I know I should be working on Nancy Bobofit: Her Story, but after listening to this song, it reminded me so much of Annabeth in The Lost Hero. So the story is named after the song. So here is "Stronger." Enjoy! (Oh, please note you may want to listen to the song while reading the lyrics to understand. The song is called "Stronger" by Jennette McCurdy.)
Disclaimer: I do not own PJO. That right goes to Rick. I do not own the song "Stronger." That right goes to Jennette McCurdy and her record labels. I also do not own iPod as that is own by Apple.
Right now it feels like the end of the world
All of your battles are lost
You've been cheated, mistreated
Just when you think that you can't hold on any longer
Hold on a little bit longer
Trust me, you'll see
You'll be so much stronger
(You'll be so much stronger)
Stronger by Jennette McCurdy
It hurt her so bad. So bad she could stand it. Why? Her heart was broken. It took her forever to get Percy. Forever. And that darn Queen of the Gods took him. So what, if it was to bridge the two camps? All Annabeth wanted was Percy back with his memories of camp and more importantly his memories of her. Why were the Fates cruel? All the quests they went on, the moments they shared, gone. Thanks to Hera. Why her?
Annabeth was silently watching over the lake as the sun's golden, orange light shined off the lake. How could the evening be so pretty, but her life dull. It was like a joke. A sick, cruel joke to her. Her insides twisted, just thinking about what could happen to Percy while at the Roman camp. The Roman were about discipline and strength. It was conquer or die at the harsh camp. So Percy either survived or didn't. Please, Lord Poseidon, tell Percy's okay, Annabeth prayed silently. There was silence. No rumbled, no wave, nada. She was slowly breaking apart, becoming weak, having quirks. It was embarrassing! She is a daughter of Athena, goddess of wisdom, battle arts, weaving, architecture, and patron goddess of the great ancient city of Athens. How could she be so broken. Children of Athena were expected to be smart, brave, wise, and strong to an extent. But Annabeth was not. Oh, gods help her. Again, nothing. Great...
As Annabeth sat there, the sun setting, she heard music in the distance. It was moving. It was hard to tell were it was coming from. Maybe she should look for it. However, she didn't have the strength to get up. She was tired, constantly having mental and physical breakdowns. She hid it, but there were times it failed. And this was one of those times. The music was soft and sweet and gradually gained volume. She thought about what each verse meant how it related to her, just what a child of Athena should do.
You feel out of breath, used up and broken down
Just like a shattered glass, in pieces on the ground
Some days you want to scream, but you can't make a sound
But you're not alone.
She couldn't take anymore; the crying, her heart breaking, the constant meltdowns. It literary felt like
her physical self was shattered on the grounds. There was the days she wanted to scream to the gods to demand Percy back, but she couldn't do it (well she did at the Grand Canyon, but that's another story). Annabeth knew there were people who lost loved ones everyday, so she really wasn't alone, right? For the first time, she was stuck. She didn't know. The music just let her mind continue to think.
Here comes another day, here comes another fight
You'd rather give it up, then give it one more try
'Cause no one understands the way you feel inside
You're not alone
OK, this was getting creepy. The song was getting so much more related to what was going on in her messed up life. Everyday Annabeth had to deal with with the heartache that she felt after Percy disappeared. She had to constantly fight it, but there were time that she couldn't do it, she had to give up. Campers tried to helper, console her, nothing worked. They didn't understand Percy the way she did. There would probably a lot of people (demigods and mortals), who had loved one who only understood them. This she knew. But the song bugged her, where was it coming from? More importantly, who was playing it?
Right now it feels like the end the world
All your battles are lost
You've been cheated, mistreated
Just when you think that you can't hold on any longer
Hold on a little bit longer
Trust me, you'll see
You'll be so much stronger
(You'll be so much stronger)
To Annabeth, it really did feel like the world, her world, was burning up. All those battles her and Percy fought were gone. Just when she thought things would be solidified, they broke. Hera took her boyfriend, cheating Annabeth. Hera made her live in Tartarus and it continued. Just when she was about to go crazy, she always grabbed that rope and stood her ground. Now she wasn't so sure.
