A/N: Here is the alternate ending, which leads to a short spinoff book. Enjoy!
I Go 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.
Part of me hoped it would happen, that she would join my team. I usually felt something in the back of my mind hours after the person had died. It had been hours since Annabeth died. Nothing came.
The day ended and I fell asleep in my mother's apartment on her couch. More days passed and soon weeks, but still nothing.
Finally, Thalia came. Mom let her in while I was sitting on the couch, staring at the wall without registering anything happening around me. Thalia's face appeared in front of mine and her mouth moved but I didn't hear her. She left and I sat.
Cold water splashed over my body, but it was also salty. Betrayed by my father's blood, my senses woke quickly and I sat shivering as Thalia appeared again.
"Look, you have to get over this. Everyone misses her. No one has seen you in a long time and we were getting worried. We care about you. Your absence plus Annabeth's is hard for us. Have you even thought about that? About me especially? Besides Grover, you and I knew her the best and the longest, no one else understands. I thought I would be able to talk to you, and that we could comfort each other. Instead, you left and didn't return. You were only seen once by my brother, Chiron, Tammy, and the gods.
"You can't just hole yourself up in here. You have to move on. You know that that's what she would want you to do. Annabeth would want you to move on," Thalia sat down on the couch next to me.
I stared straight ahead as I spoke. "I never got to say goodbye. The last thing I said to her was, 'I agree,' and the last thing she ever said caused her death. She was just gone, Thalia. Right before my eyes. I didn't tell her I loved her enough."
I said nothing as Thalia put her arms around me but slowly leaned against her and returned her embrace. My shoulders silently shook with small sobs. After a few minutes I gently removed her arms and stood. "Okay. I'm ready. Let's go."
I said a tearful goodbye to my mother, both of us knowing that this would be the last time we saw each other but not willing to admit it. I pulled her in for one last hug and she whispered in my ear, "You'll get through this. I know you will."
"Goodbye, Mom." Thalia led me out of her apartment and after the door closed I stood there for a moment.
"What is it?" Asked Thalia.
I looked down at my hand and saw the ring Annabeth had given me two years ago, which had belonged to her father. I placed my hand on my mother's door and when I pulled it away, the imprint of the ring was clearly visible burned into the wood. The corner of my lip lifted in a small smile. I placed the ring around my finger.
"Okay." I took a deep breathe and let it out slowly.
Thalia grinned a little and took my hand in a friendly matter. I felt the familiar feeling of "teleporting" and when my feet landed again, we were on top of Half-Blood Hill.
"I'm going to gather the rest of the team. We'll see you before you leave, right?" Thalia slowly started down the hill and I followed.
"No, I'm going to leave on my own time. But I'll meet you guys back there."
After staring at my face for a few seconds, Thalia seemed satisfied with my response. "Okay." Then she ran off.
I walked down the hill slowly, heading for the Big House. Chiron was waiting for me.
"This is going to be the last time I will see you, I presume?" Chiron sighed, sad, but accepting the truth.
I said nothing but nodded.
"Well then, I wish you the best." Chiron patted my shoulder sadly and turned away.
"Goodbye, Chiron." I whispered.
I walked up to the door of the Big House. Placing my hand on it, once again holding Annabeth's ring, I closed my eyes. When I stepped back and opened my eyes, the same imprint I had made on my mother's door was on the door of the Big House. Annabeth was a part of this Camp when she was alive, and she will be while she is dead.
Annabeth was gone. I couldn't change that. I just had to move on.
I returned the ring to my finger and waved my other hand over it. My finger burned and the ring glowed for a moment but then it faded. The ring would never leave my finger now. I would always have a part of her with me.
I made my way back up Half-Blood Hill and stood on top of it, surveying Camp Half-Blood. I had always considered it my home, or one of them. Not anymore. The entire time I thought it was home, it wasn't the Camp itself I was thinking of. It was Annabeth, and what the Camp meant regarding her. I would always find her here.
That was gone. Camp Half-Blood was just a promise of Annabeth, but that promise had been broken. Camp Half-Blood wasn't my home anymore. Olympus was never my home, and my mother's apartment hasn't been my home ever since I became Chaos. My home was away from Earth, where no one else could get hurt because of me.
Knowing that Thalia or Zoë would deal with the Amazons and Romans if they hadn't already, and not bothering with a portal, I turned away and faced the other side of Half-Blood Hill. My senses tingled, and without thinking twice or looking back, I left.
For good.
A/N: Yes, this is much more sad and I'm thinking everyone likes the other ending better, but I'm just the kind of author that likes this ending better.
If you're like me and prefer sad stuff like this, then go read the spinoff to this ending, called Lost Love.
Anyway, I hope you liked the book! A lot of you have read all three books, voted, and commented and it means a lot. I hope it was worth it! Thank you so much for reading my stories!
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