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[Percy is on the roof of the temple to Poseidon on Mount Olympus, kneeling very close to the edge and looking down at the drop to the city street 600 stories below. He is cradling Annabeth’s dead body in his arms, rocking slightly back and forth. There are several empty vials of what appear to have been Nectar scattered around him. Some of the bottles seem shattered, like they were thrown down in anger or grief. Clouds are rapidly forming in the sky, and the sea that can be seen in the background is tumultuous. A group of demigods run up towards the base of the temple, but stop halfway and seem hesitant to move closer. Percy startles when he hears them and turns around, drawing Riptide while still clutching Annabeth’s body close to his chest. His eyes appear bloodshot and feverish and his skin is glowing slightly, an apparent aftereffect of the Nectar he consumed. Nasty looking burns decorate his whole body, and he is covered in blood, but it appears Achilles’ curse is preventing him from burning up completely. He stares at the other demigods, wild-eyed, and rain begins lashing down around the group as the wind howls. He does not let go of Riptide, despite seeing who is below him. One of the demigods, Nico di Angelo, breaks off from the group and begins slowly inching closer to the temple, hands held out placatingly. He begins to sing softly.]
Achilles, Achilles, Achilles, come down
Won't you get up off, get up off the roof?
You're scaring us and all of us, [at this there is the rumble of thunder, presumably from Zeus, and Nico glares at the sky but amends] some of us love you
Achilles, it's not much but there's proof
[aside
Clarisse, trying to sound nonchalant but failing: Why are you calling Prissy Achilles?
Nico: The curse is affecting his emotions right? Maybe appealing to that will calm him down.
Clarisse scoffs, but picks up the chorus where Nico left off, also inching closer to the base of the temple.]
You crazy-ass cosmonaut, remember your virtue
Redemption lies plainly in truth
[aside
Nico: What is that supposed to mean?
Clarisse ignores him and continues to sing.]
Just humor us, Achilles, Achilles, come down
Won't you get up off, get up off the roof?
[Percy appears more agitated than before, and is beginning to draw the attention of some of the minor gods and other beings on Olympus. The rain begins to swirl around his body, creating a shield. The Muses begin to chant.]
Je vois que beaucoup de gens meurent
Parce qu'ils estiment que la vie ne vaut pas la peine d'être vécue
J'en vois d'autres, qui se font paradoxalement tués pour des idées
Pour des illusions, qui leurs donnent une raison de vivre
Ce, qu'on appelle une raison de vivre est en même temps une excellente raison de mourir
[The rain is now completely obscuring Percy’s form. The sea in the background is growing ever more dangerous, and a giant wave can be seen building offshore. Nico begins to sing again, slightly more frantically. He has loosened his sword in its scabbard and shadows seem to grow around him as he sings, but he makes no move to get any closer to Percy.]
Achilles, Achilles, Achilles, come down
Won't you get up off, get up off the roof?
The self is not so weightless, nor whole and unbroken
Remember the pact of our youth
Where you go, I'm going, so jump and I'm jumping
Since there is no me without you
[aside
Will Solace, striding forward from the back of the group: You will not.
Nico: Hush, I’m just making this up as I go along.]
Soldier on, Achilles, Achilles, come down
Won't you get up off, get up off the roof?
[The wall of rain abates for a split second as Percy seems to falter slightly. Nico shadow travels to the rooftop, opposite Percy, and the rain starts back up again with a vengeance, buffeting Nico. A wall of shadows seem to form around him as protection. Will picks up the song where Nico left off.]
Loathe the way they light candles in Rome
But love the sweet air of the votives
Hurt and grieve but don't suffer alone
Engage with the pain as a motive
[The attention of the Muses seems to have drawn some of the elder gods, and Apollo appears next to his son and begins to sing in unison with Will.]
Today, of all days, see
How the most dangerous thing is to love
How you will heal and you'll rise above
[The Muses begin to chant again.]
