Next one!
I'm going to skip the introductions and go straight to the story!
P.S. I do not own PJO or "Words I Couldn't Say." And Rascal Flatts still rocks!
Words I Couldn't Say: Rascal Flatts:
Percy
The river swirled out of Percy's control. He sank into the darkness of the whirlpool.
Percy sat up with a jolt. He was in his bed in the Fifth Cohort Barracks. Surrounding him were several other Legionnaires who retired early. Their snores echoed around the room.
Percy slid out of bed and slipped his Reeboks on. He tried to be careful not to wake anyone. Leaving his new Praetor's cape folded at the foot of his bunk, he snuck out the door.
He ran.
Faster than he had in a long time. He ran away from everything.
Eight months without his old life. (A.N. Yes, I know that it was only six months, but Percy thought it was eight, remember?)
His new duties as leader of Camp Jupiter.
Ella's new prophecy about the Mark of Athena burning through Rome, and the Prophecy of Seven.
Gaea trying to make him a pawn. Hera's plans for him in yet another prophecy.
All of it. He left all of it behind with his Praetor's cape. There was only one thing left that he couldn't get rid of.
Annabeth.
He wasn't sure what she would do when she saw him. Either kiss him in relief—and make him feel guilty for leaving—or punch him in the gut. He wasn't sure which was worse.
Percy finally stopped at the top of a hill overlooking New Rome on one side and the mortal world on the other, breathing like he'd just run from New York to California and back. He plopped down under a tall maple tree and watched the town.
The Apollo kids were playing songs for entertainment, and the one that they had just started caught Percy's attention. He let it flow through his mind.
In a book in a box in the closet
In a line in a song I once heard
In a moment on a front porch late one June
In a breath inside a whisper beneath the moon
This object—to Percy—sounded extremely diverse and important. Curiosity got the better of him, and he listened closer. Strangely, he had this nagging feeling of what it was, and—even more strangely—his mind wandered to Annabeth, and his heart wrenched with sadness and regret.
There it was at the tip of my fingers
There it was on the tip of my tongue
There you were and I had never been that far
Realization hit him, and he had to agree. If only he'd said it before he left. He meant every word of it, and he wished that he could go back to the night before he left and do it all over again. So he could tell her.
There it was the whole world wrapped inside my arms
Percy had to agree. Annabeth was the whole world to him. He'd hold up the sky for her, which—coincidentally—he had before.
And I let it all slip away –
There was still every chance that she'd moved on after eight (A.N. I know! I know!) months. Just the thought of that happening broke his heart into pieces.
What do I do, now that you're gone
What'll he do? What'll he do? There was no going back, and every moment without her hurt.
No backup plan, no second chance
He wanted just one more chance. Just one more chance to tell her everything that he didn't before.
And no one else to blame
But it was his fault, and this was his punishment. He left her. He had sworn to himself that he wouldn't be like the others, but he left her all the same. (A.N. In case y'all have forgotten, Percy blames himself for everything, remember?)
All I can hear in the silence that remains
Are the words I couldn't say
Three little words, Percy. Just three little words…
There's a rain that'll never stop falling
Everything there should have been dark and cold. Not beautiful, like it was.
There's a wall that I've tried to take down
The city had such amazing Roman architecture. Annabeth loved architecture…
What I should've said just wouldn't pass my lips
Just three little words…
So I held back and now we've come to this
Three little words… Percy bit his lip. Hard.
And it's too late now –
It's too late… It's too late…
What do I do, now that you're gone
Gone… She's gone… He left her, and there's no guarantee that she'll come for him…
No backup plan, no second chance
She was always the one with the plans… A ton of good improvising did him…
And no one else to blame
All I can hear in the silence that remains
Are the words I couldn't say
He should've just said it. But every time he considered it, his throat would feel dry, and his palms sweaty. Pathetic. That's what he is… (A.N. Again: What PERCY'S thinking! Not me! I think he's BADASS, not Pathetic!)
Are the words I couldn't say—
Pathetic. Pathetic. Pathetic…
I should have found a way to tell you how I felt
Three little words…
Now the only one I'm tellin' is myself
I—I love you, Annabeth. But you can't hear me…
What do I do, now that you're gone
You can't hear me…
No backup plan, no second chance
You can't hear me…
And no one else to blame
I love you…
All I can hear in the silence that remains
I love you…
Are the words I couldn't say
What do I do, what do I say
He knew the first thing that he'd say when they were alone after she stepped off of that ship when it finally came.
And no else to blame
He'd tell her.
All I can hear in the silence that remains
He'd tell her he loved her.
Are the words I couldn't say
The last notes echoed amongst the treetops, and the Apollo kids started in on a happier song. But Percy was still lost in his sorrow and regret.
"I'm so sorry, Wise Girl," he whispered to the stars. "I love you, and now I wish I'd told you before. I'm so sorry…"
So sorry…
Aw! Poor Percy!
Next chapter: "The Day Before You" by (surprise, surprise) RASCAL FLATTS!
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