XII

"Thalia," he says, locked in his cell. The way there is slippery and slimy and putrid and there is some kind of viscid liquid on the ground and she holds her nose and tries not to trip.

There is no malice in his voice — Perseus Jackson is simply stating a fact. From the slightly hurt look on his face, covered in grime as it is, she can tell that he know why she's here. They don't say anything for a minute, just stare at each other. There are no words to be said.

"At least I'll die a hero," he ends up whispering through the bars.

She almost breaks into tears. She loves him, her annoying annoying cousin — but he's white and she's turning black, so there's no way they'll mix and fit again.

"Oh, Percy," she says. "That's what I thought. That's what I did. It didn't end up that way."

He doesn't cry, but his eyeballs are slightly watering. A growl sounds above her and she almost jumps back in shock, reminded that they are not alone. "I have to—"

"Thalia," he whispers, "kill me, please. But don't do the same to your soul."

The son of the sea catches a small nod as she whisks herself out of the room.

XIII

"Annabeth," she brings up the undisturbed topic when he walks into the room.

He looks at her, curiosity and concern clouding his vision. "Do you want to know?"

"Yes," she murmurs, and she watches the contours of his face irregularly contract as his eyes fill with tears.

"Coma," she can barely hear. It's hard to comprehend at first but then all of a sudden there's a large stone in her throat and she's sinking to the floor. She doesn't cry, though — he catches her in his arms and does enough for the both of them.

"H — how long?" she isn't really sure if she'll survive that, though.

He waits for a moment which feels like an eternity as they lay down on the floor before speaking. "Probably . . . they don't know."

He says the last part in a rush as if he doesn't want her to hear. Her body falls even more into itself as she lays there, a hazy glaze covering her eyes as she thinks about her never-going-to-be-complete family.

He hears what she's thinking — it seems like he always does.

"Don't worry," he says, "you still have me."

She was undecided if that was a good or bad thing.

XIV

She's lost but for some reason she's not alone.

oh darling, this is who you are ((and isn't it scary?))

XV

A knock sounds at the door, and even though neither of them invites the being behind the wooden frame inside they come in anyways. A telekhine wearing large glasses and holding a clipboard stalks into the room.

"Room thirty-three," she cries. "I will be . . . "

Her voice drowns off as she realizes who she has walked in on.

"Oh," she backs off as Luke slowly gets up with Thalia in his arms, places her on the bed, and draws out his sword.

"Please . . . please don't hurt me!" but as she is torn out of a corporeal being and into Tartarus, Thalia looks on in interest.

"How?"

"I have a reputation to uphold."

"I understand. I just wish monsters were less messy."

XVI

Percy Jackson is beheaded in front of the whole army. She pulls on her mask when she goes and sees the light leave his eyes — she doesn't regret her choice, but it's a due to her family to at least see him die. Due to Annabeth, who's still lying in an infirmary somewhere barely breathing.

So he walks up to her, runs away from his chains. And he is granted an audience.

There is only one question that leaves his lips. "Annabeth?"

She remembers the last time anybody uttered that word and decides that she will not let him go to Hell with a guilty conscience. "She's fine."

He dies with a smile upon his lips.

XVII

percy baby, aren't you glad that you don't have to see it end?

She's frightened, and so when she goes back to the room she curls up in the bed and cries until he comes to get her.

XVIII

"Will you come with me?" he asks.

"To watch you . . . give a speech. To a bunch of demigods."

"Why not? You can sit in the stands and cheer for me."

"Are you being sexist?"

"What?"

"I'm not some throwaway toy."

And then the dark dark dark one is back. "No. But you are a toy. Mine."

XIX

She ends up going to the speech anyway — and there are too many people who she recognizes in the crowd. Yes, she didn't spend much time in Camp Half-Blood, but she was a fast learner.

Ethan — Nakamura? Yes, that was him . . . a son of Nemesis who had his hand slung around a daughter of Aphrodite who still hadn't grown into her beauty — Lacy?

Annabeth's older brother Malcolm was talking to Silena Beauregard, who looked heartbroken. Another girl named Nyssa was discussing something with Kayla while the Stoll twins were joking around in a corner.

She walked in with him and then was left in the front row of chairs as he sat down and then the world and the room went dark and he started talking and she was kinda swept away by the magic that was the words escaping his mouth.

XX

"How did I do?" he peels off his formal clothing when he comes into the room and she just sits and stares at his face in awe. "What?"

"That . . . that was amazing," she whispers throatily.

"But you don't want to talk about my speech, do you?" he asks slyly.

"No," and it barely comes out. "I don't."

XXI

sweetie

baby

did i choose wrong?

i think i might have chosen wrong

well, it's too late now,

isn't it?

.

no

i think i chose bad

bad bad bad

evil evil evil

but is evil wrong?

.

darling, it's all a matter of perspective

XXII

My ghost, where'd you go?

I can't find you in the body sleeping next to me

My ghost, where'd you go?

What happened to the soul that you used to be?

-Halsey

I said I would have a chapter out in a week. It's been two. Sorry. I suck at writing multi-chapter fics with a steady updating schedule. This is actually my first one.

I seriously ship Ethan N./Lacy. I also made the ship up, completely, so besides one of my friends who I have convinced to ship it, it's my thing. Yay! I'm an original Ethan N./Lacy shipper! LOL.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAZEL! I've no idea if the Romans will make an appearance in this fic.

Reviews are golden.

-WGG, or Dee