Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or any related characters! Please, please, PLEASE review if you read; all feedback is greatly appreciated. You all are awesome, and thank you for reading my story!
Six Seconds
Time slowed down. Percy's senses were activated and his reaction time was working the fastest it's ever been.
Percy screamed at Thalia and Nico, "GET READY! Arachne is coming right next to Thalia."
Though they were knocked out a few minutes ago, Nico and Thalia were up and looked to be in almost fighting shape. It was almost as if Annabeth had fed them ambrosia squares while Percy was on the ground…which she probably did, the more Percy thought about it.
Five Seconds
Nico took the knife out of Grover's shoulder and fed him an ambrosia square. Grover began to stir while on the ground. Percy's heart dropped; Grover constantly was drawing the short stick when it came to punishment and pain.
The Asopio Pool liquid that was spilling out onto the ground began to quickly turn a cloudy black color. It was starting to form a large shape that looked vaguely like a spider. The liquid was right forming and taking shape right next to Thalia, who picked up Annabeth's hybrid sword. Percy realized that Annabeth must have put it down right next to Thalia when she had run towards the pool.
Four Seconds
Thalia threw the sword to Percy, who caught it with the hand he wasn't holding Cyrene with. The hilt was cold, as if the Stygian ice was on the handle itself. The sword wasn't as balanced as Riptide (rest in peace), but it was light and had a deathly quick swing (courtesy of Annabeth's multiple lethal demonstrations). Percy gripped the hilt with two hands and looked to Thalia.
In the same second, Nico came up next to Percy, with his own version of a Wolf stare on face. Percy fought the urge to move Cyrene's invisible self away from Nico. The look on the son of Hades' face reminded Percy of a demon more than a wolf. His pale skin was littered with bruises and wounds. His irises were glowing a pale white. He figured Nico didn't appreciate being captured, lugged around America, used as a conduit, and then knocked out as soon as his binds were broken. Percy was not looking forward to seeing how angry Will Solace was going to be when Nico told him the whole story of what happened.
Three Seconds
Thalia opened her hands her bow and arrow appeared in her hand. She aimed it at the spilling Asopio Pool liquid, that was now ten feet tall and pitch black, forming into a woman with hair and the lower half of a monstrous spider.
Thalia called over her shoulder, "Swords are more your thing."
Percy grinned and looked at Nico, whose scowl deepened as he watched the forming monster.
Grover had sprinted up to the other side of Arachne so he, Percy, and Thalia were forming a triangle around the monster. He had his reed pipes in hand and was also scowling. His skin was still pale and he looked like he had lost a lot of blood, but his muscles rippled as he focused on the monster.
Two Seconds
Percy couldn't help feeling grateful. It didn't matter what torture Grover was put through; he always came through with Percy no matter what. He had overcome his fears of Cyclopes and the underground for him. He had risked his life for Percy multiple times.
Percy called out to Grover as he ran. "G-Man! Good to have you back."
Grover nodded while keeping his eyes on Arachne.
Nico turned and nodded at him. It was almost like Nico was giving him permission to wield his sword of death. He put out his hands and Percy realized he was asking for his sister.
Percy hesitated to give up Cyrene. He just got her back, but he realized that he trusted the son of Hades more than he ever thought he would.
He slid Cyrene into Nico's arms, who slung her tenderly into his chest. Cyrene started to coo and make baby sounds, almost making Nico's face twitch from his demonic scowl to a smile.
Percy sprinted towards the moving liquid, that was now starting to grow spider fur and legs, as well as pale human skin and hair.
Thalia changed her mind and notched five arrows at once, aiming them at multiple spots in the forming Arachne.
One Second
Grover put his reed pipes to his mouth and started to play an ominous tune as Percy continued to run towards her.
Thalia had her eyes focused on her, her muscles rippling with expert poise and patience.
Arachne had mostly formed, with her large black spider half being fully formed. Her top half of a pale woman with long black hair had almost fully formed as well. The only thing that was still forming were Arachne's hands/claws, as they were still forming from the liquid.
Real Time
Arachne had fully formed.
At the speed of sound, Thalia released all five arrows; one pierced one of her spider legs, one punctured the abdomen of the spider half, one punctured the place where the human half changed into the spider half, one punctured Arachne's arm and went through her midsection, and one punctured Arachne's neck.
