"Hey, mom! Guess what I learned today?" the little eight-year-old me cried as he bounced up and down excitedly upon leaving the school. I was wearing a blue striped shirt and some cargo shorts, my backpack dragging behind me. I had been so excited to leave and tell her what I'd learned that day in school that I hadn't even had time to throw it over my shoulder and onto my back before rushing out of the classroom.

Mom bent down to kneel in front of me once I reached her. She didn't even seem to the care that the pavement was digging into her skin and dirtying her work outfit. "What did you learn darling?"

She had a bright smile on her face, and, at the time, I hadn't known why she seemed so much brighter that day. Now, I understood that she was thrilled that I'd finally found something that interested me. Since before that day, there was nothing that could catch my interest except for our annual trip to the aquarium, and I knew that my mom was worried.

"Today we went into the library for quiet time and we started reading a story about time travel! The librarian read it to us and everything!" My smile was wide and missing a few teeth, which only seemed to make mom's smile grow.

"Really, darling? What was this story called?" she asked.

"The Last Musketeer! It was amazing, mom! You should've been there!" I couldn't sit still as we got back to the car, and mom had to hold me down as she strapped me into my car seat, though she was smiling and laughing the whole time.

As she strapped herself into the driver's seat, she turned her head to the side slightly to show that she was talking to me. "I'm glad you had fun today, sweetheart. How about this: tomorrow afternoon, we'll go to the library and get you another book. I'll read it to you every night before my night shift. How does that sound?"

As a child, I hadn't been able to appreciate what my mom did for me, but in that moment, I was too excited to really understand the depth of what she was doing for me.

Time travel had always been an interesting concept to me. From the moment I'd first heard of it in the third grade, I was intrigued. Since that day, mom had gone out of her way to check books out of the public library, and together, she'd read a new chapter to me before bed. She never thought that my obsession was strange. Her belief made me feel normal, no matter what the kids at school thought.

I didn't know why these thoughts from my childhood were coming to the forefront of my mind, in the final moments of mine and Annabeth's battle against Kronos. The titan still had Luke Castellan under his spell, but Annabeth was convinced that she would be able to get through to him. I had my doubts that she would manage to defeat the King of the Titans with mere words, but it seemed to be working. A little.

I saw Luke eyes flash blue for a split second, but then they returned to gold so fast that I almost convinced myself that I'd never seen it. Rage was bubbling up deep within his soul - I could tell by the subtle changes on his face - and I knew that Annabeth would die if she continued what she was doing.

I interjected: "Luke! Look at what you have done. You've killed almost all of the demigods and Thalia is out there fighting for her life right now because of you!" I paused to take a breath as the reality of Thalia predicament weighed down upon me. My body moved without my approval, numb hands grabbing Annabeth's shoulders and pulling her away from Luke's trembling body.

"You've become no better than the gods in your attempts to distance yourself from their ways. You say that they don't care about their demigod children, that they sentence them to death, but you've done no better. You've killed them with your own blade, and that's something that the gods have never done to their own children. Luke, you wanted the gods to notice us, but at least they haven't enslaved us like Kronos and the Titans will do once they're in power again."

I could tell that my words had hit Luke right in his heart as an indecisive expression crossed his face. Silence overtook us and I finally heard my heartbeat. It was throbbing in my ears, so loud that I was shocked that I hadn't heard it earlier. My whole head felt like it was swelling with blood and my hands and feet felt cold. Luke could choose either of the two extremes. He would either save Olympus or destroy it. Just like the prophecy said. Rachel was right. I wasn't the hero, Luke was. The future of all gods and demigods with depending on this moment.

"Do it for us, Luke," Annabeth voice cut through the silence. She seemed to be struggling to speak, as her voice was croaky and raw. Looking down at her face, I saw that her eyes were red from tears and she had tear trails down her cheeks. "Do it for family."

Those words are what set him off. Luke's hand moved faster than I ever thought humanly possible. A dagger flashed - Annabeth's dagger. I acted on instinct, grabbing Annabeth and shielding her with my body - but I didn't need to.

Out of the corner of my left eye, I saw Luke removing his armour, his hands trembling and sweat dripping down his face.

He looked up and met my eyes, blue meeting green, and I understood. 'Take care of Annabeth,' his eyes were asking me. I nodded and a smile crossed his face before he plunged the blade into his arm, a mere six inches from his armpit.

His mortal point was a place I'd have never been able to guess, let alone hit. This was the only way to beat him.

I held Annabeth tighter as Luke's body slumped forwards limply. His head was turned sideways, staring at us blankly as the light left his eyes. Afterwards, I blamed the exhaustion for making me hallucinate, but I could see the silhouette of Thanatos hovering over him, ready to guide his soul to the afterlife to be judged. Or, at least, to the DOA Recording Studios so that he could hitch a ride with Charon. The ghostly god of death disappeared and I knew that Luke was gone.

I tightened my grip on Annabeth as she let out a stuttering sob. She was tense in my arms, staring at Luke's stiffening body with a look of pure anguish on her face. My heart clenched in my chest as I felt her sorrow coming off her in waves. She'd known Luke ever since she was seven. He'd become an older brother figure for her, but I knew that she'd come to love him as something more.

My heartbeat, which had been slowing, suddenly picked up again.

Something was wrong.

I could sense the malicious presence of Kronos' soul. It had disappeared in the moment that Luke had killed himself, but now it was back. How was that even possible? A loud, raspy voice sounded, echoing throughout the throne room. It seemed to be seeping from the cracks, slipping into my ears like poison. It wrapped around my brain in smoky chains, settling heavily in my head.

"Perseus Achilles Jackson!" I flinched at the pure rage in the voice. Kronos' voice. "You have crossed me for the last time! I hereby curse you eternal damnation, forever lost in the river of time! You will never return here and you will never escape my grasp! Everything you know and love will be gone forever and there is nothing you can do to stop it." Kronos' voice faded and was replaced by his laughter. Laughter that wormed its way into my brain. I'd never be able to forget that sound for as long as I lived. It sent shivers down my spine and raised the hairs all along my body.

I knew I was doomed. His ominous words left little to the imagination.

I felt my soul being ripped from my body, as if it was trying to escape its fate. I could not fight it. I saw the air in front of my rippling like a mirage, and knew that the curse was taking effect.

"Annabeth…" I whispered as I was pulled from her arms.

"Percy!" she cried. I heard her screams echoing in my ears as I was pulled through the vortex. I didn't want to leave her, not like Luke. Not right after she'd lost him, too, but I had no choice. I couldn't fight it. I was far too tired and the pull was too strong and too inviting.

My body dropped into… something. It was like a river, but instead of giving me strength, the water was draining me. Images flashed through my mind, so fast and so painful that I barely recognized that I was being pulled into the current, instead of with it. What was happening?

I barely had time to think before my body flipped. I hit what felt like a boulder and my vision failed. Everything faded to darkness.

"Get up, soldier!"

Percy jumped up. His body was airborne for a second before he felt his spine make contact with packed dirt. "Ow!" he groaned.

"Get used to it, princess! We're at war. What's a little bruise to a gunshot to the chest?"

That line caused Percy's eyes to snap open. 'Gunshot wound?' he thought. 'What?' He looked up, seeing a man in an army uniform standing over him.

1578

CSP2708

Dylan Walts