A/N: Hey, there. Told ya, I would be updating faster now. :D

So a little bit of word before you read. This chapter isn't much. Honestly I only wrote it because I feel we need to see what was going on inside Percy's mind in the midst of what's happening, minus the Reyna and Annabeth drama. It was straightforward, the way I wrote it, but I knew you guys will get the message because you are all awesome.

Also this chapter is kind of short. Nothing much happened except for . . . well, you'll know. More of like a "filler" chapter, but this is an intense one at that, especially the beginning of the chapter. Hopefully, I don't let you guys down much, and if I do (which I hope I don't) the next chapter will definitely make up for it.

One last thing: I changed some of the titles of the future chapter. I'll be posting the new ones on my next update. And one of the chapters that has a new title is the next one. You'll know what it is soon enough. :D

ProdigiXvX:Well, I do hope you didn't get injured or anything. And I'm the one whose supposed to be thanking you guys for giving me a chance and reading my stories. Thank you. :D

I Killed Popularity:It's one of the best twist, but I also love what happened in Tartarus. :D

Pug1998:You'll have to wait for that. *evil grin*

PercabethH23:Nakakatuwa kapag may mga kapwa-Pilipino na nakakabasa ng sinusulat ko. Wala namang mali sa grammar mo e. Ako yung may mga mali. Haha. Anyway, maraming salamat sa pagbasa at para sa review. At sa pagbati! Thank you! :D

Demigodacious:I'm glad you found my story and provided me with what you think of it. Thank you for taking the time to send me a feedback. :D

Charline2110:In my defense, I'm not just ignoring what Rick established in the books. I myself is a huge Percabeth. I think even Edward Cullen and Bella Swan can't compete with them. But as I've said before, I'm exploring the other characters. I want to know what they're going to do in certain situations. And while this is only a fanfiction, I don't want to be just a shadow of the series. I have to somewhat own what I'm writing. I want people to remember this story because I took risks and they paid off, not because I just photocopied what Rick wrote.

In this story, I'm not setting aside who Annabeth really is. I can't exactly keep the Annabeth Chase we know intact after everything that's happened to her in this story. It's bound to change people. And as I usually say, this story is still in progress. No one knows yet what's going to happen, not even me. The characters are the ones making the decisions now.

Anyway, thank you for letting me know what you think. Thanks for the time of providing me with a feedback. :D

August1999:IF YOU READ THIS CHAPTER YOU'LL UNDERSTAND THAT JUST BECAUSE THERE'S THE WORD"RUN" IN THE TITLE DOESN'T AUTOMATICALLY MEAN IT'S ABOUT RUNNING.

Rambo9000:Thank you for giving this story a shot. And for the review. :D

CimFan:Honestly, no. I don't see how that's going to make any impact on the story. Most likely no. Anyway, how was your Halloween? :D

.982:I hope to resurrect you soon. Kidding. Anyway, thank you, too. :D

Elizabeth B - Lover:Here's my update. I'm going to hold you with what you said. Kidding. :D

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NEVER LET ME GO

Chapter 18: EASIER TO RUN

PERCY

I was standing in a grassy meadow sitting atop a cliff filled with colorful flowers. Behind my back, it stretched for as far as my eyes can see. Soft wind blew, carrying the sound of birds humming harmoniously. The sun shone down on me, bathing me with warmth. My nose picked up the smell of honeysuckle, wet wood and other stuffs that made me drowsy. I closed my eyes and savored my surroundings.

A hand closed around mine. Even without looking, I knew who it was. The scent coming off of her was familiar - vanilla with a hint of lemon. I risked a glance and saw Reyna standing beside me. In the falling rays of the sun, she looked stunning. She was wearing a simple white dress, reaching just below her knees. There were flowers behind her ear. I never noticed before but her hair had red on it.

"Hey," I whispered.

Reyna looked at me, smiling. "Join us," she said.

She gave my hand a tug and turned me around. I didn't see it but there was a picnic going on. A white cloth had been spread on the grass, a variety of dishes were prepared, all of which were my favorite. Mom was sitting in front of the basket, taking out fruits. Paul was tending the grill while Dad was pouring wine in glasses.