Since Grover had started to play before she had fully formed, vines had burst out of the ground aa split second before Arachne had fully formed, pulling her down to the ground and holding her in place.
Percy grabbed the sword with two hands and leapt in the air. He thought to himself, For Annabeth and Cyrene.
With both hands, he plunged the hybrid sword into Arachne's heart (at least where it was supposed to be). He landed on the ground, backflipped once away, and rolled away from Arachne for all he was worth. He wanted to avoid any deadly backhands.
Arachne cried out in pain as the tendrils of icy blue frost spread from the puncture wound. It spread about six inches from the area and Arachne's movements began to slow. Percy turned and saw Thalia's eyes glowing silver. In response, her arrows began to glow silver, then turned a bright, fiery red. Percy heard the arrows burning Arachne's insides. Grover's playing became more urgent and the vines began to forcibly enter Arachne's spider body. They now were wrapping through her body and coursing up towards her neck. She was being assaulted by ice, fire, and the earth itself.
The wail Arachne gave would have chilled the blood of Hades himself. She thrashed as blood spilled out of the right side of her body. No blood came from her chest because the Stygian ice had frozen the area around it. Vines reached her neck and started to close around it, constricting the air from entering her airway.
The ground started to shake and Percy turned to see Nico raising one of his hands. The ground started to split and crack in multiple places. Deathly gray warriors became to come from the ground and headed straight towards Arachne. With her ebbing life force, she tried to throw the warriors off her. However, these warriors were from the Battle of Thermopylae, the Vietnam War, World War I and World War II. These warriors were elite, and they refused to quit as countless more climbed from the depths.
When Nico spoke, Percy heard two voices; Nico's voice and the voice of Hades under his. "You have insulted Hades for the first time and it will be your last. Judgment has been passed."
The warriors continued to form and take hold of Arachne until she was overwhelmed. They began shooting and hacking at her until her human half and her spider half were torn in half, which was creepily reminiscent of what he had seen happen to Chiron. The warriors began to drag her into the Asopio Pool. Arachne's screams rivaled Atlas' bellows when Artemis had forced him back under the sky years ago.
Thalia put her hands up. "WAIT!"
Nico slowly turned to regard Thalia with his glowing white eyes. The warriors stopped instantly. Percy fought the urge to take a step back when he looked in Nico's eyes; he felt like he was looking right at Hades.
Thalia gestured towards the Pool. "Annabeth is down there! That's not the best place to put Arachne, is it?"
Percy had to admire Thalia's courage. She was right though. Having Arachne in Tartarus along with Annabeth for all eternity didn't seem like the best approach to beating Arachne.
Nico thought about it for a second, then walked over to Percy. His walk now seemed like a glide. He took off the Yankees hat from Cyrene and gave both to Percy. "We will take her to the River Cocytus, where she will freeze for all eternity."
Percy clutched his sister close to him, and Nico walked towards the entrance to the cavern. The warriors followed, bringing Arachne, and once they all were in the cavern, they shadow traveled away.
Thalia and Grover both jogged to Percy. A new strength burned in Grover's eyes. "Let's get out of here. We need to shadow travel to the River Cocytus to make sure Arachne is finished."
The three, no, the four of them hustled towards the cavern entrance. Percy tapped Cyrene's protection enchantment, forming a glowing, flickering shield around her. Cyrene yawned and fell asleep. Percy wondered if the enchantment worked like Thalia's humming did on him.
He made a fist and thought about the River Cocytus. Immediately, the three adventurers and the baby melted into the shadows.
They melted onto the shore of a river that looked like it was freezing cold. It seemed to be pure ice, but somehow, the ice was flowing like a river. Beneath the ice were different monsters and people, flowing down the River Cocytus' current for all time. Percy, Thalia, and Grover were standing on black grass that was on the shore of the river. Percy was glad they hadn't shadow traveled into the River.
Cyrene was still sleeping, and Percy thanked the gods…the Egyptian ones, for protecting Cyrene so many times.
Percy watched on the other side of the river as the undead warriors dragged Arachne's two halves to the river. They held both parts of her over their head and threw her screaming half and her spider half into the River Cocytus. Almost immediately, she seemed to sink beneath the icy water, freeze, and stop moving.
