Percy cut Annabeth's head off for the second time, scowling. The blonde's body fell to the grass, but the same dull golden glow as before surrounded her body, and the head returned to its place. Then the body stood, and Annabeth smiled at him sweetly.

"Keep trying, seaweed brain~" she sang, flinging a small knife at him. Percy didn't react in time, and the black metal caught him in the shoulder. Immediately, he could feel the poison burning its way into his bloodstream.

"Just die already!" he screamed in rage, slashed across her chest with Riptide. He kicked her in the stomach and she fell backward, only to get back on her feet seconds later, her intestines slowly falling out of her stomach. The worse part was that in her eyes, she was begging for him to kill her. He lit his sword on fire and cut off an arm. She howled in what he thought was pain, but soon realized was actually pleasure.

"Yeah baby, I like it hot!" she yelled, grinning. Percy slashed at her other arm, cutting it away at the elbow. She howled again. Percy's vision was beginning to swim. He threw Riptide, then grabbed the silver chain and flicked his wrist, wrapping it around his fingers before clenching them. Riptide stuck in her skull as he closed the distance. He grabbed the hilt, yanking the blade out, and delivered a punch with the chain covered fist that was hard enough to shatter what was left of her skull. The body fell to the ground, limp, and he raised a foot before stomping down on the remnants of her skull. Anything that was left was destroyed with that blow. But he didn't know how much she could recover from, so he leapt backward and flicked his wrist toward her prone form. A bolt of fire lanced out from his fingertips, catching her body on fire. Moments later a bolt of lightning blasted down from the sky, hitting Annabeth's dead body directly. The shockwave launched the campers within fifty feet backward, off their feet, except Percy, who remained upright. There was nothing left of the blonde traitor but a small pile of black ash. Percy staggered backward suddenly, his strength ebbing tremendously. The poison was burning through his upper chest, almost to his heart, and he could feel his heartbeat slowing as he fell to his knees. Riptide slipped from his numb fingers, the silver chain followed it moments later. His armor was weighing him down, stifling him. He was sucking down air, but couldn't breathe. There was a dull thud, and he realized his head had hit the ground. His vision went black.

#

Chelsea and Nico were in the Big House when the team of six campers burst through the door with a black haired teen on a stretcher.

"Nico! We need to get to Olympus!" a blonde kid shouted. Chelsea's eyes narrowed, she stood up, trying to see who it was that had been injured. Nico didn't hesitate though, he nodded and followed the six out onto the marble slab. Chelsea caught a glance at the boy's face as they were leaving. Percy. She ran out onto the marble slab moments before it flared white, and then they were on Olympus. Nico took the lead, brandishing his nightmarish black sword in front of him and sprinting up the mountain, the six guys carrying Percy hot in pursuit, with Chelsea bringing up the rear. After a few minutes of desperate running, they reached a shining gold palace. Nico didn't even hesitate to kick the door down.

"Lord Apollo!" he bellowed. "We need you! Now!" he shouted. The six guys laid Percy on a hospital bed and stepped back, unsure of what they could do. Moments later a blonde guy in shorts and a t-shirt jogged in and froze, staring at Percy.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice serious. Chelsea got the feeling it wasn't usually that serious.

"He collapsed after the battle. There's a small wound, whatever caused it must have been poisoned." A blonde guy answered.

"This is bad." Apollo muttered, placing his hands on Percy's chest. Nico approached Chelsea somberly.

"Come on. Let's give Lord Apollo time to work. If anyone can save Percy, it's him." He told her, placing a hand on her shoulder. Chelsea didn't resist as he led her out of the temple. Three of the six who'd carried him stayed behind, presumably to help with the healing process. Chelsea and Nico stood in front of the temple for a few minutes.

"Do we wait here, or go back to Camp?" Chelsea wondered, shellshocked.

"It'd be best to head back to Camp." Nico sighed. "Apollo will come get one of us if he wakes." He added. With that, they slowly started walking back to Camp.

#

Chelsea stared out at the ocean somberly. The soft noise of the waves soothed her, helped wash away her stress. It'd been almost a month since Percy was rushed to Olympus, unconscious. He still hadn't woken up. Chelsea had been avoiding people, not wanting to hear whatever they might have to say to her, whether it be reprimanding her for what she did at the battle, or expressing sympathy for Percy being injured. She honestly didn't know what to expect, but she didn't want to hear anything, anyway. Her peace was interrupted by cheerful laughter coming from the distance. She slowly got to her feet and trudged back toward Camp, wanting to be alone. There was a sudden footstep behind her, and someone sighed.

"Turn around, kid." A familiar voice told her. It sounded like Mr. Red, that substitute teacher, but it couldn't possibly be him. She turned anyway, and her eyes widened. It was Mr. Red. He was staring at her with a sad look on his face, pitying her.

"Who are you?" she asked quietly.

