Again, I'm just going to say this. High school teens=swearing so warning, swearing.

Also, this chapter goes into some serious mental health issues so if you are one to get triggered by that be careful.

Percy

"Percy, I invited the group over for the night and we were wondering if you would like to join. I think it will really help you relax and get a few things off your mind," Jacob told me hopefully as he walks next to me.

That would mean I would have nightmares around them. That would mean they would see the scars that I cover up with my clothes.

"No,I have to look after my dog," I replied, unable to say the true reason I am not going.

"You can bring her, my parents are away so they can't say anything about it. It just means my dog gets some company." Jacob's parents were always away, I guess I was slightly lucky to have...don't say their names. Don't think of them. Don't think of the message.

Now I need another excuse. The misery I feel cannot be revealed. The ache in every step I take without them beside me. The agony in every word I say that won't be replied to by their angelic voices. The anguish within my mind as I battled the will to keep going. Most of all, the pain that cascaded down my arms from the wounds that I won't let heal.

It was my fault they died. My fault they can never walk in the moonlight again, to tell the stars hello and give the sun a warm smile.

"I can't go," I replied. Gently cradling the marks running along my arms. Some fresh, others only irreversible scars.

"You are going, end of discussion. I'll see you at five, bring Bella. Don't let me down," he added. Why did he have to say that? Don't let him down, don't give him the false sense of hope that I've given out like a gift to so many others.

I shouldn't go, but a part of me wants to. I wanted to be left alone by the gods. I wanted a normal life. This is the definition of a normal life. "Fine."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - time skip to 5pm- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I stared up to the mansion. This is it, no turning back. I looked down towards Bella, her facial expression communicating her words to me. Well? What are you waiting for?

I took in a deep breath. Here goes nothing. I reached out and touched the doorbell, it only took Jacob a couple of seconds to answer the door. As soon as he saw me his face lit up in delight, he wouldn't be happy if he knew how mad misfortune I bring with me, like bag that I need to carry around and place on everyone else to take the burden whenever I let my guard down and can no longer take care of it.

"Percy!" He yelled in excitement, pulling me into one of those bro hugs. Like the ones I used to always do with Jason...used to. Why did I let him leave?

"Macy and Ryder are inside, Charlie is yet to arrive. Probably with some boy," Jacob said. "Come inside."

He moved his body to the side, and I walked in with Bella at my heel. "Where should I put her?" I asked, pointing towards my dog.

"We're all in the backyard, so bring her with you." I followed him through his large house, his wealth staring me at the face as I compare it to my one-bedroom apartment. I am unable to get a job because of my constant spacing out, the only money I have was from selling most of my stuff and my parents large apartment. I couldn't afford to keep it. The memories haunted me.

"She won't leave me alone," I hear a male voice when Jacob opens the glass door. I take off Bella's leash and let her play with Jacob's dog, a German Short haired Pointer, before turning to the person's voice.

"That must suck," Macy replies.

"What are you guys talking about?" Jacob asked the two, sitting at a wooden table eating some chips.

"Tina," Ryder replied and shoved some chips in his mouth.

"Oh," I replied and sat down, not at all interested in hearing this conversation.

"Remember when she used to hit on Percy non-stop?" Macy spoke.

"Yeah, that was annoying. Wasn't it Percy?" Jacob attempted to get me involved with the conversation.

"Yes," I simply replied, a lack of emotion clearly evident in my voice.

A buzz ringed into the air, and I look towards Jacob who is holding his phone.

"Charlie's out front, I'll go get her." He stood up and left the rest of us in the backyard.

"So...I have a deck of uno cards, who wants to play uno!" Macy said so enthusiastically that I started to regret my decision to come here tonight.

"Sure," Ryder replied and rolled his eyes. I shrugged and Macy clapped her hands, dealing out the cards to each of us.

Halfway through the first round Jacob came back with Charlie following him closely behind. They both grabbed some cards and we ended up playing uno for hours. Yelling to each other about which colour the cards should be, about having to pick up multiple cards due to everyone else ganging up on them. For the first time in months a smile came to my face that wasn't forced. I let myself forget about the pain; I was happy.

