A/N: All rights go to Rick Riordan. *=from the song Penguin by Christina Perri. There are two endings to this. One is italicized, the other is bolded.
Piper
They would talk about her when she wasn't around. They would come up with ideas to try to get her to talk. Leo said she'd gone insane. Jason once quietly proclaimed that she'd never be the same. Frank decided it was all his fault, that he should have noticed them. Though she never said it aloud, Piper solemnly agreed with Leo and Jason. She would reprimand Frank for blaming himself, but then he would beat himself up for not saving Nico. Piper would tell him to quit all the nonsense and the cycle would just repeat.
She wouldn't talk to anyone. She's just mutter stuff to herself, often in Greek. When she slept she screamed and sobbed. Piper had to drag her to the dining hall and would have to use all the charmspeak she had just to get her to eat.
Hazel was in a similar but much less severe state. She would stay in er room most of the day but would come up on deck and would usually come to meals. She would speak, but when she did the other four had to lean in to hear her. Otherwise she was fine. She knew it wasn't anyone's fault and she knew the grief would pass. After a few days she was fine enough that she would help Piper. Whenever anyone asked, Hazel would say she wasn't sad; after all, even sons of Hades weren't invincible. But they could all hear her crying quietly at night.
The two days seemed like the snap of a finger. It seemed as if they had just sailed off from Greece and had been magically transported to the dock at Camp Half-Blood. A battle had been raging when they were coming close, but the arrival of the Argo II seemed to settle over the demigods like a blanket. Everyone turned to the ship when they caught sight of it. Or, more accurately they caught sight of the giant gold-and-ivory statue that was being hauled out of the hull by a gigantic elephant and then realized that the ship had arrived. Greeks and Romans alike stood gaping at it. Campers who had been fighting only minutes ago had practically forgotten their opponents. Whispers and murmurs filled the crowd. Piper took a deep breath and addressed them.
"Greeks and Romans, as you can see, we've come back from our quest to defeat Gaia, which we have successfully completed, and with us we bring the Athena Parthenos, taken from the Greeks long ago by the Romans, but now found again by Annabeth Chase, who followed the path of the Mark of Athena."
For a while there was silence. Piper and Jason exchanged an apprehensive glance. Hazel had joined Frank (now in human form) below. Leo fidgeted from foot to foot. A bead of sweat trickled down the side of Piper's face.
"Whoop! Annabeth!" came a shout from the crowd. The other Athena kids all joined in until most kids from Camp Half-Blood–and even some from Camp Jupiter–were cheering.
Then someone shouted, "Where is she?" Once again, everyone was silent. Piper looked to Jason for help.
"Down below," he said. "It's…complicated."
"And Percy?" another person called.
Piper glanced at Jason for help again, but his head was bowed, looking at the ground.
"That's…more complicated," Hazel said quietly. Murmurs of various emotions flitted about the crowd. Piper caught the words "praetor" and "Kronos" and "really?" before everyone went quiet again. Piper could feel the agitation beginning to rebuild between the two groups. The Athena Parthenos shone brightly and waves lapped against the beach. Some cabins had caught fire and the columns that had once surrounded the mess hall had toppled over. Suddenly the rocking of the Argo seemed to be amplified by ten, and for the first time, Piper felt herself getting seasick.
Malcolm stepped forward. "In place of Annabeth and on behalf of cabin eight, I declare that the children of Athena withdraw–though we don't surrender–from battle against the Romans."
For a while no one spoke until Reyna walked up to Malcolm. "On behalf of Camp Jupiter, I respect your withdrawal. Romans, we are not to attack children of Athena any longer. The finding of the Athena Parthenos has brought our riffle with them to a rest.
"Praetor, with all due respect–"
Reyna cut Octavian off. "Yes, I am sure this is a wise decision. As for whether or not it's a wise decision for you to disagree, I will not say aloud."
That shut the augar up quickly.
"Aphrodite also withdraws," Piper claimed. Not that many of the Aphrodite kids could even be found at the battleground.
"So does Hephaestus!" Leo shouted.
"As does Apollo!"
"And Hecate."
"Artemis's hunters as well."
"The Amazons no longer take a side in this battle."
"The fifth cohort will no longer fight!"
Various councilors and centurions called out their withdrawal until only one declaration was left. Everyone turned to Octavian. His face flushed furiously when he muttered, "The fist cohort withdraws."
A cheer went up from the demigods. It was amazing–it only took something as simple as a statue and the withdrawal of a small group to get rid of a two thousand year-old feud. Greeks and Romans high-fived, introduced themselves, and some even hugged. Piper tried to feel the love, but her mind kept wandering back down to the only occupied room below. A few long-time campers from Camp Half-Blood seemed as worried and sad as she was. They probably guessed what had happened, but didn't feel like ruining everyone else's parade. Piper glanced nervously and sadly at the stairs and saw Coach Hedge leaning against his club, miming something to her. At first, she didn't understand–four pillars jumping and a camel head? –but she eventually got the idea. Breaking up the celebration between six hundred half-bloods, Piper called out, "Has anyone seen Chiron? We need to speak with him."
