Disclaimer: I do not own the PJatO franchise and probably never ever will. The property belongs to Rick Riordan, the best Percy Jackson author of all time (and also, the only one). This piece of - er, work - is purely for the entertainment of others and naturally my own. I am merely borrowing the names of the characters and bending them to my will to create this story.

A/N: This is yet another story for another of Takara Phoenix's contests. I admit. It has been a while, since I have posted anything. (wince) But, I tried really hard with this fic, especially since it kind of mirrored a break up I had.

Like the contest requested, I have written a Nicercy. This might be long. I don't know yet. I tried to keep it as clean and as un-awkward as possible.

And for the sake of this fic, Gaea has been defeated.

Note: Listen to Say Something by A Great Big World when reading. It might help you get through the story.

Summary: Percy and Annabeth's break up was inevitable, especially when the words "We need to talk" were said. There were too many factors to their dysfunctional relationship. But, not everything is like the movies. They may not get back together, but at least, Percy has a chance at happiness. A chance namely being Nico di Angelo.

Warning: Language, Possible Out-Of-Characterness, Slash (obviously).

Cinematic

Chapter 01: Say Something

"Percy, we need to talk." Annabeth's voice was soft and tender with a tinge of sadness, like a mother's voice right before breaking the bad news to her child. He swallowed. He didn't like the sound of that.

It reminded him of the romance movies that he used to watch with his mom, where the couple that had been together since forever breaks up because things weren't working out or some shit like that.

He had always hated those movies because he thought it was stupid that they decided to leave each other after being together for so long. But, he would still watch them anyways because of his mom's love for them. And now, he had another reason to hate them.

Just like in those movies, Annabeth was going to break up with him. She made it pretty obvious when she said they needed to "talk". Why else would anyone else use those words, unless they were in a movie or they were actually going to break up. And, the way Annabeth fidgeted in place didn't sate his worries, either.

"What's up?" He tried to keep his voice as neutral and casual as possible. And for an added effect, he smiled charmingly at her. It was a fake smile, of course, but she seemed to buy it anyways,

"Percy," Annabeth began, her voice trembling slightly. She refused to meet his eyes, a gesture that could only mean the inevitable. "This isn't going to work out anymore."

'It's just like those movies,' Percy thought. 'Exactly like the movies. Fuck.'

"Why, Annabeth? Why?" he asked in a defeated tone. He reached for her hands to hold them like he always had done, but she flinched and backed away from him. "I thought we had everything. You even said that everything was perfect."

"Well, I lied, okay?" Annabeth snapped. "Nothing is perfect. We didn't have everything. We didn't even have anything. Tartarus changed both of us. I can't be happy without feeling the misery and despair that has plagued me since we escaped the damned place. And, you..." Here, she let out a bitter laugh. "You can't open up yourself to other people because you're afraid. You're afraid of yourself. You're afraid that they'll end up like Calypso did."

Her voice increased in volume, until she was screaming at him. A broken sob erupted from her, as she crumpled to the ground. Percy just stood, frozen in place. Her words had struck deep.

Annabeth was right. After they escaped from Tartarus, he had become more withdrawn from everyone, including her. It hurt to see everyone so worried about him, but it was better than them getting hurt. like Annabeth said, he was afraid. Afraid that he'll hurt them. Afraid that they'll end up in a situation like Calypso's.

"You're right," he admitted. The you're always right was left unsaid. "We're both changed people. But, that doesn't mean that we can't be together. I'm sure we can work this out."

Annabeth shook her head vigorously, her blonde hair whipping around wildly. "No. We can't work this out. Breaking up is the only way," she sighed. "You can't make me happy and I can't make you open up. This isn't going to work. We can't stay the dysfunctional couple we are, Percy. It's over."

"No. Please," pleaded Percy. "Please, Annabeth. We can work this out. I promise."

Annabeth sent him a pointed look. "Like, how you promised Calypso that you would rescue her, Percy? Are you going to keep this promise or am I going to end up like her, too?" That was a low blow, she knew it, but Annabeth couldn't bring herself to care. She had been hurting for so long, keeping it pent up inside her. It just felt so good spilling it all out.

Percy remained silent, his hands fisting the fabric of his jeans. His eyes were downcast, covered by a fringe of jet black hair. Tears brimmed his eyes, as her words replayed in his mind over and over, like a broken record. Annabeth always knew the right buttons to push, the correct things to rile him up. This time was no exception. Her words had cut deep. The pain he felt in Tartarus couldn't compare to the agony he was in now.

