𝐓𝐡𝐞 "𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭" 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨

Reunion

||~Annabeth~||
After many hours of searching and walking, we finally find the River Acheron. Jason and Percy are immediately set upon by a horde of monsters.

"On your left!" Jason shouts, unleashing bolts of lightning in every direction. Percy, wielding Riptide, slashes through the monsters, reducing them to dust with each stroke.A Fury shrieks as it slashes at Jason's chest. Both Thalia and Percy scream, "Jason!"

Jason collapses, clutching his bleeding chest and gasping. Percy grips his sword tighter and emits a scream so powerful that the ground trembles. The remaining monsters begin to pop and disintegrate, their bodies exploding in a shower of blood and gore. The ground quakes violently.

"Percy!" I call out.

He seems oblivious to my voice over the chaos he's unleashed. The monsters flee in terror, but the blood Percy controls causes their bodies to burst like balloons. Thalia rushes to Jason, quickly administering Ambrosia and Nectar from her bag.Percy continues to battle the few remaining monsters, his fury undiminished.Soon, the battlefield is silent. Percy turns his attention to the last empousa, who cowers on her knees, her fear palpable.

Her body bursts, blood splattering onto Percy.

We are frozen, stunned by the cold, menacing presence Percy has become. His eyes, once serene and sea-green, are now stormy and dark. Blood, both his and the monsters', covers his face, dripping from his nose.He blinks twice and then gazes at me. Dropping his sword, he says in a raspy voice, "Annabeth?" I run to him, leaping into his arms. "Percy!" I cry out. He catches me but collapses onto the jagged glass. He doesn't flinch; instead, he wraps his arms around me, his shoulders shaking."Annabeth..." His voice breaks, and he holds me tightly. I keep him close, my own emotions raw.

"Jason!" Piper's voice cuts through the tension. Jason, walking with Thalia, approaches us, their eyes wide with shock. "How... How did you—what the heck was that!?" Thalia gestures to the blood on Percy's face and the surrounding carnage."Blood is a liquid too, Thalia," Percy murmurs.

I look at him, opening my mouth to speak, but he interrupts. "I'm sorry I keep breaking the promise."I frown, sighing. "No... It's not—You had a reason to. I'm not mad. I'm just glad you're alive." I kiss his bloodied forehead. He leans into my touch."Percy?" Beckendorf's voice echoes through the chasm. Percy's head jerks up, his eyes finding the familiar faces of Beckendorf and Silena as they rush to us.

"Percy!" Silena exclaims, and she, along with Beckendorf, tackles us in a heartfelt embrace. Percy winces but smiles, hugging them both. "You're... you're really alive," he whispers. Beckendorf nods, "We think that—"
"Kronos rewound time and resurrected you? Yeah, I know," Percy interrupts, gesturing toward Jason, who smiles and waves.
"Boy, do we have a lot to catch you all up on," I laugh.Luke steps forward, and Percy's gaze fixes on him. "You're wearing the shoes," Percy observes."I am," Luke replies. "Listen man, I just—" Percy moves to him and embraces him. Luke freezes, astonished. "You saved what mattered most in the end. You realized your mistake. You were right though. The Gods are terrible at parenting," Percy says.
Luke scoffs, a hint of laughter escaping him.
Percy sinks down against the shrine, his head resting in his hands. "Jesus, I'm tired."I sit beside him. "Tired but alive," I correct.He looks at me, his sea-green eyes still stormy. I suppress a shiver. "I feel weird," he mumbles."Weird how?" I ask.Percy shrugs, then his eyes widen, and he begins to convulse.

||~Chiron~||"We've been waiting for them for two weeks. They are likely dead," Dionysus complains. "Let's just return to Camp."

I shake my head. "They are still alive. I am certain of it."

"Chiron!" Annabeth's voice rings out, and I stand up quickly. "Chiron!" she cries, running toward us with a convulsing Percy in Luke's arms.

"When will this kid not convulse?" Dionysus mutters, frustrated. The sky darkens, and rain begins to pour as Percy lets out a hoarse cry. "I've tried everything—water, Nectar, Ambrosia, even my own powers. Nothing is working!" Will says, his brow furrowed with worry.

I take a drachma from my bag and toss it into the rain. "Apollo, God of the Sun and Medicine," I call out. Apollo's face appears on the Iris-Message. "Will! My son, how are you?" He completely ignores me.

"Dad, we— we need your help. Percy's convulsing and nothing is working to heal him," Will pleads. "Again? Shit, man. When does he not convulse?"

Annabeth's grey eyes darken with frustration. "Shut up and get over here right now! We need your help, and if you don't arrive in the next ten seconds, I'll drag your ass from Olympus!"Luke stares at her, wide-eyed. We all do."I'm on my way," Apollo says sheepishly before disappearing in a burst of light.