~Playlist: "I See Fire" by Ed Sheeran~

"If this is to end in fire, then we should all burn together"

Author's Note: This chapter is based off the first and second chapter from "The Last Olympian" and I used some quotes. They all belong to Rick Riordan.

Percy's POV

The end of the world started when a Pegasus landed on the hood of my car.

Though it wasn't technically my car. Not exactly. It was more of a I-need-a-place-to-stay-until-Beckendorf-shows-up-and-I'm-not-going-to-sit-on-the-curb car. It only took my hitting the window with the hilt of Riptide and it shattering for me to unlock the car and hop inside.

Until the surprise Pegasus landing, I was leaned back in the chair, reclined all the way, and contemplating how my life had gone to Tartarus in just months.

Just over the past year alone, my life has changed so much. Remembering the time where I thought just the Selection was stressful makes me cringe. This new life is beyond anything I've ever seen or felt in my life.

I never thought I'd have to go to a class to learn about Greek gods and monsters and Titans. I never thought I'd be praised for my natural ability with a sword. But I do and I have.

Most of all, I never thought my fiancé would not talk to me for weeks and disappear for days on end with no one knowing where she went. I'm not mad at Annabeth, but it would be nice to know where she went off to.

"Hey boss," the Pegasus says. "Miss me?"

"Of course, Blackjack."

That's another thing I never knew. I can talk to horses.

"Where's Beckendorf?"

"Here," a deep voice says. I crane my neck back, and see him sitting on top of Blackjack. "Nice car."

"Thanks."

I stand up on the chair and climb to the hood of the car. I accept Beckendorf's extended hand, and climb onto Blackjack. Luckily, his back is big enough for the both of us, despite Beckendorf being very tall and muscular.

"You ready, Blackjack?" I ask.

"Always am, boss," he says before flapping his black wings and flying from the ground.

It doesn't take long for us to be soaring over the clouds, far off the ground. I hate flying, but it's different when I ride a Pegasus. I feel more safe.

Beckendorf eases Blackjack to veer slightly to the right. He does so without any jostles or movement.

"Nice," I say, impressed.

"Thanks. Silena has been helping me ever since I found out about the mission."

Out of everyone, Silena was the best Pegasus rider. She made the animals feel calm and safe, and they trusted her full-heartedly.

"I can see it, boss, and it don't look like good news," Blackjack says. I squint through the clouds, and can just make out a large, shadowy shape on the ground. "You sure you don't want to turn back?"

"Positive, Blackjack. Land in that clearing in the forest over there," I instruct, remembering what Esmerelda told us.

"You got it."

We descend slowly and carefully, and I can feel Blackjack concentrating. He lands us with no bumps whatsoever.

"Wow, good job, Blackjack," I say, sliding from his back.

He shakes his head, his black mane moving. "Thanks. Remember, boss, I'm only a whistle away if you need anything."

"Thanks. Just stay hidden over here unless you hear me calling for you, okay?"

He snorts his understanding, and wanders over to the shade of a large oak tree. From my pocket, I take out a ballpoint pen and take off its cap. It transforms into a bronze sword, and I hold the hilt tightly in my hand.

"When are we good to go?" I ask Beckendorf.

He glances at his watch before responding. "Two minutes."

I nod, and swallow hard, flicking a long strand of black hair from my eyes. For weeks, I've known this mission was coming, but it feels much different now that I'm actually on it. Before, everything was mere prospect, and now it's real. One wrong move could kill the both of us.

"It's go time," Beckendorf announces, his deep voice startling me from my thoughts.

Moving at the same time, we start forward. I hold Riptide out in front of me, my eyes scanning the surroundings. The Princess Andromeda's surroundings are abandoned, the only exception being trees and wildlife. The silence is eerie and thick, causing shivers to creep up my spine.

But Esmerelda warned me how it would feel, how the presence of monsters would infiltrate the forest, making the feeling more than noticeable.

"I don't like this," Beckendorf mutters. I murmur my agreement.

"Let's just get this over with," I say firmly.

"Yeah," he responds, but it sounds absent-minded.