"W-why, Annabeth?" he wondered, his voice shaking. "Why now? Why did you choose to tell me now?"

"Because I've had enough," she answered, standing up. "I've had enough of pretending to be happy when I'm miserable and depressed. I thought that you would notice, but you never did. You never seem to notice because you're so goddamn oblivious." She paused to take a shaky breath, before continuing. "And, I'm tired of you being so aloof. I'm your fucking girlfriend and your best friend. You can tell me anything and everything. I'm always here for you, but you're never here for me. That's why, seaweed brain. That's why I chose to tell you now. I'm sick of everything, of you, of your secrets, of our relationship, everything. And, I'm going to end it, once and for all. G-goodbye, Percy."

She wiped her tears and stormed out of Percy's cabin, slamming the door behind her. Percy didn't bother to chase after her, as he fell to his knees. Tears streamed freely down his cheeks, as he clutched at his shirt, right where his heart lay.

"No," he whispered. "No!" Percy let out a pain stricken cry and sobbed. It hurt so much. Everything hurt so fucking much. His heart was in so much pain. It was agony. The pain was excruciating.

He had never wanted to fail Annabeth like that. He vowed that he wouldn't let anyone suffer like he had made Calypso suffer, but he failed. In the end, he was no better than Luke. He made broken promises and hurt those around him. 'I'm not a hero,' he thought. 'A hero wouldn't leave a lonely girl on an island. A hero would keep his promise. A hero would make his girlfriend happy and tell her everything she deserved to know. I'm no hero. A hero wouldn't be me. A hero wouldn't be Percy Jackson.'

. . .

He didn't know how long he sat there thinking about nothing, feeling everything, but it felt like an eternity. Percy slowly sat up, his muscles protesting slightly, and headed towards the bathroom.

Reaching the sink, he turned the knob of cold water and dipped his hands in the basin to wash his face. The cool water felt refreshing against his skin, but it did not make him feel any better.

Percy peered into the mirror to check his reflection and cringed. His eyes were swollen around the corners and red from crying. The once brilliant emerald green depths were dull in comparison. His complexion was a little pale, despite his tan. He looked tired, old beyond his age. In other words, he looked and felt like shit.

A sudden resounding knock echoed through his cabin and Percy cursed. He didn't want anyone to see him in this state, especially when he looked (not to mention, felt) like crap. To remedy this problem, he plugged the sink and let the water run for a little. Once the basin was completely filled, he turned off the faucet and stuck his hand into the water. Ever so slowly, the water rose up his arm to his eyes. The cool liquid soothed the irritated areas and erased the redness from his eyes. He thanked his father for the wonderful gift of healing, as he drained the sink. Percy quickly dried his face with a towel and headed towards the cabin door.

Steeling his features into a cool facade, he opened the door to see Leo looking quite concerned. "Oh, hey, Leo. What's up?"

"Is everything alright? I heard yelling and screaming coming your cabin and ran over here to check it out. I saw Annabeth running out of the cabin, crying. She seemed pretty upset, but also relieved about something," Leo reported. "Is something wrong, Percy?"

He shook his head and smiled softly. "Don't worry about it, Leo. Annabeth and I just had a little argument. I'm sure it will resolve itself in time."

"I hope so," Leo agreed. "It's not like you guys to act like this."

Percy shrugged. "I guess not. We just had a dispute and we decided that it was decided that it would be best if we split for a while." The or, rather Annabeth decided was left unsaid. "It's been hard, you know. After Tartarus and everything, we're still trying to be the people we once were before, but it's not that easy."

"I understand," commented Leo. "Tartarus was hard on all of us, especially you and Annabeth. I just hope you guys get back together soon."

"I hope so, too," Percy added, but he wasn't sure if he meant it. 'It won't happen, anyways. It's not like those movies where they break up and make up in a matter of days. This is no movie. There is no making up in our reality. Not now. Not ever.'

"I guess I'll be going now," Leo said thoughtfully. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Percy grinned. "Thanks, Leo appreciate it."

"No problem, Percy." And with a small wave, Leo headed back towards his own cabin, leaving him behind. Percy closed the door and waited until Leo's footsteps faded away completely, before falling to the ground. He pulled his knees to his chest in a fetal position and cried.

The chapter is short, I apologize, but it's all that I came up with. I was in a dark place (kinda) when I wrote this, so it feels a little awkward. But, I hope you like it.

Until next time, this is FullReverse. (I know, I changed my name again. I can't help it. I've been going through things)