Disclaimer:I only own the plot and my OCs. Anything you recognize as not mine belongs to Rick Riordan, Greco-Roman mythology, and/or their otherwise respective owners.

Author's Notes:Hello, everyone! Welcome back! Today's chapter has been much anticipated, especially by me, but I am really satisfied with the results. :)

Brief CW, though (yes, I finally figured out how to get things bolded/italicized in the A/N's on AO3!):Without giving away what happens, this chapter is a bit more violent than in canon. So just keep that in mind.

Also, I am posting a new multi-chap Lukercy story today! If you're on AO3, link will be under the"Works inspired by this one" for this story for...reasons. I will get into them in the A/N of that fic. Just be forewarned: that fic will be alotdarker than this one (and weirder, by own admission).

As always, I hope you enjoy. Until next chapter,

~TGWSI/Selene Borealis

~The Finding Home Saga~

~Finding Home~

~Chapter 105: A Fate Worse Than Death~

I couldn't fathom what I was seeing at first.

I'd seen Kronos' body before in my dreams of that bit of his essence with my great-great-grandmother. I knew what he looked like. I knew that he had honey blonde hair, just like Hera's and Apollo's. I knew the shape of his cheekbones, his nose, his mouth, how I had some of those facial features myself due to him being my grandfather on one side of my family and my great-great-grandfather on the other. Which is still gross whenever I think about it, but that's Greek mythology for you. Whatever.

But the body in Kronos' sarcophagus didn't look anything like him.

He had sandy blonde hair, not the honey blonde. His features were more mischievous, impish. He had a twisted, thick white scar on the right side of his face, going from just below his eye to his jaw. He was wearing the white chiton with the golden girdle that he had in my dreams; his hands were folded over his stomach. One piece of his chest looked like it was straight up missing – a clean black hole about the size of a bullet wound, right where his heart should've been.

"Percy," Annabeth whispered to me, shaking my shoulder gently.

This was when I became aware that I was making a moaning sound, one that I'd never heard myself make before. It was horrible. It was the kind of noise that you only hear about people making when they were told that one of their loved ones had died – or,worse.

Even without needing to be told as much, I knew this wasworse.

Because him dying – I could've dealt with that. Maybe not right away because of my pregnancy, but a part of my mind was certain in that moment that I could've worked out a deal with Hades, like Orpheus had with him for Eurydice. I knew my uncle was fond of me. Only, unlike the son of Apollo, I would've been successful. I wouldn't have looked back, not until we were both in the sunlight and he was alive and we could live out our happily ever after and raised Luke Jr. and Rose together, no matter what came our way.

But I didn't know how to deal withthis. I didn't know how to fix it.

Because the body in the coffin...

...It was Luke's.

"Trespassers!" one of the telekhines screamed behind us. I didn't want to – couldn't on my own, absolutely couldn't – move, but Annabeth grabbed me by the arm and spun me around. I saw that he and the other telekhine were holding up the scythe on its wrapping cloth, while the demigod was standing just off to the side from them.

"We must be quick!" said the other telekhine. "He requires the half-blood in order to rise!"

The demigod stepped back. "Whoa, what do you mean, 'he requires' me?"

"Don't be a coward!" the first telekhine hissed. "He does not require your death, though that is how it would have been done in the days of old. Only your allegiance. Pledge to him your service. Renounce the gods. That is all."

"Wait!" Annabeth said. It was more than I could do; I couldn't even move my tongue. "You don't have to do that. I – I know that you probably feel like the gods haven't ever done anything for you – "

The demigod sneered. "What would you know about that? You're one of those Camp Half-Blood kids; I recognize you from back in the arena. Andhe– " here, he pointed his sword at me " – is Percy Jackson! The gods give you guys everything, especially since you're the children of the Olympians! They don't care about us children of the so-called 'minor deities!'"

Annabeth wasn't deterred. "That's not true," she said calmly, although her voice cracked part of the way through. "I know it may seem that way, but it's not. They do care. I care. You're a son of Enyo, aren't you?"

He startled a bit. "How do you know that?"

She smiled sadly. "You look like Jeremiah Vigila. I knew him, back when he was at camp. He's a nice guy."

It was the wrong thing to say. "'Was,' you mean," the son of Enyo corrected her, rage washing over his face. "He died. Our mother could've saved him, if she really cared about him so much. But she didn't." He turned towards the dais. "I, Sam Pollock, renounce the gods! I will see them destroyed! I will serve Kronos!"

