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After the war Percy loses control.
He wants to hurt others the way the gods and titans and monsters and unfit parents have hurt him and his friends. When he's mad, pipes burst. People get hurt.
Sometimes he doesn't even realize it's him pulling the asshole who stomped on a kid's sandcastle under a current, or that it's him sending wave after wave cascading down onto the jerk that used crude language to describe what he would do to Percy's mom if she were his stepmom.
The ocean used to be his safe place. He could go there to calm down and relax.
Now it was just a death trap for those around him.
He had joined the swim team at his high school because he figured the more he did the less likely it was that he'd be up all night. He quit when he almost unintentionally drowned his teammate.
When he closes his eyes he feels like someone is watching him. He lays in bed at night, eyes open, Riptide gripped in his hand.
He feels safe with Annabeth around. Enough to feel okay closing his eyes, but he can't control his dreams. Sometimes all he dreams about is screaming.
Annabeth thinks they go to camp every weekend to boost the other demigods' spirits and make them feel safer, and they do. At least it's part of the reason. The other part – perhaps the larger part of why they go to camp as often as possible is he knows when he finally loses all control, it'll be better if it happens at camp. He's strong and powerful but the others can defend themselves and Chiron can stop him. He thinks.
Lying awake in Poseidon's cabin, he hears kids screaming themselves awake. He hears crying and shouting.
Finally, deciding he can't take it anymore, he slips out of bed into the cool summer night. He dodges the cleaning harpies and runs into the woods barefoot. The grass feels pleasantly cold on his feet.
He finds Katie and Annabeth curled up under the usual tree. Katie turns over whimpering and Annabeth shh's her. Percy walks slowly towards their spot, careful not to make any sudden movements so he doesn't startle them.
When he's ten steps away, Annabeth sits up and peers at him though tired eyes. She looks exhausted but so does everyone these days. Percy doesn't wait for an invitation; he just settles down on Annabeth's left and pulls her down with him.
"Please sleep," he tells her quietly. "Please."
Instead she cries. He knows she's crying because she doesn't know what else to do. He also knows she's crying for Luke. It stings his ego a bit but he shoves it down because it's ridiculous to be jealous of a dead guy and Annabeth needs him.
Percy stays awake for as long as he can. He at least waits for her to stop crying before he lets himself drift off.
"Annabeth, do –" Luke gasps for breath. "You – love me?"
Percy remembers this. He was there. He waits for Annabeth to tell Luke that she doesn't love him in the way he means.
He watches a tear make a trail through the dirt and dust on her face. She grasps Luke's hand.
"Luke," she starts, a smile spreading across her face. "Of course I love you."
What? This wasn't what happened. Percy felt panic rising in his chest when the pair turned to look at him.
"Then kill him. Kill Percy Jackson."
Luke hands Annabeth back her blade, the one he had given to her with a promise. A promise of family all those years before she had even known of a Percy Jackson.
She looks at the blade in her hand and stands up. She's smiling at Luke one second. The next she's charging at Percy.
He screams.
"Percy!" Annabeth yells.
His eyes fly open and when he sees Annabeth he gives a shout before pushing her away from him.
It takes a moment to realize it was just a dream. He feels the bed of leaves under his hands and hears the rushing waterfall. He breathes in and smells rotting plants. Then he sees Katie, eyes red and confused.
"Percy?" Annabeth cautiously reaches a hand out to him.
He knows the dream isn't real. Annabeth had chosen him, but he still feels hurt.
Her lip quivers and he takes her hand, telling himself over and over that it wasn't real; Annabeth would never betray him. She pulls him to her chest and rubs his back.
"You're going to be okay," she whispers. She, like most demigods, had long ago stopped using phrases such as "it was just a dream" to comfort each other, even before the war. For them it was never just a dream.