All I want for Christmas . . .
A Percy Jackson story
Written by: Max/musiclover99
Edited by: Lex/xXxDaughteroftheKingxXx
©-Rick Riordan
This song is played so many times, and while it does get annoying, I still like it. Dunno why. Can't blame you. One of my favorite Christmas songs(I MISS WRITING ANs with you! D;). So I had a sudden flash of inspiration when my mom and I were coming into the garage and parking the car, and this song was playing again. Bittersweet. Hope you like it! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy New Year, and Happy Holidays everybody!
"I . . . don't want a lot for Christmas,
There is just one thing I need . . .
I don't care about the presents,
Underneath the Christmas tree . . ."
-Mariah Carey, 'All I Want for Christmas is You'
Annabeth had never really been that much of a Christmassy kind of person.
Sure, it was a nice holiday. Everyone said "Merry Christmas!" to most everyone else if they met somehow, whether it's a seller at the mall, or friends saying good-bye. There was the sound of children's laughter filling the air[*] as they played with their friends. It was that "magical, family-time" of the year, apparently.
There were its downsides. Stressing over gifts, for one. The holiday seemed to have lost most of its original meaning because of gifts alone. The ones that are closer to understanding Christmas have never had one at all. The ones that always get one are much farther from the meaning itself. And neither of them ever gets to grasp the concept that is Christmas.
And then there was the demigod side of Christmas—Annabeth's side. Having a parent who acted like they didn't care meant that Christmas was nothing to Annabeth—just another day of the year. But Christmas with Thalia and Luke were considerably better. Not as extravagant as others might be . . . but better.
Christmas at Camp was nice, too. The snow was allowed in a little bit, while still keeping the climate warm enough to not have to worry about frostbite or colds[1], and the cabins could put a tree in (courtesy of Demeter cabin, most of the time). And even so, Annabeth never exactly cared all too much about it. She gave her friends and half-siblings little things—gift cards, most of the time. When her dad and step-mom started to care, she would do the same. Offer some food for the Olympians, even though they didn't exactly celebrate Christmas (but they still seemed to like it, nonetheless).
The lists could go on and on, but Annabeth wasn't thinking about any of those this year. She didn't care about what she'd get, and what others got. She didn't care about the stuck up ones who get huge presents, or the poorer ones who didn't get any at all. She didn't care about any of that at the moment.
All she cared about this Christmas was Percy.
Percy, the obtuse idiot of a boyfriend and friend, who was still freaking missing. She didn't like that. Didn't want that. Didn't ask for that. At all.
The best gift anyone could give her this Christmas is Percy.
She hadn't even wanted much to begin with. She couldn't believe that they were discussing Christmas gifts months before it was nearing Christmas, and she still remembered what she wanted.
Now, all of that meant nothing.
Annabeth sighed, and looked up from her hot chocolate as she sat on the porch of the Big House. It was Christmas Eve, and the light snow that was falling into Camp Half-Blood did make a pretty sight. There was even a large tree in the Big House. Practically all the cabins had those pretty twinkling Christmas lights shining (sans ones like the Ares cabin, which at least had a wreath up—Annabeth suspected Chris helped persuade Clarisse).
The nicer Aphrodite kids (like Lacy and Piper) were actually trying to get people under the mistletoe. Annabeth still couldn't believe Piper was doing it too, but apparently, "Lacy gave me the puppy-dog eyes, and you know how effective that is with her." It was funny when a couple like Travis and Katie got under. It was funnier when Connor and his crush Lou Ellen were there. It was hilarious when Clarisse and Chris somehow arrived there as well.
Even those sights couldn't help take her mind off Percy.
Since she was twelve, Percy IM-ed her every Christmas. Sent a gift, even, the sweet boy he was. Things were small, like a new notebook or pen, but they were still held near and dear to her heart, as cheesy as it sounded. And when she woke up today, she realized that she developed a habit of waiting for the IM at around noon. And that depressed her even more.
She realized that she actually needs Percy, much more than she'd like to admit. Sure, she could live, and breathe, and function without him. But there was a little ache inside, like something wasn't right, something was missing and it's just nagging her so much, and she just wants to see him again, because she misses him so much, and it's been months now, and—
She wanted her Seaweed Brain back. At least for one day, at least tomorrow for Christmas, waiting for her with that goofy grin on his face, saying "Merry Christmas" through that IM, or surprising her at her front door, even though she's at Camp, but maybe he can surprise her in front of her cabin door, or something, or—
She realized that this won't happen, and won't happen until she finds him, but at the same time, all she really wants this Christmas . . . is for her Seaweed Brain to come back to her.
"I don't need to hang my stocking,
There upon the fireplace . . .
Santa Claus won't make me happy,
With a toy on Christmas Day . . ."
-Mariah Carey, 'All I want for Christmas is You'
[*] Line from the actual song, haha.
[1] *puts on nerdy glasses* Well actually, colds are caused by the bacteria and germs in the air when people come indoors for warmth, which is why colds are more frequent in the winter than in the summer. People called it colds because they assumed it was because it was cold, not because they came inside when it was. Scientific fact. *takes off glasses* XD
I HATE VERBS! I probably screwed up so many, even with Lex's help (verbs are the only reason I needed her to edit for once!). I HATE THEM. HAAAATTTTE THEM. =.=" So if you find a verb mistake . . . don't go all, "OMG YOU DID _ WRONG." No, just point it out NICELY, please? Cause verbs are the bane of my writing existence.
Anyway, hope you liked this rather bittersweet Percabeth for Christmas! Happy Holidays, everybody!