Pitch black darkness, the furious rushing of wind slapping against his skin, the muggy air that suffocated the lungs, and the feeling of freefall. That was what he awoke to. Blinking in and out of consciousness, the infamous green-eyed demigod gritted his teeth as he tried to reel in his senses that were currently going a-wire.

"You've experienced this before. Calm down." Percy reminded himself. That didn't do much though to his dismay but who could blame him? After all, no one could remain calm if they were currently falling down into Tartarus. Yup, you heard him right. Falling back down to the place he had just escaped from within an inch of his life. The place where not even the Olympians venture. The hell of all hells.

If it wasn't for the sword currently piercing his stomach and the numerous broken bones, he would've laughed at his situation. Just how much did the Fates hate him to send him back to Tartarus for a second time?! He grimaced in pain as he remembered the battle before all of this. He couldn't help but remember the screams of the dying, their agonizing yells for help that never came. The clashing of weapons and the smell of blood-soaked dirt. All of it came back in a rush, causing a vile panic to set in his chest. Gaea's sinister smile filled his head, her last words to him before she fell into an eternal slumber reverberating in his skull.

"Now we'll both be at peace together."

He didn't know what she had meant in that moment but he certainly did now. Even though he had defeated her by shoving Riptide through her chest, she was not going to go down without taking at least one more person with her. Who better than the very person who ended her campaign for domination of the earth, the savior of Olympus. The son of Poseidon cursed himself for not being strong enough to survive the battle. He knew that was a prude thing to say considering demigods like himself rarely got the opportunity to know if the battle was won or not after their death. At least he got the satisfaction of knowing that Olympus was saved. He just hated himself for not at least getting to say goodbye to his friends, his family, and Annabeth.

The thought of her grief when she would find out about his death brought tears to his eyes. He had promised her that he would never leave her side again and yet here he was, on a one-way ticket back to Tartarus. What a boyfriend he was.

"You're still alive right now. You have a chance to survive and see her again!" A small voice said in the back of his mind. He almost listened to it, to be honest. He could still have a chance. All he needed to do was not bleed out from the sword impaled in his chest or the broken bones throughout his body, and survive the incomprehensible height of falling into Tartarus. Yeah right! As if that was gonna happen. The only way he could survive this situation was if the Fates wanted to prolong his suffering. Honestly, he wouldn't put it past them in doing that but he had a feeling his story was coming to an end. His suspension was only confirmed further when he looked down and noticed the deep cavern opening below and the rich red ground of Tartarus that was filled with black shards of glass.

Thankfully, it seemed he was more inclined to fall into the Phlegethon River rather than splattering onto the ground below. So instead of flattening like a pancake with all his insides spilling out, he'll instead drown in the agonizing river of fire. How wonderful! His spine shivered as he remembered just how painful it was to drink that fiery water.

He had a feeling he should be praying right now considering he was about to experience a really painful death but he knew that wouldn't do much good. The Gods had no influence down here which meant no one was going to save him. Instead, he thought of everyone that he had loved. He mentally thanked them for being in his life and apologized for not being able to be with them and to not experience the future with them. Peering down at the river that was only a hundred yards away, he closed his eyes and softly smiled. Yeah, this was a better way to go out rather than screaming bloody murder and praying to Gods who probably couldn't even hear him. It was a mercy to remember his loved ones in his final moments and be able to thank them for all that they've done for him.

"I love you." His final words were as the faces of his father, mother, Annabeth, and all his friends floated across his mind for one last time. Not a moment later came the feeling of crashing into something hard causing his body to contort in ways he never thought possible, the feeling of fire dancing on his skin and the unimaginable pain that came along with it. Not being able to control even his breathing, he unconditionally took in the river's water into his airway, causing him to choke in pain. It was indescribable and honestly, thinking back on it now, he would've much rather just hit the ground rather than fall into the Phlegethon. At least then his death would've been quick. Feeling his eyes roll to the back of his head and his body start to become numb, he relaxed somewhat as he realized the pain would soon be over. All of it, the wars, the quests, the deaths, all of it would soon be over.

Feeling his consciousness slip away, he closed his eyes and let the water drag him to the depths below. This was the end for him. The end of Percy Jackson, the savior of Olympus. That was his final thought before he succumbed to the fiery, painful grasp of death.

-Scene Change-

"I saw him…I saw his eyes look over at me before they glazed over. I could only watch as the ground swallowed him."

"It's not your fault, Piper. There's nothing we could've done."

