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p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"strongA/N: Hello readers! This is my first time using as an author, so please excuse me if my formatting sucks. Side note: Classes will be starting soon, so I'm sorry if I don't post often./strongbr /strongRick Riordan: Tell 'em/strongbr /strongMe: No...you tell 'em/strongbr /strongRick: *sighs* Fine. All the PJO/HoO characters are mine. So is part of the backstory. To be Frank, I own Percy Jackson./strongbr /strongPercy: *gasp* I am OWNED?/strongbr /strongAnnabeth: *facepalm*/strongbr /strongMe: Aaaanyway/strongbr /strongRick: Better get on with the story! Don't want to keep 'em waiting!/strongbr /strongMe: *mutters* Says the man who made us wait months for a LITERAL CLIFFHANGER/strongbr /strongRick: Hey, writer's block is real, okay?/strongbr /strongMe: I hate you./strongbr /strong_/strong/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"strongPercy's POV/strong/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"? Under the sea, Under the sea?/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"I smashed a button on my alarm clock and rolled out of bed. "Stupid brunch," I muttered under my breath. I opened my dresser to find my faded Camp Half-Blood T-/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"shirt. That works. I finished getting dressed and headed to the living room, half expecting Coach Hedge to bellow, "You're late, cupcake!" Then I remembered. I wasn't/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"on the Argo II anymore. I was home. "That's good, isn't it?" My brain asked. "You've got cookies, your mother, what more could you want?" "Annabeth." My disgruntled/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"inner conscience replied. Thank you, inner conscience. "Percy, let's go!" I looked to the open apartment door to see my mother standing beside it, with Paul at her side/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;". "Do I have to?" I whined. "Percy," my mother began, " It's that new pizza place across the street, why wouldn't you want to come?" She asked me quizzically. " Who/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"goes to a pizza place for brunch?" I asked her smugly. "Percy, it's 11:50." She replied flatly, crossing her arms. Paul nodded. "You slept through breakfast, and we/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"thought we could cut you some slack." Paul and my mother shared a worried look, and I immediately knew what they were talking about. I decided not to think about it./p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;""Good choice," my brain said. Shut up, brain. According to Leo's obviously over-exaggerated story, both Annabeth and I practically went into anaphylactic shock every/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"time the name was even mentioned. "Annabeth," I thought. I could IM her when I got home. I heaved a sigh, my mind and my stomach turning back to food. "Let's go."/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"_/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"strongSally's POV/strong/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"I pushed open the doors to the crowded restaurant. The plan was going perfectly. At 12:00 precisely, while we were all still here, Annabeth would arrive and unpack in/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"the guest bedroom. At 12:30, Piper, Jason, Hazel, Frank, and Leo surprise Percy. At 12:45, Connor, Travis and Katie would arrive, setting up camp in the empty/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"apartment across from ours. Connor had advised the rest of the seven, Travis and Katie being an exception, not to share a flat with him. Thinking back, it was more like/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"a warning. The three of us stepped up to the counter. "Welcome to The Leaning Restaurant of Pizza!" An employee shouted. " Custom pizza for/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"every table! Youchoose your toppings, we bake it into a custom pizza!" A mischievous grin was plastered across Percy's face. But what the/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"employee said next would not return the/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"same response./p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"_/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"strongPercy's POV/strong/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"I grinned. Customized pizza. The employee began yelling again, interrupting my train of thought./p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;""Hello, my name is Bob, and I'll be your pizza maestro for today!" Why. Why did an old gray-haired man named Bob have to be our waiter. OUR waiter. Of all the/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"people. I looked away, trying not to let the bad memories consume me. Boy, did I look in the wrong place. I looked at the brick pizza oven. I looked at the fire. And all of/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"a sudden, the memories flooded back in random bits and pieces./p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;""Sacrifices. Beautiful sacrifices for the goddess."/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;""Don't forget to tell the stars I said hello."/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;""Annabeth, where are you?"/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;""Percy, don't leave me!"