𝙼𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚒𝚊 (𝙇𝙚𝙤 𝙑𝙖𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙯 𝙓 𝙊𝙘)

έντεκα

***

Elena was really embarrassed, I almost kissed him, he probably thinks I'm weird now. This is too fast. Oh my gods everything's happening too fast. Piper woke up looking bewildered. They spoke to Hedge as they freshened up.

"-Why is everything gold?" He asked, Elena was so caught up being embarrassed she didn't realise he was correct, the room was solid gold.

Before she could ask why the Hades they were standing in a gold room, a pudgy man in a white bathrobe stepped out with a golden toothbrush in his mouth. He had a white beard and one of those long, old-fashioned sleeping caps pressed down over his white hair. He froze when he saw them, and the toothbrush fell out of his mouth. He shouted for his son to come and a younger man charged into the room. Elena guessed he must be Lit, the old guy's son. He was dressed in pyjama pants with a sleeveless T-shirt that said cornhuskers, and he held a sword that looked like it could husk a lot of things besides corn. His ripped arms were covered in scars, and his face, framed by curly dark hair, would've been handsome if it wasn't also sliced up.

Scar... Her mind said, Luke... Be quiet brain. She scolded.

They chatted with the man who they realised was Midas. There was a struggle she recalled and some fighting. Something happened after that but her memory blurred as she tried to recall what happened. She remembered being hit on by Lit and the hunters searching for Percy, Midas working for Gaia, Piper and Leo being turned to gold. Oh right... Lit stabbed her just as she turned to gold. She remembered nothing in between, the darkness faded as she felt rain drip down her face, half her body had turned back, fading back from gold to a pale waxy white. Her lower half still solid gold. Pain exploded through her body as the rest returned back to flesh and blood. Lots of blood, blood everywhere.

Her body shook violently as she tried to stop the blood from her wound. This is how I die isn't it?

"Leo?" her voice shakily called as she tried to identify where they were, they were in a shallow cave, the wind howled outside as she doubled over in pain.

"I'm here princesa, OHH GODS!!!" He stared in horror at Elena who was clutching her stomach as the blood dripped slowly through her fingers. The area surrounding Elena became colder as she tried to draw energy from the dark. Leo shouted for Coach Hedge as her breathing became laboured and heavy. Jason looked at her in worry as Piper tried to comfort her despite her own hypothermia .

I don't wanna die, not now, I can't leave Ere, or Nico, I have to find Percy for Annabeth. Elena would realise it only later but in that moment when she thought she would die (after years of wishing she would) she had found her reasons to live. Hedge started ripping away half her shirt as Leo held her hand murmuring slowly for her to breathe. Think happy thoughts he repeated as she tried to think of her happiest moments. I'M TRYING!! she screamed mentally. You try think happy thoughts when you're half dying, she wanted to say instead she screamed.

"Travelling with Thalia, Luke, Annabeth and Grover," she gasped, " getting to camp, going on quests, reuniting with Percy, getting rid of my stepfather, meeting Tyson, meeting Bianca and Nico, my mom getting remarried, winning the titan war, Annabeth and Percy dating," She screamed as Hedge put something on the wound. She whispered weakly, "Please. I don't want to die, not now, not when I've just decided to keep living." Her eyes watered as she looked at Leo.

"Princesa, keep going, it's alright you won't die." He reassured, patting her shoulder.

She took a breath as she thought of more moments, "Percy bumping into a tree, holding Ere for the first time, meeting you, driving with Apollo, singing with his cabin... Piper, tell them." She said slowly, "Tell them before I die," she said, loosening her grip on Leo's hand as Hedge wrapped a bandage around her abdomen sighing in relief.