Well... hi there. I can't say that I was in the right with how I responded to those reviews (lmao moment), so I am sorry for that. In the future, I'd appreciate if reviews were left... relatively nice, but I'll take constructive criticism. Not that other bullshit. But anyway, I've rewritten the chapter, hopefully it's better than previously. Enjoy!
- PermaEncrypted

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO, HOO, or Trials of Apollo. Obviously.

Percy stood in the water, holding Annabeth across his shoulders. Tears continued to run down his face, rolling down and off his chin, into his face. He reached down, feeling for the dagger hilt. The pain emanated throughout his leg, which didn't make things easier. When Percy found it, he grasped the hilt and pulled it out easily, his breath stopping for a moment as the blade slid away from the muscle. The sea immediately began to heal the wound.

Percy sighed in his grief. He couldn't continue like this. He needed to notify everybody about what happened and lay Annabeth to rest with the honor she deserved. Walking deeper into the surf, he began to call to an old friend. In just a few minutes, he heard the distinct sound of a hippocampus coming towards them. Percy smiled halfheartedly when he appeared. "Rainbow. It's good to see you again."

He neighed in response. "Yes, of course it is. Assuming you need a lift somewhere?" Percy nodded.

"Camp Half-Blood. You can drop me off away from the coast if you want, I know the pollution isn't good for you."

Rainbow maneuvered so that he could get on. Securing Annabeth, Rainbow took off. It didn't take them too long to get to Camp Half-Blood, despite the fact that they couldn't go through the Panama Canal. It would look just a little strange. After a trip near Antarctica and around 20 hours later, they arrived off the coast of New York City. Percy slid off of Rainbow. "Appreciate the ride, buddy. See you around." He had no joy in his voice, or much emotion at all.

He swam up to the coast of camp, and as he emerged out of the sea, he held Annabeth down into it. He let the water revitalize her look, and the color returned to her face. Percy picked her up once more, and began the walk into the camp. The guards immediately recognized him and paid him no mind. It was early in the morning and no one seemed to be awake, so he went to Cabin 3. As usual, no one was there.

Percy waited until morning and the sounds of talking campers had come. The conch horn sounded for breakfast, and Percy once more began walking. People stared at him as he walked by, but he disregarded them. His old friends that remained at camp gasped in recognition of the figure on his back. He reached the head table, and Chiron looked at him. "Percy, my boy, what happened?"

He looked up, tears staining his skin. "Monsters killed Annabeth, Chiron. I'd like to talk this over with the head counselors once today is over and after we give her a proper burial." Everyone who knew Annabeth at one point or another began to tear up as well. They all knew her as one of the greatest demigods to ever live, and they felt Percy's pain, if only a fraction of it. Annabeth Chase was one that many sought to be like.

Chiron spoke shakily, having known her since she was only seven. "Anyone who wants to help make the shroud, go on." Immediately, many campers stood up, the ones of note being Travis and Connor Stoll, Katie Gardner, Clarisse La Rue (who had come back for the summer), and other older members from the Second Titan War. The Athena Cabin as a whole led the efforts.

After a few hours, they had finished, with the help of some magic. It was a beautiful stormy grey, the same color as her eyes, with Athena's symbol, the owl. Not only that, but they interspersed a small amount of sea green thread. Percy wasn't present when they made the shroud.

In the Poseidon cabin, Percy had continued to cry, although the tears had lessened. His heart felt like it had been torn to pieces, and after so long of trying to find his peace, he never managed to do so. After a small time of thinking, he realized something. The pieces of his life, it seemed, were doomed to never be put together. He let out a sad chuckle. Fate never was on his side.

Percy thought back to the various times he'd defied all odds to succeed. Fighting Kronos, making his way out of Tartarus of all place, and of course, holding the sky for Artemis. With a start, he remembered Thalia, who had been the lieutenant of the hunt for quite a long time now. He knew he needed to tell her, but that time would come. After some time, he fell into a nervous sleep.

The realm of Morpheus was never a fun one for him, and this time was no different. Dreams had consistently became worse for him as he had realized in the past, and this time was no different. He saw that he was in the desert again, with metal scrap and jewels, as well as many other random trinkets that would be considered priceless to mortals. The Junkyard of the Gods.

Percy looked around. On the horizon, he could see what looked to be five distinct shapes, humans, for sure. As they approached, he made them all out. Zoë Nightshade, Artemis' lieutenant, and Bianca Di Angelo led the way. He felt a stab in the heart as he saw them. Without a doubt, Percy still blamed himself for their deaths, and now was about to see Bianca die again. He remembered it well, unfortunately. The other three were Grover, Thalia, and himself.

