Percy's POV

One week.

One week was all it took for me to reach Camp Jupiter.

Not bad if I say so myself.

Especially if you were hunting monsters the entire way.

Currently I was watching the tunnel that leads to Camp Jupiter. There was two guards at the mouth of the tunnel and I really did not want to alert them.

I stood up from my crouched position and stretched my back. I was just outside the eyesight of the guards.

I reached into my backpack and pulled out a bag of drachmas. I formed some mist and chucked the bag through, it disappearing with a pop!

"Thank you Iris, for not revealing my location," I mutter.
I knew she heard me because the mist faded away and left a gluten-free ROFL cupcake.

I had to chuckle at that.

I picked it up and weighed it. It would make an excellent distraction.

I crept closer to the tunnel entrance. Taking aim, I threw it at the guard at the right.

He went down like a rock.

The other guard drew a bow and looked around nervously for any enemies.

He turned to help his comrade and I chose that time to enter.

I vapor-traveled past the guards and through the tunnel.
I passed over the Little Tiber and reformed myself. I made sure my hood was over my face and I headed towards New Rome.

There was a reason I was at New Rome. The rest of the Seven decided to live here except for Annabeth who stayed at Camp Half-Blood because of me.

A sharp pain went through my heart at the thought of her.

I pushed her out of my mind.

I had some people to see.

And apologize to, a small voice whispered in my head.

Shut up, I told it.

It was nearing sunrise and I knew Romans and Greeks alike would be waking up and either going to college or wandering the streets like I was now.

But at the moment, I liked being alone.

I thought of what I was going to say.
Nothing came to mind.

The first apartment I found was Leo and Calypso's.

They got together when Leo asked for her to be freed at the end of the war.

I walked up to the door and knocked twice. A bleary eyed Leo opened it after a few minutes. "Yeah? What do you want?" He asked tiredly.

Then he saw me.

He dragged my into his house and locked the door.

"Where the hades have you been? We thought you were dead then you show up only to disappear for weeks!" he yelled
"Please be quiet, I don't want anybody to hear us," I hiss at him mortified that someone would hear us.

"Fine," he said running his hands through his messy hair,"What do you want?"

I swallowed.

"I came to say sorry," I whispered.

"For what?" Leo looked confused.

"For everything I have ever done and-"

I swallowed again.

"-and everything I will do soon."

"What the hades does that mean?" he demanded.

But I was already gone.

The next apartment I visited was Frank and Hazel's.

Same response as Leo except that Hazel slapped me before I left.

Finally, it was Jason and Piper.

Instead of Jason opening the door, it was Piper.
She looked at me and then she slapped me.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" she screeched.

"Ouch Piper, careful on the ears, will ya?" I said annoyed "And why does everyone keep slapping me?"

"Do you know how worried we were? How worried Annabeth was?" I flinched at her name.

"I don't care what she feels, it can't be anywhere close to how I feel," I snarled trying to control my rapidly increasing anger. "Percy... what happened to you?" she said looking at me sadly.

"They did, she did, it doesn't matter who did it, only that it happened," I whispered.

I look around their small apartment. Then I realized something. "Where's Jason?" I ask curiously.

"He's out..." seeing my pointed glare she continued," He's out looking for you,"

"What! Why?"

"You may not see it but the rest of us do. You can't go fight a war with a group of people and not come out as friends. Everything we have ever done together created a bond between us, we are your family," she said firmly.

"But we always fought each other and argued, why would he risk his life to search for me," I yell exasperated.

"Are you serious? Do you not understand what I just said?" she said incredulously. "We are a family and each and everyone of us would sacrifice ourselves to save another. You are our brother," she replied, placing her hands on my shoulders, looking at me seriously.

"Fine," I grumbled but I was secretly grateful for their loyalty to me.

"So when are you going back to Camp Half-Blood?" she asked curiously.

I stiffened. "Hopefully never,"

She looked at me pityingly.

I didn't want it, yet I was thankful.

"You are a true friend Piper, take care of the camps and the other seven for me,"

She frowned, "It sounds like your saying goodbye,"

I laughed at that.

"Whatever happens Piper, remember me, remember everything I have done for Olympus. Keep the legend of Percy Jackson alive, so that one day a more worthy hero might take my place,"

"But-"

"Please, do it for me," I stared into her eyes, trying to convey the importance of what I was trying to say.

