Saudade (Portuguese)

A feeling of longing for someone you love. It often carries a repressed knowledge that he or she may never return.


PERCY POV

"ANNABETH!" I shout as I see her body falling into Tartarus. I try to jump in after her but my body doesn't respond. I can't feel anything. My limbs and brain are numb. She's gone and I couldn't do anything to stop it.

My heart has stopped.

My heart has shattered.

My heart is incomplete.

Without you...

I feel someone come over to the edge and pull me out. As soon as my feet touched the floorboards of the Argo II, I collapsed onto the ground and wrapped my arms around my legs, pulling them into my chest. Everyone circled around me and engulfed me into a group hug. Everyone was just as devastated as I was. Annabeth was like their big sister.

I started thinking about every moment I spent with Annabeth.

Every quest, every spar, every conversation.

The way she called me Seaweed Brain whenever I did something stupid.

The way her eyes lit up whenever she talked about Architecture.

Her curly blonde hair that smells like lemons and shines like a million drachmas.

Her intimidating stormy grey eyes that make my heart stop whenever she looked at me.

The way her hands felt perfect intertwined with mine.

She was my everything.

She helped me when I first came to camp.

She went with me on quests.

She was my anchor when I took a dip in Styx.

She took a knife for me during the Titan War.

She was the only thing I remembered when Hera took my memory.

She was my lifeline just like Frank's stick.

I saw a future with her in New Rome. We could have gone to college, gotten married, had kids, and grown old together.

Now that's all gone.


THIRD PERSON POV

That was two weeks ago. Ever since then, the other six of the prophecy have been fighting hard to defeat Gaea. They swore on the River Styx to put her to sleep for Annabeth. In the end, the heroes won. Leo, Percy, and Jason unleashed their rage on Gaea. It was their revenge for sending Annabeth to Tartarus. Percy fought the hardest without a doubt. He put everything into that battle. His grief, anger, longing, and love for Annabeth.

They were now heading back to Camp Half-Blood celebrate their victory. No one was in the mood to celebrate. The Argo II was unusually quiet. Not even the sound of gears and clicks Fetus usually made. The only hint of sound came from one of the bedrooms on the ship. Behind the locked door, was the sound hysterical crying. The continuous sobbing of a broken young man. His body rocked back and forth, his arms wrapped around himself as if removing them would be his undoing. In his hands, he held an object that seemed worthless, but to him, it was worth more than his own life.

It was a Yankees cap.

It brought back memories of a girl.

A girl with curly blonde hair and mesmerizing grey eyes

Her name was like the Siren's song to his ears.

Annabeth.

Just the thought of her name made him start sobbing again. The sound that he produced resembled a puppy whimpering.

A knock came at the door.

"Percy..." Piper whispered as if speaking any louder would depress him even further.

He lifted his head towards the door and sniffled.

"We're near Camp Half-Blood. Leo said we're landing in 15," Piper said

"Okay..." replied Percy. His voice was so soft, so broken. It was worse than his heart-wrenching sobs in Piper's opinion.

She hesitated before speaking again. "Percy, I know this is hard for you. Trust me it isn't any better on this side of the door. Just know that we are all here for you and we won't be going anywhere." And with that she left him with his thoughts.

He let out one final sob for the lost of his girlfriend. His chest was rising and falling with every breathe he took. He could feel his hot tears streaming down his cheeks and into his mouth. He could not let the camps see him like this. He should be happy and cheerful. He knew Annabeth would have wanted him like that.

He got up from his bed and went into the bathroom. He took one look in the mirror and flinched. He look like Hades himself. His eyes were red and puffy from crying. His hair was more disheveled than usual. His lips were dry and cracked while his face was pale. He splashed some water on his face, instantly re-energizing him. No more tears he thought to himself as he opened his door for the first time in days. For Annabeth.


AN: I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED THAT CHAPTER. MY HEART BROKE WHEN I WROTE THAT. NEXT CHAPTER UP SOON