Almost Gone Forever

Oh gods no...

At the Hunter's camp

Thalia's p.o.v.

I flinched as I heard a guttural scream sound in the air. It was filled with so much pain, betrayal, longing, and sadness. It was a cry from a wounded, broken soul waiting to for his time to come.

I bit back more tears from where I sat by the fire, the other Hunters looking at me distastefully. I knew who was screaming, and I knew why he was. That stupid Seaweed Brain, he always put others before himself, it's a miracle that he wasn't dead yet. My miracle....

Everyone flinched as a mysterious and dark voice in the darkness chuckled. It said, " Such pain, such darkness. This demigod has suffered so much. You Olympians haven't changed much, have you? This demigod has been through so much torture. Here he is, dying, alone, and yet he is still trying to save your children. His scream is music to my ears. To hear a demigod, once so full of life, now broken, hopeless, using a power that is killing him as we speak, it is...amusing. The great Perseus Achilles Jackson has pushed his limits for the last time. There is no hope for him, he shall die this time. Know that you caused this young hero to die. Despite all the monsters he has faced, even going through Tartarus itself, his own family killed him in the end. Thank you for making my job even easier pathetic Olympians...."

I looked up at the sky as tears went down my face, cursing the Olympians and their hubris. They knew how loyal Percy was. He fought two wars for them, saved both demigod camps, and went into Tartarus willingly. If they still question his loyalty, then how were they better than the Titans? How were they better than the Primordials who had tried to kill us?

My thoughts were broken as a few hunters snickered, one of them sighing in content. She said, " Another male down, only 4 billion to go! "

My vision went red, and I growled, the air around me starting to smell like Ozone. I said, " Shut it! Right there! Percy is the best male out there! The only good male ever! He is humble, downplays his powers, he doesn't brag or boast about being the strongest, and he respects women. He is the only person who tortured himself because it was necessary! He threw himself into Tartarus to save his girlfriend! And guess what, SHE BROKE HIM! A woman broke the greatest man to ever exist! How can you sit there and ignore the one good male in the world?! How ignorant can you be?! "

I dared anyone to question me, the sky flashing with lightning, responding to my anger.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I looked behind me. Lady Artemis stood behind me, her eyes shown with pride, and a little bit of guilt.

She said, " While I agree Thalia, you must understand. He is still a male, and we do not associate ourselves with them. They are vile creatures, who will, and have, taken advantage of us since the dawn of man kind. Your cousin, while he may have earned my respect, will be on his own. He is a capable demigod, who did indeed hold the sky for me. He will be okay on his own, even if the air is slowly poisoning him. "

That drew gasps from the hunters, and one asked, " Milady, how is that possible? "

Artemis' expression grew grim, and she said, " Lord Poseidon disowned Perseus, and now the water....the water wants to kill him. It is ironic really, a child of the sea dying by the water in his veins, in the air. Perseus was doomed from the start. "

A few hunters seemed to take back what they said about him being horrible after hearing Artemis say the things he has done were true. Others, however, had a grin on their faces as they thought about a male suffering.

Thalia stood there stunned, realizing with a sick feeling just how close to death Percy was. She immediately bolted from camp, ignoring Artemis calling her back, or the arrow fired her way by Pheobe. She ran towards the boy she didn't realize she was falling for. She ran to her friend she should have been with since the beginning. She went to find her Seaweed Brain.