lightningthief | Don't Let It Happen Again...

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Don't Let It Happen Again...

Like many stories begin, I was just sitting around minding my own business. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that the jukebox turned on for me as it often does. I mean, hanging around in the rec room is just asking for trouble, isn't it? But instead of the usual songs it dumps on me, I'm surprised to hear it cut into Percy's voice, and he's telling a story. I can't imagine this is meant for me, because why would he tell me anything related to the battle that's about to happen in New York? This has got to be some kind of recording from the future, but how can that have happened? Percy's going to die in that battle. Maybe someone talked to his spirit in the Underworld? Hades' kid Nico could've done it. I sit back in my chair as the story goes on and give the thing my full attention. I'm amazed at the level of detail Percy is going to. He's not normally so focused on details, which makes me think this has got to be a spirit conversation.

As it plays, I see Percy and Thalia walk in. Before they can blame me for being up to something, I just put my hands up in a universal sign of hey-not-my-fault and motion over to some unoccupied chairs. If they want to hear about the end of all our lives, I'm not stopping them. It may be good for them to come to grips with the truth of how everything is going to end. I don't acknowledge the others coming in and out of the room. I'd rather hear this alone, but I don't really care too much about the other people around me, just as long as they keep their distance from me during this. Even Gabrielle. A brutal look and a glint of Backbiter's blade are all I need to keep them from smothering me like some lost puppy. I will NOT be pitied or consoled during this, PERIOD.

I'm not exactly liking the parts with Hestia in it. Who does she think she is explaining the details of my life and why I did what I did? Does it matter? Really? And when it talks about how I met my dad at home, I'm expressionless except for the iron grip I have on the armrests. Why is Hestia even bothering? Maybe she's just explaining to them why they're all about to meet in the Underworld together. Hestia should've joined Kronos. There's no point in her supporting Zeus needlessly.

As the narrative of the battle goes on, I hear about the sudden arrival of Ares cabin led by... Clarisse? Something is wrong. I can tell. As the voice goes on, a horrible idea forms in my head. No. She didn't! Tell me she didn't! Oh gods, Silena! I was going to protect you! All you had to do is stay out of it! Oh, gods!

”...Finally Annabeth managed to remove the girl’s helmet. We all gathered around: the Ares campers, Chris, Clarisse, Annabeth, and me. The battle still raged along Fifth Avenue, but for that moment nothing existed except our small circle and the fallen girl.

Her features, once beautiful, were badly burned from poison. I could tell that no amount of nectar or ambrosia would save her.

‘Something is about to happen.’ Rachel’s words rang in my ears. ‘A trick that ends in death.’

Now I knew what she meant, and I knew who had led the Ares cabin into battle.

I looked down at the dying face of Silena Beauregard.”

I turned her into my spy, and she just goes and sacrifices herself for their side. Somehow I manage to sit through it all without saying or doing anything. I struggle to shut it all off like I used to be able to. But I can't.

The battle rages on and then, finally, I appear in Percy's narrative. I'm the indomitable, invulnerable deity I imagined I would be. It's terrifying. I felt what it was like to be fully taken by Kronos last Halloween, and I can't even imagine what I'll feel like after having to house him for so long.

“...”YOU!” Annabeth turned on Luke. “To think that I...that I thought –"

She drew her knife.

“Annabeth, don’t.” I tried to take her arm, but she shook me off.

She attacked Kronos, and his smug smile faded. Perhaps some part of Luke remembered that he used to like this girl, used to take care of her when she was little. She plunged her knife between the straps of his armor, right at his collarbone. The blade should’ve sunk into his chest. Instead it bounced off. Annabeth doubled over, clutching her arm to her stomach. The jolt might’ve been enough to dislocate her bad shoulder.

I yanked her back as Kronos swung his scythe, slicing the air where she’d been standing.

She fought me and screamed, "I HATE you!” I wasn’t sure who she was talking to – me or Luke or Kronos. Tears streaked the dust on her face.”

My gut wrenches. My iron grip on my emotions is breaking. I want to yell out for it to stop, but instead I sit there silent and wait for the end. I'm no innocent kid. I've known our end would be more than horrible, but hearing about it like this is almost more than I can bear.

Annabeth!

I'm sorry, Annabeth! Gods, I never told you all these months we were here on this accursed island. I'm SORRY! But the main reason I never said anything is because 'sorry' isn't enough. How could it be?

