Percy Jackson One Shots

The War's Over Yet We're Still Haunted (Part 1)-Percabeth

Disclaimer:

All characters and settings (except for a few) basically all rights belong to Rick Riordan. Thank you.
Also this was written right after Blood of Olympus and does not account for any books written after.

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It's done. Everything's finally done. Those were the thoughts that constantly rang inside Percy's head. Reassurances when knowing that everything was not perfect when dread was constantly filling his stomach. He just didn't feel safe anymore, expecting monsters at every turn. Happiness was a hard emotion to feel as the darkness of Tartarus seem to still cling on.

Nightmares frequented him often these days. But not the typical demigod nightmares. Instead he was back in Tartarus, only this time, without Annabeth. Nights pass with only an hour or two of sleep. He felt dead on his feet, with dark circles forming under his eyes.

What was there to do anymore? Go back to school? Only to have it ruined again with another prophecy? What a joke. Percy's thoughts tormented him as he realized he was lost with nothing to do. Annabeth had a vision. She had work to do. Still rebuilding Olympus, helping New Rome. She had a life. He didn't. He was just scared. He didn't want to be this scared or frantic anymore. He didn't want the nervous energy that was ready to pick a fight, ready to kill a monster, ready to survive again and again and again.

He had thought that Annabeth and he would go to New Rome, go to college, and finally settle down. But then Jason went out to do some heroic deed with Piper followed him saying he couldn't do it alone. Then Frank ended up taking the role of Praetor, busy learning about his new duties. Hazel of course stayed with him, working to control her new magic. Leo was still gone, and even though Nico seemed unsure about his death, Percy just couldn't bring himself to hope anymore.

And of course there was Nico himself, the boy he failed. The boy who had a crush on him, and of course Percy never gave him the attention he needed. Of course, he couldn't stop Bianca's death. Of course, he couldn't be there when Nico started over using his powers. Of course he couldn't be there when Nico had gone through Tartarus. Alone. No he failed the boy who was once bright eyed and excited to be a camper, and could never help him feel like he belonged.

Days seemed like they were mixing into each other. Nights kept coming. Yet sleep meant nightmares. Nightmares that only Annabeth could wake him up from.

It's was all hard. The one person who he truly wanted to talk to seemed to be trying to completely distract herself. She hasn't slept either. But she hasn't stopped working. Day after day, she kept building, making blueprints, and recreating structures, everything really. She never has a minute to spare except when- schist.

Percy suddenly sees everything go black and he feels himself falling back. Falling that eternal fall. Back to Tartarus. Alone once again, feeling shards of glass against his bare feet. It's harder without Annabeth. Harder still with no prophecy to accomplish. No friends on the other side. No path to follow. No point of going on. And that's an interesting thought isn't it. What happens when you die in a dream? Could it happen in real life too? Would it just be over? Could it-

"Percy!" Oh but he couldn't. Not with that voice calling his name.

"Wake up!" Percy felt himself being shook. Until he finally saw grey eyes staring into his. But the eyes were filled with tears. Instantly Percy pulled her in as he felt my shirt getting wet from her tears. In the dreams, alone death always seemed tempting, but then he'd wake up to Annabeth, his rock, and he knew he had so much to live for. His mom and Paul, he loved them. But sometimes they felt so far away when he was at camp. They didn't know what he went through. Not like Annabeth did.

And he knew his nightmares would only hurt them. Scare them, since only Annabeth could wake him up. He didn't want to put that on them. He didn't want to put it on anyone. But Annabeth also faced the same fate. A fate he wish he could take away from her. He wished she didn't have these nightmares, didn't have to depend on him. He wished she could be free and happy. That he could also be free of this torment.

He wanted to live again, he didn't want to just survive.