I'm through with being everyone's puppet, the stereotypical nerd who always carries around his mythomagic cards.

I reach into my backpack and take out the box containing each and every mythomagic piece I have ever owned. I don't even blink as I toss it into the fire.

I stand up and stare long and hard at the objects in my hand. Around me, the room is dark; cold.

I let the slip of paper flutter on it's own into the flames.

Next victim: Bianca's gift. I have a moment of doubt where I'm not sure I should dump it into the fireplace, until I remember the reason I wanted to do it in the first place.

All that time I could've spent with Bianca, I was too busy playing with some worthless pieces of plastic. Day after day was spent ignoring her, and paying more attention to figurines like the one in my hand. Now it's my chance to start all over and get rid of this stupid waste of a hobby.

I glare at Hades before he too, gets turned into ashes.

Do I regret it? No, like I said, I'm through.

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THALIA'S POV-

Annabeth had told me what happened on the phone a few minutes ago, and I still can't believe it. Why would Percy tell her something like that? Doesn't he know that the slightest comment from him can have a huge effect on Annabeth? Of, course he does! But he chooses to ignore it!

I pace my room, thinking over the essay I have to turn in by the end of the semester. I don't know why, but after the talk with Annabeth I felt the need to start it. Maybe it's because the circumstances are in some way connected? I don't know, and either way I don't care. Percy hurt my Annie, and he won't get away with it. He'll be lucky to still be able to have children, once I'm through with him.

I take a look at what I have so far in my writing:

How Words Can Compare to a Natural Disaster

The titles' all I've got, but hey, seething takes a lot of energy out of a person! Especially when it comes to things like this. Things that I have to live with every day of my life.

Throughout my whole childhood, I had to go through each and every day hearing my dad talk about me as if I was some troublemaking maniac, meanwhile pretending that I wasn't being fazed. That just proves how much of a good actress I am. These things are the reasons I chose to write about this topic. I never expected Annabeth to have to be part of it, but now that she is, I have to protect her.

Hearing her crying on the phone was a first for me, and I don't want it to happen again unless they are tears of joy. I'll admit that I'm very overprotective of my friends, but this time the circumstances have gone too far. This time, I'll make sure it never happens again.

Even if I have to fight with nail and hammer to make sure I don't ever have to hear the sobs of a hurt friend.

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ANNABETH'S POV-

"Annabeth, why are you mad at Percy?"

I look up from my untouched dinner and see Tyson tilting his head to the side in his spot across the table. "How do you know?"

"I heard you say so to Thalia."

I take a bite of chicken to keep from answering.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Tyson fills his spoon with peas. "I only want to make sure that I'll still be able to see you."

I put down my fork and lean back in my chair. "I was given an assignment in the beginning of the year."

Tyson doesn't interrupt because he knows that I say things for a reason.

"The assignment was to do an essay on a given topic. I got the difference between love and destruction. Now that I think about it, I think I get it. There is no difference, except for the now obvious fact that love hurts more."

"What do you mean?" Tyson didn't seem to get what I was trying to say.

"I mean, if someone I don't care about insults me or lies, It stings. You've got me so far?" I search Tyson's face for a reaction.

"Yeah, I think so." Tyson nods.

"But if someone I truly care about and might even love insults me or lies, it feels as if the whole world is falling apart." I chew on a piece of chicken. "That's what I think my assignment is about; how even if love is a really amazing thing, it's also deadly. You're more fragile to those you love and less willing to forgive them If they do something bad to you."

"Percy did something bad to you?" Tyson's tone shows that he can barely believe it.

"He said something that really hurt me, and its going to be hard to forgive him, but I want you to know that no matter what happens between Percy and I, you'll always be able to count on me. Okay?"

"Okay." Tyson puts out his hand for me to shake, and I smile as I do.

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PERCY'S POV-

"Wait here, I'm going to go get Quintus." Luke says.

I nod my head and sit down on the bleechers lining the walls. The room I'm in looks exactly like a high school gym would look, except for the fact that there are deadly weapons lining the walls and an arena in the center of the room.

Luke had picked me up in the same alley as last time, and brought me here to meet a mysterious man names Quintus. In reality, I don't care who Quintus is. As long as I can leave my old life behind, nothing hardly matters anymore.

After five minutes of sitting, I notice that there is something in my pocket. I take it out and see that it's the class assignment I got a few days ago. In the light of the arena I can make out what it says clearly:

The difference between a stupid decision and one that is seemingly stupid

I scoff at how much of an idiot I was to choose this topic. I was stupid to even think that I would be capable of making a smart decision. Scratch that, I'm always stupid. No matter what I may think, I'm some ignorant kid with no good future ahead of him. I can't do anything right; that was proven with what happened to Bianca.

Even my father didn't want me. He must've left because he realized what type of idiot I was, and wanted to get away before it was too late. Before he had the chance to go through the disappointment of having a pathetic son like me.

I can't imagine what my mom must've gone through, raising some bastard. I'm not ashamed to say it anymore because it's true and everyone knows it. My dad left before he or my mom could marry, and that's probably my fault too for being born.

"Percy? Are you okay?"

I take a moment to look up, and see Luke standing at the doorway to the arena with a middle-aged man waiting behind him.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I ask.

"Well, you're shaking, if you haven't noticed." Luke gestures at me where I'm sitting.

He's right, I'm trembling all over. I get up and toss the slip of paper into a nearby trash can. "I'm fine. Who's this?"

Luke scans my face for some type of emotion, but gives up. "This is Quintus; our swords master." Luke waves toward said man. "He's here to see on which level you are with the sword. You might've never come into contact with a sword in your life, but you may be a natural and we want to figure that out." Luke smirks. "I was one, so it's possible you could be too."

I doubt it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX LINE BREAK XXXXXXXXXX

JUST SO YOU GUYS KNOW, THIS WILL BE THE LAST YOU READ OF THE MINI-PERCY, ANNABETH, NICO, AND ETC. (UNLESS IT'S TO BRING CERTAIN THINGS TO LIGHT. BUT THAT'LL ONLY HAPPEN IN FLASHBACKS AND SO ON.)

AFTER THIS CHAPTER THEY'LL BE ALL GROWN UP AND STUFF, SO THIS SERVES AS A FAIR WARNING.

I'LL TRY TO UPDATE FASTER, BUT THE SCHOOL YEAR IS GETTING ANNOYING SO DON'T EXPECT SOMETHING EVERY OTHER DAY. I DON'T WANT ANY OF YOU TO BE TOO DISAPPOINTED IF IT TAKES ME LONGER THAN USUAL TO ADD A NEW CHAPTER.

REVIEWS WOULD PROBABLY ENCOURAGE ME TO UPDATE FASTER THOUGH SO...*HINT HINT*

REVIEW, FAVORITE, FOLLOW, LOOK DOWN UPON.

CHOOSE YOUR DESTINY!

P.S. TO ANY OF THOSE WHO MIGHT FIND THIS INTERESTING, MY DOG JUST HAD SIX PUPPIES! ALL IN ALL, WE'VE GOT AROUND TEN...WOW.