Never Again

Chapter 2

Hey guys! Hope you people had a nice day! Sorry if this chapter is late in the day, I was really swamped preparing for the school play, homework, and then today I went to Starbucks with friends which took wayyyy longer than I thought(At least I'm being honest alright;D). Anyways, here is Chapter 2! hope you enjoy!!! Love you guys<3

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, all those rights belong to the amazing Rick Riordan( Or Uncle Rick if you prefer ).

Annabeth POV

I couldn't believe what he had just done. I mean sure, he is a seaweed brain, but I never thought he could actually be THIS stupid. Why would he swear that on the river STYX? After all, we have been through, after all the deaths we've seen, he should no that no one can escape the Fates. Everyone knows that Oaths made by this river brings something worse than death to the Oath Bearer if not fulfilled. I looked up at Percy and saw it in his eyes that he truly believed what he had just promised. After all he had been through I couldn't let him down, I mean the damage was already done, so instead of shouting at him and hurting him more than he already was, I simply told him" Always".

I really do wish that I sounded a lot more confident than I felt. I must have because next thing I know I'm being dragged back to his room.

"Percy! Don't you think this is a bit soon?! I mean we are only 17 and- " Percy cut me off with a bout of laughter. Not a fake laugh or a maniacal one, but an actual laugh, one I hadn't heard in a very long time.

"Wait you thought we were... No! Annabeth I just want to talk to you" He managed to get out in between bouts of laughter. I could feel my cheeks getting hot and hoped I didn't look as flustered as I felt.

"Well, was I supposed to think! And what are we going to talk ABOUT may I ask?" I said trying to keep a straight face. I failed. Next thing you know, we were both on his bed rolling around laughing our heads off. After at least 3 minutes, we managed to control ourselves and just laid on his bed, gasping for breath.

"I missed you Seaweed Brain," I said as I snuggled closer to him, squeezing his arm. He let out a light chuckle.

"I missed you too Wise Girl. There weren't many laughs down in Tartarus". He paled as he said the word.

"Percy?" I asked looking with concern into his damaged eyes.

"Annabeth, I think it's time." He said. "Time for what?" I asked in confusion, hoping against hope that he had finally decided to share with me.

" Time that I tell you what I did down in that-that pit" He spat. " The monster that I have become." I wondered what he could mean, I mean how could he, someone who was practically part of me, be a monster? The answer was simple.

"Percy, I will love no matter what you did down there. All that matters is that you are here. You are alive. We are together. And most of all know that I will always love you no matter what." I whispered softly to him. He seemed to try and smile but then decided against it. The old Percy would always smile, no matter how dire the situation. That's when he began.

" So you know when I vaulted over the edge to cut Arachne's string before you fell?" How could she forget? He fell in there because of her. To save her.

"Of course, you were so brave." She saw doubt in his eyes so she quickly added, " You still are brave." He nodded in acknowledgment and continued.

"Well I fell for a while longer, it could have been hours or days, who knows.

" Nine days" I muttered remembering something she had heard about the fall to Tartarus.