The centaur stepped out of the woods along with a bunch of nymphs in armor made from leaves. "Greeks," he instructed calmly, "please show the Romans to the pavilion. Try to get it to look presentable. We will have a feast when I return." Chiron turned to the ship and climbed aboard, followed by Frank and Hazel. He looked concerned as he stepped aboard. "What's wrong?"
Piper felt like crying. He was the first one they'd have to break the news to. "Annabeth. She's…you'll see." Her chest contracted.
"And Percy, child? Piper knew by the look in his eyes that no response was needed unless it was a positive one. Percy and Nico's lack of presence was enough for him to understand. Chiron's expression became even more solemn and Piper felt sorry for the old centaur. He'd lost so many pupils over the last few thousand years, and now Percy? He's been almost like a second father to Annabeth, she knew, and had known Nico when he was an upbeat, optimistic eleven-year-old.
"Can you call Annabeth's family? And Percy's?" The words were coming out in a verbal torrent. "They might be able to help, and–" she choked back a sob. She felt Jason's arms wrap around her. "And I'd ra-rather n-not have to r-rep-peat it." The tears she'd fought so hard to keep in her for so many days came pouting out. She'd buried her face into Jason's shirt. He tried to calm her, but she could feel his body shaking with the effort to hold back his own tears. She could hear Hazel crying as well and somehow knew that Frank was too, though silently. Leo was probably standing awkwardly at the side, his emotions not showing on his face.
"Okay. They should be here by tonight."
And Thus It Beginning Of The End Comes And Goes. We Are Left With A Hero, Barely There. No Longer To Be Seen, Only Heard Of.
Mr. Chase
He felt like the worst father on the face of the Earth. First he had been completely insensitive to the fact that his daughter was a demigod until she ran away. Then it took years until she came back to live with them. By then Fredrick Chase felt like he barely knew her. She'd told them about Camp Hal-Blood and Luke and Thalia and Percy Jackson, then about Chiron the centaur and Grover the satyr and the quest she'd gone on to retrieve the god Zeus's master bolt. Every summer (and one terrifying winter) afterwards, stories were brought home of quests and kidnappings and titans. Then, during the past year, he'd barely gotten to see Annabeth at all, what with her redesigning Olympus, looking for Percy, and going on a potentially suicidal quest. Sure, he was extremely proud of her, but he was not proud of himself.
He sat with his wife and sons at the side of Annabeth's bed. Occasionally a sweet girl named Piper would come in to check up on her. Sometimes she would bring Chiron (in wheelchair form, thank the gods) or a child of Apollo, and sometimes she would just come by herself. Just as Matthew and Bobby were getting restless ("Can't we at least try the rock wall?") and his wife trying to keep them in line ("No! That thing has lava coming out of it!") Piper came in with an unfamiliar blonde boy. His eyes were the same shade of grey as Annabeth's.
"Mr. Chase? I hope you don't mind, but Malcolm wanted to come see Annabeth." Piper stepped out and left them with the boy.
"Hello," he said quietly, stretching out his hand. "I'm Malcolm, deputy councilor for Athena, and Annabeth's older brother, erm, to an extent. Most of the rest of us are known in general by 'Annabeth's siblings'." Bobby and Matthew gaped at the boy as if thinking Whoa, seriously? Annabeth has siblings? Ones who actually act like her?
Mr. Chase took Malcolm's hand. "Glad to meet you. Do you– Have you– No one's told us–" His mind couldn't complete any of the questions, but Malcolm seemed to understand.
"As far as I know, she's never been like this. Those that are left of the Seven aren't telling anyone what happened. Either they're too scared or they think Annabeth will be able to do a better job of it."
"And you don't think so?" Something in the boy's tone implied so.
"I don't know." He shook his head. "She's the strongest of all of us, but even she has a breaking point. Whatever happened to her… I just hope she isn't broken."
Mr. Chase had to swallow a lump in his throat. "Thank you, Malcolm."
The boy nodded and set a small envelope on Annabeth's side table. "Just in case she asks where I am." With that the boy turned to leave. But before exiting he turned back. "If she has broken, I just want you to know what a great sister and demigod she was. Nothing could have stopped her. But if something did, it was something not even Heracles could have withstood." He left, leaving the five Chases in silence.
The next visitor came only ten minutes later. A man and woman arrived by the door. Feeling that the space was getting crowded, Mr. Chase asked Piper if it was okay for Bobby and Matthew to go out. She only nodded and led the boys out. The room began to feel more and more like a funeral. No, he thought. He couldn't afford to think like that. Annabeth would be okay. She would. She would.
"Mr. and Mrs. Chase?" The woman asked politely. She had tears in her eyes and though she had creases around her mouth that implied she often smiled, her face had lines of worry and grief etched in it. "I'm Sally Jackson, and this is my husband, Paul Blofis."
Mr. Chase stood up and took her outstretched hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Fredrick and this is Rebecca. Annabeth has told us lots about you."
"As has Percy about you."
"I'm so–" Mr. Chase began.
"No, no. Don't. Please. I just…" She broke into sobs. Paul rubbed her back, trying to calm her. "My boy," she cried. "Percy, my baby!" After a while she calmed down a bit. Together they sat, waiting for Annabeth to wake up. It was nearly midnight when she did. The adults had begun to doze off several times, and Mr. Chase was in just settling back in his chair when a creak came from the bed.
