Chapter 40 - Now They Know
published: Wednesday, 30 October 2019

A soft crying broke through Annabeth's haunted sleep.

She jolted up with a gasp, her heart hammering wildly against her ribcage. Groaning softly, Annabeth pressed a hand to her forehead and willed the tears welling up in her eyes to recede.

They'd set sail after Frank and Hazel's wedding, and the nightmares had never ceased to bombard her. Nightmares about if they lost.

The havoc the primordials would wreak on Camp Half-Blood. The Olympians chained up and sentenced to Tartarus for life. Demigods utterly wiped out — another massacre similar to the one at Camp Jupiter.

Three sharp raps on her door forced the disturbing thoughts out of her mind and her to her feet as she slumped over and shuffled towards the door. She took a deep, shuddering breath before she pulled it open.

"Percy?" Annabeth voiced in surprise.

"Hi," Percy sighed exhaustedly. "Sorry, Jasper's right next to my room and he keeps crying. Can I...?" He trailed off.

Annabeth felt her stomach turn as she comprehended his question. "Yeah, sure," she agreed, despite her mind's uncertainty.

An uncontrollable laugh bubbled up in the back of her throat as Percy instantly curled up on the ground in a foetal position.

"What are you doing?" Annabeth demanded between chuckles. "You're such a Seaweed Brain. Of course, I'm not gonna make you sleep on the floor."

Percy tilted his head up to look at her blearily from the floor.

"Come on," Annabeth insisted, yanking him to his feet. "It's not the first time we've slept in the same bed. I hope you don't kick."

She climbed under the covers as Percy cautiously followed her.

"I'll try not to drool on you," Percy said jokingly, trying to alleviate the tension. It worked, because Annabeth laughed as she turned over to face him.

They were so close, but Annabeth wasn't worried about anything happening. They were both far too exhausted and she was preoccupied with dreading the nightmares.

"By the way, I, uh," she started hesitantly. "I might have some nightmares. If I start, I don't know, fussing, don't worry about it."

Percy's face turned into a frown. "Nightmares about?"

"Losing, mostly," Annabeth managed. "The world completely destroyed because we failed."

Percy went quiet. "We won't lose," he said softly. "We can't."

"I know," she sighed. "But what if?" Annabeth looked up at him. "Do you remember when my mother told you about your fatal flaw?"

Their gazes met as memories flooded their minds.

"That I'd choose my friends over the world?" Percy snorted. "Hard to forget."

"What if that happens?" Annabeth whispered. "If you have to choose the world over us?"

Percy swallowed. "You're asking if I can do it."

Annabeth nodded. "You weren't tested for this in the other two wars, but what if this is the time?"

"You want me to choose to save the world even if it means you dying," Percy inferred.

She nodded again. "You know you'd want me to do the same. It's what we do. We sacrifice when we have to."

"When we have to," Percy repeated. "There's always another way."

Annabeth blinked. "Sometimes there isn't."

Another sigh. "We'll worry about that when the time comes," Percy said decidedly. "It might not even be an issue." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear tentatively. "For now, I promise to wake you up if any nightmares come."

^^^^^

"Based on our current position, we should be back in camp within a few days," Leo informed her. Annabeth installed Jasper in the high chair next to the wheel so Leo could watch over him.

They'd been speeding through the ocean for three days, and the journey was surprisingly smoother than on the way here. No monster attacks. None at all.

Percy had agreed that it was the calm before the storm. Patrols and suspicions were heightened to ensure that no surprise attacks would stand in their way of their return.

It was Annabeth and Jason's turn to patrol, but he was a little late.

"We should get back a few days early, right?" Annabeth asked. Her drawn-out battle strategies were spread across Buford the table, and she occasionally reviewed them to check for mistakes or areas for improvement.

Leo nodded, handing her half of his sandwich. Annabeth absent-mindedly took a bite out of it, making a face as she realised it was ham and cheese.

"Enough time to get our forces organised," Leo reasoned.

Demigods, Hunters, satyrs, and possibly, the Gods. Annabeth didn't want to say anything but she knew that they barely stood a chance against Pontus' forces. There were Titans, giants, and primordials to fight against — they were no match for that.

"Leo," Annabeth paused. He looked up at her expectantly. "What if we lose?" she said despairingly.

Leo fell quiet at her words.

"We won't," he said determinedly. "We can't."

A soft pounding on the steps signalled Jason walking up to above-deck, his eyes dropping tiredly. Even though Jasper was being passed around, Jason and Piper were still experiencing the fatigue that came hand-in-hand with a new infant.

Jasper was adorable, but he couldn't yet sleep through the night, and would often wake up screaming.

For the last few nights, Percy had set up camp in Annabeth's room, and she found that she had much fewer nightmares with his comforting warmth beside her. At first, they'd fall asleep on the furthest ends of the bed, but inevitably, they'd wake up in each other's arms.

Annabeth didn't know whether it was a survival mechanism or her mind was just playing a cruel trick on her. So close yet so far, it taunted.

"You look tired," Leo told Jason, stifling a snicker.

Jason glowered. "No kid, no opinion." He groaned and slapped a hand to his forehead. "Why won't Jasper just sleep? What did we ever do to him?" he begged.

Annabeth ruffled her hand through his hair affectionately. "It'll get better," she laughed.

"Easy for you to say," Jason grumbled. "You don't have a baby."

"Yeah, but I have a Percy," Annabeth pointed out.

Leo opened his mouth, probably to make some lewd comment, but Annabeth held out her hands as her eyes widened. She gestured towards her ears, then to the railing of the ship.

A scraping sound. She'd heard it. The sound of something or multiple somethings scaling the side of the ship.

"It's another attack," she said suddenly, her dagger jumping into her hand as she raced to ring the emergency bell. "Get everyone up here!"

