Dedicated to RRoseaxime
All Characters belong to RR
Percy POV
I stood on the deck of the Argo 2. All of the 7 made it... except one. Except the one that mattered most to me. I felt hollow. Like someone cleaned my insides out like a jack-o-lantern. Like someone took all my guts, but most importantly: my heart. The center to my whole. Someone took my Annabeth. That someone was Gaia. The primordial. The mother of the freaking earth.
My center is gone. She was killed as a result for my stupidity. I wasn't paying enough attention. Gaia managed to sneak under my guard. Right before I was stabbed in the back Annabeth was there like in the 2nd Titan war. She took the hit, and died for my mistake.
Her last words were: "I love you Perseus Jackson. See you in Elysium."
I stared into her eyes as I saw the light leave them. My eyes saw her die, but my mind failed to register it. I shook her, screaming at her to wake up. She couldn't have left me. After all we've been through. I screamed in pain, misery, anguish, sorrow. As I screamed, waves of water exploded from me in different phases killing the monster army and striking the remaining giants giving the gods a chance to add in their hit destroying them. I repeated her last words, because now we share them.
"I love you Annabeth Chase. See you in Elysium."
I dropped her dead body to the ground. I forced my gaze to settle on the primordial. She laughed and mocked me. She taunted my love. She tried to make me mad. She tried to get me to speak. She tried to get me to show emotion. I couldn't. I walked up to her. I got close enough to her that she could stare straight into my dead eyes.
The eyes that lost their light. The eyes that showed the shattered broken being I have become. The eyes of a warrior. The eyes of a sacrificer. The eyes of Perseus Jackson. She backed away from me. She tried to run. She tried to hide. I stood still, watching her. She scrambled backwards. She tripped over something. Annabeth's dead body.
We both looked at the dead daughter of Athena. Our gazes met once again. And not unlike before she tried to get away. I commanded the water in the air to bring her back to me. She was pushed forward until she was standing less than a foot away from me. I easily towered over the small primordial.
She stared fearfully into my eyes. She shook and trembled. I stared blankly at her. She was the source of death. She was the center of my losses. She was the mastermind of destruction. What emotion should I have been feeling? Because all I felt was emptiness.
The mother of the earth begged and begged for mercy. She begged for freedom. She begged for me to let her go. Slowly, with everyone's eyes on me, I lifted my right arm up. She floated in the air, suspended by the water molecules. I closed my fist, the primordial gasped as everything in her broke down into molecules. I opened the clenched fist and she dissolved into the air. A quick and painless death for one who intentionally murdered my love.
After that show my legs have out to exhaustion. Breaking apart a primordials molecules and killing her takes a lot more effort then it looks. I was still conscious, but the energy took a toll on my body rejecting my command to move. The remaining seven rushed to my body with the gods at their heels.
Hazel and Frank reached me first being the closest ones to me. Hazel knelt next to me and turned me over on my back so I was facing the sky. Frank hovered over me, his chinese face creased in worry. Hazel let out a breath of relief when she saw my chest still moving and my eyes still open.
Piper knelt next to me as well trying to charm speak me to stay with her. Jason and Leo copied Franks effort in helping. The gods were having a discussion on the side once they saw I was alive. After a while my dad and Apollo walked over to me. I was propped up against Hazel's body while Piper was feeding me ambrosia.
My eyes flickered up to the approaching gods. The rest of the remaining sevens heads swiveled to deities. My father said nothing but held me sadly hugging me tightly. I tried to hug him back, but I was simply too exhausted. Apollo managed to pry off the weeping sea god and wave his hand over me muttering an incarnation healing my injuries and the rest of the sevens.
Eventually we all boarded the Argo 2 again for our journey back to Camp Half-Blood. Still too weak to stand Jason and Frank supported me until we reached the ship. Then Frank shifted into a giant eagle grabbing my biceps and depositing me onto the deck where I leaned against the mast for support.
Jason flew Piper up onto the deck while Hazel and Leo climbed the ladder. Before we left our parents bid us farewell until we reached Long Island where we would get a night of sleep and then meet them on Olympus for the rewards ceremony and party. The gods said we would have a safe trip back with no attacks and the ship would steer itself courtesy of Hephaestus.
