For CHB's September 1-15 prompts! I love writing in Annabeth's POV, I dunno why, but I always wanted to write a complex backstory from her view. She's so broken yet durable and that's what it makes me so excited to write her.
P.S this is a late submission; doesn't count anymore(?)
Also, Mortal!AU
(No fluff, guys. Just plain angsty feels.)
(Fine. Percabeth and some friendly!Lukabeth fluff k)
Enjoy the show!
P.P.S I'm trying to get back into my old style, but I don't remember how. small details here and there, but everything is very, very vague.
Disclaimer: One thing y'all should know about me is that when it comes to prompts, I don't do my normal disclaimers. So... keeping this plain and simple. I. DO. NOT. OWN. PERCY. JACKSON. It belongs to Uncle Rick!
Current Day
"Docter De Villa to Emergency, please. Docter De Villa." The voice from the speaker flows over the hallways while a couple of nurses tries to calm down a very angry Athena Chase storming towards emergency.
The receptionist greets them, seemingly unnerved by the grey-eyed woman's fury as she demands to see her injured twenty-two year old daughter. "I'm sorry, ma'am. Can you kindly repeat that again please?" The receptionist tries to say in her most even tone of voice while trying not to cower under the famous businesswoman's death glare.
"I'm Annabeth Chase's mother," Athena forces out through a clenched jaw. "They told me she was in recovery. I need to see my daughter!"
"Let me page the doctor for you, ma'am," the receptionist tries to hide a shiver as she repeatly pages the doctor with trembling hands. "Her sisters are also with her," the receptionist adds as an afterthought.
Oh, dear. If this whole thing blows over, the receptionist probably needs a new job or a physiatrist after this.
"HER SISTERS?" Her mother grits out before erupting and going directly towards emergency.
"THESE THREE HAVE TO LEAVE!" Athena yells out angrily, pointing a finger at the three girls who stubbornly stuck by the side of Annabeth's bed.
"Miss Chase, you're just being plain unreasonable!" A pretty Native American girl huffs as she crosses her arms. "We have literally saved your daughter's life!" Piper grits out.
"I'm her mother! I'll be unreasonable when to comes to my daughter's safety!" Athena retorts, aiming her death glare at the girl.
"Miss Chase, we care about her. Please, just let us-"
"OUT!"
After what seems like an eternity, Annabeth opens her eyes tiredly, expecting to see her best friends looming over her like a guardian angel and screaming in her face when she's unexpectedly blinded by a bright light.
Her eyes adjust to the brightness in a few seconds and she's fully awake.
Suddenly, she's being bombarded by hugs from her older brother Malcolm. "What the heck were you doing!" He cried out, glaring at her with steely grey eyes. "We could've lost you!"
Annabeth looks over her mother sitting by the side of her bed. If it's to escape Mother, why not?
She feels guilt for that thought. How would Malcolm cope with her death? How would Piper, Hazel, Calyspo and Reyna suffer? The four honor students might fail because they were mourning for her. Most importantly, how would Percy react if he saw her mangled body, broken neck and bloody clothes-
Enough, she silently scolds herself. Stop yourself from these thoughts.
Her mother quietly glares at her from the corner. "Malcolm," she says sharply. "Out."
"But Mother-"
"Do what I say!" Athena rises from her seat, hands clenched into fists.
Annabeth sighs as Malcolm marches from the room, sending his coldest and deadliest glares at their mother. This is going to be a tough day.
Two Weeks Later
"Just don't apply any pressure to your hands, alright?" The doctor looks at Annabeth, who flexes her fingers excitedly. "And to your right ankle. If you do, the healing process will take longer."
Annabeth's grey eyes snaps back to the doctor after observing her hands move and free from restraints. "Yes, ma'am," she speaks in a monotone voice.
The doctor hesitantly gives the approval and Annabeth is finally free to stumble from the white room, into the empty hallways and into fresh air outside the hospital.
She closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, feels the air enter her lungs and-
Suddenly, she hears the horn of a car and then the wind is knocked out from her as she's being tightly embraced by her four best friends, squishing her.
Annabeth hoarshly laughs. She loves her gal pals so much and she's so thankful for their quick thinking when she was ran over by a car. Loud cheers echo in her ears. Events flew by as they file in Calyspo's silver BMW, grinning widely at her recovery.
(They all tease Annabeth about being the little spoon and the one always being looked after.)
(And Annabeth will deny it, with a smile, so unlike before, until she goes to her grave.)
