Broken Loyalty Broken Spirit (Unfinished)

You Can't Out Run The Pain

Percy POV:

Each time I saw a monster I swung Riptide in a wide arch and killed it before it even knew what happened.

I did this at least five times before the anger started to ebb away leaving nothing but a hollow cavern of despair inside my chest.

The forest was quiet, like the nymphs were scared, hiding, and holding their breathe, waiting to see what I would do.

I heard a noise behind me and whipped around ready to slash another moster to dust but instead it was Juniper, Grover's girlfriend.

"Percy what's wrong?" She asked gently, clearly concerned for me.

"I-it was nothing, just a argument with A-Annabeth." I tried to sound alright, but I just couldn't hold my despair in.

I started crying and Juniper rushed forward to me and hugged me. I felt nothing now, no sadness, no anger, no feelings. Just numb emptiness.

The trees started swaying and the sky started to spin and next thing I knew I was falling over. Juniper caught me and laid me down.

I felt no need to get up. I just laid there staring at the sky. Juniper looked at me with despair. She put a hand on my chest but pulled away quickly like she was startled by what she felt.

"Oh, Percy. What really happened? You feel, broken." She asked worriedly.

I said nothing and I didn't move either. I just laid there and stared at the blue sky, imaging the gods of mount Olympus looking down on me, particularly Athena laughing at my foolishness.

Time ticked on and Juniper tried asking me more questions but I didn't respond, and I didn't think I could even if I wanted to.

Eventually she told me to stay here and she ran off. I turned my head towards the shadows cast by the trees. Then, my eyelids became heavy and my mind slipped into darkness.

I had an awful nightmare. Annabeth was dating Jace and whenever I went near her she would attack me. Her beautiful face twisted in rage.

And Jace was standing behind her like a coward laughing while Annabeth cut me with her knife.

I ran off and found Grover but he bleated angrily at me and trotted off.

Everywhere I turned people attacked or ran away from me. Everywhere I stepped the grass and plants around me would wilt.

The dream shifted and I was home, my mom's old apartment. With tears in my eyes and I ran around the corner to her room and found her staring into her mirror.

She glared at my reflection in the mirror and slowly turned to face me. When she turned around she morphed into Annabeth.

"Get out! It's your fault everything bad has happened! It's your fault our friends are dead. Maybe if you were normal everyone would be safe." She snarled.

All of the friends I had lost appeared with hate filled glares, Charlie, Silena, Jason, Ethan, and all of the other campers I had known. Annabeth shoved me backwards, into a black chasm that had opened behind me.

I heard Tartaurus's evil laugh as I fell into the dark pit, alone this time. The noxious fumes forming clouds that fogged my vision.

Then I opened my eyes. I saw Grover and Juniper staring at me with equally worried expressions, but just as I was about to relax their faces changed.

They looked absolutely hate filled. Grover's angry bleat rung in my head along with Annabeth's harsh comment.

It felt like the world was caving in, like everyone I had known had done something horrible to me then blamed me for hurting them.

I sat up and scrambled away from their accusing scowls. I grabbed Riptide from where it lay on the ground and pointed it at the angry couple, fearing for my safety.

"I didn't do anything! Please, don't be angry! What did I do Annabeth!?" I sobbed.

They stepped towards me, their images flickering. Then, I saw Annabeth's gray eyes and beautiful face behind them as I turned and ran away. I felt the weight of their glares even as their inaudible shouts faded into the songs of birds.