A/N: Hello. I am Blue. This is a what-if scenario where Percy stays back instead of Bob.

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Percy's POV

When we arrived at the Hermes Shrine in Tartarus, it was our first opportunity to rest. I had volunteered along for first watch with Bob, and Annabeth had immediately crashed. It was almost hard to remember the last time I had slept. I could have sworn that it was before we had fallen into Tartarus. If I had slept after the fall, all traces of rest had disappeared. I was exhausted. Even though my eyes were now spending more time closed than open, I knew Annabeth needed to sleep if she was ever going to heal her ankle. And she didn't trust Bob yet. I would be able to wait until the next opportunity to rest. I had to give her all the time we had to rest.

Behind me, Bob was scanning the horizon, watching for monsters. I got up from my seat next to Annabeth and sat down next to him on the steps of the Hermes Shrine. I leaned back on my palms, and stretched my legs out. It was a nice feeling, to finally relax for just a moment and let my mind think beyond the next few steps. With free reign, my thoughts left for the surface. They mentally found the other questers, and dreamed of their current battles. Where were they? Had they made it to the other side of the doors? How long had truly passed since we had been down here? I couldn't be sure. I wrenched my mind back. If I thought too deeply of the surface, I would never make it back there. I had to focus on getting Annabeth and myself to the doors first.

Bob made a sound next to me, and I turned to look at him. He was watching me.

"Percy," He said. "How did you get down here?"

I took a moment to absorb the question, weighing the options of telling him everything. Annabeth wouldn't approve, but on the off chance that Bob knew how to make it to the Doors of Death, we needed him to know.

I told him.

He listened quietly, nodding along to what I was saying, and asking a few questions along the way. I steered clear of any topics that might stir his memories, or make him feel opposed to helping us in our journey. It made me feel guilty, but I did it anyway.

When I mentioned the Doors of Death were down here, and how we had to use them in order to make it to the surface world, Bob's eyes lit up.

"Yes." He made direct eye contact with me. "I know those. I know where they are."

I asked if he would be willing to guide us, and he agreed. My stomach settled down after the agreement. We finally had an end destination. We were no longer walking around Tartarus blindly.

Bob's eyes turned dark and his smile faded.

"But," He said. "Someone must stay behind."

I knew this would come up eventually, and I realized now was the perfect chance to tell Bob.

"Bob." I said. "If one of us have to stay back, I want you to take Annabeth and go. I can fend for myself down here, and you don't belong here. Can you do that for me?"
I knew that he obviously didn't want to, and his face turned conflicted, but he nodded.

"I will take her."

Line Break

I looked at Annabeth, ignoring the death mist. Her gray eyes were as hard as steel. She returned my gaze, and we acted as one, moving towards the Doors. We had to cut the chains, and before the next group went on, figure out how to sneak aboard undetected. There were too many monsters to fight. While strategy wasn't exactly my strongest point, I knew I could trust Annabeth's plans.

She motioned for me to head towards the other chains. I was on one side of the elevator, and she was on the other. We locked eyes, mouthing the counts before we cut the chains.

We never made it to three. A silent shiver passed through the groups of monsters, along with a deafening quiet that turned the fields of monsters still.

A high pitched whine seemed to grow in volume, before and explosion rocked the entire field. Krios and Hyperion were torn apart by flying shrapnel.

STINKING PIT A voice said. I could only assume it was Tartarus, in response to Krios and Hyperion's insults.

The ground beneath us shook. The voice traveled across the fields we were standing. I stood up, and glanced at Annabeth. She was safe, but there was alarm in her eyes as she looked at me. The Death Mist was gone.

LESSER BEINGS. IMPERFECT AND WEAK.

In front of the Doors of Death, the darkness gathered and turned solid. My eyes traveled up his form, my fear growing larger with each second I attempted to comprehend the form standing in front of me. His chest plate contained the forms of monsters in suffering. His armor was made of bones. His face was a whirlpool which sucked up the dust from Krios and Hyperion. I was in a complete state of panic, terrified beyond belief at the massive figure in front of me.

"Tartarus," I said. I could hear the fear in my voice. A terrible laugh echoed my statement.

This form is only a small manifestation of my power. He said. But it is enough to deal with you. I do not interfere lightly little demigod. It is beneath me to deal with gnats such as yourself.

I had to keep talking to him. That had always been the strategy. I talk, while Annabeth comes up with a plan. "Uh…" I said. My legs quivered under me. It was everything I could do to prevent myself from collapsing to the ground. "Don't… you know… go to any trouble…"

You have proven surprisingly resilient. Tartarus said. You have come too far. I can no longer stand by and watch your progress.

