To Hold Up the Sky (Percico/Pernico)

Chapter 42: Gone With The Wind

Prophecy:

There will be six at the beginning and at the end.

One will be enemy and one will be friend.

A choice be made; heart or mind.

The lover's ears be deaf and eyes be blind.

Misleading will he try to thee.

For much is the Pit God's unease.

For an ancient god will pave.

A looming final path: destroy or save.

Chapter 42:

Together, Tartarus and Annabeth stabbed the god in the chest, their blade sinking deep into the no-longer vapory flesh. The golden blood of the gods seeped out of the wound, making Tartarus’s red eyes gleam in triumph. They had did it: the sky god was fallen. But Ouranos didn’t scream when he knew he lost. He didn’t yell, or lash out, or shoot them a nice glare that would send anyone reeling.

He smirked with those blue eyes that knew something they didn’t.

And that’s when Nico noticed the difference.

The wind weaved in and out, whipping their hair back as Ouranos dissolved into the air, leaving nothing behind to ever have said of his existence. Like Gaea, his essence was now so spread out that he will never rise again, if so then in a million years.

Nico gasped.

“Get ready to fight.” Nico whispered to Percy. He waited for Percy’s hand to let go of his so that he could be ready. But to his dismay, Percy didn’t let go of his hand. The son of Poseidon squeezed it pleasantly, making more shivers wrack Nico’s nervous system.

He wouldn’t be able to get his hand off of Percy’s if he squeezed it again.

“Percy?”

Percy looked down and saw their joined hands.

“Oh!” He quickly drew his hand away, looking confused and startled. “Uh, sorry ghost princess.” He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, not knowing how to react. But that wasn’t what made Nico want to snap a picture and use it for all eternity. Percy wasn’t just blushing.

He was blushing as red as a scyphozoan jellyfish (its a red jellyfish thats a living in the deep blue sea).

“Clarisse!” Annabeth yelled as Tartarus was distracted. “Now!”

Clarisse didn’t need another word. Running up to a random pile of dirt, she yelled at it, “Are you going to help us or what?”

Nico and Percy stared. ‘She’s gone insane.’ They concluded as they watched the daughter of Ares have a nice, pleasant conversation with dirt. The two winced when they heard a particularly nasty word fly out of her mouth.

Tartarus watched the whole thing with surprise, not getting what was going on at all. “What did you ask her to do?” He asked Annabeth, his tone hinting a warning.

She sighed. “I was going to ask the wind gods to create the pillar of Hercules, but they aren’t responding.”

Tartarus stared. “The what?”

Annabeth rolled her eyes. “You know, the other myth to holding up the sky. There are two myths known in Greek mythology. One is Atlas holding up the sky and the other is the Pillar of Hercules (I actually looked this up, its true everyone!XD). The first one with Atlas is obviously the real one, and the other one is a myth.”

Tartarus blinked at her. “So if these...pillars, as you call them are myths...then why…”

Suddenly, four gods appeared from the air, whirling into being as they took form. They looked at the pit god with irritation on their faces. Well except for one, who looked so ridiculously happy everyone all stared.

“YoYoYo Wazzup!!!!!” The wind god greeted. He whizzed past them in glee, making everyone come to the conclusion that Tartarus wasn’t the only headache-giving god in the place.

Annabeth turned to Tartarus. “I was just blabbing about the pillars to throw you off.” Annabeth stated bluntly. “I don’t need to build them.”

Tartarus’ eyes widened, then narrowed to slits. “Don’t you even dare. ” He growled.

Annabeth looked at the wind gods. “Want to get rid of his guy?” She asked them.

They all looked at each other and shrugged. “Sure, why not?” One replied.

“Wait!” Tartarus shouted, a panicked look in his eye. “You can’t do this to me! I helped get rid of Ouranos!”

But it was too late.

Everyone drawing their weapons, they all charged at the most powerful god of time, blades glinting in the sun. Percy and Nico worked together in sync as they darted around Tartarus, slashing whenever they could. Clarisse and Annabeth taunted endlessly at the pit god, distracting him. The wind gods blew him this way and that. Rachel helped a wobbly Octavian to his feet. Katie lay on the ground with her staff at her side .

Victory was so close that they could almost taste it in their mouths.

Nico looked over at Percy, who looked at him in return. They stared at each other, memories of the two to three years they had together since the war ended flickering in their minds. Nico remembered the hours spent in the pavillion where he and Percy would work together to come up with better techniques for their training sessions. Percy remembered the precious few minutes after they finished training session that they were alone, just the two of them. They both remembered the quiet days where the warmth of each other’s presence was enough for them, even if it was only for a little while.

Percy was glad that they went on this journey together. They had been somewhat friends before, but now he felt that they were truly friends. Nico was happy that they grew closer, even though it ripped his heart out every time he remembered the likely truth of not having his feelings returned. Fear spiked through their hearts of a daunting reality, a reality in which everything goes back to the way it was before: aquantinces.

As Tartarus fell, not a single glance between the two was saved for the pit god’s end.

The two demigods feared that without the journey to hold them together, their friendship would be gone with the wind.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Hola sorry for not updating a ton as promised. Roleplaying became busy!xD

QUESTION: Which character referenced gone with the wind a lot? How does this character connect to the last line of this chapter/the title?