Chapter 4

Toriel was facing the giant doors, breathing heavily. Percy felt nervous as he silently approached. He knew she would never want to hurt him. After all, she kept calling him "my child." So, he figured he could reason with her.

"You want to leave so badly?" Toriel asked, her anger choking her voice. "You cannot unless you prove one thing to me. Prove to me that you can be on your own. Prove to me you are strong enough to survive. Prove this by fighting me!"

The room faded to black as Percy's soul left his chest, the warm glow providing the only source of light. Toriel whirled around, a grimace contorting her face into a mask of rage. A white-hot fireball was clutched between her paws, its heat scorching Percy even from far away.

Percy tried to reason with her. "Toriel, please, I just want- "

Toriel turned her head slightly to the left, indicating she would hear none of it. She shot armies of fireballs at him, their patterns too hard for Percy to dodge. His right arm was in searing pain from the burns, and even in the dim light, Percy could tell it was as red as a tomato. He chose the Talk option again.

"I just want to see my family again, Toriel!" He pleaded, tears streaming down his face.

Toriel was unwavering, the steely look in her eyes preventing Percy from uttering any more words. She sent countless fireballs at him, the fire filling the area. Smoke choked Percy's lungs and clouded his vision, making him even more vulnerable to the attacks. He ran left and right, trying desperately to escape. Finally, he fell to his knees, waiting for the attack to be over.

He chose to talk for the third time, hoping it would work. "Toriel, I don't want to fight you, but if you don't stop, I'll have no choice! Please, just LET ME GO!" He screamed the final words, hoping it would get the point across.

He thought he saw a flicker of guilt in Toriel's eyes, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come. The fireballs swayed back and forth across the room, Percy discovering the pattern of the fire and using his soul to dodge through the gaps. However, he didn't do it well enough, as one larger bullet hit him in the chest, knocking him backwards several feet. He fell to the ground, his tailbone aching from how hard it had hit the floor.

Percy stared into the eyes of his found mother figure who had betrayed him. Percy had finally trusted her, after she let him into her home and reminded him what it was like to be at peace. But when he asked for the only thing he wanted, to leave, Toriel had lashed out. Someone who truly loved him would let him go. He understood what Toriel truly was now: obsessive. He couldn't hold back any longer. He had already taken so much damage that he was at only 25 health, a tenth of his normal HP. With a heavy heart, he drew his sword.

"I'm sorry about this, Toriel," he sadly said.

He raced forward, hating what he was about to do. He aimed for Toriel's arm. He hoped to nick her across it so that she would realize he was strong enough to take care of himself and let him go. But as the sword was swinging through the air, time seemed to slow down. Before him, Toriel changed. Suddenly, she was no longer a monster. She was Silena, the spy who had cost Beckendorf his life but had made up for it. She was Daedalus, who had lied to him about who he truly was and led the armies of Kronos to Camp Half-Blood, but redeemed himself in the end. Worst of all, she was Luke, Percy's first friend at camp, who had destroyed so many lives, but had made the ultimate sacrifice to save the world. Finally, she was the person who had never betrayed Percy, but he loved the most. She was Sally Jackson, his mother who Toriel reminded him of. Each one of the faces had the expression they had worn when he saw them last. His hands shook as he remembered all the pain he had endured over his time as a hero. In shock at the visions he had seen, he messed up. His sword swung too far, and he hit Toriel right in the heart.

Percy watched in horror as Toriel's dress tore, and she fell to the ground, clutching her chest. She had a sad smile on her face, which was the hardest part to see. Percy dropped Riptide, the metal clanging ringing throughout the chamber. He ran to Toriel, clutching her shoulders.

"No, no! Toriel, I- I'm so sorry, I didn't mean- "

Toriel's breathing was uneven, and so loud it silenced his apology.

"You are stronger than I thought. Listen to me, my- no, Percy," she coughed.

Percy's heart felt like it would shatter into a million pieces when she said his name instead of "my child". He worried it meant they had lost their bond. Of course, he deserved it.

Toriel wheezed, continuing her speech. "When you leave the Ruins, walk as far as you can. Eventually, you will reach the exit."

She grimaced in pain. Percy moved to help her, but she waved him off.

"Asgore… Do not let Asgore take your soul… His plan cannot be allowed to succeed," she warned.

Percy's breath stopped at the mention of the mysterious and deadly monster's name once again. He touched her once again, and gasped as he saw powder coming off of her arms. He had at most a few seconds left with her.

Toriel's breath slowed as she smiled. "Be good, Percy, my child…"

"NO! DON'T LEAVE ME!" Percy screamed.

