Chapter 1

Percy pov

Pain, pain, and more pain. There is nothing else in my life. Physical pain and mental pain, both. Mental pain when I saw my mom being vaporized at 12, physical pain while carrying the sky at 14, pain being shot out of a volcano and pain while taking a swim in the River Styx, and...well, you get the idea.

After facing so much, you must think I've used it. That I can face anything. If you do think so, you're dead wrong.

One bite. That's all it took for that damn hellhound to take away my life. Everything went still. I stood there, blinking, not wanting to believe this was real. I wanted to wake up in bed and find out that this was all a bad dream. But no. It was real. She was gone. The reason I live was gone. Taken away by an oversized dog of the dead.

My shock was replaced by anger.I let out a loud shout of fury and attacked that hellhound. After that, everything was a blur. I didn't remember us killing all the giants, or us defeating Gaia and winning the war. All I knew was that Annabeth was dead, and I was betraying her if I lived without her. Everyone congratulated me, but I tuned it out. After the war, my anger was replaced by emptiness. I was nothing without her. Jason, Leo, Piper, Frank, Hazel, Nico, and even Reyna cried for her. But I didn't cry. I just stood there and stared at nothingness.

When the gods called us to give the rewards, I was angry again. It was their fault. All their fault.

"Perseus Jackson." My father called out. I stiffly walked up to them.

"You have done us a great favor, not once but twice. You are to be rewarded." My father said. Was he blind? Didn't he see that I didn't care about their stupid reward?

"Yes. My brother is right. Percy Jackson, ask for anything. You'll have it." Zeus said. I was too dazed and angry to notice that Zeus sounded kinder than usual.

"Can you bring her back?" I whispered, my hands shaking.

"What?" Zeus asked.

"Can you bring Annabeth back?" I shouted, not to Zeus, but to all the Olympians.

"No, my dear boy. I'm afraid we can't do that. It's against the ancient rules." Zeus said.

"Okay then, I have another request," I said.

"Yes?" My father prompted me.

"Kill me," I said.

"Percy, no. That will not be granted." My father said sternly.

"Why not? You wanted to kill me a few years ago. What now? I'm sure many of you want to kill me. Cmon! Hades? Zeus? Ares? Athena? Dionysus? You all wanted to get rid of me. Why not now? Kill me, please!" I said. I noticed everything was suddenly very quiet. I looked up and noticed that many of the gods had tears in their eyes. Aphrodite had almost fainted. Even Hades and Dionysus looked on the verge of tears. Ares looked down, shame in his fiery eyes.

"Perseus, please be reasonable," Athena spoke up. "Oh! Now I get it. Years ago I didn't want to die but you wanted to kill me. Now it's the opposite. You just want to torture me. Well, it worked. You, Athena. You hated it because I liked Annabeth. But now you have nothing against me, right? Now send me away, please." I said. I thought this should piss them off. I thought Zeus would zap me any minute. But he just snapped his fingers and I realized I wasn't on Olympus anymore. I was on a cliff at a beach. I stood there, staring at the waves.

I wanted Annabeth to push me off the cliff and laugh and tell me that I was a seaweed brain. But that would never happen. I looked down at the waves. I willed the water not to save me. I didn't need their help with anything. I could do it myself.

I was about to jump when someone pulled me back.