Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. I only own my OC Kaitlyn and the story Percy tells her.
Percy's POV
"I'm tired," Kaitlyn said. She was Annabeth's five-year-old daughter, by the way. I'm just babysitting.
"Me too," I muttered.
"Tell me a story," she said.
"What?!" I exclaimed. Maybe I heard her wrong.
"Tell me a story so I could fall asleep." She repeated slowly.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"Yes I'm sure, now just tell me a story!" She screamed. I sighed, I did not want to make her angry because an angry Kaitlyn equals an angry Annabeth.
"Okay. So, once upon a time," I said jokingly. "There lived a boy and a girl."
"What were their names?" She asked.
I thought for a while. "I don't know. What do want their names to be?"
"Jack and Hannah." She replied impatiently. I rolled my eyes, she must be a bit eager to hear the story. Or to sleep, either one.
"So," I continued. "Jack and Hannah were the best of friends. They were practically inseparable. All of their friends said that they'd look cute as a couple, but they both claimed that they were just friends. Although, to everyone else, it looked like they were dating. One day, Hannah said that she had to move away, to another country because of her dad's job. Jack was devastated, obviously, but he never realized how much her absence would affect him. The first few weeks she was gone, was okay, since they talked to each other every day, for hours on end. Although, as time went on, the calls became less and less frequent, until it reduced to only once every few months for a couple minutes."
"Wait," Kaitlyn said, interrupting me. "Is this a true story?"
I smirked. "That's for me to know and you to find out. Okay, so where was I, oh yeah. So, without communicating with Hannah for a long time, Jack became more and more depressed. Sure he had other friends to hang out with, but it wasn't the same. It was then that Jack realized that he liked Hannah, he maybe even loved her. He wondered how he never realized it earlier. I mean, he would do anything for her. Anything that would guarantee her happiness and safety. With that new revelation in mind, Jack debated whether or not to tell her. If he did, their relationship could become ruined and they won't be best friends anymore. Although there is the possibility that she feels the same way, Jack deemed that as highly unlikely. So, he decided to not tell her. At least it's better to have her next to him as just a friend, instead of nothing at all. So Jack wouldn't reveal his feelings unless he is 100% sure she feels the same way. A few years later, when they were 20, Hannah called him saying that she was moving back to New York. Jack could barely contain his excitement. She said that they should meet up at their favourite restaurant in two weeks from then. Jack agreed, obviously. She also said that she had a surprise for him. She probably shouldn't have said that because now Jack waited anxiously for the two weeks to pass. Although, maybe that was her original plan. So two weeks finally passed, and now Jack is waiting outside the restaurant. When he walked in, guess what he saw?" I asked Kaitlyn. She just shrugged in response.
"Well," I continued. "Jack saw some guy kneeling in front of Hannah holding something. He hoped that it was just some random stranger who helped pick up something for her, but those hopes quickly diminished as he saw Hannah scream 'yes' and then give that guy a huge bear hug. Jack could literally feel his heart shattering into a million pieces. But, he still kept his chin held high and fought back the tears. When he reached them, Hannah introduced that guy as Dave, her boyfriend slash soon-to-be-husband. During the meal, Hannah and Dave just talked to each other, talking about the wedding, totally ignoring Jack."
"Aww," Kaitlyn said.
I smiled. "Okay, so flash forward a year later. It was the day of Hannah's wedding. Jack was sitting in the seats, along with all of their friends. Finally, the wedding march started and in walked Hannah, beautiful as ever. Jack could see her smile brightly as she looked around, but she especially beamed when she saw Dave. He could see her eyes fill with love and he knew that Dave would've looked the same. Jack sighed, he knew that Hannah would never look at him like that. So after a long time the priest asked if anyone thought that Hannah and Dave should not marry, or they shall forever hold their peace."
"Did Jack speak up?" Kaitlyn asked. I smiled a bit.
"No, he didn't. He knew that Dave makes Hannah happy, and Hannah's happiness is one of Jack's top priorities. Even though it breaks Jack's heart, if Hannah loved Dave, and she wanted to be with him forever, he wouldn't be as selfish as to take that away from her. If he did, Hannah might hate him, and never speak to him again. He hoped that after the wedding's over, Hannah won't ignore him, and she never did. They still hung out sometimes, and he would even look after her children. Even though Jack can't be with her romantically, he will always be there for her as a friend. But, after a while, as Jack kept seeing Hannah and Dave look happy and him seeing other couples too, his heart filled with a sense of loneliness. He knew that he should probably move on but he could never bring himself to love anyone else. No one could compare to Hannah. But, do you know what was Jack's biggest regret?" I asked her.
"What?" Kaitlyn croaked, probably from tiredness.
"That he never told Hannah he loved her. He could never stop imagining and dreaming about what could have been and of what if's. What if Hannah loved him back? What if Jack told her, but she didn't feel the same way? But, the past is the past and nothing could change it. Now all Jack could do is stay in the sidelines and know that whatever he did, or should I say didn't do, helped make Hannah happier than ever." I was interrupted from my story by Kaitlyn suddenly sitting up. She started swiping at her eyes and then she let out a small laugh.
"Kaitlyn," I asked. "Is something wrong? I thought you were asleep."
She shook her head and then laid back down. "No," she replied. "Nothing's wrong, it's just that story. I know I told you to tell me one, but I never thought it'd be sad and depressing. I think you're spending too much time with Nico." I chuckled. "So, what now?" She asked.
"What do you mean?" I replied.
"I mean, what happens next? Does Jack finally move on? Does Hannah finally realize his feelings? What happens?" She looked just like her mother, I couldn't help but smile.
"What happens?" I repeated thoughtfully. "Nothing I suppose. Jack's feelings would always remain a secret. It'll just be remembered as a thing of the past. Maybe it was just a silly high school crush, you never know. Although," I said, looking towards the shadows where I swear I saw a glint of blond. "I think Hannah already knows." After several minutes, I heard soft snoring and I realized Kaitlyn fell asleep.
I smiled. "Okay Annabeth, you can come out now." Annabeth walked into the room blushing and uttering curses at the fact the she got caught.
"So, how long were you there? How much did you hear?" I asked her.
"Enough," was her cryptic answer. "I never knew you could tell stories. Especially ones with fairly good grammar and a large variety of vocabulary." She started fanning her face, imitating Hazel.
"I have my moments." I told her.
"So, is it?" She asked. I got confused.
"Is it what?" I asked.
"Gods, I could tell you're still the same old Seaweed Brain." She muttered.
"Hey!" I yelled half-heartedly. She laughed, and I couldn't help but do the same. It's been a while since we were able to joke around like this, without a care for the world, like it was only us.
"I meant your story," she said once we got ourselves under control. "Kaitlyn asked if it was true, so is it?"
I looked at her. "Yeah," I replied after a while. "Yeah it is."
I hope you liked it.