He knew he was being selfish, but he didn't care. He couldn't let her die. Not after how much she had cared for him. But there was nothing he could do to stop her as she faded into dust. It fell to the ground, collecting in a pile.

Percy beat his fists on the ground, sobbing. He lay there, his tears soaking the ancient tiles. He had destroyed her, his mother away from home. He was despicable, an awful human being. He didn't care if he was hailed as a hero back home. All that mattered was that he was staring at the remains of an innocent being, slain by his own hands. He wished he had never come here, so that he would never have had the chance to hurt her. He wished more than anything that he could go back and undo his mistakes. But there was no such thing as a redo in real life.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" he cried into the empty room.

A soft glow appeared in front of Percy. Through his tears, he vaguely made out a word.

Load.

He didn't understand what it meant. Why was the narration box offering him this single word, especially now? He stared at Toriel's dust, a dry taste in his mouth. There had to be a reason. He reached a single finger out to the button, but hesitated. What would happen if he pressed it?

As if by instinct, his finger propelled itself forward until it pressed the button, which disappeared in a golden flash. Percy felt himself dissolve, his vision fading. All he could think was that this was what he deserved, to disappear into endless darkness.

Percy felt warmth on his face. He slowly opened his eyes to see a bright light directly in front of his eyes. File loaded. His eyes darted around, confused by what had happened. He saw light purple walls, and a tree with a pile of red leaves at the bottom. Confused, he recognized that this was just outside of Toriel's home. Had he been transported there? Why? He stood up, brushing dirt off of his jeans. His hands trembled as he remembered holding Toriel's dust. Below him, where he had just been sitting, there was a save point, twinkling. Percy didn't understand what any of this meant. He decided he would return to the exit and pay his final respects to Toriel, this time handling it a little more heroically. With an iron weight in his heart, he trudged inside Toriel's home, when to his surprise, he saw something, someone, he hadn't expected to see.

Toriel was standing there, a bright smile on her face. Her eyes blinked, her chest moved, her fur blew in the slight breeze. She was alive. Percy dropped Riptide for the second time that day, barely even noticing the crash on the wooden floorboards. He raced forward and buried himself in Toriel's arms, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Are you alright, my child?" Toriel curiously asked, ruffling his hair.

"I'm sorry, Tor- Mom," Percy apologized, trying to keep as much fear and sadness out of his voice as possible.

"Why, whatever could you be sorry for? You have done nothing wrong, my child," Toriel said, confused, though there was a small trace of a smile on her face from being called mom.

Percy, shocked, looked up into her eyes, wondering if she was lying to spare his feelings. But as he stared into her concerned crimson eyes, he saw no trace of recognition or memory of what had happened. He stepped away, embarrassed, rubbing his right arm, which no longer stung from injuries. He attempted to mentally connect the dots of everything that had happened. He had been in the basement, horribly burned, while Toriel's dust lay in front of him. Now, he was in her home, perfectly fine, with Toriel standing in front of him. It didn't make sense. But, as he concentrated harder, he remembered the words that had been following him throughout his quest here. Save. Load. Apparently, this world was more like a video game than he had previously thought. He silently offered a prayer of thanks to whichever god or goddess had given him a second chance. He promised himself that he would make the most of it.

As Toriel led him through the home, Percy repeated what he had done before, with an eerie sense of déjà vu. He knew why he was feeling that way, but that didn't make it any less weird. Finally, when Percy reached the moment where he had originally asked Toriel to leave, he carefully mused about what to say. He could tell Toriel about saving and loading, but would she really believe him? He didn't want to admit that he had hurt her, and he didn't think he could survive another fight with her. So, trying his best to channel Annabeth, he came up with a plan.

"Toriel? Do you have any paper and pencils around here?" Percy asked.

Toriel tilted her head to the side, smiling. "Of course I do! Have you not noticed the drawings in your room?"

Percy grinned, remembering the poor-quality art depicting golden flowers that was hung up on the wall.

"Yep! I wasn't sure if you still had the supplies around anymore," Percy said.

"Yes, I do," Toriel confirmed. "They are in your dresser, in the top left drawer."

Percy nodded, his grin fading away. He knew what he needed to do and knew that it would be the best possible solution, but it didn't make him feel any less guilty about it. He cleaned his plate up and headed to his room, waving at Toriel as he left. She beamed at him and returned to reading her book.

Once Percy had found the materials, he hopped onto his bed, which bounced as he landed. Sighing, he prepared to write his farewell letter.

