POV: Percy

Percy and Annabeth stumbled over the crest of the last hill, Annabeth leaning on him heavily as her ankle almost gave out.

There, in the valley below them were the doors of death.

Their goal for their trek across the entirety of Tartarus and they were finally here.

They radiated a dark aura that made him want to shrivel up and hide, but he couldn't.

Gaea's army was at their backs and they had no time to dawdle. They had to release the doors. Percy had to save Annabeth.

Flashback:

The crew had just finished discussing what they knew about the doors of death. But all through the meeting Nico had looked strange. He initially shook it off as memories from his own time in Tartarus, but now as Nico called him back after the meeting had ended, Percy knew something was wrong.

"What's up?"

Nico's face looked pale, and he was finding it hard to meet Percy's eye.

"The doors of death must be closed from both sides at the same time".

Nico finally met Percy's eyes, and Percy was shocked at the incredible sadness he saw in the younger boy.

He was confused at first, but then the reality of that statement sunk in.

"You mean— Somebody has to stay behind in Tartarus".

It wasn't a question so much as an echo of Percy's own thoughts. But Nico nodded his head anyway.

End of Flashback:

Percy had been planning to sacrifice himself and jump into Tartarus anyway, but when he and Annabeth fell in together, Percy knew that he had to save Annabeth.

And it would be the most painful thing he would ever have to do.

He had never told Annabeth, knowing that she would never allow him to stay behind by himself. But the crew needed her. Without her they would never win in the war against Gaea.

And yet there had been so many times when Percy had almost told her. So many times when he was almost selfish beyond compare and had asked her to stay with him.

But he knew that would be suicide. And to ask her to stay with him would only serve in killing her along with him.

No... this was the right call.

Together, they ran across the valley towards the doors.

They were big and heavy. Decorated with black obsidian and silver.

They could hear the sounds of a battle raging on the other side, and were thankful to see all their friends fighting on the other side, alive and well.

"Nico!"

Percy yelled through the doors, drawing the attention of the other boy.

Nico was the only one that Percy had told about his plan, and he made eye contact with the boy as last minute confirmation.

He gave a nod, so tiny it almost wasn't there. But it was enough.

Nico called a few of the others over and they pushed on their side of the doors while Annabeth and Percy pushed on their own side.

It was extremely heavy, and took almost all of their strength, but it moved.

They pushed until the crack between them was justthere was only a gap just wide enough for a person to squeeze through. And then, with a shared glance, both Nico and Percy stopped pushing.

"What are you doing? We're almost done. We're almost free", Annabeth said, shooting him a look.

He leaned down and their lips met. A sweet kiss. Their last kiss.

"I will always love you, Annabeth".

"I love you too. I don't understand. What's going on?", she asked, a little bit of hysteria creeping into her voice.

Percy had a feeling that she knew exactly what was going on, but she just didn't want to believe it.

"Goodbye, Annabeth".

With one last fond look, he shoved her through the gap where the others were waiting.

"No!", she cried out, fighting agains them.

But it was too late. With one last big shove, the doors closed with a loud bang.

Percy turned to face the oncoming army. They had just crested the hill, and hearing the bang from the closed doors grew even more enraged.

He knew there was nothing he could do. He wouldn't try to fight. He had saved his wise girl. That's what mattered most to him in the end.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the doors, Annabeth broke down.

The bang of the closed doors rang through her ears and refused to go away. Their finality was eternal, like death was supposed to be, but she just couldn't accept that he was gone.

"No! No, Percy don't do this to me! Percy! Don't leave me! Don't leave me…".

Her voice gradually grew quieter and quieter until she was silent. The battle raged on around her, and her friends were somewhere in the mix, but she could only sit there, numb.

Percy was gone. And he could never come back.

She didn't realise when the sounds of fighting stopped and her friends came over.

Silent tears were running down her face, and when Piper touched her shoulder she couldn't take it anymore and burst into tears.

Two Years Later:

Heat blistered his skin, and he screamed so loud the cavern he was being held in shook. The lash came down once again on his back, bringing with it the now normal smell of burnt flesh.

Tears dripped down his face as his torturers laughed at him.

"Weak godling. How did you ever defeat me?".

The voice of Kronos rumbled above him.

Below him, the pit of lava spit and churned, as if wanting to grab him and pull him under.

The heat was unbearable. Even when he wasn't being punished painful blisters formed on his skin.

The spirits of Gaea and Kronos laughed at him from high above, taunting him.

Something began to bloom in the pit of his stomach. Something almost as hot and unrecognisable as the molten rock below him.

Hatred. Pure hatred.

He wanted to kill his torturers. He wanted to torture them just as they had tortured him.

He reached out with his powers, looking for something, anything that contained even the smallest amount of water that he could use.

But there was nothing. They had been sure of that.

Despite their taunts and claims they could see how powerful this demigod really was, and they made sure that there was nothing that he could use around him.

He struggled within his bonds, but any movement his made just caused unimaginable pain to fire through him.

His bones and joints, broken, beaten, battered.

He should just give up, accept his fate like he had so long ago.

He would have to, just let himself hang there, defeated. But suddenly a cold wind swept through the cavern.

Blessedly cold, healing, it cooled his skin and made him sigh in relief.

He was confused, though.

Where had that come from?

His torturers suddenly stopped their laughing and gasped audibly.

With all the strength he had left he looked up. There, a being he didn't know hovered in front of him.

Its body was pure black, and its eyes seemed to be made from the stars themselves.

The others above him seemed to be scared of the being, but he wasn't.

It hovered above him, glaring at his captors. (as much as a being with stars for eyes could glare).

But then it turned its eyes on him, and he saw the strangest thing.

The being seemed to shift between a woman and a man, its eyes were intimidating, and yet he knew that it was here to help him.

"Hello, half-blood. My name is Chaos, the creator of the universe. I have seen what has been done to you and I am here to rescue you".

With that it touched a forefinger to his forehead, and a feeling of cold washed over him. So blissful it seemed that even his injuries stopped hurting for a moment.

He heard the anguished cries of his torturers as he was taken away.

But he didn't register much beyond that. He couldn't. Why should he? Finally a feeling of cold comfort was washing over him and he let it.

That was the last thing he felt before he vision went black, and he slipped into a blissfully dreamless sleep.