Percy sits and stares mournfully at the pile of ashes that was once the beautiful girl that he loved. He wants to believe that it's not her, but he can't. He was there, he watched, held her in his arms as she cried; kissed her once, gently. Sobbed over her dead body.
She just can't be gone, Annabeth can't be gone. But at the same time she can't be here. He had watched that soldier come up behind her; he had seen it and he hadn't said anything. It is his fault that she's gone.
If she hadn't been trying to help him, if she had just focused on saving herself, she surely would have heard those footsteps sneaking up behind her. Annabeth wouldn't have missed that, she was too good at battle strategy for that. No, this was his fault.
"Percy?" People have been doing this all day, coming up to him, laying a hand on his shoulder, acting all concerned, it was going to drive him crazy. They are the most random of people, half of them campers that he had never met, campers whom Annabeth had never met. He appreciates their concern, but really, can't they see that he needs to be alone? It has gotten to the point now where he doesn't even respond to them, can't make himself respond to them. He doesn't have the energy; besides, he doesn't want to talk to anybody, he just wants to be alone with her. Just for a little bit.
"Percy?" That voice again, he knows he should recognize that voice, he's heard it a million times. It's a girl's voice, feminine, and very confident, the voice of someone who knows exactly who they are, and are exactly who they want to be. Annabeth had had that voice. Gods! He should know this! The voice is familiar to him, but, then again, so are the voices of most of the campers. So, that didn't necessarily mean anything.
"Percy, its Thalia, it's okay if you don't want to talk." Thalia! That's right! No wonder the voice was so familiar! For a brief moment he feels a beam of happiness, strong as the sun come down on him. Just as quickly it is gone.
"No. It's…it's okay. I'll talk." His words sound stiff, even to himself, like a robot. Oh, well, it doesn't matter if his words are stiff, a lot of his words would probably be stiff from now on. Without Annabeth what's the point of trying to sound happy?
Thalia takes a breath, sits down next to him, "You can't just stay here all day, you know? I know it's hard, but eventually Chiron's going to have to move the ashes. You're lucky he's leaving them here this long."
He knows this; he just doesn't want to think about it. He especially doesn't want to have to talk about it. Three hours ago they'd been laughing; three hours ago they hadn't even known there would be a battle. If they'd known they could have prepared, could have taken steps to protect themselves, could have trained more. No, he doesn't want to talk about moving the ashes, not now, not when she'd been alive three hours ago. It's too soon, it's way too soon.
"I didn't know you were back, Thalia." Of course, Zeus himself could have been here and Percy wouldn't have known it. He had too much on his mind for that, way too much. In truth, he is only partly here now, he knows Thalia is talking, but he can't seem to hear her. All he can see or hear is her. Her eyes, the way they lit up when she laughed; that cute little smirk that she got whenever she knew she was right, so, basically all the time.
"Seaweed-Brain?"
He jolts out of his train of thought. "What? What did you just say?"
Thalia is looking at him in a concerned way, but somehow he can't bring himself to care, he just wants to know what she said. Wants to know why he heard it if she didn't. "I said, I heard about the news. I've been back since the ceremony." A pause, "What did you think I said, Percy?"
He shakes his head, "Nothing. I don't know what I thought you said. Sorry, my mind is everywhere today."
"Well, under the circumstances I suppose that is beyond acceptable. But, Percy, don't you think that Annabeth would want you to be happy? Not just sitting here looking at empty space? You can't think that she would want that? Can you?" Her voice is kind, but he can tell what she means, she's working with Chiron, trying to get him to move. Trying to get him to move so they can get rid of her.
"It's not empty space!" Whatever has been stowed away inside of him breaks free, and suddenly he is yelling. "It's not empty space! It's her! It's all I have left of her!" Quieting down now, "Why can't you understand that? Why can't anybody understand that?" A sob that he doesn't know he's been holding is released, an awkward silence.
"Percy," She pulls him in for an awkward hug, "I understand, believe me I understand. I loved her too. She was like a sister to me. Which is how I know that she would want you to be happy. She'd want you to get up, and go do something, don't just sit here and stare at her ashes. That's the last thing that she would want you to do."
"You have no idea what she would want! You have no idea! You left her!" He pushes her away, not so much mad as full of energy. "You left her! You joined the Hunters and you never came back! She hardly ever saw you after you joined them! Some sister you turned out to be! Leave her alone when she needs you, come back for her funeral! Yeah, some sister you are!" More sobs, "Some sister you are!"
"Fine, I'll leave you alone. I'll leave you alone for as long as you want. But, just to remind you, I'd known Annabeth a lot longer than you have. I'd known her a lot longer, and you will do well to remember that. I get that you are grieving. I do. But you need to check yourself, you're just going to end up hurting yourself if you keep treating people how you just treated me." She turns to walk away. "I'll be around camp, find me when you're ready to apologize."