He watched as the newest member of the Hunt (at the time) picked up the figure of Hades, and soon enough, Talos woke from his slumber, and the group fought. Percy tried to yell out, to try to get Bianca to find another way, desperately trying to save his friend, but no sound came out of his vocal cords. She found her way inside the metal giant, and when it died, Bianca died with it.

Percy had tears in his eyes as he watched. Then, a voice spoke, one that he had never heard before. "You see, little boy? You couldn't save your friend here. Just like the rest, you're useless. You can't do what you promise." He wanted to talk back, but he couldn't.

The dream switched settings. He found himself at the top of Mount Tamalpais, with the remaining three there: Zoë, Thalia, and him. Artemis was there too, holding up the sky. Percy could only watch once more as the fight progressed, with Thalia fighting Luke and him and Zoë fighting Atlas. He wanted to call to Zoë, to tell her to not let Atlas land a blow, but his vocal cords just wouldn't work. His eyes could only follow the action as Percy left Zoë to fight on her own to take the sky.

Something new happened here also. A feeling of uselessness and shame passed through Percy while he watched. He did nothing to help here except for take the sky. "Yes, yes. If only you had been able to do more, little demigod. Then maybe your friend would still be alive."

Hatred for this voice and for everything he'd fought against bubbled up inside him. The voice just laughed, a sound that sent a shiver through him like a knife scraping across ceramic. It was filled with evil, with terrifying power. Even the laugh of Kronos had less evil than this horrendous sound.

He returned his attention to the fight, hoping to distract his mind from the voice. Artemis and his past self went back and forth for a bit, then she moved out from underneath it. He could only helplessly watch as Atlas gained the upper hand and slapped Zoë across the mountaintop and into the rock. He prayed for something, anything to change, but it didn't. She didn't move. After continuing to watch the fight, his head fell. He couldn't bear to see this all over again.

Percy dropped to his knees, and the tears came freely. Now, contrary to earlier, his vocal cords worked. The sound of choking sobs came from his mouth as he witnessed the second of his burning failures, at least in his mind. The voice returned to his ears, taunting him once again. "Watch it. Lift your head, little boy, and witness your failure one more time."

His head came up, not of his own accord. And painfully, he watched once more as Zoë uttered her last words to everyone. "Stars," she repeated, never to speak or breathe again.

Artemis had tears running down her own face. They shared in their grief, and now he wondered if the goddess of the moon still grieved for her fallen lieutenant. But before his mind could pursue the matter further, the scene shifted again. He was now on a yacht, watching as his friend, Jason Grace, fought against Caligula. Percy wasn't even present, as he so clearly remembered, but evidently the voice didn't care. "It's just one more that you couldn't save, Perseus."

He shuddered when it said his name. "More could have been done, but you couldn't do it." The fire of fury and rage within him burned hotter as he watched Caligula bury his spear within Jason's back. The voice chuckled again before the scene switched.

Now, he saw the most recent event of them all: watching Annabeth, in the alleyway, as she's painfully tortured and slowly killed by the demons. Her screams muffled, limbs motionless. The demons look up and leave, presumably to fight him, but time skips once more to the most painful sight of them all: "You… promised…" When Percy heard those words come from her mouth the second time, it felt like a punch to the gut and head, but to both at the same time, and 10 times harder than any human could hit. The voice just laughed.

A knock at the door drove Percy from his dream. It opened, and he saw Malcolm, Athena's head counselor since Annabeth had left for New Rome. "It's ready. She needs to be put to rest."

Percy only nodded and got down from his bed, thinking about those last two words for a moment. A shattered Hero of Olympus, twice savior of the gods, then walked out of Cabin Three, the pieces of the puzzle of his life scattered across the table, everything that he once held close ripped cruelly from him.

He walked out to where they had Annabeth's body, covered by the shroud. The whole camp had gathered to mourn her, and the seats were completely full. Time passed quickly, and people filed by to say their last words to the one that had given so much for the camp, Olympus, and all of them. Chiron was first, having known her the longest out of all of the assembled demigods. Percy followed, and tears pooled in his now bloodshot green eyes. "My Wise Girl… I'm so sorry… I couldn't keep my promise. You should have lived. I could have saved you." He laughed quietly in spite of himself. "I suppose it was only a matter of time, wasn't it? We're only demigods, after all. Fate screws us over without fail, day after day, month after month, year after year. I always knew, deep inside. Dreams show quite a bit, don't they? Something always felt off, and now, it all came to fruition! You've always been there, but now you aren't. I only wish we had more time, Annabeth Chase. Don't wait for me. Enjoy the peace that you deserve. I love you, Wise Girl." And with that, Percy moved to stand beside Chiron and the shroud of Annabeth.

