Made for @kittyandboo12 with Percy. Disclaimer: If you hardcore ship Percabeth or loves Annabeth to the end of your wits, you might want to refrain from reading this. The requester dislikes Annabeth and hence, I had to make a one shot according to her opinions. And hey, opinions are fine. But let's get onto it. Your name is Maddy, a fairly powerful child of Hecate, and your Percy's best friend/girlfriend. When he first met you, his previous partner in quests, Annabeth, had just died due to sacrificing herself to save him. You reminded him of her, tough as a nail and a dog with a bark and a bite, and you held a slight grudge against her for that. But you respected her for all her amazing intellect and incredible fighting skills. She was great warrior. Soon enough, Percy saw you for who you were and the relationship accelerated pretty fast after that. He fears that all the monsters he killed in Tatarus will come back to hurt who he loves the most and hence, always wakes up, breathing heavily, hand clutching sword, from nightmares.
<DREAM>
Do your hear me, Perseus Jackson? I'm coming for you and I'm going to hurt you. In and out. I'm going to make you murder everyone you love and remember their sorry little faces as you rip their hearts out. Then, you will die a slow and horrible death, your hands of their colour... Perseus Jackson, I'm going to make sure you regret ever dealing with me...
"Gah!" You felt the bed spring up beside you and you got up instinctively. Patting the bed beside you blindly, you murmured, "Percy? Are you okay?" It felt damp with cold sweat. You continued moving your hand about and felt hot bare skin. Your fingers retreated automatically, but upon remembering it was Percy, you touched him lightly. Spreading your fingers so you could feel his entire body trembling, you asked, "Nightmare?"
He nodded slowly and in the dim moonlight, you could see his blue eyes, murky and glazed. You shifted up from the bed, yawning, and wrapped your hands around his waist, leaning your head against his back. You felt the muscles tense and then relax. His body was feverishly hot and cold at the same time, and your heart sank.
His fingers curled around yours and the both of you sat in silence, under the glow of the moon, clinging onto the comfort of each other. Letting go of your hand and reaching for his shirt, he quickly pulled it over his head and helped you off the bed. Swinging open the cabin door, allowing the fresh sweet perfume of the night air to sweep in, he muttered, "Come on. Let's get some fresh air." He pushed your forward lightly and you waited at the door for him as he hurried back in. Returning with Riptide glinting in his hand, he pressed a quick kiss on your forehead and led you by the hand, towards the lake.
Hearing the harpies squawk, with a quick wave of your hand, your image, with Percy's, started flickering. Percy paused and asked, "What spell is this? I don't think I've seen you done this before." You shrugged and replied casually, "How could you though? This is an invisibility spell. You wouldn't have been able to seen me." Percy gasped and joked, "What? Do you spy on me in the shower?" You giggled and stopped abruptly, face adopting a serious mask. "Yes."
Percy grinned and rolled his eyes. He led you forward tentatively, and quickened his pace as soon as he saw the harpies fly right by the both of you. Soon, the cabins disappeared and you trotted along a long windy dirt path, with a thick forest at its sides. The wind danced through the leaves and grass and everything was silent. Percy pulled you closer and his arm snaked around your waist. You wanted time to stop, so you could enjoy this moment. Nothing but the hum of Earth and the warmth of Percy. You wanted to draw this moment and capture the light against his dark hair, the way his eyes reflected the dark green hue of the leaves and his lips, so pink and soft, so kissable. You pulled away from your thoughts and decided to enjoy the moment.
And coincidentally, that's when it stopped.
You gripped his arm and stopped him as he continued to mindlessly walk towards a figure that had appeared in the middle of the end of the path. The lake behind it illuminated its tiny shrivelled silhouette. Percy snapped out of his thoughts and with a familiar 'shink', Riptide elongated into a sword, but it trembled in his arms. A ghastly wine-purple wisp wrapped around your clenched fist and you sent some of you magic into Percy's heart, calming his worry and rioting his confidence, but not too much. He steadied and with a firm nod, the both of you adopted a defensive position.
"Perseus Jackson! I see you've another blonde partner! Got a thing for blondies, eh?" The figure taunted and you scowled. You didn't like being compared to Annabeth, you wanted to know be for you. Being compared to a mighty warrior really didn't do well to your self-esteem.
