The Child of the Dead Sea (a Percy Jackson fanfic)

13. The End Of A Hero

ANNABETH

Basically, our plan was that Kate would go after Acmal while the rest of us fought the small army. The giant seemed to know our plan and enforced that it would happen exactly like that. I wasn't comforted by that, but Kate assured me that it would work. I trusted her.

I fought with Percy at my back. We matched each other and killed monster after monster. We had practiced constantly together and have become the perfect team.

I stole a glance at the others to see how they were fairing. Nico had summoned a few dozen skeletons, which Will obviously disapproved of, but he was doing well. Hazel was fighting alongside a lion, which i assumed was Frank. Leo was completely on fire and was roasting monsters alive while laughing like a maniac. Jason and Piper were fighting together. Piper would convince the monsters to stop in their tracks and her and Jason would dust them.

I turned and saw Kate, in the form of a leopard, fighting Acmal. The giant was matching her moves and she was matching his. Then I remembered. Each god had a giant that was meant to be their opposite, the anti-them. What if Acmal was meant to go against Kate. It made sense. I had never heard of him until i met Kate. And she seemed very sure that her plan would work.

My thoughts distracted me for a moment and a dracaena was about to stab me in the chest until Percy slashed her in half and she turned to dust.

"Annabeth, are you okay?" He asked.

I snapped out of my thoughts and went back to fighting with him. "Yeah i was just thinking." I grunted.

"You always are. What was it this time."

"Well you know how each god has a giant to go against them?"

"Yeah, what about it?" He asked and pushed a hellhound away from him before bringing his sword through its head.

"What if Acmal is meant to go against Kate?"

He paused and it was my turn to save him. "Percy!"

"Sorry." He snapped back. "Wait would that mean that Kate is a-"

"God? I don't know."

"She couldn't be."

"Yeah your right. When we got captured, she was tortured. When she came back she was covered in her own blood. And it was blood not incor."

Percy nodded and i looked back at Kate.

KATE

The others were doing well. I was not. Acmal was good. He matched my moves. But i was good to. I matched his. But i was getting tired. I could tell he was too but he hid it, he always did.

It was time for my plan. I summoned the bomb and held it in my mouth. My claws dug into the ground as i aimed my leap. The only way i could ensure that he would succumb to it was to hold it on him.

That meant it would take me too. But it was worth it to save everyone.

I jumped. Power surged in my hind legs. For a moment i was weightless. I flew straight for his chest. The force knocked him back and he landed pinned to the ground.

I used my tooth and pressed in a button on the bomb that started the countdown of thirty seconds.

He saw the timer and his eyes grew wide. "Well you thought this through didn't you? But you are willing to risk yourself to kill me?"

My eyes were hard and i revealed no emotion. I had come to peace with my fate. It didn't bother me.

"So you would risk your friends?"

I looked at him confused.

"What you didn't know? Ha! You do realize that that bomb of yours will take out the entire town, your friends included."

Then i knew what Artemis had meant. The last bit of strength. "They are not dying." I growled around the bomb.

The giant looked at me with a smirk. "And who's gonna stop that?"

I didn't respond instead i reached out with my mind to the air around me. I remembered that first thing that Athena taught me. A protection shield. When i learned it i never thought i would use it. But now i am.

Ten seconds left. I could feel my eyes burning. The same feeling i got when i used my abilities past my practiced. I knew that my friends would be alright. I could feel that they would.

Three seconds. I held the shield. "NO!" Acmal screamed and thrashed under my grip. The realization had hit him that he had finally lost.

The explosion sounded. I had hoped that it would be quick. But i was wrong. The fire was forced down my throat from the bomb. Just the same, fire swept over Acmal. He screamed as he was burned alive. But I couldn't. The fire consumed me and it burned. All i could feel was pain before the light left my eyes. My only comfort was that i had won.

ANNABETH

Just before the explosion i noticed Kate's eyes. They were glowing, the same way they had when we escaped Acmal's minions.

After i noticed the glow, i felt a surge of power. My tired feeling in my arms and legs that had started to surface, disappeared.

But i didn't get time to enjoy it. Percy moved into my view of Kate and covered me. We dripped to the ground and he shielded me.

I could feel the heat of the fire as the explosion sounded. But the heat didn't burn. I adjusted under Percy and looked at my arm. I was glowing, just like Kate's eyes. So was Percy.

After the fire swept over us and the threat ended, the glow died and the tired feeling returned. Percy got up and helped me to my feet. I looked around and the monsters that had been fighting us just a moment ago were dust. The ruins that were still standing earlier were now smoldering piles of ash and warped bits of metal.

"Are you okay?" I asked Percy.

He was staring at the place where Kate had been. "Do you think- could she be-"

"Percy, she's gone. We all knew this would happen. Including her." I spoke softly.

He turned to me and i saw his eyes. They were sad, and dull. It was almost like they had gotten older in only a few seconds. Tears started to fall from them and i pulled him to me. He rested his head on my shoulder and hugged me, quietly sobbing into my neck.

"It's okay, we'll be okay." I comforted. I realized why he was just now so effected. All this time he had avoided the truth. Up until now he had convinced himself that Kate would be okay. Tears had started to wet my own eyes.

The others had shaken themselves out of their own daze and had made their way to us. We all just stood there for a moment in sad silence. Hazel had also begun to sob into Frank's chest. Piper was hugging Jason and shielding her face. Even Leo was wiping away tears.

Then, wordlessly, Will pulled away from the group and walked over to where Kate had made her final stand. He shifted in the rubble but didn't seem to find what he wanted. He walked back to us and gave everyone a small shake of his head. Kate was gone, completely ash. There was nothing left.