A high-pitched giggle to my left made me turn. Noah was running, his arms extended on his sides like he was a bird about to take flight. Behind him was Annabeth, chasing him. They were both laughing. As I watched, Annabeth lunged forward and grabbed Noah around the waist. My son yelped, but immediately started snickering when Annabeth tickled his belly.

I could feel a smile spreading on my lips as I surveyed my surroundings. iPerfect,i I thought to myself. Nothing better than seeing the people that you care about happy. It was like a balloon was swelling in my chest and I was feeling light on my feet. I'd forgotten the last time that I actually felt that way. I guess I always was, to some degree but here, with the picturesque view and my family with me, my sense of happiness was increased exponentially.

Reyna took my arms and wrapped them around her. I placed my chin on her shoulder and breathe in her scent. I closed my eyes as I let it overpower my senses. I felt her lean into my touch and I pressed my lips at the side of her neck. "I love you," I whispered.

I felt her hand reach out and touch the back of my head, her fingers weaving through my messy hair. "Beautiful, isn't it?" she said.

I opened my eyes and watched as Annabeth led Noah to our picnic area, their hands linked. Paul served the grilled chicken cutlets to my parents, giving my Mom a kiss on the cheek. My Dad handed them a glass of wine each, with Paul giving him a high-five. Mom started handing out plates filled with food. My mouth watered at the sight of all the dishes available, my stomach rumbling.

"I won't trade any of this for all the treasure in the world," I answered.

"Then why are you letting these be destroyed?"

I blinked and suddenly everything changed. Reyna disappeared, so did everyone. The breathtaking meadow that was filling my vision just a second ago was now a wasteland: withered grass, dead flowers, dried leaves falling from the dying trees. Above a storm was brewing. Dark clouds rolled in from nowhere, flashes of lightning cutting the sky. The air was filled with smoke, but not the one coming from Paul's grill but the kind that stung my nose and made my eyes water.

"Noah?" I called, the side of the mountain throwing my voice back at me like a ghostly whisper. "Rey! Annabeth!"

At first there was nothing but the thunder booming in the sky and the sound of water rushing somewhere below me. And then suddenly, there was a scream. It was so full of pain and fear that it made the hair on my arms stand on end. And for another reason. I recognized the voice. It was my Dad. I'd never heard him scream before. And the idea that someone could scare him enough to make him sound that way was so ridiculous that I disregard the idea. However right then, he sounded so terrified that my body went on autopilot, my feet surging forward and following his voice.

"Dad!" I called.

He answered me with another scream. At this point I was entering what used to be a very lively and green forest. It was turned into what sane people would call dark forest - dead trees, weird sounds and wings flapping from above. Thick clouds had concealed the moon - where'd the sun go? - cutting the tiniest bit of light I was using as a guide.

I kept on running, using my Dad's voice as a guide. I broke into a clearing and my heart stopped. Lying on the ground was my Dad, bleeding from a wound I couldn't see. Standing before him was a hooded figure. I could tell from its built that it was a guy. He was bent, pressing something against the side of my father's face, eliciting those scream from him.

"Get away from him!" I charged and brought down the guy with me. We went rolling on the grass, only for me to realize that he was gone. One second he was standing on my and then he disappeared, leaving me with my bleeding father. I crawled to where he was, trying desperately to find the source of blood but couldn't find any.

"Dad, stay with me," I commanded as I ripped off my right sleeve and pressed it to where the crimson liquid seemed to be thickest - on his abdomen.

Dad groaned and looked at me with unfocused eyes. "Why, Percy?" he asked, his voice full of pain.

"What? Why?"

He coughed, spraying my face in thick, hot liquid. I instinctively covered my eyes with my hands, wiping the blood off of my face. When I managed to refocus, Dad had disappeared. There was no sign left, even a droplet of blood. I looked around but there really was nothing.

While I was standing up, two more screams filled the air. I turned around and sure enough I saw them - tied on the trunks of trees that were side by side. Mom and Paul and Mom. I ran to where they were, trying desperately to come with an explanation on who's doing this.

There. The hooded figure was standing beside the tree where Mom was tied to. I hurried but when I was a few steps away from them, he disappeared again. I halted when I was near them. The ropes were cutting deep into their skin, leaving reddish-purple bruises. Mom and Paul were two of the strongest person I've ever known but their faces didn't betray the pain they were feeling.

