I Go To My Home
Percy
I sniffed and shifted my grip on Annabeth's body in my arms as I limped through Camp Half-Blood. Most of the campers, Romans and Amazons were sleeping or goofing around in their cabins, but some looked at me with curiosity. They weren't close enough to see who I was holding and I ignored them.
I pushed open the door to the Big House with my back and walked in the dark room. "Chiron?" I called out softly. In a few moments he appeared on the other side of the room.
"Percy, what is it?" He noticed the body in my arms but couldn't make out whose it was in the dim light. "Who is that?"
I said nothing a stepped forward, gently placing Annabeth's body on the couch. I took a few steps back, watching him. Chiron looked at me with confusion and moved closer to the couch. It took him a few seconds but soon he recognized the blond curls, the celestial bronze hand, and the golden belt around her waist. Chiron gasped and stumbled back, placing a hand on the wall to steady himself.
"No, it can't be. What happened?" Chiron said slowly.
"When we got to the clearing for the battle, only two of the Oneiroi were there. Annabeth warned us and everyone forgot. We found the missing guy. Phantasus showed up ten minutes ago and snapped her neck." Tears rolled down my cheeks. "I banished him to the Void but it was too late to save her." My shoulders shook as I sobbed. "She's dead, Chiron. Annabeth is dead."
Chiron stared at Annabeth as the information sunk in. I rushed forward and hugged the centaur. His arms went around me and together we cried for Annabeth.
~
The conch horn was blown despite the late hour as Chiron called for everyone to go down to the amphitheater, to burn Annabeth's shroud. No one but the two of us knew she was dead yet. All those that had gone mad from the dreams were fine now that the three Oneiroi were gone. I walked glumly along, my face still wet. Thalia made her way over to me.
"Percy, what's going on?" She saw my face and gasped slightly. "What happened?" I said nothing. "Where's Annabeth?"
I pushed my way through the crowd and walked faster, leaving the daughter of Zeus behind. Once everyone had gathered in the amphitheater and we were waiting, I hid in the shadows behind Chiron, and hefted Annabeth's body into my arms.
Everyone was silent. Chiron stepped forward, "We made a mistake. Two of the Oneiroi were defeated during the war. But we missed one. Phantasus. He made his move tonight. It was too late to stop him. He has now joined his brothers in the Void, but he left his mark.
"Everyone knew her. Some much more than others, but everyone knew her name. She was a great part of this camp and everywhere she was. She went through so much, only for it never pay off. Her death will forever change us.
"Annabeth Chase is dead." Chiron finished and the reaction was immediate. Gasps echoed around the amphitheater. The Amazons and the Athena cabin started crying. Thalia and some of our friends from the other cabins cried too. Including Clarisse. The older campers who had known Annabeth for a long time were on the verge of tears. The newer campers who hadn't known her that much just sat there in shock. The Romans copied them. Thalia looked for me, now that she knew why I had been crying.
I slowly walked forward, carrying Annabeth's shroud-wrapped body to the unlit pile of wood. I carefully placed her on the wood and took the torch Chiron handed me. As I looked up I met Grover's eyes. They were filled with pity.
"She was the most Athena-like child of Athena I'd ever met," I started, "Amazingly smart, brave, skilled, and so many others things. She saved my life too many times to count. I wouldn't be here without her. Most of you know that we had been dating for the last seven years, but we had been separated for most of that time. I loved her. I really did.
"She went through so much with me, and by herself. She was in four wars. She shouldn't have had to go through all of that stress of trying to make the world safer for future demigods. She succeeded, but it didn't make it any safer for herself.
"Annabeth didn't deserve this." I touched the torch to her body and she burst into flames. "Tammy," I called up the Amazon. She came forward slowly. I handed her the gold belt signifying Queenship of the Amazons. I didn't stay any longer than that. I elbowed my way through the crowd and headed away from the amphitheater.
A hand touched my shoulder and turned me around. Thalia stood there. We didn't say anything, but she put her arms around me and hugged me tightly. I returned the hug and fresh tears fell from my eyes. We cried together, being the two people who had known her the best, excluding Chiron.
I broke from the hug and turned away again. "Percy!" Thalia tried to stop me again. I didn't turn back and kept moving, breaking into a jog. I ran away, not knowing where I was going. I passed Peleus and Thalia's tree, barely glancing at the tall statue that sat there now.
