The Owl's End
"Annabeth?" Percy whispered. He slowly got to his knees, barley aware of his surroundings, Riptide discarded a few steps away from him. The body next to him laid face down, clothes torn and bloodied, and blond curls now darkened by a layer of dust. "Annabeth?" He repeated, a lump forming in his throat. His whisper was drowned in the screams and shouts emitting from everywhere. But it didn't matter; he knew that even if he screamed his throat raw, she wouldn't hear him. She was gone.
Just like that.
It took him a few seconds to realise he was kneeling on something hard and cold, he tore his eyes from the mess of blond hair to where his knees rested; the hilt of Annabeth's dagger was visible, only a few inches from her unmoving hands. He felt sick to his stomach, and it took all his willpower not to retch.
Percy heard a voice call his name, but the voice was muffled and distorted. He barely registered it as his hands hesitated towards her, caught her by the shoulder and gently turned her over. A pair of stormy grey eyes stared blankly up at him. His chest constricted painfully, stealing what little breath he had left in him away.
Annabeth's expressionless face was white, drained of any life, making the cut on her right cheek ever more pronounced. Her lips where crusted with blood and dust, slightly parted. Death has turned its healthy rosy colour to a cruel purplish-blue. Whatever silly hope Percy had had now vanished, this was her. This was definitely her. And she was gone.
Gone.
The word kept repeating itself in his mind over and over again, but he couldn't comprehend it. Annabeth can't be gone. She can't be dead, not like that. Not sprawled on the ground, with blood and dust covering her. To be found by him, long gone. Not after all she's been through. Not his Wise Girl, no. It can't be true.
Percy couldn't remember pulling her closer to him; he couldn't remember cradling her in his lap. He heard rapid footsteps that stopped right behind him. He didn't look back. A shriek managed to pierce the bubble that muffled the voices, and he associated it with Piper.
"Percy?" Jason's voice floated to his ears. "Are you…?" He started to ask, but then stopped abruptly with a sharp intake of air when Percy turned around. Piper made another horrible sound, muffled by the hand covering her mouth. They were both battered and bloodied, with tears now streaking Piper's cheeks.
Percy stared at them for few seconds before he bent over Annabeth's body. His face contorted against his will and a sob was dragged out of him. A few more shook his body before he regained control over himself.
A few more footsteps arrived and the confused voices of Frank, Leo and Hazel tickled his numb ears before they stopped, as abruptly as Jason's. He heard mumbling, and another sharp gasp.
Percy slid on arm under Annabeth's knees, the other supporting her back before hauling her up, carrying her close to his chest. He slowly rose to his feet, extremely nauseous and dizzy. He swayed a little, and felt a hand hold his shoulders to steady him. It took him immense will not to tear away from it.
After a few seconds, he started walking away from the group, away from everything as fast as he could manage- which wasn't much.
"Percy- Percy!" He heard Jason call behind him, but he didn't stop. He heard the thump of feet behind him, and then Jason appeared in front of him. Percy stopped, too drained to change course. Eye shifting from Annabeth to Percy, Jason took a shuddering breath. "Where are you going?" He asked. His words were slow and voice careful.
"Back-" Percy voice cracked and he took a second to swallow before he attempted answering again. "Back to camp."
"You can't just return-" Jason started, eyes widening.
"I can't?" Percy asked, more of a challenge than a genuine question. His voice sounded strange to him; too cold, venomous even. Jason seemed to have picked it up too, for he looked taken aback. He swallowed.
"Not in this state, you'll-"
"Get killed?" Percy finished, looking Jason in the eyes. Jason looked back, seemingly shaken. After a few seconds he looked down, and Percy continued the route he had started. Jason's hand stopped him as he passed. Anger rose inside Percy's chest, and before he opened his mouth to shout, Jason spoke again.
"I'm sorry." Jason said, making Percy's chest constrict again, all the fire extinguished, and what was momentarily anger returned to utter despair. Percy stood for another second before he continued walking. He heard Jason calling for Frank and Leo, and a few seconds later, he was trailed by both of them as they headed for camp. He ignored them. Their company was useless; nobody paid them any attention as they left the madness behind.
Percy didn't even know how he would return; they were hundreds of miles away from Camp Half-Blood. But he couldn't care less, he wanted out of here. He wanted to get Annabeth out of here. He wanted to lie down and never get up ever again.