Disclaimer: I only own the laptop I sit here writing this on.
Outside of Percy's subconscious, time rolled back to before Percy died from the shard of rubble. Kronos, being the Titan of Time, was very aware of any messing with time and knew that something was amiss. "What did you do boy?!" The Titan screamed. "This already happened! Why are we back!?"
Percy slammed into the ground while the Titan raged, the sharp rubble crumbling under his body. 'Allow me.' Erebus spoke in Percy's mind. A ripple went through the demi-god's body as Erebus took control from Percy. As he stood up, brushing some dust from his shoulder, the Titan lept back. Landing at least thirty feet away, Kronos brought Backbiter up in a tense guard.
"Oh how long has it been? I fear I may be rusty dear nephew, so please, go easy on me." Erebus remarked with a smirk as he brought Riptide up. He looked down at it for a moment before shrugging and dropping the sword. Riptide fell for a moment before vanishing and returning to his pocket as a pen. Erebus glanced over toward Annabeth and Grover. "No mortal has ever laid eyes upon me. Sleep children, sleep and forget." He waved his hand as he spoke and the two crumpled to the ground.
"I know who you are, damn it! Why bring me back?! Why here again? To take joy in killing me once more? I shall not be felled quite so easily this time Uncle." Kronos spat the words. Erebus raised an eyebrow towards his nephew in confusion.
Behind the Primordial, Annabeth rose to stand once more. As she gazed at the back of his head, a look for anger came across her face. A scowl etched firmly, as if carved in stone. Her pure white eyes shining with rage. She took slow and unsteady steps toward the man.
"I am afraid you have caught me at a loss here Nephew. I had planned on announcing myself and giving you the chance to submit. What do you mean: Again?" As the last word left his mouth, 'Annabeth' slammed her fist into the back of his head with enough force to cause him to stumble forward.
"You bastard! How dare you leave ME in the dark? Carrying out your plans without informing me! Do you not remember what Mother said? 'Where one exists, the other must. Without one, there is none.' YOU CAN NOT BE HERE WITHOUT ME DAMN IT!" 'Annabeth' seethed as Erebus lay stunned on the ground. He looked up at her for a moment before recognition struck him.
"A-Aether? Fancy uh, fancy seeing you here. How are you here exactly?" Erebus stuttered for a second, confusion still covering his face.
"Are you really that daft? You literally can not be in a physical manifestation without me also being in one. I had to go to Chronos to send me here after I had found a host that accepted me. Honestly, I just grabbed the first demi-god that died after you took a host."
—-
Annabeth felt the sharp pain of a stab wound in her back for a fraction of a second before the warmth came. Yells erupted out around her, only not the happy screams she had been hearing all night. Percy's scream was the loudest. The rage and grief in his voice struck her the most. Then the confusion came. Who? Why? They won…. It wasn't supposed to end like this….. She had work to do….. A life to live…. A life with Per…..
—-
She regained awareness when she felt her spirit being yanked from where she stood waiting for Charon to take her on the trip across the River Styx. Annabeth stumbled as she was let go and it took her a moment before she took in her surroundings. In front of her stood Hades and her mother, Athena. The look on Athena's face almost shattered her. She had never seen her with such sadness or grief before, or any god for that matter. Athena turned towards Hades and grabbed the front of his robes and pulled him in.
"Release her. Allow me to take her from here Hades or so help you, I shall remind you why I am the Goddess of Warfare." Her gray eyes ignited with rage when she turned to the God. "She is a savior of Olympus! I shall not let her die to such a coward!"
Hades wrenched himself free from her grasp before taking a step back and raising his hands. "You know I can't do that, Athena. If I intercede with The Fates, who knows what will happen! She died and as tragic as that is, I can not intervene." He spoke firmly but softly. He did not look angry, or offended at his niece's actions, only sad. He looked over towards Annabeth with a frown before speaking again. "I truly am sorry child…. Annabeth."
Annabeth was about to speak up as Athena advanced on Hades once more when a wave of light sweeped into Hades' throne room. The two Olympians crumpled to the ground in front of her as she brought her arm up to cover her eyes. When the light died down, she slowly lowered her arm. A new person had joined them, though she could notice very few details about the person. The person was a woman with long white hair. The woman had an obviously athletic body with well defined muscles. When Annabeth tried to look at her face, all that was there was a blinding white light. It stung her eyes and she snapped them close once more.
"Try not to look upon my face, child. While I am able to physically manifest now that my twin has, mortals still can not view me. This is the weakest form I was able to take. Demi-god, I have a favor to request of you." The woman spoke in Ancient Greek. Her words were spoken softly and yet at the same time, they felt as if they were pounded into Annabeth's head. She shook her head to quell the pain somewhat before opening her eyes again. She decided to focus on the woman's feet if she couldn't look at her face.
"What request could you possibly have for a dead demi-god….." Annabeth trailed off, leaving silence where she would normally address whom she was speaking with, silently asking the person's name while also asking what she wanted.
"I am Aether, Primordial of Light, Eldest of Chaos' creations." Aether spoke, straightening her back as she introduced herself. "It appears my twin, Erebus, has taken it upon himself to obtain a mortal host. When Mother created us, she told us that we may not exist without the other. We are tied together eternally. If I do not exist as he does alongside him, all of creation may fall out of balance."
Annabeth was stunned for a moment before a single question entered her mind. For a moment, she thought about it. When she couldn't find any answer, the question encapsulated her mind. Eventually she blurted out the question. "Why me….."
Aether let out a sigh before answering. "I'm sorry child, this is not about you. You were simply the first demi-god I found who had even a semblance of resonance with me. For a Primordial to inhabit a mortal's body, they have to have a certain level of resonance, they have to be akin in some way. I am unsure why you resonate with me, if I were to be honest. I learned that Erebus has been slumbering inside his host since the child's birth. He took the slow approach to it, allowing their connection to build over years."
"What would happen to me if I accepted? Would I be brought back to life?" Annabeth asked with hope as she thought of Aether's offer.
"More than that child. Should you accept, we shall go to my brother Chronos so that he may send us back to the moment Erebus fully inhabited his host. We would be thrust together into your past self, overriding her mind with ours. It shall take time for you to grow used to my presence, but it will grow easier with time. Should you deny my request, all of creation may crumble. I do not know how long it would take to find another suitable host for myself, if another even exists."
Annabeth thought about this offer for quite some time. She was unsure how far back she would go, but she hoped it was before whoever stabbed her got the chance. She shook her head and let out a sigh. It's not like she had much of a choice in this situation. If she told Aether no, then everything may be destroyed. They had just saved Olympus from just that and now EVERYTHING may meet that fate!
"Demi-gods never do get a break. Alright then, I accept your offer." Annabeth finally said. She looked up from the woman's feet as she accepted and was surprised not being met with a blinding white light. Instead, she stood face to face with an exact replica of herself.
"Thank you child." Aether said.
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A/N The comeback no one expected or wanted? I don't know about wanted but I am almost certain no one expected it. I cant guarantee consistency, as anyone who has read this before can obviously tell, but Ill try? Look out for my next chapter. Ideas started to brew finally.