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Shattered Glass

Just a little one-shot here from an idea I got in the middle of the night :)

Update: This is no longer a one-shot. I got inspired and now I'll probably make it a short story. For all those here to read the next chapter, I suggest rereading this one as I changed it quite a bit to make the story longer.

The poison was approaching them from all sides. Percy was scared. He couldn't let it hurt them, hurt Annabeth. Something inside him cracked, like glass has shattered within his chest.

As a strange warmth filled his blood, the tide of poison stopped in its tracks.

The curls of liquid snaked across the ground, but not towards him anymore, but back at the goddess, Rolling over the ground in waves and streaming over rocks.

"What is this?" Akhlys shrieked.

"Poison. I thought that was your specialty."

Percy stood, and as he did so, the heat in his veins grew with his anger. A flood of venom rushing towards the goddess, poisonous fumes causing her to hack and for her eyes to well up with tears.

Good. More water.

Percy forced her tears right back at her, filling her nose and throat with them.

Akhlys gagged violently and tried to speak, but managed no more than a weak stutter.

The streams of poison cooked around her feet, splashing as sizzling with the contact. She cried out in pain, stumbling backwards.

"Percy!" He heard someone call out. Annabeth.

She eyed him with caution. She had retreated, almost toppling over the cliff. The poison wasn't after her, but she still regarded him warily.

Percy managed to stop, but barely.

"What are you doing?" She asked. Just the sound of her voice calmed his fury a bit.

Percy gestured, trying to explain. "I can't... control it, exactly. But it listens to me, follows my wishes."

"How?" Annabeth asked, although Percy knew she understood. He shrugged.

"I'm not sure. It felt strange, like there was heat rushing through me. And something shattered. Here." He explained, brushing a finger over his chest.

"Impossible!" Akhlys yelped. "Poison is mine!" She stretched a gnarled hand towards the lake around her, but it didn't respond. Just to see what would happen, Percy willed it to creep closer to her feet.

"Percy," Annabeth asked, but it was as much of a command as it was a question. "Can you let me through?"

Percy focused, using nothing but his willpower to push it away for her, clearing a path. She stepped through, her trust in him absolute, trusting him with her life just as he trusted her with his.

Once she reached his side, she gently placed a hand on his shoulder. The gesture was familiar, comfortable.

"Can you sense me? My body?" She asked seriously, and Percy closed his eyes. He felt in the air for her.

"Yeah," he whispered, as he sensed her in his mind. It was astounding how little effort it took, how easy it was.

"Could you control it?"

He felt how easily the water in her body would jump to serve him, if he wanted it to. It frightened him, the sheer amount of control he had.

"Yes."

"And her?" Annabeth asked, tilting her head towards the goddess

Akhlys fell silent, looking almost scared. Of Percy.

He reached out again, prodding the air around him with his senses.

"I can."

"Can you kill her quickly? Will you?"

Percy considered, but there wasn't much thought. She had hurt him. She had hurt Annabeth. She deserved this.

"Yes."

"Do it."

He pulled at the air, and with a terrible shriek, the goddess dissolved into mist, blown away in the hot Tartarus air.

Annabeth fell silent for a second. Then she turned, looking into his eyes.

"I trust you." Annabeth muttered.

"I know." Percy responded gently.

She laughed slightly, a clear, beautiful sound.

"You have to be careful though. If the gods found out, or anyone else, they wouldn't hesitate to-"

"I'll be careful," Percy promised, cutting her off."But... you're not scared?" He asked, somewhat nervous as to what the answer would be. This strange power scared him, despite the fact he was the one controlling it.

However, his girlfriend simply smiled. " If it wasn't you, yes." she admitted. "But I've always known you were powerful― you blew up a volcano at 14, for Hade's sake! Do you really think I would still be here if I was scared?"

Percy leaned on his shoulder, in that moment, happy she was there. Yeah, they were stuck in Tartarus with next to no supplies with little chance of survival, but he had Annabeth, and right now, that was all he needed.

He felt the broken glass in his body, the warmth coursing through him. It didn't smooth over again.

Yeah, so this just popped into my head at midnight and I had to write it. Turned out surprisingly good, and I like the idea, so I decided to publish it here ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Hope you guys enjoyed!! 

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