Good afternoon! As usual, I do not own any characters referenced in this one-shot. All rights go to Rick Riordan. Carry on!
Percy trudged down the empty pavement in the pouring rain.
He thought about the last few weeks: how he had awoken from what felt like the longest nap of his life surrounded by a pack of wolves, how he was scared shitless of what could have possibly happened for him to be in such an inconceivable situation, how he was even more terrified at the realization that he couldn't remember who he was.
He thought about how each monster that he fought and was certain he killed seemed to come back for rematches every few days, how his body was covered in a concerning amount of scars that were clearly years old, and how it meant that he couldn't even catch a break in a life he couldn't remember.
He thought about the families he passed on the sidewalks and wondered if his parents, if he had any, were somewhere out there missing him, how he didn't bother to keep track of how long he'd been on his own since the days seemed to blur together after a while, how nothing, not even his sword, could break his skin, and how he couldn't tell if it was a blessing or a curse.
On the particularly difficult days, which was pretty much every day it seemed, he thought of Annabeth.
He thought about the way her name rolled off his tongue like he was made to say it over and over again. He thought about the way the sound of her voice breathed life into him each time he felt like collapsing to the ground and letting whatever monster that found him have its way. He thought about the way her eyes glistened in the sunlight, the way her smile made him want to cry, and the way his soul ached like it was calling out to its other half.
Was it silly to imagine her yards in front of him, waiting at the end of the road with open arms? Maybe. But it gave him hope, so he kept walking.
As he trudged down the empty pavement, a song formed in the depths of his mind as if something in the ether was taunting him with a memory he couldn't quite grasp. That kind of thing usually made him angry, but this time, it made him feel like he wasn't alone, so he sang to himself, probably off-key, amid the pouring rain:
"O'golly,
the road's gettin' bumpy,
'cause I got me some friends who just can't get along.
Oh dear,
when the team's getting grumpy,
the trick to get through it is singing this song.
Consensus."
Hey! Long time no see. I've been extremely busy over the past year with projects of my own, but expect more of me. See you soon!