I try to keep calm as I reach Olympus. Percy's description of me starting to level Olympus is hollow comfort. I don't want revenge anymore. Make it stop! My stomach is in knots. I feel like I might puke, but I've got to hear this to the bitter end. I close my eyes and turn slightly away from Thalia as Percy describes Hera's statue coming down towards Annabeth and Thalia getting trapped.

And then the end nears. I feel a pang of regret as I hear Kronos kill Ethan. Another person gone. I wanted you to live, Ethan! Then Kronos goes for Backbiter, and Hestia's hearth burns my hands. I'll never wield a sword right again. Then, in the story, Kronos and I turn on Annabeth to finish her.

"No!"

The word escapes my mouth right there in the rec room. My will is breaking. I raise my head and see Percy and Thalia taking in my haunted look. I shake my head fearfully. I don't want this, and I just can't keep up a mask anymore.

"Not Annabeth!"

”Luke,” she said, gritting her teeth, “I understand now. You have to trust me.”

Kronos roared in outrage. “Luke Castellan is dead! His body will burn away as I assume my true form!”

I tried to move, but my body was frozen again. How could Annabeth, battered and half dead with exhaustion, have the strength to fight a Titan like Kronos?

Kronos pushed against her, trying to dislodge his blade, but she held him in check, her arms trembling as he forced his sword down toward her neck.

“Your mother,” Annabeth grunted. “She saw your fate.”

“Service to Kronos!” the Titan roared. “This is my fate.”

“No! Annabeth insisted. Her eyes were tearing up, but I didn’t know if it was from sadness or pain. “That’s not the end, Luke. The prophecy: she saw what you would do. It applies to you!”

“I will crush you, child!” Kronos bellowed.

“You won’t,” Annabeth said. “You promised. You’re holding Kronos back even now.”

“LIES!” Kronos pushed again, and this time Annabeth lost her balance. With his free hand, Kronos struck her face, and she slid backward.

I summoned all my will. I managed to rise, but it was like holding the weight of the sky again.

Kronos loomed over Annabeth, his sword raised.

Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. She croaked, “Family, Luke. You promised.”

Perseus Jackson is not the hero of the prophecy. Neither is Thalia. We always assumed it had to be one of them. When Thalia joined the Hunters, it HAD to be Percy. In all my life, I've never been as shocked as I am right now. I, Luke Castellan, son of Hermes, am supposed to be the hero of prophecy!

I see it too, Annabeth! Gods, you're so smart! I'll do it! Please! I'll do it! I swear I'll save you all! But, oh Gods, you'll never give me a weapon! I can't say anything. I cup my hands around my eyes like a visor and sink into my chair. I know the others in the room are looking at me now. I can't bear to look back.

”...The line from the great prophecy echoed in my head: ‘A hero’s soul, cursed blade shall reap.’ My whole world tipped upside down, and I gave the knife to Luke.

Grover yelped. “Percy? Are you...um...”

Crazy. Insane. Off my rocker. Probably.

But I watched as Luke grasped the hilt.

I stood before him – defenseless.

He unlatched the side straps of his armor, exposing a small bit of his skin just under his left arm, a place that would be very hard to hit. With difficulty, he stabbed himself.

It wasn’t a deep cut, but Luke howled. His eyes glowed like lava. The throne room shook, throwing me off my feet. An aura of energy surrounded Luke, growing brighter and brighter. I shut my eyes and felt a force like a nuclear explosion blister my skin and crack my lips.”

I don't want to die. I've never wanted to die. But what's being told to me sounds like a much better end to my life than I could have hoped for. The last words I'll ever speak will be directed to Percy.

He gripped my sleeve, and I could feel the heat of his skin like fire. “Ethan. Me. All the unclaimed. Don’t let it...Don't let it happen again...”

His eyes were angry, but pleading too.

“I won’t,” I said. “I promise.”

Luke nodded, then his hand went slack.

I struggle to keep myself together as I hear myself beg Percy to not let what happened to me and Ethan happen to anyone else. Then I'm dead. Gods, I’m DEAD. I destroyed Kronos. I really destroyed the bastard! I suddenly look up and glance around the room. They're all looking at me. I'm sure my eyes are all red now and I must look like I'm about to lose it. Just as suddenly, I turn back to the radio and hold out a hand. I want to hear every last word of this. Delaying everyone's reaction is just an added benefit.

