I've decided to create a new story, inspired by a few reviews from my story Triple Threats. It's basically modeled after Percy and Annabeth's feelings after BoTL. I would like it if you reviewed, because I don't have much more to say about it at the moment. Thanks for all the inspiration
~AE
I DO NOT OWN PJATO AND SUCH. {RICK RIORDAN DOES}
Summary: "The feeling was terrible, knowing she might never ever see him again. Though she was known to be strong, she had lost everyone except him, and the pain of losing him was undoubtedly the worst. In all honesty, she knew that she was one to worry the most. All she could do was have hope. Hope that he would forgive her, and they could continue where they left off- as best friends." Set just after BoTL, ignoring the events of TLO.
Forgetting and Forgiving You
PROLOGUE:
Apprehension
She felt apprehensive on Mount Saint Helens, when he wanted to save her life- and not his. The feeling was terrible, knowing she might never ever see him again. She knew it was his loyalty, his fatal flaw, when he decided to put his life at risk, for the safety of hers. But still, she couldn't help feeling apprehensive; fearful that something bad would happen in the end. Deep inside, she knew she would regret it in the end- but she left him. But before leaving, she kissed him. She knew it was spontaneous, but it was her way of saying please get out alive Seaweed Brain. She knew she couldn't stand it if she never saw him again, so she put all the emotion she was hiding into that kiss that she knew she would never forget.
Depression
Her heart was broken when he didn't come back after a week. Every day that passed, the depression got worse. She barely ate, only cried. Though she was known to be strong, she had lost everyone except him, and the pain of losing him was undoubtedly the worst. She felt selfish, for wanting to keep him all to herself back then. Chiron constantly tried to convince her that he was gone, but she couldn't accept it. Something inside of her, deep inside, knew that he was still out there, alive. The night they were about to burn his shroud, she began to start believing that maybe he wasn't ever coming back… until he did.
Relief
When she saw him that night, the relief washed up on her all at once. Immediately, she hugged him, never wanting to let go. When she realized what she was doing, her broken form snapped back to itself and she began scolding him for worrying the camp so much. In all honesty, she knew that she was one to worry the most. Though he was back, she felt that he didn't want to talk about where he had been. He being her best friend, she respected his wishes- but she couldn't stand not knowing things. He hadn't left her, and she was relieved that she still had a best friend as amazing as him.
Regret
She couldn't believe what she did. She left him on Half-blood Hill, barely saying goodbye. When she thought about how she wouldn't see him for the rest of the year, she was broken. The worst feeling was the regret, that kept coming back to haunt her every living second of each day. He was her best friend. She didn't even let him finish what he was going to say to her- and she hated guessing what it would have been. Would it have been I'll miss you? Or maybe, I will see you later… Possibly, I will IM you. She regretted it all so much, that it was slowly killing her inside. She felt defeated… and now Percy would hate her. Though Luke had been a touchy subject for her, she shouldn't have been so harsh. She knew she could NEVER hate him. All she could do was have hope. Hope that he would forgive her, and they could continue where they left off- as best friends.
Chapter 1: Forget the Tear Stained Pillow
She was now sulking alone in her bedroom- thinking about that Seaweed Brain again. She found herself thinking about him a lot, almost every second, during the last month. As hard as she tried to forget, she still heard him over and over in the back of her mind… "Annabeth… I…" She knew she would never admit it, but she was a jerk. She found herself aimlessly tracing his name with her fingers on her wall.
"Annabeth, dinner time." She heard her dad yell up the staircase. She assumed that her annoying little half-brothers Bobby and Matthew were already downstairs at the table, and she was the only one who wasn't.
"Just a second" She replied, hoping to get an extra second to finish her train of thought. What was she thinking about again? Oh that's right, Percy Jackson. Her former best friend, who she is sure, hates her guts right now. He's probably hanging out with Rachel, she thought with a semi-disgusted look on her face. Annabeth didn't know why she didn't like Rachel… she just didn't. Maybe it was her flamboyant red-hair that always seemed frizzy and out of place. Possibly, it was her creativity and artsy happy-go-lucky personality. Annabeth just didn't like Rachel.
It's because she's taking Percy from you, a voice in the back of her head commented. But with all respect, she disagreed. She realized that this was mostly because, that would mean that she was… jealous. Annabeth knew that there was no way in Hades that she would EVER be jealous of Rachel Elizabeth Dare.
Please. You are beyond jealous Annabeth dear, your envious, the voice mused.
"I AM NOT!" Annabeth screamed, accidentally out loud at the voice bugging her inside her mind.
"What was that Annabeth?" Her dad called. "Hurry, dinners getting cold." Annabeth sighed and started walking down the stairs. She caught the scent of pasta as she slumped down the staircase.
"What's wrong Annie?" Her step-mother said. She never liked her step-mother or the name Annie- but at least she cared.
"Oh, nothing." Annabeth replied, hoping to drop the subject of her feelings.
"I know" Matthew yelled, as she sat down in her assigned chair at the dinner table.
