She sat in the booth of the café, a cup of coffee in her hands that she took a sip from every few seconds. Another cup was on the table, even though nobody was drinking from it. She was alone in the booth, nobody with her, and nobody planning on coming.
She had ordered his favorite drink, even though he wasn't there.
It had been two months, and still her heart broke every time she heard his name. Percy. Alone somewhere in the country with no memories of his past life.
No memories of her.
Who was she kidding, to think that their lives would be better after the Titan war? That they could've lived the rest of their lives without any more sudden apocalypses or fate-turning events or even any breakups? That they would be with each other, no matter what happened?
Annabeth had never hated the goddess of marriage more. Trying to kill her hadn't been enough. Taking the one person she loved more than anybody else in the world and wiping his memories clear of her and everyone else was apparently the level she was willing to go up to, maybe even past that.
Of course, at least some things had turned out good. Thalia had been reunited with her long-lost brother. Jason had convinced the camp to try and make peace with the other Roman camp that Percy was supposed to be in. The Hephaestus cabin had started working on the Argo II, and only after two months it was already turning out good. Everybody was ready to take on Gaea and her army.
Annabeth was the only one not joining in on the fun and training. She still searched for Percy all over New York, talking with various nymphs to see if they had seen any signs of him. But nobody had.
And here she was in the café that they went to for so many dates, on Valentine's Day, seeing all the couples holding hands and laughing and kissing and trying not to let the tears fall.
She wondered what they would've done today. What surprises they would've had planned for each other. Percy might have bought her a necklace with some cheesy inscription and gave it to her all flustered and she would've laughed and kissed him, saying it was the best present she had ever gotten. Annabeth might have bought him a video game and baked him blue cupcakes (which had turned out to be a tradition for them on special occasions). They would've spent the day with each other, laughing and kissing like all the other couples here.
Saying she missed him was simply not enough. She needed him, like someone needed oxygen, or water. Annabeth was not the clingy sort of person, but being with Percy was something entirely different. They had gone through so much over the past few years, and having it all thrown away seemed too harsh an ending. She had grown to love him, and she didn't know about him, but over time, he might have learned to love her too.
"Miss, are you okay?" A waitress asked her, looking worried. Annabeth suddenly realized she had been crying.
"Yeah – yeah, I'm fine," she said, hurriedly wiping away the tears. "I'm okay."
The waitress nodded, glancing at the lone cup of coffee at the other side of the table. "Are you waiting for anyone?"
Annabeth was quiet for a second. "Yes. I am."
The waitress nodded again, smiling. "If you need anything, just ask."
Annabeth nodded, and the waitress left.
Yes, she thought. I am waiting for someone. She was waiting for Percy, who would come back. Percy, who would remember her, who she knew would never let the Romans get to him.
She left the café a few minutes later, leaving both the cups on the table.
She would find him, and she didn't care if it took all that she had. Nothing, nothing, would get in the way of her and her Seaweed Brain ever again.
A boatload o' crap. I know. Just slapped something together in a couple of hours over the course of a week. It's just, ever since I read The Lost Hero I've always wondered what Annabeth would be thinking while Percy was missing. I mean, we could obviously feel her pain, but I just wanted to write about what would be going on in her mind during that time, especially on the Day of Love itself.
Just realized all the stories on this account include heartbreak and Percabeth. I'll try Jasper or Leyna next...
My crush talked to my best friend on Facebook today. He used to be so friendly to me, now all he does is go quiet when I'm around...He's afraid of me. I just know it. But I'm too scared to talk to him. Ugh. Just glad year's almost over...
