I watched PJO SOM today in the local cinema! I came up with this during the film when I saw the watery emotion in Annabeth's eyes. I hope you like it. Lots of fluff and family-stuff.
Annabeth leans over the rail, her cold grey eyes looking on at the ocean before her - the vast expanse of blue-green water is rough and the sky was grey, reflecting her mood. After thinking for a minute, she pulls back and unfolds a piece of cloth she has pulled from her coat. Inside is a single, small twig that she has kept so she should know how Thalia's tree is coping. So far, things don't look good.
Tears spill from her eyes as she thinks about her old best friend, giving her life to save her, Grover, and the newfound enemy Luke - who used to close with Thalia. How could he leave them all this time? Is Thalia's sacrifice for the camp and the good of Annabeth and her friends going to be in vain? This was all Luke's fault!
And when Percy had the nerve to invite along that Cyclops... it made her blood boil at the memory of that cold, dark night on which they were attacked by the cyclopses on the way to camp... how could he?
Well, you never talk about it. How is he supposed to know if you don't tell him? A voice in her head argues.
She huffs and wipes the tears away with her sleeve. She was not going to cry now.
Percy sees Annabeth from the other side of the ship. He can tell she's crying, and fights his way through the crowd of zombies and a shouting Clarisse. Percy gets to her just as she wipes her tears away and leans back over the rail. He leans over with her, and looks into her cold grey eyes. "Annie," whispers Percy, "what's wrong?"
"You're what wrong!" She snaps. "How - How could you invite that - that thing! along with us? He's bound - bound to be vicious and dangerous and - and you don't even know why I'm saying this and - and I can't find the guts to - to tell you that it was a Cyclops who killed Thalia!" Annabeth clamps a hand to her mouth, her face shocked and her grey eyes wide. Percy's own ocean blue eyes are wide open, huge in their sockets with his hands shaking on the railing. She turns away from him, but he catches her arm and spins her around.
"I'm sorry," he says, not knowing what else to say. He searches her eyes with his, hoping her eyes would give an emotion away to him so he would know what she was feeling. "I really am."
Annabeth bursts into tears in front of him, throwing her arms around him and whispering, "It's not your fault, Percy, it's - it's mine! I could have saved her that night... but I didn't do anything! I - I could've... I - could've..."
"Done nothing," insists Percy, pulling back and holding her at arms length. "You couldn't have done anything to stop her. She was set into saving you. Now don't think about that. Let's just make sure her sacrifice not be in vain, eh?" Annabeth smiles at him weakly, and he knows he's cheered her up considerably.
Annabeth's eyes are wide, grey and unseeing. She stumbles back and lets Thalia fall into Percy. Grover grasps Annabeth's arm and steadies her, letting her lean on him for support. "No," she whispers. "Thalia!" Annabeth cries out, rushing forward to engulf the girl she has missed so much in a warm, tight hug that Thalia returns slowly, not knowing who this person is.
"I'm sorry - but I don't know who you are," Thalia says, and Annabeth looks broken. "I'm sorry!"
"No - no - no, no need to be sorry, Thalia. I must look different, I suppose. I'm Annabeth," Thalia's eyes widen and she pulls Annabeth in for another hug, saying, "I did save you!"
Annabeth smiles weakly. "Of course you did, Thay. You're back..." she adds, her eyes filling with tears. Thalia just nods and hugs her tightly. Annabeth suddenly pulls back, smiling widely at Thalia before turning to Percy and kissing him.
Percy is surprised by Annabeth's kiss, but nonetheless kisses her back and grips her waist tightly, pulling her closer to him. Annabeth smiles and pulls away, her eyes showing more emotion than a smile ever could. "Percy," she says, "thank you."
"For what?"
"For being you." Percy grins and kisses her again. Thalia smiles happily and stands by Grover, who pulls her in for a one-armed hug and says, "Missed you, Thalia."
"I missed everything."