Annabeth takes a deep breath and begins to take a small step on the stairs. Her leg flares with pain, shooting up her spine and she grips the railing hard, flinching as she loosens her hold and removes pressure from her hands. She looks up and continues on going up the stairs one at a time.
After an eternity, she sighs in relief as she's up the stairs. She passes Malcolm, who's studying diligently in his room. He waves at her and smiled, offering her a hand.
They both settle in Annabeth's dusty room and begin to pack things, her belongings and her valuables. They both shove all important things Annabeth needed to move (ungracefully) into as many luggages, suitcases and bags they could find.
Annabeth was just about to shove all seven books of her very much prized Harry Potter books into a luggage along with her bags when Malcolm yells out. "Hey sis, what's inside this chest?" He turns around, carrying a small yet elegantly carved wooden chest.
Annabeth lets out a frown. "I don't remember this..." she says, analyzing the chest with squinting eyes.
"Then why don't you open it?" Her brother suggests as he sets it down on the mahogany desk.
Annabeth's swollen fingers reach over and struggle to open it when her brother's arms come from around her and help her open the chest.
She lets out a little startled gasp and feels tears choke her, fill her vision and reach her lip, where she tastes salt. She closes her eyes, forcing her tears in.
She blinks her eyes open and stares at the tiny little object, finding an ordinary and small black lock.
7 years old
"Luke?" The said tall blond boy looked down at the girl, expecting to find a grin on the seven-year-old girl's face and was instead met with a frown. "Yeah? Annabeth?"
She angrily (almost) shoved a shiny, black object into his face. "Help me! I can't work it!"
He crouched down to meet her face, which was scrunched up in a cute frown and gently took it from her hands. "What do you need help with?" He asked her slowly as Annabeth blew a stray strand of hair from her face and focused a glare at the object in his hand.
"THAT thing," she said in a menacing manner, glaring at the object as if she wanted to slice it to pieces.
Luke looked at object in his hand, chuckling when he found it was a lock for a locker. "Where did you get this thing?" He laughed at Annabeth's disbelief that she couldn't open a stupid lock. She looked up and shuffled her feet, a blush crawling up her cheeks.
"Well..." she looks up, a determined look on her face that said she was about to speak the truth, only the truth, and nothing but the truth. "Clarisse, you know, that tall and bulky girl with the stringy brown hair? That one? She gave me this and told me if I solve what it is and open it, she would leave me alone," she babbled, playing with her hair.
Luke ruffled her hair as he chuckled and showed her how to open it. "So, do you know the combination?"
Annabeth stuck a hand in her pocket and brought out a piece of paper and showed Luke the messy handwriting. "Here," she chirped with fake enthusiasm and glared at the lock.
'11-28-17', he read the code silently and gave it back.
"So..." Annabeth looked at him with hopeful eyes. "Can you help me?"
Luke chuckled. "Sure, Annie," he said fondly and showed her the lock. "So first thing to do is dial clockwise to the first number, spinning the dial at least three times," he said, turning the lock three times. "Then, note the second number and turn counterclockwise one-and-a-half turns. After, you finally turn clockwise to the final number pull downward on the lock, and the left side of its shackle will pull loose. You may have to push up slightly and then pull down." he explained successfully and unlocked the lock, smiling at Annabeth's grinning face.
"Thanks a lot, Luke!" She chirped.
"No problem, kiddo."
13 years old
"My friend is in there!" Annabeth yelled, struggling to reach the burning house as she held back tears. "Please! Someone save him!"
Thalia held her back from charging in, biting her bottom lip, wanting to charge in and save Luke herself. "I know, Annie," her voice caught on the end. "I know." She said softly, looking at the smoke rising in the air as sirens wailed and firefighters surged forward to rescue the inhabitants of the house and conquer the flames licking and eating away at the faded blue-and-white painted wood of the two story home.
Annabeth broke loose from Thalia's grip and ran towards the house. "ANNABETH! WAIT!" Annabeth ignored Thalia's yells and charged inside with no care for her safety and with one goal in mind as she frantically searched the house, ducked under flaming boards and slipped inside rooms to find Luke.
"Annabeth!" She heard a weak voice call from inside one of the rooms. She went around and opened the door, coughing as she saw a Luke lying on the floor with a burning board on his back. She gasped for air as smoke filled her vision, making everything blurry as she stood stuck to the door, who caught on her clothes.
"ANNABETH! LOOK OUT!" Her eyes, focused on the piece of clothing stuck to the stupid door, snapped to him and looked up to find a flaming bundle of planks unbalanced and about to fall on her.
