Too Many Memories

My Frenemy Becomes My Friend

My Frenemy Becomes My Friend

"No! Hylla!" I dropped beside her and cradled her head. "No, you can't die. You can't. I forbid it."

Hylla managed a small laugh. "You can't forbid death. You can't stop destiny. I saw the Fates snip the string. It's my time to die. And I'm ready."

"No . . ." I sobbed and hugged her close. "You're one of my closest friends. What am I going to do with you? I don't know how to be Queen of the Amazons. I only managed it for a year because you were right there helping me. I can't do it."

"You can do it, Annabeth. If anyone can do it, it's you. Just choose wisely on who takes my place as lieutenant." Hylla coughed and blood splattered on the ground.

"I forgive you, and Percy, you know. I don't blame you for what happened at Circe's island. She turned Percy into a guinea pig and you reacted. The only one at fault is Circe, and the pirates. I would've done the same." She gripped my hand weakly.

"Let's forget the past. It doesn't matter. But you are not dying." I looked into Hylla's eyes and knew that no matter how many times I denied it, she was going to die. And I couldn't change that.

"Forgive and forget, yes." Hylla looked up at the stars. "Percy."

He walked over and knelt next to us. "Yeah?"

"I know you are hoping that I will be joining your team. I won't. I know I won't. I can feel it. I wasn't chosen when I was born. Don't bother looking for me in the Underworld. I'll be in Elysium."

A single tear trailed down Percy's cheek. "I know."

"Percy!" I was shocked that he was giving up. "Get one of your team members. Have them use the gift they got from Hades. Heal her!"

He turned to me and shook his head. "Some things are meant to happen, Annabeth. If we heal her, she's just going to die in the next few days. I can feel it. Helping her now will do nothing."

"You jerk!" I screamed and attacked him, punching, kicking and hitting. He did nothing, just calmly grabbed me and held me to his chest, muttering comforting words.

"Shh . . . I know you're mad at me, but it's the truth. Her string has been cut. It's her time." He held my tight and kept whispering to me.

I sniffled and relaxed. Percy slowly let go of me and I sat next to Hylla, ready to say goodbye. I choked up when I saw Hylla staring up at nothingness. She had died, and I didn't even get to say goodbye.

"No . . ." I burst into fresh tears. "She's dead. I didn't get to say goodbye. I didn't . . ."

"She knows, Annabeth. She knows." Percy hugged me and tucked my head into his chest. "I know."

I don't know how long we sat there. I weeped while Percy rubbed my back and murmured in my ear. Finally, Percy pulled me up and created a long bandage in his hand. I had forgotten about my bleeding side. He wrapped it around my torso and covered my knife wound, chanting softly. The pain dulled and he gave me a small square of ambrosia. I nibbled on it, too upset to do much more.

Percy chanted louder and raised his hands. "Sas exorísei, vathiá sto édafos. Poté gia na epistrépsei, kleido̱méno sti̱ fylakí̱ sas. Pli̱ró̱soun to tími̱ma ti̱s epithymías sas. Kai xérete ti tha symveí an érthei píso̱."

The Greek words translated themselves in my mind. I banish you, deep in the ground. Never to return, locked in your prison. Pay the price of your wish. And know what will happen if you come back.

He focused on Gaea's unconscious body and the ground trembled. A hole opened around her body and she slowly sunk through the concrete and dirt.

The goddess of the Earth sunk deeper and deeper, until she was no longer visible and the earth closed up around her.

Percy turned again and faced the battle that was still frozen. He flicked his hands and everyone unfroze. The monsters stopped fighting when they realized that their master had been defeated. The demigods looked around in confusion.

All at once, as if choreographed, the creatures ran. They ran away, afraid of what would happen if they were caught. The campers and Amazons cheered, pumping their weapons in the air at the victory.

They saw us standing atop the taco shop and cheered for us. I could only imagine how we looked. Bloody, dirty, clothes wrinkled and cut, tear stained faces, exhausted.

Wordlessly, Percy knelt and picked up Hylla's body, bridal-style. The cheering died down when everyone saw the body. The campers didn't recognize her, but the black leather jumpsuit and black boots did it for the Amazons.

Soon, every Amazons was screaming curses at Gaea and crying. I leaned on Percy as we walked down the stairs and back into the battlefield. Thalia, Tansy and Tammy came over and took me from him and comforted me. I said nothing. I was silent, still processing the fact that Hylla was dead.

Bianca created a strong wind and the golden dust that covered the ground floated up into the air and disappeared. Any blood on the ground faded and disappeared as well. The rest of Percy's team gathered everyone in a large crowd and created a portal. Percy led them through the portal, still carrying Hylla's body. I followed numbly.

We emerged at Camp Half-Blood. Many other campers were carrying their comrades' bodies. Chiron and the remaining Apollo campers immediately set to work treating everyone's wounds. Percy made sure I was treated first.

My side was cleaned, stitched and rebandaged, and I was given a small flask of nectar and orders not to strain myself for a few days. After everyone else had gotten looked at, Percy had Chiron look at his eye.

Chiron shook his head. "There is nothing I can do. Gaea got you well. You're permanently blind in your right eye." Percy sighed, but said that he had expected that.

He and I helped prepare shrouds for the fallen campers and Amazons. Any killed Party Ponies had disintegrated. Finally, the campfire started and the shrouds were burned. I cried while burning Hylla's.

Afterwards, while everyone was sleeping and we should have been, Percy and I walked to the beach and sat on the sand. Percy had created a real eyepatch for himself, instead of a piece of cloth. It was a circle that stuck to his eye. Not the classic pirate one that had a piece of string holding it to his head. He had a long scar running down his face. It made me think of Luke.

"Why don't we ever get a break?" I asked Percy.

"I don't know, Annabeth." Percy kissed my forehead and I laid my head on his shoulder. He laid his head on mine, and wrapped his arm around me. "I don't know . . ."

We stayed that way until the sun came up.