Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Rating: K+

Author: White Lies

Pairings: Percabeth

Warning: Character death

Summary: "If the gods owed you one more wish (and you're pretty sure they do), it would be to be able to spend one more hour with her. Just one extra hour." Percy dies unexpectedly, but before going to the Underworld, he visits someone very special to him.

Author's Note: This is some idea I came up while listening to "Message" by MyName. Don't ask how—the song has nothing to do with the idea. lol. (All my good ideas come while either listening to music or playing music.) It should be pretty obvious whose POV it's in. This piece of work is definitely not my best. (I typed it up in very little time and edited only once in order to meet my demanding friend's deadline.) And the title is rubbish, I know. Angsty, but that's me.

Update as of June 18, 2012: Thank you so much for the reviews! They make me feel so loved. I fixed some inconsistencies I found, but most of it's just some grammar and rewording issues. Again, thank you guys so much for supporting me!

Disclaimer: I do not own PJO. I do not own any characters, places, names, or anything else you may recognize. The following is for entertainment purposes only, and no profit is meant to be made from this.

ONE EXTRA HOUR

You never thought you'd die this way.

No, you thought you still had time left. After surviving so much, a mere accident shouldn't have killed you. But you should have known. For demigods, even if they survive the godly world, there's still the real world to look out for. And you seem to attract trouble. Any type of trouble.

It's not fair, you want to shout. I still have so much to do, so much to give. The gods owe me. And what about my family? But you can't say a word, can't see a thing… other than the three old ladies with knitting equipment who have just appeared in front of you. One of them holds up an oddly familiar large pair of scissors. Another, a piece of string, the color of the ocean.

You know what will happen. It's inevitable. But you still try to avoid it, to shut your uncooperative eyes, to turn your unrelenting body away. Nothing works.

You hear the snip even when you hear nothing else.

You slump down into your seat, extremely frustrated. The nerve of that monster! You'd rather deal with the Hydra than your overcontrolling boss. So what if you had ADHD? What if you were female? Did that give him reason to restrain you? To take your calls for you? To talk for you? To humiliate you? To hate you?

Pulling yourself away from the brink of tears, you shake yourself, scolding yourself internally. Daughters of Athena don't cry. You comfort yourself with the thought that your boyfriend would be waiting for you for lunch and brace yourself for the upcoming storm.

You should be getting to the Underworld, you know. But you can't leave without seeing someone first. Moving as quickly as you can—it was a strange type of walking that you haven't grasped completely yet—you turn the corner and see her. She's standing in front of the building, waiting for you to pick her up for lunch. She looks upset. Something inside of you clenches, surprising yourself. You shouldn't be able to feel anything anymore. Ignoring it, you walk up to her, wanting to comfort her, hug her, anything… for the last time. You know it's impossible—and selfish—though. Giving her one last longing glance, you turn away, hoping she wouldn't miss you too much and that she would move on easily. You don't want to hurt her.

If the gods owed you one more wish (and you're pretty sure they do), it would be to be able to spend one more hour with her. Just one extra hour.

You're so absorbed in your thoughts, you don't hear her shout until she runs up to you, annoyed. "What took you so long? Why are you walking the wrong way? Didn't you hear me call you?" she demands. Gaping, you gawk at her, then look backwards. Perhaps she's talking to someone else? You two are the only ones on the sidewalk though. Unthinkingly, you scrunch your eyebrows together and stare at her.

This only makes her even more annoyed. "What are you staring at? Yes, I'm talking to you. Let's go get lunch. Where's your car?"

You're not sure what to do. "Er, my car broke down…" (You wince. That sounded extremely lame.) "And I thought you would like to walk there? It's not very far…?" It comes out more of a question than a statement.

She rolls her eyes and playfully punches you. (You stare in shock at her hand that actually makes contact with your body. Is that supposed to happen? Just as you begin to go off on another tangent, her voice snaps you back to reality.) "Of course I'll walk with you there. You didn't think you'd have to carry me, did you?"

Smiling, you take her hand. (Oh, how glad you are that you can do this! Death really does make you treasure everything, doesn't it?) "That way."

It was just one extra hour. But it was enough. It would have to be enough.

You return to work, full and content. He always made you feel better. Who was your boss to treat you unfairly? You would show him. A glint of fortitude flashes in your eyes.

You can't push away way the feeling that your boyfriend had acted a bit strangely, though. Sweeter than usual, and saying good-bye as if it would be the last time you ever saw him. Almost as if… you shake the thought away. Now is the time to work. You would ask him later.

Settling down into your chair, you prepare to finish the draft you started before lunch. But before you could even grab a pencil, the phone rings.

How strange. You weren't expecting a call. You grab the phone before your manager could yell at you. "Hello?"

It's Thalia's voice. "Annabeth!" And she breaks down crying.

No, sobbing.

Thalia never cries. What was going on?

"Thalia? Thalia, it's me, Annabeth. What's wrong?"

You hear an abrupt intake of breath. "You mean you don't know?"

"Know what?" You dislike not knowing anything.

"This morning…! They didn't tell you?" All traces of Thalia's sobbing is gone now, but she still doesn't sound like herself.

"Thalia! What happened?"

"Percy… Percy…"

What could have happened to Percy in the five minutes after she said good-bye to him?

"It was an accident… drunk driver…"

Wait. This morning?

"He passed away at noon. I'm so sorry, Annabeth. I'm so…"

You don't hear the rest. You thud to the floor, unconscious.

It's not until the funeral that you understand.

You look up at the sky and silently thank the gods for the one extra hour they gave you.

Meh. Bad ending, I know.

Don't forget to review! Thanks for reading!