A/N: Hi guys! Okay, so a bit of an explanation:
Normally I don't love when people write fics about Percy or Annabeth dying, because they're so depressing and I feel like no one can accurately portray either of them dying and then the other's reaction. But I was listening a song, and, ironically, it inspired me to write this fic about Percy dying. (I know, I know, I'm a hypocrite, but I had this idea that I felt like I needed to share.) So yes, this is a fic about Percy dying… but there's something different about it: In the end, maybe Percy lives after all…
The characters may be slightly OOC (hopefully not too much but it happens sometimes) and also, for the purposes of this story, Percy still has the Curse of Achilles.
Anyways, this story will be a 4-chapter fic that I'll post a chapter of once every two days.
Also—I love to hear genuine opinions on how my writing is/was and how I can improve it, so with that said, any opinions are appreciated :)
And finally, sorry about that horrifically long Author's Note (but kudos to you if you read it!)
On with the story!
Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or HoO; All rights belong to Rick Riordan.
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Annabeth's POV
Annabeth fell to her knees with a sob.
"Percy…" she whispered, her voice hoarse and broken. But Percy lay motionless. He was gone.
"No. No. No. This cannot be happening. NO!" cried Annabeth, her grieving whispers turning into desperate, angry calls of protest. "Somebody do something!" she yelled furiously, trying to wipe away the tears flowing fast from her eyes. Annabeth removed the sword an enemy demigod, Markus Abaddon, had thrust through Percy's back, and tried to administer CPR to Percy in a desperate attempt to save him. Nothing happened.
"I… No… Percy…" Annabeth slumped in defeat. She couldn't absorb what had just happened. Markus, who was working with the giants, had killed Percy with ease by sneaking up behind the two of them and just piercing his sword into the small of Percy's back—his Achilles' heel—which was the only way to kill him. Annabeth had no idea how Markus had known about Percy's Achilles' heel, but he'd done it, and it had worked. Percy was dead.
Annabeth choked out another sob and touched Percy's shoulder lightly, starting to cry hard now. "Seaweed Brain… How could you have been so stupid?" she whispered in a small, shellshocked voice she'd never heard come from herself. Then she scolded herself. Percy's death had been as much her fault as it had been his. They hadn't been paying attention.
They should've been paying attention.
Someone put their hand on Annabeth's shoulder. She whipped her head around, glaring. "What?" She had absolutely no desire to talk to anyone right now. She wanted to mourn. She needed to be alone with Percy and her thoughts.
It was her half-brother, Malcolm. He yanked his hand back, shocked by Annabeth's uncharacteristic frostiness towards him. "Um… I just wanted to know what was wrong. Oh—Oh, gods. Percy… Is he…" Malcolm trailed off.
"Yes, he's dead!" cried Annabeth. "Just look at him!" She thrust her hand towards Percy's limp body and his blood-soaked t-shirt, meeting Malcolm's gaze. What she saw in his eyes, rather than rude curiosity, was a puzzled look of sorrow. His confusion, his innocence in this situation of her best friend, boyfriend and saviour's death, broke down Annabeth's wall of impassivity. She opened and closed her mouth, blubbering like a fish, and then stood up, threw her arms around Malcolm and started sobbing into his shoulders.
Malcolm silently hugged back.
"Perce…" she whispered, wanting him to talk. Malcolm grabbed the bait. "He didn't deserve to die," he assured her. "But Annabeth, you can't spend your whole life mourning over him. Yes, he was your boyfriend and best friend. Yes, he was a hero. Yes, you loved him with every inch of your heart, mind and soul. But he wouldn't want it this way and you know it. He'd want you to live a full, happy life."
Annabeth nodded slowly, but then realization struck hard and she said, "I can't… live a full life… without Percy…"
Malcolm stopped hugging her, grabbed her shoulders, and looked her in the eye. "Annabeth. Don't be stupid. It'll be hard, but you keep going. You persevere. Yes, you mourn his death—you were in love, for gods' sake—but then you continue with your life, and you can hold a special place for him in your heart, always."
Annabeth jerked out of his grasp. "Are," she whispered, offended. "We are in love. And I'm not just going to keep on living my life missing him like I know I will." She whirled around and started stomping away, calling over her shoulder to Malcolm, "I'm going to see Nico. He'll take me to the Underworld, and I swear to all the gods, I will get Percy back—even if it's the last thing I do." With that, she exited the room she, Percy and Malcolm had been searching through and stalked off through the rest of the building in search of Nico.
Annabeth Chase was a woman of action, and one of her biggest pet peeves was when people sat around doing nothing while they could be doing something. She knew she couldn't just let Percy die. This was the perfect opportunity for her to act, the perfect opportunity for her to do something.
She was going to get Percy back again, one way or another. Annabeth had never been more determined to do something in her entire life.
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That's the end of the first chapter! A little on the short side, but hopefully it's still good. Next chapter will be up in 2 days!