The Truth Behind The Myths

End This War

[A/N it's a fight. There's blood. Just a trigger warning]

Percy and Annabeth led the little group in the front, while Reyna and Frank shouted their orders. Monsters came rushing from the forest to meet them, but the son of Poseidon focused in on the goddess leading their charge.

He and Annabeth crashed against Aesgeh at the same time, tag-teaming the drygon with ruthless efficiency. Other monsters tried to pull them away, but Bucky, Steve, or Nico always stepped in to stop it. At one point Percy saw silver flashing over the fight, and silently sent a prayer of thanks to Lady Artemis for allowing her Hunt to become involved.

He ducked under one of Aesgeh's wings, intending to stab her in the side, and suddenly felt a sharp pain in his own side. Looking down at the sword sticking out of his stomach, it felt like he was in someone else's body.

Percy crumpled to the ground, vaguely hearing Annabeth's scream.

For a few moments, everything was blurry, then Percy's vision began to clear again. He floated above the battlefield, watching the chaos.

"I'm sorry, son. Sometimes it happens." A voice said to his left as a hand touched his shoulder.

"Mom?" Percy asked. "But you're- oh gods, am I...?"

He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.

Sally Jackson smiled softly. "Not yet, baby, don't worry. I think you can make it, but you have to trust your friends."

"What is this? What's going on?"

She just shook her head. "You'll understand one day, I promise Percy. It will make sense."

Before he could ask anything else, she had disappeared.

Not knowing what else to do, Percy looked down at the battlefield below him once more.

The Romans were slowly but surely cutting the monsters down. More silver arrows flew, and now Percy could see where they were coming from. He floated over to the Hunt and whispered words of encouragement, circling above their heads. Several of them perked up and began firing more accurately.

Interested by that, Percy shot out over the army, cheering them on and offering advice. he had no clue if what he was doing actually worked, but he saw spirits lifting in different places so he kept doing it.

Finally, he went over to Annabeth. She was battling Aesgeh on her own now, her face set in a determined snarl. Percy floated alongside her, urging her on.

"The head, Wise Girl, aim for the head."

Annabeth's efforts doubled and he nodded, smiling. She had this.

Feeling a tug on the back of his shirt, Percy closed his eyes and let whatever was going to happen run its course. This was no longer in his hands.

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Annabeth felt as if she'd been stabbed in the chest as she saw Percy collapse to the ground. The scream that ripped itself out of her body was inhuman, but she had no time to grieve her boyfriend.

Instead, she channeled her pain and rage into the attacks that she slashed at Aesgeh. The drygon was cackling wildly.

"You think you've won this, don't you?" Annabeth growled out, shoving her backwards with her shield. "You think just because he's down that everything's over?"

She caught the drygon in the face with her fist, causing a rush of silvery-red blood.

Aesgeh slowly lifted a hand to her nose, eyes wide as she saw the blood on her fingertips. She looked back at Annabeth.

The daughter of Athena shot her a downright dangerous grin.

"Think again."

She dove under Aesgeh's arm and grabbed Riptide. This woman was going down, and it was going to be on the blade of the weapon that her Seaweed Brain carried.

Annabeth's tunnel vision set in. The only thing she was focused on was that stupid smirk, the bright silver wings and horns, the claws that tipped Aesgeh's fingers. Strike, strike, strike, the sound of metal on metal rang out around them, muffled by Annabeth's concentration.

"The head, Wise Girl, aim for the head."

She nearly dropped Riptide. That was Percy! But it couldn't be, she'd almost tripped over his body a moment before and he was clearly unconscious.

Think later, Annabeth.

She shoved Aesgeh backwards with her shield and did what she had been told.

It took a few attacks, but finally Annabeth saw the opportunity. Without hesitating, she drove Riptide into the drygon's head as hard as she could.

And suddenly everything was silent. Annabeth slowly looked around, panting.

The monsters were fleeing. The Romans chased them in an orderly fashion, cutting down any they could reach.

She jumped when Aesgeh's body collapsed to the ground. Without giving Riptide more of a glance than to pull it out, Annabeth spun around and ran to Percy's body.

"Someone help! I need a medic!"