The Half-Blood Games | Percabeth

Chapter 26: Sacrifice

We stand there for a few minutes, panting. The lions seem to fade into the distance, and then it's just us, standing, the only sound our ragged breathing and the rapid beating of my heart.

My fingers clutch around my knife's handle, and his around his sword. There's a sombre look on his face, and I'm sure that there's one on mine. We both knew that this was coming, but being here, with the decision facing me, was almost too much to bear.

Only one of us was getting out of here alive. The question was; which one of us?

The people in the Capitol must be over the moon about this. What drama. It was rare that close allyships made it to the end; usually, they'd split up beforehand, and one or both of them would die. Percy and I weren't as lucky.

"Annabeth," his voice cracked.

"Percy," I replied. A tear slipped down my cheek.

Suddenly, Leo was standing in front of me, a knife in his stomach. I reached for him, and his form dissipated around my outstretched hand. It was an illusion, but the pain that shot through me from the memory of him was anything but fake, and the picture of Calypso felt heavy in my pocket.

I'd promised him that I'd win. That I'd deliver his message to Calypso. It had been his dying wish. But could I really kill Percy, or let him kill himself? I didn't know if I'd be strong enough to.

"Let me do it," Percy stated, taking a limping step towards me.

"No!" I protested. "Percy, I can't let you do that."

"You deserve it more than me," he replied, coughing up blood. "You deserve to go home, Annabeth."

"Not any more than you do," I retorted. "You have a family, Percy! A mother and a brother that love you. Think of them!"

"And what about your Aunt, then?" Percy responded. "Do you think that she'd appreciate you dying? Losing both her brother and her daughter to these games?"

"Of course not!" I yelled.

It would destroy her. But going back might just destroy me.

Suddenly, a lion's paw swiped over the edge of the Cornucopia, sinking it's piercing talons into Rachel's corpse and pulling her back over. I jumped back, and Percy had to grab me to stop me from falling over. The sounds of ripping flesh soon filled the air.

He was too close to me now. I could see every aspect of his face; the brightness of his sea-green eyes, the sharpness of his jawline, the cuts and bruises covering his tan skin, everything. There was a vulnerability and a hardness in his appearance, one that made him look far too human.

"Don't do that to your Aunt, Annabeth," he pleaded. "Please."

"And what about your mother and brother, Percy?" I yelled, wrenching myself out of his grip. "Do you want to make her see her son die on live T.V? To see that scene replay in her head for the rest of her life? And your brother, little Tyson. He'll blame himself for your death. You know he will! He'll spend the rest of his life thinking about what would have happened if you hadn't volunteered, if he'd been the one who'd taken your place, whose blood would have been spilt tonight. Do you want to do that to him?"

"You know I don't," Percy replied. There were tears on his cheeks now.

"Then don't do it, Percy," I pleaded. "Let it be me."

"And have to live with myself, knowing that your death was my fault?" he asked, grabbing the sides of my arms, staring me in the eyes. "I'd kill myself within weeks."

"So you wish that guilt on me?" I yelled. "Would you prefer that I was the one who'd hate myself? Who'd wish it had been me?"

"At least you'd have a chance!" Percy screamed. "A chance at a life, a real one. You're a genius, Annabeth. With that much money on your hands... who knows what you could do? You could change the entire world if you wanted to. No one would be able to stop me. But me? I'm just a fisherman's son. What could I do?"

"You're not just anything," I cupped his cheek with my hand. "You're an incredible man, Percy. I'm not any more of a genius than you are. If anyone is going to change the world, it's going to be you."

He smiled sadly. "I love you, Annabeth."

My breath hitched in my throat. Now that those words were said, they couldn't be taken back. They were dangerous and confusing and far too real for the situation we were in.

Without thinking, my mouth opened. "I love you too, Percy."

Surprisingly, I found the words to be true.

He brought his lips down to mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he wrapped his around my waist in an effort to pull each other closer. He tasted vaguely of salt and blood, and the taste was far from unwelcome.

The entire world faded. All there was was him. There was nothing else to focus on, to care about. He was all I had.

Before I had enough time to think about it, he let go of my waist and put his hands on my shoulders. I barely even opened my eyes until he pushed.

I took a step back from the force of it, confused. Why had he done that? The answer came to me a few seconds later.

Percy hadn't pushed me with the intention of killing me. He'd done it to kill himself.

There was nothing I could do but watch in horror as he fell off the side of the Cornucopia and into the swarm of lions below. I rushed to the side and leaned over, stretching out my hand for him, not caring that it could be mauled off. He had already disappeared underneath countless golden bodies, his screams of pain echoing around me.

Then there was silence. The lions walked away, leaving behind nothing but a pool of blood on the sand to the sound of a cannon.