I wanted to help them, to cut them free from the ropes imprisoning them but a "Perce!" and a "Seaweed Brain!" stopped me. I turned around and saw Annabeth and Reyna lying on the ground right in front of me. Annabeth's clothes were tattered while Reyna's white dress was caked with mud and dried blood.

Both of them looked like they were in pain, though I couldn't see anything that could be causing it. I fell to my knees and held on of their hands.

"Make it stop, Perce," said Reyna.

"Please," Annabeth agreed.

"W-what should I do?" I asked.

Then there was a force pulling both of them. It was so sudden and strong that it also yanked me forward. I lost of their hands and by the time I managed to stand up, I only saw a glimpse of them being dragged away from where I was. I turned around and checked my parents but they, too, had disappeared. I had no idea what's going on but all I knew was that I had to save Reyna and Annabeth.

I let my feet carry me to where I saw them being dragged. The part of the forest I entered was different than the other one. It was more sinister. Although the trees were all dead and had no leaves, their skeleton branches were touching each other overhead, casting terrifying shadows on me. The ground was more treacherous as well. Thick knots of roots tripped me. I managed to get up the first two times but on the third, all strength seemed to have left my body. I stayed there, sprawled on the muddy ground, as I tried to come up with an explanation on what's happening.

I heard dead grass rustling and looked up. Reyna and Annabeth stumbled to where I was, both of them looking totally exhausted.

"Rey," I croaked. "Annabeth."

They didn't answer but instead just sobbed. The sound was so heart-wrenching that it made breathing extremely difficult. "Why did you let this happen, Percy?" Reyna asked, tears leaving dirty trails down her cheek.

"W-what?"

She reached out and combed her hands through her hair. The once thick and glossy crown fell, clumps on her shoulder and was carried away by the wind. Her skin - and also Annabeth's - stared withering right before my eyes. Health and life leeching into the frozen night air.

Annabeth opened her mouth to speak but her teeth fell one by one. Blood run down her chin as she tried to stop what was happening. Reyna on the other hand was crying while still combing the dead hair off her head.

I was about to stand up to at least help them - how was I supposed to help them anyway? - when I felt hands grab my ankles and dragged me away from them. Sharp edges of rocks cut my face, neck and arms. I fought against my attacker to no avail. Whoever it was – and I had a pretty good idea it was the hooded figure – he was exceptionally strong. The grip on my ankle was so tight I could feel blood stopping its flow to my feet.

It seemed like forever that I was dragged on the forest floor, but eventually stopped. I knelt slowly, taking inventory of myself. Except for the cuts and nicks, I seemed to be fine. Then I noticed the pool of blood in front of me. It couldn't have been mine. I patted myself down and became certain that I wasn't bleeding that bad to create that puddle. I followed it with my eyes and my world stopped.

It wasn't my blood. It was Noah's.

He was sitting in front of me, thick, crimson liquid running down his nose and mouth. He had a huge bruise at the side of his face and all the hair on his head was all gone. His skin was so pale and translucent that I could almost see the veins pulsing underneath.

"Why didn't you stop it, Daddy?" he asked helplessly. I had no idea what he was talking about. All I knew was that as long as I lived, that image will never be out of my head. "Why did you let it hurt me?"

"Noah, I – "

He started sobbing as he wiped the blood off his mouth, only to make the mess worse. I stood up shakily and made my way towards him. When I was a few feet away, he disappeared. I looked around in bewilderment as the hooded figure stepped in front of me.

"Who are you?" I demanded. "Why are you doing this?"

"Listen to my voice, Percy Jackson," he answered. "You do know who I am, you're just refusing to accept it. Look past what you can see and listen to what I'm saying and you'll know who's doing this – who's hurting the people that you care about."

I listened to what he was saying, trying desperately to come up with an answer. The way he spoke, the stress between the syllables like he was grasping for the next words to say, the way he formed his sentences – they were familiar. But it was impossible. Or was it? In this nightmare, I was the only one who could save them but I failed. Could it be . . . ?

I was about to reply when a blood-curling scream stopped me. "Daddy!" I didn't even think, I sprint to that direction and yelled wildly. "Noah!" My son answered me with another scream. I used his voice to guide myself to where he was. "Noah, I'm here, baby!" I wanted him to know that I was going to save him, that I was doing something, that I hadn't really given up on him.

