PJO/HOO Sickfics and Prompts

It's Okay To Cry

Synopsis: Jason is up in the middle of the night because of nightmares. Coincidentally, so is Annabeth. Takes place near the beginning of Blood of Olympus, the night after Jason is stabbed and all that.

Jason woke up with a start. The events from earlier with his mother and the suitors in Ithaca not only left him with a pretty nasty physical wound, but also terrible nightmares. He could almost feel Michael Varus breathing down his neck, the sharp, cold pain of the sword passing right through his abdomen. Jason shivered. He thought about his mom, and what alcohol did to her, then he thought about how he'd been forced to drink the watered down wine so that he wouldn't blow his cover, and he found himself extremely nauseous at the thought. He gagged and clamped a hand over his mouth before rushing, as quietly as possible, to the bathroom.

He fell to his knees, heaving. The wine and meat that he'd had to force down his throat earlier came right back up, and he should've been relieved that all of that was out of his system, but all he could focus on now was the stabbing pain in the wound in his gut. He wrapped his arms around himself and winced.

Someone knocked on the door, and when Jason didn't reply, it swung open.

"Whoa, are you okay?" Annabeth asked, once she saw him crumpled on the floor. "Are you sick?"

Jason shook his head miserably. "Nightmare."

"Me too." Her features displayed concern. "You threw up."

"I was thinking about my mom. Then I was thinking about how I had to drink that wine earlier, and..." He realized that he was crying and hastily wiped the tears from his eyes and face. "It was too much."

"I can go get Piper."

"Don't." Jason sniffled. "I don't want to wake her. And to be totally honest, I don't really want her seeing me like this."

"Here, brush your teeth, then we can go up on the deck and talk about it." Annabeth said softly. "I've had my fair share of nightmares, too, recently."

Of course. She had just returned from Tartarus, a.k.a. literal hell. Jason's eyes were still streaming as he brushed his teeth. He wasn't even sure why he was crying, but he didn't have the energy to stop. Normally, he'd never let anyone see him cry; the only other person he'd cried in front of was Reyna. But he knew he could trust Annabeth. He splashed cold water on his face and managed to stop the tears, for now at least, though his eyes were still red and puffy. He tiptoed upstairs to the upper deck, where Annabeth was waiting. He sat down next to her, which was somewhat difficult with the soreness from his stab wound, and she wordlessly draped a blanket over his shoulders and handed him a glass of water.

"How do you feel?" She asked.

"Physically or mentally?" Jason said.

"Both. And be honest. I know you like to be self-sacrificing and downplay things, but don't. Trust me, it'll feel better just letting it all out."

"Physically... It hurts and I'm exhausted." He gave a shaky sigh, trying not to cry. "I'm trying to be strong and positive for everyone else, but..." Jason trailed off and shrugged helplessly.

Annabeth smiled a little in appreciation. "That's something a great leader would do."

"I really don't feel like a leader." His voice cracked. "I feel like the weak link who's been unconscious or injured this entire quest. I haven't done anything remarkably brave."

"What you did tonight was brave. With your mom."

"Yeah." Jason sniffled.

"It's okay to cry." Annabeth stated. "You went through a lot tonight."

He shrugged, fighting down a sob as silent tears rolled down his cheeks. "So have you. You were in freaking tartarus."

"Pain is relative." She said. "So how are you feeling mentally?"

"Honestly?" Jason made a noise that was somewhere between a chuckle and a sob. "I don't even know."

They sat for a minute, Annabeth just letting Jason cry.

"I haven't slept more than two hours a night since Tartarus." She murmured. "The things I saw there - we saw - I can't forget them, no matter how hard I try." They were both crying now.

"W-what kept you going? While you were down there, I mean."

Annabeth turned to face him, then said simply, "Percy."

"Oh." was all that Jason could say.

"The whole time, I just pictured he and I surviving together. Going to college. Raising a family. Going home."

"I'm not even sure I have a home." Jason admitted. "I don't really want to go back to Camp Jupiter. I've never completely fit in there. But then I'm not sure if there's a place for me at Camp Half-Blood. I mean, I'm not a greek demigod, and it's going to be hard letting the last twelve years of my life go. I don't know. Everything is different now."

"Jason," Annabeth said. "This is something that you're going to have to figure out for yourself, assuming we live long enough and both camps are still intact. But there is a place for you at Camp Half-Blood. Greek or not."

He managed a smile, but he was crying again.

"I'm going to give you a hug." Annabeth decided, pulling Jason into an embrace. When they pulled away, they were both crying. "You can always talk to me, you know."

"Likewise." Jason said through a yawn.

"Go get some sleep." Annabeth said. "Come wake up if you need anything."

"Okay." Jason stood up, still holding on to the blanket around his shoulders. As he was walking inside, he turned around. "Annabeth?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks. For everything."

I was working on some requests and then inspiration just struck for this and I had to write it. haha. I also realized while writing this that I LOVE the Jason/Annabeth BrOTP.  You guys' suggestions will be up soon, and make sure to comment any other requests and I'll get to those. :)