Everyone went to bed trying to convince me to as well. How could I when Annabeth just died before my eyes. Right in front of me, with me helpless at her side. My worst nightmare happened to the one who mattered most. These thoughts sailed through my head as I leaned against the railing of the Argo.
The night had fallen as the stars and constellations lit up the sky. I saw Orion, Heracles, the bear that was a worthy fight for the hunt, the scorpion, and most important to me; Zoë Nightshade, the huntress, daughter of Atlas, a great friend. Another friend I failed to save who died before my eyes while I stood helpless.
I stood there for the rest of the night, thinking, not speaking, and watching the ocean.
***Line Break***
Jason POV
No dreams. Thank Zeus. I headed to the mess hall, Piper, Leo, Hazel, and Frank were already there. All were refreshed and changed. We started eating our food, but the same thing was on all of our minds. Percy. After Annabeth had fallen he hadn't said a word.
"I'm worried about him." Hazel said breaking the silence. Our heads nodded in agreement.
"I think he needs time to get over her death." Piper put in. Her was understood as Annabeth.
"Where is the guy?" Leo asked as if suddenly noticing he wasn't eating with us. We all shrugged.
"Did you see him go to his room last night?" Frank asked. Then it dawned on me.
"Guys, he's going into depression. He didn't eat or sleep last night, but he can't do that forever." A lightbulb shown on the others faces.
We all got up as if practiced and headed out onto the deck where we saw him last night. Sure enough he was there, same clothes as yesterday. Monster dust still clinging to him. He heard our footsteps approaching him and he turned. I stifled a gasp and I'm pretty sure the others did too.
He looked half dead. Huge bags under his eyes, his hair messed up more than usual, and extremely skinny. Luckily he had an apple in his hand so he wasn't starving himself. I started when I realized we all have been staring for a while.
"Percy, hey dude." I said kind of nervous, but mostly concerned. "Is that your breakfast?" He nodded mutely.
"Did you sleep well last night?" Piper cut in before I bombed it. He shook his head. The girls frowned.
"Did you sleep at all?" Hazel asked timidly. He shook his head again. The guys glanced at each other.
"Aqua man! Speak to me buddy," Leo burst out loudly. Percy winced, the girls grimaced. Frank and I just rolled our eyes. "Why didn't you sleep last night?"
Percy looked at Leo like really? He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Percy looked like his suspicions were confirmed. We all looked at Percy confused. That's when it hit us, my eyes widened, Piper and Hazel gasped, and Frank and Leo's jaws dropped. Percy lost his voice, the last thing he ever said was to Annabeth, once she was gone...so was his voice.
Silence wrapped around us as the tension increased. It stayed that way for a couple minutes when yells of joy sounded. We all rushed to the railing, we arrived at Camp Half-Blood. The Athena Parthenos standing proudly by my sisters tree. Shining brightly ensuring peace to both camps. Octavian was standing grumpily in the background with the cabin leaders, centurions, and Reyna with Chiron in the front awaiting our arrival.
"Leo," I said gaining his attention for the moment. "Lower the gang plank." He saluted.
"Immediately Super man." He rushed off to find it and came back a few seconds later with the board.
He set it down and the girls went first. Then Leo, and then Frank, I was about to go, but Percy still hasn't moved. Maybe he wants to come last. I didn't give it a thought and walked down the plank onto familiar land.
"Jason my boy!" Chiron said happily. "Where's Percy?" I glanced back up. Percy still wasn't coming down.
"He should be coming." I replied not so sure.
"How about Annabeth?" He asked anxiously. The seven and I looked at each other uneasily. He saw our exchange. The happy face immediately slipped off his face. He turned to the camps.
"Cabin leaders, centurions, and the seven immediately report to the Big House meeting room." Reyna nodded in permission to the Romans.
"Romans, follow the orders of Chiron, the rest of you go with the Greeks." They dispersed.
The centurions and cabin leaders looked at us confused. That's when Percy entered. He formed right in front of us sort of like how Nico Shadow Traveled, but without the darkness. His face was hard, he still wore the clothes from the battle. As soon as he saw Chiron he faltered. Percy opened his mouth, but because he was now mute, no sound came out. A single tear ran down his face as he faced the father figure to Annabeth.