"Noah!" I yelled again. This time there was no answer. My heart was pounding so hard in my chest it hurt. I couldn't breathe and my vision was foggy. I couldn't see anything clearly. "Noah!" My voice was hoarse and my throat hurt. I couldn't stop. I had to get to him. I had to help him. I had to –

My train of thoughts stopped as I found myself falling. Wind rushed into my face, tearing up my already watering eyes. As I fell, everything came into focus. Suddenly, there was light coming from above. I could now see where I was going to end up – a broken body on top of all those sharp rocks below. There wasn't even a shallow river to cushion my fall.

I closed my eyes and braced myself for the impact. I could almost hear the ground coming up to meet me. Before I hit the ground I came with one thought: I knew who the hooded figure was. He was here with me, falling to his death.

I hit the rocks and was jolted back to consciousness, away from the dreaming world.

One of the reasons why I hate hospitals: nightmares.

I seemed to always have them whenever I'm in one. Like when I was eight, when I fell from the stairs and Mom bought me here to have my broken arm fixed. The doctors had to put me to sleep because I wouldn't stop trashing around. The drugs put my body to rest but not my mind. How many times did I see myself trapped inside a well while the water reached my chest, and eventually my nose? How many monsters from movies I've seen came to pay me a visit in my room while I was all alone in the dark? Somehow whatever they injected me with that was supposed to make me numb only prolonged the terror of those bad dreams.

I guess my mind was aware of what's going to happen today. Noah's first chemotherapy. Dr. Mears had given me a warning that Noah would grow weak because of this treatment, but it will help destroy the cancer cells. This was also be the reason why it would be tricky. Chemotherapy destroys actively growing cells, which is a defining characteristic of cancerous cells, but it will also kill some of the normal and healthy cells. It wasn't going to be pretty but I knew Noah needed it. He needed all the help he can get, and after my nightmare last night, I knew I couldn't just sit there and hope for the transfusions to cure my son. Those were just defensive actions; we also needed to do offense.

I stood at the door as they wheeled my son inside the treatment room. He was sniffling but I told him that he had to be strong for me. He was keeping it together not for him, but for his Dad. Talk about being useless.

I wanted to go inside with him but Dr. Mears said that it would be best to keep the people inside to a minimum besides it's not like the whole process was going to hurt my son. Just the injection. Yeah, just the injection. Like that was any better. And even though I wanted to be with my son, Dr. Mears said that I had to donate blood while Noah was inside the room. He said my son would need a transplant right after the chemo to increase his red blood cells count.

As soon as I heard the door's lock being engaged, I led myself to the adjacent room to where I was supposed to go.

Reyna and Annabeth sat in a couch, huddled together, talking in hushed voices. They both stopped when they saw me. After my last night's nightmare, I realized how much I cared for these two women. I bent down and kissed Reyna on the forehead. She was my rock in this situation. She had been nothing but understanding and strong for me ever since we found out about my son's condition. If she wasn't here, I would've gone crazy on day one.

I turned to my bestfriend and drew her into a hug, careful not to squeeze too much. The feeling of her body next to mine was reassuring. It sent me a message that I was not alone this situation, that I could count on her to have my back.

They both gave a smile when I straightened. I gave them a slight nod as I let myself inside the room. Dr. Mears's assistant was already waiting for me and went ahead on the process. I guess I wasn't really paying attention except when I felt a tiny stab on my arm and followed the feeling of something being drawn out from inside my veins. Every passing second, I became woozier and the thoughts in my head turned foggy. Come to think of it, I couldn't even focus, let alone think. I was completely detached. A walking dead.

The next thing I knew the nurse was helping me stand up, telling me that it was done. I hopped on my feet only to fall as everything around me moved in waves. I would've ended up on the floor if Reyna didn't catch me. Wait, it wasn't her. The hands were too big to be a woman's.

I looked up and saw someone whom I knew could really understand what I was feeling. I knew he understood because even though I wouldn't admit it, I was very much like him.

My Dad, Poseidon.

When our eyes locked, Percy Jackson was unhinged.

[Next - CHAPTER 19: HE'S COME UNDONE]

Note:Don't take the title too literally. Thanks!