The gods offer Percy immortality. I'm not surprised. Percy has accomplished more than any other hero, including the ones from ancient times. But he refuses. I can see why. The way Percy describes Annabeth has shown everyone how he feels about her. I can also understand NOT wanting to live as an immortal, especially with the Olympians. Instead, he makes them swear on the River Styx that they claim their children and honor the minor gods. He's using his hero's reward to fulfill my dying wish. Percy! I can't even describe how I'm feeling. I just try and keep my face blocked from view and breathe. It's only my need to hear everything that keeps me together.

Percy tells me about my own funeral.

My father leads the procession, and the Fates themselves deliver my remains to the Underworld.

Then finally the jukebox falls silent.

[OOC: Gathering-style. Excerpts are from “The Last Olympian” by Rick Riordan.]

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Bart looked down at his hands, trying to think how to say it. He always seemed to put things in a way that made people get their backs up, and he didn't know why.

"You made a tough choice, and followed through with it," he said. "And because of what you tried to do, you inspired. The gods admitted they made a mistake, right? Too little, too late, but you did it."

It was more then alright for Luke to take a minute as Gabrielle needed one as well. She hugged him tightly as she cried into his shoulder, cried for the young man who had proved himself a hero but had to die in the process.

"I couldn't not." She said softly, leaning her forehead against the side of his head in a gesture of comfort. "I'm just glad you've finally seen what I have all along." The 'before the end' no doubt hung in the air, but she wasn't about to give voice to it.

I give a small, but sad nod.

"They swore on the River Styx. I just hope it lasts.."

I gaze out across the island.

"Having their mountain of paradise pretty much leveled might've gotten their attention too," I add with a slight curl of my lip.

I turn my head back to Bart.

"Hey." She sat down next to him, the small bump in her belly becoming only slightly more obvious.

"I heard what happened." She knew that part was obvious, but it made a good reference. "I can't say I'd encourage suicide in battle, but under such circumstances, I see the necessity."

To prevent an even greater evil: yes, she saw the need for such actions, as painful as they were to the survivors.

"All I ever did was screw up," Bart admitted. "Even my best friends don't really trust me with anything important. Well, Tim did, but he understood how much changed after..."

He sighed, brushing the topic away with one hand. "So, jealous."

I can't help losing a few tears and sobbing a bit.

"It's been so hard.. every day here... with the guilt..."

Could I finally be at ease with my guilt? Would what I do in the future forgive me for the things I did in the past? I don't know. I couldn't allow myself hope, because I was afraid there was no chance at all.

"I was jealous of all of you at Young Justice, Bart."

The quick admission is something I'm not used to. I don't normally tell people things like this. Did everyone think I was being moody just because I'm a jerk?

"You had each other. You were free. I'm sure your lives aren't easy either, but you have people who care about you. I don't trust anyone. At least... I didn't."

Maybe that could change. If I have time.

"The gods would've deserved it. I could've destroyed Olympus. But Annabeth is special to me. She and Percy forced me to see what I was doing and gave me the chance to stop. I don't want to die, but..."

I just finish with a shrug. I don't know if she understands. Since she heard a lot, I'd like her to understand.

"Free. You never met our government-supplied baby-sitters," Bart said, but he smiled a little. "Young Justice existed because nobody else trusted us. All we had was each other. And a big Secret. That was Cassie's memories of things, before it all fell apart. The team almost didn't survive. Wouldn't have survived if not for people like Cyborg and Beast Boy and Starfire."

I don't know a lot about their lives. A different world, and a different story. I give Bart a small shrug. If he wants to be jealous of me, that's up to him.

"Tell Cassie I'm sorry for giving her a hard time, alright, Bart?"

Who knows if I'll be here tomorrow to tell her? Besides, she probably wouldn't want to hear it from me anyway.

"If she'll even listen to me," Bart said, sighing slightly.

He thought about it for a long moment, then added, "Dying isn't so bad, you know. Well, doing it hurts, but at the end, it's okay. When you know you did the right thing."

Yep. Daughter of Zeus. Say no more. I lived with Thalia for a long time and know the type.

"What do you mean, 'dying isn't so bad?'"

"Personal experience," Bart said. "I died back home, well, the me that was older did. It's complicated. I tried to get back to save Kon, but it didn't work, and I wasn't supposed to be then because I had to help stop the guy who killed Kon when he returned in the future."

He knew how crazy it sounded, but the truth wasn't ever as straightforward as people wanted when it came to his life. "For me, it's been almost three years since Young Justice broke apart. Since we got Donna and Omen killed by jumping the gun."

