For You, I Could Be Anything

The Fall and Confession

Demetri's POV -

I found a place nearby and I laid Katalina down. I held her hand as I grew more nervous and worried by the second. I then heard her mumble something in her sleep. I listened closer, "Percy...Percy..", she repeated. I smiled, "Don't worry he's fine. He'll be back soon" I said quietly. I didn't notice, but I had started inching closer and closer to her. I only realized until I felt her breath hitting my face. I stayed there without moving. She looked so peaceful and beautiful. I pressed my lips on her left cheek. A warm sensation immediately crawling up on me. I smiled, but then I moved back as I saw her flutter her eyes open. "Demetri? What? How? When??" she started asking. I helped her sit up, "Woah, calm down. How did you wake up? Nico said we needed someone to perform the spell for you to wake up..?" I said totally confused. She chuckled lowly "I saw a witch in my sleep. She said she would help me since I had helped her once too back in the day. Before I knew it, I'm here" she responded. My eyebrows raised. I was amazed with literally every single new thing I learned and they always seemed to shock me. She then shot up, "Where's Percy? A-and Nico? Why are we here? Alone...". "Percy, Nico, and the rest went to go save Annabeth. Percy told me to take you away and protect you until he came back with the rest, so now we're here.." I explained. She shook her head furiously, "No...We have to get to them now Demetri! I have feeling this isn't going to go well" she said obviously scared. I frowned, "What do you mean?". "Demetri, please we have to go now! Please just trust me this once" she begged. "Katalina, your still recovering. I can't, we can't go there" I trailed on. Her shoulders hunched, "Well, I'm not asking you Demetri, I'm telling you" she said then, confidence radiating from her. She grabbed my hand and dragged me out of there.

"Katalina, do you even know where we're going?" I asked incredulously. She ignored me and just keep dragging me everywhere. "Katalina!!" I repeated more louder. She turned to me, "Don't make me silence you Demetri" she warned. "You wouldn't" I glared. She smirked "Only if you don't make me have to" she replied. "Your crazy" I told her. "Been called worse" she shrugged. I turned her around, "I wasn't trying to offend you". "Never thought you were" she smiled sarcastically. Then she crouched in pain. "Katalina! What is it?? Are you ok?!" I asked while grabbing her. Her eyes widened, "We have to get there, now!".

Once we arrived, we saw them loading the Athena Parthenos onto the ship. "Percy!!" Katalina cried. Percy turned and smiled, "Sister!!" he yelled. She ran to him and hugged him fast. "I missed you so much!" she began. "Me too" he replied lovingly. "Come on guys, get on!" Leo called for us. We ran towards the ship and started climbing up the ladder. I reached over and held a hand out to Percy. He grabbed it and just when I was about to reach for Annabeth, something caught her leg. "Annabeth!!" we all yelled. Percy jumped down and grabbed her arm just before she could fall down. "Percy!! Annabeth!!" Katalina yelled as she started going towards them. I wrapped my arms around her waist tightly. She struggled, "Phasmatos Morsinus Pyrox Allum" she muttered as she struggled to get out of my hold. I felt immense scrutinizing pain shoot through my body, but I kept my strong hold on her. "Nico!! Promise me you'll go to the Doors of Death on the mortal side!!" Percy shouted. Nico looked in the verge of tears. "Nico promise me!" Percy shouted again. "I promise" Nico yelled back. Percy tried to smile, "Katalina, stop! Don't keep hurting Demetri, we'll make it out" Percy yelled. "Percy, let me go" Annabeth cried. "No, we're staying together. I will never let you go" he comforted her. "As long as we stay together" she cried. Then, Percy let go and they fell. "Motus!, Dimiterre!, Louvrir!, Ascendo!!" Katalina kept shouting spell after spell, but it was too late. Her legs started failing her, "Percy..P-Percy! PERCY!!!!!!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. Tears poured from her eyes and her breathing was unsteady. I pulled her towards me, "Ssh..ssh" I comforted her. "Percy! Annabeth..." she cried into my shoulder. "I know, I know" I repeated as I stroked her back. She hugged me harder and kept crying. Everyone watched as the mighty, strong, beautiful Katalina cried in despair. We could feel the negative emotions and power radiating off of her. "M-motus.." she muttered again.

The only thing I did then after we left, was just comfort Katalina and have her in my arms. I know its wrong of me to feel this way, but I felt the tiniest bit of gratefulness. I know I was being selfish, but I haven't had her in my arms like this ever since that day in Volterra. Of course I felt angry and sad that both Percy and Annabeth had fallen into Tartarus, but I just couldn't shake this feeling off, no matter how much I wanted to. I just observed her as she played with my hand. She would interlace our fingers together and then she would pull away. She repeated this action for a long time until I just held her hand. She sighed and let herself drop into my embrace more. "They'll be fine" I said. "I know, I trust them. Their Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase for Poseidon's sake" she chuckled lowly. I smiled at her, "Yeah they are.." I mumbled. She laid her head on my chest. "I just wish I could have done something. I had just gotten them back after so long..." she said painfully. I gently placed a kiss on her temple. "I haven't seen my brother in months and Annabeth and I haven't been on the best terms. I just wanted to make things right for once, but I always fail to do so" she sighed. I sighed with her, "Everything has its time" I spoke. "Some of us don't have time" she chuckled bitterly. She turned to look at me, "You know, I thought of something while Nico and I were down there" she said. I frowned, "What was it?". She looked down, "I thought, What if we don't make it out?. And you know, for the first time in my life I actually wanted it to be real. Not for Nico, but for me. I thought that if I just stayed down there, if I died down there, I won't hurt anymore. The pain, my selfishness, the responsibility, living up to what I was supposed to be. I thought it would be gone, once I wasn't alive anymore. I mean for once I actually didn't want to live.." she scoffed at the end. Hearing her say all of this pained me so much. "Why would you go?! Why did you think that doing such thing would-" I started, but my voice broke off. "Because I just couldn't stand it anymore. I don't know, maybe it was just my surroundings making me feel and think that way, but-", "No! Did you think that after you would be gone that we wouldn't be sad? Didn't you think about your siblings? Your friends? Nico?? Percy?! Didn't you think about how I would feel?!" I raised my voice in rage. She looked up, "Demetri, I-", "Is something wrong?" a voice interrupted her. We looked at the direction of the voice. There Nico stood with his arms crossed. I scoffed, "When isn't there?" I said while leaving.