Dark Percy

Story

Percy's face was blank as Annabeth fell, bleeding from the cut on her side, deep inside he felt twisted, but he quickly pushed it down, the feeling leaving as quick as it had come.

Nico was on his knees, looking in shocked horror at what his old friend and hero had done. Jason, on the ground unconscious. Piper next to him, a broken ankle and unable to even stand. Hazel, Nico's sister, one of the few people he let into his heart after Bianca had died, now too battered to stand next to Nico.

Nico stared at the ground, his eyes stinging, he realized he was crying. He let the tears fall. The boy stood up, holding his Stygian Iron sword limply by his side.

"You... You..." Nico choked on the words, then his bitter feelings rose, and he let himself into them, becoming one with the misery, rage, despair, and every other thing he felt, "You traitor!"

Percy turned to Nico, the celestial steel blade of Riptide stained with blood. Percy murmured softly "I couldn't take it... Time, and time, again... I was their pawn... No more, Nico,"

The son of Hades glared, his face so full of hurt and bitterness even the fallen Percy Jackson felt a twinge of nervousness. Nico pointed at Percy with his free hand, the hand steaming with inky black smoke.

"She loved you, you loved her," Nico spat out, "Jason was your friend, and Piper and Hazel too! You were our best and most trusted friend! You even were told your fatal flaw was being too loyal... I guess we all can see how big of a lie that was,"

Percy stepped back from the shock, silent. Nico let out a wordless shout and swiped at Percy, who blocked, the two blades meeting between the two, ringing loudly.

Nico kept swinging viscous, thoughtless, strikes of rage, with his sword. All the while shouting, "I should have never trusted you! Never looked up to you! Never forgiven you!"

Percy blocked every hit, then stopped the blade completely, both of them pushing on the swords, one gleaming bronze, one cold iron. Nico strained against him, he wasn't as old or as strong, but he had one thing for him: he was pissed.

The blades both hummed, the magical properties straining against eachother. "Calypso... Bob... Luke... Beckendorf..." Nico said, quietly, but still with venom that could make Gorgon blood look like a nice drink. Each name hit Percy like a bag of bricks.

"You have always, always, been the hero. The one so pure, so good hearted, so trustable, that people would lay down their lives for you," Nico's blade started smoking, a wispy yet thick black smoke of the anger of the dead, "How would they all react to you now? How about we find out?" Nico smirked as the ground around him died, grass and plants dying like a puddle around him.

Percy's eyes widened, "Don't you dare..." Percy said shakily, "Nico! Don't you dare!"

Nico took his chance and thrust his hands at Percy, a wave of pure raw emotion mixing with shadow energy to hit Percy, mentally and physically. Percy flew back, skidding across the ground on his back. In his head, he heard voices screaming at him, "Liar! Traitor! Disappointment! Evil! Worse than Luke!" Percy recoiled from the mental assault, he recognized the voices! He picked out one, it was Beckondorf. As he listened to another and ignored the others he recognized it as Bianca Di Angelo.

The voices of the dead stacked upon eachother, Castor, who died during the Battle Of The Labyrinth, Michael Yew, who died during the Battle For Manhattan, "Traitor!"

Luke Castellan, and Silena Beauregard, "You were a good person! A hero!"

And all the voices, and even more, spat at him, "You've fallen so far..."

Percy fell to his knees, dropping Riptide to the ground, grabbing his head and screaming, screaming with fear and regret and sadness. Nico took this chance to stand up shakily, breathing heavily.

As Nico took a step, Percy let loose, shouting "Get out of my head!" and standing up quickly, shoving forward and sending a wave of water, drawn out of the ground, at Nico.

Nico floundered in the water, this wasn't his element, his heavy leather jacket, great when in a brawl where it can protect from minor bruises and scrapes, now weighed him down.

As Nico fell on the sodden ground, Percy scooped up Riptide, lifting it over his head, ready to kill the son of death. As Nico looked in his eyes he saw only determination, even when he was disarmed, exhausted, and about to be stabbed.

"The dead," Percy growled, "can't mess with what the living do unless you let them, that's what you said, now go meet your dad."

As Percy began the movement to bring the stained sword down, he suddenly stopped. Nico took a second to realize that Percy had a sword sticking through him. . .

A dull, smokey black, Stygian iron blade, now with blood so dark red it was almost black dripping off it.

"I'm so sorry. . . !" Annabeth choked on the words slightly as she let go of Nico's sword that she had just used to kill the corrupted Percy.

Nico shuddered, he felt Percy's soul fade to the underworld, Annabeth looked at Nico with eyes shining with tears. One fell on Percy's now-dead body like a tiny diamond.

Nico hugged her close, he didn't do much hugging, or touching people in general, but right now they both needed it.

"It's okay Annabeth, it's okay. . ." Nico's eyes widened, "Annabeth?!" He let go of her, holding her at arms length to look at her.

He felt another soul leave to the underworld, he knew just by looking at Annabeth that it was her.

Percy had cut her deeper than any of them thought. And now they were gone.