~Percy~

I gripped the hilt of my sword, as though it were my lifeline. Blood and golden monster dust littered my clothes, as I stood breathless, in front of the center to all the misery. To the deaths that raged around me, like a never ending whirlpool of suffering.

And it all revolved around Gaea.

"Dirt Face" As we often called her, wasn't actually terribly ugly. In fact, in all truth, if she hadn't been an evil primordial attempting to take over the world, and rule it with her children, The Giants, I'm sure I may of "accidentally" gave her a second over.

Gaea had startling forest-green eyes, that appeared fierce and relentless, matching her really personality with ease. Her hair rolled down to her hips, in sleek black princess curls, clipped down at the top of her head by what seemed to be a halo of nature, especially designed for Mother Earth herself. Her dress, trailing behind her in what seemed to be a light green brides dress.

In other words, she would have likely made the Aphrodite cabin look like a bunch of muddy pigs at the fair grounds. And not the cute kind.

As startling as she was, her drama filled attitude definitely wasn't desirable.

As if to prove his point, Gaea brought her hand up to fling a few strands of hair behind her in matter similar to that of a teenage cheerleader after beating out the opposing team.

She then put the same hand on her hip before continuing. "So Perseus-"

"Percy." I corrected her, my eyes narrowing, and a small smirk playing out on my face, as I saw a flicker of annoyance behind her eyes.

She huffed, before continuing. "We finally meet." She looks him over, as though examining her next meal. It was very unsettling, though I didn't show it.

I exasperated a sigh, getting into the groove of annoying her with her own attitude. "Can we please skip the smack talk, and just get to the fighting?" I questioned, putting on a bore face. The only smack talk I ever liked was the kind that came out of my mouth, not theirs.

Gaea's eyes narrowed into tiny slits, as she huffed once more in annoyance. "If you wish puny demigod." She replied, but before either of them had moved, a ear-piercing scream rang out over the battle field, making Percy freeze in his tracks.

It was Annabeth, it had to be.

Gaea noticed this and smirked. "It seems you are once again too late to save the ones you love."

Under any other circumstance, I would have retorted, but I simply couldn't. That scream had torn through me like one of Apollo's arrows. I didn't care that I stood face-to-face with one of the world most insane, yet calculating people in the World.

I just needed my Wise Girl.

Of course, Geae choose that time to strike.

It was a rather cheap move, attacking your opponent while they were defenseless, but then again, this wasn't a game. This was survival, and to Gaea, all that mattered was winning.

It was only unfortunate for her that I had expected her to do so anyway. Sure, my mind had been elsewhere, staring across the sea of demigods and monsters in hope of finding Annabeth, but my ADHD had been focused on Gaea, if it was even possible to focus such a thing on the women.

Gaea, having formed a sword straight from the Earth around her, swung forward in an arch, attempting to cut me in two.

I just managed to yank my sword up into position, before Gaea's sword smashed against mine, bronze against bronze. My eyes flared with anger at the goddess, as I quickly shoved against Gaea's sword, bringing my own around in counter aimed at the goddesses throat.

Gaea leapt back, the tip of my sword ripping into the soft flesh of the goddesses neck. A thin line of anchorage trailed down her throat, as the shallow wound filled in the small space.

Without a moments hesitation, Gaea swung her sword once more in an arch, too blinded by her own rage to even comprehend what she was doing.

Bad mistake.

I duck down, dodging Gaea's sword, before bringing my own up, and stabbing through the warm flesh of Gaea's chest.

Time seemed to freeze, as Ripetide sliced through Gaea like butter. Immediately, Gaea dropped her sword, the weapon melting before it even reached the Earth. It was obvious I had won, but she hadn't yet lost the spark of ferocity in her eyes. In fact, it only seemed to intensify as her form began to melt ever so slowly, into the Earth in which she had emerged from.

I watched in disgust, as her features distorted, turning a muddy brown as they melted. Even if it was nothing more than what she had deserved, I couldn't help but feel sorry for Gaea. To be put back to sleep in such a horribly way was something I would not wish upon anyone.

A second scream pierced through the battle field, and it was only then that I took sight of my surroundings. The demigods were winning, yes, but not without a cost.

For laying only ten feet from me lay the severed head of Jason Grace.

The scream, belonging to Piper, held much grief for her lose, and it was clear to me she no longer wished to live without him. And so, it was with a heavy heart, that I dove back into the battle field in search of my own love, knowing that the next time I saw Piper it was more than likely that she would be reunited with Jason in Elysium.

My arms began to tire, as I continued to arch my sword in front of me, mowing down the monsters as though they were nothing. If only it had been this easy in the old days...

I blinding flare of light to my left caught my attention, as Blue flames lept into the air. Monsters howled and cried, but were cut off by their own firey deaths. Leo Valdez screeched in pure rage, as he channeled his emotions into his fire. The flames that licked Leo burned deadly hot, as grief filled his emotions. It was clear he had seen Jason's body, and possibly Piper's as well.

I watched in awe as Leo's flames spread throughout the battle field burning monsters to a pulp, and then burning the monster dust that would normally return to Tartarus, but now had no such hope.