Grover looked on at Arachne's frozen body. "Damn right."
Percy and Thalia looked at him; they had expected a "Yikes" or a nervous bleat. Grover genuinely seemed changed by the adventure.
Percy turned his attention back across the River. Nico's eyes continued to glow a deathly white as the warriors sunk back into the ground. His eyes finally darkened to its regular color. He looked at Percy, Grover, and Thalia across the river and pointed towards Hades' palace. He wanted them to speak to Hades before they left the Underworld.
Nico turned, put his hands in his pocket, and walked the other direction.
Percy, Thalia, and Grover nodded to one another and shadow traveled to Hades' throne room.
They melted into a large throne room with black marble walls and bronze floors. Multiple otherworldly monsters were on leashes, held by skeletons. Several large undead warriors flanked the throne room walls, holding multiple weapons. They seemed ready to attack at a moment's notice. Percy wondered what someone had to do in life to be sentenced to guarding Hades' throne.
Speaking of the throne, it was still made from human bones. On the human bone throne sat Hades. He was still ten feet tall and dressed in black silk robes. His skin was still the pale white with his hair falling to his shoulders. There was a smaller throne next Hades, and on it sat a stunningly beautiful woman with brown eyes that radiated warmth. Her dress shimmered with colors and the flower patterns in her fabric continue to bloom and prosper. She gave them a brilliant smile and Percy had the urge to plant a full garden.
It was Persephone, the goddess of springtime, flowers, fertility, and young life.
Percy's heart tugged at its threads; the beauty of Persephone reminded Percy of Annabeth's sacrifice for Cyrene. He began to focus and he looked at Hades once more. Hades stared at him motionlessly. Cyrene stirred in his arms, prompting Hades to turn his attention to her.
With his eyes still on Cyrene, he addressed them. "Percy Jackson, Thalia Grace, and Grover Underwood. I called you here…to…"
Hades cracked his neck like he was in physical pain and Persephone put her hand on the arm of Hades' larger throne. "Go on, my love. We worked on this. 'I' statements."
Hades set his jaw. "I…am…grateful for you…saving my son…from the traitor."
Percy felt the Wolf stir. "Traitor?"
Hades' discomfort melted off his face as he regarded Percy, replaced by an oily curiosity.
"I was trying to thank you, demigod. Yet you still protect her honor all the way into Tartarus? Even if she betrayed you and kidnapped both my son and your sister?
Percy balled his fists. "Yeah, but she sacrificed herself to save Cyrene, in the end."
Hades raised an eyebrow. "One act made out of fear of damnation overshadows all the evil she's done? Even though she died and her soul resides in Tartarus, you think that she deserves mercy?"
Thalia had her eyes on Percy, and Grover covered his mouth before Percy retorted.
Thalia stepped forward, seeming to read Percy's mind. "We appreciate the shadow travelling rings, Lord Hades. It helped us rescue your son from Arachne and Annabeth. We only ask one favor from your generous self."
Hades kept his eyes on Percy, who was glowering from behind Grover's hand clamped on his mouth. Percy shrugged Grover off him and stepped forward.
Persephone shifted uncomfortably. "Oh, dear, that face. He is not happy."
Percy had the Wolf stare on his face, but his attention was diverted by Cyrene, who cooed affectionately. Her legs kicked, and she reached up towards Percy's face with a smile. The Wolf melted off his face and he kissed her forehead.
Percy sighed and looked up at Hades. "Thank you…for supporting us in our adventure. You're pretty…great."
Percy felt the pain that Hades had been going through a few minutes ago. Hades nodded and looked at Thalia. "What is your favor, Hunter?"
Thalia turned to Percy, offering him the stage. It was a stark contrast to her stepping up and taking the stage like she had done with Nereus. Percy stepped forward with his sister in his arms. "We just ask that Annabeth gets a fair judgment in the Judgment Pavilion."
The throne room shook as if Nico had summoned undead soldiers once more. Hades stood. "She…took Nico. You expect me to give her a fair trial for her?"
Grover cleared his throat. "Yes, Lord Hades. We know that you are not a…bad person, per say, you just are misunderstood and treated unfairly. We know how much you value fairness."