Dear Toriel,

If you're reading this, it means I've already left. I'm sorry, but I need to get home to my family. You're like a second mom to me, and I'm going to miss you a lot. This isn't because I don't love you, the opposite actually. I know I'm hurting your feelings, but it's better than hurting you in a different way.

Love,

Percy

It took him a frustratingly long time to write that letter, as his brain and hands kept jumbling up the words. Finally, when it was done, he folded it up and put it in his pocket. There were a couple tear stains on it, but that was alright. He hoped it would show Toriel how terrible he felt about doing this to her.

Toriel was rocking back and forth in her chair, the firelight casting a gentle glow on her face. The cover of her blue book had a snail on it, which raised a lot of questions that Percy didn't bother asking. He took a deep breath and commenced the next step of his plan. He paced back and forth across the room, occasionally checking under the mantel or below the table. Toriel looked up from her book, raising an eyebrow.

"Is something the matter, my child?"

Percy tapped his foot on the ground with his hands on his hips, feeling stupid. "It's nothing, I just… lost something."

Toriel set down the book on her lap, a great sign that he had sounded convincing enough. "What is it you have lost, my child?"

Percy squirmed under the pressure of having to lie. "It's... a pet rock! Yeah, that's it! I lost my pet rock, um, Rocky, back where you found me. I would go looking for it, but I'm really scared to go back out there."

Toriel bit her lip, and for a second Percy feared that she had seen through his charade. But then, with a concerned smile on her face, she stood up and set the open book on the chair behind her (Percy got the weirdest sense that the chair's name was Chariel for some reason.)

"I will go look for your pet rock, my child. What was his name again? Rocky? Yes, that was it. I will find Rocky for you. Stay here, my child," Toriel said.

"Thank you, Mom, I will," Percy promised, crossing his fingers behind his back.

He knew that had no real effect on promises, but it made him feel better about lying. He had accidentally said "Mom," but made no attempt to correct it. As Toriel turned to leave the room, she beamed at him. In that fleeting moment, he tried his hardest to memorize every detail about her face. The way she brushed her fur to stay out of her eyes, the two little nubs for horns that were polished until they shined, and the exact curve of her lips as she smiled at him. This was his last chance at turning back. He could call out to her, say it was a mistake. He could stay with her or find another way without breaking her heart. But Percy strengthened his resolve and stood firm. This was the only way.

"Goodbye, Percy, my child!" Toriel called. Little did she know that this would be her last opportunity to see him.

"Bye, Toriel!" Percy responded, his heart throbbing.

The door closed behind her with a click, and Percy got to work. He placed the letter inside of Toriel's book, knowing she would see it eventually. Then, grabbing a small slice of pie for the road, he took one last look at the house and ran down the stairs.

He had no idea how fast Toriel would get back, so he had to hurry. He raced through the halls of the basement, hoping desperately that she had not forgotten something and would come back inside to find it. When he finally reached the large doors, he took a deep breath, and pushed them open. Dust fell from the ceiling exactly where Toriel's dust had lain before. Percy shuddered. The doors creaked as their ancient hinges were put back to work. Finally, when the rumbling was finished, Percy walked through, closing them behind him.

"Clever, realllly clever," a small voice said.

Percy whirled around to find his least favorite plant right in front of him.

"Flowey," Percy growled.

"Yup! That's me! Your best friend," Flowey winked, sticking his tongue out. (Percy didn't even question why a flower had a tongue.)

"Now, where were we? Oh, yes, your little trick you played on that old fool.You think you're really smart, don't you, Percy Jackson," Flowey snickered.

Goosebumps ran down Percy's spine. Flowey couldn't know his full name, unless…

"Have you been spying on me?!" Percy demanded.

Flowey chuckled. "Even if I did, that doesn't change how creepy your actions have been. I know what you did."

Percy took a step back in fear. Flowey's face had transformed into a flawless imitation of Toriel's.

"You murdered her," Flowey stated, as if he had just invited Percy to tea.

Flowey's face looked like it was melting, the goat-like features on his face turning into something truly sinister. "And then you went back because you felt bad about it."

Percy trembled. "How do you know about that?"

Flowey giggled. He seemed in a disgustingly chipper mood. "Did you think you were the only one with that power, you naïve idiot? It is the power to reshape and reset the world through the power of determination, the ability to play God!"

Percy found an opening to boost his confidence. "Well, jokes on you buddy, where I come from, there are lots of gods. A lot of them are on my side, so don't mess with me," he threatened.

