MAELSTROM [femPercy x DC]

Chapter 12 - "I miss you"

"Hey Annie... it's me. Percy Jackson. Long time no talk?"

-

"..."

beep beep beep beep beep

Percy paused, staring at the phone.

"She hung up on me?! That's... fair."

Percy quickly redialed the number, waiting for Annie to pick up.

"Percy Jackson. Why are you calling me? Why now? After two years. Two whole years of absolutely NO CONTACT at all. Everybody at camp thought you were dead. We couldn't even get the Hecate kids to find you. As if you decided to ditch us all. So what made you call me now?"

Percy paused, wincing at her reason for calling. She felt like a total jerk.

"I know it's not justified... but I had my reasons for falling off the Earth. Mom went missing two years ago, and with Leo... I was a mess, Annie. About my mom...I don't even know anything. Not if it was related to our world or not, nothing. I don't even know if she's still alive. I suppose I could've asked Nico, but I couldn't bring myself to go back. I've been staying with my aunt, finishing school, just trying to live a good life. I already gave up on normal. And I'm sorry for icing you guys out... it's just so easy to pretend that the whole drama didn't exist. I use my powers, but that's it."

"Percy..." Annabeth trailed off. She had been waiting for this call for ages, but now that it arrived, she didn't know what to say. Her throat was dry, and her breath hitched. Gods, she was going to cry.

"I just miss you. I miss my best friend."

"I know. I'm sorry, I miss you guys too. I miss you guys so freaking much, I wonder every single day, if I should call. If I could call, if I had the right to walk back into your lives after leaving like that."

"How did you hide from us?"

" I manipulated the mist. And literally fell off the Earth. My aunt lives in the mountains. In an extremely remote area."

"Ah..."

"Look Annie, let's catch up. I'll... try to visit, someday soon, hopefully. I just really need your help now."

"What is it?" Annabeth asked curiously. What on earth did Percy need to call her for?

"How do I use a washing machine? I need to, for my new job. And I always used my powers before, or my mom did the laundry, so I don't really know how to."

"You finally contacted me after years to ask me this?" Annabeth's voice was deadly calm.

"I'm sorry! I'll come meet you I swear. I was going to call today anyways... please don't kill me. You can punch me as much as you want when I come over next week. Ok?"

Annabeth sighed deeply

"I guess. Thalia is going to kill you though. Literally."

"Of course she is. I haven't spoken to Thalia even longer than I haven't spoken to you, after all. And Thalia is Thalia. She gets moody without my amazing jokes to keep the air light."

"Percy... it's so good to hear you again."

"Yeah... you too Annie."

"..."

"But I really need to learn how to use the washing machine"

-

"So that's how you use a washing machine, Percy. Did you get it, seaweed brain?"

"Yes, Annie, I got it." Percy groaned in embarrassment as Annabeth ruthlessly teased her. She had just put in the first load, and was watching proudly as the clothes began to spin in the machine.

"Yeah. You said that you're coming to visit next weekend, right?"

"Yup, I'm asking my boss for a day off. It's mom's birthday. Thought I'd at least come to visit Manhattan, check in with the Drama Queen and make sure everything is okay with Dad. He must know that mom is missing too. And he might have an idea on who it was. Since I'm popping by for the gods, I thought I could say hello to you guys too."

"Yeah. I can't wait. You are going to go back home black and blue, Perce, with everybody beating you up for leaving."

"Hm."

"Ok, I've got to go teach the new camper some history. We got loads of new people, by the way. Leo is alive, and Calypso was set free. Did you know that Apollo became mortal? He's back to normal now, of course, and- oh. Oh, nobody told you. Oh gods, Percy. Shit."

"What? What is it?" Percy immediately panicked, hearing Annabeth's sudden change in tone.

"Percy- Percy, Jason died."

"What?"

"He died two years ago. Just a while after you left."

"W-wh-what?!"

"Percy, it's not your fault- Apollo needed somebody-"

Percy hung up the call, and replayed the moment in her mind. She was having an amazing conversation with her beloved best friend Annabeth, for the first time in two years, and then... and then-

She couldn't help it. With those words, Percy sat down against the wall of the laundry room in Wayne Manor and cried. She sobbed and sobbed, for she hadn't cried in two years, and the emotions that had piled up, were all let out with the final blow. Her cousin was dead, and she didn't even know.