"No," I said. And I surprised myself when it just came out like that, but I meant it. "No, we shouldn't have to hide from each other, especially after all that."

I took a deep breath, held it, then let it go. "It's awkward. It'll be awkward for a long while but... Annabeth believed in you. Long after everybody else gave up, she believed in you. And she was right. She should have been here to hear that."

Aphrodite's all set to breeze on by the rec room and head outside, but as she passes, she hears Percy's voice, sounding like he's telling some kind of story. It makes her stop and turn, and when she sees the three of them sitting there listening she almost says something, but the looks on their faces make her wisely stay silent.

By the time the story reaches its end, and Luke's funeral is being described, Aphrodite's never been more ashamed of her grandfather.

Luke is heading out of the room almost before she realizes what's happening, and Aphrodite hurries after him, pushing her way outside just in time to see him disappear around the corner. There are tears in her eyes as she moves silently to lower herself to the ground next to him. "Luke," she says softly, no pity in her voice at all, only compassion as she puts a gentle hand on his shoulder.

After she leaves Luke, Aphrodite goes to find Percy. It takes her a while longer, but she eventually sees him on the beach. It seems fitting, she thinks, the son of Poseidon coming here.

Aphrodite kicks off her sandals and walks up behind her cousin, her hands settling at his biceps as she rests her chin lightly on his shoulder. "Hey, Perce," she says softly, and she can imagine a little of what he's going through right now.

I watch Aphrodite come up to me, sit down and lay a hand on my shoulder. This was an enemy? Was I blind? If Dad were here, would he act different to me?

"Aphrodite. I'm sorry."

There are tears in my eyes, and I don't care about hiding it.

"I'm so sorry."

I tensed a little. For a half second, I thought it was Annabeth who'd hugged me. But then I realized it was Aphrodite, and I forced myself to relax. I'd seen her in the rec room. I knew she'd heard. She was a part of this. And, besides, I kind of needed a hug right now.

"Hi, Aphrodite," I said. "You doing okay?"

"Gods, Percy..."

He is going to forgive me, isn't he?

"Are you telling me that there's some chance you'll forgive me? You're really going to..."

Got choked up again...

"...fulfill my last request?"

Percy would, wouldn't he?

I know from hanging out a little with Bart at Young Justice and here and there on the island that his stories quickly get complicated and confusing.

"Bart," I tell him, "you'll have to tell me more later. I've got a lot on my mind right now."

I find myself wanting to hear more. Maybe I'll start to care about people more after this.

I looked over at Luke a long moment. At first with him, it had been simple. For the longest while, I couldn't understand what Annabeth still saw in him and, frankly, I'd been jealous of that. But even before I came here, things were getting complicated. And things had gotten a lot more complicated the moment Luke arrived here. There was the clear difference between him and what he was like when Kronos possessed him. There were the words I shouted at him during that Halloween. Time had passed. We were warriors, but we had kept the peace.

And most of all...

"Yes," I said. "It's what Annabeth would have wanted."

Then I gave a brief chuckle. "But one of these days I am going to kick your ass for the pit scorpion."

Sonya was only vaguely familar with how the gods were in Luke's world, but if they were anything like she had read-she couldn't blame him for saying they deserved it.

"No one really wants to die in war," She said. "But it happens, and only idiots join in thinking beyound a doubt that they'll live through it."

"It also takes an incredibly strong will to fight influence of that sort and do the right thing." Even if it did involve sacrifice, she added mentally.

Sonya had never been possessed herself, but she had read that the princess Kitana had started fighting her step father's influence. How much of that was true and how much was just the 'game', was yet to be determined-but she couldn't imagine someone as Shao Kahn being easy to turn your back on like that.

"I get you," Bart said, glancing off, his gaze more turned inwards than actually seeing things. "If you want to talk sometime, well, I think the statue out by the treehouse is obvious enough for a landmark."

I let out a breath and grin when Percy mentions the pit scorpion. That was pretty nasty.

"Maybe I should train you up so that you can. Chiron's not here, and I built a whole bunch of training stuff near my hut while I was bored."

I look at Percy fondly.

"Things should be different between us now, Percy. We should be friends."

"He's owned me for years, you know. Kronos. I was at a low point, and he talked me into betraying the gods. Ever since then, I thought my only real option was to follow him. I'd given up. I didn't think I could come back from that."

I shift my legs and look away some more.

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Don't Let It Happen Again...

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