Hades sat back down. "You're right then, satyr. I will grant her a fair judgment. But whatever she is sentenced to is final. Is that clear?"
His eyes shifted to Percy, who adjusted Cyrene so she was closer to his chest. Percy clenched his jaw and nodded. Hades sat back in his throne. "Good. She will be there momentarily."
Grover held his ring finger up. "Before we go, Lord Hades, did you want us to return these to you?"
Hades' eyes glowed with dry humor. Persephone leaned forward. "Keep it. As a gift from Hades to always remember that darkness is not…always bad."
She winked and a ghost of a smile flickered on Hades' face. Persephone looked at Percy. "Would you like to sit in on the judgment?"
Percy nodded and Persephone gave him a warm smile. She waved her hand and Percy, Thalia, Grover and Cyrene were teleported to the Judgment Pavilion.
They were in a large pavilion that was in front of a judgement bench. Across the walls were torches that burned rainbow colored fire. Sitting there, in professional suits was Fleecy, Nelson Mandela, and a large man with a long blonde beard. Thalia whistled. "King Arthur. Wow."
Percy hoped she was joking, but turned back towards the bench only to be tackled by an unseen force. The unseen force turned it to be Fleecy, who was hugging him and was squealing. "EEP! I've missed you, Percy."
Thalia used one arm to pull Fleecy off him. The former assistant to Iris cleared her throat, straightening her suit. She gave them a sunny grin. "What are you all doing here?"
Grover stepped towards her. "We met with Hades and Persephone, and we were here to sit it on a friend of ours' judgment."
Percy felt uneasy, and ran his hands through his hair. He bounced Cyrene slightly as he thought about sitting in on Annabeth's judgment. To him, it just felt wrong. It felt like the same type of wrong when Percy was seven and one of his classmates dropped his Honey Bun out of his backpack as they were going to lunch. It was available to be taken and the kid probably wouldn't have suspected Percy, but it still felt wrong to take the Honey Bun.
Fleecy's rainbow colored eyes locked onto Cyrene. "Oh…my…GODS, who is this cute little thing? Is it you two's baby?"
Fleecy pointed to Percy and Thalia, prompting both heroes to recoil, for more reasons than one. Grover laughed. "Nah, it's just Percy's baby sister, Cyrene."
She continued to pout and gush over Cyrene. Though Grover and Thalia were just watching, after a few seconds, they ended up engaging in the gushing as well. Percy thought it made a bit of sense since they've never properly seen Cyrene before.
Percy cleared his throat. "Hey, Fleecy, I don't think that I want to sit it on the judgment."
Grover and Thalia looked at him, but he kept his eyes on Fleecy. "I feel like an individual's life judgment is too personal and too intimate for us to sit in on. Having us there to listen to her eternal sentence? It just seems to weird and too wrong. Would it be possible if we waited outside and had a chance to say goodbye before the she carries out her sentence?"
Fleecy twitched her mouth. "Mmmm…I don't see why not! I will send her out right when she's finished with her judgment!"
Grover and Thalia shook hands with Fleecy and walked out. Percy started to follow, but Fleecy tugged on his tattered shirt. Her rainbow eyes had concern in them. "Percy, who is this friend of yours?"
He cleared his throat and his petal glowed a deep violet. "Annabeth Chase. She was my girlfriend and then…it's a long story. You'll see it. Just…remember that she was a good person, okay? Whatever you all decide, just keep that in mind."
Fleecy's eyes looked like they had been injected with rainbow steroids, as they began to swirl quicker than Percy has ever seen. "I will do my job and judge every single person according to how their life balances out. I will take no favors."
A shiver went up his spine and he remembered that Fleecy was an immortal in life as well. She had her mean side. But her eyes softened and she put a hand on Percy's face. "But you are a good man. And a good hero. I will come to my own decision, but I will remember how you feel towards her."
She gave Percy another hug and he began to walk away. She called back to him. "And Percy? Thank you for the shrine. It makes Iris smile every day."
That made Percy smile, and he walked out of the pavilion just as a golden light appeared. He heard the judges say, "Annabeth Chase."
While they were waiting, Nico ran into them. He was just walking around the Underworld…for fun…and he was casually swinging his new hybrid sword. The sword looked more terrifying when held by Nico, since it glowed with a deathly pale energy. It made Percy wildly jealous, and he missed Riptide. However, Nico offered them a tour of Elysium while they wait for Annabeth's judgment, which they promptly accepted.