"No. No, there's always something we could've done, Leo. But no, we let our friend, who just defeated a primordial for Gods sake, be taken away from us. We let him die and we don't even have his body to give him a proper send-off."

"That's enough, Piper." Jason said across from her. "Everyone is going through a lot right now. We just need to calm down."

The daughter of Aphrodite bit her tongue but elected not to respond. He was right after all. Percy wasn't the only casualty of that battle. So many demigods had lost their lives fighting against Gaea's army. Only a couple hundred managed to survive. Resting her head against her raised knees, she peered out slyly to look at her blond friend who looked even worse than she did. Annabeth was still covered in blood and dirt from the battle. Her ethereal blonde hair was matted and tangled, losing its shine. Her eyes were sunken and skin pale. If she didn't know any better, she would've thought her a daughter of Hades rather than Athena. Watching a grief-stricken tear roll down her face, Piper got up and walked over to her. Sitting down next to her and softly placing her head on her shoulder to lean on, she could feel the deep emotions radiating from her friend. It was almost too much to bear but she knew Annabeth needed someone right now.

"I didn't even get to say goodbye to him…"The daughter of Athena said, her voice sounding soft and distant. "I wasn't even there to help him fight. He was alone." Looking up at Piper who was staring at her, she repeated her last sentence once more. "Piper, he was alone."

"No. Don't think that. You and I both know he didn't think that in his final moments. He knew all of us and Olympus was backing him when he fought Gaea. That's probably why he was even able to beat her. He was never alone." She replied, hoping that would reassure her friend somewhat.

"But I wasn't there for him! I should've been there by his side! We should've died together!" Annabeth blubbered, her face wet and red from the indescribable emotion she was feeling at the moment.

"You know he didn't want that. It was the entire reason why he sent you to the outer flanks of the battle with the other cabins. He wanted you safe."

"And now look what happened because of that!" The daughter of Athena screamed out, throwing her head off Piper's shoulder. "He's dead. Hades, we don't even have his fucking body!"

The group remained quiet as they watched Annabeth sink her head back into her arms, desperately trying to keep the sobs at bay. The remainder of the seven had their own tears in their eyes as they remembered their dear friend. It was a foreign feeling not having Percy there around them. They had grown so accustomed to his sly comments and powerful presence that it felt like an empty hole in their chest that could never be filled. Hearing a door at the end of the hallway be opened, they all turned their heads to find Apollo peeking out from the opening. He gave them a bright smile, albeit an awkward one, before announcing that they could come in. One by one they slowly got to their feet before following the Olympian inside, Annabeth being the last one to enter.

The aura of the throne room wasn't too different from the one outside in the hallway. All the demigods, both Greek and Roman, were standing before the Gods. All had a deep sadness etched on their faces as they remembered their fallen friends. Now, however, wasn't the time to grieve. They could do that later in their own time. Now was the time for the ceremony to commemorate Olympus's newly acquired victory. The Gods had ordered them all here to celebrate and to witness the rewards given to those who played a pivotal role in the war.

Before the seven knew it, they were standing by themselves in the middle of the throne room, surrounded by the eyes of both demigods and Gods alike. They knelt before Zeus who had no emotion on his face, his sky-blue eyes peering through their very souls.

"Rise, demigods." His deep voice echoed throughout the chamber. Clearing his throat he began. "You've all done Olympus a great service. A service that we Gods could never truly ever repay you for. After all, the loss of a one loved, a friend, or a comrade, can never be truly settled."

The demigods felt their eyes grow heavy at their king's words as they remembered all who they'd lost.

"Alas, eventually we have to move on as much as I hate to say it. Some say time heals all wounds or that we find solace in one another but I, just as you, know it's never that easy. There will be good days and there will be bad. All that we can do is hope that there is more good than bad and honor all those who lost their lives protecting our freedom."

Annabeth put her hand to her trembling lips at that last part. Thankfully, her hair had covered her face so at least she had that to hide her tears. Athena, sitting from her throne, looked like she wanted to console her daughter but knew better than to interrupt Zeus. There will be time for her to do so but for now, she needed to get through this. Thankfully, Hestia had come to the rescue and had sent a beam of calming energy to Annabeth without anyone seeing. That would hold her over for the time being until it was time to leave. Athena gave her aunt a nod of gratitude before resting back against her throne.

"But as we honor the dead, we must honor the living as they too had just as much an equal part in protecting our world." The king of the Gods said, gesturing to the demigods standing in the middle of the room.

"The seven of prophecy. The greatest heroes of this generation. The saviors of Olympus. Without you, our world would've surely crumbled. Your deeds shall not go unrewarded. Please. All of you step forward."

