I'm Sorry Isn't Enough, Annabeth

Sally XXVIII

The only way. 

It was the only way to save Percy. 

Sally’s brown eyes wandered over to Percy’s lifeless body beside her. His breathing was uneven, his body trembling, and his eyebrows furrowed in pain. Sally placed her hand on Percy’s icy cold face, and he whimpered at the light touch. 

Sally felt her heart churn at the sight of her own son in such condition. 

She delicately ran her hand through his jet-black hair, attempting to ease him from the pain, Percy sighed softly at her touch, his fists relaxed from its clench. Sally drew back her hand. 

There wasn’t enough time to dwell on Percy’s health now. The plan must take action. 

He will be coming in soon. 

Sally couldn’t stop herself from letting out a crazed-up chuckle. It has already been like, what, almost a whole day since she just found out that Percy had been taken by him, Katie was an impostor and a spy, Poseidon wasn’t answering her prayers and Percy… 

Her poor little baby. 

How could a mother not be heartbroken by the sight of her suffering child? 

Sally felt a flame of fury blaze in the pit of her stomach. How dare those people, how dare they pull her dear little boy into this mess. Percy did no harm! Hadn’t they taken enough revenge already since the last time Gaea had taken him? 

Sally wasn’t an idiot. Percy wasn’t taken for no reason. 

They had a plan. 

And Percy was in their way.

Sally took a shaky breath, letting out her burning tension from her chest. 

It’s gonna be okay… It’s gonna work. Don’t freak out, Sally, you have to save Percy. 

Sally took out a vile from her pocket and flipped open the lid. 

“I don’t want you to do this…” 

Sally stared back into those sea-green eyes of her ex-lover, and it touched her to see how they were filled with worry and concern. 

“Poseidon. It’s for Percy.” 

It shocked Sally to see tears filling those beautiful, yet so pitiful sea-green eyes. It reminded her of Percy when he was a little boy. 

“Sally, please. You’re going to get-” 

“-hurt, I know.” Sally cut Poseidon in mid-sentence, “But, Poseidon, I can’t bear to see Percy suffer anymore. He had enough. Percy is a demigod, but he’s still human.” Sally felt her own hazelnut brown eyes fill with tears. “He’s just a human, he’s just a boy, how can he handle all of this?” 

Poseidon seemed taken aback by Sally’s sudden aggravation, but then he sighed in defeat, handing over the vile filled with shimmering elixir. Sally took it gratefully. 

“The elixir can prevent me from dying, right?” 

“Only for an hour or so,” Poseidon hesitated. “The plan isn’t going to work, Sally, my instincts are telling me that something will go wrong.” Poseidon glanced around as if checking if anyone was spying on them. “Soon.” 

“Trust me.” Sally forced a small reassuring smile. “I’ll get you the enemy’s plans and objectives no matter what happens. They wouldn’t know what hit them.” 

“I don’t…” Poseidon looked away, red seeping his cheeks. “You… I… I mean…” he seemed to be at a loss for words. 

Sally tilted her head. 

“B-Be safe.” he concluded. “I don’t want you to get hurt.” 

A smile formed on Sally’s lips. She was tired, she was scared. All emotions seemed to be churning about in her stomach, the pressure was getting to her. Dark circles formed under her eyes, and her face lost their usual colour. But seeing Poseidon being such concern… no, just seeing Poseidon, she couldn’t really forgive him for leaving her and Percy alone for such a long time, but then, she couldn’t bring herself to hate him either. The smile was genuine, a real, genuine smile, as she felt a warm sensation in her heart, like what she had felt eighteen years ago when she first met him. 

“I will.”