PJO ONE SHOT

A strangled gasp escaped Percy Jackson's mouth; a wretched, horrible sound that caught in the back of his throat. It sent shivers down Thalia's spine. His fingers tangled their way into her blonde hair, matted with crimson, dried and now free flowing blood. His shoulders heaved as he struggled to hang on to her, to hang on to the fact that she was... he couldn't even bring himself to say it.

Percy snapped his head around, letting his sight drift away from the fallen daughter of Athena for a mere second as he looked into the tear-filled eyes of Thalia Grace, her hand was on his shoulder. No in a comforting way or anything, just to let him know that she was there.

"I-I," He stuttered, returning his attention to his unconscious fiancee. A sob was bubbling up in the back of his throat, he couldn't suppress it as the sound burst through his lips and echoed in the room, the sound hanging in the air. "I just can't." He shook his head.

Tears were falling freely now, on both the demigods faces. It was strange to see Thalia cry, she was normally so closed off emotion wise. But when grieving her best friend, Percy supposed it was natural for her to let her tears fall. All of this, everything, was because of a stupid monster that nobody saw, nobody expected.

Annabeth, Percy and Thalia had been walking in the woods to escape Camp Half-Blood Christmas crazy for a few minutes (not that they didn't like spending the holidays at camp, it was just nice to have some time to themselves and since Thalia had parted with Artemis and the Huntresses for Christmas break, they wanted to spend some time catching up), and then suddenly a monster had jumped out from the bushes.

It had been so unexpected, and it had moved so fast... The memory played in Percy's mind, he wanted to forget it. He wanted to take the knife bloodied with her blood and force it through his already broken heart, he wanted to spend eternity with her. He didn't care if it was in heaven or the deepest pits of hell, he just wanted to spend it with her. The monster had took a knife (or a really deformed claw) and swiped it across Annabeth's neck, cutting through her skin like scissors cutting through paper. Her head was barely intact with her body as Percy held her in his arms.

Her eyes, those intoxicating grey eyes that lit up whenever she smiled or saw someone she deeply cared about, were open and what was once a colour the same as storm clouds now looked like the skin of someone who had never seen sunlight. Percy had watched the life fade from her eyes, watched her die. And he could not of done anything to save her.

That's what angered him most; when the monster had swiped its knife/claw across her neck, Percy knew he could do nothing to save her. Not even a God could fix that kind of injury. Blood seeped onto his hands and he knew that no matter how many times he washed them, he would never get the crimson liquid out of his skin.

Percy sobbed again, and again, and again. "No," he murmured, the word mixing into his tears, "no. No, this isn't funny!" He titled his head into the sky, "this isn't funny!" He screamed, whatever God or Goddess was still watching him surely hated him with a passion. He couldn't do this, not after Grover.

Someone breathed in deeply beside where he was kneeling on the ground, Thalia. "Percy," She said, no emotion in her voice but yet so full of it all at the same time. He didn't answer, his eyes locked back onto Annabeth's. "Percy?" She asked again. No answer. "We have to go."

They did have to go. Monsters and other dark things lurked in the forest beyond camp Half-Blood, they couldn't risk another one of them getting injured, or worse. Percy felt his heartbeat increase rapidly as he furiously shook his head, "I can't," He whispered. "I can't leave another one of my friends to bleed out, dead on the ground. Not again."

Thalia knew what he meant, the world had been so bad to Percy. It had beaten him down, cut his heart in half, and then halved again, and then again, and now there was nothing left of it but dust. Everyone he ever loved had left him, Sally had gotten cancer and hadn't survived the treatment, Nico had gone mildly insane and ran from camp and nobody had heard of him for years, Grover had died on a quest a few months back, and now Annabeth. "Perce," Thalia croaked. "Let her go."

He breathed in deeply, weaving his fingers into her gold and bloodied hair. Thalia didn't miss the movement where the base of his hand paused at her neck, checking for a pulse and there was nothing there but silence. She also didn't miss the movement where his eyes skimmed over her stomach, he sniffed and ran the edge of his thumb down the curve of her cheekbone. "Let her go," Thalia said again.

The son of Poseidon felt anger slowly replace the sorrow in his blood. How dare she make him leave Annabeth's side? Percy clenched his fingers and water and a small hurricane (a power that had developed over the years and had saved his life more than once) danced in his palms. With the tip of his finger, he traced the hurricane and looked towards Thalia, "I will not leave her. I will not ever leave her. I would rather die and then rot in Tartarus for all eternity before I ever left her."

His words were broken and empty and hollow, much like his heart, his soul. Thalia cried silently, her and Annabeth had always been there for each other. Always. She doubted that Annabeth told anyone, but she had visited Thalia (even when her spirit was nothing but a pine tree) every single day, speaking to her and informing her about everything she was missing at camp.

