𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐘 𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐃 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊.
her feet had carried her over to percy without even realizing.
his body was going just a little limp.
"hey! what happened?" grover questioned.
"i think.. i think those stinger things were poisonous." percy spoke.
"i have an idea. come on, grab him." annabeth motioned.
"ugh." cherry huffed, but lifted the boy beside her.
percy huffed, mumbling something about getting away from her.
he leaned into her shoulder anyways.
annabeth led the her and grover to the front of the building.
cherry carefully placed percy into the shallow water.
because it was so low, she was fine.
she grabbed handfuls of the water, enjoying tossing them into percy's face.
"i don't think waters supposed to hurt this bad." percy commented, sarcastically.
"the water cured him back at camp, it should work for poison too, right?" annabeth decided, also splashing him.
"you know, i think it's.. i think it's working. this was a great call." percy tried to stand up, and out of cherry's arms, but he just fell back. "or not."
cherry complained, her arms wrapped around his shoulders.
when would they be done?
"maybe it needs to be naturally running water for poseidon to be able to heal him." annabeth thought.
a loud car honked, and it's tired screeched.
people everywhere started screaming.
echidna approached the group.
"okay. we need to get back inside." annabeth rushed.
"no, we need to keep trying." grover shook his head.
"this isn't working. and she's coming."
"we should go back inside. he'll live." cherry huffed.
"we'll go the temple's altar." annabeth agreed.
"altar? where is there an altar?" grover questioned.
"the highest point, the best view." annabeth answered.
"okay, but what good is that even gonna do us?" grover argued.
"we're gonna get to the altar and we're going to ask my mom for help." annabeth said, police sirens drowning out her voice.
"i thought we don't ask for help." percy questioned, his voice softer than usual.
cherry lifted percy up, and he again rested on her shoulder.
grover helped her lift him.
suddenly, annabeth paused.
"guys, did you hear that?" annabeth questioned.
cherry shook her head.
"hear what?" grover asked.
"never mind. come on." annabeth continued.
« ───── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ───── »
the group all took a seat.
"what happened?" cherry questioned.
"she spoke to you. alecto did that with me back in the museum in new york. what did she say?" percy realized, trying to catch his breath.
a loud growl was heard.
thankfully, the elevator doors shut.
"was that the chimera? i think.. i think that was the chimera. how did the chimera even get inside here?" grover panicked.
"athena let her in." cherry realized. "why?"
"annabeth! what did echidna say to you?" percy called out.
annabeth finally looked up.
"she said my impertinence wounded my mother's pride. and that that will be my doom." annabeth revealed.
"impertinence? what kind of.. medusa's head." percy realized, with a small gasp.
"i embarrassed my mother."
"but i'm the one who sent the head to olympus. i signed the note. and i went along with it. it embarrassed her. now, she's angry."
cherry huffed.
"it's not your fault." cherry comforted.
"guys, what are we gonna do?" grover asked.
"she isn't gonna help us when we get to the top to save percy." annabeth shook her head.
"no, i meant, what are we gonna do about echidna and chimera? they're gonna be right behind us." grover pointed out.
"strawberry, you're the goddess of something.. so do something!" percy huffed.
cherry led him out the elevator.
"percy, you're gonna break my arm!" the redhead complained.
"you know, every monster i've met has been nicer than you." percy replied, glaring.
annabeth led the way to the very top of the tower.
"we're not gonna have much time. they'll be up here any minute. and if my mother isn't going to protect us, then we'll just have to fight it out up here." annabeth instructed them.
suddenly, she stopped.
the room was full of people.
"oh, no. we gotta get everybody outta here." grover realized.
"uh, fuck, okay, start screaming?" cherry wondered.
annabeth pulled the red alarm behind her.
everyone began to walk out in single file lines.
"you, cher, and percy follow them down." annabeth instructed.
"what? no, no, no. we're not splitting up." grover denied.
"yeah, please don't sacrifice yourself. that's sweet, but it's really stupid." cherry begged.
"guys, come on." annabeth urged.
"no. no, no, no, no, no, we're all getting out of here together. even her." percy glared at the redhead.
"we won't make it. the chimera is the demigod-killer. someone has to stay back to slow her down and buy everyone some time." annabeth shook her head.
"why can't it be percy? he's already on the verge of death!" cherry complained, and the boy glared at her.
"help him down the stairs and get him to the river. and don't stop. not till you get to hades, not till you have the bolt, do you hear me? okay, go." annabeth motioned them.
percy took a deep breath.
he pulled out a pen from his pocket.
"wait. take this." percy let go of his grip on cherry's arm, and handed annabeth the pen.
the second annabeth grabbed it, he pulled her away, and trapped himself in the room.
he locked it right behind himself.
"hey! percy! percy, please!" grover pounded on the door.
"percy, no! don't do this. they'll kill you." annabeth begged.
"poseidon's never helped me before. he wasn't gonna start now." percy's voice called from the other side.
"open the fucking door!" cherry pleaded with him, fist banging against the door. "percy, i was just kidding, don't be stupid!"
while grover and annabeth screamed for percy to open the door, cherry took her chance to escape.
the redhead bolted out of the alter room.
percy turned away from the door.
the chimera snarled.
"this is the end, sweetheart. don't fight it. you'll just make her angry." echidna warned.
the chimera roared.
percy did his best to fight back, but in his condition, it was no use.
"so unfair. you never had a chance, did you? if only someone'd cared enough for you to provide you with one." echidna mocked, her fake displaying false pity.
a wave of his least favorite color clouded his vision.
the worst person he knew had shoved echidna right out of her way.
she yanked percy up off the ground, with no concern for how he felt.
she quickly made her way to the end of destroyed, open room.
"too bad you don't know how to fly." cherry commented.
then, she shoved him right off the top of the building.
a large body of water had been right beneath him.
the redhead was terrified.
she didn't want to enter that water. she couldn't do it. she refused too.
her legs didn't want to move.
a second after she watched percy fall off the edge, cherry jumped right after him.
"you're fucking crazy! what is wrong with you!" the blonde called out the girl who was falling beside him.
she didn't answer.
"you hate water." percy remembered, as he looked down at the water that was a couple feet below them.
"not as much as i hate you." cherry replied sarcastically, and braced herself.
percy's hand gripped the redheads wrist.
they really did hate each-other.
but at the end of the world, they were all they had left.
cold blue water stung like a thousand knives against skin.
it overwhelmed them, took over all senses, as if they couldn't function.
percy loosely wrapped his arm around around cherry.
it made him feel sick.
he hated her for what she was.
for what she did to him.
for what she did to his mother.
how could he not?
but he couldn't let go.
he couldn't get away from her.
she was the only warm being in the entire body of water. and that would just have to do.
suddenly, a voice called out.
"you are frightened. it's all right, percy. your father sent me to tell you, it's all right. just breathe. your father is here. he's always been here. it is so hard for him to stand back. to see you struggle. it is so hard for us all. but he's here. and he's so very proud. trust him. trust yourself. just.. breathe." the voice spoke to him, gently.
apply to serial killer perhaps....
PLEASE