The bell chimed throughout the ship and Jason and Leo joined her at the railing to beat off the attackers. Festus pounded up towards them, exhaling puffs of smoke as he clanked.

Jason blasted the invicta scaling the ship with a gust of wind, but more just kept coming.

"What's going on?" Frank had arrived.

"Another attack," Annabeth informed him. "Can you and Leo get the other side?"

Leo saluted her before he jogged to the other end of the ship and started throwing hammers and tools down at the monsters.

"Jason!" Annabeth yelped, yanking him to the ground as a harpy zoomed up at them, nearly taking them both out in one swipe.

Annabeth sprang to her feet and leaped at the monster, slicing its spear in half before she stabbed the harpy and dispelled it.

When she turned back, Jason was engaged in a duel with two other invicta.

Hazel and Piper were next up on deck. They jumped into the fight, instantly helping to kill the legions of ordinary monsters. Percy joined them shortly after, wiping out several monsters as he waded through their ranks.

Annabeth shoved a warrior overboard and slit another's throat. She swallowed as the mortal-like body slumped onto the ground, golden ichor bleeding from his throat. She threw the body overboard.

"Annabeth!" A shriek caught her attention. It was Piper, gesturing wildly at her.

Annabeth quickly followed her line of sight and her heart nearly stopped altogether when she saw the invictus approaching a gurgling Jasper, who was still strapped into his baby chair.

His cries were heart-breaking as he struggled to get out of the chair, right in the monster's line of destruction. Annabeth was closest to him — no one else would be able to get there in time.

Annabeth raced across the deck, tumbling around monsters and dodging weapons of all sorts. She had one goal in mind.

But she wouldn't get there in time. Annabeth knee that from the distance between herself and Jasper. The invictus would get to him first, and then it'd all be over.

The invictus raised an arm in preparation to strike the baby down. Annabeth's right hand came up, fingers outstretched as she instinctively drew on her powers. Her one screaming thought; no.

Annabeth's cry rang out in time with the invictus being blasted to the side, breaking the floorboards as it fell to the floor in a thud.

As it fell, the monster's foot caught on the bottom of Jasper's high chair, toppling the seat and sending it flipping overboard.

Overboard.

Piper's screams and Jason's blood-curdling shouts were like white noise. Annabeth could feel adrenaline rushing through her veins. Her blood pounded in her ears.

Everything was happening in slow motion. Jasper disappeared over the edge. Annabeth almost passed out from fear. Jason wouldn't reach him in time. No one would get him in time. He'd hit the water surface and —

Jasper hovered in mid-air, screaming bloody murder, but suspended in safety. Annabeth's hands were outstretched, telekinetically holding him in place.

Her heavy pants echoed in her mind as she pulled Jasper back to her with trembling hands. The chair landed in front of her with a thud and Annabeth scrambled to unbuckle Jasper, a sob threatening to burst from her lips.

She swept Jasper into her arms, the crying baby instantly burying his face in her shoulder as she squeezed him tightly. He was safe. Alive.

Annabeth felt someone kneel down beside her and place a gentle hand on her arm. Her eyes fluttered open to see Percy, absolutely exhausted, but filled with relief as he saw them safe.

The next few seconds were almost a blur. The adrenaline was slowing her mind, blurring reality and thought together. The monsters were all dead. Percy had taken care of that rather quickly.

Piper came to cradle Jasper in her arms and they shared a group hug with Jason.

Annabeth sat down hard on the ground, her hand still clutching Percy's like a lifeline. They had come so close, so, so close to losing Jasper. And it was all her fault.

Annabeth felt an irrepressible horror at herself. Her powers had almost gotten Jasper killed.

"I'm sorry," she choked out. "I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean to — I was trying to get it away from Jasper — and he got thrown into the air and —"

Piper shushed her as she and Jason knelt down in front of her. "What are you apologising for?" Piper sniffled, her eyes still shining with tears of relief. "You saved him. He'd be dead if it wasn't for you."

Jason nodded between teary smiled. "Thank you. Thank you so much. I—we owe you so much."

Annabeth was still shaking. They weren't mad at her? But she'd nearly gotten Jasper killed.

"And you..." Piper frowned. "You controlled it with your-your mind? How—when?"

In an instant, Annabeth's shock turned to terror. They knew. They all knew.

Would they judge her for this? Especially now that they knew it could hurt the people she loved?

"You're telekinetic?" Leo questioned incredulously. "How did none of us know?"

"Is it from your mother?" Hazel asked.

Annabeth felt something clamp down on her throat. She couldn't speak, or breathe. There was still so much going through her mind — Jasper's close call, and now everyone knew —

"I need a minute," she said tightly, her voice higher and smaller than it usually was.

Annabeth whirled down the steps, clutching the bannister like a lifeline.

The others watched helplessly as she stumbled down the steps and to her room.

Percy was torn between running after her and doing damage control.

Frank was the first to break the silence. "Did you know?"

Percy swallowed. "I did. It started when Piper was in labour. Annabeth saved my life with it." He fiddled with the bottom of his shirt. "But Athena said it could kill her if her mind doesn't catch up with it. I want to believe that she's strong to surpass it, but I don't know anymore."

"She can do it," Leo said without hesitation. He glanced at the others. "Do you really think otherwise? This is Annabeth we're talking about. She's the strongest person I know."

Percy realised with a start that Leo was right. Maybe if he stopped doubting her and offered his support instead, this wouldn't be a problem anymore.

"Aside from this," Piper interjected. "What in Hades is going on between you and Annabeth?" She flailed her free hand around. "I mean, are you dating? Are you in love? Are you in denial? I don't know what the hell is going on anymore!"

Percy shook his head helplessly. "I-I have no idea."