Monsters were everywhere. Over me, under me, surrounding me. All monsters attacked me, only those under me didn't - they were dead. They were dead, I had killed them and now I fought on their dust against their allies.

The monsters covered my body, this dam dust sticked to everything. But they hadn't suffocated me yet, I was still living, I was still slaughtering their kind.

But maybe I was a monster, too?

I hated this thought. I hated it more than everything else. Desperately I continued fighting, killing everything, what came in my way. Hellhounds whimpered, telchines yelped, cyclops howled. I cut, stabbed and parried until I was able to see something different than my enemies.

Jason and Piper. Finally!, I wanted to scream. Finally I find someone of the seven! Maybe I screamed it, I wasn't sure, it was too loud to hear anything properly despite the primitive cries of the injured, dying, desperate and broken.

I decided to get to Jiper (Piper had introduced us to shipping names) and killed with new power. It is necessary, my conscience explained. You or them.

I know this, Gilbert, I answered my conscience. I don't kill because it is fun so it isn't wrong to do it. I just want to get to my friends. Maybe they know where Annabeth is.

Gilbert, my conscience (how creepy can I get? I mean, naming my conscience, that's quite weird), only whispered: What would be without our Anni, Pery? Nothing would be, nothing, then he was quiet.

Finally I wasn't surrounded by monsters anymore. At least not in direct proximity. Whilst I was running to Jiper, I additionally turned some of our enemies into dust.

Jason and Piper didn't move when I came to them. Jason and Piper hadn't moved since I had seen them before. Jason and Piper wouldn't move ever again. Jason and Piper were dead, Jiper was history.

You weren't fast enough, Gilbert informed me. A howl resonated from somewhere, protracted and pained like a hurt wolf's. Did Lupa come with her wolfs to help us?

No, she didn't, I just needed an eternity to realize that it was me, who blurted out this sound. Put yourself together, two of your best friends just pushed up daisies, Gilbert sneered. You just didn't sacrifice yourself enough, Percy. After all you could have saved them, if you fought fast enough.

A hole gaped in Piper's chest, deep and bloody, somebody had torn her heart out. In Jason's leg stuck an arrow, another one had hit him in the throat. The two of them were connected through the arrow in Jason's throat, it was also sticking in Piper. United even in death, I thought with a soft smile.

Why are you smiling? You are standing on a battle field, your friends croaked and you are snuffing monsters if it is nothing important while staring at your dead besties. What's wrong with you?, Gilbert squealed.

Fiercely I shook my head, Gilbert became quieter. Then, finally, I saw Annabeth.

Dozens of different karpoi besieged her and commanded her attention. A manticore stalked near her, but it was in her back and due to the karpoi she didn't notice it.

As fast as I could I dashed to her, annihilating every monster, that came near me. "Anni! Behind you!", I yelled, as unlikely as it was that she could hear me in this tumult.

But she heard me, glee and relief let her beautiful, grey storm eyes sparkle. The karpoi were forgotten. "Per-" She didn't get further. With a paw stroke the manticore tore her head off. It flew high into the heaven, her gold shimmering hair flapping jollily. A hellhound jumped into the air and swallowed it.

My wise girl's body stood still upright, but only briefly, then it fell, blood everywhere, life nowhere.

What would be without our Annie, Percy, Gilbert whispered. Nothing would be, nothing...

~~~

I started up from my nightmare. It was just a nightmare, man, I wanted to persuade myself, just like every morning. Sleepily I feeled for Annabeth's warm body next to mine, just like every morning. But Annabeth wasn't there, just like every morning.

You weren't fast enough, Gilbert whispered. You weren't good enough.

Just like every morning.

~~~

It was a gloomy and oppressive day in Camp Halfblood just like every day, since Annabeth had died in the war against Gaia. The sun shone on the strawberry fields, the fruits gleamed in a luscious red. Even though the colour was too light for blood the strawberries still remembered me of my headless Annabeth. I tried to eat one to overcome the trauma, which was triggered by the red colour, (Apollo's kids had given me the advice to do so) but couldn't do it and went to the main building.

Chiron was having breakfast, just like everybody else probably. Mr D had left the Camp after the war. Seymour, his leopard's head, was left as a remembrance for us. But maybe he just didn't want to feed it. I would understand that.

I waved at Seymour politely, who growled at me in a very benevolent way. We were something like good acquaintances, I'd say. After all I had feed him with very much chicken when nobody else did but I wouldn't dare to call us friends. Well, I once dared and as a consequende Seymoure had snapped at my hand - not very loving.

You don't deserve love, Gilbert hissed.

~~~

I climbed into the attic. Since the second war (Nike's children started to call it earth war and the first one time war as it sounded much better while bragging about it) I was there very often. Not least because nearly nobody ascended the stairs anymore, since Rachel was the oracle and not the mummy. But you could see that I was the only one, who liked the attic as it was piled up and all dusty.

But I liked it. It was a bit like a museum. Not like the one, Mrs Dodds and Chiron had dragged us, but a room full of memories. Memories of bygone adventures and loved humans.

Annabeth's baseball cap was here and Jason's coin. A shred of Leo's tool belt lay on a messy commode. A few of Hepahistos' children had found it on one of their searchings but Leo remained lost.

I'd like to believe that he was hopping around somewhere, in Europe or Australia or Ogygia, where he would be united with Calypso. But the maltreated bronze wing, which could only belong to Festus, spoke against these hopes. I had even asked Zeus after him but he was too pissed to speak with me because in his (Gilberts and mine) it was my fault that both of his children were dead.

You haven't guarded them enough, Gilbert cackled. Leave me alone!, I barked at him. I will only leave you alone when I am dead, my conscience susurrated.

Even though Zeus hadn't answered me because he was angry, dad had sent me an Iris message, in which he had shaken his head.

Maybe he had referred with his head-shaking to something different. Maybe.

Suddenly the dim light got displaced of a short, strident flash of light. Yippie, a god was here.

When I turned around, I saw a girl, maybe 12 years old, with sleek, chocolate-coloured hair. "Hi", I said.

The ingenious and polite Perseus Jackson, blessed be he, Gilbert crowed. You still are a seaweed brain and will never get something different.

It was enough. He could insult me but nobody, nobody, threw mud at Annabeth's words! Briefly I closed my eyes, marched in my head to Gilbert and drew Anaklusmos. How can you dare?, I asked more than just angrily. Gilbert just shrugged with his meager shoulders and smiled greasily. In the past he had been coloured a bit red but was still very white, now, he looked like he was skinny-dipping in a lake full of blood.

It was ended quickly, one stab sideways in his chest. Done. I had killed my conscience.

I opened my eyes, the goddess had risen a brow.

"I am Hecate and I have a quest for you, Perseus Achilles Jackson."

Hi, I am a sacreligious girl and am translating this story with help into English 'cause there are only very few PercyxDraco stories out there... If you don't like this ship, don't worry, this story's plot isn't the most romantic one, so yeah