The Hard Way (A Female Percy Jackson/ Young Justice Crossover)

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Persephone Jackson had a headache, and she was struggling to breathe.

Gods, she was in so much pain; her legs were pinned she couldn't even move. It was the Second Giant War, or maybe the aftermath? Percy wasn't quite sure, she was so tired. How had she gotten here?

The final battle rolled around and they were hit by hoards of monsters and before they could reach Gaia. But they couldn't reach either without passing the giants. Fortunately the gods were there to do their part, to take on their half of the battle this time around. Though they had no choice, she supposed, if they wanted to continue as they were. It was still a relief, to feel the support of the deities she fought for right at her back, even if they didn't stay to fight Gaia or the other monsters. Fighting beside her father, Percy couldn't lose, and not just because he was a god, but also because they were a force of great magnitude.

And then he left, disappearing after the fall of Polybotes, abandoning his daughter in front of a monster army. It wasn't just him, but all the others as well, each God that had shown up, had just as quickly vanished.

The only exception was Pluto, still battling the giant that killed Hazel. It was an ugly sight, with a sound to match. And even though he would leave as soon as Alcyoneus went down, the daughter of Poseidon joined him to finish the fight.

By the time she was ready to face the other monsters, she couldn't see any of her friends anymore. Once the monsters' ranks thinned, it was clearer that's only a few of them still stood. The ground was red and gold at her feet, but it couldn't matter until the fighting finished. No, she didn't mean that, it did matter. Of course it mattered, but there just wasn't times to address that. Frank was gone and so was Piper when only dust remained of the enemy soldiers. Annabeth was close though, so Percy thanked the Fates in the moment it took to reach her.

Jason made the mistake, and he paid for it too. It didn't make sense why he charged Gaia by himself, even though the others had all thought it best to reconvene before the final showdown, but he did it anyway... After calling upon all the wind and lightning he could summon, he ran straight at the primordial goddess and didn't think of the mud and dirt she had surrounded herself with. He sunk, simple as that, and never came back up.

The others couldn't rest long, quickly making a plan and getting into it.

Annabeth took Gaia's attention, drawing the brunt of her attacks, while Percy and Leo flanked the goddess, each supposed to call upon their element and try to complete the prophecy. But when the daughter of Athena started screaming, that became impossible.

They were horror movie screams, of a dying woman in terrible pain, and just hearing it stopped Percy's heart as well as her hands. Her powers faltered and she turned too look back for her friend, as if she could still somehow save her or run to her side and die with her at least. But the screams stopped before she could move, and the vines grabbed her before she could keep trying to complete the quest.

There were thorns, in the vines, and in her now she supposed. But the pain felt so far away that she couldn't even scream...

Not as the world shook or as the explosion went off. And certainly not when she hit the ground unconscious.

———

Leo woke up and slowly stood as he tried to shake the ash and soot from his hair. H stumbled through the rubble on the eerily silent former battlefield. He wasn't sure how long it had been since they had killed Gaia, since he'd used more of his powers than ever before and passed out from it, but the smoke and darkness blinded him. He supposed night had fallen, but it was still soon enough for the smoke to linger in the air. Time wasn't important. He had to find Percy though, and that was important because she was the only one left... If she was still alive.