Percy Jackson One Shots and Short Stories

#58 - Territory (Part IV)

Chapter 58 - Territory (Part IV)
published: Monday, 15 June 2020

Pit.

Pat.

The sound of her own footsteps without any visibly cause would always freak Annabeth out. It happened whenever she wore her Yankee cap — looking down and seeing air where her body should be.

The 3am moon hung in the sky, surrounded by twinkling stars. The beauty of the night sky taunted her.

Fay would never see it again.

Annabeth suppressed the urge to cry. She and Percy had sat there in front of the Labyrinth door for who knew how long. Both of them knew that they had failed a 12-year-old girl, who was now condemned to a life of wandering aimlessly. If she cried now, she didn't think she'd ever stop.

She hadn't had the energy to scream at Harlan, even though this was his fault too. She had a plan. He'd gone and bashed everything up.

The battle wasn't light on losses either. By some sort of godly miracle, there were no casualties. It seemed that once the Queen had escaped, the rest of her army turned tail and retreated. Chiron had stopped the demigods from pursuing.

Of course, no casualties didn't mean none had come close. The hospital wing was overflowing with the injured, if Will's worries scurrying was any testament to that.

Fay's disappearance wasn't counted as a casualty. No body was found yet, Harlan had said. Well, of course — they'd never find it.

The battle had ended just before sundown, and a counsellors' meeting was postponed to tomorrow morning to ensure that everyone was in the right state of mind for it.

Annabeth thought bitterly that Harlan would be glad about this — she was too tired to fight, to argue anymore. All she could think about was the fact that a child had lost a life today. Fay could've gone on to do amazing things, to be an incredible hero, to save lives. She wouldn't get the chance to do any of that now.

The nightmares worsened. That was what had woken Annabeth up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat.

She hadn't had a nightmare of Tartarus in months. She'd thought that it was over. But maybe it would never be. Maybe it would always hang over her shoulder like an ominous threat.

That was what propelled her to head to the beach. Camp was large but it still felt claustrophobic. The beach had always been a symbol of freedom for Annabeth.

Harlan might've banned it, but, well, screw him, honestly.

The ocean breeze that rippled past her face, messing up her hair put a smile on Annabeth's face. It was refreshing, and frankly, a relief to be able to take in this kind of fresh air.

As she padded down the beach, carrying her sandals so that the sand warm against her toes, Annabeth paused to take a deep breath. The clear sky shone down on her, and somewhere up there, Annabeth likes to think that her mother was watching over her too.

When her eyelids fluttered open again and Annabeth cast her gaze downward, she almost had a heart attack when she saw the silhouette illuminated by the moonlight.

Other people might've had to squint or get nearer, but Annabeth immediately thought, Percy? She'd recognise him anywhere.

Pulling off her cap tentatively, Annabeth continued to just look at him, debating whether to go down to him or to turn back.

Quickly, the decision was made for her. Percy turned around, green eyes flashing with recognition.

"Thought I could count on being the only one here," Percy said as she traipsed down to his side. He was wearing one of his old swimming jerseys from high school, the words "GOODE HIGH" emblazoned on the back. He'd grown since then, of course, so the shirt was a little tight around the shoulders, which Annabeth had to admit wasn't entirely a bad thing.