PJO #4 : The Battle of the Labyrinth - MISSING SCENES

No Shit, Seaweed Brain (Mid-Chapter 13)

Percy felt worry and stress uncurl in his gut as Annabeth explained how Nico had left the place he had been staying with Eurytion. "He's in danger" Percy told her, and she scoffed. "No kidding" she responded, an edge of sarcasm in her voice- The way it was whenever she was pissed at him for something. "Minos is one of the judges of the dead, but he's got a vicious streak a mile wide" she continued. "I don't know what he wants with Nico, but-"

"That's not what I meant" the boy cut her off, which seemed to just annoy her more. On any other day, she probably wouldn't have cared. This was Percy. He interrupted people. All of the half-bloods did. It was just a byproduct of their ADHD. Nothing to hold against him. But, considering she was already in a pissy mood, it kind of ticked her off. "I had this dream last night..."

After he explained his nightmare about Luke, he saw Annabeth's jaw grow tight as she fiddled with her necklace the way she did whenever she was worried. It always helped soothe her nerves for whatever reason. "That's very, very bad"

"So, what do we do?" Percy asked her, hoping for some semblance of guidance. She was a daughter of Athena, after all. She was just naturally intelligent- Hell, she had literally been born from intelligence (which Percy still found weird to think about). If anyone was going to have a game plan for a bad situation on short notice, it was going to be her. But, instead of a moment of thought or a proper response, she quirked her eyebrow before replying with an annoyed, sarcastic "Well, it's a good thing you have a plan to guide us, huh?"

Percy didn't reply. He felt more pissed off than anything. He loved Annabeth- He really did- But she was damn near impossible to hold a conversation with when she was acting like this. Argus shot him a sympathetic glance with a few of his eyes in the rearview mirror, then returned all of his focus to the road. Deep down, he knew that she was just dealing with her own issues. A part of him also knew he would probably also be acting a bit bitchy if she'd disappeared for two full weeks and then return only to tell him that the solution to their problems was some cute, mortal boy she'd met.

But it still hurt.

"You're mad at me" he said quietly, unable to mask the sadness in his voice. A part of him was always afraid of losing her for one reason or another- He really hoped that he wouldn't lose her over something as petty as this. Of course, he knew that it was ridiculous to even suggest she would do such a thing. She was a bit of an asshole sometimes, but she wouldn't abandon him over something like this. But he still worried, especially when she only replied with a sarcastic "No shit, Seaweed Brain"

He normally didn't mind the nickname, but something about the cold way she had used it only made the cold feeling in his stomach strengthen a bit. She also very rarely cursed, which only added to the weight. He sighed, and a part of her felt guilty. The voice in the back of her head had been making her feel guilty this whole time. She wasn't stupid- Far from it. She knew she was being distant and she knew the effect that would have on him. She also knew that she would feel the same if the roles were reversed. Her wall softened a tiny bit as she thought this over.

She didn't feel like apologizing. She was still upset with him, and rightfully so. He'd stayed out on some island for two whole weeks and allowed everyone at camp to think he was dead the entire time when he could've left sooner if he wanted to. She just also knew that they needed to be on the same team at that moment if anything was to be done, and she also didn't want him to feel like complete shit because of her.

With a sigh of her own, she silently reached out a hand without looking at him. Her face was still visibly annoyed and Percy could tell she was still mad at him, but it was a start. She was trying, and the offer of her hand assured Percy that he wasn't doomed for abandonment.

He took her hand in his own.