A/N : Hello everyone! So I decided to write a oneshot about Percy and Annabeth dealing with the aftermath of falling in Tartarus . Hope you enjoy !
There For You
Night.The time of the day which he feared most. Sure, there were many things which he should be scared of, Gaia, the upcoming supposedly end of the world ,and of course, the various monsters. Not to mention wondering how Nico, Reyna and Coach Hedge were faring on their mission of transporting the Athena Parthenos to Camp Jupiter. But these events occurred in the morning, when the sun was bright, and the others were with him, sharing the same hopes ,dreams, and fears.
But during nighttime, he was alone. And that was when the nightmares returned.
Tartarus. The name alone chilled him. He would never go through what he had gone through again. He was so focused on getting out from that place, that he hadn't considered the aftermath. The nightmares and the memories. They occurred when his defences were at a low ebb, namely when he was sleeping deeply. Those nightmares, he shuddered as he thought of them, the most recent being Annabeth falling through Tartarus, alone, facing the various horrors without him, without anyone. No demigod could survive in there alone, save for a certain son of Hades. He didn't mention these nightmares to anyone, after all, they were burdened with troubles and nightmares of their own. They didn't want any extra helpings on their already full plates.
One day, after a particularly greulleing day, which did little to raise the spirits of the demigods, he went to bed. Even though he was exhausted, he kept his eyes wide open, refusing to close his eyes and sleep. But, ultimately, sleep took over him .
Pain. That was what he felt when Annabeth fell into that great chasm which was the entrance to Tartarus. Alone. He had failed to save her. The last memory he could recall was her falling alone, a look of terror and helplessness on her face .
The dream changed...
Anbabeth lay at his feet , limp and motionless. He shook her, called her name. She didn't move. She was broken. Lifeless. His Annabeth was dead.
Percy woke up, images and memories flooding his mind Tartarus, Nyx, Bob...
He ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to calm himself down. Today's nightmares were particularly bad. ' It's not real ' he told himself. But he couldn't forget that feeling of terror that had woke him up.
Suddenly, he heard a soft knock at his door. He shook his head ,convinced it was his imagination. But the knock persisted.
He sighed and went to open the door.
To his surprise, Annabeth was standing on the other side of the door.
"Annabeth? What are you doing here? "
She shrugged. "I couldn't sleep. I wanted some fresh air, but as I walked past your room, I heard... Sounds. "
"Sounds? " he asked, perplexed.
"Yes. You were whimpering " she said. She sat down on the side of his bed. "You had nightmares? "
He didn't want to tell her. He didn't want to add on to her worry.
"Well, they're just nightmares. That's it. You know how dreams are. Especially after... You know, Tartarus."
The name hung over them like a dark cloud, bringing back painful memories.
"You have nightmares about that place too? " she asked.
"Do you ever think of Tartarus? ' he asked.
She sighed. "I manage to not think about it, but at night ,the memories come back. "
He nodded. "I know that feeling. "
She looked at him, her eyes glistening with an emotion that he had only seen once, in Tartarus.
She reached for his hand and took it.
"Sometimes, I wonder, is this real? I half -except to wake up and realize we are still in Tartarus ,and that this was a dream ". Her voice shook, and she lowered her head.
Percy was surprised. It was one of the few times that she had shown fear.Even in Tartarus, she was so determined to escape ,that she didn't dwell on her fear. But, after she came back, her mind was processing the horrors that they had undergone.
"Annabeth, look at me. "
She did so, her eyes brimming with tears . "I know I'm overreacting, that we should focus on getting some rest before tomorrow - " she said quickly.
"No, Annabeth, you're not overreacting. You just came back from hell. It's natural that you feel scared. I feel scared too. I have nightmares about that place too. But it's over. We are now back in the Argo II. "
"I know that. But-"
"It's okay to feel scared. But one day this will be over. We can have a normal life again. And I'm there for you. "
She smiled. "As long as 'normal ' does not include gods, monsters, and quests "
He smiled and kissed her gently. "Well, are you sleepy now? " he asked her teasingly.
She smiled. "I believe I am ".
"Well, I'd better go to my room before I end up sleeping here. "
He laughed. " You know what happened the last time we did that. "
"Yes, except, this time, there's no Coach Hedge. "
They were silent for a moment.
"I wonder how he is getting along, transporting the Athena Partenos. " she murmured.
"He'll be fine. You know he will. "
Annabeth smiled and kissed him again. "Goodnight, Percy. Sleep well. "
"Goodnight Annabeth. "
After she departed from the room, Percy slept with a smile on his face. And the nightmares did not return .