Chapter XXXI ANNABETH
Annabeth laid on the massive crack in the ground. not moving. At first, she'd refused to accept it, clawing at the hard rock until all her nails were broken and bloody. But eventually she stopped and just sprawled across it. As if that would bring him back. But some part of her told her that if she moved from where she was, she'd just lose it. So Annabeth hunkered down and stayed there. Because she simply couldn't bear to leave where she'd last seen Percy.
Distantly, she heard everyone muttering anxiously. Frank said worriedly,
"Should we go talk to her or something-"
"Leave her be." Nico said sharply.
"She's in shock, and she's grieving. Nothing you say will make this pain go away."
No one argued with him.
Hours later, Piper went and laid down beside Annabeth, so they were eye-to-eye.
"Hi." she said softly.
Annabeth didn't respond, just watching her. Piper didn't say anything else, just putting her arms around her friend. Annabeth stiffened up at first; she didn't want comfort. But Piper held on firmly, so eventually Annabeth relaxed into the embrace.
"You can cry if you want to." the daughter of Aphrodite whispered.
"I- I can't." Annabeth croaked out, her voice hoarse.
And it was true. No tears would come. She knew she should feel terrible about that, but maybe Nico was right. She was in shock, or catatonic- or something. But Annabeth knew the tears would hit later, and they'd hit hard.
They stayed there for ages, mourning the loss of possibly the greatest hero the gods, Greek or Roman, had ever seen.
Annabeth felt a rumbling in the ground beneath her, but she ignored it. It was probably her desperate mind conjuring up some fantasy that Percy was about to come rushing up, Riptide drawn in victory. But obviously that wasn't going to happen. Piper's breath caught and she said,
"Um- Annabeth? You might want to look at this."
She didn't even lift her head, so Piper manually shifted her into a sitting position and made her look up. And what she saw was enough to make her jaw drop.
The Athena Parthenos was marching its way towards them, Hazel somehow sitting on its neck and guiding it. Annabeth stared up at the statue of her mother, wondering how this was even possible. But then she remembered. The statue had to be an automaton, programmed by Daeldus. Athena must have sent it here.
"She's been following us since Athens!" Hazel yelled down.
Annabeth had no idea what she was talking about, but she couldn't find the strength or energy to care. The Parthenos knelt and Hazel nimbly jumped down. The statue then seemed to take on a mission of its own. It strode its way towards Annabeth and Piper. Piper grabbed her shoulders, rolling them both out of the way.
The statue was digging at the earth, bringing up huge fistfuls of dirt as it went. Well, whatever it was doing, Annabeth didn't see the point, really. But it still carried on, going deeper and deeper. The statue was up to its waist in dirt, and it still wouldn't give up.
"Stop it!" Annabeth cried suddenly,
"Whatever you do won't change anything! He's gone, and he's isn't coming back!"
As she said this, Annabeth's voice cracked and she started sobbing in silence. Piper held her close and let her cry. Annabeth couldn't catch her breath, she was crying that hard. Her shoulders were heaving and she was in the brink of hyperventilating.
"He's- gone." she hiccuped, pressing a trembling hand to her mouth.
Annabeth hugged her knees to her chest and rested her head on them, howling. It wasn't supposed to end like this! They were meant to be together; he'd just asked her to marry him, for gods' sake!
She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she yelled,
"Oh, would you just go away and let me sob my heart out alone?"
"Well, okay then." somebody said, and she could hear a grin in their voice.
Annabeth froze. And then she leapt up, tackling the person to the ground, making sure she hadn't imagined it.
Percy's bright eyes were staring back up into hers. He was all there, bruised and battered, but very much alive. Annabeth just stared at him, convinced this was a figment of her bereaved imagination.
"But- you're dead!"she blurted out.
"How is this physically possible?"
"Oh, Wise Girl, why must you get hung up on unimportant details?" Percy said with a laugh.
Annabeth wrinkled her eyebrows together, utterly befuddled. Percy grinned and pointed down at his feet. He was wearing sneakers with wings attached on the ankles and had the symbol of Hermes on the side. Annabeth recognized them immediately. They were the very same pair that she, Percy and Grover had left on the edge of Tartarus on their first quest together in the Underworld, when they were twelve years old.
"Who knew these things would come in handy after all?" Percy said delightedly.
"The Athena Parthenos helped, of course. That's what actually allowed me to get out of there."
Annabeth laughed helplessly in disbelief and kissed Percy with all the force she could muster. The kiss was made of pure need, for her to know that he was really living and breathing. Annabeth pulled back and they were nose to nose.
"So," Percy said softly.
"Is that a yes?"
It took her a second to figure out what he meant, but when she did, she smacked his arm.
"What do you think?"
"Um-" Percy said uncertainly.
"Of course, Seaweed Brain!"