I'll be here forever

chapter 64

"That's my name. It's really annoying how everyone seems to know it," he said sharply, jaw clenching, tightening his grip on the bloody dagger.

The dagger.

It hit me harder than a train.

It was him.

Percy was the one that killed Festus, leaving his body there to melt away. Percy was the one that escaped us by diving into the lake, which had baffled me before now. Percy was the one that we had been fighting this whole time, ambushing, sneaking up on, planning against.

Percy was the one that killed Leo.

"It- It's me, Calypso, and- and Leo-" my voice broke on his name, and my eyes welled up with tears. Leo. Oh, Gods, Leo.

And I felt myself angrier than I'd ever been before, and at the same time, I felt more grief than anything I'd ever known.

"...what the hell is wrong with you? You fucking killed Leo! And Festus! They were your friends!" I screamed, my voice cracking. I didn't care. My friends were dead because of him. His friends were dead because of him.

And he paused again, unsure, but only for a moment, nothing more, before his lips pulled into a sneer.

"Yeah, real nice friends I have there," he scoffed, "Both of them attacked me first."

I couldn't believe it. That's not something Percy would say- not the one I knew, anyways. He was unwaveringly loyal. He'd never do anything to hurt or betray his friends.

Unless...

"Do you seriously- not remember? You don't remember them? Remember me?"

The tears came, then. Overflowing. Streaming down my cheeks. They wouldn't stop.

I couldn't lose them both.

"No, I don't, and I don't really want to," Percy replied, lips set in a grim line. His eyes held no regard for me, no hint of recognition. It was like we'd never known each other at all. 

No.

No.

I couldn't lose them both.

I'd lost Percy once. He'd left me with nothing but a promise, an empty promise of freedom. I'd resented him for it for a long time.

And then Leo- gods, I was so determined not to fall for him. I did anyways. And again, I lost him, leaving me again, promising to free me. Just like Percy had, so long ago.

But Leo... he came back. He came back for me. And now I'd lost him, a second time. Permanently. 

I couldn't lose Percy again, too.

But my eyes met his, a hard, steely green, so different from how I'd always remembered them- he'd always been a gentle wave, a soft and warm, crashing onto my shores. He wasn't now. He was different, much different, fiercer, darker, like a whirlpool about to drag you to the bottom of the sea. My gaze then flickered down to the bloody dagger in his hand, and back up.

And it dawned on me, an unsettling, hard lump forming in my throat.

The Percy I'd known- the one I'd loved- he was already gone.

"I- I can't-" I laughed, an angry laugh of surprise, choking back my tears, "I can't fucking believe this. You- you son of a bitch!"

He was already gone.

And I decided then that he would pay for what he'd done.

Because he never came back for me. Leo did. Leo did, and he deserved better than this.

I unsheathed my sword, holding it in front of me, steeling myself. I thought I saw a flash of fear in his eyes, and it only hardened my resolve.

"Leo was your friend," I hissed, walking closer to him, slowly. He didn't move, gaze flickering up to my eyes and down to my sword, up and down.

"He talked about you all the time. You, and the rest of the seven. I asked about you. And to think I- I loved you, once, I-" I stopped.

I had loved him. Long ago. I had.

But that was before he'd become... this. Whatever this was. I didn't know this- I didn't know this part of him. I didn't want to. He deserved to die for what he'd done.

I owed Leo that much.

"You're going to get what you deserve," I seethed, and then I charged forward, sword pointed at his throat.

And as I swung, I thought I saw a hint of a smile on his face.

(A/N: I swear there is a valid reason for making you go through all of this again, just trust me on this one)