Elysium was cool. According to Nico, it served as a "comfortable place of rest" for those who did good in their life. This was compared to the Isles of the Blest, described by Nico as "a heavenly paradise for the exceptional." Percy wondered if Nico was partial to one over the other.
Nico took them past the gated walls and into a sunny, light area with residents playing sports, playing instruments, having cookouts, sleeping on the benches, and talking to one another. It smelled of so many different types of foods and fragrances. Percy realized that people could actually hear one another speak, and there were all smiles.
"I sincerely hope you all aren't dead."
Percy, Thalia, and Grover jumped and turned to see a college-age guy with large muscles, chocolate-colored skin, and large hands. He had on a tanktop with some shorts and sandals. He seemed to have an outline of light around him. He was holding hands with a beautiful girl with brown hair. She had on a tanktop as well, with shorts and sneakers, as if they had just come from a date in the park. She gave them a bright smile.
Percy broke into a grin and hugged them both. "Beckendorf! Silena!"
They laughed and hugged him tightly, pulling Grover and Thalia into the hug as well. They smelled like a combination of amazing smells. Nico stood off to the side until the hug broke apart. Beckendorf and Silena then hugged Nico by himself, which made him blush and pat them on the back awkwardly.
They let go and regarded the four of them (and Cyrene). Silena had a huge smile until she saw Cyrene.
"Oh, gods."
She reached out and brushed Cyrene's forehead. "What happened to this beautiful baby? Who's the mother?"
Percy rolled his eyes as Thalia and Grover tried to hide smirks. "Guys. We're not dead. Well…Annabeth is. But we're not. I think. And this is my baby sister."
Beckendorf's smile melted. "What? Tell us everything."
And they told them the whole story. Beckendorf and Silena had sat down, but the latter had tears forming in her eyes.
When they finished, Silena sniffed. "Oh, no. I…Percy, I'm sorry. Thalia, Grover, Nico, I'm sorry you all had to go through that."
Beckendorf nodded. "Yeah. It sounds like Annabeth did the right thing in the end, which I didn't have any doubts about. But isn't that against some rule? To trick a kid into swearing on the Styx?"
Nico sighed. "You'd think. After having her carry me around for days, I saw that she didn't want to do any of this. She was doing everything Arachne want, but she was broken inside. I had to intervene in little ways, like manipulate Percy's dreams or change his shadow travel destination."
"So that force that pulled me to the side that one time WAS you!"
Nico continued. "I don't know what changed, but the old Annabeth was there when she jumped into that pool."
Percy agreed. He remembered seeing a spark of her old energy when she was straddling him.
Beckendorf stroked his chin. "Well, do you blame her?"
At once, Percy, Nico, Grover, and Thalia answered with a chorus of "Yes" and "No"s.
Percy said "No," Nico said "Yes," Grover said "No," and Thalia said "Yes."
Silena nodded. "It seems like you all have differing opinions. That is a question of morality, which I will stay away from. But I just have one thing to say. When I worked as the double agent for Luke, he had told me that he was going to hurt Charlie if I didn't follow him. I refused to let that happen because to me, Charlie was the most important thing in my life. And I was afraid to lose him. That fear prompted me to make a bad decision that led into multiple bad decisions. I didn't tell Charlie or anybody else because I was afraid I was going to hurt him. But I sacrificed myself as well to try to beat that drakon. As you see, it didn't turn out so well for me in life-"
That earned a few giggles from everyone except Percy, who remembered looking into her dying face.
"-but look where I am now. Redemption and sacrifices are powerful things. Annabeth's actions may have been run off of fear of the alternatives. The judges of the Underworld don't look so much at your actions than they do at your heart. They judge three things; your heart, your mind, and your actions. Your heart is their first priority (because that's what really matters), your mind is the second priority (because that governs the actions), and the actions are the one that's considered last (because that is just a physical manifestation of the mind). I think Annabeth messed up, like I did. But I also don't think that she's entirely bad, either. I've met her a few times, she's cool. I even told her to go for the kiss when she asked me about Percy. I think she'll make it here."
