Percy picked out his best black tie and looked at himself in the mirror.
He didn't recognize the man staring back at him.
The man had long black hair and bloodshot eyes from crying. There were heavy bags under them and his face had a five o'clock shadow. Percy rubbed his jaw for a second before walking into his bathroom.
He regretted it immediately.
The bathroom still smelled distinctly of her, and her side of the bathroom was left exactly how she had left it. Percy choked back a sob before he took out his razor and shaved himself.
He wiped his face on his towel and glanced once more around the powder room. Her shampoo and body wash remained in the shower, and Percy remembered the last time they had stood in the bathroom together.
Everything had been perfect.
"I really want to visit Reyna," she said. "It'll be nice to catch up before the wedding."
Percy took the last photo of them out of his pocket. They had just returned, exhausted and beaten, from a long hike. Annabeth's hair was up in a messy ponytail, and she was facing Percy with a large smile on her face. Her eyes were alight with amusement, and Percy's smile shared equal enthusiasm.
They hadn't even noticed Jason taking the photo.
"Perce, are you ready man?"
Percy glanced up to see Jason standing in the doorway.
He wore his best suit and his hair was neatly brushed and cut. Percy nodded numbly and Jason's eyes softened when he saw what Percy was staring at.
"It'll be all over soon."
Percy nodded in agreement before following Jason out of their apartment.
When they entered the living room, Piper was the first to hug Percy. Percy sobbed into her shoulder, and he was soon joined by Frank, Hazel, and Leo. Jason stood a distance away, avoiding eye contact with Percy.
"We're here for you," Piper whispered.
Percy stopped outside the church.
His friends stopped with him, and he waved them forward.
"Go on without me," he said. "I'll be there soon."
They all exchanged a look before Jason nodded.
"Sure man," he said. "Whenever you're ready."
Percy nodded gratefully and he watched as they disappeared into the church. He glanced around him, at all the people passing by, living their lives normally. He sat on the church steps, listening to the somber talk inside. He held his head in his hands and cried. He silently cursed the gods, the fates, everyone and everything.
"Perseus."
He lifted his head and glanced behind him.
Athena stood there, wearing a black dress and her eyes bloodshot.
"May I join you?"
Percy nodded silently and Athena sat beside him. They sat in silence for a while, before Athena said.
"I'd say I'm sorry but it won't bring her back."
Percy glared at the goddess, but she just stared straight ahead. Her bottom lip trembled, and soon Athena was crying.
"I wish I had seen her more," she said. "That's the one thing that I always regret with my children. Especially my favorites."
Percy looked away from Athena and bit his lower lip.
"You could have if you actually tried," he said before getting up and walking into the church.
The pews were filled.
People from Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter alike sat, and all turned when Percy entered. In the front of the church was the open casket, and on either side were pictures and prized possessions that belonged to her. The Yankees cap, her Camp Half-Blood necklace, the teddy bear she used to sleep with.
Percy struggled to the front of the church, aware of everyone's eyes on his back as he finally approached her lifeless body.
The scars from her face were covered in make-up, and if he didn't concentrate, it almost looked as if Annabeth was fine, whole, alive.
He half-expected her to open her eyes and smile at him, and wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him and laugh about how stupid he was to think that she had died.
But she didn't.
Her hair flowed around her like the ocean, and she wore a simple grey dress that would have matched her eyes if they were open.
"Annabeth," he whispered, cupping her face. It was no longer warm, and it no longer radiated life. "I'm so sorry."
He opened his mouth to say more, but no words came out. Instead, he began to cry once more. In a second, someone's hand was on his back, comforting him.
"That's it," Piper whispered. "Let it all out."
Percy knelt to the floor, his hand braced against the side of her casket. His other hand held his face in grief, and Piper's hand rubbed his back comfortingly.
"It's not fair," Percy finally said.
He glared up at the ceiling, and then at the few gods who had attended. Poseidon, Hermes, Zeus, even Artemis made a visit. Athena stood in the church doorway, her face controlled and unrevealing.
"She did everything for you," Percy said, his voice rising as well as his anger. "She didn't do anything do deserve this!"