"Dad?" a hoarse voice asked. "Rebecca? What are you two– Sally? Paul?"
Mr. Chase bolted upright at that. "A–Annabeth?"
Annabeth's eyebrows were scrunched together in confusion. "What– Where–" She glanced out the window of the infirmary. "Camp? But how? The doors, and the statue, and– Oh, gods, the statue's okay? It's here?" Her eyes were wide.
"Yes," Mr. Chase said carefully. "But Annabeth…"
She was muttering to herself now. "The statue, the doors, the darkness…Percy. Oh, gods, oh gods." Her body tensed up. Her grey eyes no longer looked stormy or intimidating. They were wild and confused, darting around everywhere, staring off into the distance. Her hands clutched the edge of the bed. "Óchi, óchi, egó prépei na ton vro. Eínai ekeí . Óchi, óchi, óchi, óchi . Pára polý skoteinó, tóso synkechyméni. Den ypárchei típota. I can't- Giatí den eínai aftoí edó? Tha prépei na eínai. To ágalma. Prépei na párei píso asfalís. Ópos éna lavýrintho. Nai, san éna lavýrintho. Den ypárchoun pliroforíes. Típota. Mónos. Mazí. Poú eínai aftós? Óchi, PERCY! Parakaló min. OCHI! Min! Den boró, den boró, mólis epíklisi. Stamáta. I Argó. Nico? Allá..." she kept on muttering.
"Annabeth?" Mr. Chase heard his voice rise in panic. He looked to the other adults, who were just as bewildered and astonished as he was. "What's she saying? What is it, Annabeth?"
"'No, no, I need to find him. He's there. No, no, no, no. Too dark, so confusing. There's nothing. I can't– Why aren't they here? They should be. The statue. It needs to get back safe. Like a labyrinth. Yes, like a labyrinth. No information. Nothing. Alone. Together. Where is he? No, PERCY! Please don't. NO! Don't! I can't, can't, just cant. Stop it! The Argo. Nico?'" A voice said from behind them. "That's most of it, at least."
Mr. Chase spun around to face the newcomer. A girl who looked slightly punk dressed in all black except for a silver jacket and a circlet on her head stood at the door. "Thalia?"
The girl nodded. "Good to see you again. Chiron was just wondering if you would mind him coming up."
Mr. Chase wasn't so sure, but, he reminded himself, the centaur might be able to make sense of what Annabeth was saying, and Mr. Chase couldn't help but feel terrified at the sight of his daughter like this. He nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
Annabeth looked up at Thalia. "Poios eísai esý?"
Thalia's eyes teared up. "Thalia. Annabeth…Min me thymásai?"
Annabeth looked at her oddly. She shook her head without taking her eyes off Thalia. Those grey eyes Mr. Chase had loved so much and often missed when she was away were still confused and weary-looking. Thalia spun around and rushed out. Annabeth kept mumbling to herself as if the four adults weren't there. Mr. Chase felt a tear streak down his cheek, closely followed by another, then another.
"Annabeth?" Chiron's voice called softly from the door.
"Chiron? Eísai edó? Allá pó̱s? Eímai sto stratópedo?"
"Annabeth," he said gently. "English, please." If Mr. Chase were watching the centaur, he would have seen worry and pain etched in Chiron's face, but his daughter captivated his attention.
"Giatí–Why am I here? And…Dad? Sally? What are you doing here?" She looked around the room as if just seeing them for the first time. "Where's…No, no, no, no!" She glanced up at Paul, here eyes sending a clear message: you have to understand me. "We need to go back. Greece. The House of Hades. The doors. Don't make me go back. Not the darkness." Annabeth caught sight of the window again, where the sun had just begun to break over the horizon. "The sun. It's not dark… But–but…" She burst into tears.
"Annabeth!" Mr. Chase tried to get to his daughter, but Sally, who also had tears streaming down her cheeks, put a hand on his arm.
"No more. Please. No more. Monsters. So many, too many. Please!" Annabeeth looked up at Chiron. "No more monsters. I can't fight. I can't!" she screamed. She curled up into a ball as if trying to hide from reality. Sobs wracked her body. Mr. Chase reached out tentatively and placed his hand on her arm. When she didn't react, he scooted up onto the bed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, trying to calm her some. She leaned into him but her weeping didn't cease until she had cried herself to sleep.
He looked up at the other adults and Chiron.
"What do we do?" He asked quietly. "She's–" He broke off, unwilling to finish the thought. But there was no need to. Everyone understood.
Chiron shook his head sadly. "Many heroes have died, but few have gone this way."
"What does that mean?" Thalia snapped. She and Piper had come almost silently. "That she's gone insane? No." She shook her head. "Annabeth's not like that. She's too strong to 'go' as you say it. She's…it's just temporary. It has to be."
Tears welled up in Piper's eyes. "Thalia–"
"What?"
"Mr. and Mrs. Chase, Sally and Mr. Blofis as well… I'm so sorry, but… Thalia, Chiron…" She seemed to be begging for forgiveness. "I– On the Argo, for the last three days, she's– I haven't been able to– I've tried to do something, everything, but even with charmspeak and nectar and ambrosia I can't–" Piper began to cry. "Believe me, whatever happened, she's not–"
By then Thalia was crying as well. Mr. Chase would have been crying as well if he hadn't run out of tears to shed. The two girls embraced and wept together. He thought that if Sally had been their age she would have joined them, but she sat still and rigid as fresh tears ran down her cheeks.
