“I didn’t know it then, but it would be the last time I ever visited the attic.” (51)
“Please, Percy…” Luke practically whimpered, fighting just to beg for death, for release from Kronos’ command of his body.
I moved towards him, his body was broken, but so was mine. We struggled towards each other, his knife, the cursed blade, in my hand. I understood then, I was not the hero, only he could end it all, Luke was the only one who could destroy Kronos. I flipped the blade and held out the handle for him to take.
His eyes flashed gold to blue his face full of pain, “I can’t do it, Percy-” Suddenly his eyes turned gold and through the pain he smirked, “You think you can kill me? I am the lord of Titans, father of the gods, I will not be killed by some second rate son of Hermes the upstart child of Poseidon!” Kronos snarled before his eyes changed back to Luke’s blue ones.
Suddenly I realized what Luke meant, he couldn’t kill Kronos, not when Kronos had become a part of him like that. Rachel was right then I suppose, I wasn’t the hero, it was Luke. It was him that understood in the end, he was the one who made the decision to end Kronos’ time in this world. He was the one to understand that power cancelled out power, he needed me, my power to end his life and Kronos’ with it.
“Together.” I said to which Luke nodded, confirming my suspicions. Shaking, he reached down to unlatch his armor just below his left arm. In those few seconds I found Annabeth and Grover, he had given her some ambrosia and healed a few of her wounds, as bad as they looked she would be fine with him, I knew it.
I met Grover’s eyes and gave the slightest nod before meeting Annabeth’s. I took it all in, her face smeared with soot, the torn shirt and scuffed sneakers, the worn necklace that held more beads than any other camper, her princess curls hastily tied into a ponytail, and her eyes. Gods, her grey eyes that were analyzing everything that was happening they seared a hole into my heart and gave me the courage to finally tell her, “Goodbye, Wise Girl.”
Her eyes widened as she realized what I was saying and tried to lunge forward to stop me. Luckily Grover was quick and grabbed her, holding on tight.
I felt a hand grip the handle of the knife and finally faced Luke. Together we plunged the blade into his side, while his hands fell limp I held on to make sure the blade stayed in place. Every part of me screamed to let go, Luke’s body began to burn up and I still held on. Then I felt why I was needed, Kronos was trying to suck the life from everything around him to heal the wound and it was working. Gathering my energy I called to the oceans, to my father willing a connection, I was met with the gust of the ocean wind, a spray of salt water, the whirling of a riptide, the slowly and steady recession of the tide on a warm summer’s day. It was all within me and then…it wasn’t. I pushed it all into Kronos all of my power, my memories, who I was all of it channeled into the Kronos through the cursed blade of Annabeth Chase.
Around me the air heated up, a light blinded me and then the world was dark. It wasn’t death though, not yet, I was laying on my back in the throne room holding onto life. Hair tickled my face just before Annabeth leaned over, light shining around her. She was crying.
“You’ll live, you’ll live, Percy please.” She cried over my body knowing that it wouldn’t be.
“Annabeth,” I croaked using the remainder of my strength. Her eyes snapped to mine, “I love you.”
Her body racked with sobs, but through the tears I heard her say, “I love you too Percy Jackson.” A figure appeared behind her, “Fate did not play in your favor, Perseus Jackson, come with me.”
He raised a hand in offering that I took, my soul rose from my body. I turned to see Annabeth cry out clutching my body Grover opposite her, looking on with tears streaming down his face. The palace doors burst open and the gods thundered in, Poseidon leading them.
“My son! Where is my son, I felt-” Poseidon faltered as he took in the scene in front of him. How it must’ve looked, Luke’s body surrounded by a charred circle, Kronos’ scythe nearby and my own body with Annabeth and Grover hunched over it. “No.” he whispered before shrinking himself to stroke my face, now cold with death.
“We need a shrine, the son of Poseidon is dead.” Grover choked out, to the gods and their children clustered at the door. It was the last thing I saw as the world faded to the darkness of the underworld.
That night a blue flag appeared above the Empire State Building, raised to half-mast.
so I was re-reading The Last Olympian and there’s the line at the top and I got so mad because it was super ambiguous. I had to text @teamperseus and just rant, but then I thought what if Percy was the hero? What if he had to die in some way to fulfill the prophecy? Anyways that’s the story, just a typical night of Percy dying I guess.