Annabeth was like a sister to Thalia. No, no she was so much more than that. It was indescribable, the bond between the two of them. They had been there for each other when others had not, and though it was hard for Thalia to speak the words telling Percy to let her go, they had to go. Other monsters might be in the woods and she doubted that either of them could put up a good fight in the state they were in now.

"Let her go." Thalia said for third time that day, forcing her words not to waver, forcing her words to not let any of her emotions leak through. She had to stay strong, for Percy. Because if they were both distraught, they would stay in the woods forever, waiting for a heart to beat that never would.

Percy sniffed and once again, his eyes travelled to Annabeth's stomach. Thalia made her face into a mask to hide what she really felt, what she really thought. "Why do you keep doing that?" She asked, her voice once again showing nothing.

He cleared his throat, the air suddenly felt hot and thick. Too much so. Thalia knew why, had answered her own question before Percy had even spoken. The air had drowned from where they were in the forest, Thalia felt her lungs beg for oxygen, felt her shoulders heave as she gasped for air. "She was pregnant."

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"Shh," came a soft, soothing voice. Drawing Percy away from sleep. "It's okay, shh." Percy woke with a scream, the sound cutting through Annabeth's words like a knife. He continued to scream, his throat so red and raw it was near bleeding. Tears cascaded down his face, sobs breaking into his screams every now and then. "Seaweed brain, its okay. It was only a nightmare, just a nightmare."

A seventeen year old Percy, bolt right up in his bed, gripping the sheets, screaming and begging Annabeth to keep speaking, couldn't stop. That nightmare... he had been on the receiving end of nightmares for years, that was one of the prices you paid for being a demigod but- this one had shook him to his very core.

He stood from the bed, his sweat covering the sheets feeling too much like blood, on shaking legs. He stumbled for a bit and looked into his girlfriend's eyes. Percy felt sick, physically sick. He cupped a hand over his mouth, tears seeping onto his palm. He rushed into the bathroom of Cabin Three and puked into the toilet. Annabeth's hurried footsteps sounded, along with a gasp. "Percy!" She exclaimed and went to run circles with the tip of her nail onto his back. "It's okay, it's okay. Percy, what's wrong? Are you OK?"

Percy forced himself to stop and think. He took several deep breaths, compelled himself to stop the nausea. He had to- had to... he wasn't sure, didn't know, but whatever it was it certainly didn't involve puking his guts out. After a few minutes with his eyes shut and deep, equal breaths, he flushed the toilet and slid down the wall with his head in his hands. Annabeth (who had been watching him in worry and curiosity) sat next to him and threw an arm around his shoulder, pulling him close as he cried into her shoulder. "I'm sorry," He breathed. "I'm okay, I'm okay."

Her hand rubbed his shoulder in a comforting manner. Percy felt her heartbeat, heard it. And he felt sick again at the sound, he hadn't thought he would ever hear that sound again. It had seemed so real... "Do you want to talk about it?"

Shaking his head at first, and then switching to a nod Percy breathed in. Whether it was him gearing himself up to tell Annabeth what he had dreamt, or him trying to stop the growing nausea, he wasn't sure. A headache had begun pulsing around his temples, who knew a nightmare could screw you up that badly? "It was in the future, five or so years. We were engaged," mercifully Annabeth said nothing at that and just continued whispering supportive words in his ear. "And we were walking in the forest near Christmas time, a monster attacked and you died. You were dead. You wouldn't wake up and your blood was coating my hands and-and Thalia was telling me to let you go but I couldn't and I made a hurricane and you were carrying our child."

Saying it out loud made goosebumps appear on his arms and the hairs on the back of his neck to rise. Percy hadn't realised how terrifying the thought of having the power to control something over than water was. To have the power to create hurricanes, proper full on hurricanes that could destroy countries. Not the type he used whilst fighting Kronos. Or to make earthquakes like his father... he wasn't ready for that amount of power.

He felt Annabeth's sharp intake of breath, her hand stiffening slightly. "Okay," she said slowly. "It's okay, I'm here, I'm alive." She grabbed Percy's hand and placed it over her chest, where her heart was. "Feel that?" He nodded. "That means I'm alive, and I'm not going anywhere."

Percy wrapped his arms around Annabeth, "I just want to know that you're real, and here." She nodded and returned the embrace. The tears had dried on his face, but he wiped them away anyways. "You aren't going anywhere?" He asked.

Annabeth loved this side of him. Not the scared and broken side, no, that she hated. But she loved the cuddly, vulnerable, sweet, soft Percy. He was carrying a sword and wearing armour during camp days and she didn't see him much apart from that. It was nice to see that he hadn't changed from the little, drooling goofball he was when she first saw him all those years ago in the Infirmary.

"I'm not going anywhere."

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Okay, so I had this idea whilst listening to My Love by Sia and I just instantly had to write it down. I'm not sure if it's any good, but let me know what you think!

I know that dreams are meant to be in italics but then you guys would know that it was just a dream and the story would loose the suspense. In my opinion, anyways :)

Love you all! *Virtual Hugs*

Ro x