If Percy Hadn't Caught Annabeth

Part 2: For Sure

    Percy hadn't slept in days. He moved about the Argo II like a ghost with bloodshot eyes, refusing to make eye contact with anything but the ground. The only time he spoke was to ask Nico about Annabeth or to ask Leo if they could go any faster. They needed to get to a place called Epirus in Greece and find an old temple called the House of Hades. The remaining demigods had reasoned that it was the only place they could meet Annabeth, if she could make her way through Tartarus alone. As far as Nico could tell Annabeth was alive. He could feel that her soul was still intact.

Their path should have been simple. To reach Epirus, all they had to do was go straight east-- over the Apennine and across the Adriatic Sea. But it hadn't worked out that way. Each time they tried to cross the spine of Italy the numina montanum, mountain gods, attacked the ship. Percy was beginning to grow impatient.

"We need to find another way," he told Leo, who was already doing everything he could.

Ever since Annabeth had fallen into Tartarus, Leo had been working almost nonstop. He'd been acting angrier and even more driven than usual.

"Another way," Leo muttered. "Do you see one?"

On his monitor glowed a map of Italy. The Apennine Mountains ran down the middle of the boot-shaped country. A green dot for the Argo II blinked on the western side of the range.

"It's our fault," Hazel said. "Nico's and mine. The numina can sense us."

Hazel and Percy glanced back at Nico. His black shirt and jeans hung off his skeletal frame. His olive complexion had turned a sickly greenish white, like the color of tree sap. Although his skin color had been the new normal since they had rescued Nico from the giants, the twisted look on his face was not.

    Hazel's heart dropped and she glanced at Percy. His face was blank. He made his way towards Nico and Hazel followed as if in a trance.

    "How is she?" Percy asked, his words shaking. Hazel could hear the panic rising in his voice.

    Nico looked down. Hazel saw her half-brother blink rapidly, his eyes filled with sadness and fear.

    "Annabeth?" Percy whispered.

    Without looking at him, Nico give a small shake of his head.

   Something inside of Percy shifted as his worst fear was confirmed. The two of them had been through everything together. Now that Annabeth was gone, so was Percy.

    For a moment everything was quiet, like the calm before the storm. Then Percy fell to his knees, head in his hands, and something below deck exploded.

    "What's happening?" Frank yelled from down below. He had already been on his way to quarterdeck and appeared in an instance, expecting to see more mountain giants tearing the Argo II apart.

    Water made its way through the slats of wood on the deck, dangerous and out of control. The rest of the demigods made it on deck in time to find that, even though they were hundreds of miles from the Adriatic Sea, Percy had brought the ocean to them. Every drop of water on board burst and crashed like waves across the deck. Leo was thrown from the wheel before slamming into Piper, who caught him by the shoulders before he fell overboard. Percy was in the center of it all, unmoving, as the water began to swirl around him. Everyone else grabbed the railings and held on.

"Frank, take Leo to the wheel!" yelled Hazel. Her curls were wet and plastered against her face. "We need to land!"

Frank transformed into an eagle, plucking Leo out of the waves. The Argo II groaned and shuddered as some of the boards on deck began to snap.

    "Piper!" Nico locked eyes with her as another wave soaked him. "He's going to break the ship! You need to charmspeak; tell him to sleep!"

    As he spoke, more explosions could be heard from below deck.

    "Hurry!" Jason yelled over the roar of water. He had taken off into the air, trying his best to control the winds in a way that would slow the waves. Frank was trying to drop Leo at the wheel, but the water around it was dangerous and choppy.

    Piper swallowed hard. Her charmspeak had not affected Percy since they lost Annabeth. She doubted it would work now but she had to try.

    "Percy!" she yelled against the roar of waves. His back was to her, the water continuing to swirl higher and higher off the ground and around his body. She realized that she would have to work fast; if the water reached his ears, her charmspeak would be rendered useless and the Argo II would be destroyed.

    "Look at me!" she shouted, her charmspeak so powerful that everyone within earshot turned towards her.

    Percy's head moved slightly in her direction and she took the chance.

    "Stop!" Piper shouted desperately. "Annabeth would want you to stop!"

    Percy turned to look at Piper when she said Annabeth's name. Even from across the deck she could tell that he was broken. The water slowed, becoming a bit calmer, but it continued to rise.

    Piper locked eyes with Percy as she saw him mumble two words: I'm sorry.

    She tried to keep her heart from breaking.

    "SLEEP!" she shouted, putting as much conviction and desperation into her words as she ever had. Percy fell forward, hard, along with several tons of water and a few demigods. Only Nico, Hazel and Piper remained standing, the children of the Underworld looking dazed. The water in the air fell down and broke like a water balloon. Some of it slid overboard while the rest of it drained through the holes in deck. The three of them looked at one another before diverting their attention to a battle cry from below.

"DIE! DIE!"

Coach Hedge appeared with his baseball bat in hand, his eyes still bleary from sleeping. He charged, soaking wet, before slipping in a puddle and landing on his tail. It took him a moment to take in the damage done and process the situation.

"What happened?" he asked gruffly. He was still wielding his baseball bat and looking around wildly.

The three remaining demigods couldn't look at him.

"Well?" he asked again, swinging his bat onto his shoulder. He was starting to look annoyed.

Hazel spoke first, keeping her eyes on the puddles.

"Percy..." 

She burst into a sob, burying her head in Nico's shirt; he hesitated a moment before wrapping his arms around his sister.

Realization hit Coach Hedge over the head. His face dropped as he looked at the water damage across the deck. His voice was the softest they had ever heard it.

"Annabeth?" he asked in a whisper.

Piper shook her head, her tears mixing with her already damp cheeks. The four of them stood without speaking for the longest time, listening to Hazel's sobs as the Argo II glided towards the horizon, the wind whipping their wet faces as they mourned the death of their closest friend. Annabeth Chase, Daughter of Athena, was gone.