I shook my head, as I realized the tole this must be taking on Leo. If he ran himself out too much, he could very well die himself. And that, was not an option.

He had let Piper pass, sure, but Leo still had many things to live for. Besides, even if he did die now, his soul would not join Jason's and Piper's in Elysium. No, thanks to the vow he took for Calypso, his soul would simply burn in the river Styx for all eternity.

Smartness Leo, smartness.

I ran forward, slicing through rows of monsters, while avoiding Leo's flames. Some might think it pointless, after all, his flames would have gotten there eventually, right? Wrong.

I watched knowingly, as Leo's flames sputtered out, followed only by the falling of an unconscious boy. It was admirable, Leo had taken out a good portion of the army, but they were still coming. And so, I decided I would use my own powers to my advantage.

I could hear the waves, slowly crashing onto the cliff side, in an attempt to reach the battle above. I could only think of my doings as helping the waves reach us, as a tug in my gut signaled the use of my powers, as son of Poseidon.

I did something I never thought I would again, as I dropped Ripetide next to me. I listened to it clatter against the cold rocky surface of the Earth, as the tug of the sea continued to intensify.

Palms up, and body shaking with power, I jerked my hands into the air, summoning power from the very depths of my soul, as I focused on the raging seas below. It was like no pain I'd ever felt, as I burned through the power I didn't even know I bestowed.

And that's when I saw it. They say hard work pays off, but I don't think they had this in mind when say so.

Before me, rising like a demon from the depths of Tartarus, came a wave like none other. With white foam constantly rolling within it, and the glow of the power that radiated off of its surface, it was certainly something of nightmare for a monster.

And it was under my control.

Now, I was never one for being "power hungry", but even I had to admit, it felt good having victory within my grasp. Well... if not for the immense pain building inside me, I would have called it somewhere along the lines of "good". Too bad nothing comes without a cost.

And that "cost" was what I felt now.

I was worse than bathing in the Styx, as power ran through me that shouldn't have even been there. The result was the burning within me, as the very power that belonged to me gnawed at my very soul.

Many would have said it was suicide. But me? I say its sacrifice, and everyone knows you can't move forward without sacrifice.

And with that thought in mind, I gathered the last of my strength, and at the same time used it, to jerk my hands in a forward motion, making my target the monsters before me.

It was amazing, the feeling of the water as it sprang past me. It was as though the world had sprung to life beside me, deciding to make me its leader. Many of the monsters simply froze, excepting there defeat, only to rise again another day. After all, my power didn't have the same effect as Leo's, burning through the dust that would resurrect them in the future. Though it was still very effective.

The seas erupted in gold, as monster burst into dust instantaneously. It was only out of pure luck that the ocean gave way to the demigods also crowding the blood bath known only as the battle field. Many gaped, while I simply gave a lopsided grin. You can't expect more form someone who had almost burned their very soul. Willingly I might add.

The weird thing was though, that as the seas died down, and the field cleared to reveal only dead or shaken demigods, I still had more. For what I saw that day haunts me, even now.

For there, laying on the field in front of me, was my Wise Girl, drenched in the very blood that belonged to her, the light long sense left her eyes.

While Annabeth had laid there, dying while her soul mate fought for his life with the remaining demigods though, she had felt only one thing. Pain.

Not the pain that sprouted from her chest, as her hands caressed the bronze dagger embedded in her chest, but rather the pain she felt as she stared at me, still suffering in my own way, as I desperately fought to keep my friends alive.

And there it hung, even now in death, behind her eyes the pain lingered. It stared straight into my battered soul, as her lifeless eyes lay on me.

I was done. I could take anymore. I thought I would go insane, but instead, I was faced with the scared that would forever mark me as broken. In my dreams, in visions. For all eternity, brokenness would mark me as its own...

~3rd Person~

Percy Jackson jolted awake, his skin plastered in a cold sweat, and his heart racing within his chest. His raven-black hair lay stuck to his forehead, as he recalled the events of his dreams. Three months ago, those very events took place. And now, three months sense then, the events still haunt him, awake or not.

Percy gazed blankly at the glowing numbers on the clock beside his bed, casting a blue light in the small cabin. The clock read the numbers: 1:03am ,and Percy groaned in the realization that he had went to bed only an hour before. It was hard to believe that such a dream could fit into the course of one hour, though not impossible. With his luck, it could have only taken him half the night to dream up his whole twisted life. It wasn't too unreal.

The horror of it all though, wasn't in the amount of time it took to dream it, or even of what it was about.

It was how undeniably vivid it was.

Every night, the same vision would calm back to him, all ending with the same vivid image as the last.

Staring into the empty pain filled eyes of Annabeth Chase. And that only the truth of it.

If he hadn't been so slow, perhaps he would have saved her. Maybe he would have saved Jason, and Piper, or Frank even... (A/N I know I didn't put it in there, but Frank died from a spear through the stomach, and Piper committed suicide)

Percy ran a hand through his messy hair, scrunching his nose at the sweaty feel of his own hair. Sure, he felt it every night, but it didn't mean he got any founder of it, then when he first felt it.