Percy blushed and Thalia raised an eyebrow. Grover and Nico looked down to the ground.
Beckendorf cleared his throat. "So, you think she'll stay here or try for rebirth?"
Percy immediately answered, "Rebirth."
Beckendorf nodded like he expected it. Percy knew Annabeth, and just like Luke who ironically also did a lot of bad but ended his life on a good note, she was an overachiever and pushed herself to the ceiling. She would try for rebirth if she was offered Elysium.
Beckendorf nodded. "I think she would too. I think it would suit her, and I hope in her next life, she is free from the pain and can live in peace."
Silena smiled. "Anyone up for a tour of Elysium?"
All of them shot up their hands, even Nico.
After a few hours, Beckendorf and Silena had walked them back to the gates of Elysium. After a lot of hugs and cheek-kisses from Silena, they headed back towards the Judgment Pavilion. In the distance stood Annabeth, in the same black shirt and khaki pants she had when she had jumped into the Asopio Pool. Percy's heart twisted and shot into his throat; he prayed to every god he could that she had gotten Elysium and not the Fields of Asphodel.
They got down there, and walked up to Annabeth. Her hair looked like it did when she was at Camp Half-Blood, her skin and face was free of the bruises and the scars she had in life. Percy's petal glowed a deep violet. She saw him and gave a bright smile, holding in a laugh.
Annabeth got Elysium. She was finally free from her curse.
He passed Cyrene to Thalia and charged towards Annabeth. He picked her up and wrapped her in a big hug, and she returned it just as tightly. Percy's face was buried into the crook of Annabeth's neck and he smelled her usual lemon-y scent hair. She kissed him multiple times on the cheek and Percy put her down. He looked in her gray eyes, which weren't moving multiple miles per hour nor did it seem broken. They just looked calm, at peace.
She took a breath. "Thank you. Thank you, Percy. I know that this goes without saying, but this relationship can't work…if I'm dead."
Percy nodded and exhaled. "Seems fair."
His petal glowed a deep violet. He thought so many times about Annabeth being the one for him, being the one that he would build something permanent with.
Annabeth caressed his face like she was reading his thoughts for the last time. "You were the light of my life, Percy. You are a blessing in everyone's life and you deserve the Isles of the Blest, even after this one life. I'm sorry, from the bottom of my heart, for everything. My spirit was broken. But when I had recounted the oath to you, I realized that she had just told me to bring her Cyrene. She never told me to kill Cyrene and use that death to bring her back. She told me in vague terms, which contrasted with all the specific acts she had asked me to do in the past. From that point on, I started to form a new plan to work against Arachne's plan. I let you get to the Belvedere Castle first, because if I was at the Pool first, I would have had no excuse to wait around for you to stop me. She may have demanded that I kill her."
Percy kind of understood. "Wait, but if you said Arachne's always watching, why would it matter whether her ghost was watching at the pool or not? Isn't she always watching?"
Annabeth pursed her lips and Percy felt like they were on a quest together and he was asking questions about a concept that she found straightforward. He realized that would never happen again, and his petal glowed a stronger violet.
"True, but when she was living, she was able to watch me whenever she wanted to. I felt like there was always this spider on my neck, just crawling around. I felt like I had no wiggle room for deception or trickery. However, when in Tartarus, it took a lot of effort to impose her presence into the living world and to watch me. She would've had to send a piece of herself/her power to do so. Granted, I never knew when she was or wasn't watching, so I carried out her commands she sent to me via dreams. However, at the pool, she was getting ready to be reborn. Arachne wanted all her essence and power together so she could return to the world of the living at full strength. She could see me without any effort when in her ghostly form at the bath; that wasn't taking her any effort. But when I had tapped her picture and she disappeared, for a quick second, she was blind. She didn't want to impose herself onto the world of the living, lest she get resurrected at less than full strength."
It made about as much sense as everything else in this world. Except one thing.
"Then why'd you punch me all those times after Arachne was blind? You could've just talked to me?"
She cocked an eyebrow. "You think you would've let me jump into that pool?"
Percy hesitated. He realized he wouldn't have let her do it; he would have jumped into the pool himself.
She bumped him with her hip. "Cheer up, Seaweed Brain. It worked. I'm free from her control. You saved Cyrene. And you are amazing for that. You better prosper in the living world up there, okay? Tell your mom sorry for me, and tell my dad that his wife is probably not coming back."
