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

nine: a dream sequence

Annabeth looked at the assembled Romans, so pristine, so perfect, arranged in their symmetrical rows of soldiers, awaiting command. Frank yelled something in Roman, and they all responded in perfect harmony. Then Annabeth turned to the forces of Camp Half-Blood, and her heart swelled so rapidly she thought it would burst right then and there. They formed a disorganized blob, clusters of campers armed with whatever weapons could be salvaged. To anyone who wasn't looking closely, they appeared to be weak, flimsy. But Annabeth could see it in their eyes; a steely determination that said, "I will fight to the death without batting an eye." And she knew exactly why. Annabeth took a deep breath and made eye contact with Clarisse La Rue, a purplish fire burning in her eyes.

"GREEKS!" Annabeth cried. She turned and faced the awaiting hordes of monsters. "FOR PERCY!"

The Greeks repeated the cry, yelled deafeningly, and charged, followed by a slightly miffed arrangement of Romans. Annabeth dived into the fray, slashing and stabbing so hard that she had to keep stopping to swipe the monster dust out of her eyes.

At some point, Annabeth saw Piper whirl by, disintegrating monsters with a quick slash of Katropis, calling out to dracanea and empousai to turn on each other. Annabeth thought she saw her wink.

The hundreds of monsters just kept coming- and then suddenly, the ground rumbled. Up in the front, beyond the enemy lines, rose Mother Earth herself. As usual, she took her swirling mud form, but this time, she grew hundreds of feet tall, towering over enemies and demigods alike.

I AWAKE, she rumbled.

The rest was all a flash. Piper, eyes sparking, charmspeaking so hard that lines of monsters keeled over and started snoring. Octavian becoming a human catapult, colliding with Leo and Festus in an explosion that evaporated Gaea- Annabeth felt like it all happened in a dream sequence. In the split second that the Octavian-onager-fireball and Leo exploded, bits of sludge raining down like fireworks, time slowed. And suddenly, she heard it.

"Annabeth."

It couldn't be.

It was Percy's voice.

Somewhere in the distance, Annabeth thought she heard Piper's voice.

"Annabeth, NO!"

She didn't understand why Piper would be saying no. It was Percy. She couldn't believe it. 

Annabeth whirled around-

And impaled herself on the tip of a golden spear of a grinning Cyclops.

Piper's scream echoed throughout the entire valley.