Pretty Boys - PJO/HoO One Shots

Connor 7.0 // The Beginning of The End Part 6

OPTION 3: Sacrifice Yourself

"Me."

You choked out. Clearing your throat, you spoke, the metallic taste of blood still stinging.

"Take me."

The figure inclined in its head in what you could only assume was surprise. In response, it released Will and Connor, who fell to the floor, gasping for air. Immediately, Connor croaked, "No. (Y/n), please don't..."

Hearing him was hard enough. Ignoring him proved to be even more difficult. Will held Connor back with all that he could, as he yelled and cried for you to stop, and you turned away as soon as you saw the fierce tears in his eyes. You suppressed a smile, you could almost hear his reprimanding. The figure picked you up by the collar of your shirt, and as your feet twitched and dangled above the floor, you stared resolutely at the figure. It's eyes were so hollow, bright as they were. They were empty, like the light itself was just an absence of darkness and nothing more. No heat, no manifestation, no meaning. What had happened to the Seven? Then it hit you.

You realised, you would have joined them, if not for Will and Connor. The strongest reason demigods persisted was for the people they loved. And each of the Seven lost sight of them. Now you would help them see.

You knew what you had to do. You weren't just a dark child of Apollo, you were more than that. You had manipulation over light and sound, but you had a piece of your father that not many others. Prophecy telling. The one thing that created this monster was twisted fate. But you could show it so much more than the future.

Pressing your hand over the chest of the figure, you hoped it had a heart as you remembered the Seven. Every memory you had of person came with some sort of connection to something they held dear. For the Seven, the moment you met them, you knew who they loved the most in their life. And now, you projected them, in hopes of reminding them that when they fought because of the Gods, they fought for the lives of their loved ones. Focusing, a vision of the seven loved ones appeared behind you. Mrs Jackson for Percy. Luke Castellan for Annabeth. Thalia Grace for Jason. Mr McLean for Piper. Nico di Angelo for Hazel. Grandma Zhang for Frank. Mrs Valdez for Leo.

The figure dropped you in response, and Connor and Will scurried over to you, pulling you back. Connor clutched you, pulling you to his chest, muttering, "It's ok, princess. You're ok.", over and over again. Will whispered, as he laid the back of his hand on your forehead, "What did you do?"

"They were lost. I showed them the way."

The three of you watched, with you resting against his chest and Will holding your hand, as the figure faded back into the Seven, whose eyes were no longer empty and lips forming the names of the people in front of them. Connor rose, saying, "I'm going to check on them." Your gaze followed him as his hands rubbed comforting circles on the backs of his best friends. While you watched the Seven and the visions of their loved ones collide into hugs and sobs wrack their bodies, you couldn't help but notice the wounds on your body sealing shut. You glanced at Will, who didn't even know his touch was healing you. You turned to Will, who without a word, wrapped his arms around you and crushed you in a bear hug. Grimacing from your wounds, Will gasped and let go of you, but you pulled him back into a hug and squeezed the life out of him. You murmured against him, "I don't care if you break my back, just don't let go." You no longer felt that voice at the back of your head anymore, whispering warnings of danger. Everything was quiet, and you had Will in your arms. After what felt like eternity, the both of you finally pulled away. Then, his smiled vanished and the reprimands began.

"You could have gotten yourself killed! You're an idiot, (y/l/n)! Seriously. I'm going to have to ground you from ever leaving the cabin because you're such an idiot!" He exclaimed and you snickered. You retorted, "Oh my god, you've insulted me! Whatever shall I do? I'll be mentally scarred for years, brother!" His laughter crinkled the edges of his eyes and you smiled. You missed this.

"Hey, you're (y/n), right?" Will helped you up to talk to Percy, whose eyes were swollen and red from crying. The Seven had turned their attention away from their loved ones, who had faded away already, and were gathering around you. Having your role models standing in front of you was incredible, and you stuttered, "Yep. That's me. (Y/n) is my name. It's me."

They laughed as you cringed and died a little inside. Annabeth slung her arm around Percy's shoulder and said, "Don't freak out, kid. It's just us." You interjected, "Just us? You guys saved the world multiple times! You're my heroes!" Leo piped up, "Yeah, and so did you! You saved the world, you saved us." Piper gently placed her hand on your shoulder, and you felt the comfort she laced her words with, "Thank you. From all of us. For your help. We were in a dark placed, and you saved us. " It was like morphine, and you felt your fears and worries fade away. You savoured the looks of appraisal, gratitude, and you hoped even respect, from the Seven.

"And hey, (y/n). You did all of that while looking really hot." The Seven groaned as Connor pushed through the Seven, a smirk etched on his face. You leapt into his arms in relief, burying your head in his shoulder, before pulling away to press your lips against his. You ignored Will's indignant yell, and smiled against his lips. His arms snaked up your back and into your hair, his fingers tangling in them, and he held you tightly. Pulling away, out of breath, his bloodied fingers reached up to your cheek to clean away the blood and grime staining your face.

"All this dirt and blood looks good on you. It really brings out your eyes," He remarked. Touching foreheads, you shared a relieved chuckle, intertwining your fingers. "I'm glad you're ok, princess."

"And I'm glad you're not dead, Stoll." His hand found yours, and your fingers laced together. Turning around to face the Seven, who were casually looking away and whistling innocently, all except for Will who pointed at Connor and dragged a finger across his throat, you asked, "Are we ready to go home?"

They nodded and Frank muttered nervously, "Let's hope this maze doesn't kill us. That would be a shame." The group broke into laughter, and opening your palm, you released little stars which floated into the air, illuminating the area with a warm glow.

"Follow the light. It will guide us." Together, all of you followed the stars, leaving the darkness behind. That night, there were no nightmares.

<A/N> and that's it guys. that's the end of the book. thank u for sticking with me throughout this book. it's been 2, 3 years? that's crazy long. and now it's time for me to say goodbye :) again, if you guys have any questions, feel free to comment them. if there are enough, i might come back and do a little 'qna' chapter !! ill see u soon guys, dont stop loving pjo/hoo <3