She swallowed nervously but then determination lit up her eyes.

"No matter what people say, you are a hero, a true hero, the greatest hero," she told me, her voice unwavering.

"That was a long time ago,"

She glanced back up at me. "Don't you dare-"

"Percy Jackson was a hero, he would do anything for his friends but he died. He died along time ago. I am nothing more than a memory, I am broken," I whisper. "But thank you anyways."

I start to vapor travel away, but not before catching one last glimpse of her sad smile before it faded away.

I stood in front of the DOA recording studio in Los Angeles or in the mythological world, the Underworld.

I push through the doors and strode up to Charon at his desk. "Next trip," I told him flipping him a coin.

"Certainly," was his only response as he headed to the elevator.

The elevator was empty inside except for the two of us. "I know what you are going to do," Charon said calmly not looking up at me. "There are other ways, you don't have to do this," he said as the walls of the elevator slowly melted away.

"Not for me," I told him. "I will admit I dislike you, but it is not your time to die, you have many more years to live and I really don't want to see you earlier then I have to," he said finally looking up at me and I saw something in his eyes I thought I would never see from him.

I saw pity.

He continued, "You do not need to kill yourself-"

I interrupted him with a harsh laugh. "I don't plan on killing myself, I pride myself on being smarter than that Charon,"

He just looked at me sorrowfully before turning away. The elevator was now a barge floating alongside the millions of dreams that were thrown away when a person died.

We were on the River Styx.

I unslung my backpack and held in front of me. "To the Lady Styx," and I dropped it into the river.

Charon raised an eyebrow, "What was that suppose to do?"

Instead, I just watched the river. The point where I dropped it in started to glow and the whole river started to bubble. For a second, I was afraid that I would be vaporized but a blue glow spread across the entire river, dissolving every lost dream, leaving the river clean.

"Well that was interesting," was Charon's only response. His bluntness was refreshing. Suddenly, something out of the river jumped out and landed in my arms. I examined it.

It was five metal water bottles held together by a length of cord. I pulled one out and held it closely. It was made of Stygian Iron and each of them was empty. I gave a silent thank you to the Goddess of the Styx.

We finally reached the pier where Charon would let me out. As I stepped on land, I heard Charon call my name one last time. " Perseus Jackson, whatever happens and if you survive the night, remember, you are a hero,"

It was the exact same thing Piper said to me.

"And if you tell anyone, I will deny it," I laughed as he turned and directed his barge back down the now clean, waters of the River Styx.

As soon as he was out of sight, I grabbed a water bottle and focused on my water abilities. It took work but I managed to control some of the river water and directed it into a bottle. I twisted the cap tightly shut and thought, "One down, four more to go," and with that thought, I headed deeper into the Underworld.

I passed through the crowds of the undead, I saw the occasional monster but as soon as they saw me, they took off in the other direction. I saw Cerberus in the distance and he barked at me. I smiled at him.

The next river was the Lethe. I was extra careful with that water. I didn't want to end up like Bob.

After that was the Acheron, the river of woe. Then the Cocytus, the river of lamentations, and finally the Phlegethon, the river of fire and healing. Soon, I had five heavy water bottles filled with the most dangerous waters in the known world. I walked back towards the banks of the River Styx. I grabbed my last drachma and evaporated some water from the Styx. That took some effort.

I created a mist and threw it in. "Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, accept my offering, show me Nico Di Angelo," I say tiredly. I really hope he doesn't kill me.

His face showed up on the message, his expression changed from shock to anger to relief. "Hey Nico," I say nonchalantly. "Everyone is panicking, trying to find you and when you call me, the first thing you say is Hey," he said slowly, obviously trying to calm down. "Yeah sorry about that, but can you do me a favor?"

"Maybe," he looked at me suspiciously.

"Can you get Thalia and everyone else at both camps including the gods. I got something to tell them,"

"What for? And where are you?" his glare changed to a look of curiosity. "Underworld and can you just do it?" I begged him. "Fine, but you owe me," and he cut off the connection.

I grimaced. This was going to take awhile.

So I started to set my plan in motion.

