Sunflowers and Roses: A Solangelo AU

Chapter 12: Annabeth

Annabeth Jackson is the strongest woman alive. No one ccan argue that point. Annabeth is a strong, fiercely independent, and confident woman. It is her nature, and she remembers the day her nature had become a necessity. 

She was fourteen years old, still Annabeth Chase. She wasn't even dating Percy yet. She'd been up late, studying for her AP World History exam, when she heard rapid, panicked knocking on her window.

She opened it, and Percy practically flew inside, right into her arms. He was trembling and soaking wet from the rain. It took her a moment to realize he was crying.

"Percy?" She called, but all he answered with was a sob. Her heart clenched so painfully she thought it might kill her. "Percy what's wrong? What happened?"

"She's gone." He gasped, the words sounding painful. "She's gone and it's all my fault!"

Ice formed in Annabeth's veins. "Who, Percy? Who?"  Because if anything had happened to Sally Jackson, she was going to burn the world.

"H-He's so angry... he's so angry... he hates me- he hates me so much- I hurt him- how could I be so stupid-"

"Percy, please tell me who!"

"BIANCA!" He wailed, burying himself deeper into Annabeth's shoulder, needing her warmth, needing her strength.

The ice in Annabeth's veins turned into white hot horror.

Annabeth didn't know Bianca well. She didn't know Nico Di Angelo well, either. But she knew the boy worshiped Percy, and loved his sister more than anything.

"Oh my gods... oh my gods... Percy what happened? Tell me what happened."

They had gone to a junk yard. They just wanted to play around in the scrap metal, pretend to drive the broken down cars. They had just wanted to be stupid kids. 

Bianca had climbed up a tower of scrap metal and other junkyard goods. The wind blew the wrong way. Down she fell. Down the metal fell. And gone, her life went.

After that moment, Percy wasn't the same. Nico wasn't the same. Nico's once bubbly, bright character darkened until he was only a shell of himself. He was angry and distant and cold, and the way he looked at Percy, with such hurt and bitterness couldn't be ignored.

Annabeth had to be strong for herself. She had to be strong for Percy. And she found herself wanting to be strong for Nico.

She remembered how upset Nico was about them moving to LA. About the wedding. About everyone moving to NC. Nico was always so angry. Just anger, anger, anger. The boy had white hot fire constantly burning beneath his skin.

When she saw him again at the bonfire, her heart had squeezed. He looked so frail, so tired, so weak. And when Bianca had run up to him, the look on his face was part shock, part distress, and part longing.

An only child, Annabeth couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose a sibling. It had been Nico that made her so hesitant to even have Bianca in the first place. Their son, Luke, was the first born, named after her childhood friend who died of a drug overdose. She wondered, god forbid, if something happened to one of her children, how terrible would the other's life become?

But Percy had wanted her so, and Annabeth couldn't say no to him.

Annabeth loved her husband with every fiber of her being, but she loved her children with the vastness and fierceness that only a mother can.

She watched them grow, she watched them play. She watched them cuddle up together on the couch, she watched them try to read each other stories. She watched them love each other with the closeness of a brother and sister that never dreamed of being apart.

She wondered if that's what happened to Nico, that night. That love was broken. Shattered. Never to be repaired again.

When Annabeth woke up, groggy and in need of coffee to find Hazel, dressed lavishly in green and gold, on her front porch, she wondered what could be wrong.

Nothing was wrong. Hazel wanted her and the family to come over to their house for dinner.

Annabeth was weary. Nico would be there. She didn't have a problem with him, but she wasn't sure if that hospitality would be returned. Nico, once again, was an angry man, and that anger was targeted at her husband. She wanted to protect Percy from that. She wanted to protect her children from that.

But Hazel insisted, and so, Annabeth agreed. 

Now, as she gets Bianca and Luke ready to go over to the Zhang household, and as she watches Percy tremble slightly as he puts his shoes on, she can't help but hope for a miracle.

Oh how Annabeth Jackson could use a miracle.