Annabeth
A shove, a taste of dust. A desperate throw to the side, and Annabeth could feel her body clenched against stone. Her foot felt loose, untethered from from the webs previously tying her back.
"Percy!" She cried out, trying to open her eyes.
A hand wrapped around her wrist, and Annabeth let out a sigh of relief… before she looked up and saw that the hand belonged to Hazel instead of him. She let out a shriek and pushed herself up, sprinting towards the edge. Nico called out to her, a frantic warning, but Annabeth skidded to a stop as she reached the rocky edge. Fifteen feet below was Percy, grasping a small ledge with his fingertips. Annabeth knelt and tried to reach for him, but it pointless. She could feel it.
"Annabeth…" Percy's voice cracked, looking at her with despair. His green eyes were filled with anguish and tears. "I can't climb up."
"You need to hold on, Percy!" Annabeth tried to keep her sobs inside, starting to fail as she kept looking into his sea green eyes. "Hold on- Jason will be back, or Frank-"
"I have to let go, Annabeth." While his tone was uneven, Percy looked sure of what he was saying. "It's the only way. The House."
"No," Annabeth croaked, her stomach sinking.
"I'll get back to you. I always do."
"Seaweed Brain-" Annabeth started to become hysterical, breathing too heavily and voice pitching. "Percy…"
"I love you, Wise Girl." Percy looked up at her with shining eyes, with hope and burning emotion that Annabeth could barely register in the moment. She couldn't even understand that that was the first time and perhaps the last time she would hear that.
His fingers started to loosen… and as Percy Jackson fell into the darkness, Annabeth Chase let out one blood curdling, guttural wail that could be heard from the very depths of the Argo II.
"Have you been inside yet?"
"No."
"Should we?"
Annabeth sat on the bunk, twisting the blanket in her hands. It still smelled like him. Ocean air and salt, clean and slightly reminiscent of trees.
She could hear them through the door. Leo hadn't built the ship to be soundproof, afterall. There had been a few jokes on his part about that after Percy and Annabeth snuck out…
Annabeth squeezed the blanket tighter.
"Hey," Piper said, opening the door and knocking on it simultaneously. Her expression looked so sympathetic, so filled with pity.
Annabeth wanted to break Piper's sympathy. She restrained herself, of course. It was one of her best friends. But she could still feel the heat rising in her from the rage in the pits of her stomach. Instead of channeling it to her fists, she let it go to her broken heart.
Hazel poked her head in as well, before shutting the door behind the both of them. Annabeth stared pointedly at the ground as they approached and sat on either side of her.
"Percy had-has a nice bedroom," Piper said, trying to cover up her slip up. Annabeth's heart squeezed as she slowly looked up, taking in the simple pictures that Annabeth had put in the room before they had left Camp Half-blood of her, Percy, Grover, and Sally.
How could Piper switch to past-tense so quickly?
Hazel quietly pulled out an amethyst from her pocket, around the size of a quarter. She fidgeted with it, not looking up at Annabeth or Piper. Annabeth knew that Hazel still found gems when she was nervous… and by the size of this one, Hazel was distraught. Annabeth wanted to comfort her, but right now, Annabeth could even comfort herself.
"Annabeth," Piper started, looking down and away. "You need to leave the room."
"No."
"It's been a day. You need to eat, get some fresh air-"
"Percy doesn't have food or fresh air right now."
"So get it for him," Piper snapped, looking straight into Annabeth's eyes. "You're going to be no help in saving Percy if you just sit here and starve to death! He needs you to get to the Doors of Death. Now, what's the only way to do that?!"
Annabeth took a rattling breath, and she saw Hazel wince slightly. "Ok."
"Okay?!" Piper stood and took Annabeth's hand in hers, pulling her up. "Let's get some food in you, and then you're going to help us go."
Annabeth nodded, and turned to Hazel. Hazel smiled weakly before standing with them and walking to the mess hall.
𝛀
Percy
It flew by, the blackness. Sometimes he felt like he could reach out and grab the wall, cling there and maybe still be able to have Jason or Franck rescue him. Sometimes he felt like there were no walls, and that was when the desire to have Annabeth with him really took over, pounded his chest and gave him no air.
Percy fell, and as he fell, he let out four words that he needed to say, four words that he desperately needed to make known and to be heard.
"I love you, Annabeth."
𝛀
Annabeth
Annabeth knew that Nico was getting frustrated with her, but she also knew that he didn't have the heart to snap at her.
"Nico?" She asked in a timid voice that didn't and had never belonged to her.
"He's alive," Nico said, closing his eyes. Annabeth didn't know if it was out of annoyance, or concentration because Percy was getting so far away, and it was a struggle to tell his heartbeat.
Annabeth didn't like either option very much.
Jason cleared his throat, returning everyone from pointedly not looking at Percy's seat.
Annabeth sat at the head of the dining table, where she always did, but the familiarity didn't help. The emptiness in the seat to the left of hers was too great to go ignored. It was a presence tapping her on the shoulder that wouldn't be ignored.
She looked to her right at Jason, grateful for the distraction.
"What's our plan?" Jason asked. "I mean… we're blindly flying to Greece. We have to have a plan." Annabeth almost smiled. If Jason wasn't Roman first, she would have suspected that he was part Athena.
"I'm going to go on deck," Leo announced, "and steer. I need-" he broke off his sentence, glancing at Annabeth.
She clenched her fist around her fork. Her blueberry pie suddenly didn't look so good. Sure, she was fine with pitying herself, but she only felt weak when others did as well. Having people tiptoe around her only filled her with fury, not gratefulness or whatever they hoped to inspire.
"I'll keep an eye from above," Nico said. To get away from me, Annabeth thought sullenly. And my question.
"And I'll stay on deck," Hazel said. Annabeth picked this as unusual, but decided not to ask. Hazel's regular seasickness was the least of her problems.
'"I'm going to sleep," Frank said, and Piper gave a small "yup" in agreement.
"Reading," Jason said, throwing a look at Annabeth that for once wasn't in sympathy, but an unspoken agreement. "Preparing."
"Movies!" Coach Hedge boomed, and Annabeth started in her chair. No matter what, Coach could always be consistent. "Chuck Norris and some kicks!" He mimed a punch at Hazel, who looked scandalized.
Annabeth nodded. "Ok, Coach. And I'll be researching. See you all tonight." She stood, feeling maybe just a bit better than earlier, in Percy's room. Before leaving, she was able to get down a bit of pie, savoring the blue filling just a second longer than normal.
𝛀
Percy
Percy closed his eyes for the millionth time. Holding them closed, he could almost escape from his reality into a different one, a past one. One where he had Annabeth held to his side, able to look into her eyes whenever he wanted. That reality was where he wanted to live in forever.
But Annabeth would have none of that if she was here, and the knowledge made Percy open his eyes and try to hold on for her. He held on for his mom, whom he needed to see again. He held on for the crew of the Argo II, knowing that Frank, Hazel, Jason, Piper, Leo, and Nico would need him again just as much as he needed them. He held on for Grover, whom was barely jst a subtle presence in the back of his mind through his empathy link. He held on for Tyson, who would go ballistic without Percy.
Percy held on for everyone… except maybe Hera. Percy had no need to hold on for Hera.
He turned to face whatever was beneath him, and heard a sound. A trickle of liquid that mae his heart swell. He could manage liquid.
His mouth pulled into a grin for the first time in a while. He was going to get out of this. He was going to see his Wise Girl again.
