Death by Sea (Pernico fanfic)

Chapter 19: Putting the "Fun" in Funeral

*I love y'all*

Chapter 19: Putting the "Fun" in Funeral

Black...

I see why he wore it now...

Darkness...

Absence of light...

It fits then, it fits now...

And for now, there is little to nothing to do with happiness...

Light.

I was never a person to cry easily...

So why am I now?

****

Nico died last week. We were going to have his burning today. I managed to drag myself to it. I knew people were trying to make it seem... as light hearted as possible, but it wasn't working.

He was still gone.

He wasn't here.

"Percy...?" Annabeth was here in a black dress and her hair nicely curled. She let go of Reyna's arm to talk to me. Reyna looked at me once and then looked away. She didn't hate me I think... she just disliked me or something.

"Annabeth. Thank you for coming," I flashed her a brilliant smile. See, you must be thinking I fell apart after Nico's death.

You're right.

But I can't just fall apart, I have to maintain a rather... normal disposition or else people will worry about me. I don't want them to worry about me. I understand now what Nico had against pity.

"Of course, how are you doing?" Annabeth asked, placing a hand on my arm. Her grey eyes were concerned.

"I've been... not doing too well, but I'm trying to grieve properly," I admitted.

"That's good," Annabeth says.

"I'm glad you think so," I sighed.

"How are you really doing, Percy? I've been worried-"

"Don't worry about me, Annabeth. I'm just going through the motions. It's like a bad breakup, you know," I smiled weakly. "At least there wasn't a stupid breakup line like, 'it's not you, it's me'."

"Percy..."

"Sorry, sorry, too soon?" I asked.

"Leo's the one with the dark humor and hides behind a stupid grin. You've never coped well with loss, Percy, I know you," Annabeth told me.

"Just because I've never done something before doesn't mean that I can't get better at it," I replied with an icy tone to my voice. "I'm just trying to move past this so that we can all move on as well. Nico's death is just the end of a chapter!"

"He was that insignificant to you?" Annabeth finally snapped. "What was I, then? A paragraph?!"

"Why are you making this about you?" I retorted, "this is about Nico! This is his funeral! He's dead, and you're trying to make this about you?!"

"No! I'm just trying to show you that-"

"Let it go, Wise Girl," I said coldly. "I'm not in the mood for a lecture, Mom." Annabeth gaped at me with a deep frown creasing her brow.

"Don't call me your mother, Percy Jackson!" Annabeth yelled at me.

"I don't want to be yelled at!" I yelled in response.