She pulled Percy into another tight hug and Percy fought the tears from flowing down his eyes. She pulled back, and looked in his eyes. "Watch over Matthew and Bobby for me?"
Percy nodded tearfully and she grabbed his head and kissed him on the forehead. She walked away from him and approached Grover. He sniffed and wiped something quickly from his eye. She put out her arms and Grover fell into them. Once he made contact with her, he exploded into tears like Percy had done with Thalia the other night. Annabeth hugged Grover tightly.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for everything."
Grover was talking between his sobs. "I should've known. I should've saved you…I'm sorry…I'm…"
He continued to break down and Annabeth pulled away from him, holding his shoulders. She had a look of pride on her face. "Grover, you've grown up so much. Juniper is a lucky girl. Congratulations on your engagement. I'm sorry I won't be there for your wedding, but I'm sure it will be beautiful. But you have been the best protector a demigod could ever ask for. Percy has the best best friend ever. And I'm sorry for throwing that knife at you."
Grover sniffed as Annabeth turned to Thalia. Percy felt uneasy; he didn't know what was going to happen. Thalia was the most unforgiving of Annabeth's actions out of the trio, and he didn't know if her last words to Annabeth were going to be harsh and accusatory, or nice and accepting.
Thalia's eyes sparked with lightning as she regarded Annabeth. Grover carefully peeled Cyrene from her grasp and tried to avoid her powerful stare. It reminded Percy of Zeus' face whenever he got angry. However, the daughter of Athena wasn't discouraged at all and wrapped her arms around Thalia enthusiastically. Thalia was taller than Annabeth about one inch. She tensed up and Percy could see that she had planned to attack Annabeth with a lot of curses and accusations. However, when Annabeth was finally hugging her, Thalia closed her eyes and her face looked like she was about to cry.
Percy knew this because he had felt the same exact way a few times over these past days.
A silvery tear fell down Thalia's cheek as Annabeth pulled away. She wiped the tear away and smiled at Thalia. "I know that you don't fully forgive me for all of this. I doubt Percy and Grover truly do either. And I don't blame you for it. But you were amazing and the gods blessed us when you came into our world. You were a great fighter, a better friend, and the best big sister I never had. You make Artemis and Zeus proud."
Thalia was crying now, which was an odd sight for Percy to see. It threw him off, like a traditionally warm place suddenly producing inches of snowfall. She looked at Annabeth, bit her lip and let the tears flow.
Annabeth took her hand and gave it a little squeeze. She beckoned towards Percy.
"Take care of him, will you?"
Thalia nodded as Annabeth gave her the type of smile she gave the young half-bloods at Camp when she knew that it was them who played a prank on the Big House; that motherly knowing smile.
Fleecy came out of the pavilion. There was a golden portal that was swirling outside the pavilion. She winked at Percy. "Annabeth. It's time to go. We have other judgments."
Percy realized that Thalia neither gave accusatory remarks nor showered Annabeth with kind farewell statements. She was just silent and let her tears express how she felt, which in a way, was more Thalia than either of the previous two options.
Annabeth smiled at them and turned to go. Grover called out to her. "Wait! Elysium or rebirth?"
"Rebirth," Annabeth answered automatically over her shoulder. "Is that even a question? I took one look at the Isles of the Blest years ago and told myself that I wanted to be there when I was older. Hopefully in this life, I will be forced into servitude by a giant snake lady."
Grover laughed nervously as Percy and Thalia tacitly watched Annabeth retreat towards the pavilion. She stopped about fifteen feet away and turned to Percy.
"And be sure to take care of Cyrene. She deserves the world from you. I know that you'll be an amazing brother, almost as good as Ms. Jackson will be as a mother." She smiled and one last tear fell down her cheek. "My Percy. My Seaweed Brain."
She turned abruptly and sprinted to the pavilion, like Percy and Annabeth used to do when they race each other down the hills at Camp Half-Blood.
Except this time, she was running alone.
Tears fell from Percy's eyes. Grover handed Percy his sister. As soon as Percy held her, she started to cry as well. Both siblings were crying together as Annabeth disappeared into the golden portal to be reborn into another life.