"I'm your father, Chelsea." He answered. "Yeah, I was masquerading as a substitute teacher at your school while Percy was there. That's not important right now. The important thing is, there are some things that I can never make up for, most of those things I deeply regret. I have made many mistakes, had many children who, by all rights, the world would've been better without. You are not one of those children. You are not a mistake. Nor was my setting you up with Percy. I don't regret that. I do think, maybe, I could've trained him more. I could've prepared him better. Maybe then he wouldn't be hurt so bad. But the truth is, Chelsea, sometimes people just die. Sometimes, there's nothing anybody can do about it. So, with that in mind, I've got news." He took a deep breath. "He's awake." he told her. There was no smile on his face. "But as of right now, he's not going to last long. The poison was concentrated pit scorpion venom, and it made it to his heart. The only reason he's still alive is the sheer amount of godly energy in his body. There's nothing that can be done for him. He's going to die, Chelsea." Ares told her, his voice heavy.

"No." her voice cracked. "H-he can't die. He's the strongest! He's too good for that." She argued, tears burning her eyes.

"Come with me. I'll take you to see him." Ares offered her his hand. Chelsea took it, numb, and closed her eyes as they vanished with a flash of golden light.

#

Percy could feel the poison in his veins. Apollo had slowed it, numbed it, but he couldn't stop it. He wasn't sure whether he wanted to see Chelsea or not, or whether he wanted her to see him like this. There was a flash of gold and he snapped his eyes shut. When the light died down he saw Ares, then Chelsea. She was staring at him, unable to take her eyes off him.

"Hi there." He greeted her, his voice came out weaker than he wanted though.

"Percy." She gasped.

"It's not as bad as it looks." He smiled weakly.

"Y-you're dying." She stated. There were tears in her eyes.

"It was bound to happen eventually." He turned to look out the window. "I've always known that my death would be bloody, bloody and brutal. I would almost prefer dying in combat to laying here, helpless." He told her.

"B-but you can't die!" she yelled, her voice cracked.

"We can all die, Chelsea. I've been fighting for so long." His voice became tired, and his eyes glazed over, "My fight is finally over. The war is practically over, Olympus is safe." He sighed. "That has always been my goal." He added quietly.

"What about me? You're just going to abandon me here, all alone?" she asked quietly.

"I would like to continue living, believe me." He snapped. "But there is only so much a mortal can do with one life. I have burned bright and hard for so long. Longer than most. I am lucky to have survived this long." He sighed.

"Then keep living!" she argued.

"I don't have a choice, Chelsea." He sighed.

"Percy…" she stared at him, tears streaking down her face. "You know how I feel right? I mean, how could you not know?" she asked.

"I know." He answered plainly.

"I thought you felt the same." She whispered.

"Chelsea, just think of me as dead already. That's easiest for us all." He told her sadly.

"How can you say that? Am I just a stupid, weak, little girl to you? Just one face among thousands?" she yelled.

"Of course not!" Percy screamed at her. They stared at each other, breathing heavily. Their cheeks were flushed, whether with anger or embarrassment was unknown to both. "You were, are, everything to me!" the dam broke, and all of his feelings came forth. "You were the only girl I even glanced at in the past year! The only one I ever thought of as anything more than just a face in the crowd! You were special to me, precious to me!" he was crying too now.

"Then why are you saying I should act like you're already dead?" she screamed back. Percy winced suddenly, clutching at his chest. His own power had broken the enchantment Apollo had used to save his life when he started yelling. He coughed, and his hand came away covered in thick red liquid. He fell backward, unable to stay upright.

"Chelsea." He muttered, his hand rising a few inches but finding only air for a few seconds. Then there was a hand gripping his, and his eyes flickered open. Chelsea was there, staring down at him, clutching his hand. "Sorry." He muttered. He couldn't speak much louder than a whisper.

"It's okay Percy. Just hold on, okay? Apollo is on his way. He's going to fix you up and you'll be fine before you know it." She told him. He smiled weakly for a few seconds before it failed, pain spreading throughout his body from his heart.

"Chelsea. I have to tell you something." He whispered. She nodded and leaned down to hear better.

"I'm listening." She told him.

"I—" he choked on air and tensed for a moment before relaxing. His head lolled to the side, a tiny breath of air escaping his lips.

"Percy?" Chelsea asked, her eyes widening. She shook him desperately. "Percy wake up!" she yelled. "Wake up!" she screamed again, hysterical. Percy was still, there was no reaction. Apollo came and Ares pulled her away from him. A few minutes later, with Chelsea still struggling against her father's iron hard grip, Apollo sighed and turned to them, shaking his head. Chelsea stopped suddenly, just collapsing in her father's arms.

"Whoa, you okay?" Ares asked.

"Percy." She gasped. Tears fell down her face, and she curled into a ball as she sobbed.