Resistance

Chapter 15

"Percy!" Annabeth shouted, she fought through the howling winds, the bite of the lashing rain. She stepped closer to the eye of the hurricane, stepped closer to the person she wanted to be with, stepped closer, closer, closer...

She suddenly emerge from the wind and rain, finding Percy staring at her with blank eyes. That look made her want to shrivel up and die, his normally bright and cheerful sea-green eyes were now dull with despair and sadness, void of hope.

"Percy..." Annabeth trailed off, tears rolling down her eyes.

"Why Annabeth? Why look for me when in the end you would all abandon me? Leave me behind? My father when I was born, stupid Ancient Laws, stupid..." Thunder rumbled and Lightning hit at the edge of the hurricane.

"...Gods, as if they don't break the Ancient Laws in the first place. My mother, she promised to take care of me, and I promised to take care of her. I promised that we would live together with you in New Rome or somewhere else, have a peaceful and new life." His voice cracked as the storm became stronger, whirling around him.

"Percy, stop, I would always be with you, know this, I would never leave you willingly, if I leave, know that it's because I had no other choice. Do you know how angry I was at you disappearing? At you being kidnapped by Hera? I still hate her for separating us." Thunder rumbled again, the lightning lighting up their face.

"Annabeth..." Percy's eyes slowly regained their light, "Do you really mean it?"

"Yes, I swear upon the River Styx." Annabeth started running forward, pulling Percy into an embrace, then stepping back and slapping him.

"Owww, what's that for, Owl face?" Percy grinned, glad that Annabeth was still his friend.

"Mm, I don't know, for storming away while during a quest?" Annabeth shook her head, laughing at Percy's horror-stricken face.

"The quest..." Percy turned pale, "I'm going to be killed by Clarisse!"

"Come on, Seaweed Brain, work your sea foam voodoo." Annabeth smirked.

"I don't have sea foam voodoo, whatever that is." Percy grumbled.

"Oh, you don't? Then what was it when you disappeared from the forest and, according to Chiron, appeared at the Big House a few seconds later?" Annabeth demanded, pushing Percy.

"That's... I don't know, something in my brain said, sea foam voodoo and I just suddenly went there." Percy chuckled.

Annabeth cracked up, laughing as she held onto Percy for support.

"Hey, Sea... Aaahhh!" Annabeth screamed when she found that she was already back in the airport.

"Sea foam voodoo?" Percy winked at Annabeth as she started hitting him.

"Wise Girl, calm down!" Percy dodged the various punches thrown at him.

"Never... Do... That... Again!" Annabeth panted, still remembering the sensation of suddenly appearing in a large building instead of the beach, the dizziness that followed.

"Prissy!" Clarisse screeched at the top of her lungs, causing several looks at the demigods, Chris following behind, apologizing to the ones Clarisse pushed aside in anger.

"You have better have an excuse, or I would personally kill you!" Clarisse pulled out her electric spear, lowering it when Chris put a hand on her shoulder.

"I... My mom died." Percy whispered brokenly.

"So? Who haven't lost their loved ones? But who escaped in the middle of a quest?" Clarisse's anger barely contained, her scathing tone cutting deep into Percy.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't good enough, not for her, not for you guys." Percy looked at the floor.

"Come on, can we still catch the plane?" Annabeth rubbed Percy's back comfortingly.

"Mission Accomplished, my Lady." James bowed in front of Diana, whose eyes were now nearly all silver.

"You may go," Diana dismissed him.

"Yes, my Lady." James respectfully retreated out of the throne room, his blue cape bellowed behind.

Diana suddenly collapsed and sat deep onto her throne, her eyes turning back to it's normal green, Gaia was taking control more and more, during councils, talking with Tartarus, assigning missions...

She leaned on her hand, rubbing her forehead tiredly, the constant "sleep" mode were tiring.

She had gained more powers, manipulating the earth, teleporting, learned the lure of power and how to ensnare others while protecting herself. Tartarus himself has taught her, even though he could not leave the pit while she was on the surface.

She wished for the time before everything happened, to the happy memories of the carefree childhood, all to be cut apart when the monsters came. She made friends, only to find out that she was the odd one, the Unclaimed, she heard the rumours in the shadows, the guesses, and the hurt when she was made to move to the Big House, the terror of the nightmares of a faceless goddess, turning her back and saying she didn't want her, calling her a mistake.

Yet she yearned for them, for the simple world of fight or flight, not the current Leader thing, she was always the one of the battlefield, not the one behind the scenes, not the one hiding in shadows, even though she could now.

She just wanted to be normal, but now was nothing like normal, now everything was the opposite of normal.

Unless normal is dealing with monsters, training demigods, recruiting them, and being controlled by her mother.

Granted, Camp Half-Blood did all of the first three, but the last?

Diana sighed and closed her eyes, thinking and wondering whether she made the right decision.

"My Lady?"