𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐋 𝐃𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑, percy jackson

CHAPTER 57! cherry was the reason percy continued to breathe

"what exactly do you mean, they faded?" percy asked. "i thought monsters were immortal, like the gods."

"percy," grover said weakly, "even immortality has limits. sometimes.. sometimes monsters get forgotten and they lose their will to stay immortal."

percy was horrified.

he wondered if that's ever happened to cherry. he wondered if she wished that happened to her.

horrible thoughts began to flood his head.

what if, when he died, she forgot him?

cherry was gonna live forever. percy would only be in a thousandth of her life, while cherry was the reason percy continued to breathe.

he could not make enough of an impact for her to remember him.

what if he died, and.. just forgot him?

"i must go," briares said.

"kronos's army will invade camp," tyson said. "we need help."

"i cannot, cyclops."

"you are strong."

"not anymore."

percy grabbed one of briares' arms and pulled him aside, where the roar of the water would hide their words. the hundred-handed mana face morphed into an expression of shame.

then he turned and trudged off down the corridor until he was lost in the shadows.

tyson sobbed, and cherry held him.

"it's okay," grover hesitantly patted his shoulder, which must've taken all his courage.

tyson sneezed. "it's not okay, goat boy. he was my hero."

percy didn't know what to say.

finally, annabeth stood and shouldered her backpack. "come on, guys. this pit is making me nervous. let's find a better place to camp for the night."

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they settled in a corridor made of huge marble blocks. it looked like it could've been part of a greek tomb, with bronze torch holders fastened to the walls. it had to be an older part of the maze, and annabeth decided this was a good sign.

"we must be close to daedalus's workshop," she said. "get some rest, everybody. we'll keep going in the morning."

"how do we know when it's morning?" grover asked.

"just rest," she insisted.

grover didn't need to be told twice. he pulled a heap of straw out of his pack, ate some of it, made a pillow out of the rest, and was snoring in no time.

tyson took longer getting to sleep. he tinkered with some metal scraps from his building kit for a while, but whatever he was making, he wasn't happy with it. he kept disassembling the pieces.

"i'm sorry i lost the shield," percy told him. "you worked so hard to repair it."

tyson looked up. his eye was bloodshot from crying. "do not worry, brother. you saved me. you wouldn't have had to if briares had helped."

"he was just scared, i'm sure he'll get over it."

"he is not strong. he is not important anymore."

he heaved a big sad sigh, then closed his eye. the metal pieces fell out of his hand, still unassembled, and tyson began to snore.