A Forgotten Maiden

Prologue

The battlefield rumbled like thunder as Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase stood shoulder to shoulder, facing down Gaia herself. The air crackled with tension, a mix of hope and dread swirling around them like a storm waiting to break.

Percy gripped Riptide tightly, its celestial bronze blade humming with the power of the sea. Annabeth, beside him, wielded her own weapon with practiced precision, her eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of their enemy's next move.

"Stay close, Wise Girl," Percy murmured, trying to sound confident despite the knot of fear tightening in his gut. Annabeth shot him a quick glance, a mixture of determination and concern in her gray eyes.

"You too, Seaweed Brain," she replied, her voice steady but her grip on her dagger betraying her nerves.

Gaia loomed before them, a colossal figure wreathed in the earth's raw power. The ground trembled beneath her as she surveyed the battlefield with an ancient, unyielding gaze. This was the final stand, the culmination of years of prophecy and struggle.

As the battle erupted around them, Percy and Annabeth moved in sync, a dance of deadly grace honed through countless battles together.

"Watch out, Percy!" Annabeth shouted, deflecting a boulder hurtling towards him with a well-aimed strike of her dagger.

"Thanks, Wise Girl," Percy grunted, slashing his sword through a wave of monsters converging on them.

"We can do this," Annabeth encouraged, her voice strained but resolute.

But then, in a heartbeat, everything changed. Gaia unleashed a torrent of Greek fire, a blazing inferno that seemed to consume everything in its path. Annabeth was caught in the explosion, her form disappearing into the flames before Percy could react.

"Annabeth!" Percy's cry was raw with anguish, drowned out by the crackling roar of the fire. He lunged forward, desperate to reach her, his heart pounding in his chest.

"No!" Annabeth's voice, faint and distant amidst the blaze, echoed in Percy's ears.

Time slowed to a crawl as Percy watched in horror, helpless against the inferno that engulfed the love of his life. The world around him blurred, his senses overwhelmed by grief and disbelief. His mind refused to accept what his eyes were seeing.

For a moment that stretched into eternity, Percy stood frozen, his world crumbling around him. The battlefield faded into darkness, a suffocating void that mirrored the emptiness in his heart.

"Annabeth..." Percy choked on her name, his voice breaking with sorrow.

And then, in the midst of his despair, a surprise bomb, cunningly thrown by a monster, detonated at Percy's feet.