Riordanverse One Shots

Shadow, Not Water (Greco-Roman)

Requested by: nobody

"If I don't make it back, give this to Nico." I said, holding out the little figurine to Percy.

He glanced at me, then at my hand, then back at me.

"You'll give it to him yourself." he told me as he closed my hand.

What he did next took me off guard. He pushed me to the ground and ran past me. I looked up and saw him sprinting towards the gigantic foot of scrapyard Talos. My breath hitched as it came down on top of him.

However, not too long after, I felt relief flood my chest when I spotted Percy inside what looked like a control room inside the giant automaton.

That relief immediately turned to dread when the automaton began to fall apart, Percy still trapped inside it. I felt myself freeze in horror as my eyes widened at the sight. As the machine collapsed, I felt a sort of cold touch in my heart, as if someone had pressed an ice cube to it. Soon, all that was left was a pile of metal.
I rushed forward, desperate to pull Percy out of there.

"Percy! Percy!" I called out.

I received no response.
I, Thalia, Grover and even Zoë searched until the sun began to rise. Eventually, I was the only one digging through the debris.

"Bianca, there is no point. He's gone." Zoë told me.

I shook my head refusing to believe it.

"No! He's still alive! He has to be! He has... to... be..."

I trailed off as my fingers wrapped around something that didn't belong to me. It was a ballpoint pen, the name Riptide engraved on it in Ancient Greek. Percy's sword.
I could hear Grover throwing his arms around Thalia, sobbing into her shoulder while she returned the hug and tried her best not to cry.

"Damm it, Kelp Head." she said, her voice cracking and broken.

I could feel the tears flowing down my face as sobs wracked my suddenly very fragile body.

It wasn't supposed to happen like this. It should have been me. It should have been me.

*

"Where's Percy?"

I felt my heart shatter as Annabeth asked the question we were all dreading. Being reminded of my failure, along with the very recent pain of losing Zoë, was too much. I turned away and moved to a corner of the chariot, letting Thalia explain the situation.

"No! That can't be true! That's not true!"

I gripped the ballpoint pen in my hand harder as I heard Annabeth and Thalia crying in each other's arms.
It was all my fault. All my fault.

*

I sighed as I looked down at the bronze sword in my hand. I didn't deserve it. Especially not after I ran around the Labyrinth with the ghost of Minos unconsciously helping him come back to life for the past year. Definitely not after I had completely ignored my little brother, who after all still needed a big sister. And above all not after my obsession with bringing Percy back nearly brought the army of Kronos into Camp Half-Blood. This was the only real home he'd ever known, and I almost destroyed it. Some hero I am.
I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I didn't notice the blonde daughter of Athena sitting down next to me.

"He would have been proud of you."

I let out a small, bitter laugh.

"I seriously doubt that. I nearly destroyed Camp Half-Blood."

"But you also saved it." Annabeth pointed out.

I scoffed. What I had done could hardly be called saving.
In response, Annabeth placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Bianca, we need you. Please."

I shook my head.

"I'm not a hero. I'm not like him." I told her.

"Then don't be. Be yourself, Bianca. Be your own hero." Annabeth replied.

*

After so much fighting, so much fighting and heartbreak and suffering, I finally found the strength to smile.

"I did it. I saved Olympus, somehow. I never thought I'd be able to do something like that. Didn't even know what I was doing half the time. But I suppose you would be the expert on that"

I sighed as the waves crashed on the beach.

"I miss you, you know? You were the first person who gave me guidance in this crazy world of gods, demigods and monsters. I'll talk to you in person when I find some blue cookies. Until then, I'll leave this here."

I leaned down and placed Riptide next to the stone grave.

"I will never forget you, Percy Jackson."