νεκρός || Annabeth Chase x Fem!OC

Vol. 3-26: Are we abt to kiss

TEMPEST

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I decided I needed to just allow Annabeth to be angry. She deserved to be angry, even if it wasn't for the reasons she thought. Yeah, she felt like I abandoned her for some hot girl on a desert island. She didn't know that I never once stopped thinking about her, and that by staying on that island, I felt like I was saving her from a century of heartbreak.

Percy, on the other hand, was not angry in the slightest. He was over the moon that I was back, which really surprised me. I didn't even think he liked me very much, but now he won't leave me alone and he keeps asking me a bunch of questions. Most of them aren't even about the volcano or Calypso, exactly. Am I happy to be back? Did I miss him? He knows he's annoying me right now, but he missed me! Do I want his grapes as payment for him being up my butt?

I didn't care one bit that he was being "annoying" and "up my butt". I missed the hell out of him, too. I'd never say that to his face, since I need him to think I don't experience love, but I nearly broke into tears every time he told me how much he missed me. He's annoying as shit, of course, and I do envy him, but it's not so bad now. Unfortunately, I think being away and reflecting on my existence made me realize how much I love that little nerd.

"Soooooooo..." Percy squeezed right next to me on the docks shortly before dinner. I was busy feeding the naiads some nerds.

I raised an eyebrow. "So?"

He looked around freakishly then whispered, "So, you and Annabeth kissed-"

"Lemme stop you right there, Jackson." I clamped my hand over his mouth and he patiently waited. "It's not gonna happen."

I have never seen a boy look so wounded at the prospect of two of his friends not getting together. He grabbed my wrist and yanked my hand off his mouth to utter a horrified, "What?"

I scattered more nerds in the water and shook my head. "It's a whole can of worms we don't need to open, boy."

"But- But you like her, right?"

I scoffed. "Of course." I turned to look at him. His dark eyebrows were etched in confusion and he stared at her, waiting for me to elaborate. "It's like..." I sighed and tried to find a way to explain it without saying Oh, by the way, I'm dead! "Y'know how your mom stayed with Gabe for like, ten years to keep you safe?"

His face darkened. I always noticed his face do that when anyone mentioned Gabe. "Y-yeah."

"For a long time, you didn't understand it," I went on. "As much as you hated it, you never felt like you understood. Until one day, it clicked. One day, you realized that your mom had to suffer to keep you safe all that time."

He pulled his knees to his chest. "What does that have to do with you and Annabeth?"

"It's the exact same, just the opposite." I gave Percy some of my nerds as payment for bringing up the darkest time of his life. "You won't understand it now, but one day, you will. This is how I keep her safe."

He looked at the nerds I gave him. "That's why you wanted to stay with Calypso."

"Yes."