"Piper, if you would, please tell us what happened. I would wait, but seeing that none of us are sure if Annabeth will ever…recover…" Chiron trailed off.
Piper gave a tiny nod and composed herself as best she could. Mr. Chase had never really understood how much Annabeth must have meant to her friends at camp, but now he thought he did. They depended on her as not only a friend, but a leader as well. Mr. Chase had never been more proud of or felt sadder for his daughter than right then.
"She was following the Mark of Athena and had just defeated Arachne and found the Athena Parthenos when we found her. Percy ran to help her–she had a broken ankle–but after a few minutes the floor started to give way, and there was a spider web still attached to her leg. Something heavy was on the other end, and it pulled her to the giant hole under the floor. Sally, he tried to save her but he fell, too. Hazel says he grabbed a ledge several yards down, but he couldn't hold onto it. He had to let go. They fell together."
"Child," Chiron said quietly, "where did this hole lead to?"
"T–" Piper shuddered and looked up at him sadly. "Tartarus." Mr. Chase hadn't thought that Chiron's expression could have gotten any more sorrowful, but somehow it did. What was this Tartarus and why was it so bad? He didn't need to voice the question. His expression and the other adults' must have asked it for them.
"Tartarus," Chiron explained, "is the deepest part of the underworld where many titans are imprisoned and where monsters go when they are defeated. No hero has ever made it out of there alive." His voice was colored with awe.
"Nico went down there, didn't he? To find the doors of death?" Thalia asked Piper. The younger girl nodded. "He's a son of Hades," Thalia explained to Mr. and Mrs. Chase. "He barely made it out without going insane or dying, and even then it was because Gaia's forces captured him."
"Yeah," Piper agreed softly. "But Percy and Annabeth made it out together. They got to the doors of death just as we arrived on the other side. We were fighting Gaia's forces out there while they were fighting the ones in there. Annabeth got out of there fast. Percy was following her, but–" she seemed to choke up. "But a monster pushed him back in. Nico ran to him, and Frank yelled that they needed to close the doors. Gaia was waking up, and if they didn't close them she would have risen within a few minutes. Nico tried to get Percy out, but Percy–you know how he is–he was trying to get Nico out. Nico refused to and he…you know." She hung her head as if she should be ashamed of herself. "Frank was the last one to see Percy. They closed the doors together. In order to close them, though, one person has to be on the inside, and…" She broke off in sobs matching Sally's.
Thalia looked like she was fighting with her life not to cry. "No wonder. Oh, Anna! Why?" She began to cry again. "Why?"
"Fredrick," Rebecca shook his arm. Chiron was looking intently and sadly at him.
"I am afraid," the centaur said desolately, "that there is only one solution.
And Then It Was All Over; A Hero Was Lost, No Longer To Know Again. Buried Deep Inside, Nothing Could Bring It Out Again.
Annabeth
No matter where Annabeth went, she never felt like it was home. She was barely able to stand her senior year. The looks she got at home were troubling. Her brothers would sometimes stare at her curiously. Her mom would smile at her steadily, but would avert her gaze as soon as possible. Her dad would watch her with a worried expression on his face. She didn't seem to remember her looking at her like that before that year. But then again, that whole summer had been blurry. She knew something had happened during that summer, but the psychiatrist that her parents had brought her to throughout the year, Dr. Brunner, always came to the same conclusion: that summer, along with the random gaps in her memory, would probably never come back.
Annabeth sighed and glared at her history textbook. Since when did Greek heroes eat like that? She stopped suddenly. Where had that thought come from? She shook her head. Random thoughts like those would sometimes pop into her head, but she'd learned to ignore them. All they did was jumble up her brain. Deciding she was done with history/Greek for the night, Annabeth pulled out the blueprints for the new Harvard building and went over them again. Even as just a sophomore in the university she was top of the architecture class and the headmaster had asked her if she would design a new facility that they needed. She'd readily obliged, and now, six months later, two weeks until the end of the semester, the plans were done.
A knock came from the door. Expecting her roommate, Carrie, Annabeth pulled open the door but was instead greeted by a girl who looked to be about sixteen. Her gold eyes stared into Annabeth's grey ones. "Annabeth?"
"Yeah?" Something about the girl made Annabeth uneasy.
"Hey, I'm Hazel." She stuck out her hand. Hesitantly, Annabeth shook it. Something about this Hazel was sketchy. Her beaten yet confident poise, the purple fabric peeping out from under her denim jacket, her curls…
"Hi. Um, do I know you?"
Hazel seemed to be stuck for a moment, but smiled easily and shook her head. "Not as far as I know." Her gold eyes said something a bit different, though. "Your dad asked me to get you. He wants to meet you at the beach."
Annabeth leaned against the door frame and studied Hazel. She seemed trustworthy, but something about the purple of her shirt caused Annabeth to ask, "Why should I trust you?"
