The Mortal God

II

Step

It wasn't loud, but it was clearly heard over all other sounds.

Step

The sound hit Athena's ears like falling flat into a body of water. It stung on impact , almost like hitting solid concreate. The shocking sensation was followed by the smooth overtaking of the water as she sunk into the sound.

Step

Athena looked back at Percy, seeing his back to her as he opened the door, swinging inward to reveal a massive collection of books organized in endless rows of shelves. The man that stood before her was not the same as the boy she and the other gods had easily sent into battle without hesitation.

"I'm sorry..." the whisper escaped Athena's lips before she could think about what she was saying. It was so soft, she began to believe that perhaps she didn't actually say it, but only thought those words in her head.

She was wrong though because Percy looked back at her, smiling.

It was the same smile that adorned his face many times before, and usually his signature smile would take the show. This time though, the eyes took all of the attention.

They say that the eyes are a window to the soul, and if that was true, then as far as Athena could tell, Percy was dead. His sea green eyes had turned into a murky swampy green. The smile simply didn't reach the eyes.

His eyes had pierced through hers, making her panic inside, as if they were a void that was sucking in her own soul. She could feel the rotten corpse of his soul spreading the necrosis to hers.

She couldn't understand what was going on. Athena new that he would be broken, and he showed signs of depression from the very start, it seemed as if he continued to fall deeper into the abyss.

She wanted to look way, for god's sake she really did, but she found her eyes fixed in place. It wasn't until Percy turned and walked into the library that she could finally look around. Athena quickly focused on the ground, fearing that if he looked back at her again she'd be consumed entirely the next time.

The door shut quietly, making almost no sound and easily missed. Soon after, Athena couldn't remember the look in Percy's eyes anymore, but she had no trouble remembering the feeling of dread from looking into his eyes.

She finally looked up at the door to the library. "What monster have we created."

Athena knew she should be worried, that she should keep close monitoring of Percy, make sure that he doesn't betray the Olympians. However, she had a feeling that it was that kind of mentality that put Percy in the state that he currently was in, and if she kept invading his life, she would probably end up pushing him into hating the Olympians.

Solitude was probably the best thing for Percy right now, and the thought of it made Athena sad.

Athena couldn't concentrate on her job anymore, at least not as long as she stayed in that place, and so she looked around one more time, trying to get a feel for the layout of the "island" before she flashed away to her palace in Olympus.

Inside the library Percy closed his eyes. He took in a deep breath, taking in the exotic smell of the combination of old book and lime scented polish on the hickory wood that made up almost the entirety of the inside, from the furniture to the floors. The walls had trimming of the same would, and the walls were covered with red wallpaper that had golden regal designs all along the walls.

It somehow reminded him of Annabeth.

Percy looked down at his hip. Strapped to his hip a sheathed knife was hanging. It was hers, it was also the knife that Luke used to sacrifice himself in the end to save the lives of many.