The Shattered Heart- A Percabeth Fic (One-shot)

If I Could Do This On My Own

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians

The song for this one-shot has to be "Love the Way You Lie" pt 2 piano version by Rihanna (so good).

He held her hand, dreading the moment when he had to let go.

It had only been 7 days after Annabeth's funeral. When she had first appeared Percy was conflicted with thoughts flitting between her death and his joy at seeing her here again.

Some small part of him had registered the wrongness of this during the haziness of their first post-death embrace.

He smothered it.

From then on he had only talked to her in private- the others wouldn't understand.

He now looked at her in the sunlight that filtered through the canopy of leaves overhead.
It was only then when he noticed that something was wrong with her.

Percy began to fret. What was it? Were the sandwiches inedible? The soda flat? He wasn't the most remarkable kitchen connoisseur but he thought for sure that he could get this right.
"No," she said, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly, " that's not it."

She knew what he was thinking, of course she did; she was a figment of his imagination after all although he preferred not to dwell on that aspect of their relationship.

"Then... what is?" He said.

"This," Annabeth took a breath as if dreading what she was about to say, " has to stop."

Percy froze. This had caught him off guard.

"This thing whatever it is - because it is  certainly not a relationship- has to stop."

He stayed silent, deliberating.

"This isn't healthy"

He still couldn't form words yet.

"Please say something."
A pause.
"Well I guess you already are since I am you or at least your subconscious," she uttered with a tad bitter note in her
voice.

"I love you," Percy said softly, almost a whisper, with such sincerity it was heartbreaking

"You need to let me go."

This brought out some anger in him.
"If I could do this on my own, I would."

"What is 'this'?" Annabeth said.
"Life." He took a deep breath, then smiled. Not the smile that Annabeth (when she was alive) had loved, the one that seemed to represent Percy himself; a beacon of joy and hope, the one that seemed to light up a room even at the darkest of times.No. This wasn't that. This was a sick, pain filled, self-deprecating smile. "I had the sword to my chest about to eviscerate myself."

His smile flickered.

"You taught me that word, remember?"

She looked away.

The smile was completely gone now.

"You know... you're right; the real Annabeth loves me and would never leave!"
"She would stay with me through the thick and thin! And if she found out I tried to commit suicide all Hades would break loose! She loves me and I love her!"

There was a still moment of silence between the two of them as Percy realised his mistake.

"... loved."

He whispered the correction weakly before he fell into her arms sobbing. The "fake" Annabeth's arms.

"Get over her please. She wouldn't want this. She loves you and knows what's best for you."
That's the first time she had spoken while she had seemed lost in thought.

She then took a deep breath and for a split-second, all the world's share of pain was displayed in those shiny stormy eyes until finally steely clouds of resolve took their place.

"I have to leave now... okay?"

It was all he could do to weakly nod.

He held her hand and looked into her eyes for what would be the last time in a long time and as she finally faded from this realm, he could have sworn that he saw the shine of newly-shed tears on her cheeks.