Basic summary of this chap- poor Percy, Poor Annabeth- she's more upset than she was in cannon since, y'know, they are actually officially together and very much in love already in this AU. And also, badass Percy is done with peoples bullshit, she's had a very tough couple of days and she's very much ready to smack some sense into people- which I wish had been done in cannon honestly like, seriously. Also, I changed the prophecy very slightly because the original line is 'A single choice shall end his days' which always bugged me because they assumed that meant the hero of the prophecy which was the big three kid- which logically would mean it wouldn't be Thalia. Honestly I think 'end their days' just makes more sense so that no one knows for sure.
Anyway my guys! Please review please I wanna know what you think of Pissed off Percy.
There was a long moment of stunned silence before Chiron closed his eyes and nodded. "It's time. I've dreaded this day. Very well- Annabeth-" but Annabeth was stepping away, her eyes suddenly filling with tears.
"No- no please-"
"Annabeth- my child it's time-" but Annabeth was shaking her head and pulling away, turning and sprinting away. And Percy felt her heart sinking. She knew that there was only one reason her girlfriend would react like that to Percy asking to learn the prophecy.
"What the fuck was that about?" Luke's voice was worried- and Thalia pulled away from him, her own expression filled with concern.
"I'll go after her-" she took off quickly after Annabeth.
"Is she okay?" Leo's voice was hesitant.
"Annabeth will be fine." Chiron sighed heavily, "Percy and I should go and do this alone-"
"But-" Nico started to protest but Chiron shook his head.
"No butts my child. This is private."
"I want to-"
"Luke." Percy gave him a wry smile, "I'll talk to you about everything this evening okay? Let me do this on my own. Please."
"But- why did Annabeth-"
"Luke. Please." Percy's expression was pleading, and after a moment Luke groaned and left, Nico and Leo close behind him.
Once they were gone Percy spoke, "I already know it's going to talk about me dying."
"Prophecies can be tricky-"
"Dad looked pained, and Annabeth just ran off in tears. And I've suspected it for a while now." Percy met Chirons eye, "As long as my family are okay I'll do what I gotta do. Look after them all for me when-"
"Percy-" Chiron shook his head, "child-"
"I don't want to die but if that's what I've got to do to protect them then I'll do it."
Chiron stared at her for a long moment before he gave a small nod, "I truly don't believe there could be anyone better suited to save us than you." his voice was gentle,
mournful, and the rest of the walk to the Big House was silent.
When they reached the attic Chiron sighed softly. "I did want Annabeth to take you up there, she knows where the prophecy is. But it seems she's too upset right now. You
will have to go up there alone. Ask the Oracle for the prophecy and she will give it to you."
Percy nodded, gaze shifting to the ladder that led up into the attic, and then she was climbing- her nose wrinkling, she hated the smell up there, and the dark dank
atmosphere- she looked around slowly, her lips twitching when she spotted Kampê's old sword, bent and useless now. The bad memories of that day were still there of course, but these days Percy tended to think more of the victories, the moments of pride- otherwise she'd drive herself insane.
She shook away the thoughts and moved towards the window. On a three-legged stool sat the Oracle—a shrivelled female mummy in a tie-dyed dress. Tufts of black hair clung to her skull. Glassy eyes stared out of her leathery face. Just looking at her made Percy's skin crawl.
She swallowed hard, hands shaking slightly as she brushed her hair out of her face and let out a slow breath. "Oracle of Delphi, I ask for the Great Prophecy." she had to forced the words out- and for a moment there was no response and Percy almost felt hopeful- maybe the prophecy was gone, maybe it had somehow been negated- but then the mummy moved and Percy forced back a shocked yell as her hands moved, unclasping one of the necklaces around her neck- the noise of the movement would haunt Percy's nightmares she was sure, the rasp of the movement and the clinking on the necklaces, and she held out the necklace and Percy saw that it was a leather pouch—like a
Native American medicine pouch on a cord braided with feathers.
Percy didn't want to take it- she wanted to turn and run away and never come back but she slowly reached out her own hand and took the pouch slowly, opening it up and pulling out a roll of parchment no bigger than her pinky finger.
She stared at it silently for several moments before she unrolled this. She was sure she knew roughly what it would say- but she didn't- she couldn't face reading it for the first time up there at the war council with the others.
It took her a few times to read it- and she mumbled along as she did, her dyslexia made it tricky but after a few attempts she managed to get it, and then she swallowed hard and forced herself to read it out loud for a second time. "A half-blood of the eldest gods, shall reach sixteen against all odds, and see the world in endless sleep, the heroes soul cursed blade shall reap, a single choice shall end their days, Olympus to preserve or raze."
And saying it out loud- she felt her eyes stinging as she blinked rapidly and curled her fingers around the piece of paper.
She'd known. She'd already known from her dad's, Annabeth's and Chiron's behaviour that she was going to die. Still she felt herself shaking, felt the tears spilling over her cheeks as she let herself sink to the dusty floor.
She was alone here. She was painfully glad for that, because it meant that she didn't have to pretend to be okay.
So she sobbed, she curled in on herself, pulling her knees to her chest as the tears poured down her cheeks and she dug her nails into the skirt of her dress, the force of the sobs shaking her entire body.
She was going to die. She'd never get to meet her new baby sibling, she'd never get to grow old with her girlfriends, never get to do all of the things normal kids got to do.
She'd never even finish school.
Percy wasn't sure how long she stayed like that before she pulled herself together, staggering to her feet, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket and taking a moment to breath slowly before she headed back out of the attic, climbing down the ladder slowly.
Chiron had gone- almost certainly to the war council, and Percy knew where that would be being held, the Rec room.
