Chapter Text
Percy's eyes snapped open as his ears picked up on a soft knocking on his cabin door. He sighed and rolled over in bed, rubbing his face with the back of his hand. The darkness of his cabin almost overwhelming to his eyes. He waited a couple minutes for his eyes to adjust, and then waited an extra minute to see if the knocking was real, or a dream. After two minutes of silence, he pulled his blanket close to his chin and closed his eyes, only to be interrupted by the knocking again. Percy let out a quiet grunt as he turned to face the door.
"Come in..." he called out. It took a few seconds, but the door squeaked on its hinges as it opened, revealing a blonde girl on the other side. The door was open just a crack, making it difficult to see the identity of the girl, but made it extremely easy for the light of the moon inside the cabin and into Percy's face. He used his hand to block out the almost blinding light and took a closer look at the blonde girl, smiling as he recognized the beaded necklace around his girlfriend's neck.
"Hey, Wise Girl," he greeted groggily, bringing his hand down to wave slightly, gesturing for her to enter. Annabeth opened the door further and walked inside, giving a tight smile at Percy's nickname for her.
"Hi," she responded, quietly closing the cabin door. "We need to talk." She came to Percy's bed and sat down next to him, clearly upset, or troubled. Percy tried searching her face for any clues, but it was so lacking in information it could've been a stone. He sat up and swung his legs off the bed, settling next to Annabeth.
"What's up? What happened?" he asked her. She looked at him and her sad smile disappeared. Looking closely at her eyes, Percy noticed that her eyes, which were usually sparkling with happiness and new ideas, were glass, and Percy knew that she had either been crying or that she was fighting back tears. Instinctively, he reached out to comfort her, but once his hand touched her shoulder, she jerked backward, as if he had stabbed her. He couldn't help but feel a little hurt, but he disregarded his feelings, quickly retracting his arm.
"Annabeth? What's wrong?" Percy asked, as worry slowly started to show up in his voice. Annabeth took a deep breath, and he noticed a tear start to roll down her cheek. "Do you want to-"
"Stop... Please. Percy, the more you talk, the more I'll regret what I have to do," Annabeth interrupted, snapping her head to look at Percy. He sat shocked for a moment, before closing his mouth and nodding. He didn't care what she asked him to do, he'd do it, as long as it made her happier than she was now. With one more deep breath, she wiped the tears from her face and started to speak again, this time, less aggressive. "I've noticed things about you. Things that I don't think you've noticed about yourself. I think- I think it'd be best if we took a break..." she explained. Percy's eyes widened. She was upset; that much was obvious. Whatever happened was affecting her, but there was no way she was actually saying what he thought she was saying. He brought his hands behind his back and started to silently count his fingers. Ten fingers and it was happening. Percy had never wished he had 11 fingers before now. 1... 2... 3... Annabeth shook her head, knowing what he was doing. Of course, she knew. She had been the one to teach him the trick. It helped with his nightmares. 4... 5... 6... 7... Why? What things? What can I do? 8... 9... Thoughts zoomed around in Percy's mind, none were able to take priority though. 10... Crap. Percy's mouth went dry. His jaw opened slightly, unable to quite find the words to say to her.
"Your eyes are glassy," was all Percy could get out. Annabeth made a noise between a scoff and a laugh, and it would have brought a slight smile to Percy's lips, given a separate set of circumstances. She got up, facing the door, as she brought her hands up to brush the hair out of her face. Percy stood and walked over to her. She heard him get up, though, and she spun around, stopping him dead in his tracks.
"Goodbye... Seaweed Brain," she said, softly, her voice cracking upon saying his nickname. Percy's eyebrows furrowed and he took another step toward her. He couldn't let her leave... Not like this. He had to understand why she was saying these things. There's no way she was serious, right? Annabeth looked away and let herself out of the cabin. Percy shook his head and laid back down. No way that just happened. He didn't want to close his eyes for fear of seeing her face. He eventually fell asleep to the sound of the lake near his cabin, and the last thing he heard was the almost silent sound of his heart shattering.
* * *
Annabeth slowly made her way back to the Athena cabin, tears clouding her vision. She couldn't get rid of the stupid, nagging voice in the back of her mind. Her mind was racing, and she allowed her body to go on autopilot. Why did you break up with him if you knew you would be upset?! the voice screeched. She shook her head and thought about the past few days. Random moments coming back to her like pictures in a photo album. Percy sitting by the lake. Percy training with Riptide. Percy disappearing into the woods. All of these activities, Percy shared with his new, best buddy, Nico di Angelo. The son of Hades. Annabeth could've ignored all of that. It was just some innocent hanging out. Percy had felt guilty about Bianca for years, and he was finally able to spend time with Nico without feeling the guilt. If anything, she knew she should feel happy. Every ounce of pride and confidence in Percy washed away, however, when she finally realized how he looked at the son of death. It almost matched the way she looked at Percy.
Annabeth collapsed where she stood as she viciously wiped away the tears streaming down her face. She knew that there was something between Percy and Nico, and she knew that Percy would feel more for Nico than he did for her. She just needed to give him a little push, even if it meant breaking apart inside. Percy's happiness was one of her top priorities, and she always cursed herself for becoming so love-struck, but she couldn't help it. The way his sea-green eyes sparkled in the sunlight, or the way his arm muscles flex when he does any sort of work. She didn't have a problem putting aside all of that, though. The best thing bout Percy was his loyalty. He would do anything for anybody, no matter the risk. It was his fatal flaw. It was her time to push her pride aside and take a page out of his book. She knew he cared for Nico, and she knew that he would be much happier with someone who he loved. Annabeth brushed her hair behind her ears, feeling the dirt and twigs that had found their way into her hair. She looked around and realized she was deep in the woods.
She took in a shaky breath and stood up, wiping her face, and starting towards the camp. The sun started to shine through the trees, and she used it as a guide back out of the woods. When she got back to camp, she noticed people already milling around, busy with their own activities. She fought back tears and shook her head at how amazingly ignorant everyone was. Annabeth quickly ran to the back of the Ares Cabin and checked her reflection. She removed the twigs and leaves and pulled her hair back into a ponytail before taking one final deep breath and heading back to the Athena Cabin.