" Well yeah I guess, that doesn't matter. At some point, It began to get hotter and the entire area glowed red. It seemed to have a heartbeat. A few seconds later I saw a dark river below me so I controlled it to soften my landing. The second the icy water touched me I lost control. As I splashed into the water, it kept getting inside my head, telling me things like just give up, you are going to die here anyway without the girl you just sacrificed yourself for. I finally was able to snap out of it and climb out onto the ground, or at least what I thought of as ground at first. Annabeth the ground was glass. I took a breath and the air filled my lungs like acid. Blisters began to form on my arms. I thought I was going to die until I remembered what you told me one time about a river of fire helping spirits stay alive through Tartarus. I felt a body of liquid, definitely not water nearby, so I figured it was worth a try. As I was about to climb my way down a cliff, Arachne jumped at me. For some reason, Riptide still hadn't returned to my pocket, so I tackle her, wanting to torture her for all the pain she put you through. As I was squeezing the life out of that beast she somehow spoke in my head saying if I go down you go down with me little demigod. When we were about 5 seconds from hitting the ground I managed to strangle her. Then I felt a really terrible pain and blacked out. Next thing I know I'm lying by the river of fire. I'm really hungry and thirsty of course, but all my scratches were gone which was a relief, and I figured that the river must have worked. So I stood up and began walking upstream as that is where I could see the monsters heading. I walked like that for a while, killing some monsters every once in a while, nothing really major. Until I met the Empousa. Kelli was there. I managed to kill a few, but there were too many. Kelli had me cornered and was probably about to tear my flesh off, when Bob, that Titan we wiped the memory of used some giant broom to kill them. We walked together, stopping only at a shrine for Hermes which had somehow fallen down there. That's when I tasted some brisket from Camp-Half Blood and knew we needed to hurry. I knew that I needed to get back home, to get back to you. So Bob said that we needed to go to a swamp to meet a 'good giant'. I trusted him at this point which was one of my biggest mistakes. When we were nearing the swamp, a group of what I think are called Arai surrounded me. They said that they would inflict all the pain I had caused on others onto me, for everyone I killed. They convinced Bob that I was the true monster and told him what I had really done, who he really was. He stood there for a while, watching me die of curses. Then he charged and killed them all. He killed them for me Annabeth! Even after I betrayed him and made him a slave, without even checking in once, he still saved my life." His voice cracked, but he managed to continue. " As I was bleeding out and dying from gorgon's poison that one of the arai had given me, h-he picked me up and told me we were still friends and that he would help me. FRIENDS. Next thing that Bob did was carry me through some sort of swamp. I must have blacked out or something, because when next thing I know I'm in a nice bed and feeling great for the first time in a while. Bob and some giant I later learned was named Damasen were talking about me. Damasen, who was created to oppose Ares, was peaceful. Apparently, he was the one who healed me and agreed to help Bob get me out from the swamp and find some goddess lady named Misery who would hide me in something called 'death mist'. Everything was going fine, apparently Damasen had killed a drakon before I woke up so we didn't have to worry about that. Of course, my luck couldn't last. Bob had just finished telling me what I had to do, where I had to go when they attacked. All the giants which had apparently been following us, wanted to kill me. I knew we couldn't kill them, not without a god at least, so I thought I was doomed. Then Bob and Damasen attacked. They were doing very well in holding them off so when they told me to run and that they would be right behind me, I believed them until I heard Bob gasp from behind me, 'Tell the Stars Bob says hello' and then two heavy thumps that reverberated around the cavern. I, of course, turned around to check on them and they were dead. Both of them on the ground, golden ichor pumping out of their many wounds, spreading and seeping into the black earth. I screamed, knowing I could do nothing to save them, knowing I was too late. Luckily when I saw the giants coming, I could still think straight and remembered what Bob had told me. I melted away into the darkness, moving to wherever felt the coldest, wherever I felt the darkness pull me. I eventually arrived in a clearing, where I met Misery. She was very unkempt, claw marks that she had obviously inflicted on herself on every inch of exposed skin. She seemed to have a mask on her face of mucus, blood, and tears, which were slowly dripping down onto her marred chest. She turned around to face me and that's when I was truly terrified. Her eyes were pure black and yet still managed to seem bloodshot, they looked so broken and miserable that I truly pitied her. Without a word she beckoned me to follow her, seeming to know what I wanted. We got to the edge of a cliff, and she asked me, 'I assume you seek the disguise of the death mist?' I nodded trying to ignore the sound of her voice, thick with emotion and yet brittle, like ice that could shatter at any moment. When I nodded she seemed to try and smile, but quickly turned to a grimace. She then simply said ' Are you sure you want to do this? You can only hide when you are closest to death young demigod'. I nodded thinking that she meant death as in the pit we were standing next to. all of a sudden I felt... different. I looked down and saw the smoke. 'you are disguised. Now for the next step'. When I looked confused she attempted another smile. 'Well, I explained it before didn't I? I order for you to get the death mist is for you to be the closest to death. In order for that to happen you must die!' With that, she began to summon poison from the sickly sweet flowers I had seen earlier. 'Wha... Is that poison?' I had asked, already knowing the answer. 'A thousand poisons my dear, each one deadlier than the next. Which would you like? Choose quickly time is running out!' She cackled, her tears stopping for a moment. 'How about none?' I had asked, trying to stall. I had truly begun to the thing it was over when she cackled and send the rivers of poison towards me, melting my backpack on its way. That's when I realized something. I could feel those rivers. Sure not as well as I could sense water, but I could still sense them. 'Should I..?' I mumbled to myself. Well, I thought it was worth a shot, so I concentrated until I felt something like glass shattering in my gut and screamed. I willed the poison to flow back to her, and when she started crying I drowned her in her own tears and poison until and dissolved. I- I killed a goddess in the most inhumane way possible, and can I tell you the worst part about it? It felt good. I loved the power rushing through my veins, the adrenaline, the feeling of not having to worry about controlling myself to protect others. Of course, afterwards I was a wreak, but I still remember the feeling of excitement I got while doing things reserved for the evil. I-I'm a monster." He finished it off like that, and even though I knew there was more, I didn't want to pressure him, he was obviously on the edge of insanity at the moment.

"It wasn't your fault. You were just trying to protect yourself so that you could get back to us! Sure it was wrong but even the greatest heroes have moments of weakness. The important thing is that now you regret it, and the second time above deck you obviously didn't enjoy it." I said trying to convince him and myself that what he did was okay. I knew it was a lie, some things were truly not meant to be controlled. At any rate, I did forgive him for that moment, it was just after he had witnessed the death of two friends, and he wouldn't do that to us, anyone that really mattered to him. Then I told him, " As I said before Seaweed Brain, I will always love you. No matter what you do, I will love you. You are mine and I am yours. Nothing will ever change that." He seemed to sigh in relief.

" Can I tell you the rest later? I just don't know If I can relieve it again so soon..."He said obviously holding back tears.

"Of course Seaweed Brain. Now let's go, It's breakfast time and I'm sure everyone is waiting for us," I said with love in my eyes as I grabbed mine in his. His eyes held the same for me. 

"Nah, I'm not really hungry. You go ahead though, and can you please try and make something up about my absence that doesn't make me seem like a maniac?" He asked with a teasing tone.

"sure." I kissed him on the forehead and began my ascent up the stairs, following the delicious smell of food.

Lmao sorry about that weird ending guys, That chapter was kind of dragging on and had more than twice the words of the other chapter. Anyways, hope you enjoy and that the song went well with it! Also, don't forget to comment and drop a vote, seriously It means a lot, and if any of you comment with literally anything, I will reply. Love you all! Also, I might not update for a bit bc of finals, but I promise I will stick with this and write a lot more over the summer. Love ya, Peace out.