The seven did as they were told, each giving a nervous glance to one another as they awaited what was about to happen. The Gods, specifically the ones that were parents to them, looked very excited, which made their hearts race. They had never seen them look like this before and it certainly was a little uncanny.

"I'm about to gift to you all something that hasn't been offered to mortals in a very long time." Zeus announced, ignoring the small quip in the back of his head about a certain son of Poseidon who denied that gift a year ago. "We Olympians do not give this gift lightly nor do we ever offer it again if you were to deny it. Please realize this."

The seven all stood with mouths agape as they realized what the gift Zeus was talking about was. They almost couldn't believe it had it not been for them knowing all Percy was offered the same thing when he defeated Kronos.

"Yes. I see you've come to the realization." He said, resting his head against his golden throne. "We Olympians are offering you Godhood, a gift to only the most worthy."

"I accept!" Leo was the first to step forward, interrupting whatever Zeus had to say next. That earned some chuckles from the crowd and even from a few Gods, mainly his father.

Zeus stroked his beard as he crossed one demigod off the list before looking to the others. "What say you?" He asked, gesturing to the remaining seven that had yet to answer.

Piper and Jason shared a look with one another, silently conversing on what they should do. It seemed they were both in agreement as they stepped forward and accepted Zeus's offer. This time it was the king's turn to smile as he realized he would soon have another son join the Gods ranks. Aphrodite squealed in delight and clapped her hands, proud that finally, a daughter of hers got the attention she deserved.

Hazel and Frank were the next to accept the offer, which made sense considering Hazel probably wanted to live the life she had always wanted. Now that she and Frank were together, she really didn't want to leave him soon. Now only Annabeth remained who still continued to hide her face behind the hair in front of it. The room gained a palpable tension as they awaited her answer.

All the demigods who knew her story were wondering to themselves what she would decide. Percy had denied Godhood himself for her. A selfless act that ensured prosperity for future generations. Plus, his love for her was just too strong for him to give up in the pursuit of power. What would she do now she was in the same boat?

"I accept." She announced loudly, causing all eyes to widen. It was a shock to be honest for some. To others not. Percy was dead now which meant there was nothing trying the daughter of Athena to the mortal world. She could pursue her passion and achieve the greatness she always wished to attain.

Then again, some would've thought she would deny Godhood in hopes of meeting Percy in the afterlife. Everyone knew that he would wait for her there. He loved her too much to move on to a new life. Now, however, that would never be the case. The two would never see each other again. The son of Poseidon would for all eternity be waiting for his love in the underworld. A tragic ending for a tragic hero. A fate common in their world.

The room quickly filled with claps and cheers as everyone celebrated the new Gods of Olympus. Annabeth felt sick to her stomach as she drowned out the noise. She couldn't help but feel she betrayed Percy. If he were here right now, she honestly didn't know what his answer would be if he were offered immortality again.

"I'm sorry, Percy." She whispered into the air. But this was something she had always wished for. Blame her fatal flaw, not her. "You're gone now and I don't know if I can live in the mortal world without you. This was for the best…this is for the best." She repeated, hoping that could ease the sense of betrayal in her heart.

It did not. Nor would it ever. For the remainder of eternity, she would always feel like she betrayed him.

"Let's celebrate!" Apollo and Hermes yelled out as they leapt off their thrones, preparing for a long night of festivities. The remaining seven all looked at one another before shrugging and deciding maybe it was alright to relax and spend the last night of their life as humans partying. They deserved it after all and they knew Percy would want them to.

"I'm proud of you, my daughter." Athena walked up to Annabeth, hugging her tightly. "We'll do so many projects together. This is exactly what you needed."

"I think you're right, mother." Annabeth sniffled before intermingling with the other Gods who came to congratulate her.

Soon the sky turned dark but the party was only getting louder. Everyone was smiling, laughing and drinking. A stark contrast from only a day ago when the world was on the brink of destruction. However, despite the newfound happiness that Olympus had, there was something stirring beneath it. Beneath the city of New York, beneath the Earth's crust and beneath the underworld. Deep below, in the hell of all hells, a hand could be seen reaching out from the fiery water of the Phlegethon.

A/N - Hi, I'm a new writer who wants to create stories in the world of PJO. I hope you liked this first chapter and hope you'll stick around for more. Please review my work and let me know what I can work on whether it be grammar or storytelling in general. Thanks for reading and have a good one! END A/N

-SLEEPWALKER-