/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;""Don't let it get to you!"/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;""Life is pointless."/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;""Let the river carry away your body."/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"" The other side, Nico! Lead them there, you understand?"/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;""Promise me!"/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"I turned to the exit. Just as I pushed the door open, I heard her voice. "Young hero. Don't fail me now." Gaea. I tried to move my legs and run away. I really did. But as I/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"tried, I weakened. It was as if Kronos himself were slowing down time. "Annabeth," I gasped, as I reached for a ledge. But before I could, my knees buckled, and bit by/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"bit, I slowly began to crumble./p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"_*\_( ️o - o ️)_/*_/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"strongSally's POV/strong/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"Paul immediately rushed over to the door and helped Percy up. I turned to the counter to find a horrified looking employee and the manager of the store looking equally/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"horrified. In all the years I had been with Percy, I had seen him cry. But it was never this bad. Never like this. "Ma'am?" The manager asked me, snapping me back to/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"reality. "Ma'am, is your son all right? Do we need to call 911?" The manager asked me, aware that he now had my attention. "No..." I replied, unsure. "I think he'll be/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"fine when we get home. I guess you could call it PTSD, but...he'll be fine." The manager nodded. "Is there anything we can help you or your family with, ma'am?" I/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"shook my head. "No...he'll be fine." I repeated. "He'll be fine." I headed to the doors, watching Percy shakily walk across the road, using Paul as his crutch. I glanced at/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"my watch as an idea formed in my head. Annabeth would be home./p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"_/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"strongAnnabeth's POV/strong/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"I heard the door open. Home that soon? I pulled a book from my suitcase and patiently waited. That was before I heard the screams. "Annabeth. ANNABETH!" The/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"book in my hands landed with a thunk. Oh my gods. Percy. I ran out of the room and fell to my knees next to a sobbing, screaming, writhing Percy./p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"I gave Sally a sad smile. "Don't worry," I said, pulling Percy to his bed and sitting him down in front of me. "It's no use," he said. "Take me. Don't take her. Please!" He/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"collapsed into my arms. I pushed him back up. "Percy, look at me," I ordered. His eyes remained closed. "Percy, look at me, please. Open your eyes. No more/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"darkness. Percy, I'm here for you." His eyes slowly flitted open. His sea-green eyes, full of sorrow, tears streaming down from them. He lifted a trembling hand and/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"placed it on my chest. "Annabeth," he muttered, "Are you...real?" It was times like this that I hated most of all. Times when he doubted his own mind. "Percy," I/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"whispered. "My heart is beating. Feel it." A smile slowly spread across his face. "Yes, Percy, I am real." The tears slowly disappeared as he wrapped his arms around/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"my waist and embraced me in a bone-crushing hug. After he let go, the happiness on his face turned to confusion. As I had expected, I was hit with question. "When/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"did you get here?" "How did you get here?" "Where are you staying?" I stifled a laugh. "I'm staying in your guest bedroom, Seaweed Brain. It was supposed to be a/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"surprise, but..." I shrugged. "I guess things took a turn." "Oh." Percy blushed. "Sorry I ruined your surprise, Wise Girl," he grumbled. "Don't be," I replied jauntily, kissing/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"his forehead. I slid off the bed. "I guess I'll tell Sally you're okay," I reasoned. "She was worried about you." Percy slid of the bed and followed me on my way. "I guess I/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"could use some cookies," he said, burying his nose in my hair. And just like that, my Seaweed Brain was back./p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"_/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"strongThank you guys so much for reading! This is my first story, so, again, sorry if it's really short or bad. Don't forget to review! You/strong/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"strong guys are what /strongstrongkeeps me going!/strong/p
p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"strongThanks,/strong/p
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p style="color: #000000; font-size: 12px;"strongMitsuha Miyamizi/strong/p