I look over at him and see that he's looking at a wrinkled piece of paper. A map? Why would we need a map if we've already memorized the route we need to take?

Then, Beckendorf shifts the paper slightly, revealing its contents to me. It's not a map, but a photograph: a picture of Silena Beaugard. Her smile is dazzling in the picture, and I can feel her happiness just by looking at it.

"We'll make it back to the D.I.," I promise.

He looks up at me, and I can see the worry swimming in his eyes. But, it fades in seconds, and the anxious expression is replaced with a confident smile.

"I know. Let's go blow this place to hell."

I return a grin, and we enter the warehouse together.

"Turn left up here," Beckendorf instructs, indicating down the dark corridor. I do as he says, and we found ourselves standing in a small room covered with paintings.

"It's behind a painting, right?" I ask, racking my brains. This portion of the mission was Beckendorf's, so I didn't really listen when Esmerelda explained it all.

"Right. If should be right. . .here."

With his last word, he took a painting from the wall, revealing a small panel behind it.

"You keep watch. I've got this," Beckendorf says.

I return to the door, and awkwardly stand in the doorframe. The noise of a group of people drifts from the dark hallway, but they're far away. And if they do come this way, then at least I'll hear them and have a heads up.

"How much time?" I ask Beckendorf after several minutes of silence, interrupted only by the scratches of

I glance back just in time to see him check his watch. "Sixteen minutes."

I nod, and turn back around. Just in time to see a monster's eyes looking right at me.

Without even thinking, I thrust Riptide right towards it's head. It explodes into a dusty powder.

"Everything okay, Percy?" Beckendorf asks.

"Yeah," I reply shakily. "Everything's good."

Time passes by agonizingly slowly. Every time I turn around to check on Beckendorf, little progress appeared to be made. Frustrated, I focus all my attention outside.

Which was a mistake.

The only thing that notifies me of Beckendorf being in danger is a muffled shout. Alarmed, I spin around, Riptide in hand.

Beckendorf is fighting what looks like a cross between a dog and a sea lion. His left hand is still on the control board, trying to get it done in time, while the other is attempting to shove it backwards. I thrust Riptide towards it, and the monster disappears into a cloud of yellow dust.

"How in Poseidon's name did that get in here?" I shout.

"One second it wasn't here, and the next it was."

Beckendorf and I exchange a look. Worry and fear haunt his dark eyes.

Suddenly, scuffling sounds from the hallway. It's faint, but there.

"Percy, get out," Beckendorf says, his voice firm. "Leave Princess Andromeda."

"No, we have to wait for the explosives to be ready," I remind him, shaking my head.

"There's not enough time. But if you go out there and distract them, then there will be."

"What, and just leave you here? No way. That's not the plan."

Fear is beginning to seep through my veins, spreading throughout my entire body. The calm look in Beckendorf's eyes is enough to confirm my suspicions.

"No," I say.

"Percy--"

"No. I'm not leaving you. You...you have Silena back at the D.I.. You're one of the best demigods we have. No, I'm not going to leave you."

He smiles, eyes crinkling like paper. "I've always been a guard, Percy. I protect people, it's what I do. And I'm going to protect you."

"No, you're not."

"Yes," Beckendorf smiles. "I am."

He pushes me out of the control room. I'm too stunned and surprised to fight back. Once I realize what he's done, I try to run back into the room just to collide with the closed door.

I slam on it. "Beckendorf! Stop!"

"Percy, if you don't run away right now, I will haunt you in the Underworld forever. Go!"

I can't run. Even if I wanted to, my legs refuse to move. I'm motionless, standing in front of the only thing that separates Beckendorf from life.

"Hey!"

A shout is enough to make me turn my head. The footsteps from earlier have arrived, and they belong to a group of six persons, most likely demigods like me.

"Who are you?" one of them shouts.

They run at me. I turn back to the door one last time, and I swear I could hear him talking.

"I'm sorry, Silena."

Then I'm running. I force all the guilt and fear into my legs, and push myself out of there, angry teenagers on my tail.

I hear it before I feel it.

A loud explosion rocks the hallway. I stumble, bracing against the wall for balance. Then, the searing heat kicks in. The air itself feels like it's been turned into fire. Taking a breath is like inhaling sparks.