"Um, well…"
Should I? Shouldn't I? It was the weekend, this girl was young, Annabeth had taken multiple martial arts classes, and it's not like there was anything better to do than mentally correct a Greek/history textbook. "Just kidding. Why the heck not?" She grabbed her jacket, shoes, and keys and followed Hazel out.
"How did you meet my dad?" Annabeth asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
"I go to your brothers' school. Bobby and Matthew, right? Well, I was in an equestrian competition they went to and when your dad met my parents, it turned out they had gone to college together."
"Oh…" They hopped onto a bus and rode in silence for a few minutes. "So, what's my dad doing here? Why didn't he tell me he'd be here? Why not just call me?"
Hazel smiled softly. "It's a surprise."
The silence between them was even more awkward than the one before. Hazel broke it that time. "You know who Tristan McLean is, right?"
"The movie star? Yeah. Didn't something happen to his daughter a few months ago?"
"M-hm. Piper." Hazel bit her lip. "She died. She was with her boyfriend, a guy named Jason when something attacked them." She looked around to make sure no one was watching. "I'm friends with Jason. He says that it was a monster that attacked them."
A sharp pain shot through Annabeth's head. Piper, Jason, Hazel, monsters… She laughed. The idea of monsters was just so ridiculous. "Must have been dark. Could've only been a mountain lion or something."
Hazel laughed along with her, though it sounded forced. "Ha. Yeah. Imagine that: monsters. What a ridiculous idea." Her shoulders slumped a bit. Had she been expecting a different reaction from Annabeth? Annabeth shook her head. She was getting too deep into this.
Before another awkward silence could stretch out between the two girls, the bus arrived at their stop. They hopped off quickly and Hazel hastily made her way to where a man, a woman, and another girl were all gathered. As they got closer, Annabeth recognized the man as her dad, the woman as Sally Jackson, one of her favorite novelists, and the girl as someone she'd run into in the Seven-Eleven a few days ago.
"Hey, guys! She's here!" The three people turned at the sound of Hazel's voice.
"Annabeth!" her dad called.
Sally Jackson smiled. The punk-looking girl just watched her longingly, making Annabeth nervous.
"Uh, hi, dad!" She hugged him quickly before stepping back and regarding the girl and Sally Jackson.
"Great to see you again, Annabeth," Sally Jackson said, stretching out her hand. Annabeth nervously reached out and shook it but withdrew as soon as she could.
"Um, hello. Have we met before?"
Sally Jackson frowned. "Oh, erm, well…"
Annabeth's suspicion grew further. How did her favorite author know who she was? Why was that Seven-Eleven girl here? Why did they seem so familiar? And what about Hazel? Where did she come in this whole thing? A splitting headache hit Annabeth all of a sudden. She fell to her knees in the sand. Her vision went black and all of her senses were cut off as a green the shade of the sea appeared in her mind. She fought it off, pushing back to reality. When she regained awareness of her surroundings, everyone was crouched around her in the sand. The Seven-Eleven girl was shaking her shoulder gently, saying "Annie? Annabeth?"
Annabeth scrambled back, the sudden return of sensory input shocking her. "What just–Who are–"
A wave crashed on the shore, almost ten feet tall, spraying salty mist onto them all and then coalescing to reveal a man standing only five feet away from them. He wore khaki shorts and a fisherman's hat and shirt. The Seven-Eleven girl and Hazel got up and bowed to him. Sally Jackson smiled and nodded at him, and Annabeth's dad just sat there, shocked.
"Girls, Sally, Frederick." He nodded to them all in turn. "And, of course, Annabeth." His smile looked sad when he acknowledged her, and once again Annabeth wondered what the heck was going on.
"Lord Poseidon," the Seven-Eleven girl replied. The name sent another sudden pain through Annabeth's head.
The Lord Poseidon man turned towards Annabeth's father. "You know what must happen, I presume?"
Sullenly, her father nodded his head. "Yes, lord Poseidon."
"Good. Now–"
"What's going on?" Annabeth interjected. Everyone turned towards her. "I'm sorry, but I was brought here by a girl I don't think I know. Then I meet my favorite author, who apparently has met me before, and I see a girl I just happened to have literally run into a few days ago in Seven-Eleven, and my dad. And now some 'lord Poseidon' washes ashore? What the hell is going on?"
"Annabeth–" The Seven-Eleven girl began.
"No, Thalia. There's no need." Lord Poseidon stretched out his arm to her. "I would like you to come with me."
"No way!" Annabeth huffed. "Why should I go anywhere with you? I don't even know you!"
"Because you must."
"Prolix much?
"Please, Annabeth. You must come. The Olympians have decided it must be this way."
Another sharp pain came and went. "I don't have to do what these 'Olympians' want me to do, okay? I have my own life! You aren't going to tell me what to do!"
"Annabeth," a quiet voice said from behind her. She spun around sharply. Her dad stood just behind her, his face solemn. "Please, go with him."
Her heart broke, seeing her father so sad. "But, dad–"
"It'll be better. Not only for you, but for us."
This only confused Annabeth further. "How is it better for you? How is it even good for me?"
"Sweet heart, you'll know when you go. I can't stand to see you how you are now."
"How would that be? Confused? Lost? Angry?"
"All of those things," a new voice said. "But also not Annabeth."
