Beware, this is a one-shot. You would know if you read the summary. So, I got the idea from listening to Ellie Goulding's song, Beating Heart. Hence the title. I know, the song's from the Divergent soundtrack, and this is a Percy Jackson fanfic. Whatever. Don't care. So, I've had this idea for a while and finally got to typing it, then BOOM it all disappeared. "Yay." Sarcasm. I came and re-typed it, and now it's even better! Yay!
Now, in the story, the song starts to play, so, I would really like it if you guys would pull up YouTube-if you can-or iTunes or your phone and listen to it while your reading this story. Just type in the song title (on YouTube) and the artist's name. You can use the music video or the lyric video, it doesn't matter. I'll make it obvious where you have to start playing it.
Sorry if I annoyed you people with this really long Author's Note.
I don't own Percy Jackson or Beating Heart. All rights go to Rick Riordan and Ellie Goulding and her record label.
Now, on with the Story!
I knew I had to do it. Before she left. I had to tell her. I also knew where she would be. Our Place. I don't know how it became Our Place, I just call it that. It's the spot where the cliff meets the sea, where the only tree on the cliff stands. No one knows how it got there, or who planted it, it was so long ago. I yank some clothes on, not even caring what I was wearing. I wasn't going there to impress her, I was going to tell her something. I glance at the clock, 4:00 A.M. No surprise there. I run down the stairs from my room, and as I close in on the front door, I grab my jacket and my shoes and quickly put them on. I bolt out the door, then immediately turn around and rush back in. I grab my phone and my speaker. And the necklace. I shoved the necklace into my pocket. I couldn't lose it. My plan would fail without those.
I get back out the door and shut it behind me. I start walking and reach the sidewalk. As I walk I notice small things, a crack in the sidewalk that I had never noticed before. A dead leaf falling to the ground. Curse my ADHD. I soon cut across the street and walk into the woods next to the road. I travel along the dark, worn path surrounded by tress, and finally reach the cliff. I see Annabeth immediately. Standing with her back to me, she was to the right of the tree and a few feet in front of it. I walk up behind her, and place my luggage next to tree. I try to not make myself conspicuous. It doesn't work.
"Hey Percy." she says. She's very good at telling when people walk up to her.
"Hi." I reply. I walk up to stand next to her.
She turns around and looks at me. Her blonde hair was messy and tangled, framing her face, not in it's usual ponytail. Her stormy grey eyes were blood-shot and watery. Like she had been crying. The Wise Girl I know doesn't cry.
"I don't want to leave, but I do. I get to study in Greece, Percy! College in Greece! But I can't leave this place, too many memories." she shakes her head. "And my friends, I don't want to leave them too. But, I also don't want to leave...you." She whispered the last part. Like she wasn't sure if she wanted to tell me that or not.
"It's okay, you'll visit, right?" I ask her.
"I don't know, I just don't know." she sounded so helpless, like she was scared. Well, I would be scared too, if I was going to a different country for college. "I'll get a great degree, I can get a good job as an architect after that."
I stare out into the ocean. I've always loved the ocean. Tonight, there was no moon, just thousands of stars glittering on the sea. That's one of the perks of living in a small town, no light pollution.
"I wanted to have you listen to something." I go to my phone and pull up the song, and placed my phone on the speaker.
"Why?"
"Just listen."
(Now people, now! Start the song!)
As the first notes start lifting into the air I grab Annabeth's wrist and pull her close. I put one hand on her waist and grasp her hand with the other.
"What?" She asks.
"We're going to slow dance. Just follow along." She then put one of her hands onto my shoulder, and grasped my hand with the other.
Eyes make their peace in difficulties, with wounded lips and salted cheeks. And finally we step to leave, to the departure lounge of disbelief. We start moving, a little shaky at first, then into a solid rhythm. And I don't know where I'm going but I know it's going to be a long time. We start off in the same spot, but then slowly start to make our way dancing around the tree. And I'll be leaving in the morning come the white wine bitter sunlight. Annabeth gasped. It explains our situation perfectly. I have a smug, small smile on my lips. That's one of the reasons I chose this song. That, and one other reason. Wanna hear you beating heart tonight. As we danced around the tree, the song lifted, leaped into the air. I could almost see the words forming around us. Before the bleeding sun comes alive. Another gasp from Annabeth. I want to make the best of what is left, hold tight. I squeezed her waist. I could feel Annabeth squeeze my shoulder. And hear my beating heart one last time. Before daylight.
