Percy Jackson's Last Breath

A N N A B E T H

The midnight air was frosty and cold, leaving me with a pale face and red nose. My breaths came out as puffs of smoke as I sat on the bench. Campers were hidden inside their cabin to shield themselves from the disaster that will commence in four minutes, making the camp empty. Every year, I sat on this bench, staring at the 10-foot tall statue of Percy.

Apollo had made the statue two years ago for the memory of our hero. The statue was vibrant with colors and was an exact replica of Percy, only bigger. He was dressed casually in a camp t-shirt and jeans, had his beaded necklace around his neck, held his drawn ballpoint pen in his hand, and had the biggest smile on his face. He looked so real, to the point that looking at it, you would believe it was actually him if not for the height difference. His face was wrinkled from how big he was smiling, his eyes crinkled in delight. My heart hurt looking at how happy he looked. Because it isn't really him, it's just a statue. Percy is stuck in Tartarus. He has been for four years now.

Midnight approached, dragging me into the day I had been dreading for every year. Now all I can do is sit in the darkness and wait until the disaster ends. Looking down at my wrist, I read my clock. It's 12:00 a.m. Tearing up, I blow out a gust of air. It's Percy's birthday.

I felt myself sink into a state of ease, for I knew what was coming next. The impending was inevitable and I could sense it nearing. Thunder rumbled in the distance and a bolt of lightning cracked the midnight blue sky into two. Jagged flashes of pure light cast a glow against the monochromatic background. There was a certain rhythm to the downpour that I caught amidst the wind unleashing a torrent of its own. The rain exhibited no sign to cease, the inception of the storm had only just arrived.

Forked lightning, brilliant and white-hot, flashed through the blackening sky. Crackling thunder rippled; the deafening noise engulfed marble buildings, erect and sleek with water. Rain fell in thick sheets of droplets. Little streams raced through the empty streets into the gutter. My hair whipped about in the mighty wind and rain pelted my simple tunic. I protectively held a hand up to my eyes. The storm clouds formed, as big as a mountain. Hidden within their depths lurked power like a snake ready to pounce. White lightning struck like the Gods wrath tearing through the air like a hot knife through butter leaving the ground reverberating with unchecked power. Thunder lightened the bronzy colour sky. The clouds watched down with omniscient eyes feeling no emotion. White water pierced the air sending droplets to crash upon the ground like meteorites causing havoc. In the manner of a few seconds, I was drenched from head to toe. The storm surrounded the camp and I could taste the air almost cloying and salty from the sea.

The sea began to swell and grow bigger. Clouds began to rumble and darken. Steadily building into a thunderous deluge, icy sheets of rain continued to pour mercilessly from the ever darkening sky, obscuring my vision.
Again, a fork of lightning, brilliant and buzzing with a magnificent electricity, flashed majestically through the groaning mountain of clouds. Whistling and shrieking, the wind raged through the night, like an angered bear. Thunder rippled; the noise enveloped the river and its surroundings and the trees nearby were sleek with torrents of rain cold rainwater.
The wind demanded to be heard. The lightning fought to be seen. The rain lived to soak my clothes.

Then, the storm broke. The rain fell like an ocean thrown from the sky. It crashed into the camp, splattered off the sidewalks, and formed instant rivers that raced along the pavements and overwhelmed the emergency drains. The rain was dangerous and scary, like an avalanche of water that threatened to drown the world.

Suddenly the earthquake struck, the noise was many magnitudes louder than the thunder. The roar was at an intensity I'd never experienced before. The buildings were shaken like a dolls house and through the windows, I could see the campers being tossed around like so many dolls. Luckily, there were many who were strapped on tight to their beds. The earthquake was terrifying. I held tight for the first main shake, curled up in a ball under the bench until it was over, clinging to one of the legs.

Once the earthquake ended, I stood up and wiped my tears. I sat back down onto the bench and waited.

Then I saw it.

A colossal, blue-green wave, sweeping towards the camp at over 100 miles per hour. Rushing, racing, roaring; angry froth foaming from between its lips. My body was paralysed with fear, my breath coming out short and sharp. I've gone through this before-four times in fact- but never will I get used to it. It doesn't matter if I go through this 5 or 10 more times. I am and always will be terrified.

I watched, eyes glued, as the wave surged in, threatening to destroy everything in its path. It was unbelievably strong, powerful, unstoppable. As the wave was about to tower over the camp, I help my breath in fear. Long ago, the gods had built a barrier, a protective shield, around camp. Protecting it from anything and everything. They also helped make improvements on our buildings. Our cabins were made specifically to survive the disasters, which is why everyone is inside. The shield's main purpose was for it to save us from the yearly disaster's wrath. Although our camp can feel the earthquakes and drench in rain, the plus sign is that we were protected from the tsunami. Such as now.

The monstrous wave hit our barriers and flowed its way over it. Once the wave finally passed the camp, I slump my shoulders in relief. A sob made it's way to my throat as I stared at the thunderous sky. The disaster was far from being over since the day had just started.

Sitting on the bench, my thoughts filled of Percy. I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around my shins; if I could just curl up into a ball, I wouldn't have to face real life, I'd be protected from everything around me.
But I'd still have to live with myself, with the wretched memories swirling around in my head. My eyes, already red and puffy from crying, squeezed shut to push more tears out. I let my head fall down to my knees, and I pulled my legs closer to me.
No matter what I did, there was no where I could hide from the thoughts in my head. The thoughts of longing for Percy. The thoughts of wanting to kiss him, hug him, be with him, love him in general. To get married and have a soccer team of children. To be together, happily, forevermore.

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Okayyyy! So I know this chapter is a bit short and I'm sorry about that but I really wanted to give you guys an insight on how bad the yearly disaster is. I want you to understand that the gods really aren't doing their jobs and that Percy meant VERY much to them. I'll update next week.

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I love you all so very much,
Sammylicious <3

Word count:
1280