(AN) Hey there. I am sorry for not updating in a while but at first I wasn't sure if anyone would be interested and then I got caught up in Semester exams. I just recently got two more subscribers to this story so I decided that I would return and see if there was interest. The POV in this chapter is different than in the other two because I had been trying to get POV right since the beginning and I felt that while Percy was alone would be the best to do it.
I don't know how long it had been. It could have been minutes or hours or days. Below me lay the love of my life; beneath me was my only connection to a world outside of Tartarus, a world I had left for her.
"Annabeth…" I breathed though it pained me just to hear her name out loud. My throat felt raw as if I had been screaming recently and perhaps I had been, any time after her… death… was a blur now.
I am stuck in Tartarus, the only person I ever loved is dead, and Oh Gods Annabeth! The familiar thought re-entered my head as I looked back at her pale face covered in my tears. This can't be real… What do I do now. Do I leave or do I just die…
I have never been one to give up but this was literally and figuratively the lowest point in my life.
"Run Seaweed Brain."
"Who said that!" I yelled as I whipped back to look around me.
"You need to live and you need to get out of here Seaweed Brain."
There it was again! Wait… Seaweed Brain? I whipped my head around to look at Annabeth's body. OH it hurt to see her like that but I had to know!
"Annabeth?" I said, my voice barely a whisper.
"I'm gone Percy, but you need to survive. Do it for me. I can't be the cause of this."
"This wasn't your fault. I followed you in and then couldn't even protect you against some monsters!"
"It's not your fault either."
Now I could see Annabeth standing there right in front of me. She was wearing her shorts and CBH T-shirt like she was still at camp. Her knife was strapped on to her belt where she always kept it with a hand resting there out of habit. She was perfect. Like… she wasn't dead… I knew I must be seeing things but I didn't question it for fear of Annabeth leaving me again.
"You need to get out of here for the both of us. You need to help the others. Go save the world again."
"Annabeth. I just want to die. You are my life. What am I even supposed to do with you gone?"
"I'm going to miss you too but I'll be waiting for you when it's your time to join me but that is not now. Now you need to save everyone else from deaths that you could have helped prevent."
I knew it was true. I knew I was being selfish, but she was gone. How could I keep going without her? I don't know but she wants me to do this. She said she'll be waiting for me. I can't just disregard everyone else's lives for my own can I? The answer is no. I wouldn't be able to live with myself.
"Fine. I'll go but you can't leave me ever. That's the deal."
"I would never leave you Seaweed Brain."
Looking back at Annabeth's body I felt some of the ease I had been building up while talking to the Annabeth in front of me leave my body. I couldn't just leave her. She deserved better than this.
I walked over and knelt down next to her. Reaching under her legs and arms I placed her on my shoulders. I'm gonna get you home. That's a promise.
Looking around me I regained my bearings on the River Phlegethon. She had said this is the path to follow so that is what I shall do. As I began walking along the banks I glanced to me left to see the other Annabeth walking next to me. Something wasn't right though. When she took a step her shoulders didn't shake with the jarring steps of the sharp ground, instead she seemed to be walking across a cloud like she never touched the ground properly. I looked down at her feet and saw that her steps didn't even line up with the ground correctly with her feet sliding a little with each step.
Why did I have to be curious? She had looked so real and I had wanted her to be there so badly that I had just accepted it. What was she then? A ghost, a lie, or had I imagined her? When I began to sort through my memories I realized that all of the best ones were with her and she looked just like that. I imagined her… It hit me hard and I stopped dead in my tracks. If this is really just me then am I following her wishes or my own musings? No. I realized that it hadn't just been me. This is what she would have wanted. I'm doing the right thing. This is for her. If nothing else I realized that I had to return her body to the proper world.
I looked back to my left and the other Annabeth was not longer there but just a light shadow of her. I was on my own again but this time I had a purpose. I resumed my walking with a simple thought: I'll get you home Wise Girl."
I don't know how long I had been walking but I was beginning to get tired and my lungs had begun to hurt again. I need to stop at the river again.
As I leaned towards the glowing river of fire a could have sworn that I saw blond hair bouncing away as Annabeth looked back at me from the fire. I plunged my hands in and drank as I felt my throat constrict, but I had no more tears to cry in me.
Leaning back up from the river a hear a laugh behind me. For a moment I just sat still not caring who or what it may have been. There was even a little part of me that just wished they would kill me now. That was until I heard them talking.
"Hey look who it is girls! It's Percy Jackson and how sad… his dead waste of a girlfriend. I think we could have a little fun killing him now"
Kelly. With that thought alone my vision turned red and I shot to me feet and turned around at the same time. A few of the other Empousa cowered just a little at my face which was set in what I can only imagine to be a determined grimace.
"Oh, don't worry girls." Kelly began, "He's too saaad to do anything about us right now. He's just a weak little boy that lost his girlfriend. He can't hurt us."
My vision had turned a dark red and there was only one though on my head: Kill. It was at that moment that I felt the familiar sensation around my navel like a string but this time the feeling continued to spread until it was tugging at my entire body from my head to my toes.
The entire landscape became suddenly brighter and I saw most of the Empousa begin to stagger back tripping over their misshapen legs as they did so as if like they had seen Tartarus himself. The ground had begin to shake everywhere but at my feet and around Annabeth. The entire landscape seemed to be pulling the Empousa towards me as a heat I hadn't noticed before emanated from behind me. All of their eyes were wide in terror but I felt no sympathy as for some unknown reason I thrust my hand forward and felt the tug on my body even harder. At that moment he entire landscape in my view was engulfed in liquid fire except for myself, Annabeth, and Kelly.
"HOW ARE YOU DOING THIS!" Kelly yelled over the rumbling of the ground and the crackling of the liquid fire. I looked at her face and saw the kind of fear only experience by a prey before it is devoured by the predator.
I began to walk towards Kelly and the burning liquid parted around me creating a path directly towards her. Falling down she began to crawl backwards until she couldn't any longer because of the wall of fire. After being so confident only a few seconds earlier she let out a terrified screech knowing that she was going to die. As she started to open her mouth I uncapped Riptide and she turned silent.
Opening her mouth again she began to speak. "Please just let me go. I didn't kill her please, please, please, please…" As she continued her voice faded until she was just mouthing the words to herself.
I stood over her with Riptide at my side and my vision permanently tinted red. "This is all your fault." I whispered in her ear as I leaned down to her. "And now you're going to pay."
"Ple-" I heard her begin right before I stabbed Riptide through her gut and up through her mouth. With that I thrust her back into the fiery liquid and pulled Riptide free.
I stood back up and began to walk back towards Annabeth. After taking a few steps I realized how tired I was and began to drop to a kneel. No. I told myself in my head. If you're going to die then die next to her. And with that I stood up and stumbled the last few steps to her side and collapsed.
The last thing I remember was a feeling of emptiness gather in my entire body right before I was surrounded by an almost cold feeling that flowed beck over me as I hugged Annabeth to my chest.
I hope you liked this chapter even with the new POV. Please do review or comment or whatever because I do want to know how I'm doing. See you later!