Sure enough when she entered the Rec room everyone was there, gathered around the Ping- Pong table- though it looked more like a shouting match than a council of war. Clarisse was still in full battle gear. Her electric spear was strapped to her back- and Percy knew from experience that that spear packed a punch.
She was in the middle of yelling at Michael Yew- he'd taken over after Lee had died if Percy remembered rightly, towering over him as she yelled.
Michael was a foot shorter than her at all, at four feet six, with another two feet of attitude. He reminded Percy of a ferret, with a pointy nose and scrunched-up features—either because he scowled so much or because he spent too much time looking down the shaft of an arrow. Percy hadn't had that much to do with him of course, she'd been busy lately but she didn't like him as much as she liked Will and Kayla two of his siblings.
"It's our loot!" he yelled, standing on his tiptoes so he could get in Clarisse's face. "If you don't like it, you can kiss my quiver!"
Around the table, some people were trying not to laugh Pollux and Castor from the Dionysus cabin, Katie Gardner from Demeter, Summer from Cabin thirteen and Sebastian from the unclaimed cabin. Even Jake Mason, the hastily appointed temporary counsellor from Hephaestus- since Beckendorf was going to need time to recover, managed a faint smile.
Luke and Thalia looked angry and annoyed more than anything else, Silena looked worried, she was sat nearest to Clarisse looking incredibly worried as her gaze flicked between them. And Annabeth was sat next to Chiron, she'd pulled herself together too, though Percy couldn't help but notice how pale her girlfriend looked.
Percy felt a sudden rush of anger at them, arguing over something so stupid as loot when a war was looming on the horizon.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Her shout drew all eyes to her and Clarisse straightened up slightly.
"Thank fuck you're here Percy. Tell Michael not to be a selfish jerk."
"Oh, that's perfect, coming from you," Michael said.
"The only reason I'm here is because of Percy and Silena." Clarisse shouted. "Otherwise I'd be back in my cabin."
"What are you talking about?" Percy demanded, "What is going on here?"
Pollux cleared his throat. "Clarisse has refused to speak to any of us, until her, um, issue is resolved. She hasn't spoken for three days. When she spoke to you earlier, that was the first time."
"What issue?"
Clarisse turned to Chiron. "You're in charge, right? Does my cabin get what we want or not?"
Chiron shuffled his hooves. "My dear, as I've already explained, Michael is correct. Apollo's cabin has the best claim. Besides, we have more important matters—"
"Sure," Clarisse snapped. "Always more important matters than what Ares needs. We're just supposed to show up and light when you need us, and not complain!"
"Yeah, that'd be pretty nice." Michael shot back."
Clarisse gripped her knife. "Maybe I should ask Mr. D—"
"As you know," Chiron interrupted, his tone slightly angry now, "our director, Dionysus, is busy with the war. He can't be bothered with this."
"I see," Clarisse said. "And the senior counsellors? Are any of you going to side with me?"
Nobody was smiling now. None of them met Clarisse's eyes.
"I don't even know what's going on." Percy snapped, "So if someone could fill me in-"
"There's a flying Chariot." Thalia spoke up, "It was captured in a raise in Philadelphia last week. Some of Kronos' demigods were there with it- the Apollo cabin seized it during the battle but the Ares Cabin led the raid. And they've been arguing about it ever since."
There was a long moment of awkward silence before Percy spoke again, her voice like pure ice.
"You two are bickering over which one of you gets to keep a stupid fucking chariot?"
"The Apollo Cabin seized it-"
"Seriously?" Percy snapped the words, "You sound like a gods damned five year old. I was taught sharing is caring by the time I was like, three! Just share it."
Clarrise hesitated, opening her mouth to say something but Michel cut her off, "No way. We seized it, that's how it works- Clarisse is just throwing a tantrum because she's a bully-"
"Fuck you!" Clarisse looked like she wanted to murder Michael at that "Fuck you-"
"Stop it!" Percy shouted the words, and the ground beneath them trembled slightly, making both of them grab onto the table to stop themselves from falling over- and she knew it was her, but she was angry, "Both of you shut your gods damned mouths right now you're both acting like fucking kids! There is a war going on! Beckendorf lost his fucking arm for it- I've just had to learn the Great Prophecy and you two are bickering over a flying chariot?" and she could see everyone looking at her in shock, Luke and Thalia gave her small nods.
Annabeth wouldn't meet her gaze.
"I-" Clarisse hesitated, "Sorry." she muttered the words, "I- is the Prophecy-"
"The Oracle gave it to me." Percy forced herself to let out a slow breath, forced herself to calm down, moving towards them all, and every single eye was on her. "I will deal with you two and your argument later. If I hear one more damn word about it before then then you can get the fuck out and leave camp entirely-"
"What?" Michael straightened up, "You can't-"
"You want to fucking try me." Percy was suddenly in front of him, gripping his camp tee, "Newsflash Yew. The last two days have been real stressful for me and I will physically toss your ass out of camp if you can't play nice."
"Percy-" Chiron's voice held a note of warning and Percy's head snapped around to look at him.
"Don't." her voice was sharp, "Yeah from the sounds of it the chariot is Apollo Cabins by right but I get why Clarisse is pissed off because her cabin always get treated like they're just the dumb muscle-"
"Thank you!" Clarisse threw her hands up and Silena gave Percy a soft relieved smile as Clarisse burst out, "Someone finally gets it- the disrespect-"
"And you act like the dumb muscle and you play the bully a lot." Percy cut off Clarisse again. "I am done with the bullshit right now though. We will deal with this after the war council. Am I clear?"
And Percy might have been imagining it, but as Michael and Clarisse both nodded reluctantly, but she thought she saw a glint of pride in Chiron's eyes, a faint smile on his lips.