"You know what Matt?" Her dad, Fredrick, asked.
"I know why Annabeth is being weird." He shouted, making Annabeth flush. Though she doubted that he knew anything about her feelings, she was still being apprehensive.
"Why is that Matthew?" Her step-mother asked.
"Because…" Matt started.
"No Matt, don't tell her!" Bobby shouted.
"Tell me what?" Annabeth asked. She was worried that they did something.
"Oh nothing" Bobby tried to cover up his mistake.
"What did you do...?" Annabeth yelled in an angry voice, starting to raise from her seat.
"Um…" Matt looked nervous.
"We sort of…" Bobby started, but got interrupted.
"DON'T TELL HER!" Matt shouted.
"What did you guys do now?" Annabeth's father asked sarcastically.
"We um... tell her Matt" Bobby said.
"We uh… err… read uh…your diary…." Matthew nervously spat, putting his arms in front of himself, as to defend himself from Annabeth's blow.
"YOU WHAT!" Annabeth was enraged. You may think that she wasn't the type to keep a diary, but then you would be wrong. Recently, since she was 12, she started feeling a lot of emotions, and expressed them through writing. It helped her get through losing Luke, which meant a lot of PRIVATE things were in there.
"Bobby and Matthew, that was Annabeth's private journal. You shouldn't have looked at it." Mr. Chase scolded the children.
"Back to the subject, what's wrong with Annabeth?" Annabeth's step-mother asked. Annabeth was completely in rage at the fact that she just dropped the diary thing. Matthew and Bobby should be punished, not just get off the hook.
"She misses her boyfriend!" Bobby shouted, causing Annabeth's face to flush from California tan to a ghostly white. Her father started choking on the spaghetti that was already inside his mouth.
"B…boy…friend?" Her father choked. Annabeth wanted to yell, but she was lost for words. How could her brothers look in her diary? Percy WASN'T her boyfriend!
"Dad, it isn't like that!" Annabeth shouted to defend herself.
"Oh really?" Her step-mother started.
"Mommy, it's true. She misses that boy." Matthew said. Annabeth couldn't say anything to that, because she did miss him. She was angry, for being unable to defend herself in this situation- so she did something that she tries to avoid ever having to do. She ran away.
Her feet frantically paced up the winding set of stairs, until she had reached her room. She plopped down onto her bed and let a few loose tears fall, tracing her face from her eye down her jaw. Annabeth didn't know what to do next. Normally, times like this would mean endless hours pouring her very heart and soul into a diary entry. But now, even a diary wasn't a secluded enough place to hide her feelings.
She wiped away traces of any tears, and pulled a piece of paper out of her notebook. Annabeth started to let her feelings take control and write all that she wanted to say onto the paper.
Dear Percy,
I miss you. I bet you're surprised that someone as wise as me would miss a Seaweed Brain like you. I bet you never expected me to apologize. But here I am, pouring it all out onto paper for you.
Yeah, I'm sorry. How I acted was inconsiderate and I don't deserve a friend as great as you. I hope you know how hard it is for me to say this... thanks to my fatal flaw.
~Flashback~
Annabeth pulled a blanket around her. "My fatal flaw. That's what the Sirens showed me. My fatal flaw is hubris." She admitted. Percy blinked confusedly.
"That brown stuff they spread on veggie sandwiches?" He asked.
"No, Seaweed Brain. That's hummus. Hubris is worse." Annabeth stated, rolling her eyes.
"What could be worse than hummus?" Percy asked.
"Hubris means deadly pride, Percy. Thinking you can do things better than anyone else... even the gods." Annabeth murmured.
"You feel that way?" He asked, causing her to look down.
~End of flashback~
This month without talking to you has been terrible. I hope that your time in New York is going better. Who knows, maybe you won't get kicked out of that new school this year. Who am I kidding, I already know you will.
A tear fell from the corner of Annabeth's eye, marking the paper and smudging the pencil led.
I made a few mortal friends. One of them reminds me of Grover, so I'm sure you would like him. Tell Sally I said hi if you have a chance.
Her pencil tip broke and she realized she had been pressing it way to hard onto the paper. Annabeth grabbed a spare pencil out of a cup of pencils that she had been collecting over the last month. She carefully etched:
Love, Annabeth
Her eyes reread it a thousand times, continuously skimming back to the Love. Was writing that too forward? She understood that plenty of people, no matter whom, used that to end their letters. She let it slide since she knew she would never send the letter anyway.
For one thing, it was short. She knew there was so much more she wanted to say, but the fact that she was writing to him changed everything. It made her more cautious with each word. She was even careful not to use any big words that he wouldn't understand. Annabeth honestly thought that maybe she had actually accomplished writing in that Seaweed Brain's language.
She folded the letter in half and stuffed it in an envelope. Annabeth wrote in Percy's address on the envelope, added a few stamps, and carefully licked the envelope shut. She hid the letter under her pillow alongside her diary, where she hoped nobody would find it. Eventually she found herself drifting off to sleep with an empty stomach and a tear stained pillow.