I ran for hours, tears blurring my vision. I had no idea where I was running to. The familiar streets of Manhattan soon appeared and then I stood on my mother's doorstep.
I knocked on the door. It was still early in the morning, but I prayed my mother would answer. The doorknob jiggled and Sally Jackson's tired face peeked out. She opened the door wider when she saw it was me. Then she saw my tear-stained face.
"Percy, what's wrong?" I stumbled forward and enveloped her in a large hug, crying into her robe. "Oh, honey." My mom pulled me inside and closed the door, leading me to the living room.
"What is it?" Paul's voice came from a few feet away.
"I don't know yet," My mom answered as she rubbed my back.
I felt like a little kid again as I laid across the couch with my head in my mom's lap. She had one hand in my hair and the other rubbing my shoulder. Paul sat next to her and held her shoulders.
"The war is over." I finally said.
"That's great, Percy! And you're okay!" She examined my body again, checking to make sure I wasn't hurt too bad. She winced when she felt my swollen knee but let it be.
"No, mom. I'm not okay. Something happened." She waited for me, sensing that this was hard to say. "Annabeth--she's dead." My mother gasped and her hand left my shoulder, flying to her mouth. "We missed one of the Oneiroi and he snapped her neck last night." I started sobbing again.
"Oh, Percy." My mother bent down and embraced me tightly. She cried too. She had really liked Annabeth.
We sat there for a while, me crying, my mother trying to comfort me and crying herself, and Paul trying to comfort her. My heart seemed like it was held in a fist, unable to move. The hand was freezing cold, and as a result my heart was frozen.
It hurt so much.
Annabeth was gone. I would never hold her, kiss her, touch her, talk to her, do anything with her again. It would be too hard to go to the Underworld to see her, every time I went it would remind me that she was dead.
I think I fell asleep at some point and then woke up when I felt the Olympians calling me, Annabeth, Chiron, and Jason up to Olympus. They didn't know that Annabeth was dead yet, or that Tammy would be coming. I found myself in the elevator going up to Olympus with the three of them. They sensed I needed space and let me be.
We walked to the throne room in silence. Chiron, Tammy, and Jason were asked what they wanted for a reward for those under their leadership first. I didn't pay attention to what they replied with. Athena and the other Olympians were confused about why Tammy was there instead of Annabeth but they didn't ask yet, waiting to ask me.
"Perseus," Zeus said. "You have earned a wish from us. But we would also like to know, where is Annabeth Chase?" All of the gods leaned forward--particularly Athena--and waited.
"She's dead." I spit out bitterly. Athena gasped and the other gods had looks of surprise on their faces. "I don't want a wish from you. You have so many problems with your family, why can't you solve some of them yourself? We don't want to do your work for you. We don't want to die for you, even if you're our parents. Something is wrong with you immortals, all you want is power. The only original immortals I've met who don't always want power are Chaos and Hestia. Why can't all of you deal with your own problems? Don't expect me to come back and help next time. I'm done helping you."
"Percy," Chiron warned.
I ignored him. The gods couldn't hurt me. I wasn't some puny demigod anymore. I didn't care what they did to me or thought of me. Let them. "It's your fault Annabeth died. This is on you." I turned away, starting for the doors to leave Olympus.
"I agree with Percy." Athena spoke up and I stopped. "Annabeth should not have died, and it was because of us."
"Thank you, Athena." I spoke over my shoulder. "At least one of you has some sense."
"Perseus, do not be hasty. We have told you before, we need half-bloods." Zeus protested. "We need you--"
"To do your dirty work for you, so that we get killed instead of you. I've heard the recruitment speech. Yeah, we're so lucky. I mean it. I'm done helping. My team can help and the campers and Amazons and Romans can help, but not me. This is the last straw."
With that I stormed out of Olympus and returned to my mother's apartment. I collapsed into her arms, crying again. I told her what had happened and she said she understood what I had done, and agreed with me. I laid on the couch as she made hot cocoa, trying to dull the pain of my frostbitten heart. My mother called Annabeth's dad and broke the news to him, but I barely heard her.
I felt something in the back of my mind. I had only felt it twice before. A new recruit in the Underworld. I usually felt it hours after the person had died. It had been hours since Annabeth died.
I lifted my head, hope slowly seeping into my heart. "There's a new recruit in the Underworld." I choked out.
