Rising Storm (Percy Jackson Fanfiction)

Chapter 79

Chapter 79: Alex

I woke up with Leo’s face two inches away from mine. He jumped back in alarm. “Alex! You… you’re alive!” Leo gaped at me, and all I could do was just hug him. After a moment of shock, he put his arms around me. Hades’ words echoed in my mind. Let’s see whether he knows his fairy tales. What did that even mean? What did Leo do? Well I assumed he kissed me, but I don’t know what that had to do with fairy tales. Of course, I don’t really know all that much about fairy tales. I know there was one girl with a mean stepmother and there was another who got pricked on the finger and passed out. There was also a wolf that ate some person’s grandmother, but what did that have to do with me? I pushed away from Leo, suddenly remembering something.

“I think I’ve got it!” I got up and sprinted toward the castle. I ran back into the throne room and looked into the mirror. I stared back at my reflection. My hair looked duller, and my skin was less pale. I was no longer wearing any type of makeup or anything, and the crown was still sitting on my head. Seriously? I fell of a castle and my crown stayed perfectly on my head? I hate magic. “Mirror mirror on the stand,” I whisper, in a hushed tone. “Tell me how to rid of this land.” The mirror shimmered, and images flashed on the screen. Me, as Circe when I put on the crown, back when this room had been full of monsters. The next image was me, letting go of Leo, and falling. I saw Leo kissing me as magic ran through the island. I guess that’s how the monsters disappeared. Then I started seeing the future. I saw Percy and Annabeth getting on the Argo II and leading the rest of the campers to safety. I saw myself, kissing Leo, and telling him to leave. I saw myself, putting the crown on the throne, and light shooting up from it. I watched as Leo was looking over from the Argo II as Circe’s island exploded. The last image was Leo, crying at my gravestone. “NO!” I shout. “I refuse to hurt him so much again! I’m not doing that to him. Not again.” The image on the mirror flickered. “Show me an alternative. I want to protect him.” An image flashed on the screen, of me as a child, sitting on the curb, alone, without any love from anybody. Then it went back to being a mirror, and I stared at my reflection. I knew what the message was. Deep inside, I was still that lonely little girl, who was never going to have anybody to love her.

The curse was broken now. Something about that kiss, and the magic rippling over the island; the curse had lifted. I could die now. The only way I could completely get rid of Circe and this stupid island without hurting Leo, was if I wiped his memory…

I stared back into the mirror. Tears ran down my cheeks. I was weak. Love IS weakness. Leo ran in at that moment, looking around. When his eyes landed on me, he rushed over, and put his hands on my arms, looking into my eyes. “Alex, what’s wrong? Why…” I looked down and pushed away from him. I turned around, not being able to handle this. What was I supposed to do?  “Alex. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“I can’t do this.” He tried to take my hand, but I pulled away.

“Alex,” he begged. Oh gods. See! I hurt him no matter what I do. “Please, tell me what’s wrong. I want to help.”

“But that’s the point!” I say turning furiously. Leo looked a little taken aback. “We need to get rid of this island. This is the only roots Circe has left, and if we destroy this, we will never have to worry about Circe again. At least, not in this lifetime.”

“Well than what do you have to do?”

“This is my destiny! This is what I was always meant to do!”

“WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO?” he demanded. I turned to face him.

“You know exactly what I have to do.” We just stared at each other for a few moments.

“What does it matter if Circe doesn’t bother us, if we’re all dead?”

“No. Not all of us. Just me. You and the others, you would be on your way back to camp. It would just be me.”

“I can’t let that happened.” He stood only inches away from me now. “I can’t live without you, Tempest.” The tears streamed down my face.

“You won’t have to. You won’t remember I ever existed.” His jaw dropped.

“Alex, don’t do this, I’m begging you. We either do this together or not at all.”

“No, it’s the only way. Just trust me.”

“You don’t have to be the savior this time Alex. Chances are, this will all just be paradox thing, or we’ll kiss and we all come back to life anyway.”

“We’re not coming back to life this time.” I say, remembering my gravestone.

“Why not? We have every time so far!” I just shake my head. “Please,” he begged. “Can we just talk to the other at least?”

“You  are impossible.”