Work Text:
Ring
Ring
Annabeth’s head shoots up from her book. It’s almost 8 P.M. in the middle of Fall, her back is on the armrest of Sally Jackson’s new couch, and Percy is bustling in the kitchen, grabbing snacks for their weekly movie night.
Ring
Percy’s phone buzzes on the coffee table, a picture of Piper with her tongue out, stained purple from a slurpee, lights up the screen, and Annabeth picks it up hesitantly. “Perce? Piper’s calling you!”
“Answer it, I’ll be out in a second.” Percy yells through the door to the kitchen.
“Hello?” Annabeth says, pressing the green button on Percy’s phone. “It’s Annabeth, what’s up?”
“Is Percy there?” Piper’s voice sounded unmistakably raw and vulnerable, like she’d been crying. Annabeth’s brow furrowed. In the years she’d known Piper, the girl had always been the headstrong one of the group, keeping her emotions to herself and pushing through. The crack in her voice was new, and worrying.
“Piper, what’s going on?”
Percy walks back into the living room, a tray of blue cookies in his arm that Sally had made before she and Paul had gone out that night. Annabeth puts the phone on speaker and shoots Percy a look, silently telling him to sit down.
“Hey Piper,” He says, setting the cookies down and taking a place next to Annabeth. “Is everything okay?”
Piper bursts into a fresh set of tears, beginning to wail over the phone. “It’s bad, Percy. It’s so bad.”
Annabeth tenses, staring at the phone in her hands. “Piper,” She starts slowly, hoping to ease the girl into admission. “What’s bad? What happened?”
Percy snakes his fingers into hers and squeezes three times, a quiet version of “I love you” that they had started using a few years back, a small reassurance in battle or during nightmares.
Piper’s breath is stuttery and shallow, and she can barely get out the words. “J-Jason. It’s Jason.”
Percy’s mouth opens and he squeezes his eyes shut, hoping that he won’t hear the next words out of her mouth.
“He’s dead,” Piper begins to cry again, and there is a small whisper of comfort over the phone that they can hear, a voice they don’t recognize. “Jason died.”
Annabeth stares at the wall in front of them, silent, unresponsive to the tight grip Percy has on her hand. All three of them sit in silence, listening to the quiet cries of Piper over the phone. A new voice comes over the speaker.
“Percy, Annabeth,” A man Percy thinks he’s heard before. “I’m so incredibly sorry for your loss. I- I just wanted to let you know that he passed away on the beach in San Diego this morning-”
Annabeth almost snaps back to herself. “Who the fuck are you?”
“Ah-I- My name is Lester. I was once the God Apollo, but my father cursed me to mortality.”
Annabeth’s face almost goes red. “Apollo? You’re Apollo, and instead of sacrificing yourself, you let an innocent man die?”
“I couldn’t do anything, I promise I tried. I promise,” Apollo takes a breath. “It was Caligula. You’ve heard the stories, correct? He’s much worse than he was centuries ago, and- your friend was part of the casualties today.”
“Go fuck yourself, put Piper on the phone.” Percy says, cutting the once-God off.
The familiar voice of their friend comes through the phone again. “I’m sorry, I could’ve done more. I could’ve saved him,” Her voice cracks on “saved”, and Annabeth keels over and begins to cry. “I could’ve helped him.”
“Piper, stop,” Percy cuts in, blinking back his own unshed tears. “You couldn’t have done anything, that is the will of the Gods.”
“Meg and Apollo are taking him to Camp Jupiter, so he can have a proper burial. Reyna and Frank and Hazel will be able to see him one last time.”
Percy’s jaw clenches. “We’ll try and come down.”
Piper’s silent for a moment, and the only sound is now Annabeth’s sobs. “I’m so sorry Percy.” Is what she finally lands on.
Percy takes a deep breath in. “Don’t say that, Pipes. It’s not your fault.”
Piper hangs up, the beeping sound filling the room. Percy buries his face into his hands and begins to cry. Violent sobs wrack through his body, pushing out through his chest like poison. Annabeth takes his hands off his face and wraps them around her own body, tear-stained cheeks buried into his shoulder. Percy stays with her like that for as long as he can- what feels like hours, but must only be five minutes, because he stands and runs to the kitchen, and pukes in the trash can.
Annabeth comes up behind him and runs a light hand through his hair while he dry heaves on the floor.
“How many more, Annabeth? How many more friends do we have to lose for the Gods to be satisfied?”
Annabeth is silent, but she sits down on the floor with a heavy sigh.
Percy stands back up and walks out to the balcony. The weather is perfect, the sky is slowly getting darker, and Percy begins to shout.
“Fuck you Zeus! You would kill your own son to save another? Your perfect fighter, your warrior in battle for a measly God in the center of a punishment? Fuck your system, fuck everything you’ve ever done, all the decisions you’ve made, all the innocent people you’ve killed. I’m going to come up there myself someday, and you better start preparing, I’m go-” Annabeth grabs his elbow and yanks him back into the apartment just as lightning strikes right where he was standing. Percy goes silent, just staring at the floor while Annabeth closes the door to the balcony to keep the sudden onslaught of rain outside.
A key jingles in the doorway and a sweet voice, familiar to the both of them, calls out. “Is everyone okay here? It started raining right before we came in.”
Tears begin to fall down Percy’s face at the sound of his mother. His protector, his favorite person on earth, someone he would keep safe at all costs. Something Jason didn’t have.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Sally says, voice quieting when she sees her son wiping away his tears. “What happened?”
The two teenagers are quiet, and Annabeth’s chin quivers when she tries to speak. “It’s Jason.”
The name of their friend alone sends another wave of sobs through Percy. Sally sets down her bag and holds out her arms. Annabeth nearly trips trying to get a hug, but Percy is slower, solemnly walking towards his mother until he’s wrapped tightly in her arms.
“I’m sorry.” She’s inferred enough from the two words, and squeezes her children tightly. They stand together like that, all three of them for ten minutes, until Annabeth’s stuttered breaths have slowed, and Percy’s tears are nothing more than stains on his cheeks.
“What happened?” She separates from them, and leads them to the couch, where Paul has set down three mugs of hot chocolate on the coffee table, and taken a seat next to the couch.
“Caligula.” Percy sighs. “The Roman emperor. He had so much power, he began to think he was a God, and he’s incredibly dangerous.”
“Jason died this morning. We heard the news from Piper not long ago.” Annabeth whispers.
Sally frowns, and she rubs at her eyes. “I can’t imagine how you two are feeling. This must be horrible for you. Just know that I’m always here for you,” She swallows, jaw tensing. “And there is always a way to exact vengeance.”
Percy huffs a laugh at his mother, knowing she’s only slightly serious. “We won’t do anything, mom. We could, but we won’t.”
“Of course, dear.” Sally nods, taking a sip of her hot chocolate.