The gods all looked down at the floor, ashamed. Percy bit back a sob before he turned back to his girlfriend, his fiancé, his lovely Annabeth.
"I wish I was dead," he said. "I wish I was dead instead of you."
"Percy—"
Percy shut his eyes and turned away from Piper. More tears fell from his face, and he grasped Annabeth's hand. He felt something hard against his palm, and lifted it to see that Annabeth was wearing the engagement ring.
"You like it?" Percy asked as Annabeth inspected her ring once more.
"I love it," she said. "I'll never take it off."
"Now you never will," Percy muttered.
He kissed Annabeth one last time, ignoring any weird whispers that might be made about him, because he loved…he loves this girl. He glanced at her one more time before joining Annabeth's family and his mother in the first row.
Nico led Annabeth's funeral.
He was talking about how such a great person and hero she had been, and completed the traditional Greek burial rites. Percy watched without really paying attention, his mind wandering to when Piper and Reyna had called him late one night.
"Hello?"
"Percy?" Piper sounded panicked. "Something's happened…you need to come to California as soon as possible."
"What…what happened? Is Annabeth okay?"
"Percy, please just come right away," Reyna said.
Percy called up Blackjack and they made it to San Francisco in record time. Percy ran to the hospital in New Rome and was met by Annabeth's family and Piper and Reyna. They all sat in the lobby, their faces solemn and unreadable.
"What's happened?"
Piper looked over at him, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Annabeth was attacked," she said. "The doctors say it's fatal."
"Where is she?"
"Room 3B."
Percy ran to the room, angered when he found that the door was locked. He glanced through the small window and saw his Annabeth laying lifelessly on a bed. Her face was cut up and her arm was in a sling. There were many tubes running through her, and the machine measuring her heartbeat was slowing.
"Annabeth," he whispered.
Percy stood alone in the church.
The others had gone on to the reception, and Piper and Jason had been reluctant to leave him alone.
"Go on," Percy had said. "I'll join you shortly."
They left him, and Percy glanced back over the photos. He stole a couple of them, one of Annabeth glazing over blueprints for the temples in Olympus. Her hair was falling out and she looked like she hadn't slept for days, but she never looked more beautiful. Another one was of them dancing together when they were thirteen. The last photo he took was of them shortly after he proposed. She held up her left hand with an excited expression and Percy's hands were on her waist and his head rested on her shoulder, and he was glancing over at her face, a large smile on his own.
"I miss you," Percy muttered.
He picked up the Yankees hat, which was worn and faded from so many years of it being used. He clipped in on to his belt loop as well as her Camp Half-Blood necklace. He wanted to keep these, because they held the strongest memories he had shared with her.
"Percy."
Percy glanced over at the church doorway, and Reyna stood in the doorway. She wore a long sleeveless black dress that had a V neck. Her hair was in its usual braid, and her eyes were red.
"I thought that you deserved to know how she died."
"I know how she died," Percy said. "She was attacked."
"Percy, she wasn't attacked," Reyna said.
Percy felt a lump in his throat, and he narrowed his eyebrows at her.
"What do you mean?"
"There were two new demigods, on their way to Camp Jupiter, and Annabeth befriended them," Reyna said.
Percy closed his eyes, knowing where the story was headed.
"They made it to the tunnel, and they were being chased by a horde of hellhounds—" Reyna's voice broke, and she began to cry "—Annabeth made sure they went through first, and when she turned to run through the barrier, a hellhound pounced."
Percy's hand curled into a fist, and he fought back tears before turning on Reyna and screaming.
"You could have done something! You—he—someone should have helped her!"
Reyna's eyes widened, and she turned away. Percy heard her muffled sobs, and he felt a small stab of guilt.
"I'm so sorry, Percy," Reyna said quietly. "The two demigods screamed for help, but by the time anyone got there—"
"It was too late," Percy finished.
"She was so badly mauled," Reyna said. "It would've taken Asclepius or Apollo himself to heal her to a steady condition, but even that might have failed."
Percy turned away from Reyna, squeezing his eyes shut. Tears flowed down his face, and he heard Reyna's heels click away from him to the outside world.