Tartarus opened his arms, and the millions of monsters surrounding us pounded their shields and roared. They were crying out for our blood. We were going to die here. Tartarus continued to speak.

Be honoured, little demigods, said the god of the pit. Even the Olympians were never worthy of my personal attention. But you will be destroyed by Tartarus himself.

The monsters of the field grew quiet, as if awaiting Tartarus's command. It was strange to hear silence. Their journey through had Tartarus had never been quiet. There had always been some sort of sound, and if there wasn't, Annabeth and i had filled it with our breathing or conversation.

Tartarus spoke again. It is good to have form. With these hands, I can eviscerate you.

His voice was weird. Almost as if he were sucking the sound back into his whirlpool of a face immediately after he said them.

Riptide grew heavier in my hands. It was almost as if the gravity around my sword had increased. It's tip dipped toward the ground, the hilt pulling on my shoulder. My hands shook. The fear was making me weaker than ever, and I couldn't hold it up.

I dropped my sword and stood defenseless in front of the most powerful being I had ever encountered. Almost immediately after I had done so, I heard a voice from my past speak.

Suddenly, I was twelve. The sun was rising, and I stood in the surf on the west coast of the United States. Ares stood in front of me, golden blood leaking out of the heel of his boot. "You have made an enemy, godling." He said. "You have sealed your fate. When you need it most, your sword will fail you. Every time you raise your blade in battle, every time you hope for success, you will feel my curse. Beware, Perseus Jackson. Beware." The last time I had remembered that had been on the ruins of Mount Othrys. Then, I had thought the greatest threat I would ever face would have been Atlas. I was wrong.

My mind returned to the present and I looked up at Tartarus. He was laughing.

Your fear smells wonderful. He said. I see the appeal of having a physical body with so many senses. Perhaps my beloved Gaea is right, wishing to wake from her slumber.

With that, he reached out for me. I felt my fear spike, and I tried to run. But I couldn't. My legs were frozen to the ground and my eyes were wide and his huge purple hand stretched out towards me. I was going to die.

Suddenly, Bob was there. His spear was pointed at the primordial as he wielded more courage than I could ever possibly have.

"Begone!" Bob said. "You have no right to meddle!"

Tartarus turned from me to face Bob. Meddle? I am the lord of ALL creatures of the darkness, puny Iapetus. I can do as I please." His face spun faster, emitting a terrible sound.

I fell to my knees, my hands covering my ears. Twenty feet away, Annabeth was doing the same. Bob's life force appeared to be separating from his body as the cyclone face lf Tartarus sucked it in.

Bob roared, charging Tartarus. He went flying as Tartarus swatted him away.

Why do you know disintegrate? Tartarus mused. You are nothing. You are even weaker than Krios and Hyperion.

"I am Bob," Bob said.

Tartarus hissed. What is that? What is Bob?

Bob spoke. "I choose to be more than Iapetus. You do not control me. I am not like my brothers." Small Bob jumped out of his overalls and hissed at Tartarus. "Also," He said. "I have a good cat."

Bob stabbed at Tartarus, distracting him from us, while Small Bob helped. Tartarus roared in anger.

You will die first, Iapetus. He decided. Afterward, I will add your soul to my armor, where it will slowly dissolve, over and over, in eternal agony.

Bob ignored him, instead turning to face us. "Take the doors," he said. "I will deal with Tartarus."

Tartarus roared once more, sucking a few more monsters into his vortex face. Deal with me? You are only a Titan, a lesser child of Gaea! I will make you suffer for your arrogance. And as for your tiny mortal friends… Tartarus faced us once more, sweeping his arms across the ranks of monsters. DESTROY THEM!

Annabeth raised her sword and shouted my name. "Percy!"

That was enough to free me of my paralysis. I grabbed the sword in front of me and jumped to my feet. Riptide seemed lighter, and glowed brighter than I had ever remembered before. Ares' curse seemed to have lifted, even if the curse from Heracles time remained upon it.

I cut through the monsters faster than I ever had before. All I could see of Riptide was a celestial bronze arc and the leather grip which fit perfectly in my hands. Behind me, Annabeth was slicing the chains on the Doors of Death.

An arai lunged at me and I slashed across its midsection. Immediately pain surged throughout my whole body and I yelled. "Gah! Stupid curses!" I moved forward, slicing through a group of telekhines.

Annabeth was shouting at me. "Percy get over here!" I backed up to the doorway of the Doors of Death. I backed up, joining her. This was reminding me of our battle for Manhattan. We were regrouping at the doors. It would be our bridge.