A cry of help slipped from her lips as she squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the flames to burn her alive.
Instead, she felt something, no, someone slam into her. She heard a sharp intake of breath and a scream. She tasted blood in her mouth as she flew across the narrow hallway and into the wall. She smelled flames and burning flesh.
But all she saw was darkness.
After what seemed like an eternity, Annabeth woke up to the sound of different disembodied voices of memories reach her ears. Where was she? What time was it?
She blinked her eyes open, wincing and hissing at the bright light over her.
Her eyes took a few moments to adjust to the light before she grunted as she tried to sit up, her eyes analyzing her surroundings. Wide square room. White paint. Drawn grey curtains. A portrait of a fruit basket on the far right. And on the corner of her bed was...
"Thalia!" Annabeth whispered, barely heard, but the mentally spaced-out girl's electric blue eyes met hers and for a split second they only stare into each other when Thalia suddenly rushed forward and enveloped Annabeth in a tight hug. Annabeth hugged her back as fiercely as she could.
Thalia broke the hug, gripping the girl's shoulders tight, but not too hard. Annabeth closed her eyes, expecting to hear the normal barrage of harsh but true words of scolding Thalia gave her when she did something reckless and stupid.
Instead, she heard small and quiet sniffles. She hesitantly opened her eyes to find Thalia, her mother figure/best friend/fiercest girl she ever knew and the least likely girl Annabeth would see break, with tears running down her cheeks and dripping off her chin.
And it took Annabeth ten seconds to register that Thalia was crying before her.
Annabeth pulled her close to her and let Thalia's strongholds of mental walls protecting her fragile heart fall.
"Annabeth," Thalia tried to say through sniffles and horrible big honks. "Luke, he's-"
Annabeth closed her eyes, tightened her fists and tried to block out the oncoming word.
But nothing she could ever do would stop the oncoming pain of the one word that made her whole world crash down...
"Dead."
15 years old
Annabeth looked at the lock in her hand, feeling the familar black object, well worn from years of use, in her hand as the sea breeze kissed her skin and the waves softly crashed against the shore.
Why did she let her new stepmom take her to the beach? It only reminded her of ice cream with Luke, strolls with Thalia and so many good memories...
She closed her eyes, like so many times before, and let the warm sun shine on her skin.
She pulled back her hand as far as she could and threw it to the waves, who licked it up and pulled it underneath the clear blue waters, opening her eyes for a moment-
"OWW!" A yell, which sounded like it came from a boy the same age as hers that was underneath the waves, echoes, breaking the silence. A mop of messy black hair popped out against the waters and directly looked at her.
She tried not to gulp. She actually hit a boy? How could she have not seen that?
She stood her ground. Well, technically, since she was sitting on a boulder overlooking the beach, she was sitting her ground, glaring at the boy that came out from the water.
She blinked, not to expect seeing a grumpy boy that sat behind her in class that she caught sleeping adorably once.
The boy marched up to her.
Annabeth only raised an eyebrow down at him. "You drooled in your sleep," she spoke, deadpanning.
16 years old
"Annabethhhhhh," the boy in front of her pleaded, as Annabeth leaned away from him to keep him from grabbing the small object in her hand. "C'mon, Wise Girl! Let me have that-" he trailed off as he suddenly grabbed a pillow from their recently built pillow fort and proceeded to chuck it at her.
"Percy, NO-" her cry of warning got cut off as their enormous pillow fort tumbled on them.
A few moments later, Annabeth broke through the surface of the pillows, scowling and glaring at the cute (what are you thinking Annabeth?) boy grinning at her as he victoriously held up the lock.
"Got it!" He childishly stuck his tongue at her, as she rolled her eyes and looked mournfully at the ruined pillow fort.
"And?" She snapped. "You ruined my ravishing, beautiful and amazing pillow fort," she added sadly to Percy's amusement.
"But hey! Atleast I got your secret!" He opened his closed palm, looking up at her in puzzlement as he dangled in front of her. "Hey, what IS this, Annabeth?"
Annabeth only huffed, breathing out air she had been holding back. "It's a lock, you dummy," she chided as she snatched it from his grip.
"I know that, Annie. But why is a lock, out of all possible things, your secret?" He questioned her as she grabbed a small piece of cloth and wrapped it around the shiny black object.
"That's for me to forget and for you to never find out."
18 years old
Annabeth shivered and held the sweater tighter around her.
Stupid Seaweed Brain. He made her wait here for an hour in the freezing cold on the top of her boulder overlooking the now frozen beach, their special place from three years ago. Today was the day, or in Percy's words, the 'anniversary' of their three-year-long friendship.