My mother immediately placed a hand on my arm. "Percy, I know what you're thinking. It might be Annabeth, but don't get your hopes up too much, all right? If you see her there, I would recommend you didn't show yourself. Not until you knew who it was you are looking for. If it is her, that's great! You have to bring her back here so I can see her. But Percy, if it's not, don't show yourself. It would just hurt both of you."
I sighed, "Okay." I stood and my mom hugged me one last time.
"I'll see you before you leave, right?"
"Of course." I smiled at her and then left the apartment. I flashed away to the Underworld. I landed on the barge that Charon was pushing across the River Styx. He saw me and grumbled, but didn't demand for me to get off. I didn't see Annabeth yet, or the person I was looking for. I waited, thinking I would see them after we got off the barge.
We hit the other side of the River Styx and spirits started to get off. When it was my turn, I tried to step on the land and hit an invisible barrier. I kept trying and couldn't go through.
"Dammit, Hades, let me in." I said and waited.
Sorry. The voice came through my mind and then I could step off of the barge. The spirits moved around until I could look around them. I saw Annabeth and froze.
She looked just like she had when she died. Her blonde curls had small flecks of blood in them, her face scratched and bruised, and the gold belt around her waist. There were a few bruises on her neck where it had been broken. She looked sad, knowing what her presence there meant, but also resigned to the fact. She had accepted it.
I melted into a puddle of water when she looked in my direction. It was so hard to see Annabeth again. I forced myself to look away from her and searched for the energy radiating from a spirit, which would tell me they were the one I was looking for.
I looked from side to side until I located the person. The fist left my heart and it defrosted. My hope swelled and I whimpered in joy. The energy was coming from Annabeth.
My body reformed from the liquid as I dashed toward Annabeth and crashed into her, squeezing her tightly as another batch of tears started up. Annabeth stumbled and then when she realized who I was, she returned the hug eagerly.
"Percy," She whispered into my shoulder and squeezed me tighter. When we finally pulled away she held my face. "What are you doing here? You shouldn't have come. It just hurts both of us."
"I came here for a recruit." I waited for Annabeth to realize what I meant. "Don't you get it?"
The familiar thinking glint appeared in her eyes. "Wait. It's me?"
I nodded vigorously and tears burst from both of our eyes. Annabeth grinned and crashed her lips to mine. I kissed her back fiercely, not wanting to lose her again. My Wise Girl would not be separated from me that easily. I held her tightly as I kissed her, making sure to touch her at all times to reassure myself that she was there.
"I love you so much Annabeth." I lifted her into the air and spun her around when our lips separated and laughed in pure joy.
"I love you too, Percy." We kissed again, only pulling away for air.
"Come on, everyone is going to be so happy when they see you." I grabbed Annabeth's hand and we flashed out of the Underworld, reappearing in my mom's living room. She shrieked in fear at first, and then in happiness when she saw Annabeth.
They hugged and cried, and then we talked for a bit. When it was time to leave, I told my mom that I would be leaving Earth again.
She sighed, but then a smile appeared on her face. "This time Annabeth will be with you, though, Percy. That's great! You'll visit a lot, won't you?"
"Of course." I grinned and hugged her again, before Annabeth and I left for Camp Half-Blood. We walked down Half-Blood Hill, with Annabeth under my arm. I wouldn't be letting go of her again for a while.
Campers laughed and cried when they saw Annabeth with me, realizing why she was back. Thalia saw her and sprinted over to us, crashing into her and enveloping both of us in a large hug. The same happened with Chiron, Grover, Tammy, and many other people. Everyone was so happy that she was back, even if it meant she would be leaving with me.
Soon, everyone was packed up and ready to go. Tammy led the Amazons to their boat and after saying farewell, they sailed off. I created a portal for the Romans to go through and they returned to Camp Jupiter.
Then, my team and I, along with Annabeth now, stood on top of Half-Blood Hill, waving down at the campers in the valley. Chiron held his bow up in salute, in full centaur form. I held Annabeth and rested my head on her shoulder as we looked at the campers. Nothing could ruin my happiness now. My knee had been healed, but I barely noticed. All I saw was Annabeth, and my joy that she would be with me 24/7 now.
We stepped into the portal, leaving one of our homes. And for once, I realized that none of the places I called home were my real home. My real home was standing next to me, wrapped in my arms. Her face shined as she looked at me, and my cheeks hurt from smiling at her. I kissed her as we disappeared from Camp, off to finally spend our lives together.