The reception was more cheerful for Percy's taste.
People stood around and talked about their favorite Annabeth Chase moment. Many of the Camp Jupiter alumni voted that their number one moment was the first meeting of the feisty young demigod, the exact moment being the minute she had judo-flipped Percy. Camp Half-Blood, of course, had many more tales of the young girl to regale, many of which Percy was involved in.
"Hey, Percy? Remember that one time when you turned into a guinea pig?"
Percy shrugged his shoulders half-heartedly at Clarisse's attempt to bring him into the conversation. He had stood in the circle listening vaguely to the stories being shared. Jason and Piper studied Percy with concerned looks, but he shrugged it off and sat at the table with his mother and Paul.
"Percy, we were thinking," Paul began to say. "If you want, we're more than happy to have you stay over a couple of nights. We—I don't think it's best for you to be alone."
"Oh, yeah, I might," Percy said. "I'm going to go on a walk, I'll see you back at the apartment."
Percy stood and left the reception, he could feel the eyes of all the guests on him. He pulled on his jacket and shoved his hands in his pocket, fingering Riptide as he strolled away.
He had just bought a hot dog in Times Square when he saw it.
The monster was huge, dark, and black. Its eyes were a dark red and it was the size of a hummer limo.
As soon as Percy and the beast made eye contact, a sense of knowledge passed between them.
"You killed her," Percy whispered.
He gave his hot dog to a nearby beggar and uncapped Riptide. The beast howled and tore off down the street, Percy in hot pursuit.
"You—killed—her!" Percy yelled.
The dog ran into an alley way and Percy followed it. He could hear his heart thumping in his chest from his adrenaline rush.
"You're going to pay," Percy said.
He stepped forward and at the same time the hellhound lowered into a pouncing position. Their eyes met for a half a second when the dog jumped. Its claws embedded themselves into Percy's shoulders and Percy yelled in pain before driving Riptide into the beast's shoulder hump. The dog let out a loud whimper before disintegrating into dust.
Percy didn't have time to celebrate when he collapsed on to the ground, his vision hazing.
"Percy! Percy! Jason, call 911 or something!"
Percy's eyes opened slightly to see Piper and Jason running towards him. In the ally opening stood his parents who were beginning to run to him too.
"Percy, hang on man," Jason said. "You're not going to die."
"My baby, Percy," his mother wept, cradling his head in her lap. "I love you."
Percy opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. In fact, blinking was becoming difficult as was taking breaths. Each time he blinked, however, a new figure appeared.
It had curly blonde hair that cascaded like a waterfall around her shoulders, and the more breathing became difficult the clearer she became. Her eyes were a bright grey, and she wore a New York Yankees cap on her head.
"Wise Girl," Percy croaked.
Annabeth smiled at him and reached down to touch his face. Distantly, Percy heard the wails from his mother and friends, but all that mattered was that he could see his Wise Girl again.
"You kept me waiting, Seaweed Brain," she said.
"Shouldn't you be invisible?" Percy asked.
"Death does mysterious things."
"Is it selfish of me, dying?"
"After a lifetime of saving the world, you're worried about being selfish?"
Percy laughed, and Annabeth smiled at him.
"They'll get over it," she said, looking at their friends. She paused for a second, at Sally who was clinging desperately to her son's body. "Her later than others."
"But they'll be okay?"
"Of course."
Annabeth helped Percy up and began to walk toward the closed end of the ally, which was becoming brighter as she approached it.
"Last chance, Seaweed Brain," she said.
"Where would we go now?"
"To Charon's, I suppose. Or you could stay."
Percy glanced around at his friends, his mom, his own body lying on the ground. And then he looked at Annabeth, and immediately he knew what to do.
"Can I leave a note?"
"I don't see why not."
Percy uncapped Riptide and pressed the cap to the end of the sword, changing it back to pen form. He dug an old piece of paper out of the trash before writing a final note to his mother. He laid it on his body and then shoved his hands in his pocket.
"Ready, Seaweed Brain?"
"Ready, Wise Girl."