"Who are you?" You barked, the Mist tensing to your command. The figure throws its head back into a laugh which quickly turns into a hacking cough, and sneers, "But this one... Not a child of Athena, no. A child of Hecate perhaps?" You turned to Percy and scoffed, "She's really playing Captain Obvious."
Percy tried for a smile, but all that appeared was a weak lopsided grin. He was seriously freaking out. The figure stepped into the light, knees swollen, tattered and bloody dress draping over her pale white shoulders, with mucus and tears all over her face. Mounds of dust settled on her shoulders, her hair matted to bald parts of her head. She sniffs, a wrinkly hand wiping her nose, and sobs, "I am Akhlys! I was old before the Titans were born, you ignorant girl. I was old when Gaea first woke. Misery is eternal. Existence is misery. I was born of the eldest ones - of Chaos and Night!"
"I think she said that to Annabeth too," Percy gulped. You rolled your eyes and snarled, "Well, hello Goddess of Misery! I'm Maddy and I don't care what you are, unless you're dead." You bounded forward and extended an arm. The wisp of energy shot forward, solidifying. Akhlys stepped aside, hobbling on her weak knee and a wall of bubbling ugly liquid surged forward, dissolving the bolt. You cursed at your foolishness and ducked and rolled under another attack of poison. Your eyes started watering and your head felt light, left was right and right was left. Nothing felt good.
You collapsed into Percy's arm and he set you aside roughly. Brandishing Riptide, he insisted, "Maddy, listen, she wants to get to you, so she can get to me. This is my fight, and I have to finish it before anyone else gets hurt." You tried to protest but your insides felt like melting. Percy smiled at the gibberish you spouted and with a grim face, charged towards Akhlys. You could hear the faint sounds of taunts and swords, but everything else was a blur.
Putting your finger to your temples, you concentrated and pulled back your finger slowly, as if extracting something. Liquid emerged from your skin, following your finger, and you scrambled to the side as it fell to the floor, dissolving it. You picked yourself up and raced towards the lake where Percy and Akhlys were caught in a deadly game of tag. Riptide sliced at her dress and water doused her body constantly, but Akhlys knew misery stronger than this. Poison had drawn holes into his shirt and his movements were sluggish. You reached out, stretching your fingers, the Mist swirling towards him to form a protective shield.
"That's cheating!" You screamed in agony as poison met your skin, eating away at it and revealing a nasty bloody patch of flesh. The Mist dissolved as it reached Percy, your energy sapping away and being replaced by white hot throbbing pain. Akhlys slapped Percy across his face as he turned to look at you. He yelled some inaudible curse words and grabbed her by her throat, slamming her into the sand. In his other fist, water swirled and bobbed about, reading to strike.
"You angered me the last time, made my dark side appear. This time, I'll defeat you with the good inside me," He hissed. Akhlys grabbed his cheeks, long fingernails drawing blood, and spat, "How will you when the good in you is already gone?"
He hesitated and Akhlys pierced her nails into his neck, black oozing thick liquid streaming into his blood. You flung yourself at her, and the impact amplified to your will, sending her sprawling to the other side of the beach. "No!"
Percy clawed his neck, gasping for air, and as black ran through his veins and under his eyes, he looked you at you for one last fleeting moment before his eyes fluttered shut. He collapsed to the ground with a single thud. Tears came to your eyes and you blinked them away quickly. Turning around to Akhlys, you screamed, "You killed him, you old withering bat!"
Tendrils of mist seeped through your fingertips and circled around her. She snivelled, "He's not dead, you stupid demigod. He's something you should fear much more." You felt movement behind you and dropped her to the ground, turning your tendrils of mist to whatever laid behind you. Percy, the whites of his eyes an inky black, and mouth twisted into a horrible grin, picked up Riptide and glared at you. "He's evil and he's under my control. So let's play a game."