I opened each bottle gingerly, treating it like greek fire. I made sure each bottle was secure on the ground, I'd really hate to spill some.

When that was done, I waited.

For exactly one hour, and I know that because I counted.

I saw a massive shadow form about twenty feet away from me and saw it deposit a large group of demigods. I bet Hades helped with that. When they regained their footing, one of them looked up and saw me. It was Nico.

"Perseus Jackson! Where the Hades have you been!?" I flinched as he glowered at me. "Um... Hey?" I offered weakly. "Son, I would prefer if you didn't use my name as a swear word," said a very annoyed Hades.
Nico ignored him.

I looked at the crowd and recognized my friends. Thalia, Annabeth, Hazel, Frank, Leo and many more. People that cared about me.

None of them stepped out, instead they were watching me with mixed expressions. I realized they did not want a replay of what happened at the campfire. Smart.

I saw Athena finally take a step forward. "Perseus, stop this madness and come home," I shake my head softly at that, "Not anymore and I have a feeling that is hasn't for a long time," looking at Annabeth who gave a strangled sob.

"You deserve to know why I brought you here," I heard a cough from the crowd,"Actually Perce, I brought them here," Nico put in. "Shut up Death breath," I said smiling. I had a feeling that was the last time I would smile in a long time.

"May I have your full attention please!" I shout, clapping my hands together, startlling a few campers. "Actually, I already your full attention. Whoops," I muttered that last part.

"I gathered you all here today to say goodbye,"

"Um... Fish Face, you've been gone for weeks, why say goodbye now?" said a confused and also furious Thalia. I matched her glare with a calm stare. "That was only temporarily, this will be more... permanent."

"What does that mean Perseus Jackson? If you hurt yourself, you hurt all of us, is that what you want?" That was Rachel. I narrowed my eyes at her. "Really? How about when you hurt me?" I gestured to the rest of the group. "How about when you all hurt me? I saw you at the campfire, saw all of you there." I saw the curious and angry faces of my roman friends and amended that statement. "Except the Romans of course and a few of the Gods."

Finally my father, stepped forwards, "Percy, I-"

"Save it!" I snarled, cutting him off. "I don't want to listen to you,"

"After all, I'm only useful when I save the world right? Any other time you go to the next hero until you need me again," "Percy, that's not true! I love you!" Annabeth finally cried out. I glanced down at her hand and saw a small flash of light. I knew what to say next.

"Really? Then why are you still wearing my brother's ring? That's a load of minotaur dung and you know it.

I shake my head sadly at them, my anger draining out of me. "You don't understand," I whisper, "I'm so tired, tired of everything," "I'm tired of being used and I'm tired of being betrayed,'

I turn towards Athena, "You were right Lady Athena, my flaw would be my downfall,"

"My flaw does not just mean I would sacrifice the world for a friend, it means when I am betrayed by the ones I trust, the ones I am loyal to, it kills me. It hurts, it hurts so much."

"So what are you going to do Jackson? Kill yourself? I never thought you would take the coward's way out," sneered Clarisse. My eyes narrowed.

I will the water of the Underworld to float out of the bottles. I start to make separate steams that float around my body. "What is that?" asked Athena curiously. "The five rivers of the Underword,' I said with a small smile.

Too late, realization and horror reached their faces. I forced each river to accumulate over my head, trying to combine them but the waters repelled each other like magnets. It hovered over my head ready to drop. "Percy! Please, don't do this," Annabeth cried, finally shaking off her shock.

I smiled sadly, "Go, go be the hero I could never be. Become true heroes,"

I closed my eyes.

"I renounce my titles as Fear of Monsters, Bane of Titans and the Defeater of Gaea. I renounce my title as Hero of Olympus." I closed my eyes.

"I renounce Poseidon as my father, I renounce my powers over water,"

I opened my eyes.

I only managed to see one last horrified expression on all of my friend's faces before the five Rivers of the Underworld crashed down on me and everything went black.

Hey everyone! Or actually I am going to call you my Pixels! I need a fan name ya know? So this is the long awaited chapter that everyone has been waiting for. And I left it at a cliff-hanger. Ha! Deal with it! Anyways,the story is really kicking off, and thank you to everyone who has been reading this story.

Next chapter in a week or so, you just have to deal with the cliff-hanger:P

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-PixelUp