The building rumbled. A wisp of blue light rose from the floor at the demigod's – at Sam's – feet. It drifted towards the coffin and began to shimmer, like a cloud of pure energy. Then it descended on the sarcophagus.

Luke sat bolt upright, but I knew...I knew just from the way thathemoved his body that it wasn't really him, even before he opened his eyes, revealing that they were no longer the icy blue I loved so much.

They were gold.

The hole in his chest was gone. He was complete, and he leaped out of the coffin with ease. Where his feet touched the floor, the marble froze like craters of ice.

He looked at Sam Pollock and the telekhines with those horrible golden eyes, as if he was a newborn baby, not quite sure of what he was seeing. But then he looked atme, and only me, even though Annabeth was standing right next to me, a gasp being drawn from her lips, and a smile of recognition crept across his mouth.

"This body has been well-prepared." His voice was like a razor blade running over my skin. It was Luke's, but not Luke's. Underneath his voice was another, more horrible sound – an ancient, cold sound like metal scraping against rock. "Don't you think so, Percy Jackson?"

I still couldn't move or answer.

Kronos threw back his head and laughed. The scar on his face rippled.

"He truly does love you, Luke Castellan," the Titan's voice said. "As I have told you before, it has kept him obedient. Thank you. But it is not just you that he loves anymore, is it?"

The Titan lurched forwards. Annabeth stepped out in front of me. "Don't get close to him!" she yelled.

"The daughter of Athena," Kronos said. "He cares for you, too, you know. Unfortunately, you are no match for me."

He raised his hand and batted her away like a cat toy. She flew across the room, slamming into a pillar.

The sound shook something out of me. "Annabeth!" I screamed.

Kronos was on me in an instant. He reached out and trailed a finger down my cheek. It felt so right, so familiar, so comforting, and yet s owrong wrong wrong at the same time.

I flinched back.

He chuckled. "Relax, little hero, I will not hurt you yet. At least..." He grabbed the chain for the ἒνδεσμα that kept my belly hidden and yanked it. The chain broke against the back of my neck, and he smirked as he glanced down at my stomach. He splayed out a hand on it. I felt my toes curl, and not in a good way. "Not while you still bear my legacy and the other child. I think I am beginning to understand how it happened, you know. How you and they came to be. I can see flashes..."

"Mi – milord," one of the telekhines said then.

Kronos scowled, yet nevertheless turned around. He saw Sam Pollock, now collapsed on the ground in terror, his face covered by his hands, and the telekhines holding up his scythe. He took it from them, grasping the handle.

"Ah...like an old friend," he said. "Backbiter, Luke called it. An appropriate name. Now that it is re-forged completely, it will indeedbite back."

"Please," I said. It didn't really sound like my voice, though, despite how I knew I was the one speaking; it sounded too broken. Annabeth had gotten to her feet, but it looked like she was still blinking the stars from her eyes. "Please...I know that he gave himself up to you, but please. Just give him back."

"It's much too late for that now, Percy Jackson. You know it is," Kronos said. He redirected his focus. "Sam Pollock."

Sam lifted his head. "Y – yes, milord?"

"I suppose that the telekhines told you that your life was not required," Kronos said, "only your allegiance."

Mutely, the son of Enyo nodded.

"Well, that is true," the Titan hummed. "It was done in the days of old, but it is not necessary. But I think you will find, unlike my children...I prefer the way things were done then than now."

Suddenly, I understood why Sam had been chosen, versus Mia and Ethan.

Sam had no time to react. Literally, because I think for him, time might have actually slowed down. Kronos brought down his scythe, and –

SWISH!

I was aware that I was screaming again, as Sam's head fell to the ground.

I'd seen a demigod die before, because I'd watched Zoë Nightshade die, but I'd never seen it happen before likethis.

"PERCY! ANNABETH!" a voice suddenly screamed.

It was Rachel's.

Something blue flew towards Kronos, and it hit him in the eye. A plastic hairbrush.

"Ow!" he yelled. For a moment, it was only Luke's voice, full of surprise and pain.

That moment was all that my friends needed. Travis and Katie came over to me, their eyes full of dismay. This time, they didn't even try to lead me; Travis hoisted me up onto his back, which couldn't have been easy by any means, and instinctively I wrapped my arms around his neck. Rachel helped out with Annabeth, and then we were running.

"Wait," I gasped shallowly when we'd just gotten out of the room. I craned my neck – and there was Kronos behind us, holding out his scythe, probably getting ready to slow down time so he could catch us. But all I could think about was: "Luke! Luke!"