Annabeth spun around. A woman in simple yet stylish clothes stood next to lord Poseidon. Her eyes were grey and calculating, but also soft.
"Please go, Annabeth. For your friends and family. That's why they're here; to say good-bye."
Annabeth could feel tears welling up in her eyes. "What is this?" she asked softly. "I haven't done anything. "
Thunder rumbled in the distance.
"Please, Annabeth. We must go now," lord Poseidon commanded.
Annabeth took one last glance back at the two girls, Sally Jackson, and her father. "I love you." She had intended it to just be for her father, but it came out sounding like she meant all of them. Thunder sounded again.
"Annabeth," the woman warned.
Annabeth grasped lord Poseidon's hand and found herself swallowed by the sea. It happened so suddenly that she didn't have any time to breathe. She tried to swim to the surface, but it seemed like any direction could be up or down. She couldn't hold her breath for much longer. Maybe ten seconds.
Ten–she forced herself to calm down.
Nine–she loosened up her muscles.
Eight–she spread herself out.
Seven–she began floating upwards.
Six–the sunlight above her was growing closer.
Five–she straightened out.
Four–she began swimming in the direction she had been floating in.
Three–her ears began to ring with pressure.
Two–she turned around and swam the other way desperately.
One–Thalia, she thought. Oh, gods. Thalia.
Zero–she had to breathe. She breathed in water. The world went black.
Finally She Was Free. Free From All Worry, All Guilt, And All Fate. Again There Was A Hero, Though A Hero No More.
Annabeth woke up in a lobby. It was all so familiar yet unfamiliar. Other people were lounging in chairs or pacing. Some were banging on the elevator doors. The man at the counter grinned at her.
"Here for good now, are you?"
"For good?" Annabeth barely managed to choke out.
The man–Charon, his name tag read–chuckled. "Do you have any money? I can't very well bring you across if you don't have any money."
Annabeth instinctively searched her pockets. Somehow the man's words made sense. Eventually she unearthed a gold coin from her coat pocket. It looked like it was from ancient days. She laid it on the counter for the man.
"Ah, a drachma. Very well. Follow me." He led her to the elevator. Annabeth felt as if she should have another unexpected pain, but it didn't come. Charon climbed aboard a small boat and motioned impatiently for her to follow. Something told her that she shouldn't do it, but curiosity took control of her actions.
"Where are we going?" she asked, more to herself than to any of the people on board. Some of them were crying while others were sitting silently. Annabeth suddenly felt nostalgic for a hand holding hers. She should know what was going on. What was happening? Why had fate decided to have a sudden mood swing when it did? She'd had a mostly ordinary life for the last twenty years and now it was ruined.
After several minutes of floating down the river, the boat stopped and passengers began disembarking. Annabeth followed their lead, cautiously making her way to the long lines trailing slowly through metal detectors and past a giant three-headed dog. Annabeth blinked several times to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Sure enough, the enormous canine still stood there.
Annabeth got in one of the slower-moving lines, hoping she would be able to figure everything out. But only seconds later she found herself walking through one of the metal detectors and passing underneath the dog. When she looked up at it, one of its heads was gazing back at her longingly. A whimper sounded from it when they were out of each others' view. Annabeth shook her head in wonder. What was this place? Everything was so drab and dark and cold. That river had looked black, and the guards posted all over seemed to be nothing but skeletons.
As she passed one of the skeletons, it tapped her on the shoulder. "Miss Chase?" Annabeth nodded, acknowledging it was her name. But how would that skeleton know her? "Please follow me." Annabeth was getting tired of people telling her to somewhere with them. She was about to resist, but the skeleton took her arm and led her, with surprising force, to a Greek-style pavilion where three judges stood on a podium. Two of them were dressed in togas and third looked like he might be John Lennon. The skeleton deposited her before them, cutting in front of the line.
One of the men in a toga glanced down at a paper that had just been handed to him. "Miss Annabeth Chase?"
Once again, Annabeth acknowledged her identity.
"Daughter of Athena, Defeater of Circe, Architect of Olympus, Finder of the Athena Parthenos, and one of the three mortals to dare venture through Tartarus and come out alive," the other toga man listed. Annabeth was baffled. Daughter of Athena? Architect of Olympus? He was honored, and it all somehow seemed right, but she couldn't have done any of those things. She was just ADHD and dyslexic and had a few occasional memory twitches. That was it. Otherwise, she was a completely average university girl doing well in architecture class.
The Lennon man spoke. "Ran away from home at the age of seven, went on five quests total, helped find the golden fleece, defended Manhattan from the attacking monsters and demigods in the Second Titan War, aided two gods in defeating three giants in the Second Giant war. She also refused to help Luke Castellan when he came to her seeking peace and aid. Fatal flaw is hubris. As a demigod, her total monster defeat count is one hundred eighty-three, the fifth greatest monster defeat count."
Annabeth's head was swirling with everything. She caught glimpses of various things: A claw, a scar, spiders, a cyclops, and…a boy. The torrent of images came and went quickly, replaced with a throbbing in her head. She knew what they were saying was true, but it couldn't be. But it was.
"Definitely Elysium-worthy," Both the toga-men said simultaneously.