"You okay?" She asked. I nodded. I had to get her out of here. There were too many monsters for us to handle.

"Got some sort of pain curse from that arai." A gryphon came careening out of the sky and I hacked it out of the air. I looked her in the eyes. I had to send her back to the surface. "Hurts, but it won't kill me. Get in the elevator. I'll hold the button." The minute I said it, I knew she wouldn't do it. Annabeth was not the kind of person to give up.

"Yeah, right." She said. "You promised, Seaweed Brain. We would not get separated! Ever again!" I knew she was right, but it didn't look like we could both make it out.

"You're impossible!" I said, turning a hellhound to dust.

"Love you too!" She shouted back.

A phalanx of cyclopes approached us. I gave a battle cry and felt the familiar tug of the naval. A vein burst from underneath our feet, spraying the cyclops with Phlegethon water.

The cyclopes combusted immediately.

"Annabeth," I said. "You have to go. We can't both stay!"

"No!" She cried. "Duck!

I followed her warning without question, crouching as she brought her sword down on something behind me.

"Well then," I said. "Do you have a better idea?" She scowled staring at the monsters approaching us. I glanced over to Bob. His attacks were getting slower, and Tartarus was getting better. He didn't have much time left if I didn't help.

YIELD! Tartarus thundered.

"I will not," Bob said. "You are not my master."

Die in defiance, then, Tartarus said. You titans are nothing to me. My children the giants were always better, stronger, and more vicious. They will make the upper world as dark as my realm!"

With that, Tartarus destroyed Bob's weapon. Bob cried out, and Small Bob jumped to his defenses. Tartarus was going to destroy him, and erase him from the story of the world.

I couldn't let that happen.

I turned to Annabeth, gripping her hand tightly. "Stay here. I've got to help him." I could tell that she didn't like that.

"Percy, you can't," She said. Her voice was hoarse. "Tartarus can't be fought. Not by us."

I knew she was right. He was in a class by himself, way more powerful than the gods or titans. We were nothing to him. If I charged to help him, I would get squashed.

I couldn't listen. He was my friend. He came down here to help us. I couldn't let him die alone.

Annabeth spoke up beside me. "We'll go together."

A protest rose up in my throat. If we stepped away from the doors, we would die down here for sure, with escape so close. This would be our end. Yet I felt pride. Annabeth was willing to die beside me.

But before we could move away for the doors, we were stopped by a sound. A ripple of alarm passed through the army. Loud booms rose up in the distance, getting closer. They were accompanied by screams and shrieks. Something huge was moving towards us. I looked at Annabeth and saw her features transform into a grin. I followed her eyes, and saw the cause of commotion.

The Maeonian drakon stood proud on a rise in the battlefield. It spread its frilled collar and hissed, the smell of pine and ginger wafting across the field. It flicked its tail, sending a battalion of cyclops flying. A giant rode on its back.

"Damasen!" Annabeth shouted. A grin rose to my face as well.

The giant inclined his head. "Annabeth Chase, I took your advice. I chose myself a new fate."

What is this? Tartarus hissed. Why have you come, my disgraced son?

Damasen stared at Annabeth, as if sending her a silent message. Then he turned toward Tartarus, the drakon he was riding trampling more monsters underneath its feet.

"Father, you wished for a more worthy opponent?" Damasen asked calmly. "I am one of the giants you are so proud of. You wished me to be more warlike? Perhaps I will start by destroying you!" With that, he leveled his lance and charged.

Bob retreated back toward us, and I distracted the monsters by bursting more of the veins under their feet.

Damasen was still going strong over with Tartarus, stabbing at him, and taunting him. The god was forced to retreat away from the Doors of Death at the Giant's assault.

But it wasn't something we could hold forever.

The monster army surged at us once more, and I couldn't keep bursting the water. These were the rivers of the underworld. Lifting them required monumental strength, which was something I did not have.

I fought through the monsters, Annabeth by my side as we defended the door once more. The longer we stood here, the less our chance of getting out alive.

I looked at Bob. Managing to make eye contact with him. I could only hope he remembered our conversation at the shrine of Hermes. He glanced back at Annabeth, who was currently fighting an empousa, and nodded.

Tartarus roared loudly in the distance. Damasen had landed a hit.

ENOUGH! He shouted. Waves of power washed over the plains of monsters. I am done playing games!

Silence filled battlefield once more. I lowered Riptide involuntarily, and Annabeth followed the action beside me.

You are beneath me! Pure power filled the cavern, shaking the floor. You cannot beat me!