D'un gérant d'immeuble qui s'était tué on disait un jour
Qu'il avait perdu sa fille depuis cinq ans
Qu'il avait beaucoup changé depuis et que cette histoire l'avait
[Athena, seeing the commotion and furious at the death of her daughter, appears suddenly on the roof between Nico and Percy. The rain intensifies and a tsunami can be seen headed for the city as Athena begins to sing with vitriol in her voice.]
Achilles, Achilles, Achilles, jump now
You are absent of cause or excuse
So self-indulgent and self-referential
No audience could ever want you
You crave the applause yet hate the attention
Then miss it, your act is a ruse
It is empty, Achilles, so end it all now
It's a pointless resistance for you
[The tsunami crashes into the coast. Percy is inching closer to the edge of the roof, though he appears to have set Annabeth’s body down gently. Shadows are reaching out from Nico but they can’t penetrate the wall of rain. The Muses begin to chant again.]
Ce qui déclenche la crise est presque toujours incontrôlable
Les journaux parlent souvent de chagrins intimes ou de maladie incurable
Ces explications sont valables
Mais il faudrait savoir si le jour même un ami
Du désespéré ne lui a pas parlé sur un ton indifférent
Celui-là est le
[Nico begins to sing once more, edging even closer to Percy.]
Achilles, Achilles, just put down the bottle
Don't listen to what you've consumed
It's chaos, confusion and wholly unworthy
Of feeding and it's wholly untrue
You may feel no purpose nor a point for existing
It's all just conjecture and gloom
And there may not be meaning, so find one and seize it
Do not waste yourself on this roof
Hear those bells ring deep in the soul
Chiming away for a moment
Feel your breath course frankly below
And see life as a worthy opponent
[As Nico’s voice falters, Will and Apollo take over once more.]
Today, of all days, see
How the most dangerous thing is to love
How you will heal and you'll rise above
Crowned by an overture bold and beyond
Ah, it's more courageous to overcome
[The Muses begin to chant again.]
Les souvenirs d'une patrie perdue, l'espoir d'une terre promise
Ce divorce entre l'homme de sa vie
[The rain is faltering by this point, but Athena starts to sing once more. Nico begins to sing as well, trying to refute her statements as the tempest wars with itself.]
You want the acclaim, the mother of mothers (it's not worth it, Achilles)
More poignant than fame or the taste of another (don't listen, Achilles)
But be real and just jump, you dense motherfucker (you're worth more, Achilles)
You will not be more than a rat in the gutter (so much more than a rat)
You want my opinion, my opinion you've got (no one asked your opinion)
You asked for my counsel, I gave you my thoughts (no one asked for your thoughts)
Be done with this now and jump off the roof (be done with this now and get off the roof)
Can you hear me, Achilles? I'm talking to you
I'm talking to you
I'm talking to you
I'm talking to you
Achilles, come down
Achilles, come down
[The Muses begin to chant once more.]
Celle du oui et celle du non
Ce serait trop beau
Mais il faut faire la part de ceux qui, sans conclure, interrogent toujours
Ici, j'ironise à peine, il s'agit de la majorité
Je vois également que ceux qui répondent non agissent comme s'ils pensaient oui
De fait
[Apollo begins to sing, alone, as more of the coastline is destroyed in the background and the tempest continues to thrash around Percy. Nico is unsuccessfully attempting to grab him with shadows and wrest control.]
Throw yourself into the unknown
With pace and a fury defiant
Clothe yourself in beauty untold
And see life as a means to a triumph
[Percy falls unconscious as Apollo appears next to him and catches him deftly. He finishes out the song softly, perhaps imbuing more of the power he used to render Percy unconscious into his words. The clouds begin to dissipate as the Sun pierces through.]
Today, of all days, see
How the most dangerous thing is to love
How you will heal and you'll rise above
Crowned by an overture bold and beyond
Ah, it's more courageous to overcome