Epilogue
A white light burst into Annabeth's vision. She clutched her head, biting back the scream that threatened to burst from her throat. It had been four weeks since the fire destroyed her mansion. For the moment, she was staying with the Jackson's. it had seemed like the obvious thing to do. No one mentioned any other ideas.
Mrs. Jackson had moved Percy into Tyson's room and given Annabeth Percy's room. The topic of getting official documents of adoption hadn't come up much, but when it had, the mood was extremely awkward. Annabeth wished that it didn't have to be like that, but something about being with these people felt oddly temporary.
She knew why it felt temporary. She had devised a plan. It was hard to face, and she kept putting it off, but that was why she was awake so late that night. She needed to run away.
It would kill her inside. She couldn't leave Tyson, her adorable little friend. She couldn't leave Sally, who had been so kind to her when she needed help. She could leave Paul, who had supplied her with so much. And Percy- no. She couldn't even think about leaving him. It made her chest tighten and her eyes sting. It physically hurt. She couldn't leave him. And yet, she had to.
She was in their way. She was always here, another mouth to feed, and her being there gave a high risk of getting them into legal trouble because of her past. She didn't want that for them. She also wanted answers about the Freedom Corps. Who were they? What did they do? How was she connected? She was prepared to find out. In fact, she already had a bag packed and waiting under her bed. Tonight. Tonight was the night she was finally going to do it.
She loved being with them. She loved being with Percy. He made her feel like something with worth. Rather than just another kid on the "orphaned" spread sheet, he made her feel like Annabeth. And as painful as it was, she knew that feeling that way was only temporary.
For Annabeth, the word "temporary" had always been a huge part of life. However, she had never thought a time would come when she would hope for something to be temporary. When she woke up from the fire, she had gotten a bad headache. It had gone away when she had kissed Percy, and she hadn't expected to come back. But it did.
At first it had been every couple of days for a couple of seconds, maybe a minute. They were just sharp jabs of pain in her head. As time went on, the headaches would become closer together and longer. They stopped being small jabs and started growing to large pangs. Sometimes they were so intense that Annabeth couldn't see, and could barely move. This was a fact she had kept secret from her new family. She thought it best if they didn't know that she was in pain. For whatever reason, she was better off alone in this fight.
That wasn't the only thing she had been keeping secret. She and Percy had been... together. Not in a dating sense. They weren't boyfriend and girlfriend. At least, she didn't think so. She wasn't exactly sure where they stood. All she knew was that she was happy around him, and when he kissed her, he seemed happy. Why label it? Of course, she hadn't exactly informed either Sally or Paul of this change in behavior, and Percy hadn't seemed in a hurry to tell them. It was a sort of silent agreement to let the parents believe they were just friends. And anyways, what did it matter, if it was going to be ending soon?
Annabeth gasped, blinking. The headache was gone. She released her head, noting with satisfaction that she had not injured herself in an attempt to stop the pain (which had happened more than once on previous occasions.) She picked up the locket that rested on her chest and stared at it. It was warm in her hand. It always seemed to be warm these days, almost like it was glowing with heat. Annabeth often mused that it was an after-affect of the fire, even though she knew this was impossible.
A soft treading noise sounded on the stairs. Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows and glanced at the digital clock next to her. It read 1:27 A.M. The Jackson's always went to bed early. Even if Percy claimed he was going to stay up late, he always wound up falling asleep by 10 'o clock. So who was going down the stairs?
Annabeth froze. Had someone broken in? What did the Jackson's have that someone would want to steal? Some silverware? A TV? There was a barely audible shuffle on the first floor and she could hear the faint creak of the screen door opening. That had to be the front door, because the back door didn't make any noise.
Annabeth hurried to her window. She would be able to see who it was if they went out the front! A figure strode out into the driveway, not seeming to be in a hurry. Annabeth squinted her eyes. It didn't seem like a burglar. But wait- she knew this person. Green swim team shirt, black and red backpack, unruly dark hair, and a swift, swaying walk.
Percy.
She scrambled to grab her bag from under her bed and raced down the stairs as quietly as she could. As she flew by the table, she noticed an envelope lying on the smooth polished wood. It said "Family" in sloppily legible handwriting. She continued out the door, careful not to let it slam. Percy was already walking down the hill.
"Percy!" she hissed under her breath. "Percy, where are you going?"
He kept walking, appearing not to have heard her. She had to sprint to catch up with his fast pace. She tapped him furiously on the back. He spun around, his green eyes wild. Percy obviously wasn't expecting anyone to follow.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"I was about to ask you the same thing," Annabeth said harshly. "I was awake and I heard you. Why are you sneaking out of your house at this hour?"
Percy put a hand up to scratch his neck. "Annabeth, go back to sleep. I'll be back when you wake up."
