Shattered

Percy

He found himself sitting at the edge of a dock, his bare feet submerged in the warm waters below. Before him stretched a calm lake that reflected the picturesque blue sky above, and the shores were lined with trees with leaves of gold, orange, and red. There was a pleasant breeze that carried the smell of his favorite chocolate chip cookies from somewhere off in the distance.

He had no idea where he was or how he got there, but he figured he would kick back and enjoy the amazing view. He raised his arms to the sky and cracked his back before laying down on the ancient wooden surface.

His heart skipped a beat.

"Hey seaweed brain," Annabeth smiled down at him. Her golden hair was tied back into a simple ponytail, and she was wearing a simple white dress that exposed her shoulders to the gentle caress of the sun.

"Annabeth!" He tried to scrabble up off the ground, but she grabbed his shoulder and sat down next to him, dipping her feet in the waters below.

The daughter of Athena smile at him before pulling him into her embrace. "I've missed you so much Percy," she said before kissing his forehead. "So much."

He returned the embrace and kissed her deeply. "I've missed you too wise girl. I've missed you so much it hurts."

He held her close for a time, the only sound coming from the lake water gently lapping at their feet. Eventually though the daughter of Athena untangled herself from him, and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Am I-"

"No, you're not dead," she said, running a hand through his wild hair.

"Then how are you here?" he asked, burying his face into her hair, enjoying its floral scent. "Where is here for that matter?"

She laughed and his heart soared. "This is a dream seaweed brain! And I'm here because you need me to be."

"I needed you before," he sighed.

"I know Percy. I know," she sighed, looking up to kiss his cheek. "You know I would never leave you of my own volition right?"

"I know," the son of Poseidon sighed as he looked into her stormy gray eyes.

She smiled softly at him, and in a move he should've saw coming from a mile away, she gripped his forearm and flipped him into the lake. He tried to breathe, but apparently his abilities did not extend to dreams. Thankfully the water was only a couple feet deep. He stood up and coughed out the fictitious liquid. "Then why did you pull that crap with the bathtub Percy?"

"Wha- What?" he sputtered, as he tried to pull himself back onto the dock.

Annabeth kicked his hands away. "Why did you do it Percy? Don't you know people need you? What about Sally, Pau-"

"They're gone Annabeth!" he shouted. He swatted her legs away and pulled himself back onto the wooden structure. "They're gone too..."

The daughter of Athena's eyes widened and she wrapped her arms around his wet body. "Oh my gods Percy I'm so sorry! I thought... I thought it was all about me. I-I didn't know." He felt her body start to tremble against him. "How? How did it happen?" she asked, on the verge of tears.

"It was Gabe. Somehow he came back." He proceeded to tell her everything that had happened that day: how he had felt so guilty for not saying goodnight to her, the fact that he was going to have to repeat his senior year, the allegations of drug abuse at the swim meet (she smacked him upside the head for that one), and finally going home to discover his parents' fate.