Okay, so, chapter three, WOOT! :D
I feel so accomplished. Very, very accomplished. Most of my stories are one shots or two-shots. SO... This is a big deal for me, sadly XD
And thanks to those of you who have reviewed:
kronos-sux (Amen, sistah!): Thanks! I'm not sure what exactly is going to happen in the end, but I know that's a possibility.
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh: Well, I wouldn't want that, now would I? Well... I dunno. Hades is kinda kick-ass...
rhayshae: Thanks for adding my story to your favorites! :D
Snowstar: Hmmm... That is an interesting idea. But I like Annabeth with Percy. But maybe... -is conflicted-
lala22: They would do that cuz Zeus is STUPID! ... JKJK! Don't fry me like chicken, Lord Zeus!
HotChocolate in Summer: I'm glad you like the story so far! I have to admit, your first comment planted a seed of doubt in my mind. But I'm really glad you like it; I don't want to mess up something that started out so wonderful XD
Silena Jackson: ... You have no idea how much your comment made my day! I'm glad it was emotional. I didn't want it to be like those stories where the hero dies and his lover is like... "Oh, no. This is bad."
The ashes of Percy: Is your little name thing a reference? If so, AWESOME! And the Angstybeth part made me laugh really hard, by the way :)
Poseidon 509: Love the name! POSEIDON FTW!
Georgie McGee: You had no name... So I made one up. Thanks for reviewing!
Ark D: Well, you'll see what happens soon... O:)
Nompog: Will do!
eac12897: WOOT! Love your enthusiasm!
me P: Thank you!
black-cats-are-awesome: -Phineas voice- Yes. Yes they are. Haha, thanks for the review!
J: Yeah, I know. I'm evil!
percyjacksonfreak76: He's putting up a front for Annabeth. He's super pissed, of course, but he knows Annabeth is upset and doesn't want to make it worse.
A. V : Thanks! :D
fjvf: Oh my gosh, thank you! Your comment made my day :D I feel awful saying this, but... I love making my readers cry.
Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. That lucky bastard Rick Riordan does.
"Apollo?" Annabeth asks in shock, her eyes wide as she watches the god of the Sun scorch the table with the palms of his hands. His eyes, usually hidden behind his signature sunglasses, are bright orange-red, like miniature suns. There's a certain anger and impatience in them, like he doesn't want to be at Camp Half-Blood, but he has no choice; he would go crazy if he didn't get something off his chest.
There's a suffocating silence in the room, and Annabeth feels as though if someone doesn't talk soon, it's going to swallow her whole. Apollo looks as though he might never start talking, he just glares into Annabeth's eyes as if looking for some sort of answers to an unasked question.
"You didn't tell me goodbye!" he says suddenly. Annabeth blinks in shock and opens her mouth to speak, but he doesn't seem to want her to talk, because he cuts her off. "No, listen! You told all the people who voted for Percy to live to have a happy eternity, but you left me out. I mean, come on! I'm Apollo, god of the sun! I'm part of the Olympian council! I deserve some recognition!"
Annabeth can tell this has been bothering him for months, and she finds it annoying that he's getting worked up over something so trivial, but she knows that Apollo is honestly offended, so she smiles weakly at him.
"I'm sorry, Apollo. I didn't mean to leave you out, really. I was just upset, and I couldn't think straight, and... Trust me, I don't want you to burn in Tartarus," Annabeth assures, wringing her hands nervously. Apollo sighs in relief and nods, standing up as if he was about to leave. He doesn't disappear instantly, as she thought he would. Instead, he pauses for a moment and stares at her uncertainly before walking over to her and sitting down on the table next to her.
"I'm sorry about Percy. From what I heard, though, he's happy in Elysium. He just misses you a lot. Sounds like love." Apollo winks and laughs quietly when she blushes. Annabeth smiles thankfully at him, though her arms are clutched desperately around her stomach as, for the second time in the last hour, the hole in her stomach rips open violently. She bites back a gasp as Apollo sits beside her, oblivious to her pain.