Flowey didn't even show a trickle of remorse or fear. "The ability to SAVE will not remain yours forever. Enjoy it while you can. I'll be watching!"

Percy watched as Flowey's face expanded like a balloon, his sneer larger than his petals. He cackled and popped back into the ground. Percy lunged at the spot where he had been, hoping to dig him out of the dirt and strangle him. That flower was definitely evil, and he knew more than he let on.

A loud thud came from upstairs. Percy got a sickening feeling in his stomach that told him Toriel had returned. He quickly raced out the final set of doors and slammed them behind him, erasing any chance of returning to his mother away from home.

Toriel's POV

Spoilers for the True Pacifist route of Undertale (Skipping is fine, as this part will have no effect on the rest of the fanfiction)

Toriel set a large rock onto the ground, accidentally placing it a tad harder than she had meant to. She didn't think it was a pet rock, judging by its size, but Percy would have to play with this new one until she could more properly search for Rocky.

"Percy, my child, I have returned with a substitute pet rock!" Toriel called.

There was no answer.

"Oh well, perhaps the young boy is taking another nap. He seemed rather down when I left," she recalled.

She dragged the rock next to the bookshelf. It would make a good stool to reach the highest books she had a difficult time reading. Sighing, she plopped down into her chair and picked up her book, The Proper Way to Cook a Common Garden Snail. When she flipped to the page she had been on, a small, folded piece of paper fluttered down to her lap.

"Oh dear, I don't remember using this kind of bookmark," Toriel muttered to herself.

She unfolded the paper. At the top of the page, there was her name, Toriel, and at the bottom was Percy's name.

"How lovely! A letter from Percy! He really is a sweet boy," she commented aloud to no one in particular. Years of living alone had given her the odd habit of talking to herself.

It really meant a lot to her that Percy had taken the time to write to her. After all, if he had a hard time reading, it couldn't be any easier writing. She read the second line of the page, smiling. That smile soon disappeared, however. Her eyes flitted back, forth, up, and down across the paper, hoping she had read it wrong. A crease between her eyebrows deepened as she realized she had not made a mistake. She jumped to her feet, sprinting to the hallway where Percy's room was.

"Percy? Percy?! This is not funny, young man! Please come out at once!" She called, knocking on the door.

But nobody came.

Flinging open the door, she found a recently made bed, still warm from his nap in it. Pencils lay scattered across the bedsheet, most likely from when he had written that awful letter to her. She raced back out and bolted down the hallway, checking her room, and the room under renovations. Each room yielded nothing, and Toriel grew more desperate by the minute. Surely this was a cruel prank, and her child would pop his black-haired head out, grinning at her. She searched every room of the house, finding no clues of where he might have gone. She left her home, running between every room in the Ruins, calling his name as she searched high or low. At one point, she accidentally ran through Napstablook, not stopping to apologize to the shy ghost as she looked for her child. Finally, her mind came to the conclusion her heart could not. He had discovered the basement.

When she reached the dank hallway that connected her home to the exit of the Ruins, her heart stopped. For here, she could see a sign of where her child had gone. His footprints, visible due to the dirty floor, were leading away from the stairs. Tears clouded her vision as she followed them, until she found what she dreaded most. The door, the one-way exit to the rest of the Underground, was shut, with the scrapes on the floor indicating that it had been recently used. Toriel collapsed against the door, sobbing. Her child had abandoned her. She had tried her best to save him, but he had left before she even had a chance to explain why he would be living with her. The young boy was venturing out into the world without a clue of what he would be facing. He… he would be slaughtered. Toriel's hands covered her mouth as she recalled her darkest moments, that awful day when her original children, Asriel and Chara, had been slain by the humans above. She sobbed as she remembered each of the human children that had left her. Sarah, Jake, Annabelle, Clarence, Jordan, and Jessie. Each one of them had been brutally murdered by her former husband, and she could do nothing to stop it. She leaned against the cold door, lamenting the loss of her family, feeling utterly alone.

What she didn't know was that on the other side of the door, a small flower was listening to her grief, wishing he could feel love for her. He too, mourned his losses, but he had been hardened by the world. He longed for the days when his family was whole. When his father would pour tea and listen to his troubles. When his mother would snuggle him and tell him everything would be alright. When Chara would silently sit next to him, their arm wrapped around him. How he wished he could return to that time. But, as he reminded himself, unless he got those souls, he would never get the chance to feel love again. His cold, calculating brain told him to move on, to continue his goals. However, despite the pressure he felt, he lingered a moment longer near that hard door, listening to his former mother mourn everything she had lost.