Heroes of Olympus: Infinity War

Chapter 10

Chaos wasn't looking very good. He was breathing heavily, and his arm was completely charred. Percy looked at him, hands shaking,
"What did you do?"
Chaos didn't answer.
"What did you do!"
Chaos just growled and held up a hand, a portal appeared around him, and he fell backward into it. Destroyer clattered against the ground, while Percy simply looked on in shock. He had failed. Nico came up to him, limping,
"What happened?"
Percy ignored him as he slowly stooped down to pick up Destroyer.
"Percy," Nico said, "what happened?"
"N... Nico?" Thalia said. Percy and Nico both snapped around to Thalia. He arm was slowly disappearing into fine dust, and it spread up her body, before it engulfed her. Percy looked around, he saw too many demigods to count turning into that same dust. He hurried up, helping Annabeth up, hoping that she wouldn't disappear. She didn't thankfully. But he turned, and saw the last traces of Magnus' blond hair disappearing. Carter and Walt were the next ones gone. In the distance he saw Poseidon, simply staring at Percy, before he was engulfed. Percy saw the Olympians engulfed in dust, and looked around, hoping against even more odds that Annabeth wouldn't die.

Leo helped Jason up, and placed a hand against the wound in his stomach.
"This is going to hurt," Leo said. Jason nodded, he knew it would. Leo summoned his flames, and staunched the wound, and Jason groaned in pain. As he looked around, it was almost like he felt an ominous wind.
"Something's happening," Piper murmured. In the city of Boston, Jason heard screams pierce the air as their loved ones disappeared. He looked around, and saw Leo and Piper fine, but their faces aghast.
"Jason," Chronos said, and Jason turned to him.
"There was no other way," the Primordial simply said, before disappearing into dust. Jason clenched his fists, and tears stained his eyes. They had failed, he had failed, Percy had failed, they had all failed, and now the entire world was paying the price.

Percy stumbled around lost as more people were still disappearing. The few mortals left in the city dwindled to almost zero as he stumbled past them in a daze. Nico had said that he couldn't get Paul and Estelle out in time, but had hidden them in a safe place. Percy had immediately shadow-traveled there, expending the last little bit of his energy, and he stumbled into the apartment. Even years after his death, Gabe Ugliano's smell permeated the air. He looked around rapidly, looking for her. He ran through the house in a rush, and burst into his old room, to see dust settling to the ground.
"Estelle!" Percy yelled, "Paul!"
He stumbled through the old apartment, but no one was there. Percy stumbled back into his room, looking at the dust, and the sense of dread settled over him. He placed his hands against the remains of his family, and started to cry. Strangled sobs escaped Percy's mouth, as he whispered,
"I'm sorry," he said over and over again, "I'm so sorry."
He sat like that for a little bit, just crying as it slowly settled over him. They lost, all of them. And no one knew where Chaos was, so they couldn't reverse it.
      "Mom," seven-year old Percy said, Sally looked down at her son.
"Yes sweetie?" Sally asked. Percy nestled against her chest,
"Why are you with Gabe?" he asked. Sally stroked Percy's long hair,
"I love you Percy," she murmured, "and I want you to be safe. Being with Gabe allows that."
Percy closed his eyes,
"But he's mean to me, and I don't like him. He smells really bad!"
Sally chuckled,
"He does smell pretty bad doesn't he?"
Percy nodded.
"How about you come up with a nickname for him?"
Percy pondered the nickname idea for a minute,
"How about Smelly Gabe?" Percy asked. Sally smiled,
"It does fit him. Alright, Smelly Gabe it is."
Percy remembered every single time his mom hugged him, stroked his hair, or kissed his forehead. He remembered every time he had shaken hands roughly with Paul, when he had congratulated him at his and his mom's wedding, when he learned that he was the father of his new sister. He remembered every time he had held Estelle, said that he loved her, and said that he would protect her no matter what. All as he stared at the dust in the room numbly. They had all failed, and his stepdad and sister had paid the price. All because of petty, petty vengeance. All in a sick, twisted desire to see Chaos hurt. To hear him scream in pain. To see the life leave his eyes. To make him suffer. Percy collapsed against the wall, and placed his face in his hands.
"No, you're stronger."
"You're no hero Jackson!"
"I love you."
"Too bad she'll meet the same fate."
Percy heard the voices of his father, his mother, Annabeth, Paul, and more in his head. Magnus, Carter, and Sadie all blamed him. And they deserved to. Magnus and Carter were dead, and Sadie lost her brother and boyfriend. All because he didn't go for the head. Percy was long past crying at this point. He just stared at the wall numbly as he thought about how he had let everyone down. He placed his face in his hands, then brought it back, and whispered,
"Oh gods."

Ogygia was very peaceful with Calypso gone. Especially so after she had died, thus severing the wind servants from their tether to the mortal plane. Chaos slowly limped into the cabin he had prepared, his left arm limp at his side. His hand scraped the side of a table, and the Creator winced in pain, but pushed past it. He limped over to a chair overlooking the setting sun, and slowly sat down, a small groan escaping him. Chaos stared out across the sea watching the sun set on his grateful universe. He remembered everything he had done to lead up to this point. Chaos manipulated everything from the moment Gaea came into existence to culminate in this final moment. Eons of work finally completed, and yet so close to having failed. Yet, as Chaos looked across the sea, he knew he had succeeded, he had won. And Chaos, Creator of the Universe, Father of Gaea, and God of All, smiled.