𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄, PJ2

𝟎𝟎𝟐.𝟏

Annabeth pulled the jacket close to her and watched Augustus hack away at the dummy with his spear in the light of the moon.

After dinner, where they'd learnt about Jason being a son of Zeus, Piper a daughter of Aphrodite and the upcoming quest the trio was about to embark on. Everything was beyond frustrating and Annabeth could not find the same steadfast energy she had the past years inside her. The second Titan war had ruined them all someway or the other, like how Augustus was practicing every breathing second of the day.

She knew why he was doing so, She knew he felt guilty about Juliet and this was his way to cope with it, this was his way to channel out the sadness, this was his way to ensure he could protect his friends always. Annabeth hadn't seen Augustus joke around like her used to for half year now.

"Gus," He didn't stop his movements, only offering a strained smile of acknowledgment towards her to show he heard her, "Let's go to sleep."

He wasn't sleeping, He hadn't been sleeping for months now, whenever he did he woke up covered in sweat, gasping for air and mumbling the same words again and again, "I promise,"

Annabeth knew Juliet had talked about something with Augustus when he'd been by her side as Luke stabbed himself, whatever it had been it had left the boy broken. And the added fact that Percy couldn't even look at Augustus anymore without being reminded of him keeping Juliet's poisoning a secret from him, it was all just adding on to the pain.

"Yeah, you head to bed, I'll step in after some while," He said while breathing heavily, jabbing and slashing again and again.

Annabeth sighed, feeling a wave of sympathy wash over her as she watched Augustus pour his heart into his training. She knew that words alone couldn't ease his pain or heal the wounds that ran deep within him.

"Gus," she said softly, stepping closer to him. "You can't keep punishing yourself like this. We all understand how much you're hurting, but pushing yourself to the brink isn't the answer."
Augustus paused in his movements, his breath coming out in ragged gasps as he turned to face her. His eyes held a mixture of exhaustion and determination, reflecting the turmoil raging inside him.

"I have to be strong," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "I have to be ready for whatever comes next. I can't afford to let my guard down, not after what happened to Juliet."

Annabeth reached out, gently placing a hand on his shoulder, soothingly rubbing circles on his skin.

"I know, Gus," she said, her voice filled with compassion. "But you don't have to face this alone. We're all here for you, no matter what. You don't have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders."

Augustus's gaze softened, and for a moment, Annabeth saw a flicker of vulnerability in his eyes. She knew that beneath his tough exterior, he was still the same loyal and caring boy she had always known

"Come on," she said, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Let's go to bed. You need rest, and I'll be here if you need to talk or if you just need someone to be with you."

With a reluctant nod, Augustus finally relented, turning his spear back to his bracelet. "Thank you," he stepped forward, engulfing her in a hug and lightly pecking her head. "Thank you for being there for me."

Annabeth gulped back in pain, she was there for him, but he needed to be there for her too, it felt as if sometimes she was shouldering the entire relationship on her own shoulders, handling her and Augustus pain together.

"I'm here for you," But you aren't there for me, she wanted to yell at him, he wasn't the only one who had lost a friend, he wasn't the only one hurting. She appreciated his gratitude, but she couldn't shake the feeling of loneliness that gnawed at her from within.

"I'm here for you," she echoed softly, her voice tinged with a hint of melancholy. "Always."

She knew that Augustus needed her support now more than ever, and she would be there for him no matter what. But deep down, she longed for him to reciprocate her vulnerability and be there for her in return.

As they made their way back to their cabin, Annabeth couldn't shake the feeling of unease that lingered in the air. She hoped that with time, Augustus would realize that they were in this together, and that they could lean on each other for strength and comfort.

But for now, she would continue to be there for him, offering her unwavering support and understanding, even if it meant bearing the weight of her own pain in silence.

****

"We have some of the best tutors here, and the university is a state of the art with the best facilities! Imagine studying in Elysium University with Hippocrates, taking your pre med class? It's a win win!"

Juliet stared at Hippocrates, he grinned in return and Juliet had to stop herself from making a comment about the guy's falling teeth, she just gained back in reply before turning back to Alecto, her smile strained.

"Can you speak with you alone for a minute?" Alecto nodded vigorously before shooing away Hippocrates who bowed to Juliet on his way out, making the girl do a an awkward curtsy back to him.

Once all the smile slipped off her face as she turned to Alecto with a blank face, "Who's been putting you up to this? Because I don't know if you have understood or not, but I'm dead, and I don't wanna study in afterlife."

Alecto looked at her boredly, leaning back in her chair as she assessed Juliet, "My lord is doing you a favour, after the war and now all the diseases being spread it's hard to write all the names in the book in a right order, He admitted you into Elysium and is giving you privileges even when your name isn't in his book, you should be glad you are not a wandering soul!"

"So Hades is just covering up for his lack of speed by making me go to college?" Juliet deadpanned making the fury hiss, but not argue. Juliet sighed standing up from her seat, "Look, I'm fine, he doesn't need to send Nico and you to come check up on me again and again,"

"You were on the verge of blowing up Elysium two moths ago!"

"It was a nightmare, and I didn't know it could escalate so much!" Juliet snapped out, Hades had been sending scouts to check up on her again and again after the incident a few months back.

Juliet had been dreaming about her life before she....well died, and in her dream Percy had been in danger, he kept yelling about not remembering and Juliet tried to run to him but he kept getting farther and farther away. The dream was so intense it made Juliet's body physically generate enough heat to cause global warming in Elysium.
Since then she had been getting watched over by Hades employees.

"I don't need anyones help or sympathy. I'm dead, just let me rest." She walked out the room after that.

But Juliet thought who she was fooling, because she couldn't rest even death. She couldn't rest until she had Percy Jackson by her side.

Authors Note okay so just clearing up Daphne if yall remember from Titans curse was the girl who  brought Juliet and Annabeth back to Luke if you guys go read that chapter again you'll see I described the girl wearing a purple Tshirt 👀🧐