"Liar," she accused him. "You're going somewhere. Where? Why'd you leave a note on the table? And why-"
"I'm running away, okay?" Percy's voice echoed rather loudly off the hill. They both flinched. He took a deep breath. "I need to find out about the Freedom Corps. I need to know, Annabeth. About my dad, he- Well, I need answers. I'm sorry," he added, green eyes full of sorrow. "I really didn't want to-"
"-leave, but you had to," Annabeth sighed, finishing his sentence. Percy blinked, comprehension dawning on his face. Was he guessing that her plan had been similar to his?
"So, are you gonna tell me why you have a backpack?" he said, crossing his arms.
Annabeth shrugged. "I had the same idea. Except... I was going to leave this." She slung her bag to a reachable position and pulled out a plastic container. She opened it, revealing the contents. It was a cupcake, complete with blue icing and an unlit candle.
"Happy birthday, Percy," she whispered.
Percy gaped. "It- it's my birthday? I mean... I'm seventeen now?"
Annabeth nodded. "August 18th, right? You know, it's my birthday, too. I'm sixteen now."
Percy smiled. "Why didn't you say something before?"
"It never mattered before," she replied honestly.
Once again, Percy put a hand up to the back of his neck. "Look, Annabeth, you don't have to-"
"Oh, if you're going to say I can't come, I'll stop you now."
"But Annabeth-"
"Look at this!" Annabeth held up her locket. "It means as much to me as it does to you. I need to know, Percy. And we're partners, so why not do it together?"
Percy hesitated. "I don't know."
"I do," Annabeth insisted, pulling the cupcake out of the container and stuffing the plastic back into her bag. "Now, come on. If we don't leave now, we'll miss the 4 'o clock bus South." She began walking down the road, praying that Percy would follow. Come on, Percy, come on, come on...
After a few seconds, she heard footsteps on the pavement behind her. Percy didn't say anything. He gently took the cupcake from her hands, split it in half, and threw the candle on the ground.
"That's littering," Annabeth pointed out.
"It's biodegradable. And anyways, I have a feeling that we're going to do a lot worse than littering to find the Freedom Corps," he said grimly.
We're going to do a lot worse. Annabeth hadn't heard past that part in the sentence. He had said "we". She gave a small small and took Percy's free hand in her own. Whatever came now, they would do it together. So there they walked down the street, holding hands, a cupcake split between them, and a new horizon set in front of them.
This horizon was so big, so huge, so infinite, that Annabeth was sure that the answers were there somewhere. And together, they were going to find them.
This is the longest A/N ever guys, sorry.
So the Sea of Monsters was excellent, thanks for asking ;) It had some intense and cute moments and at the end I thought it was going to be a complete screw up but they totally left it open for the storyline to unfold more.
On a completely unrelated topic, HOLY MOTHERSINGING CHEESE THIS WAS HARD TO WRITE. SO MAN FEELS AND IT'S OVER AND IT'S JUST BEGINNING AND *hugs*.
Seriously, though. The action is just beginning. Here is the summary for the sequel;
The Freedom Corps
Percy and Annabeth found each other, but they still haven't found the answers. The Freedom Corps seems to be the key to Percy's dad, as well as Annabeth's mysterious locket. When the secret organization itself is pulled into a sinister plot, both Annabeth and Percy must make a choice. Stay with the Freedom Corps at great personal risk, or spend eternity not knowing?
And now, the complete list of theme songs. (Scroll to the end for this chapter's theme song.)
I'll Follow You by Shinedown
(Percy and Annabeth)
I Won't Give Up by Jason Mraz
(Piper and Jason)
Don't Forget by Demi Lovato
(Jason and Reyna)
Raise Your Weapon by Deadmau5
(Thalia and Luke)
Sing by My Chemical Romance
(All the demigods)
What I Did For Love from A Chorus Line
(Percy and Annabeth)
Sparks Fly by Taylor Swift
(Percy and Annabeth)
He Won't Go by Adele
(Percy and Annabeth)
Wide Awake by Katy Perry
(Luke)
Jar of Hearts by Christina Perri
(Annabeth and Luke)
If I Lose Myself by OneRepublic
(Percy and Annabeth)
In Memory by Shinedown
(Jason and Reyna)
Life In Technicolor II by Coldplay
(All the demigods)
Some Nights by Fun.
(All the demigods)
Call Me by Shinedown
(Percy and Annabeth)
Without the Bitter by Mayday Paradise
(Percy and Annabeth)
As Long As You Love Me by Justin Bieber
(Piper and Jason)
Ready Or Not by Bridget Mendler
(Percy and Annabeth)
Gold by Britt Nicole
(Hazel)
Hey There Delilah by The Plain White T's
(Percy and Annabeth)
Hero by Sterling Knight
(Piper and Jason)
Fearless by Taylor Swift
(Piper and Jason)
Violet Hill by Coldplay
(For all of the demigods and the world they live in. For Camp Jupiter, for Camp Half-Blood, and for their inhabitants. For the ones who have fallen and the ones who have should have stood. For the pawns of the Olympus, for the heroes of humankind, and for the ones who never could. May the gods be with you.)
I hope you enjoyed Ghost Girl!
-Rebel