His knees gave out and Chiron rushed to the broken demigod catching him in his arms. The cabin leaders surrounded Percy. They all hugged each other tightly, they were whispering words of encouragement to him as he wept silently in their arms. Finally Chiron lifted Percy up onto his back and rode to the Big House. The cabin leaders turned to us.
"Tell us the truth now punks." Clarisse demanded.
"Yeah, what-"
"Happened to-"
"Percy?" The Stolls said.
"Where's Annabeth?" Katie asked quietly. When we didn't answer, their faces paled rapidly. They shook their heads disbelief clouding their judgment.
"No, no, no, no, NO!" They said running their hands through their hair.
Covering their faces as they wept. As they fell to the ground clutching their gifts from Annabeth and Percy. The centurions and Reyna just looked awkward.
"Annabeth died when she took a hit from Gaia for Percy." I told them melancholy.
"Percy held her as she died, she said something to him and he told her something back. Then he screamed, waves of water and earthquakes destroyed the rest of the army and giants while he held her to her dying breath." Piper said quietly.
"He split Gaia's molecules and made her dissolve without saying a word or expressing emotion." Hazel said sadly.
"He hasn't said a word sense, he's gone mute." Frank told them almost silently.
"He didn't sleep at all last night." Leo said looking down. We all were. Nico came up to us with Will Solace in tow.
"He can't sleep without Annabeth, they both went through T-Tartarus together so they should've been able to deal with the nightmares together. No one else knows what happened down their." It hit me.
"So if Annabeth's gone the nightmares will just get worse." Thalia said tears falling down her face, tears for her best friend, basically her little sister, and her cousin who is replaced me as her brother when I wasn't there.
"Yes, has he eaten anything? If he hasn't then we're going to have to force him, he might be falling into depression. He would never cut no matter how bad the situation is." Will said trying for a light on the situation.
"He had an apple, but that's all." Hazel said.
"At least he ate." Will sighed.
"Let's go to the Big House for the meeting." Malcolm, Annabeth's brother said.
***Line Break***
Piper POV
In silent agreement we all headed to the Big House. Since the Romans didn't know the way the Greeks lead. We climbed the porch steps and entered the old building. We walked in silence until we reached the ping pong room. When we entered Chiron was at the head of the table patting Percy on the back as he stared at the cup in front of him blankly. Chiron made him hot chocolate, some of the old cabin leaders gained a light of recognition as if this happened before.
Quietly we all made way to our usual seats. Forgetting about the Romans we all sat down. Reyna cleared her throat. We all looked up, the centurions, Reyna, and Frank and Hazel all stood awkwardly in the doorway. Percy continued to look down not acknowledging them. My heart ached, I couldn't blame him.
After all Annabeth and him went through, to have her ripped away from him and have her die in his arms not being able to do anything about it. If that happened to me with Jason I wouldn't be much better. Then again, Percy and Annabeth have known each other even longer. Chiron cleared his throat to start the meeting.
"Can you start by telling us what happened since you were on your way to Greece with Nico?" Chiron asked. I looked at Jason signaling him to talk, because voice or not Percy wouldn't be able to.
"We journeyed to the House of Hades and found Percy and Annabeth collapsed on the ground injured greatly and barely conscious, but the doors closed." Jason said glancing at Percy as he mentioned Annabeth careful not to say Tartarus.
"So they closed the doors?" Chiron asked for confirmation. We nodded. Percy slammed his fist into the ping pong table drawing our attention. He glared at us. He pointed at himself then pointed to the ground as if to say I'm still here.
"Sorry child, so you closed the doors." Chiron said at least looking ashamed like the rest of us.
Percy shook his head confusing us. He pointed at himself then at Malcom. We looked at him confused. Percy shook his head, he looked around the room searching for something. He hopped out of his chair and headed to the white board in the back of the room.
He dragged it to the front and grabbed the blue marker with no hesitation completely ignoring the others. He wrote on the board in scrawny handwriting. "Annabeth and I closed the doors." Ohhh so that's why he pointed to Malcom, Athena child.