A single tear rolled down Annabeth's cheek."Seaweed Brain," she started.
"Shhh." I scolded her. Nothing was going to break the power and importance of this night.
The canyon underneath the tress. Behind the dark sky you looked at me. Annabeth stared into my sea-green eyes. I fell for you like autumn leaves, and never faded evergreen. We kept spinning around the tree, like in a trance. I guess we kind of were. And I don't know where I'm going but I know it's going to be a long time. She kept staring at me, memorizing all my features, getting ready to say goodbye. Cause I'll be leaving in the morning come the white wine bitter sunlight. Wanna hear your beating heart, tonight. As the tonight's lifted into the air I couldn't help but to wish that Annabeth didn't have to leave. But, I would have to let her go, I couldn't be selfish. Before the bleeding sun comes alive. I wanted to tell her then, but to make my plan work, I had to tell her at the end. I want to make the best of what is left hold tight. I took Annabeth, spun her out, and back in. And hear my beating heart one last time. I held her in my arms for a few seconds. But then let her go so we could keep dancing. I can't face this now everything has changed. So true, so true. I just wanna be by your side, here's hoping we collide. Here's hoping we collide. We stopped and stared at each other. We communicated with our eyes, I don't want to lose you. Here's hoping we collide. We stood there, then I dipped Annabeth, brought her back up, and continued spinning her around, dancing. Wanna hear your beating heart tonight. Annabeth looked like she wanted to say something, but decided against it. Before the bleeding sun comes alive. More words, lyrics leapt into the air around us. Alive. It repeated. I want to make the best of what is left, hold tight. I brought her closer to me as we slowed down, as we came to the end of the song. And hear my beating heart one last time. I stopped us, and waited for the song to end. Wanna hear your beating heart, tonight.
And as the last note danced around us, I leaned down and kissed Annabeth. Our first kiss. Just a nice, soft kiss, noting too overboard. Slowly, I broke away.
"I love you Annabeth Chase." I told her. It was the truth, the whole truth. The secret that I've been keeping for a long time. I truly meant it.
"I love you too, Percy Jackson." She told me. One look in her eyes, and I knew she meant it.
"I can't leave now, not after this." She cried. "I can't leave you." She buried her face into my chest. I lifted her chin up with one hand, the other still firmly wrapped around her waist.
"You can, because I want to give you something. To remember me by." I pull out the necklace. It was a locket that was shaped like a heart. It had a beautiful, metal, design the front. The metal weaved together into one beautiful pattern.
"Do you like it?" I showed her, I really hoped she liked it.
"I love it. But, how'd you get the money for it? She stared into my eyes. I shrugged.
"I saved up all of my money from my job at Mr. D's restaurant." I put it around her neck. "Look inside."
While I was still standing behind her, she opened it up. It had our picture from prom that Piper made us take.
"That's our prom picture. The one Piper forced us to stand still and take." She was wearing a light blue dress, with a light green sash around the middle. Me, I was wearing a black tux that my mom had forced me to wear.
"Promise me that, Wise Girl, whenever you look at this photo, you'll remember me and what happened tonight." I asked her.
"Yes of course I will Seaweed Brain, of course I will." She kept looking at the photo, then she raised her head while closing the locket. "You'll remember me too, won't you?"
"Yes."
"Good."
She turned around to look at me. She lifted her head for another kiss. I happily obliged.
There, it's done. I'm sad now, I love this story so much. I just might continue it on with another one-shot. Maybe. I wasn't sure where I wanted to end this one, then I wrote the last three words, and was like there, done. Oh, that's my ending. Wow.
So, If you liked it, please favorite and review. If you find any grammar errors, please tell me. I'll go ahead and fix it.
Now this is the end of a (hopefully) very good one-shot. Goodbye my readers! Have a great day!
-Jupiter's Dragon.