Hi. I am warning you: This is really depressing. Y'all are probably gonna hate me for this.
Disclaimer: I don't own PJO. Rick does.
"She's gone, Percy." He stared at Nico in shock. "What?"
"Annabeth. She-she was shot through the heart with an arrow on her quest. I'm-I'm really sorry, man. There was nothing we could do, "Nico said softly, sorrow and pity filling his voice. Percy's knees buckled, and he would've face-planted if Nico hadn't rushed forwards and caught him. Percy couldn't stop the silent tears streaming down his face. His shoulders shook with unheard sobs. Nico did his best to comfort the son of Poseidon as best he could, but the hero was inconsolable. He repeatedly whispered Annabeth's name, not wanting to believe Nico. But he couldn't change that the love of his life was just... gone.
Percy was no longer really there. He was physically there, but his mind had been shattered. The once-beautiful sea-green eyes were now dull and filled with raw grief and pain. The once sparkling smile was now no longer present.
In his mind, a fierce battle was going on, a battle between sanity and death. Percy was tortured every night with nightmares that left him screaming and sobbing like a young child. They all depicted Annabeth being tortured, maimed, killed. Each one was different.
But one morning, Percy wasn't in his cabin when the conch horn sounded. Nico entered the low gray building and found a note lying open on Percy's bunk. It read:
Dear CHB,
My first words: Don't cry for me. This life has been filled with many pains and troubles. But the fun times we had together I hold close to my heart. This life was cruel, but had the sparkling moments that made it good. But now... Annabeth is gone. Those moments went with her. I'm sorry.
~Percy
Nico blinked, not understanding at first, but then cried out as he realized what was happening. Campers rushed into the Poseidon cabin, and Chiron trotted in.
"Nico, what is it?" Thalia shook him.
Nico wordlessly held up Percy's letter, and as he did so, a screen appeared, floating high enough so everyone could see. The scene it showed must have happened hours ago. The sun hadn't risen yet. Percy was standing in the middle of the cabin, a silver knife in hand, poised over his wrist. He whispered three words-"I'm sorry, friends,"-and slashed downward. Screams sounded behind Nico as the campers watched dark red blood spurt from the wound. Percy took a breath and slashed down again. More blood. Now the cabin was filled with stunned silence. Percy continued to slice open his arm until he collapsed. A huge puddle of blood pooled around him. The hero of Olympus blinked, once, twice, then the beautiful sea-green eyes closed forever.
"What-what's going on?" A familiar voice broke the heavy silence. Every head turned to see a silhouette standing in the cabin doorway. Then the figure became visible, and gasps filled the room as she was recognized.
"Ann-Ann-Annabeth?" Thalia stuttered. Indeed, it was Annabeth. She nodded asked again, "What's going on? Where's Percy?" The campers exchanged looks, the inevitable grief etched across their faces. "Annabeth, dear," Chiron began, "we need to speak." The old centaur led the blonde girl away from the cabin. As he spoke to her, shocked whispers filled the Poseidon cabin.
"If Percy's... gone, where's his body?"
"The son of Poseidon, dead? Why?"
"Poor Annabeth... Poor Percy."
"How's she gonna take this?"
The last question worried Chiron the most. He watched helplessly as Annabeth crumpled to the ground, sobbing. Her body was wracked with tremors as she lamented her lover. She was almost incoherent as she cried Percy's name. Eventually her sobs quieted, and she looked up at Chiron. Her face was damp from tears, and her voice was quivery. She said one word. "Why?" Thalia ran over and hugged her friend. "He thought you had died," she whispered. Annabeth mumbled, "But I didn't. I'm here," and lost consciousness. Chiron carried her to her cabin and lay her down on her bunk.
"She'll need time to recover. This is very stressful for her," he told Thalia. "Keep an eye on her." Thalia nodded and sat by Annabeth's side for the rest of the day.
Annabeth recovered enough to act like everything was fine, but like Percy, her mind had shattered. She never said another word. The daughter of Athena gradually grew worse. She became so depressed that Chiron began to consider hiring a therapist.
Annabeth was pacing her cabin with something clenched in her fist. She opened her hand and stared at the two small gray pills. If she swallowed these, she would fall asleep and never wake up. She gulped. Did she really want to make this choice? To live or die? Percy wasn't there. Her life didn't mean anything. She took a last look around her cabin. But Annabeth wasn't just looking. She was memorizing. She peered out the window, seeing the sun and the campers laughing and talking. It was beautiful, but it wasn't the same as it had been. Not anymore. She sighed sadly and placed the two seemingly insignificant pills in her mouth. A gentle sensation enveloped her, warm and dark. She sank onto the bed, breathed her last breath, and as she died, a small smile spread across her lips.
~Epilogue~
When Annabeth was on her quest, she got into a little fight, and it only appeared like she had been shot. Nico heard this message from a cloud nymph who had seen it happen. The cloud nymph had seen an arrow fly, and a golden-haired girl fall to the ground. Annabeth had actually ducked to dodge the arrow and survived. She then made her way back to CHB.
When she died, her body dissipated into smoke, just like Percy when his last breath escaped. The campers found out about her death the same way they did with Percy. The campers were all shocked, but no one else died or committed suicide. They coped with the deaths of their beloved heroes, but Camp Half-Blood was never the same.
So? What do you think? If you're crying right now, I did warn you. Please review.