He charged at you and swung his sword. The Mists hardened to form a temporary shield, which shattered almost on impact. You projected several more images of yourself which circled around him. Together, you charged. You watched as he chopped down heartlessly at the others, and your hope dwindled, he was so beyond hunger for blood, it was as if he lived to do it. You stammered an apology as you wrapped him with a stronger energy, which pulsed as he struggled. He pulled his free his arm and with a wave quicker than you expected, water crashed upon you, holding you captive.
Your images flickered away and he released you. Panting for air, sand filled your toes as you laid flat on the beach. Everything was cut off as Percy curled his hands around your throat and squeezed hard. Purple spots danced across your vision and you held his hands, trying to pull them apart. You tried to say his name, but only a breathless whisper escaped. He grinned at your helplessness. Suddenly, his grin faltered and fear flickered in his eyes.
"Help me."
The flame of terror was soon extinguished, and only a dark madness remained. He was too strong for you, so you couldn't beat him in pulling his hands apart. You had to hit him in the core. Hands holding the back of his neck firmly, you sputtered, "I love you," before pulling down hard. Taken aback by the action, your lips collided and as soon as you felt his lips against yours, you focused whatever magic you had left into him, cleansing him of the poison. He resisted, but when it came to divine magic, you were too powerful for him, or for even Akhlys' poison, to match.
His arms collapsed beneath him and he fell onto you, breathing slowly. You touched the side of his neck hesitantly, and could feel his faint life force throbbing. He was still alive, and evil had been washed away. You pushed his heavy body off you and stood on your feet, clutching Riptide in one hand. Akhlys quivered with anger as she thundered, "The rule of the game is that it's over when one of you dies!"
"I don't think you know me, miss," You said, raising the sword. "But I don't like to follow the rules." You started forward, dark misty tendrils curling around your feet. "And you make me turn to my dark side..." You chuckled and a mad grin came to your lips. "You better run, because being evil is my second nature."
Akhlys barely had time to counterattack as you pointed the sword at her, channelling the mysterious and bleak power churning in you into a thin line of destruction. It pierced her in the middle and as cracks snaked across her face, pieces of her falling off like a porcelain doll, you unclenched your fists and the sword flew right at her. She exploded into a magnificent shower of dust, her shriek sending ripples through the air.
"You- you killed her?" Percy sputtered, stupefied. You sighed, and as your breath swirled into the morning mist, you felt the shadows in you leave. You shuffled over to Percy and collapsed beside him. Bring a shaking hand to his forehead, you summoned your healing abilities and healed his wounds and yours. He caught you as you fell back, entirely exhausted.
"I didn't kill her, seaweed brain," You muttered happily in reply. "I sent her back to Tatarus. Besides, she's the Goddess of Misery and Poison. Misery is eternal. Existence is Misery. Ya-da, ya-da, ya-ad. Whatever." Percy chuckled a little but his voice cracked as teardops started splattering onto your face. You fumbled for his hand and held it tight, " Hey, hey. It's alright. I'm fine."
"I hurt you, Maddy. I freaking hurt you and could've killed you. It's not alright! How could you say that?" He sobbed. "Because that wasn't you and... and because I love you." You soothed. He sniffed and you proposed, "Why don't you stop crying and just kiss me? A) Because you're going to become like Akhlys and give her what she wants and B) Because you and I both deserve that right now." Percy laughed through his blocked nose and teary eyes.
"I'm so sorry, Maddy," He said, leaning down to kiss the tip of your nose. "I never ever meant to hurt you." You smiled sadly and whispered, "It's okay, Perce. You don't need to say sorry. Just remember that I will always love you and you choke-holding me to death will not change that."
Morning light had begun to seep through the tops of the hills and they stood out in sharp relief against the azure sky. Percy wiped away his tears and vowed, "I love you, Maddy, and I promise to never hurt you again."
As his soft warm lips brushed and soon, pressed forcefully against yours, you felt that even magic couldn't make you feel this special.
<A/N> WOAH I UPLOADED TWO DAYS IN A ROW IS THIS REALITY I THINK NOT MAN this is to make up for my horrible posting schedule so i guess i should've posted this one earlier and yeah! thanks for letting me procrastinate on doing my math kittyandboo12
Next week, I will be uploading my last personal one shot because there are no more requests. I'll most probably be taking a break because I'll be away for a family thing but you never know ;D i like to surprise people