And once again, for a moment, I thought I might've seen those gold eyes flicker blue.

Then it was gone, and Kronos was screaming, "AFTER THEM!"

I'm not exactly sure how we were able to get back into the Labyrinth, mostly unscathed.

Everything happened in a blur for me. One of those moments where your brain isn't connected to reality, I guess. I know that Travis had to let go of me at one point, and then Katie was holding onto my hand, leading me along as we were running, but that's pretty much it.

It was only when we were in this tunnel of wet white rock, like part of a natural cave, that my brain came fully back online. I was sitting down, a thermos of water clutched in my hands as Katie stroked my hair like I was a little kid. Travis was holding his head in his hands, and Rachel was hugging her chest.

Annabeth was crying. Her shoulders shook with her silent sobs as the tears streamed down her cheeks.

I looked at her, and this anger started to brew in my chest. My brain had finally put together the pieces of the puzzle that I didn't know I had been staring at this entire time.

"You knew, didn't you?" I asked quietly.

"Percy," Katie whispered.

"DIDN'T YOU?" I repeated, shouting, ignoring her.

Annabeth wiped at her cheeks. "I didn't know it was going to happen like...this," she said. "The prophecy, the last two lines...all they said was Destroy with a hero's final breath, And lose a loved one to a fate worse than death. I knew it had to be him, once you told us that you were...it was the only answer. I should've told you about it when I told you that I knew. I know. I'm sorry I didn't. I could've prepared you for – "

"For what? For Kronos taking over my boyfriend's body?" I got to my feet, the thermos falling out of my hands and onto the ground. I started to walk towards the exit to the tunnel we'd come from. "I – I have to go back there. Maybe if he sees me again, I can – "

Travis stood in front of me. "Percy, no," he said. "You can't."

I shook my head. "No, no, I have to! I have – !"

Travis' arms wrapped around me, and it was like the dam broke. I sobbed, and my cries were loud and ugly, utterly horrendous. "I know, I know," he told me. "I want to go back there, too. Luke – gods, I hate him, but he's my brother. But wecan't."

I wished I could go back in time. I wished I could use Rose's powers like she could, even though I'd sworn to myself not to use them again, and save Luke. Stop him from sacrificing his body for Kronos. Stop him fromeverswearing allegiance to the Titan in the first place.

We stood like that for a while. Eventually, I felt someone place her hand on my shoulder, and I saw Katie's eyes, still so incredibly sad. "Come on," she said. "We need to get going. We have to get back to camp before Lu –Kronosand his army do."

"Okay," I said, sniffling. "Okay."

"This way," Rachel said, pointing to the opposite direction of where I had been heading.

She led the way, and this time I was directly behind her, along with Katie. Travis and Annabeth took up the rear. I guess they thought that, if they kept a barrier between me and the way back, they'd be able to keep me from going that way.

Which was probably fair.

Because if I would've been given the chance again, I would've gone back to Luke in a heartbeat.

Although distance was much shorter in the Labyrinth, by the time we got back to Times Square, I felt like we'd pretty much walked all the way to New Mexico. We climbed out of the Marriott basement and stood on the sidewalk in the bright summer daylight, squinting at the traffic and the crowds.

"Let me get you guys a ride," Rachel said. "Please."

None of us bothered to argue with her.

She got us a limo fairly quickly, as she had before. She went back inside the hotel to do it, presumably to use one of their phones. When she came back outside, again, I guess – because at that point I felt like I didn't know anything anymore, and even now as I'm writing this, I can feel that sensation as vividly as I did then – she thought that we deserved some sort of explanation, because she said, "My dad, he's a businessman. A really, err...famous one in his industry. A land developer. He flies all over the world, looking for tracts of undeveloped land. The wild. He – he buys it up, and I hate it, 'cause he plows it down and builds ugly subdivisions and shopping centers, and he and my mom never pay any attention to me. They don't care about me. I think the only reason why they had me was 'cause it's what was expected. But...their money is how I've been able to help you guys."

Travis clapped her on the shoulder. He gave her a smile, which conveyed better than words could just how much he – we all – understood. "Thanks, Rachel," he said. "We couldn't have done it without you."

Rachel got out from under him, and suddenly she was wrapping her arms around me, too. I could feel her tears dripping onto my neck. "You can't give up, Percy," she murmured in my ear. "Remember what your kids said. You've got to save the world. You've got to save yourboyfriend. You guys were meant for each other. It's obvious."

I nodded vaguely, my eyes losing their focus.

