The moon hung heavy in the sky, casting its pale glow over the forest clearing. The air was thick with the smell of damp earth, mixed with the metallic tang of blood and the distant roar of monsters retreating. Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, stood at the center of the chaos, his sword, Riptide, still glowing faintly as it dripped with the remains of the creatures he'd just slain. The sounds of the battle faded into the background as the adrenaline slowly began to wear off, replaced by a cold knot in his stomach.
He glanced around the clearing, his mind still spinning. Layla, a recent addition to the hunt, was lying on the ground, her pale face contorted with pain. Her arm was twisted awkwardly beneath her, and her bow—usually an extension of herself—was discarded several feet away.
Percy's stomach churned as he took a step toward her. He should've gotten there sooner. He should've been faster. He shouldn't have let her get hurt.
The thought was a constant loop in his mind, one that refused to let him go. He had been complacent. He'd been too slow to realize how dangerous the monsters were. He'd been too focused on taking them down quickly, forgetting the most important part of any battle—protection. He hadn't protected her, and now Layla was injured. He hadn't been vigilant enough.
He knelt beside her, his heart racing. "Layla?" His voice was hoarse, filled with panic. "Are you okay? Please tell me you're okay."
She groaned, blinking up at him, but her eyes were glazed with pain. Her breath was shallow, and her lips were pale. "I'm fine," she murmured, though it was clear she wasn't. "Just… just a little cut." She winced as she tried to sit up, her breath catching.
"Layla, no, don't move. Let me help you." Percy's voice was barely above a whisper, filled with frustration at his own helplessness.
She shook her head. "You did your part, Percy. You saved us. I knew the risk. It's not your fault."
But it felt like his fault. Percy couldn't shake the feeling of failure.
"Percy." The voice was calm, strong, and it cut through his spiraling thoughts.
He looked up, startled, as the familiar figures of Artemis and Thalia appeared in the clearing, walking toward him with purposeful steps. Artemis' silver eyes locked onto his, and her presence seemed to calm the wild thoughts in his head, if only slightly. Thalia, ever the fierce protector, stayed a step behind, her expression unreadable.
"I—I should've gotten here sooner," Percy said, his voice breaking slightly. "I should've—"
"Percy," Artemis interrupted him gently but firmly. "Layla will be fine. Her wound is superficial."
Thalia added, her voice sharp, "You did what you had to do. You took out those monsters. Without you, we would've been worse off."
Percy looked at them both, but he couldn't shake the gnawing guilt in his gut. "But I wasn't fast enough. I wasn't careful enough. I—"
"You were more than careful enough," Artemis said, her tone soft but unwavering. "You fought to protect her. To protect all of us. The monsters didn't give us time to think, but you reacted. You saved lives. Don't you dare think for a second that you failed."
"But I didn't stop them fast enough!" Percy's voice rose in frustration, and he ran a hand through his hair. "If I'd been more focused, if I hadn't hesitated—"
"You think you could have prevented every injury?" Thalia cut in, stepping forward, her eyes fierce. "You can't control everything, Percy. You did your best. You did what you had to do, and that's all anyone can ask of you."
Percy swallowed hard, guilt still gnawing at him. He glanced down at Layla, who was still struggling to sit up, though the pain was evident on her face. His hands were shaking.
Artemis crouched beside him, her gaze gentle. "You did nothing wrong. You fought with everything you had. The monsters came in fast and in numbers, and you reacted in the best way possible. Layla isn't the first to get injured in a battle, and she won't be the last. But because of you, she'll make it. She's tougher than you think."
Thalia added, "She's not as fragile as you're making her out to be, Percy. A little cut won't stop her. Look at her." She gestured toward Layla, who was now sitting up, leaning heavily against a tree, breathing through the pain.
Percy's gaze flickered to Layla, and despite the obvious pain she was in, she was managing to keep her head high. A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips, though it was strained. "Told you I'd be fine," she said, her voice a little rough but steady. "I've had worse."
Percy felt a small relief at that, but the weight of his own failure still pressed down on him.
"I should've known better," Percy muttered, rubbing his eyes. "I should've been more aware. I should've…"
Artemis gave him a sharp look, her voice turning serious. "Listen to me, Percy. You've fought more battles than most demigods could even dream of. You're here, and you're standing, and so is Layla, and that's because of you. Not every fight can go perfectly. Not every outcome will be as you want. You can't carry the weight of every injury, every loss. It will crush you. Do you understand me?"
Percy nodded, though it felt like there was a heavy stone sitting in his chest. He didn't know how to let go of the feeling that he could've done more, that if he'd been just a little quicker, maybe this wouldn't have happened.
Thalia softened a little, seeing the internal struggle warring in Percy's eyes. "It's okay to feel bad about this. It's okay to want to protect your friends. But you can't beat yourself up for things you couldn't control. You saved us. You saved her."
Layla chuckled weakly from where she sat. "I told you I'm fine. I'll be up and moving in no time."
Percy finally took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, though the guilt was far from gone. He wanted to believe them, wanted to trust their words, but a part of him still kept asking: What if I could've done more? What if I hadn't hesitated for just a second?
Artemis studied him for a long moment before speaking again. "You're not perfect, Percy. No one is. Even I make mistakes. What matters is what you do in the aftermath. Do you learn from it? Do you grow stronger, or do you let it break you? The heroes who stand tall are the ones who understand their own flaws and weaknesses, and they use them to keep going."
Thalia nodded. "Exactly. So stop beating yourself up. We're all okay, thanks to you."
Percy looked at Layla, who was now standing with a little help from Thalia, her injury still bothering her but nothing too serious. She gave him a small smile, though it was laced with exhaustion.
"Really, Percy. I'm fine. You're being too hard on yourself. I know you didn't want this to happen, but sometimes, you can't prevent every scratch. Just…" She paused, looking down at the ground, then back up at him. "Just don't think you failed me."
Percy opened his mouth to respond, but the words didn't come. He only nodded, his chest tightening a little. He wanted to believe her, wanted to believe that it wasn't his fault, but deep down, the part of him that always blamed himself for things, for every mistake, still clung to that guilt. It was a hard thing to shake, and Percy knew it wasn't something that would just disappear overnight.
Artemis stood up, brushing off her cloak. "Come, we need to get back to camp. We'll make sure Lysandra gets proper healing, and you…" She gave Percy a knowing look. "You'll have to get some rest. You can't keep fighting battles in your head. Not when there are real battles ahead."
Thalia turned to him, her eyes softening for a moment before her usual tough demeanor returned. "Don't let this eat you up. We've all been there, feeling like we could've done better, but you did what you had to. And that's enough. You're a good fighter, Percy. And a good person. Don't forget that."
Percy stood there for a moment, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts. He still felt the weight of the battle on his shoulders—the weight of every decision, every choice that led to this moment—but hearing their words, seeing the way Layla stood tall despite the pain, helped him find a tiny sliver of peace.
Maybe they were right. Maybe he hadn't failed.
But the lesson was clear: he couldn't keep carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. There were things outside of his control, things he couldn't change, no matter how hard he tried.
"Thanks," he said quietly, his voice thick with emotion. "I… I'll try to remember that."
Artemis nodded, her expression softening just a fraction. "Good. Now let's go. We all need some rest."
Bit of a filler here. I'm doing my best not to rush things, but hopefully things will start ramping up sooner rather than later. Try not to think of this Percy's characterisation as soft. He's been through numerous wars, lost so many friends and lost his longtime gf-its enough to mess anyone up for a while. He will get better though.
Bit of a shorter chapter too, but the next one is one of my longest yet, so no biggie.