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

six: doors

Jason stood up and surveyed the situation. Everyone at the table remained seated as he went over what would need to happen next- plans, strategies, groups. When he'd finished, everyone sat in silence for a solid minute. If this were any other time, Leo would be cracking jokes at how awkward this was. Annabeth would be rolling her eyes. Percy would probably be sleeping- Jason cut himself off. There was no point in trying to imagine what would have been. He pushed back his chair and went to his cabin.

Jason tried to get some sleep- but of course, the nightmares would come. The never ending reel of replays, turning around and seeing Percy with a sword buried in his chest, the sound of his hand falling to the ground, Annabeth screaming at the world and Piper trying to put everyone back together. That, mixed with nightmarish renditions of every other death he'd watched happen made sleep unbearable.

He was laying down on the cool floor, because Jason always thought better that way. He stared at the ceiling, praying to every god he ever knew that this would work out. That they wouldn't lose any more people. They couldn't, because that might just break them. Without Percy and without Annabeth, the group was already hanging by a thread.

A scream resonated through the hall. Jason didn't budge. It was the same scream he'd heard at least twice that night; Annabeth's. Jason didn't even want to begin to imagine what kind of nightmares she was having, causing her to scream like that. This time, he could hear the sound of muffled sobbing. He squeezed his eyes shut, praying again that this was all just a bad dream...

A door clicked shut. Jason opened his eyes. It was the door from across the hall; Piper's door. He could hear the soft padding of her feet cross over, down the hallway, towards the direction of Annabeth's sobs, and Jason sighed. For a moment, he'd thought that Piper was making her way to him. A selfish thought, he told himself. Annabeth needed Piper. Piper, the best friend anyone could ask for. Jason listened to Annabeth's door creak open- the same creak that he'd heard multiple times over the last few weeks before Percy died. Annabeth sneaking out to Percy's room, waking him up so they could creep away together and fall asleep in the stables, only to get yelled at by Coach in the morning. Or Percy sneaking into Annabeth's room, hearing the warm chatter of their soft conversation at three in the morning.

Annabeth didn't have that anymore. All she had was empty, malicious pain. Jason inhaled and exhaled slowly. At least she had Piper to comfort her. That is, if Piper was helping at all. The sobs has stopped- Jason wondered what magic piper was working with Annabeth. Whatever it was, the group could use a whole lot of it.