After everyone had said their goodbyes, he looked at Chiron, who nodded his consent. Percy lifted the torch, and put it to the shroud, and it went up in flame. "Goodbye, forever…" he whispered.

Late that night, the moon shone in the night sky as Percy walked to the Big House for the meeting that Chiron had planned to discuss what they would do. When he arrived, everyone was already there. Percy started the meeting himself with a declaration: "I'm going to do this one. Alone." Immediately, the room broke out into chatter as they all tried to convince him not to. Percy stood unwaveringly against the words until Chiron raised his hand.

"Percy has the right to do this alone. After all… she was the one he treasured the most. Even if I would not recommend it, he can do this if he wishes." Chiron turned to the man who looked completely different than from when he had first seen him. His sea green eyes no longer shone with happiness and warmth as they had once did, but were now cold and filled with anger and despair.

"My boy, are you sure you wish to do this on your own?" Percy looked back at Chiron, seeing the worry in his face. He gave a hint of his old smile.

"Of course I am. But before I go, I need to tell you all about something," he said seriously. Everyone immediately paid rapt attention to what he was about to say. "The monsters that killed Annabeth were not normal monsters. They don't dissolve when stabbed with Celestial Bronze, and I would assume that then extends to Imperial Gold as well. Be on your guard. My goal is go find where these come from. To… hunt them, if you will."

Everyone was in complete shock at those words. Clarisse narrowed her eyes. "That isn't possible. All monsters dissolve."

Percy just shrugged in response, and pulled out Riptide. He uncapped it, and the blade sprang out, still covered in the blood of the demons. He tossed it onto the table. They all looked at Riptide in silence, the demon blood dried onto the flat of the sword. "Well, these don't."

Nico looked at him thoughtfully. "We could maybe get in contact with the Hunt and Artemis for it if you're going to talk about it that way."

Percy shook his head. "If we tell them about it, Thalia will go through more than she has to." Nico frowned, then nodded. She'd already lost Jason, what would she do if she lost Annabeth also?

"I will go on my own. If you all discover anything about these new… things, be sure to tell me." They all nodded. He stopped before he finished turning to leave. "One more thing. I'd prefer it if this stayed in the camp. I don't want the pity of the gods." They could definitely all understand that, having recently lost a few campers in the attack on the Tower of Nero, yet only Apollo had come to honor them. Agreement came quickly.

Percy gave a sad smile. "I'll see you all soon, then." He walked back to Cabin Three to get the few things he would take with him. The green in his eyes began to swirl and glow slightly as he thought about the dream he had, and of that stupid voice. What could it possibly be? Percy knew it wasn't Kronos or any of the Titans, no force would ever be that evil for such a small being. A Primordial, maybe? He'd heard Tartarus himself speak before, and it didn't sound like him. Maybe Chaos… Ouranos? No… But there's many options. He knew the Fates well enough that they'd make it very, very difficult. And he hated them for it.

When he got inside the cabin, he looked around for one last time. All the good memories. And the bad, of course, but nothing could compare. As he got his stuff, knocks came from the door multiple times. All of his friends, it seemed, had come to say goodbye and wish him the best. Nico, Malcolm, Travis, Connor, Katie, even Clarisse. Percy appreciated it a lot, but it couldn't fill the void that was left in his heart; or mind, for that matter. But with a little bit of spirit left within him, he walked out of the camp to hunt his new enemies.

-Line Break-
2 years later

It had been quite a long time since anyone, let alone the gods, had seen Percy Jackson. Poseidon was frantic, and sent out many search parties, though none returned. The campers had stayed true to their promise, and did not tell anyone about where Percy was, although many of them were also worried that maybe he would never come back at all. Not much disturbance had occurred throughout the years, and it was quite the concern to the Olympian Council to have lost arguably the most powerful demigod to ever exist.

Artemis just sighed, thinking about that meeting. Thalia was taking watch, her expression determined. Silver met blue, and Artemis gave a nod. The lieutenant of the Hunt stood and began walking out, presumably to search the surrounding area. We'll find you, Percy. Whether you like it or not.