The dark surrounded us as we played through the night, this game is ridiculously addicting. Around 9 pm Jacob ordered us some pizza and now the time was reaching midnight.

"We should stop," Macy said with reason.

"After this next game. I am totally going to beat all of you," Jacob said with only two cards left. I looked down at my hand, still having five cards to get rid of.

"You wish," Ryder scoffed whilst calling uno, signalling he is on his last card.

"Pick up four," Charlie told me. I sighed and grabbed four cards, all useless.

"What colour?" Jacob asked Charlie impatiently.

"Yellow," she replied with a shrug.

"I win motherfuckers!" Shouted Jacob, slamming down two yellow fives.

Charlie frowned, "damn it. I was so close."

"Can we please go to sleep now?" Macy begged the group. Her eyes struggling to stay open after she yawned for the millionth time tonight.

"Yeah. I'll show you guys to where you can sleep," Jacob responded, packing up the uno cards. I said a quick goodbye to Bella than followed the group into the house. He led us to the lounge room that was absolutely massive. This house was huge.

"Two of you can sleep on the couches. The other two on the floor, there are blankets and stuff in the cupboard around the corner. I'm going to my room, night." Jacob turned around and left us in the room.

"Dibs the couch," Macy said selfishly and laid down.

"I'll take the other couch," Charlie added quickly.

Ryder grunted, "how is that fair?"

"It just is," Charlie said back with sass. I looked at Macy and she was already asleep on the couch. No blanket, no pillow. She hadn't even changed clothes.

"I'll go get some blankets," I said and left to go around the corner. I opened the cupboard and found our blankets and a few pillows. I returned and handed them out to each of my friends.

Charlie left to get changed in the bathroom while Ryder just stripped down in the lounge room, not caring who saw. I wish I had that confidence. Instead I'm not even bothering to get dressed, my pyjamas exposes too may scars. I've slept in much worse scenarios.

I sighed as I laid down on the carpeted floor, pulling the blanket on top of me and resting my head on a pillow. It's going to be a long night. I can't let myself fall asleep.

"See ya in the morning," Ryder told both me and Charlie as she walked back into the room, now in her pyjamas.

It only took them a few moments to surrender to the world of dreams, while I was left battling it out. I have no idea how long I laid there, it seemed like hours. But for someone with ADHD, hours can be seconds.

I couldn't help but let my mind drift of to them. The good times we had on the Argo II. The aroma of chocolate cookies that welcomed me home. The songs we had sung around the camp fire. I willed myself not to cry from the thoughts of my best friend's wide smile, her eyes studying me with such curiosity. The saddest moment in life is when the people who gave you the best of memories becomes a memory.

If I just closed my eyes for a moment, then it should be fine. Right? It never is right.

"Hey wise girl," I spoke to the beauty with blonde locks.

She smiled at me, "hey seaweed brain. When did you get here?"

"Just now," I replied.

"Oh, I think Jason wanted to talk to you."

"About what?" I questioned.

"He said guy stuff, but I think he wants to ask you for advice on Piper."

"Piper?" I said confused at where this conversation was going.

"Yeah, I've seen the way he has been acting around her. He definitely wants to ask her to marry him." I sighed.

"Wise girl strikes again," I chuckled. She leaned into me, resting her head on my shoulder.

"How much further?" she said out of no where.

"What?" my brain not processing her words correctly.

She rolled her eyes, "how much further till we reach the doors?" I look over to her again, but now her face is scratched, bloody and bruised. Her arms and legs were shaking as her muscles attempted to keep her standing.

"I-I don't know," I stuttered.

"Without the doors I'll die. Do you want me to die?" She asked, hurt evident in her voice.

"No, of course not," I responded. The area around us has started to fade into the pitch-black cavern that I knew too well.

"Then help me find the doors or else we will die." We? I looked around and saw the seven, Grover, Rachel, Nico, Reyna and my parents standing there looking at me as if I were sucking out the hope in their lives.

"Why are you letting us die?" they chanted in unison. I don't know.