Rocks rained down from the ceiling. It was almost as if the cavern was collapsing, but somehow, I knew it wasn't.

I found my voice. "Annabeth! Get in the elevator!"

"Not without you!" She shouted. The monsters were turning their attention back to us. Damasen roared in pain behind us.

Part of me felt immense love for her, knowing that she would rather die with me than leave and survive. But I couldn't accept that.

I had to lie. She would never leave unless I did.

"I'm right behind you!" I shouted, feeling guilt immediately after I said the words. She backed up to the doors once more, slashing at the monsters that followed her. I fought my way to the doors as well.
Bob ended up at my side.

"Can I borrow Small Bob?" I said, making sure I was quiet enough so that Annabeth wouldn't hear me.

"Of course," He said, his eyes sparkling. Small Bob hissed beside me.

"Protect her for me," I said, and we made our way towards the doors.

An earthborn stood in front of me, and I raised my sword. Bob pushed forward, standing in front of the elevator. He knocked a group of harpies out of the sky using a fallen stalactite.

I slid under it, stabbing at its backside, before running towards Annabeth. If anything, I had to at least tell her that I loved her before I left her.

The Doors seemed to be just out of my reach as more monsters intercepted me. I could make out the other two fighting hard as well, and the occasional shout from Damasen or Tartarus came from the other end of the battlefield.

After killing a dracaena, I was at the doors next to Annabeth. Small Bob stood protectively in front of both of them. Annabeth was clutching her left arm, which was slowly leaking blood.

"You alright?" I asked. She nodded.

"Annabeth," I said. "I love you." The panels were sliding shut in front of us. I jumped out, and pressed the button, my sword out.

"Percy! What are you doing?" She shouted. She attempted to jump out with me, but Bob intervened.

"You cannot, Annabeth," He wrapped his arms around her, holding her back. I stepped in once more, and crashed my lips against hers. I felt the same sparks as always, as if I were going to melt, and knew that this would probably be the last time I would be able to experience her kisses.

"I'm sorry Annabeth," I said. "I love you." And I was out of the elevator once more.

The panels started to close once more, and Annabeth struggled to escape Bob's grip even harder than before.

"Perseus Jackson, I swear to the gods!" She shouted, her voice desperate. "You promised! You promised me!"

The doors were almost closed. I smiled at her through the crack.

"I love you," I repeated. I knew I was going to die down here, and I needed those to be my final words to her.

Bob let her down when it was too late for her to stop the doors. She met me at the rapidly closing crack as Bob braced himself to hold the doors shut.

"I love you, and I will get you out eventually," She said, before the Doors of Death finally closed. I watched as her beautiful gray eyes disappeared from my view.

After the door closed completely, the elevator disappeared from existence with a pop, and I turned my attention back to the battlefield. I held the button as tight as I possible could. I had to make sure that I never let go.

Twelve minutes left.

I could do this. I only had to survive for twelve more minutes. Small Bob hissed at the monsters. We were surrounded on all sides. My mind emptied beyond holding the button and killing the next monster. It was a pattern of slash and swipe, slash and swipe.

Damasen gave a battle cry far off in the distance, accompanied by the loud hissing of the Maeonian Drakon. I could feel the ground shaking from his fight against his father. I wish I could have helped, but I knew that I would be of no help in that fight. I could help best by fighting the monsters here.

Time blurred, like Kronos was interfering in the battle. All thoughts in my mind stopped, until the only thing I could focus on was the creature in front of me. Every now and then, I would burst a water vein, dousing the monsters in the water of one of the five rivers of the underworld.

I was losing track of how long I held the button, but I knew that there would be a sign that the button had been held for the correct amount of time. It might disappear after twelve minutes, who knows? All I knew was that I had to keep holding it. I couldn't let it go.

I wondered idly what was happening in the elevator as it traveled upwards. Bob would be there to protect Annabeth no matter where they popped up, but I hoped that our friends would be there as well.

I wish I had been able to get Damasen up to freedom as well. I don't think I would have been able to hold the button long enough if he hadn't been here. Tartarus's attention would have been on me, and I could barely handle the monsters near me now.

Even now, I could feel the tip of my sword beginning to dip. Exhaustion was settling in my bones. Sweat and monster dust blurred my vision. I would never be able to finish this, but I wasn't going to go down without fighting with everything I had.

I crouched low and stabbed up through the heart of another dracaena before turning around to some sort of flying snake creature. I dodged the venom it spit at me before cutting off its wing. I didn't have time to watch it spiral down into the crowd of monsters behind me.