She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to conjure up a warm breeze in her mind that would thaw her numb cheeks. "When that Seaweed Brain comes, I'll make sure to knock off his head!" She muttered, regretting her life choices. She would give EVERYTHING to just sit in her apartment that felt so much warmer and cozier than the cold boulder she was sitting on and drink some nice hot chocolat-
"BOO!" A dark figure lept out from underneath her rock, hurling toward her. She screamed loud and squeezed her eyes shut, ready for the impact of her head against the boulder.
Her ears heard only laughter. She literally imagined herself with steam pouring out of her ears as she glared with all the hate she could muster right now at a laughing Percy.
"Perseus Achilles Jackson! Are you trying to give me a heart attack!?" A surprized Annabeth clutched the front of her oversized sweater, taking deep breaths as the said boy, 'no, Annabeth, man,' she corrected herself, doubled over in laughter.
"Sorry, Wise Girl!" He huffed, laughing out loud. "Oh my God, you look like you saw a ghost!"
"I will see a ghost when I'm through with you," she threatened, trying to regain her balance as she clenched her fists.
"Relax, 'Beth," he assured, climbing up the boulder to sit beside her. "Isn't the sight beautiful?" He whispered, close in her ear as he sat beside her.
Annabeth scowled, hiding underneath her scarf to keep the blush off her cheeks as she tried pushing him away. "Seaweed Brain, the only sight I see in all this snow is you, and that messy hair of yours that is a disgrace to humanity."
Percy only chuckled. "That's a low blow, Annie," he grinned, booping her nose. "But that wasn't the sight I was talking about."
Annabeth prodded his hand away from her nose, hating Percy that he knew it was her pet peeve. "Then what is?" She muttered as she picked up a smaller rock lying on the top of the boulder, ready to throw it as far as she could.
Then suddenly Percy's soft voice interrupted her thoughts. "You are the beautiful sight."
Annabeth's head sharply turned towards him, her arm pulled back falling. "What?" She asked disbelievingly.
Percy inched closer towards her and tilted her chin up. "I said, I love you," he whispered almost teasingly as Annabeth looked into Percy's sea green eyes, searching for... what? Joy in pranking her? Mischievousness? Was this his idea of a prank?
He leaned down and kissed her.
Annabeth's brain short-circuted. Everything literally stopped around her. All she could remember was the feeling of Percy's lips on hers, and how he looked handsome at the moment.
Annabeth wished she could just freeze time here and then.
20 years old
"So how was the movie, Wise Girl?" Percy asked her as he pulled down the window, smiling at Annabeth who were bading her friends goodbye.
"It was awesome!" She threw her arms around him, smiling as she got inside the car.
"So where do you wanna go out for tonight?"
"Percy, I just literally just went out," Annabeth pointed out as Percy got out of the parking lot.
"Beth, wear your seatbelt," Percy said in a firm voice as he looked over the rearview mirror.
For once, Annabeth's usually cautious demeanor faded away as she idly fingered the gold heart locket Percy gave to her on that special night. "No thanks, Seaweed Brain," she told him with a confident smirk. "I trust you and your driving well enough to know that I don't need a seatbelt."
Percy nervously laughed. "Thanks then, Wise Girl," he said, passing her a soft grin.
The hairs on the back of Annabeth's neck stood up. She instinctively knew something was wrong before she could experience it-
"WISE GIRL! LOOK OUT!" Is the only understandable sound that Annabeth's ears struggled to hear and comprehend over the sound of broken glass, high-pitched squeaks of tires on the pavement and screams as she felt herself fly out like a pile of mangled bones and flesh tinted with glass and blood, unable to move her body, scream or flail.
Her world was full of pain and she felt the pain resonate between her. She gasped for air, closing her eyes.
Is Percy okay? her mind tearfully asked her. She shot up and groaned at the pain she felt in her ribs.
It took her a million years to find the strenght to sit up, and another million more to sit up and walk, frantically screaming to get someone's attention. And find Percy.
She looked around. Was it just her or was everything really was just on fire?
Suddenly, terror plunged her deep into memories. She gasped for air, clawing at her throat as she smelled ashes and... flames.
She was thirteen and back at Luke's burning house. Hopeless. Frightened.
'This is impossible,' she told herself. 'None of this is real.'
A loud groan of metal brought her back to reality. She frantically looked up and saw the metal bending from the pressure and she tried to do something, like move out of the way. But some invisible force kept her grounded to where she stood.
