Chapter Text
Annabeth was sitting in her bed at camp with a soured expression. She had given up on the idea of going back home that year, especially not after what had happened in the labyrinth. She could still feel Lukes- well Kronos distasteful gaze. The way the titan invaded Lukes body so violently replayed in her unconscious mind and was the reason the fifteen year old was awake with her knees against her chest. The old, orange camp tee clung to the sweat on her body and so did her baby hairs that had escaped her bonnet. Annabeth hadn’t used to be a restless sleeper, well not to the extent that she was now. As a child before coming to camp the girl used to toss and turn and tumble out of bed and beg her at her fathers door to spend the night under the protection of his sheets which often meant being read old history books under the soft glow of his bedside lamp before sleep eventually overtook her. She was a big girl now. No more crawling into dad’s bed because of a nightmare or spiders. Annabeth couldn’t remember how isolated she had felt since what happened in July. Maybe she had always felt like this. It was better to be alone than to get attached and be left. It was like she was cursed. First her father, then Thalia, then Luke and now… now Percy. Percy who she thought would be the one person to stay. At least she had Grover…but Grover was a Satyr who had other demigods to protect so surely he would forget about her too.
Annabeth didn’t hate Rachel Elizabeth Dare. She truly didn’t. She hated Percy. She hated his perfectly messy hair and his dreamy sea green eyes and his playful smirk and the one dimple he got on his left cheek when he laughed and the fact he was now taller than her and the freckles he got during camp along with the complementary tan that campers got. She hated how he made her feel safe, like he was going to be the only secure thing in her life but threw her away when a new red haired shiny mortal toy came along. It’s just the time talking. You won’t feel like this at eight am. You only feel like this because it's two in the morning and you’ve had a nightmare. the logical part of her brain argued against the turbulent emotions that slewed her nights repeatedly. It had become a routine since Percy had left camp to go back home. Wake up, strategize, plan, train, eat, train more, scrap the morning plan before bed, go to sleep, have a nightmare about Luke and the prophecy, wake up, cry, go back to sleep. She had turned her back on praying, what was the point anymore? Her form of devotion came from the self inflicted punishment of isolation and planning. Driving herself crazy to try and save the both of them. She knew she wouldn’t be able to; she didn’t know if there was a Luke left to save but gods be damned she was going to try.
It had been two months since Percy had left camp to go back to the mortal world and Annabeth was in the same position she had always been in, alone with no one but herself to rely on. It was a crisp October day, perfect for the younger campers- how few there were- to do some crafts and for the older campers to train. Clarisse and Charles were on border patrol which meant that Annabeth had to look after thirty or so pre-teens in the craft room. For once, Annabeth wasn’t wearing her camp tee but one of Silenas black tank tops and a pair of her navy jeans. She was still wearing one of Luke’s Zip up hoodies that was an army green colour and frayed from it being over half a decade old. Annabeth remembered how many times it got passed around between Luke, Thalia and her while on the road. Annabeth was the last to wear it and Luke never asked for it back. She hadn’t even thought about giving it back to him, he never let her give his clothes back to him while on the road. “Annabeth.” A gentle voice came from behind her that she knew all too well. “There’s a call for you.” Chirons paternal voice soothed like a blanket. She didn’t know how he always had that effect but she found herself giving a cordial nod before heading to the big house where the only phone allowed on camp grounds was located.
Her combat boots thudded against the oak floors of the big house softly as she picked up the grey rotary phone. She expected it to be her father who called when it was convenient for him and his super busy life, which meant he rarely did. “Annabeth?” Oh. Now that’s a voice she hadn’t been expecting. “Percy?” Her fingers twitched around the cord of the phone anxiously as she waited for his voice to grace her ears once more. “Hey, how’ve you been?” Came his sweet New York accent through the crackles of wires. Annabeth couldn’t fight her lip curling upwards as she spoke, “Oh you know, just preparing for the most important moment of our lives. The usual. How about you?” His chuckle echoed down the phone line. “I’ve been good.” He responded before a pause. Annabeth's fingers kept fiddling with the wire. “How’s school?” She asked with a masked nonchalant tone. “It’s been okay, Rachels been trying to get me into these weird art movies though but her friends are chill.” “You and Rachel?” It hurt to ask. If you had offered Annabeth hearing about Rachel from Percy or being forced to hold up the sky again, she would’ve picked the sky. She didn’t know why Rachel made it hurt so much. She was never normally jealous when it came to others showing interest in Percy but maybe that’s because they were demigods and not mortals. Maybe it’s because they weren’t people who had gone through what they had. Maybe it’s because they also had family issues and knew what it was like to have it…not as cushy. “Yeah, we’re in a lot of the same classes; she introduced me to her friends.” There was another pause. “Is-” Annabeth parted her lips to ask before being cut off by a muffled door opening and a soft giggle. She could hear a familiar voice that was muffled. “Yeah just a couple minutes Rach.” Percy said. Those six words tore Annabeth's heart clean out, even in what she thought were private moments Rachel was there. Was this her future with Percy? To be overshadowed by perfect red curls and emerald eyes? To be back in her house begging her father for help from the spiders? “Oh I didn't realise you were busy.” It came off too aggressive to not be ignored. “What? No i’m just-” Percy paused and sighed. “You haven’t called or emailed or even wrote.” It was a frozen truth that Annabeth decided to let out. Not to thaw but to just have out like meat taken out too late to be used when wanted. “I’ve been meaning to…” Percy’s voice trailed off, laced with guilt. “But you haven’t.” Annabeth diminished. Way to extinguish the conversation. “Look, wise girl I-” “Annabeth, Katie needs you.” Clarisses voice cut through Annabeth's attention as she pulled the phone away from her ear. “Can’t you handle it?” Annabeth rolled her eyes. “No, brainiac, I’m still on border duty.” Clarisse huffed, looking as tired as ever. Both the teens were exhausted and spent. “Um yeah, alright.” Annabeth muttered as the phone returned back to her ear. “Look Percy, I have to-” “Did you even hear anything i said?” “I- No, I didn’t. I have to go.” “Bye Wise girl.” Annbeth put the phone back down and left to go sort out Katies problem.
“Are you joking?” “Annabeth they keep-” “It doesn’t matter what they keep doing!” Annabeth snapped at not only Katie Gardener but Travis and Connor Stoll. “We’re in a war and you keep messing around, for what?” Her tone could rival a disappointed mothers. “Get your heads out of your asses.” Annabeth huffed before storming back to the Athena cabin to try and get a moment of peace or sleep but all that she was greeted with was an exasperated gasp after the cabin door had slammed closed. Her hand ran down the wood before she pushed herself off it and curled up in her bunk defeatedly. Tears pricked her eyes as she hid from the world, doing what Percy had been doing since he had met Rachel. It was like he couldn’t look at her anymore without seeing her under the sky and Annabeth hated it. Dry sobs wrecked through her body as hot tears clung to her cheeks and dragged down her chin and neck. She wished Percy would’ve been her to hold her like he had done last year. It wasn’t fair that she was losing somebody else again and so soon. Three in the same year.