Inhuman (Percy Jackson & the Avengers)

Chapter one

Don't tell me life isn't complicated

'Cause ever since I lost myself, and nowhere feels like home

He woke up in a room he knew all too well. Percy blinked a few times to clear his vision. He could tell he was in the infirmary, the last thing he remembered was the fight against Gaea.

"Oh my Gods!" A voice exclaimed loudly. "You're awake! Will! Percy's awake! He's awake!" The voice yelled and Percy winced at the loud sound. His head hurt. The person ran into view and Percy recognized him as his cousin, Nico. "Good morning sleepyhead." He smiled widely, which Percy found unusual. Nico almost never smiled and when he did, it wasn't a huge smile. But his smile went from one ear to another.

Another face popped into Percy's view. "Hello," Will smiled. "How are you feeling?" He asked as he began checking him.

"Uh..." Percy cleared his throat and winced in pain. His stomach hurt.

"Be careful with that." Will told him. "You got stabbed in your abdomen, so no sudden movements." He ordered. Percy nodded slightly.

"What happened?" The son of Poseidon asked slowly with a hoarse voice. The son of Apollo and the son of Hades shared a look. He felt like something was wrong. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"Well... We won the war." Will told him. Percy's eyes lit up and he smiled. They had won! He could finally spend time with Annabeth in peace! He could go to college!

"But uhm..." Nico slowly continued. Percy looked at him and slowly his smiled faded.

"What?" He asked.

"It's... It's Annabeth..." Nico said, and tears welled up in the young hero's eyes. Percy frowned confused and turned to Will Solace.

"She didn't make it, Percy." Will broke the new to him. The son of Poseidon stared at him, unable to comprehend what he had just been told.

"What?" He whispered. "No, there must have been a mistake." He shook his head. "No, it can't be... She can't be... No." He refused.

"Percy..." Nico whispered with tears in his eyes and reached over to his hand. Percy moved it away.

"No, she's not... She's not... It can't be!" He exclaimed. "We promised we would... I-I promised I would protect her! She... We... I..." Tears dwelled up in his eyes, causing everything to swim around. He couldn't make out Will or Nico's faces. His heart hurt. Why. Why did he have to pay for everything? This wasn't fair. She couldn't be... No... It had to be some cruel joke played by the Gods.

"I'm so sorry, Percy." Will said with a small voice.

Panic rose as Percy screamed. The sink exploded and water cascaded everywhere, drenching the demigods in the room. His heart wrenching scream echoed throughout the camp. Will yelled for help as Percy started to hyperventilate. His whole body had gone numb, and it blackened for his eyes. All he could feel was pain. His heart hurt. His body hurt. They had taken Annabeth. The only person who could ever keep him sane. Why? Why! What had Percy ever done to the Fates? He didn't even get to say goodbye! How could the world be this cruel? It should have been him! It should have been him to die, not her.

He felt something on his arms, but he couldn't see what it was. He didn't even care. She was gone. She couldn't come back. He wanted to hug her. To kiss her. To hold her in his arms. He needed her. He needed her to survive. He couldn't survive without her. Nothing mattered if she wasn't by his side. He felt a stung in his arm. Annabeth.

Give her back. He thought. He needed her. He couldn't function without her. He was the Seaweed Brain; she was the Wise Girl. There was a purpose with it. The Seaweed Brain couldn't survive without his Wise Girl. Percy cried as he slowly fell asleep as Will had given him some sedative.

The battlefield was bloodied. Remains of demigods were sprayed around, though no full bodies were to be found. Only pieces of demigods were splattered around on the battlefield. The wind was cold and gave Percy goosebumps. His shirt was ripped in multiple places and there were bloodstains on it. His pants were ripped too. The trees were drained from water, so was the grass. Everything looked dead. The river in camp was dried-up. It couldn't even be called a river anymore.

"Percy!" A voice ran out behind him. He spun around to see Thalia's pine tree on the top of the hill. Next to the tree a familiar figure stood. The girl had blond hair and stormy gray eyes. He smiled and started to run up to her. He engulfed her in a hug as soon as he came up to his girlfriend. His beautiful girlfriend. He kissed her and smiled at her.

"Wise girl." He smiled. She gave him a soft smile, but her eyes were hard. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"Look out, Perce." She told him. "It's not safe. She's not completely gone." She spoke. Percy raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"But we killed her?" He asked. Didn't they kill Gaea? That's what they had been told.

"Don't trust them." She commanded.

"What do you mean, Annabeth?" He asked confused.

"They're helping."

Percy was confused to say the least.

"Stay safe," she told him and pointed a commanding finger at him. He nodded.

"Of course." He smiled softly.

"You failed."

"What? No." He shook his head. "I didn't" he kissed her forehead. "I promise."

"Don't promise something you can't keep." She looked at him. "You failed me."

"Annabeth..." He said and reached out to cup her face, but his fingers went through her. "No." He whispered and tried to grab her, but his hands went through her. Slowly she started to dissolve. "No, Anna- please- no- stay!" He yelled panicked. "Please! No! No, no, no, no!" He cried when she disappeared, and he grabbed the air. "Please." He whispered and fell to his knees. "Please stay." He cried.

Percy blinked his eyes open. He was looking at a white ceiling. He groaned and raised his arm to rub his forehead, but his arm stopped. He tried again to raise it but failed. He tried to raise his other arm, but it wouldn't budge. He raised his head to look at what was holding him down, when Will walked into the room.

"Oh you're awake." He said and walked over to Percy. His eyes landed on Percy's hands then he looked at his face. "Yeah, we had to strap you down after I gave you a sedative. Or else you would have hurt yourself." He told him. "Let me free you." He said and cut the rope.

Percy stared at him; his eyes seemingly drained from any emotion. His sea green eyes were dull and dark.

"I promised her." He whispered with tears in his eyes. Will froze and looked at him.

"What?"

"I promised I would keep her safe." Percy whispered and a tear rolled down his cheek. Will swallowed. The teenager looked drained. His hair was messy as always, but that was the only normal thing about Percy now. He seemed thin. Fragile. Like anything could break him into a million pieces. Will had no idea what to do. Should he hug him? Either it could help the seventeen-year-old demigod, or it would trigger him somehow. Will debated whether to hug him or not then he slowly leaned down to the broken demigod and slowly wrapped his arms around his body in a hug.

"It's okay. She's safe." Will whispered. That's apparently all Percy needed to break down. Tears streamed down his cheeks and his sobs could be heard outside of the infirmary. It felt as if his heart had been ripped out of his body. His only love... his fiancé... Gone... Dead... She was gone for forever. He didn't have anything to live for anymore. His light was gone. Why? Why did this happen to him? He hated the Fates for everything. Why did they have to kill Ann- her? Why did they have to take her away from him? 

He cried while Will hugged him. Nico came in but left again when he saw the scene. Percy lying in the bed, crying, and screaming for his one and only love, while Will tried to calm him.

"No!" He sobbed. "No, no, no, no, no, no!" He screamed.

Nico's heart was heavy when he walked out of the infirmary. It was heartbreaking to watch. The screams of Percy could be heard all over camp. Chiron glanced at the infirmary from the archery range. His wise eyes filled with sorrow, his heart breaking for the young hero.