It was getting pretty annoying to deal with the monsters while keeping one hand on the Up button. I couldn't get around the monsters as I normally would, and the monsters kept trying to get me away from the doors.

A hyperborean approached me. I feinted towards the left, before changing the direction and striking at its head. It dissolved into a bunch of blue shards. I turned to deal with a skeleton. My sword went through its ribcage, before I sliced upwards, turning it to dust.

It felt like I had been holding the button forever. Just in case I wasn't pressing it hard enough, I pushed a tiny bit more.

Small Bob was a couple feet away, fighting just as hard as me. He swept a paw through a cyclops and watched it explode into dust before dealing with the rest of its group.

A group of empousa approached me surrounded me on all sides and attempted to attack me all at once. I sliced through the first one as the others closed from behind. I slashed at one, injuring it but not dissolving it. The one next to it wiped at me and landed a hit, creating a cut across my shoulder. I hissed in pain and grit my teeth, stabbing the monster through its midsection.

Two sounds echoed across the battlefield, causing everyone to pause. Tartarus laughed as Damasen roared in agony. Apparently the death of a giant was something to see. Tartarus approached the fallen Damasen. His drakon was nowhere to be seen. It must have been dissolved.

Tartarus placed a hand upon Damasen's chest. Even though they were both miles away, I could see the fear in Damasen's eyes. He stared into Tartarus's vortex of a face as he slowly dissolved. Tartarus had killed him by laying a single hand upon the giant. The golden dust of Damasen was sucked up into Tartarus's face. All that remained him was his broken lance.

Tartarus stood tall, towering over the battlefield. In his chestplate, I could see a familiar face. Damasen's face was twisted in pure pain, his hands pressed against the inside of the armor as he attempted to free himself. Tartarus's laugh boomed across the field.

PERSEUS JACKSON He shouted. You are alone with no one to help you. When will you give up?
I stood frozen in fear. He was right. There would be no reinforcements for me. I was alone, in the birthplace of all things evil. There were millions of monsters here. They all hated me and no matter how many I killed, they would keep coming back.

There was no point.

But almost immediately after I had that thought, I remembered the reasons I had fought for so long.

My mom, who had loved me and raised me for so long. I had promised her that I would come back to her alive. I had made that promise an eternity ago, when I was in Alaska with Frank and Hazel. I remembered the sun and the stars. I remembered sitting in the sun and relaxing along the water. I remembered watching the stars and Mom's moonlace that bloomed and shimmered in the night light. There were my friends back at Camp Half-Blood. The playful banter we made at each other, and the close bonds we had formed with each other through our experience in combat. We hadn't given up through the battle then. They had kept fighting, they had inspired me to keep fighting then. They would continue to inspire me even now, when they weren't with me. My friends aboard the Agro II. They were headed to a battle almost impossible for us to win. They kept going at it anyway. I couldn't give up if they weren't. And Annabeth. She was everything to me. We had fought by each other's side for almost six years now. I would give anything to sit by her side once more on the dock of the lake at camp, and soak in the sunlight by her side. I had promised her that we would never be separated. I had broken that promise to keep her safe, but I couldn't give up on ever being able to return that promise. I loved Annabeth. I loved her even more than I would be able to put into words. I could feel her lips on mine through memory. She was amazing, she was beautiful.

I had to get back to her.

At that exact moment, the button I had kept my hand on for so long finally dinged. The button shuddered silently and disappeared with a pop.

I sighed in relief.

Bob and Annabeth had made it to the surface. I didn't know where they had popped out, and if my friends aboard the Argo II were able to receive them. But at least they were out of this place. I had my mobility back.

Tartarus continued to laugh. Your friend has escaped, Perseus. But you. You will be in my grasp forever!

He stepped toward me, the monsters retreating from his path. I was unable to move once more. I couldn't speak.

Tartarus stood directly in front of me. I had to crane my head in order to look up at his face. I still couldn't move my body. Riptide was by my side.

I could do nothing as Tartarus reached down for me. He picked me up with no resistance, holding me in his fist. He held me up to his face.

You are nothing to me. He said. I could almost see my life force being drawn out of my body. But I suppose I could entertain myself with your suffering.

I was terrified out of my mind. I was getting dizzy by staring straight into the whirlpool of his face. His grip on me was tight, and I could feel my bones protesting against the pressure. I was a great distance away from the ground. I saw no escape from this without injury.

He laughed once more. I gasped as he tightened his grip on me.

You will die, Perseus Jackson. And I will find immense satisfaction in watching it. He said. I could feel the smirk in his words.

With that, his grip tightened even more, and my vision went dark.

A/N: Thank you for reading, and please review!