AN: Just a sad Percabeth fanfic. Based on the idea of If I Stay by Gayle Forman.
DISCLAIMER: Good ol' uncle Rick Riordan owns all characters and settings, only the plot is mine.
When Percy opened his eyes, all he could see was a bright, blinding light.
He sat up and rubbed his eyes, trying to remember where he was, and what he was doing last.
Tartarus. Annabeth. Battle.
A flood of recent memories over took him. Stepping out of the elevator up from Tartarus, right into a battle. The giant. The sword... the blood... the pain...
"Where... where am I?" He says, looking around and realising that he was simply sitting in his room on the Argo II.
He looks next to him on his bed and sees himself lying there.
Wait, himself?
Percy looks back over and his thoughts are confirmed.
There he is, lying motionless on his bed. No movement coming from his chest to show that he's breathing.
"No, I can't be." He breathes, standing up to look down at his body. There are several small cuts covering his face, but the major injury is the stab wound in his side. Percy looks at his own side, seeing no wounds at all.
"Am I-" He turns around and sees Hazel and Jason sitting on chairs facing his bed, having a hushed conversation. Hazel's eyes are red and puffy and there are tear stains on her cheeks.
"Guys, what's happening?" Percy asks, putting his hand on Jason's shoulder.
No response. Hazel and Jason act as though they couldn't see nor hear him.
"Guys, this isn't funny!" Percy shouts, frustrated, running his hands through his hair.
"I just," Jason finally says, "I can't believe this happened. I can't believe he's gone."
"Dude, what are you talking about?" Percy screams, "I'm right here!"
Again, no answer.
"There were just so many of them." Hazel speaks up, "We were way outnumbered and there wasn't any water for Percy to use. And of course that stupid boy was using all of his little energy left to protect Annabeth. The effort was too much."
Hazel bursts into tears and rests her head on Jason's shoulder.
Percy just stares at them. It suddenly hit him.
"I really am dead," he whispers, "oh my gods,"
Percy slides to the ground, holding his face in his hands.
After a few minutes with only the sound of Hazel's quiet sobs in the room, Percy decides that he should look around the Argo for the rest of his team. Frank. Leo. Nico. Annabeth. Annabeth.
Walking out of him room he hears voices to his left, coming from Annabeth's room.
"No, Annabeth!" He exclaims, sprinting down the hall and turning into her room.
He sees her sitting on her bed, a few minor injuries but nothing critical, like the stab wound in his side.
Piper, Frank and Leo are standing at her bed, they seem to be having a conversation about the battle.
"I still can't believe you guys actually made it through." Frank says.
"Well," Annabeth laughs humourlessly, "it wasn't easy."
"You two made an excellent team." Piper murmurs.
A look of panic spreads across her face as she realises her mistake in wording. Clearly, no one had told Annabeth yet.
"Make an excellent team." Annabeth noticed too. "We still make an excellent team."
"Of course!" Leo says nervously, looking at Piper with a panicked expression.
"Just tell her!" Percy shouts, "She deserves to know!"
"What aren't you telling me," Annabeth accuses, "where's Percy?"
"Annabeth, everything will be ok. You need to cal-"
"Don't you dare charmspeak me." She snaps, looking at the three of them with a look of half-anger, half despair. Percy's heart clenches, knowing all this pain is because of him.
"Where is he?" She breathes, "Where's my Seaweed Brain?"
"We tried Annabeth," Frank says meekly.
"Nectar, ambrosia, magic." Leo added.
"Nothing was working." Piper concluded.
By now the tears Annabeth had tried to hide were leaking. "You're lying to me," she says, "you're trying to play a cruel prank for something I did."
"Annabeth," Piper says forcefully, "you need to cal-"
"I told you not to charmspeak me!" Annabeth screams.
In a moment, she's on her feet making her way towards the door.
"Annabeth your wounds are still healing, you need to take it easy." Leo warns.
She turns to him, "Just let me see him." Several stray tears had already escaped. Her expression held nothing but pain, and sorrow.
"Let her see him." Frank says.
"Alright," Piper says.
Percy grabs Annabeth's hand even though he knows she can't feel it. Before they reach his door she pauses. Looking up at the ceiling for a moment. Taking a shaky breath before she turns to the room.
Once she sees Percy lying there motionless, she breaks down,
"NO!" She screams running to the side of Percy's bed and collapsing.
"Percy," she screams again, "Percy wake up you idiot."
"Annabeth," Jason says quietly.
"Shut up!" She shouts, "He's not dead! He's just resting! He'll be awake soon, you'll see. He wouldn't leave me. He loves me."
Her voice breaks at the end and the tears stream down her face. Percy sits down next to her and grabs her hand.
"I'm right here, Wise Girl. Always right here." He kisses her hair and rubs her back soothingly. If only she knew.
"Percy," she whispers, "please come back. I need you."
The way her voice sounds, broken and deflated, breaks his non-beating heart into a million pieces.
"Remember what you promised me, what we promised each other." Percy says.
As if she heard him, Annabeth says, "I'll keep it, our promise. I won't give up my life since you can't live out yours. I promise. But I also promise that I'll never forget you, I love you Percy, so much."
She starts crying again and Percy kisses her head again.
"Thank you."
He stands slowly and turns towards the door where he sees Nico leaning on the doorframe.
"Jason, what happened?" Nico says in a panic.
"Nico, I'm so sorry." Jason says, "I know you loved him-"
"Shut up, Jason!" Nico shouts, "You don't know anything!"
With that, Nico storms away, wiping tears from his eyes.
I know you loved him.
Oh, Nico.
"Percy?" A familiar voice calls from behind him.
He turns to see Luke, Zoe and Bianca standing down the hallway.
"So what happens now?" Percy asks, looking at his old friends and Luke.
"Well hopefully you won't end up with my punishment down in Hades domain." Luke says.
"I think you should try for the Isles of the Blessed." Bianca says, "You deserve it."
He turns around to see Annabeth still next to my body. "I'm going to miss her so much. All of them."
"I know," Zoe says. "You will see her soon."
"I guess," Percy says, "Well I'm ready."
He turns around to look at Annabeth one last time, the girl he will never stop loving, and then turned, and walked down the hallway towards the light that would take him away, to his next eternity.
AN: Blood of Olympus approaching had me in a Percy Jackson fanfic mood.
Kisses,
Olivia