Heroes of Olympus Series. Annabeth Chase X Male Reader Story

Regaining The Will To Live

Even Hazel seemed to notice something was wrong, this was not her skillset, but she wasn't a fool. "What's happening?" "I don't know." "Is Gaea interfering?" "Maybe, I don't know." Nico reached up to (Y/N) and grasped his hand. Clawing at him desperately.

"Don't worry little guy, we got you." He promised, though the words felt like a lie even to him, six seconds had passed, Thanatos hadn't taken his soul yet, but there was something else interfering. Someone else.

Looking closer (Y/N) saw that any power that he poured into Nico to heal him was going into Nico, but then being drawn out just as fast, healing his body, but leaving his soul as it was, on the verge of dying. (Y/N) recalled the words of the seer. Melampus mumbling to himself. "Healing, healing then healing again. How long can it last? How long will you?

(Y/N) knew he had to get around this before all his stored power faded, two thousand Lares may have seemed like a good chunk of power, but whatever was taking that power was draining it fast. It was being drawn downwards into the underworld.

The trouble was, if he stopped healing Nico, the six, or now about two, second timer would restart, and Thanatos would have to claim Nico. He had to constantly heal Nico to keep that from happening, leaving the son of Hades in a sort of limbo state. Not dead yet, but barely alive.

(Y/N) thought of Hades warning. "You are draining yourself, you just haven't realised it yet. Years of your life have been torn from you already, years you now no longer have to spend after burning your thread of fate at one end" He knew that if this went on any longer, he would tap into his own life.

(Y/N) had to think of a solution fast, he couldn't keep this up forever, racking his brain and looking down at his desperate friend, a few solutions crossed his mind, the first obviously being that he would have to cut the connection between Nico and what was stealing his power.

He thought back to who it could have been, Gaea, Nemesis, Persephone, Melinoe, Midas. All seemed unlikely, they were either too weak to do something like this or it had no actual benefit to them. He could only think of one person that would do this and for one reason.

(Y/N) sat there for a few more seconds trying to figure out what to do before his time ran out, Hazel looked at him with pleading eyes. He knew he had no other choice, he couldn't sever that connection without doing one of two things, the first was killing Nico, which was a bust.

The second, he didn't even want to think about. The second thought only came to mind because it was Nico, the one who had wanted to attempt it so badly in the past. (Y/N) could attempt to soul trade himself for Nico. 

Annabeth's POV

"What? Arachne demanded. "Nothing." She sighed wistfully. "It's a silly thought. Too bad." Arachne scuttled down the statue until she was perched atop the goddess's shield. Even from that distance, Annabeth could smell the spider's stink, like an entire bakery full of pastries left to go bad for a month.

"What?" the spider pressed. "What silly thought?" Annabeth had to force herself not to back away. Broken ankle or no, every nerve in her body pulsed with fear, telling her to get away from the huge spider hovering over her.

"Oh...it's just that I was put in charge of redesigning Mount Olympus," she said. "You know, after the Titan War. I've completed most of the work, but we need a lot of quality public art. The throne room of the gods, for instance..."

"I was thinking your work would be perfect to display there. The Olympians could finally see how talented you are. As I said, it was a silly thought." Arachne's hairy abdomen quivered. Her four eyes glimmered as if she had a separate thought behind each and was trying to weave them into a coherent web.