I'll be here forever

chapter 45

I reached for the ledge in front of us and grabbed it, and we swung forward, my hand still gripping Percy's like my life depended on it. He... wasn't so lucky.

He swung below me, and I was the only thing between him and falling down into whatever hell waited for us below. The earth stopped shaking with a rumble, and we were left dangling on the edge.

My arm hurt like hell; I'm pretty sure I yanked it out of socket. Still, I gripped that ledge, determined not to let go.

"Shit, shit, shit, that's a long drop," he gasped below me, and I looked down at him, dangling from my hand. It had all happened so quickly. One minute, we were driving along, oblivious. The next, we're one slip away from falling into the abyss.

"Hang on!" I told him, frantic. I looked back up at my hand, slipping off the ledge; and I got the strongest sense of deja vu... We'd been here before. This had happened before. I was sure of it.

A voice came from below us, a woman's voice; it was gravelly, rich, and angry. I felt her rage resonate through me.

I may have been forced into sleep, she rumbled, but I have just enough energy to take the two of you down with me. And then, with your sacrifice... then I will awaken again.

Her voice wasn't physical, but instead flowed through my mind like a wave. Her anger was overwhelming. I felt indescribable hatred for the gods, for me, for Percy, for all demigods. Whoever she was, I pushed her out of my mind, and focused on the problem in front of me. I didn't think that falling and giving ourselves to the talking dirt was the best idea.

"Fuck off," Percy mumbled to the voice, holding my hand tightly.

My fingers were raw, scraping against the asphalt, and my shoulder felt like it'd been yanked out of socket, but I refused to let go. I gripped that ledge with a strength I didn't know I had. I wasn't going to let us fall.

"I can pull us up," I said, breathlessly, even as I knew I couldn't. I could hardly keep hanging on. If it was just me, maybe, but it wasn't.

I looked back down at Percy; his face changed from fear, to horrified realization.

"You can't pull us up," he said, quietly. The realization hardened into determination.

"I have to," I told him, and he shook his head. His sweaty hand started to slip out of mine. Or maybe my hand was the one that was sweaty. Either way, he started to slip.

"I'm too heavy. You have to let go of me."

"Are you fucking insane?! I'm not letting you fall!" I screeched. I couldn't. I couldn't do that.

"You heard that voice, right? She needs both of us, and I... I can't. It's either me, or it's both of us, and I-" his voice broke, "I can't let it be you."

I understood what he was saying. If I let him go, I'd survive. I didn't know if I'd want to.

"No, no. If we're falling, we're doing it together," I said desperately, and locked eyes with him. His eyes were steely, determined. He'd accepted this.

"Let me go."

"No, no, no no no no no," I started saying, shaking my head. I refused. My grip on the ledge started to slip, scraping my fingers raw.

"Daisy, whatever the hell this thing is, we can't let her have us both."

"No, no. Percy, please, please don't make me do this."

"You have to."

"No, no, I can pull us up, I can," I said hysterically. I couldn't.

"Promise me something. Promise you'll let me go, and you'll climb up, and you'll walk away. You'll let me fall. Okay? Promise."