"Agreed," John Lennon stated. "Miss Chase, would you like to continue on to Elysium or take your chance at rebirth and The Isles of the Blessed?"
She stood there, struck by the briskness of the trial–if that was even what it was. Her head spun and she went dizzy. The whole world seemed to be swirling; colors blurred together and all sound mashed together into one incomprehensible drone. Annabeth's whole body seemed to be pounding with the pain surging through her mind. It was terrible. She felt even worse than she had when Crusty had tried to stretch her to death. She groaned and dropped to the ground. Through the agony, she managed to remember where she was and the question she'd been asked. She forced herself to look up and was just able to croak, "Elysium," before the pain grew so strong that she screamed. Her strength gave out and her vision went black. She felt a pair of arms catch her as she fell to the pavilion's floor.
•••
The sound of trickling water greeted Annabeth when she woke up. She lay in a bed with an incredibly soft comforter covering her. The room She got up and found herself in a green cotton shift dress that was comfy and easy to move in. She'd always wanted to wear a dress casually, but considering the fact that she could never be sure when she'd need to run or fight for her life it was quite impractical to wear one. Especially since that fall to Tartarus… Oh, gods, Percy. No, no, NO! Her body went rigid and her breathing became erratic. Bits and pieces of Tartarus came back to her, and the loss of Percy, and the giants, and the monsters, and the pain, and Percy. She hadn't felt right since Percy had disappeared.
Someone came into the room, but Annabeth barely registered it. Shooting streaks of pain appeared in places they hadn't for years. She began shaking and she could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She heard herself whimper. Darkness, claws, venom, tails, terror, darkness, and loss invaded her mind. Her head throbbed and so did her ankle. Her arm felt like it was bent in the wrong direction and she couldn't feel her leg. She tried to choke back a sob but couldn't. Stop it! She yelled in her mind–or was it out loud?–Stop it! Let me go! Stop!
Someone was stroking her hair, saying her name. She looked at the person, but her mind was so occupied it couldn't register the face. "Help me!" she cried. "Please, help us. No! The statue. It needs to get to camp–" Annabeth heard her voice break off, as if she were an outsider listening. Then something occurred to her: the statue was at camp. They'd fought the giants. She'd left camp. But…but… It was all too confusing. She buried her face into the person comforting her as she cried. His voice sounded almost fatherly to her. His blond hair was so familiar, but she couldn't place it. She knew she should be able to, but she couldn't. She could hear him saying, "Annabeth, sh, it's okay. It's okay." But it wasn't. Her head hurt and she was scared and confused–so confused.
Shouts came from the boy and were responded by more shouts coming from outside the room. She could still hear herself murmuring, though she wasn't physically aware of it. She wasn't aware of anything except for the meaningless mush that was spiraling around in her head and the loneliness and the turmoil in her mind. Something slammed and more voices came with it. The hands that had been stroking her hair were now shaking her slightly, trying to get her to stand and turn. The scar that marred his face was prominent in the worried expression he wore. He was saying something to her, but she couldn't comprehend it.
A girl with brown hair and pretty blue eyes came into Annabeth's line of vision. She seemed to be persuading Annabeth to get up. Eventually they used force, pulling her up. They turned her to face the doorway, where another person stood. He had black hair and his eyebrows were scrunched together as he watched her. His familiar green eyes seemed to be pleading her for something. But he shouldn't be here–he was gone.
"P–Percy?"
He smiled slowly with relief. "Annabeth." He ran toward her and embraced her tightly. "Oh, gods, Annabeth."
Annabeth returned the hug with just as much force. "Percy. Percy, Percy." She leaned into him and breathed in his familiar sea-scent. "Oh my gods, I thought I'd lost you forever. But then Chiron…and then I was at college, and…and then Hazel, and Poseidon…" She couldn't form a complete idea. The ecstasy of just being back with Percy overwhelmed her. She knew everything that had happened now; how he'd died, how the rest of them had gone back to camp, and how Chiron had altered her memories so that she could at least live a mortal life.
"Sh… I know." He kissed her softly then pulled back a bit and just looked into her eyes.
They stood like that for several minutes, gazing into each other's eyes. His eyes were so, so familiar. They were like home for her. Finally Annabeth pulled away and turned to the two others in the room. She hadn't thought she could get any happier, but when she saw Luke's face, her smile widened even further. "Luke." She laughed, then tackled him with a hug.
"Hey, Annie."
"And Silena."
"There's more." The daughter of Aphrodite nodded to the people standing behind Percy. Leo, Piper, Frank, Beckendorf, and Nico had all come. Annabeth was elated. She could feel tears of joy flooding her eyes. She was back where she belonged: sane, with demigods, and especially with Percy. She grabbed his hand tightly and promised herself she wouldn't let go until she had to. It was definitely the best day of her life.
She stood there, struck by the briskness of the trial–if that was even what it was. Her head spun and she went dizzy. The whole world seemed to be swirling; colors blurred together and all sound mashed together into one incomprehensible drone. Annabeth's whole body seemed to be pounding with the pain surging through her mind. It was terrible. She groaned and dropped to the ground. Through the agony, she managed to remember where she was and the question she'd been asked. She forced herself to look up and was just able to croak, "Rebirth," hoping that it was better than staying here, always aching.