"We'll keep in touch," I heard Annabeth say.

"How?"

"You gave Percy's half-sister, Callie, your number."

"Oh. Right."

When the car came, Travis, Katie, Annabeth, and I piled into it, leaving Rachel there. She watched us go with a hand over her eyes, blocking them from the sun after having been without it for so long.

I fell into a sort of half-sleep on the way back, squished between Travis and Katie. I heard them talking with Annabeth, but I didn't pay attention to what they were saying. I didn't pay attention to anything at all.

I just simplyexisted, my arms wrapped around my belly and the two lives kicking at me from within, the lives me and Luke had made together, as my heart felt like it was being shattered into pieces over and over again, until it was pretty much nothing except dust.

When we got back to camp, there were two guards alongside Peleus for Thalia's tree. One of them ran down the other side of the hill right away, presumably to get Chiron. The other, who had come down to us, stared at me in disbelief once Travis and Katie had helped me out of the car. "What the – ?"

"It's a long story, and one we're not going to get into right now, thank you very much," Katie snapped at him.

Chiron's expression was already dark when he came over, but it got worse as Annabeth explained as succinctly as possible what was going on, telling him about Quintus being Daedalus, and Kronos rising through Luke's body in a matter of sentences. "I feared as much," he said. "We must hurry. The vanguard of the Titan Lord will be anxious for blood. Most of our defenders are already in place. Percy is to be taken to the infirmary; Will Solace will remain there as the head medic, and has already been informed by Lee Fletcher about his condition. Come!"

Katie took me to the infirmary. As soon as she opened the doors, Will Solace was getting ready to lead me to a bed, and he wasn't the only one. "Percy!" Silena gasped, dressed in Greek armor.

"S – Silly?" I slurred. I hadn't noticed the absence of her and Callie at Half-Blood Hill.

"I'm here," Silena said. "I'm here. Chiron set me and Ally up on guard duty for the infirmary. He thought it was best."

"Hey, Percy," Alabaster said. He helped Will set me down on a bed.

"What's wrong with him?" Will demanded.

"He's in shock, I think," Katie said. "The emotional kind. Not the – Kronos took over Luke's body."

"What?" Silena cried.

"And he – he beheaded a demigod right in front of him."

"Μὰ θεούς," Alabaster swore.

"And this is important, because?"

"Luke is the father of Percy's children."

I saw Will almost crash into the medicine-table-thing he was bringing near. "Lee didn't tell me about that!"

"Lee didn't know. Almost nobody did at camp, not even Chiron," Alabaster said. He grimaced. "Well, he's about to definitely know now."

"If he hasn't been told already. Travis and Annabeth found out on the quest. Plus, there's Callie," Katie said. "Percy."

I looked up at her numbly.

"I'm gonna go now, okay?" she said. "I'm gonna go help the others protect camp. You're not gonna be alone. Alabaster, Silena, and Will are gonna keep you safe. You and the babies."

"Okay," I croaked out.

I could tell she didn't really want to leave me, but she did anyways. Albeit, not before she went to Will, "One more thing: Percy almost went into premature labor earlier. Quintus – we found out he's actually Daedalus – gave him a drug he made to stop it. Apparently, mortal drugs to do it won't work on him because of his anatomy."

"Of course they won't," Will sighed.

"He said he left some more of it here for Lee to find. I don't know if he did or not. I'm gonna go find him and tell him about it, so don't be surprised if he comes back here in a bit to find the drug or check on Percy, if not both."

"Probably both, but what do I know at this point?" Will said.

Katie left.

Silena was crying, her right hand over her mouth.

"Silena," Alabaster murmured.

That drew her out of it. "Right," she muttered, wiping at her eyes. Because of her powers, her mascara didn't immediately come with it. She hugged me, then pulled away slightly. "E – everything's going to be okay, Percy. We're going to figure this out."

There's no way that you can know that, not like Rose, I thought. I didn't say it out loud.

She wilted anyways.

"I need to take his blood pressure," Will spoke. Silena moved off to the side, and he strapped the cuff to my upper arm. He went through the motions of doing what he'd said. "His blood pressure is higher than I think it should be, but that's not a for sure bad thing...given the situation."

He did a few more things, and once he was done, he asked me, "Is there anything that I can do for you, Percy? Anything you want?"

Just like that, the dam broke all over again.

"I want Luke!" I keened, burying my face into my hands as Silena sat down next me on the bed, putting an arm around me once more. "I want...I want..."

Word Count: 3,567

Next Chapter Title: The Camp Gets Attacked