She closed her eyes. 'I guess this is it,' she thought to herself. 'I love you, Percy.'
To her surprize, something slammed once more against her, as she flew back and crumpled to the ground.
She was losing to the darkness. Again. But before she dis, she mustered all determination that she could gather and forced her eyes open. Open enough to mangled metal falling on a blurry figure.
She tried to scream, but it built up against her throat as she was taken back into the darkness.
Present Day
"Annabeth? Annabeth? Snap out of it!" She feels a hand shake her back to reality and it took a few moments for her to register what happened and where she was. She was curled up on the ground and clutching her head.
"The locket!" She urgently tells her brother as she looks at her mepty hands and back up at him.
Malcolm's concerned about me, she realizes as she looks into the same striking grey eyes filled with concern for her.
"Annabeth," He says in a stern voice, which bears a small likeness from their mother's angry tone. His eyes softens as he crouches down and helps her up. "Annabeth, what happened?"
She wants to tell him everything. Her memories had returned and she was filled with bitterness and sorrow. Instead, she forces herself to stand up straight, like a queen, like a Chase. She yanks her arm from her brother's grip. "Why didn't you tell me what happened to Percy?" She hates how she hears her own voice, hoarse and cracking...
Like her soul.
Malcolm runs a hand through his hair in frustration. "I don't know anything," he tries to tell her in a menacing tone, but she knows that he's lying. She was the master of concealment and of masks. She'd recognize a lie anywhere.
But why was Malcolm, her very supportive brother, acting like this. Why the sudden mood change? Malcolm was very open-minded about things like these. Then why now-
The answer strikes her back, hard and fast. And as clear as water.
Two could play this game.
She forces herself to look in his eyes and narrows her eyes. "What lies did Mother tell you?"
She sees him visibly flinch from her hard and harsh tone for a second and turn back to his calm, cool and collected demeanor.
"What do you mean?"
"You heard me. What lies did Mother tell you?" She demands from him, eyes cold with hatred.
Denial will never stop me from knowing what horrible lies Mom told you.
"You want to know?" He finally snaps. "I don't believe Mom. I never did. She's cunning, manipulative and she's a liar. But this," he gestures at her, fuming. "You have to stop! Why do you always have to put your life in danger just for some stupid boy?"
Annabeth glares at him. "They're not stupid boys!" She yells back at him, but something inside her knows it's partially true.
Malcolm stares at her back. "They're not stupid boys," he mimicks her voice. "Of course, they're not!" His voice turns into a sarcastic tone. "You know what, I'm done. I'm done!" He snaps as he storms out the room.
He grudgingly passes her the lock in hand and Annabeth barely catches it. She's frozen in place as she holds the valuable lock close to herself. Suddenly, she surges forward, holding Malcolm by the sleeve.
"Malcolm... I-I'm sorry," she bows her head.
"Annabeth. Look at me," he orders as he tilts her head up. "You're my sister, alright? I'm just worried for you."
"I know that, Malcolm."
They stand there in silence. Then Malcolm suddenly envelops her in a hug. "Just don't harm yourself for other people, alright?"
Annabeth looks at the locket in her hand as she hugs Malcolm with one arm.
"Thank you." Her voice is wavering and breaking. She hates that she's weak and fragile in front her brother. But her world is breaking down, shattering into a million pieces as she registers what she just remembered. What she witnesses.
A nightmare come true.
A great tremor overtakes her. Sobs wracked her body as she buries her face in Malcolm's shoulder. She quietly sniffles and desperately holds on to Malcolm for support as her legs give out. She pours out her sorrow through a uncontrollable flood of tears falling from her face. She's choking in her own tears, she can't breathe anymore.
But that wasn't the worst part. Deep inside, Annabeth could feel herself breaking. Fast and sudden; every little bits in her soul screams in pain. An invisible force shreds her hastily repaired heart violently. Was this how grief feels like? She wonders. Like a part of her is dying? Like emotional torture, suffocating in tears?
Percy is dead.
Soooo? That was some emotional schist right there. After sitting in Doc Manager for a month (I'M SORRY K), I finally finished it.
I hoped you enjoyed that. I'm currently very sick right now. There's a lot of wrong things that I may have written out wrong, but I'm very delirious right now since I'm not very alright right now.
ALSO I LOVED WRITING IN PRESENT TENSEEEEEE
K, I'm babbling. Next fic might be a BATIM fic... or a PJO one... or a Harry Potter one... not sure what randomness I'll type next :P
Hope you enjoyed!
~Louise (Marrione won't be back anytime soon)