Hello everyone! This is my first story ever so if you could go easy on me that would be appreciated. I wanted to try this out after having read stories for so long. Please let me know what you think! 😊
Set Post BoO.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters and/or any of Rick Riordan's work. (PJO, HoO, etc.)
It hadn't been a good day.
At all.
Percy hadn't slept (but to be honest, he never does. He can't), and everything was making him angry. He already had to fight a couple monsters, slashing them down easily, but still, why can't they leave him alone? Hasn't he fought in two wars already?
As soon as he started the car, he sped away as fast as he could from the towering apartment buildings where his mom and Paul lived. Of course he would miss them greatly, but he needed to see Annabeth. Percy went about the speed limit (okay, a decent amount more), but he wanted to get to Camp Half-Blood. Back to his other home, and his Wise Girl.
But, since nothing can ever go his way, there was traffic. He cursed when he saw the packed road, car after car. Percy sighed, blowing his dark hair that was in his eyes away. It was going to be a very long day.
Once Percy finally reached the camp, which took way longer than it should have, he could not have been happier about shutting his car off. He grabbed his bag from the back seat and threw it over his shoulder, pushing the car door closed.
Walking down the hill, he could already feel his bad mood leaving him. Sure, he was still bone tired. Yes, he still felt like crap. But, it's not anything he hadn't felt before. He watched as the sun shone down on all the cabins, making them shimmer. A slight breeze graced the treetops, the leaves fluttering. Young campers ran around, doing crafts, picking produce, or training in the arena. This is home, he thought.
Percy went to his cabin first. He opened the door, the bunk beds welcoming him. He sat his bag down on the floor and looked at his reflection in the mirror. Putting a smile on his face, he walked back outside to find his friends, and his Wise Girl.
He looked around for a couple of minutes, first trying to find Annabeth. Suddenly, in the corner of the arena, he caught sight of her golden curls. A real smile graced his lips. He bounded over to her, his hair flying in the wind. Some of his friends were there with her, probably sparring together. Piper was chatting with Frank, a small smile on her face. Frank held hands with Hazel who was talking to Annabeth. The four of them noticed him whenever he was only a couple of yards away.
That's when it hit him. Actually- more like he hit it. Nevertheless, his day got worse.
While running to see his friends, he tripped on his own feet, not paying attention to where he was going. He stumbled to the ground, looking down to see how bad the damage was. His ankle was twisted at an angle, pain shooting up his leg. Percy stared at it, trying to process what just happened. He saw Annabeth jogging over to him, speaking, but he heard nothing.
He frantically looked around, trying to remind himself where he was. It wasn't enough. The smell of sulfur flooded into his nose, along with loud whooshing sounds in his ears. This is so stupid, he reasoned, you're not even the one who hurt their ankle down there! What's wrong with you! His vision clouded, brimming with black around the edges, his skin feeling the heat of the pit. Though he tried, he couldn't breathe.
Annabeth finally made it over to him, reaching a hand out to soothe him. Percy may have been able to calm down, but her shirt brought on another wave of memories. The deep red fabric reminded him of the inside of Tartarus, of blood, and suffering. He vaguely heard Piper, Hazel, and Frank speaking to Annabeth, asking what they could do to help. Before he knew it, he was completely sucked into a flashback.
He was on the edge of a cliff, surrounded by arai. He watched helplessly as Annabeth wandered around, calling out for him. Percy himself was on the ground, unable to move because of how much pain he was in from the hoard of curses. He yelled to her, trying to reassure her, but she couldn't hear. He felt himself sob, though he wasn't sure whether or not that it was in the flashback or if he was actually the one crying. The arai came closer to him, taunting and jeering at him. He tried to yell and attack them, but his voice was fleeting. He looked over to where Annabeth was and watched as she called out his name a final time and stumbled, falling over the edge of the cliff.
He screamed at the tops of his lungs, or tried to, as he heard her own shouts of terror. He looked to the arai in front of him and felt a surge of anger. He tried to get up, but he felt hands push him back onto the ground. Trying again, he felt the same hands running through his hair, almost comforting him. Percy slumped to the ground, feeling his sobs return. He screwed his eyes shut, mumbling. Slowly, he heard Annabeth's voice whispering in his ear.
"It's okay," she said quietly. "I'm right here. I'm okay Percy, it's alright." She continued stroking his hair, softly wiping the tears from his eyes. Percy opened his eyes slightly, finding himself back at Camp Half-Blood. He looked at Annabeth's eyes which were intensely staring at him. A tear was in her own eye.
He opened his mouth, sucking in all the air he could in between his cries. "I'm sorry," he choked. "I'm-I'm so sorry." Annabeth put one of her hands on the side of his face. "You did nothing wrong, Percy. Just try to breathe, alright. It's okay. I promise."
He nodded, taking deep breaths. His eyes wandered, seeing his friends standing behind Annabeth. He could tell other people had seen, or heard, his flashback, from the way people glanced at him from afar. Percy guessed that Annabeth had yelled at people in the arena leave, but they still saw enough. Hazel and Frank were still holding hands, Piper standing beside them looking concerned. They all had a look in their eye, as if they had seen a ghost.
Annabeth noticed where he was looking, briefly looking back herself. She turned back just as quickly, grabbing Percy's hand.
"Let's get you to the infirmary and get you fixed up, yeah?" she said, standing above him. He forced a small smile and grabbed her outstretched hand. His friends stepped aside, still unsure of what to do. Percy put his arm around Annabeth's shoulders, his breaths still shaky, leaning onto her as they started making their way to the infirmary, the trio trailing behind.
This is what I get for not sleeping, he told himself. It hasn't been a good day, at all. Look on the bright side, his thoughts spoke again. You're with Wise Girl.
He looked over to Annabeth, who gave him a small but reassuring smile. "We'll get over this, it'll just take time. We'll be okay." She whispered, tilting her head so it was closer to his. "As long as we're together."
His day got a little bit better.