keep it together anyway: a world without percy [PIPABETH SCENES!]

three: broken

Jason burst out of the sea with a gasp into fresh, sunny air. The storm was gone, leaving behind the battered Argo II in completely still waters. A seagull squawked overhead, and Jason swallowed hard. He readjusted Percy's body in his arms, and willed the ventus to take him up to the deck.

    Leo and Hedge were the first to notice them. Leo turned and shouted at the rest of the crew who were facing the opposite direction at the water over the other side of the ship.

    "Guys, they're back!"

    He jogged over to Jason and then stopped abruptly, seeing Percy in Jason's arms.

    "Oh, man. Jeez. Is- is he-?"

    Jason closed his eyes. He shook his head. Leo stared, slack-jawed, at a loss for words. Hedge grabbed his arm, panting. "Kid."

    Frank ran over next, trailed by Piper.

"Jason," Frank said. "Is he okay?" Leo reached out and grabbed Piper's arm as she ran past, stopping her. Jason watched as she realized the situation, the relief on her face turning to shock and then grief. Frank's bow clattered to the deck as he neared Jason. "Oh gods."

    Hazel and Nico came from below decks, Hazel looking green. Both of them froze in their tracks as soon as they came up- probably sensing the death, Jason thought in a daze. Nico began shaking his head rapidly. Jason couldn't hear them from where he was standing, but he watched Nico survey the situation, blinking a million times a minute as Hazel buried her face into Nico's chest.

    Jason felt like something was missing- and then he saw her.

    Annabeth hadn't budged from her spot at the opposite railing. She stood stock-still, her arms rigidly pressed to her sides, fists clenched so tightly that Jason could almost imagine her fingernails cutting into her palms. She didn't blink, she didn't breathe. She simply stared at Percy, limp in Jason's arms, stiller than the Athena Parthenos. As Jason watched, Annabeth stepped backwards, caught in earthquake only she could see, falling into an abyss all over again, minus just one person. Her form slowly shrank as though she were trying to fold into herself, tremors running through her entire body, eyes still fixed on Percy's. Piper approached her, hands held out in front of her cautiously. Jason could tell how hard she was trying not to cry. "Annabeth-"

    Jason could barely comprehend what happened next. Annabeth released such an unearthly scream his ears pop. She crumpled to the floor, hunched over, hands clamped over the sides over her own ears as the deafening noise kept coming from her mouth. Jason, detachedly, thought it was as though Percy's death was just a loud noise, and if Annabeth could block her ears and scream loud enough, she wouldn't have to hear it.
Annabeth shook violently, her screams reaching such a pitch that it was like white noise. Jason stared in shock. He had never seen Annabeth like this, ever. Not even close. Her hands came down on the floor with a horrible thump as she clawed at anythjng within reach. Piper ran to her side, tears running down her face silently. "Annabeth," she said, putting her arms around Annabeth's shoulders. "Annabeth!" Annabeth sank even lower, pushing her head into her knees. She hit Piper's hands away and covered her face. In the corner of Jason's eye, Hazel leaned against Nico, both of them crying silently. Jason wanted to cry, too- but all he could think of was the last thing Percy told him.

    "Tell her it's okay," he had said. "This is how I wanted to go. Tell her I'm sorry, and that I love her."

He watched Annabeth, the strongest of them all, break apart like a glass vase thrown at a wall. She was sinking, disintegrating as wave upon wave of pain crashed over and into and through her like she was just gray dust floating in the wind. She was nothing. Pain has no mercy, Jason thought. It only  knows destruction.

Jason wondered how he could ever tell her what Percy had said. "It's okay." It was so unspeakably not okay. tears dripped off his nose and fell silently to the floor.

    Death is harder on the living than the dead, a voice said inside his head. He didn't know where he had heard it, but now he finally understood. Annabeth was never going to be the same again. She was shattered. She was never going to spend a life with him, kiss him again, hold his hand or see his smile. She was going to be broken until the day she died- while Percy moved on to Elysium. It was unthinkable.

    Annabeth was forming words now. "NO!" She screamed. Her entire shirt was soaked in tears. She lifted her face to the sky. "PERCY!" she howled. Piper tried to put her arms around Annabeth again, and this time Annabeth really fought back. She punched Piper clear in the nose, knocking her to the ground, and tackled her. She slapped and punched and clawed at Piper, desperately trying to do something other than self-destruct. Piper tried to fight her off; but to no avail. Frank rushed forward and pulled Annabeth off Piper, while Leo helped Piper to her feet. Her nose was bleeding and her face was red and scratched. Annabeth screamed and struggled as Frank sobbed, holding her tightly. Jason could feel a rift in his heart opening, watching his best friends go to pieces before his very eyes. "Don't let them fall apart," Percy had said. "You can do this." Jason was about to step forward to intervene when Piper pushed Leo away.

    "Pipes-" Leo started, but Piper ignored him. She walked up to Annabeth, who was howling so hard she was starting to go hoarse. "Annabeth." She placed her hands on either side of her friend's face.

    "Annabeth."

    Frank let go of her as if by some magical command, and backed away. Jason imagined that Piper was pouring every bit of charmspeak that she had into what she was saying.

    "Annabeth, listen to me!" Annabeth opened her eyes and Piper leaned her forehead against hers. "Annabeth. You have to hear me. I know it feels like the world is ending right now, but you can't fall apart. We need you."

Annabeth sobbed so hard Piper had to prop her up. A crazed look danced in her eyes, desperately trying to deny, deny, deny what was happening, to find a way to beat back the grief. She grabbed Piper's wrists, who still held Annabeth's forehead firmly to hers.

"I can't do this without him," Annabeth said raggedly. Tears dripped off the end of her nose as she clutched her gut, doubling over.

    "I know," said Piper, bringing Annabeth's face back up to hers. "I don't know how you're going to live without him." She pressed Annabeth's forehead to hers and forced Annabeth to look into her eyes. "Keep it together anyway."

"I can't live like this," she whispered against Piper's face. "I can't." Her voice cracked. "I can't get air. I can't breathe. Piper, how do I breathe without him?"

    Piper's cheeks glistened with tears. "I don't know, Annabeth." she said, her voice full of grief. "Keep it together anyway."

    Annabeth collapsed against Piper, who staggered back. Piper clutched her tightly. "You have to keep it together." she whispered. "keep it together anyway, keep it together anyway." They sank to their knees. "Keep it together anyway."

Jason's arms shook. He'd been holding Percy's body for so long that his arms felt like molten play-dough. Frank must have noticed this, because he rushed forward and took Percy's body gingerly. Jason turned back to the scene on the floor, Annabeth still shaking.

We're broken, he thought.