Quiet Voices
By: xXxDaughteroftheKingxXx
AN: ...Hi, guys. I'm back, for a while.
Yeah, school's out in about three weeks. I'll be on more then, and definitely writing and reading more. Got plenty of books to read and reread over the summer, so there's plenty of inspiration from there. Um, this story is totally random; like seriously, it came from me wanting a story that started with a 'Q'.
I'm done now. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own PJO/HoO, the characters, the scenes taken from the books, and the dialogue from the books.
PLAYLIST| "Quiet Violence"—Sharon Kenny
"So if the gods fight... will things line up the way they did with the Trojan War? Will it be Athena vs. Poseidon?"
His green eyes were fixed on her, and he seemed to be asking a silent question, Where will your loyalty lie?
She closed her eyes, not wanting to meet his, and leaned against the backpack. "I don't know what my mom will do," That was one she was unsure of. What Athena would do next. "I just know I'll fight next to you."
Surprise crossed his face, and his eyebrows went up to his forehead. "Why?"
She shifted slightly—unnoticeable to anyone but her—and replied in a snarky voice, "Because you're my friend, Seaweed Brain. Any more stupid questions?"
A curly-haired man poked the blonde woman's arm hesitantly. "She hasn't said anything to you guys?" His voice sounded extremely surprised.
A tall man with blonde hair and bright blue eyes smacked the hand off the woman's shoulder. "Yes, Leo," he said impatiently. "That's what I just said."
Leo frowned at the blonde woman who was sitting on her bed, staring blankly at the wall. He waved his hand in front of her face; no response. "So... she's just unresponsive, Will?"
From a chair next to the door, a woman with brown hair and kaleidoscope eyes groaned and smacked her forehead. "She hasn't responded to us," she said with a frown, eyes focusing on the woman in bed. "She has talked... but it's mostly just mutterings. I think she's talking to Percy."
Four sets of eyes turned to look at the blonde woman—one pair an electrifying blue, another a warm, mischievous brown, another kaleidoscope eyes, and the last the same shade as a clear sky—to see if she would respond. Instead, the blonde woman continued to fixate her gray eyes—once so alert and intense but now dull—on the wall in front of her.
"There's nothing we can really do," Will said quietly. "She's not dead—Percy made sure of that—but it's like she's given up on life. She doesn't have a will to live anymore... The only thing holding her here is the fact that we're sustaining her body."
A handsome man with cropped blonde hair and electric blue eyes frowned, studying the woman intently. "He wouldn't have wanted her to live like this," he murmured.
The other woman in the room sighed in agreement with her fiancé. "No," she said, brownish-blue eyes downcast, "he wouldn't have."
Another loud scream. She smirked, satisfied for now, and sheathed her knife. Then, she remembered that had a bone to pick with a certain Seaweed Brain.
She turned to him with a fierce glare, ready to lecture him to his wits' end, when he met her eyes and stammered, "Thanks. I'm really sorry—"
She wasn't actually sure what she was doing, but the feelings of relief were just so overwhelming that she reached forward and tackled him into a tight hug. Finally realizing what she was doing, a blush spread to cheeks, and she let go.
A grin covered her face, "I'm glad you're not a guinea pig."
His face was probably as red as hers was right now, and he muttered, "Me, too."
"C'mon, Annabeth," a teenager with black hair and eyes to match sighed, brushing a stray piece of blonde hair from the woman's face, "talk to me."
A woman with a mane of red hair and piercing green eyes pulled her knees to her chest sadly. "It's not going to work," she murmured. "I've been trying that for hours so, Nic."
Nico sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I talked to Percy," he muttered in a frustrated tone. "He's not happy."
"How can you be happy when you're dead?"
Nico shrugged, "For some, death is an escape. They're peaceful with death. That's how Percy was, until he found out how his family and friends were coping. Especially Annabeth."
A slight smile formed on the ginger's face. "Even in death," she said, "Percy is still looking out for others."
"He makes all the rest of us look like a bunch of jerks, huh, Rach?"
Rachel chuckled and nodded. "Always has."
"I, uh, was thinking we got interrupted at Westover Hall," he said nervously. His face was pale, like he had just seen a ghost, and the gray steak in his hair stuck out like a sore thumb amidst his jet black hair. "And... I think I owe you a dance."
Her heart did a little tap-dance inside of her chest, and she smiled slowly, despite the fact that her feet still hurt from the last time they'd had a dance. "All right, Seaweed Brain."
And when he took her hand, something inside of her squealed and she hoped it would just shut up. They began to dance across the floor, smiling at each other despite everything that had happened over the last few days. She barely even noticed that, with nearly every step, his foot would manage to land on top of her.
Because all of this was okay. Yeah, she felt like a total girly girl; yeah, this last week had been terrible. Yes, she still missed Luke, and yes, Percy was a terrible dancer.
But there was something about the song that gave her hope—hope for a better future to come. And she had to admit... she prayed that Percy would be part of that future.
"Don't go." A croaky whisper escaped her lips, and the blonde-haired man with striking gray eyes turned to his sister.
He studied her in hope that he was talking to him, but it seemed like Annabeth was speaking to 'the voices', as Leo had flatly stated, again. Her eyes were wild and focused on the wall.
"You'll die," she hoarsely said. Tears were brimming in her eyes, and she squeezed her hands together. "No, no, no!"
