𝐓𝐡𝐞 "𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭" 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨

Cruel Words, Empty Thoughts

||~Per OURANOS~||
My lungs breathe in the salty water of the ocean. My fingertips graze the small seashell and I grab it, then I swim back to shore. 

Does he still believe it is real?

No, my beloved.

How long until I can regain a body?

Soon, dear. They plan, but we conquer faster than ever. Soon, you will be by my side, and we will rule the realms once more.

Good.

"You got it!" Leona squeals happily, rushing toward me and taking the seashell from my hand. I smile down at her as she jumps around, flapping her hands. "Ammabeth, look!" She holds the shell out to Annabeth, who sits in the sand.

"It's beautiful, Leona," she hums. "Now, what do we say?"

"Thank you, Percy!"

I laugh. "No problemo, LeLe." I scoop her up in my arms and she giggles as I spin around wildly.

"I'm getting dizzy!" She squirms in my hands.

"You're not getting away that easily!" I say. "Because I'm the Spinner Monster! I spin you until you get dizzy!"

Annabeth snorts. "Both of you will throw up lunch if you keep spinning." She opens her arms and I let her take Leona.

Wake up...

I blink and look around. "Did you hear that?" I ask Annabeth. She looks up at me, confusion worming its way into her pretty features.

"Hear what?"

Please, wake up... don't tell her you heard me!

What?

"Nothing. Probably another fish," I laugh it off. Annabeth hums and looks back at Leona.

None of this is real. Please, wake up!

I swallow hard. "Let's head back, yeah?"

She nods.

Leona looks up at Annabeth. "Annabeth, can we get ice cream?"

||~Luke~||
We sit around in a pile in the Hesita cabin, the fire crackling and warming the room.

"It is true?" Chiron asks softly.

I nod.

"Ouranos is fully possessing Percy's body," I murmur. Mr. D chokes on his coke and puts it down.

"That's just great!" Mr. D says, waving his hands in the air. "Peter Johnson is in the hands of a colossal Titan who wants to take over the world again!"

Annabeth rubs her temple. "We already know that, Mr. D. We- We just need to wait for Leo and the others to come back with Aeon." She lets out an exhausted sigh.

Chiron places more wood into the fireplace, the flames burning brighter with the added fuel. "...And what if your plan doesn't work, Annabeth? What will happen then?"

She looks up at him. "It will work." Determination coats her voice in waves, but Chiron frowns.

"And what if it doesn't? What is the back-up plan if this one does not work?"

"...We'd have to kill him," Jason whispers into the silence.

Chiron's breath hitches. He closes his eyes, his head bowed down a little. "Must we...?" he asks, quiet and hardly-there.

"No!" Annabeth suddenly shouts. "I refuse that! I know this will work! We won't kill him!"

"What if we have no other option?" Jason suddenly snaps. "What if we have no choice? What if your plan doesn't work? We would need to kill him, Annabeth."

She glares at him. "There's always another way, I know-!"

"You don't!" His fists clench at his sides before he lets out a quiet sigh. "Look... I get it. He's your boyfriend. He's someone you care about deeply. But in the end, its either him or the world. You're a demigod who needs to be a Hero. You need to choose; him or the world."

Annabeth is silent for a few beats. "Then I choose him."