I followed Annabeth deeper into the forest. When we reached a clearing, she stopped and turned to face me.

"A duel," she said. "If I win, you come with me. If you win, you can kill me."

I smirked. "Deal."

She brought out her drakon bone sword as I brought out Riptide. She lunged at me and I quickly stepped to the side. She came at me with an overhead strike and I brought up my sword and deflected it to the side. I saw an opening and took it.

I slashed at her, going into offense and forcing her to defend against my ruthless attacks. Soon enough, I disarmed her and got up close and in her face, pressing the edge of my blade against her neck.

"You win," she said.

"Any last words," I growled in her face.

"Yes. If I can't have you, no one can," she said before plunging a blade into my stomach. I stumbled back and let loose a pain filled scream as the blade was ripped out of my gut. Blood began to seep out of my stomach as I could do nothing except lay there.

Annabeth disappeared into the forest as Zoë ran into the clearing.

"Percy!" She screamed when she saw me. "No, no, no, no! Stay with me, Percy! You can't leave! You can't die on me!"

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she tried to stop the blood flow, but it was no use. The blood kept coming and Zoë kept weeping.

Minutes passed and my vision began to fade. A bright flash of silver blinded me. When my vision returned (for the most part), a ghostly figure stood off to my side and uttered six lines that I soon realized were a prophesy.

"Turned by love, killed by greed,

Lost forever, returned by need

His killer, his love fight in stride

Neither able to turn the tide

The dead, risen again

Serve the heart until the end,"

the ghostly figure said, just as I let out my final breath and I closed my eyes for the last time. I had died.