Some kinds of pain are unexplainable…
She woke up with a start, that much wasn't unusual. Over her shoulder, Percy had her carefully tucked into his side and an arm draped across her waist. "What was it?" slipped from his lips.
The vibrations of his words rumbled throughout Annabeth's figure. A moment passed. "I...It wasn't anything new...Just hold me?" a pause, "please?"
Percy somehow tugged Annabeth even closer. His free hand trailed up her shoulders and into the cloud of blonde curls. His fingers lazily looped and unlooped the golden strands. Her own hand went up to grasp the coral pendant. She felt safe. Content. There were no words that needed to be said. The sheer comfort of each other and their heartbeats speaking in volumes. The night enveloped the couple like a blanket, slowly lulling them both to sleep.
The next morning, Annabeth awoke to find the mattress cold and Percy nowhere to be seen. Her eyes darted around the room, searching for a sign of her boyfriend. Then, she remembered.
He was gone, dead. And she, well she was all alone. Annabeth took in the room. The cabin windows allowed easy light to flow in and warm the morning frost. Percy's dirty clothes were in a corner, untouched. The fountain still glowed blue and water softly gushed out. The room was left untouched and messy. It seemed that Percy had just gone to the diving pavilion for blue pancakes. But he wasn't at breakfast. He was never coming back. Finally, unable to stifle her cries, a sob painfully choked from Annabeth's throat. The tears came softly at first. Just drop by drop and then all out at once, wetting the blankets. A cold fist closed around her heart and for once, she didn't fight back. She let herself fall, fall, fall into oblivion.
Every morning after followed similarly, so much so that her days blended into a gray haze. She stopped leaving Cabin Three and everyone noticed and worried. But, how do you mend a pain that seems to tear someone apart? For all the heartaches that half-bloods suffered, none of them knew how to cope with this.
Annabeth was in shatters. She loved Percy so much, too much. When you lose someone that close, a piece of your heart leaves with them. That was Annabeth. A dead spirit in a body that has seen better days. She tried her very best to recover. Some days she would paint on a smile, leave the cabin, and try to be normal. Yet the empty ache was relentless. Her friends tried to help her. Thaila sat her down pleading her to talk but only got a blank stare. Piper brought her to the city to try to get her mind off things. Each new place they visited only brought back memories of dates with Percy, leaving Annabeth in a devastating mess of tears. Malcolm had fully taken over the responsibilities of cabin counselor while trying to keep an eye on Annabeth. Any and all attempts were futile. The hollowing pain devouring her heart could not and would not be helped.
She hadn't meant to fall asleep. In her defense, the last time she slept was a few days. Her eyelids started to grow heavy as if holding the weight of the sky. Then she relented and let them flutter close.
It wasn't long till she saw him. He was alive and they were at the strawberry hills overlooking camp. The sun was sinking slowly into the hills and casting warm hues onto the earth. Percy had just whispered something stupid, making her smile. She leaned in a for a chaste kiss, then scene changed. He was laying on the ground and everything was tinted muddy. His fingers grabbed onto her wrist, imprinting fingerprints permanently onto her skin. For the last time, green met gray. Barely audible a soft, "I love you" spilled out of his mouth as his hand went slack. Annabeth looked over his body, feeling nauseous at the sheer sight. From head to toe, a layer of red veiled over his body. There were deep slashes opening the skin on his thighs. His left eye was bloated and grayish-blue. Yellow bruises outlinedㅡ
The dream ended. Annabeth sat straight up and tried to control her breathing. Her heart pounded so hard it might have exploded from her chest. She looked around the room, and spotted the fountain. The blue glow seemed to be stronger than ever, like it was calling to her. So she slipped out of the cabin and padded her way to the beach.
The air seemed warmer by the shore. Her body was slumped against a tree facing the sea. Each wave gently lapped closer and closer to Annabeth, sensing her presence. The moonlight easily reflected off the curve of the waves, hitting the coral pendant and making it shine in the dark. Her hands went up to her neck to hold the jewel. It seemed warm and comforting, like him.
And then it was all too much. She felt Percy's presence all around her, it was suffocating. So many memories and reminders all viciously attacking at once. Her body was in lockdown and she cried. And for now, all she could do was cry.