Percy sighed, sliding off of his bed with ease, seeing as he had kicked his sheets off in the middle of the night. He vaguely wondered why he bothered to put anything on his bed anymore, he would simply kick it off in the middle of the night anyway.

Shivering slightly in the cool air of his cabin, Percy undressed and stumbled into the shower. He would have thought sleeping would rejuvenate him, but it rather did the opposite for Percy, leaving him more tired and worn than when he had went to bed. At this point, it seemed almost a burden to own a bed anymore.

Percy turned on the water, allowing the hot water to flow down his spine, washing away the cold sweat of the night. Water was the one thing that comforted him anymore, yet at the same time it was the scariest thing he had ever laid eyes on. He never truly got over his fear of drowning, and after the incident in Alaska with the mud, he had never felt more scared of it in his life.

Still, he tolerated it, keeping his fear in check. He had to except his fear and move on. This was life, not a fairy tale.

After thoroughly washing himself, Percy stepped out of the shower and proceeded to get dressed. He needn't dry off with a towel, seeing as he was a son of Poseidon, and could simply dry himself with a flick of the wrist.

Despite Chiron's suggestion of getting sleep, Percy had no intentions of going back to bed. And so, when he was fully dressed, he decided he would simply take a walk around camp. Chiron had to have already gone to sleep, so there would be no one to stop him from taking a midnight stroll.

Percy opened the door to his cabin, stuffing his hand in his pocket in the action of checking to make sure Ripetide was still there. It was, and with that he walked out into the brisk Summer night.

It was only after a mindless walk forward, that Percy realized he was heading to the forest. Despite the fact that it was Summer, Percy felt a shiver rake his body. Something seemed... wrong. It was just one of those feelings, a "demigod feeling".

And so, as the adrenaline began to pulse, Percy began a brisk stride into the darkness of the forest, illuminated only my the silver lining of the moon. What he sensed wasn't danger, it was a sort of distress, almost like someone was calling out to him. Pleading for help.

Percy's "walk", soon turned into a full out sprint, as he raced to the center of the feeling, determined not to let another peron slip away thanks to his poor timing.

A slight breeze ruffled Percy's hair, as it brought with it the metallic odor he knew all too well.

It was blood. Seemingly fresh.

Percy pushed forward, his speed unwavering as he finally broke through the tree line of the forest. A voice in the back of his mind screamed at him to turn around, to get as far away from this place as demigodly possible. It unfortunate 99.9% of the time Percy completely ignores the voice.

It was only as he drew nearer, and the smell of fresh blood grew stronger, did he acknowledge the little voice, slowing down to a hesitant walk. His body tingled with dread, as he tried to recall the reason for coming to this shadowy place. At one in the morning, it definitely wasn't a place for a lone demigod to roam.

Percy squinted against the darkness, as he made out a small figure sitting against a tree. He sighed with relief, easily making out the figure to be Katie Gardener. She sat about fifty feet away from him, shadows covering her form. Percy suddenly wondered what she was doing out her by herself, but instead spoke a greeting.

"Jeez Katie, you scared me! I thought something might have happened to you..." Percy's words rang through the night, echoing throughout the forest without a reply to meet them.

Percy grew increasingly weary, as there came no response from the unmoving daughter of Demeter. His body responded with a chilling shiver, that danced along his spine with ease.

Percy took a shaky step forward, wishing he could have a clear view of the young demigod.

"K-Katie?" Percy tried again, his word shaking with desperation. This couldn't be happening. Not after everything that had happened.

There came no response, as Percy's stress levels sky rocketed. He tried to steady his breathing, telling himself that she was probably just messing with him.

The problem with that theory? Katie would never play with his emotions like so.

Percy straightened himself up, determined not to freak out over nothing. She was just messing with him! It wasn't anything more than a big joke...

Right?

Percy stepped through the brush, and coming to ten feet from Katie. He dare not go further, in fear of what he might find.

Percy took a deep breath, taking note of the pool of crimson surrounding the girl. It had to be fake. Seriously, who would attack them after they beat a freaking Primordial?!

Percy didn't even register his own lies, as he bent down, glancing at the face of Katie.

Percy gave a small yelp of shock, as he scrambled away from the newly discovered corpse. For there, between her eyes, was a glowing white dagger, coming in stunning contrast with the crimson that smeared her face.

Percy reached into his pocket, gripping Ripetide in its pen form. Even if he hadn't felt Katie's corpse, the heat that resonated off of her was enough to send him a message.

The body was fresh, and who ever did this was still close by.

Percy stood, spinning in circles, as he tried to locate the killer. It was only fortunate for him that said person had long sense gone. He had no intentions of killing his main target to night. No, that would ruin the fun of it all.

Katie had been right about one thing, this was indeed a game of cat and mouse. But who she had picked as the prey was wrong.

This game was much larger than Katie had thought, far beyond her. Sure, he had killed her, there for making her his victim, but that doesn't frame her as the prey.

No, the real prey here probably won't even be aware of which until the very end of his life.

Perseus Jackson was the mouse, and the killer the cat.

Its only unfortunate for the mouse that every game ends in the same way.

The predator kills the prey, and that is simply the truth of it all.