"Anna," the man approached her gently, "it's all right. It'll be all right."
"Don't go," she said again. "It's too dangerous."
"Anna..."
"You can't leave, Percy. You can't."
Emotions were bubbling inside of her. The telekhines were gaining on them, and there was no way that they could fight them.
"Put your cap back on!" he ordered. "Get out!"
Surprise filled her, and mentally, she said, Uh... what? She blinked, then furiously shrieked, "What? No! I'm not leaving you!"
She tried to put as much intensity into her words as she could, but he wouldn't buy it. "I've got a plan," he reassured, but didn't seem too sure. "I'll distract them. You can use the metal spider—maybe it'll lead you back to Hephaestus. You have to tell him what's going on."
She couldn't loose him. "But you'll be killed!"
Still, he wouldn't relent, that stupid Seaweed Brain. "I'll be fine," he promised. "Besides, we've got no choice."
For a second, she knew that this was one battle she wouldn't win. She glared at him fiercely, and a look of trepidation formed on his face—he thought she was going to argue more or something. So, in the heat of the moment(no pun intended), she leaned towards him and kissed him.
It wasn't a long kiss—just a few seconds long—but it was pure bliss. Her heart was pounding, and she said, voice shaky, "Be careful, Seaweed Brain."
"She's getting worse," Will frowned, rubbing his temples. "We keep giving her food and water, but with her injuries and her lack of a will to live... we really can't fight it anymore."
"I can feel her life aura fading," Nico muttered.
Piper sighed, closing her eyes worriedly. "Have you told her parents?" she asked quietly.
Will shook his head, "We left that to Chiron. We figured that they would want to see her, you know?"
"Of course," Rachel whispered. "I mean, if she's going to... you know..."
Will nodded. "We figure that she has a few days, at the most. Like I said, we can't do much for a person who simply just doesn't want to live. Besides, with Percy, she'll be out of her suffering."
She shivered underneath her blanket, but apparently, she was burning up. Her shoulder was throbbing painfully, and as hard as she tried not to, all she could think about was the excruciating pain.
He leaned down, a worried look on his face, and touched her forehead. His touch was cooling, and strangely refreshing, and he looked awfully cute with his eyebrows all scrunched together. His green eyes held an emotion she couldn't quite recognize.
"You're cute when you're worried," she found herself muttered. "Your eyebrows get all scrunched together."
He seemed not to pay attention to her words. Instead, with a zeal that she had often seen in him, he said, "You are not going to die while I owe you a favor. Why did you take that knife?"
She answered, "You would have done the same for me."
Both of them knew that she was right.
"Oh, Annabeth..." The sandy-haired man touched his daughter's forehead, his brown eyes brimming with unshed tears.
To say things were depressing in the infirmary was an understatement. Fredrick Chase was determined to stay with his daughter to the 'bitter end', as he had stated. Rachel and Piper were near tears themselves, being comforted by Will and Jason, respectively. Leo was merely silent, staring as his once brave, headstrong friend, who had been reduced to a mere shell of what she once was. Last of all, Nico was sulking in the shadows of the room, the constant buzzing in his ears becoming louder by the minute.
Finally, Dr. Chase turned to the others in the room. "How much time does she have?" he asked quietly. Tears streaked their way down his aged face, and he looked about a decade older, standing next to his dying daughter.
All heads turned to the youngest in the room—Nico—who simply answered, "Not very long."
No one had anyone to say, but, as if on perfect cue, Annabeth muttered, "Percy..."
Those present in the room looked at each other, then at Annabeth, most mildly surprised at Annabeth's sudden conversation with 'the voices'. She hadn't been speaking for the last twenty-four hours, so it came as somewhat of a surprise.
"Percy," she whispered, "I missed you." Here, she weakly lifted up her arms, as if trying to embrace Percy.
Jason was the first to figure it out. "I think she's 'seeing' Percy," he said in a soft voice.
Piper's brow furrowed. "You know, I think I heard of something like this," she said thoughtfully. "Uh, I think Percy mentioned something?"
Rachel nodded. "During the Battle of Manhattan, when Silena was dying, she was mumbling about how she could 'see' Beckendorf. Or, at least that's what I heard."
Once again, everyone turned to Nico for confirmation, and he just shrugged. "It might be true," he mused, "but there's no way to really tell if the dying can see their loved ones that have passed on. But one thing's for sure: to Annabeth, Percy is here. In her world, she is seeing him."
No one had anything to say to this. Rather, all eyes gazed at Annabeth, who was still talking softly to Percy. Her breathing was labored, and tears were slipping down her face.
"They won't let me go, Percy," she was saying. "Tell them to let me go." Her gray irises focused on her father pleadingly.
The man blinked, slowly turning to Nico. "What is she..."
The teenage son of Hades pursed his lips. "I think," he guessed, "that she wants you—us, whatever—to give her permission to go. We're the only things holding her back."
Dr. Chase swallowed, turning back to Annabeth. He brushed a piece of hair from her face and said softly, "All right, Anna. You can go now."
For the first time since Percy died, a peaceful look spread across her features. She sighed, contented, shoulders slumping wearily. And for the first time since Percy died, she talked to someone other than an unseen person. "Thank you," she whispered. "Percy, I can go now."
Silence followed soon after, except for Percy and Annabeth's conversation. Then, Annabeth smiled, closing her eyes. With a drawn out breath, she murmured, "Finally."
Fin.