"So what happened after Percy?" Chiron said nodding his head.
Percy turned to the board again. This time he took awhile giving the rest of us time to have quiet conversations. Everyone excluding the centurions conversed. Reyna noticing them not being of use here dismissed them.
"How will Percy communicate if he can't talk?" asked Miranda daughter of Hecate.
"Maybe he can carry around a note pad-"
"And write everything he wants to say." Connor and Travis suggested.
"What if he shapes the water into words instead so he doesn't have to bring a notepad around." Leo put in.
"Guys," Hazel cut in before things got into a heated argument. "I don't think Percy wants to talk to people." I thought about it.
"Yeah," I agreed. "He hasn't tried to make conversations unless he had to."
Reyna opened her mouth, but was interrupted by Percy tapping his marker on the white board. He moved aside so we could read what he wrote down. It was kind of hard to read, but I eventually made it out. Luckily for us it was written in Greek on the left and Latin on the right. It said:
We sailed to Greece. Encountered monsters here and there, but when we reached Athens the island was deserted. We landed and checked it out. Eventually we found where the army was. Gaia was standing in the back with closed eyes. Annabeth pulled us to the side and told us to go in a strategic form. Before she could start the plan the Olympians appeared. Jupiter, Juno, Pluto, Poseidon, Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite, Athena, Mars, Hephaestus, Bacchus, Hermes, Demeter, and lastly Hestia.
The sevens parents fought with them while the others took out monsters and attacked the giants when they weren't looking. We fought in three teams. Jason, Piper, and Leo fought on the left side. Frank and Hazel fought on the right, while Annabeth and I fought straight down the middle.
We defeated most of the army and giants when Gaia struck killing Annabeth. She died in my arms, and when she died I lost my voice, not willing to share anymore words since the ones she heard. I destroyed Gaia by taking apart her molecule and turning them to vapor.
We came back as the gods granted us safe passage and auto drive. They told us to head to Olympus tomorrow after we had a good sleep. Now I'm going to go visit my parents before we go to Olympus tomorrow. They can wait for a few hours.
Chiron and the rest of the cabin leaders shifted nervously when they read the last part. A sinking feeling in my gut convinced me something was not right. Percy narrowed his eyes at them. He glared at them, he didn't need to write down his thoughts. His body language shouted it out.
The ones under the glare started to get up and back towards the back of the room. Percy took a step forward while they took one back. Even Chiron, this was not good. Percy slammed his hands into the table almost breaking it. They all jumped scared.
The ground started shaking a minor earth quake, but it got Percy's point across. The victims of this started trembling. Chiron trotted nervously. The suspense was killing me. One side of me wanted to know what happened to Percy's parents. The other half was getting sick like it already knew. They finally cracked.
***Line Break***
Percy POV
I needed to know why everyone was reacting the way they did when I mentioned my parents. I haven't seen my mom in 8 months or my step father. Once Annabeth was gone I felt the need to be my momma's boy again. When even Chiron started backing away from me I asked the silent, but vibrant question. What Happened?!?
I slammed my hands onto the ping pong table almost breaking it in half. They still didn't answer. I silently, but bluntly screamed at them. Tell me! I formed a small earth quake to get them to crack. It worked, after a couple minutes they finally managed to get inaudible words out of their trembling forms.
"Percy-" Clarrise broke off as her voice cracked. Her voice was soft and gentle unlike her usual manor. My vision tunneled on her figure.
"Your-your parents." Katie stuttered out. I motioned for her to continue.
"Their dead." Chiron whispered, but the whole room heard it.
My world came crashing down. Time stopped. It was too much. Chiron's words rang in my ears, pounding against my brain making my head hurt. The world spun and kept spinning. It was too much for me. First Annabeth, now my mom and Paul?
I stumbled away from the shouting and crying teens. My legs gave out and I fell to the ground. With the ground still spinning and the voices and sounds mixing together forming a mass of noise my eyes rolled up into my head. I gave in to the growing darkness.
All that I remembered as I lost consciousness was...
They're dead...
They're gone...
I'm alone...
Tell me what you think...