Teacher, Not Hero (femPercy Jackson X YJ)

Nine: And Then I Heard The Dial Tone

Percy P.O.V:

"Hey, Annabeth," I answered into the phone. It had been a while since I heard her voice. When Annabeth had lost her memory, I thought it was the end of our relationship, even our friendship. After a week of missing her, I decided I wanted her in my life, needed her in my life, even if she didn't remember exactly how much we meant to each other. So yeah, I called her and we talked.

At first, she had been stiff, unwilling to talk. Now, she was always talking. She asked a lot of questions about who she was, what she had done. She asked questions about her old relationships with people at Camp. She was still brilliant and she was still a leader. Her instincts were just as sharp as before. She just didn't remember the pain. She just didn't remember me.

I knew it was hard for her; not remembering who you are is one of the hardest things in the world...I should know. We tried to talk once a week. I wanted to talk more, but every time I heard her voice it was like a sharp stab to my lungs, my chest, my stomach, my mind. Everything hurt when I talked with her. But let me tell you, it hurts a whole lot more when I didn't talk to her.

"Percy! I forgot you were calling!" I winced at her pun. At least she was trying to make light of the situation...I just wish her sense of humor went beyond terrible puns.

"The most exciting thing happened today; I remembered something!" She said, joy in her voice. I smiled.

"That's great, Annabeth. What did you remember?"

"Well, it wasn't much," she answered, "but I remembered us when we were young. We were traveling in a truck, and Grover was there, and it smelled really bad. Do you know what I'm talking about? Was that real?" She asked me. Tears brimmed in my eyes as the memory of that trip came flooding back to me.

"Yeah. I remember," I replied, struggling to keep my voice steady. "That was our first quest together. We were 12. I'm so happy that you remembered something. I'm so happy for you. Now, Annabeth, I have to go, the Christmas tree is on fire, but I'm so happy for you. We'll talk more next week, I promise."

"Percy, your Christmas tree can't be on fire, you don't celebrate Christmas. More importantly, it's October..." I smiled slightly. She remembered something else and she didn't even realize.

"I know, that's why it's such a big problem," I answered, barely keeping my voice even. She laughed.

"Okay. Bye, Percy." And then I heard the dial tone. I choked. A small whimper escaped my lips. Tears began to burn down my cheeks. Oh, gods, I missed her. I missed her so much. I sobbed. I laid down and cried. Really cried. So many people died because of me. Leo was dead. Zoë was dead. Beckendorf was dead. Selina was dead. Bianca was dead. Phoebe was dead. Kenzie was dead. Castor was dead. Luke was dead. Annabeth was worse than dead. Everything I touch breaks. Dies. So yeah. I cried.

Artemis P.O.V:

Bruce Wayne is BATMAN? That means...I turned to Robin. That little gremlin...I'm gonna kill him. Yeah. There's gonna be murder.

Wally P.O.V:

Oh shit. She just exposed Batman. And made him look like a fool. Yeah. Our instructor is insane. She definitely has a death wish...Oh man, I gotta write a eulogy now...

Percy Dream P.O.V:

Despite popular opinion, Hell is cold. It is freezing. When I dropped down into the Pit, it had been hot, sticky with the breath of a forgotten god. But that was before I was captured. Before I got to the real Hell of the Pit. The upper levels are just for show. They do no justice to the true horrors of Tartarus.

I had been traveling for who knows how long...time is different in the Pit. In Hell. It felt like forever. I was tired and weak and broken. I was starved and dehydrated. I hadn't seen anything but monsters, the horrifying faces of twisted beasts. I hadn't heard a single human voice. I was alone.

I got sloppy. Careless. I made mistakes. I got caught. I was shown the error of my decision to save Annabeth. The quest was now destined to fail. Unless I made a choice. An impossible choice. I would do it again. I would fall alone again for her. I wouldn't go back and change a thing. I wouldn't let her see the Pit. I wouldn't let her see what it made me...

Hell is cold. The true Hell. The one that I was imprisoned in. The one that was my only reality for 50 years. The one that gave me the marks that now litter my body. The one where I was taken apart. Taken apart and pieced back together over, and over, and over. The one that made me a killer. The one that made me a monster. The one that made me...

I woke with a start, coated in sweat. I gagged on the sock I had in my mouth to muffle my screams. After coming back home, I found I had to always sleep with one in, otherwise, my mother would come running in, expecting me to be ripped to shreds, my blood staining the carpet.

I spit out the gag and took a deep breath. I was out. I was free. I repeated these words in my head, trying not to think of the price that was paid for my freedom. I took another breath before heading out of my room and into the kitchen for some ice cream. There was no way I was going back to sleep...

Robin P.O.V:

I walked out of my room, leaning on the wall for support. I had another nightmare...they were getting more frequent. I wonder if I should tell Bruce...Either way, I'm not getting more sleep tonight. I walked down the hall towards the kitchen to get some water when I heard a faint clink come from the silverware drawer. I crouched down, drawing a bird-a-rang, expecting for a fight. When I looked around the corner, I saw Percy standing with a spoon and a tub of rocky road ice cream. I stood up and walked in.

She turned and looked at me, tense. When she saw that it was only me, she seemed to relax a little. Her eyes swept over me, and her gaze softened.

"Rough night?" She asked. I was surprised by the general tone in her usually harsh and sarcastic voice. I noticed ber bedhead and the bags under her eyes. She must have had a nightmare too.

"Yeah..."