The judges nodded and someone pulled her up and away. She stumbled along, her legs barely supporting her. Whoever was dragging her stopped by a milky-white river after almost half a mile. Annabeth's legs gave out beneath her and she was pushed into the river. She knew nothing.
And As They Go, Another Hero Mourns, Wishing To Change The Past, Only Able To Hope For The Best.
Percy kicked the rock again. And again. And again. Why hadn't he been there? He could have spoken for her, told them that she'd chose Elysium. But nobody had thought to mention the gods' plan to him. She'd died, come, and then left him alone. He didn't blame her–she hadn't remembered anything about her demigod life. He blamed himself for not having known, for not having been there, for letting her get away, and for leaving her in the first place.
He let out a scream of fury and was about to kick the rock again when someone grabbed him from behind.
"Stop it, Percy," Silena ordered. "You're not thinking straight. Stop it." Percy turned towards her and felt tears on his cheeks that he hadn't noticed before.
"I let her go, Silena. I shouldn't have ever–"
"No." Her voice was stern. "It's not anyone's fault. Now stop it. Just wait another few years and you might see her again."
"But she won't be Annabeth," he replied sullenly.
"No," she smiled, "she won't. And you won't be Percy."
"What are you getting at?"
"You two are soul mates. You'll always find each other."
"You mean…" Percy was beginning to understand where she was going.
Silena nodded. Percy's felt face split into a smile mirroring Silena's. "Go to the council. Now."
Percy nodded, turned, and began to run. Then he turned back to Silena. "Tell the others, okay? And if you're still here when we get back, tell us who we were, will you?" Silena nodded and shooed him off. Percy turned his back on her and ran straight to the judging pavilion, and then to the River Lethe.
Like A Soul Mate, You're My Penguin; Baby We're Fate, Baby We're Fate, Not Luck*
Pierre chased Noah down Himmel street and turning at Wald lane. Noah laughed from a few meters ahead, still waving Pierre's sandwich in the air. "You're sure not going to get it!"
Pierre put on a surge of speed and tackled Noah from behind, like the American exchange students told him they did in their game of "football", and grabbed back his sandwich. "Oh really?" he asked, taking a bit from it. "Because I think I just did."
He rolled off his best friend and they walked down the sidewalk back home, shoving each other, laughing, and telling stupid jokes.
"There've been some bad rumors about you and Karla." Pierre smirked jokingly.
"Well at least I'm not turning down the one girl who comes to me." Noah raised a brow at him.
A few days ago, a very fine girl had asked him to the junior dance, but he'd turned her down. "Get off it, Noah."
Noah raised his hands in surrender. "Just saying."
They didn't speak until they passed Noah's house and his mother yelled out the window for him to come inside. They said good-bye and parted ways. Pierre wandered around for a while aimlessly. He didn't want to go back home and be tortured by his older sister, Bella. Sometimes he wished they could at least look like they weren't related. They had the same black hair and both had Mediterranean features. The only two differences anyone could see between them was the fact that he was a boy, she was a girl, and that he had his father's green eyes and she had their mother's dark brown ones.
The door to one of the houses in front of him opened and a girl ran out, followed by a woman who was yelling at her. The woman finished her shouting and returned to the house. The girl rolled her grey eyes and began walking off. Normally Pierre wouldn't care at all, but something pulled him to the girl. He jogged to catch up to her.
"Hey," he said.
"Hello."
"I'm Pierre. Who're you?"
"Alcina," she replied abruptly.
'That's a pretty name."
Alcina's eyes turned stormy. "Would you mind leaving?"
"No, not at all," Pierre replied. Of course, he had no intention to do so. He walked with her for a while longer.
Alcina whipped around, making her curly blond hair swish, and glared at him. "What's your prob– Oh…" She trailed off, which made Pierre panic. And the way that she was looking at him…it was gone in an instant. "Do I know you?"
Pierre looked directly into her eyes and realized that she looked really familiar. "I don't think so. I haven't seen you around here, or anywhere before."
Alcina smiled. "I'm visiting my grandmother from France."
"Ah. The woman who chased you out?"
"Yeah. She doesn't like me very much."
Pierre laughed. "Well there's an understatement." Alcina joined in with his laughter. They began walking again. "So, you're from France?" Pierre asked.
Alcina nodded. "My parents went to university there and have lived there ever since."
"Cool. So when are you leaving?"
"Germany? I don't know. " She shook her head. " I'm here for a few months at least, forever at most."
"What's the decider?"
"How the divorce goes."
"Oh…"
Alcina waved it off. "It doesn't matter that much. I've lived with only my mom most of my life. My dad's rarely at the house, and when he is it's only for a little while."
"I don't believe for a minute that you don't care," Pierre stated firmly.
Her shoulders slumped. "Yeah. It's not good at all." At that moment she looked so vulnerable and lonely that Pierre immediately felt like he needed to comfort her. He hesitantly reached his arm out and wrapped it around her shoulders. She smiled up at him, and at that moment, both of them knew that they'd made a relationship that would never break.
A/N: Give it up for 8,500-ish words! How did you like it? did it make you cry? Maybe? No? Could I have changed it at all? Should I fix it up? Tell me what you think! Who do you think Pierre's sister is?