This is in honor of the country of Japan, who is suffering from the earthquakes and tsunamis. Our prayers are with you.
Tragic Percabeth, a few years after the battle in Greece against the giants.
I do not own PJO.
O-o-O
Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, Nico, Katie, and the Stoll brothers were all huddled up in Percy's apartment, ready for a movie night. Every voice in the living room was raised, debating over which movie to watch first, though Annabeth had quieted when there was a unanimous "No!" to her vote of watching a documentary. They were fighting, yes, but it was light, happy banter. The Titans and giants were gone, as was the threat.
Or so they thought.
Even if Gaea was subdued, she was still the earth, and she could not be defeated. And Mother Earth wanted revenge.
Everyone was settled, popcorn in hand, having decided on a movie, when Gaea's restless finger snaked through the layers of her prison to touch the waking world for only a moment. But a moment was more than enough.
The earth trembled, and the floor beneath Percy's feet bucked and shook. He dropped his bowl of popcorn and sprinted to the living room, only to find his friends bracing themselves against the floor. Katie looked up with panicked eyes and shrieked, "Earthquake!"
Chunks of plaster rained down from the ceiling, and from both above and below the screams of the building's residents could be heard. Thalia scrambled into a corner and closed her eyes, raising her arms in a silent plea to her father and Artemis. Nico crouched and howled as a chunk of ceiling crushed his leg beneath it. Katie, Connor, and Travis tumbled into a doorway and held each other in a group hug.
Percy and Annabeth ducked as bits of rock rained down, landing in a perfect circle, fencing them in. They could not escape. They were trapped in the middle of the room, stuck to face the worst of the supernatural quake.
Annabeth screamed as a falling light narrowly missed her head, and cringed into Percy's chest. He held her close and clutched her hand, ducking as more rubble poured down.
The trembles strengthened, and Annabeth stared up at Percy and whispered one word:
"Gaea."
Unable to speak, Percy nodded, then yanked Annabeth out of the path of another chunk of plaster—too late; it crushed her foot and she screamed. Then another piece of rubble struck Percy's back and he was knocked onto his face.
They locked eyes, and Percy had to choke back sobs as he saw the pain and terror in her expression. Tear tracks cut through the dust on both of their faces as the ceiling above them groaned.
Percy gently kissed Annabeth's forehead, and then the engagement ring on her left hand. He held her tighter and whispered, "I'm sorry."
And then the building collapsed all around them.
…
In Colorado, Sally and Paul Blofis were taking a late honeymoon, half watching the news as they relaxed. Paul's nose was buried in a book, Sally's in her laptop. She glanced up to see the reporters halfway through a breaking news story with the header, "RECORD-BREAKING QUAKE STRIKES NEW YORK."
The female anchor on the left was leaning forward in earnest as she boomed, "…seemed to be centered around a single apartment building, if you'll believe it. Largest earthquake the state has ever seen, but it was contained within half a city block in any direction. The area that was affected, however, is in ruin." The screen cut to a series of shots of a normal city street, with one ravaged spot dead center. A single building was reduced to rubble, strewn across a relatively small distance. If Sally looked closely, she could see body parts poking through the debris, mangled and bloody.
The male anchor came back on screen, face grim. "That's right, Jill, and the death toll is rising. We are uncertain if there are any survivors, but there has been successful identification of a few of the bodies. Among the dead are Katie Gardener…" the screen cut to a shot of a pretty girl with warm brown hair and a nice smile, "…Connor and Travis Stoll…" two cute, mischievous-looking boys, about the same age of the girl. Sally nudged Paul and pointed to the screen. "…Nico di Angelo…" an olive-skinned boy that was vaguely familiar to Sally, "…Thalia Grace…" a nice-looking girl with black hair and shocking blue eyes. Sally could feel panic rising in her chest as the last shot came up: a boy with black hair and sea-green eyes, smiling down at a girl with honey-blond hair and stormy gray eyes. The announcer continued, "…and last but not least, newly engaged couple Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson."
O-o-O
Keep praying for Japan, guys, please. Reviews are appreciated.