It's only temporary, but it feels like your stuck
Like no wishing well could ever change your luck
They say when one door closes, another opens up
And you walk right through
Yeah, you know what to do
Annabeth knew she was going to get Percy back, but it seemed that she was locked in Camp Half-Blood. It felt like nothing in the world could help her get her boyfriend back. But when Jason came, she felt like that opportunity was gone, but a new one sparked. She got the information she wanted to know, where was Percy and she got it. She is a daughter of Athena, and because of that info, she made sure that she would get to Percy and help him get his memories back. She was getting stronger.
Right now it feels like the end the world
All your battles are lost
You've been cheated, mistreated
Just when you think that you can't hold on any longer
Hold on a little bit longer
Trust me, you'll see
You'll be so much stronger
(You'll be so much stronger)
Hera completely destroyed Annabeth's life. All the quests, moments, battles were gone. Even their first kiss in Mt. Saint Helens was leading up to this. All her life people were force to leave. First Thalia. She sacrificed herself for her friends. Then Luke. Luke left her for the Titans and leaving her in the dust. Percy stayed by her side. The Thalia returned and she was kidnapped. Percy went without orders and went to find her not Artemis. Then Thalia left again to join the hunters. Again Percy stayed at her side. The quest in the Labyrinth, was confusing. When Percy landed on Ogygia and met Calypso, he chose the camp and her. Always thought of her. And during the war, she thought numerous times that Seaweed Brain was going to die, well he didn't. Stayed by her side, Olympus she thought was were Percy would leave her, but he didn't, he went with mortality. Luke left her already twice. Percy never did, till his memories were wiped clean by Hera. Forced, just like the others. Tears fell down her face. She couldn't be strong. How could she be strong? There was nothing to keep her from falling apart, not a thing.
You might have to bend, but you're not gonna break
Wipe the tears from your eyes and the fear off your face
You now deep down inside you've got what it takes
The music pauses for second. Annabeth reflected for a moment. She was always has close to breaking point, but she made it passed. She got to her feet and stared at the open lake, she knew she had to be the one to be brave, wise, and not scared. She had to be. She was the architect of Olympus, hero of Olympus, co-defeater of Kronos. She is the daughter of Athena and she has what it take to get Percy back! The song rose to a climax and came to its end.
Right now it feels like the end the world
All your battles are lost
You've been cheated, mistreated
Just when you think that you can't hold on any longer
Hold on a little bit longer
Trust me, you'll see
You'll be so much stronger
(You'll be so much stronger)
You'll be so much stronger...
The song ended. Annabeth's eyes had pride and determination. This daughter of Athena had the strength to carry on. After what went on she knew that all these events had prepared her for this. She truly got stronger mentally. She would be the one to help recover the son of Poseidon, recover his lost memories and be apart of the seven to defend Olympus in Greece against Gaea and her army. In a way she was stronger. Now all that was left was to rescue Percy Jackson. And Athena always has a plan and this one was ready, way ready.
A god and goddess stood on the opposite side of the lake. The sun had turned in. The moon shown on them revealing who they were, Athena and Poseidon.
"This had better work, Athena," the sea god said.
"It should, no it will," the wisdom goddess retorted.
Poseidon snorted. "How so?"
"I just know." Athena turned to look at her arch rival. Poseidon looked grief stricken. He was pale, his sea-green eyes had little life. When finally spoke, Athena flinched at her rival tone.
"I will make sure Hera gets what she deserves," he said with pure venom. Athena had barely heard the sea god use that tone. Percy was Poseidon's only son (that she knew of) since World War II. Henceforth, was very protective of Sally and his son.
"I can not believe Zeus did this to us."
"I know. And now Hera. She's taking a great risk doing this. Let's hope it doesn't end in bloodshed."
"I hope so, too. It is up to the demigods now. The must have the strength to do this quest. They need to get stronger."
"For once Kelp Head, I agree with you," Athena said. Poseidon snorted, again. "Come on, let's get out of here, before Zeus knows we were here."
"Agreed." And the two gods shimmered and went into their divine form. There was nothing, but quiet. At where the gods' feet were was an iPod plugged into a speaker. The screen showed album art work and the song on pause. The song, "Stronger."
A/N: And done! Hope you all liked it. I hope to have Nancy Bobofit: Her Story updated by Sunday. We'll see though. No promises. I think you know what to do from here.
~Son of Lord Zeus.