Percabeth Short Stories

What's Worth Fighting For?

WARNING: Contains suicide, cutting and feels.

Dear Mother, Annabeth Chase wrote, seizing the pen in her hands and making it dance across the page. She closed her eyes briefly to think.

Everyday I get bullied, and it's not just because of you. At school my classmates send hate mail to my locker and taunt me. They tell me how useless I am, just a stuck-up know-it-all. I'm too prideful of myself to ignore it. The main bully, Piper Mclean, loathes me because I once dated her crush Jason Grace.

I cut myself, Mother. I use the knife in the kitchen, wiping the blood off it after and flushing the red liquid down the sink. And I can't stop myself. It feels so nice, so relaxing to feel the coldness of the blade against my skin, to feel the pain and laugh pleasantly. Tonight I plan to kill myself, to rid me from this cruel world. If you dare to stop me, I'll be at the top of the apartment building at seven o'clock. Then Annabeth pulled out the needle and pricked her finger, splattering blood all over page, before she got up and put it on the kitchen table and then exiting the apartment, taking the stairs to the roof.

•••

Most of the bullies at her school knew where she lived and that she was going to kill herself that night, so she expected many to turn up. She wasn't disappointed.

Of course, Piper Mclean, Annabeth's ex boyfriend Jason Grace, a quiet boy called Percy Jackson, another bully called Luke Castellan and many more showed up. Annabeth tried not to remember Luke's betrayal. They had been dating until a few months ago, when Annabeth finally broke up because she didn't like how he treated her. In return, Luke had raped her. He had raped her several more times since then, another reason why Annabeth wanted to escape from the world.

At seven o'clock, her mother showed up. She didn't say anything, just stood and watched with a neutral expression. Percy Jackson looked like he wanted to say something about her, but stopped at the last moment.

As Annabeth stood up on the ledge, all of the catcalls started. Slowly, Annabeth bent her legs and prepared to jump, but just as she was about to, a hand suddenly grabbed her arm, and she wobbled forwards, then fell off the edge...

The arm that had caught her suddenly tightened it's grip as Annabeth was then left dangling off the edge. Her breath was ripped out of her throat as she watched the cars speeding below her. She wanted so desperately to let go, but a firm grip stopped her.

Percy hauled Annabeth back to safety, and as soon as she was on the roof, she shoved him. Hard. He stumbled backwards, Hazel Levesque and Frank Zhang steading him. "Don't do it." Hazel sobbed as Annabeth turned back to the edge. "Please Annabeth, I beg you not to do it."

"Stop!" Percy yelled, as Annabeth put one foot on the ledge. "Don't! Please, there's always something worth living for!"

"No there isn't." Annabeth murmured softly.

"Jump! Jump! Jump!" The bullies jeered, and Annabeth was surprised that Piper and Jason weren't joining in. For the first time, Annabeth saw the worry in Piper's eyes.

"Stop it!" She yelled, and Annabeth watched in amazement as Piper walked right up to Luke and punched him square in the face. "She doesn't want to do it, so let her."

"Then who's going to?" Luke replied, a steely edge in his voice.

"I am." Another quiet voice spoke, and Leo Valdez stepped out of the shadows.

"No!" Piper's voice had gone hoarse. Leo was a childhood friend of hers. "Leo, don't!"

"I'm sorry, Pipes." Leo apologised, then stood up on the edge, before closing his eyes and jumping.

Everyone rushed to the edge to see Leo falling through the sky. He hit the ground with a thud that resonated up to them.

Piper was crying in Jason's arms. The other bullies started retreating. So did Annabeth's mother. Hazel started to tear up too, but Frank comforted her. Percy walked up to Annabeth. "Don't you even dare." He growled, as Annabeth placed one foot on the ledge.
"What's worth fighting for?" She told him. "Nothing. So bug off."

"Please, don't." Percy looked at her in the eyes, forcing her to look back. Annabeth had never realised until now that he was kind of cute. But she soon snapped out of it and rolled up her sleeves, earning a gasp from everyone.
"I cut." She said simply.

Piper's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh God." She whispered. "I'm sorry. This is all my fault."

"No it isn't." Jason said. He looked at Annabeth who glared at him. "It's my fault. If I hadn't of asked you out to make Piper jealous..." he trailed off.

"I don't want your apologies!" Annabeth screamed. Percy grabbed her arm as she tried to storm back down into the building.

"You're too upset." He sighed. "And if your mom is going to bully you further, then you need to come with us." Annabeth shuddered as she remembered what happened last time someone took her into their house.

"Please, just let me go." She pleaded.

"No. You're not going anywhere." Percy replied, then he took Annabeth back down into the apartment building. They got into the elevator and went down to floor number four. Where are we going? Annabeth thought, then she remembered that he lived in the same apartment building.

"C-can use the bathroom?" She asked.

Percy smiled kindly and all of Annabeth's worries melted into the floor. "Sure. Go ahead." He crashed onto the couch. Piper and Jason took the other while Frank and Hazel sat on the floor.

Quickly, Annabeth went into the bathroom and locked the door, then pulled out her pocketknife. The blade pierced her skin, but she didn't care. She screamed in pain and pleasure, and plunged it deeper into her arm. Someone started banging on the door, but Annabeth was already pulling the knife out. She put it on her chest, then plunged it in.

Blood was everywhere. The door banged open with a crash. Something soft was pressed again Annabeth's lips, like someone was kissing her.

Darkness, whispering to her. Shadows filled her mind, then suddenly everything was gone.

•••

Everyone was crying. Well, almost everyone. There was just one person who was just standing there in silence with a stony expression on her face. Athena Chase.

Athena may have been happy that her daughter had finally killed herself, but deep down she was seething in outrage. How dare those other students, who acted like they were Annabeth's friends. How dare they do that. Annabeth never had 'friends' and neither had Athena.

From where she was standing in the church, she could see the group dressed in black standing there solemnly near the front of the group. Not many people had shown up; just a few relatives that Athena didn't want to greet and some old school friends.

By the time everyone had spoken, a group of men walked up to the coffin. They picked it up and carried it out to the car, slowly making it's way down the aisle. Athena had a clear view of the top if the coffin. There was a small photo in a silver frame of Annabeth, along with some flowers and notes from friends. Everything was to be buried.

As everyone filed out, Athena stayed behind to linger. When she was certain no one was looking, she smiled evilly, pushing down the urge to laugh like a villain, but then decided against it. She could do that at home.

Suddenly, Athena felt something slam into her face, causing her to stumble backwards. "You jerk." A voice growled. It was the girl, Piper Mclean. She went in for another punch, but someone restrained her. It was a boy with messy black hair and bright sea green eyes, though his eyes had seemed to have lost the happiness they had once held. "Let me go, Percy!" Piper yelled.

Percy stepped aside, and Piper punched Athena in the face once more, then swung out her leg and slammed it in her stomach. Athena collapsed, feeling something trickling down her face. She put her hand to it, and when she pulled it away it was covered in blood.

Piper walked away, steaming, leaving Athena to think on that she had just gotten beaten up by a teenage girl.