What are you doing? A voice asks in my head, louder than the explosions that shake the walls around me. Why did you stop? Beckendorf just sacrificed himself for you, and you're just standing here?

"Annabeth?" I rasp.

Run. Move it, Seaweed Brain. You've already survived this before, so do it again. Except this time, the Atlantic Ocean isn't here to help. What are you going to do?

"You're not making any sense," I mutter.

Yes, I am, you just don't understand it. But I do. Run, Percy. Get out of here. This isn't where you die, do you hear me? This isn't it. So run.

And I do. I push myself from the wall and run. Even when a fireball races past, burning off the hair on my arms. Even when all I can hear is ringing in my ears. Even when the floor cracks in two.

"Annabeth!" I scream, still running.

Run, Percy. You have to. Save us all. Save me.

But I can't run. All I can do is envision the picture of Silena going up in flames before Beckendorf does.

"Percy Jackson."

This time, the word isn't in my mind. And it isn't Annabeth's voice.

From the smoke and sparks, Luke Castellan emerges. His eyes look like molten gold.

"I've been waiting such a long time to meet you," he smiles, his moth stretching into a frightening grin. "And here you are, lost in the realm of your weakness: fire."

The voice isn't Luke's. Actually, it is, but it isn't. It's like two voices are playing over each other: one familiar, and one that sounds like a knife scratching rock.

"It's a shame about Beckendorf," Luke-not-Luke says.

"You knew him!" I shout, unable to help myself. "You trained with him for months! You were his friend!"

His face ripples. That's the only way to describe it. For a brief second, blue eyes replace the gold, and a look of grief fills his handsome face. Then, it's gone, and a mask of golden eyes and cruelty settles over again.

"Friends. Friends are just promises waiting to be broken. You can never trust them," Luke scoffs.

"That's not true."

He glares at me. "And what do your friends do for you? You run yourself to the ground for them, and they don't even care. Tell me, Perseus Jackson: is that fair?"

The flames lick the soles of my shoes. The heat is intense, and so thick. It's a struggle to keep my eyes open.

He's distracted. Annabeth's voice is back. Quickly, summon water.

"How?" I whisper.

Gods, do I have to explain everything myself? It's water, Seaweed Brain! It's your natural element. You can feel it beneath the ground, just waiting to come out. Summon it, Percy.

I focus on the feeling of beads of water resting below the surface. I vision them connecting with each other, forming waves of water.

"Well?" Luke asks. "What do you have to say to that?"

I open my eyes.

And let hell break loose.

Water surges from the ground, extinguishing the fire around me. The sheer force of it knocks Luke to the ground.

"Should I save him?" I ask out loud.

No. Annabeth's voice is sad. He's too far gone to be saved.

So I run. The water pushes behind me, making me move faster. It pushes me out the door and into the sunlight.

Where Esmerelda and San are standing, jaws open in astonishment.

"What happened?" Esmerelda shouts. "Where's Beckendorf?"

I just shake my head.

"Oh my gods," Sam gasps. "Not Beckendorf."

"We have to get out of here," I manage to wheeze out.

Esmerelda nods her agreement. "Let's go. And I'm sorry, Percy."

I stare straight ahead, refusing to let the tears into my eyes. And I try to ignore the whispering ghosts of what Luke said linger in my mind.

What do your friends ever do for you?

Author's Note
Believe it or not, but I've been working on this update for a month. I always stopped getting motivated, so I didn't work on it. But now it's here, in all of it's unedited glory.

The Fiction Awards are here, and it would mean so much to me if you went out and voted for either "The Demigod Selection" or "Waiting on You". It's on thefictionawards and follow the rules they have listed in the book.

This is my schedule for the upcoming summer. It should be in effect mid-June.
•Revise and edit "The Demigod Selection"
•Get "United We Fall" up off the ground.
•Continue "The Last Petal"
•Continue, and possibly finish, "Waiting on You"
•Update "Spaces in Between"
•Get "Recherché" up off the ground

Currently, I'm taking exams, so updates probably won't be common. But hopefully this is enough to tide you over until next time!