The Years After (Percabeth fanfic)

16. Alone Again

Annabeth

I couldn't believe it. After all we had been through, that it would come to this. I hated Percy for making me choose him. I hated Gaea for doing all this just to get back at me. I hated everyone at camp for not fighting hard enough. But most of all, I hated myself for opening up to someone and letting him in to my heart.

I heard a knock at my door then Charlie began to cry. I groaned. Slowly, I walked over to the front door and opened it. "You woke up Charlie" I said glaring at Piper. She was dressed in a short black dress cut at her mid-thigh. It was like a sun dress but black. Jason wore the same suit he had wore at our wedding but without the flower.

"Annabeth, why aren't you ready?" asked Piper as she made her way past me into the house. Jason mouthed an apology as he trailed behind her. "Because I'm not going" I closed the front door and made my way up to Charlie's room where he was still crying.

When I got to Charlie's room I picked him up and began rocking him and rubbing little circles on his back. He was only a week and a half old now but he had grown so much and he certainly had his father's appetite. "Annabeth, you have to go" urged Piper. I turned to look her in the eyes. "Piper, I can't. I'm not ready". Eventually, Charlie went back to sleep.

I shooed everyone out of his room so we wouldn't wake him again. "Have they found it yet?" I asked softly. Jason shook his head with a sad smile. "Annabeth, is that why you won't go?" asked Piper. I clenched my jaw, not ready to answer that question.

A few hours after Percy died, his body vanished. I wanted to believe that it was Gaea but some part of me prayed that he had just gotten up and walked away. That he was alive, just confused. Nico had said that he felt him pass on, but this time it was different but he couldn't explain it. Even if someone moved the body, who would try to pull some horrible thing like that?

"No" was all I said. "Piper, I uh, think I left something in the car, mind getting it for me?" said Jason smiling at Piper. "What? Why don't you go- oh, um, yeah, I'll get it" she said as she quickly fled outside. "Smooth" I muttered and Jason rolled his eyes.

"I think your right" he said once Piper was gone. "What?" I asked confused. "That something happened to the body, that Percy might still be alive" he said softly, in a hushed whisper. I remained quiet. "I know you want to find him, I do too, but we just have to give it time. Something tells me when he's ready, he will show himself" Jason smiled at me.

For the longest time, I never really trusted Jason. I always figured he was some hot-shot from Rome trying to beat out everyone else when in all reality, he was kind of the opposite. He wasn't some guy who wanted to steal the show, he just so happened to be a good leader and people appreciated that. Besides, he was Percy's best friend next to Grover and his mom. And somehow, Jason gave me hope that Percy might still be out there.

"I think you should go" he said again. "Why? You said it yourself, he could still be alive" I said. Jason sighed. "The way I see it, funerals are not for the dead. They aren't to celebrate the passing of one person. They are for the living. They are so we can get on with our lives and close a chapter. They are so the living can give themselves some closure. And I know, you may not have closure yet, your still his wife and mother of his kid, and if people see you come, they might be able to get some closure"

I looked up at him. "Thank you" I said hugging him. Jason wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly. "You're a good person Annabeth, don't you ever forget that" he whispered to me.

Piper got Charlie dressed while I cleaned myself up and got dressed as well. I wore a black dress down to my knees, with a skinny light brown rope wrapped around my waist. The dress was strapless and it was cold so I grabbed a random jacket from the closet. It wasnt until we were all in the car until I realized it was Percy's brown leather jacket. It still smelled like him.