"I miss him, too. Sometimes I wish I was there with him, you know? I don't... I just wish I could just see him again. But not in some stupid mist image that Nico conjured. I want the real thing, and... I want Zeus to burn for what he did. I know he's your dad and all, and I don't mean to speak ill of him in front of you," she adds quickly, hoping he doesn't take her words offensively. "I just... Nothing is the same without Percy. I mean, I don't smile when I wake up anymore." She sighs and stares out the window of the Big House and tears up a little when she sees the ocean waves thrashing against the shore. "I always woke up with a big grin on my face. I didn't know why, I just would. Even when we were fighting the war, even when I woke up after the poison dagger incident, I woke up with a smile. But now that Percy is gone... I..." Annabeth buried her face in her hands and counted to thirty, willing the tears that were racing down her cheeks to just stop. With all the crying she had been doing the past month, she's surprised hasn't run out of tears, shriveled up and died. "Have you noticed the waves?" she asks him, her stormy grey eyes distant as she watches the sea, admiring it's harsh power as it makes craters in the soft sand. "Poseidon is grieving, I think. It seems fitting, but I don't think Percy would like it. He likes it when the ocean looks calm and glassy, and he always tries to make sure the water is tame when we hang out on the shore... Well, tried." The use of past tense to refer to Percy is hard, but she can't keep acting like he's alive. It was bad for her health.
"Yeah, I think so too. But Poseidon can't help it. When he's upset, sad, angry... The ocean becomes restless. Like, when I'm upset, the clouds cover the sun. Our moods always affect our realm," Apollo informs her, and she can't help but smile. Apollo was making her feel better, and for a second she almost- almost- forgot that Percy had even died. But of course, all good things in Annabeth's life had to come to an end, and Apollo stands up to leave.
"Well, I'd better get going. It was nice talking to you, Annabeth. And... You should watch what you say for the next few days. Zeus is getting a little impatient and... If you aren't careful, you might be seeing Percy again real soon. We're trying to be patient with you, 'cause you're upset because of Percy and all, but there's only so much those guys can take." And then, as Annabeth turns away, the room glows with the light of a supernova, and Apollo is gone, leaving Annabeth to ponder what he had just said.
'The gods are getting impatient, and if I keep trash-talking them, they're gonna treat me like barbecue,' she thinks, her brow furrowed and her lips pursed. 'Would that be such a bad thing? I would get to see Percy, and I wouldn't have to worry about all the crap happening in the world of the living, which is getting so... Obnoxious lately. And people would stop pitying me!' If there's one thing Annabeth hates, it's pity. The glances from the campers, the sorrowful looks from Chiron, and Nico's hand always on her shoulder in comfort, it all was just too much. She hadn't really minded in the beginning, but it was happening every time she stepped foot outside her cabin.
"Annabeth?" a timid voice came from the door of the Big House, and Annabeth turns to see Malcolm, her second-in-command in the Athena cabin. She doesn't say anything, simply raising an eyebrow in a 'what do you want?' way. He bites his lip, as if afraid that his next words will inflict pain to his half-sister, and his grey eyes- so much like hers- are narrowed in concern. "Are... are you okay?"
Annabeth sighs, tired of hearing the same question for what seems like the fiftieth time that day. "Yes, of course I'm okay," she says, and it comes out sharper than she intended. She pinches the bridge of her nose, wishing the pressure building behind her eyes would just go away. "I'm sorry. I'm just tired, that's all. We should go back to the cabin, it's getting pretty late."
"Yeah, we should," he agrees, gesturing for her to walk ahead of him. She does so wearily, because if there's one thing she's learned, it's to never turn your back on anyone, because anyone could be out to get you. She realizes she's being paranoid; Malcolm is her brother, he wouldn't hurt her. Ever since the war, however, she's been categorizing everyone as an enemy. After what the gods did, it's hard for Annabeth to believe that anyone has any good in them.
'Except Percy.'
The voice in her mind is soft, a gentle whisper, and it makes her want to cry. She has to stop comparing everyone to Percy, because in the end, nobody will match up to him. He was one of a kind.
Suddenly, Annabeth knows what she has to do.
What will she do? -GASP- CLIFFIE!
Wanna find out what she has to do?
Well, then, GO REVIEW!
Oh, that RHYMED :D
Oh, and for you HP fans out there, check out my friend Jessica's story! Not angsty like mine. More fluffy. But VERY good!It's Draco/Astoria, and it's entitled The Grass is Always Greener (I thought of the title :D)
I double-dog dare you to CHECK IT OUT :D
