Annabeth and Me (A Percy Jackson Fanfiction)

The Funeral

Previously

  I sobbed, holding her to my chest. Annabeth was dead. 

Percy POV

"Percy? Come here. Let me cover her." Chiron said.

He was trying to take her from me! He was my mentor, my friend! At least, he used to be. I turned on him, pulling out Riptide.

"Woah, Percy, calm down." Leo said, stepping in front of me. In response, I hit in the head with the hilt of my sword.

"I'm really sorry about this man." Jason said and hit me in the head with his sword.

I fell to the floor, struggling to get back up. "Sorry, bro." Jason hit me with his sword again.  

I faded into the void of dreams. I didn't dream, but went into a deep sleep.

***

I woke up in my cabin with my mom sitting at the edge of my bed. "Hey mom. Where's Annab-"

Then I remembered. She was gone, and she had forbidden that I come after her. She was gone for good. I broke down into sobs in my mother's waiting arms. She held on to me and let me stay there for most of the morning.

At lunchtime, Malcolm came to tell us that the funeral would be at 2:00. His face was streaked with tears like mine. He walked off hurriedly.

"Okay, Percy, I know you don't want to, but you need to get dressed. I brought a suit for you. Jessie's in the Big House with Chiron."

"Okay." I sniffled.

***

A song called the Pachelbel Canon(video above) was playing. Some of the campers that I don't know told stories about Annabeth. Usually, we didn't have much talking before lighting the funeral pyre, but Annabeth had lived to be so old that everyone at camp knew her and could tell stories. Malcolm walked up to the front to tell a story.

"I remember the day I came to camp. Annabeth was the one who welcomed me. She was nine and I was only eight. She showed me around camp and told me that I was probably her half-brother due to my looks. She always made me welcome at camp, and recently she even let me help her in designing Olympus."

He looked out at me. "I'll never forget the time when Percy had come into our cabin to talk to Annabeth. I saw the look in his eyes that he had had since they had first met. I could tell that he loved her, even then, even though neither of them knew it."

He walked back to his seat. Then the last person most people would expect to have a story to tell about Annabeth went to the front. Nico Di Angelo stood tall at the front.

"Annabeth has been like a big sister to me. She came back when the quest was back instead of Bianca. For a while, I hated her for it. But then I got to know her and..." He trailed off. "I talked to my father and made sure she got into Elysium."

Clarisse told about she and Annabeth grew closer from tending to Chris. Then Thalia went to the front. It was clear that she had been crying. She had know Annabeth before anyone except for Luke and Annabeth's dad. She would have taken it hard.

"When I met Annabeth, she was seven years old. The first thing she did was try to hit Luke with a hammer. We calmed her down and she trusted us. On our way to camp, she saved us from a cyclops. Without her, both Luke and I would be dead. She is the best friend I could ever have. I... I can't tell you how much I loved her."

She stalked back to her seat with the Hunters and Artemis, who had come with her. Finally, it was my turn.

I told them about all the adventures that Annabeth and I had shared. I told about them from being accused of being "the lightning thief," to losing "the blood of Olympus." I told them about the wedding.

Finally I told about our daughter. "The day my little Jessica was born was one of the happiest and scariest days of my life. I was so scared that Annabeth would have trouble, and she was in so much pain and I couldn't do anything. It was like being attacked by the..." I trailed off.

"I loved her. Now that she's gone, I can't..."

Suddenly, I pulled out my pen. I was right. I can't. Can't live.

I uncapped Riptide and it grew into a full sword. I put the point against my chest.

"Percy, no!" My mother cried. She had tears in her eyes, she had known I would try this. But she couldn't stop me. I needed to join Annabeth. I couldn't live with this gaping hole in my heart.

"Don't do this Percy." Jason pleaded.

"I have to! Don't you see? I can't. I can't live like this!" I pushed Riptide into my chest just enough for it to hurt, to distract me from my pain. "I won't!" I cried.

"Daddy?"Jessie asked. "What are you doing, Daddy? Where's Mommy?"

I dropped Riptide, going to pick up my daughter. I held her to my chest, muttering that it would be okay. 

"Daddy, where's Mommy?" She asked again.

"Mommy's gone to be with Luke. You remember Luke? He's Mommy's friend."

"But Daddy, Luke is down there." She said, pointing to the ground.

"Yeah, but Mommy likes it there. She's happy."

"But she's not with us. She loves us, doesn't she?"

"We'll see her again. She's just gone away for a while." I almost convinced myself. Almost.

When I had taken my seat, Chiron lit a torch. 

"Goodbye Annabeth. You were a great hero and like a daughter to me." He lit the beautiful gray burial shroud. It had a darker gray owl stitched into it, and looked like the burial shroud that had been made for her so many years ago when no one had thought she would make it back. 

I just wished... I had always wanted to die before she did so I would never have to miss her. Now that she was gone, I couldn't handle it. I ran towards the lake. I dove in, hearing the people calling my name, but not really caring. I sank to the bottom of the lake.

I stayed at the bottom of the lake, crying where no one could see my pain.

***

Daddy?

Jessica's voice startled me. Wait, Jessica's voice? I was underwater!

But there she was. She was right beside me at the bottom of the canoe lake. So she had inherited some powers. I had thought she would, but they had never shown before. She had to come up for air when we went to the YMCA.

Jessie? What are you doing here? (That's me)

Why are you sad Daddy?

I'm sad because Mommy had to leave.

But why can't she just come back?

She can't. She just can't.

But you have me and grandma.

Yeah, that will keep me sane. Come on Jess, let's get you back to Grandma.

Okay, Daddy.