I tried to reach out and grab them, to just hold onto one of their hands, but I couldn't. They turned into dust between my fingertips, becoming just a pile of bones on the floor.

No, no, no. This can't be happening.

"No!" I screamed until my throat was raw.

"You're a coward," a voice echoed through my mind. Male and familiar. It was his voice, Tartarus's voice.

"You let them wither into a pile of dust. You let them die, over and over again. Not once trying to stop it. You are a coward."

"I'm sorry," I said, not knowing to who. To everyone in a way. Everyone who came in contact with me.

"Sure, you think you are, but don't worry I will make sure you feel sorry." That's when I start to realise...that maybe this isn't my ordinary nightmare.

He walked towards me, the spiral of darkness swirling across the area in which a face should be. His talon hands reached out towards me, I couldn't back away. I couldn't move as he cut through the layer of skin on my arms. I was weak, frozen from fear.

"I cannot kill you, not in your dreams. But I can make you feel their pain. That's what you wanted wasn't it?" He asked. I looked down to my skin, to the scars that couldn't hide the self-inflicted pain.

He brought his hand away from my body, which was kicked down to the floor. The impact caused me to start coughing, I could taste the blood as it poured out of my mouth. If I just woke up, I would be saved. But deep down I knew I deserved this.

Tartarus lifted his leg up again and brought it down upon my body, over and over again. His black iron boots, starting to break bones in my body. I couldn't help the screams of pain as I cowered into a ball of fear. The pain was overwhelming, taking over every sense I had. The weirdest part is, that I liked it.

Eventually I screamed myself awake.

The pain didn't leave my body. I could still taste the blood on my lips. Though the scenery had changed. I was in a room, lit up by a high hanging chandelier. There were four people standing there looking at me, two females, with tears across their faces. Two males, in absolute shock.

I shoot myself upright from the floor and immediately regretted it. My core was set on fire and my vision became disorientated.

"Percy?" Macy's voice whispered, unsure of herself. I need to leave. I lifted myself off the ground, stumbling onto the wall. Barely able to hold myself up. Jacob rushed to my side to try and help me regain balance.

"Don't touch me," I snarled aggressively as he came close. The image of them turning to dust by my touch fresh in my mind.

Jacob hesitated and stopped approaching me, unsure on what to do. I placed majority of my weight against the wall and used it to help me walk. Though I was certain my ribs were broken, my stomach bruised and bloody, my arm drenched in blood. Every step was like walking through the river Styx, but so much worse.

I managed to make it outside to where Bella was, her tail was not waging as she rubbed herself gently against me. Limping back into the house with my dog, I decided what I had to do. There was no other option. I needed to go back to Hogwarts and complete the prophecy. I needed to be the one to make the choice.

I hated it, but Tartarus was right about one thing. I wasn't even trying to prevent the deaths of practically the entire world population. That was the one thing that pained me the most.

I will not wallow in self-pity any longer. I will not shed one more tear. I will destroy each and everyone one of my enemies. I swear it on the river Styx, I will have my revenge.

Jacob

"H-he, the wounds..." Macy stumbled not knowing what to say. I didn't either. I probably looked retarded with my mouth hanging open, I've never seen Percy so angry in my life. His eyes were darker than a midnight storm, waves swirling with hatred.

"We can't just let him walk away," Macy announced to the group.

"More like limp away," Charlie added, looking at the boy limping away from my house, with his faithful dog at his side.

"We'll follow him, make sure he's okay," I decided.

"We don't even know where he is going. For all we know the trip could take days," Ryder pointed out.

"There's only one way to find out. I'm going to get my dog, meet me out front," I told them and walked out the door.

God help Percy Jackson. I pray he isn't doing anything too reckless.

This was a long chapter. What a weird way to end the second book of the trilogy. When writing this, I went back to the first book and realised how dark this story has become. Whoops. Anyway, I have no idea when I will start the next book, and I will try to make it more exciting and less depressing than this one.

Thanks to anyone who has read this far into the series it means a lot to me. Special thanks to those who commented and voted.

Adios amigos