Chapter Text
As Percy took one last look around while Annabeth entered the Doors of Death, he knew Bob, in his injured state, would not be able to hold the button down long enough, not with the massive horde that inched closer each second. Even with Damasen distracting Tartarus and Small Bob helping, the doors would be overrun. Percy knew what he must do, and with a solemn look, he turned back to Annabeth. He shoves her into the elevator, mouthing the words “I Love You” before the Doors of Death slam in his face. Percy’s gaze lingers on the doors for half a second before he turns around to see the horde surging forward in anger and desperation. He readies himself, determined to do what he must to make sure Annabeth makes it out of this hellhole.
Annabeth screamed as the doors slammed in her face, cutting her off from Percy and the Pit.
‘How could he do this?’ she thought, ‘How could he be such a self-sacrificing idiot?’
She is torn away from her thoughts as the doors start to open, just like Bob said they would. She rushes forward, doing everything she can to keep the doors closed. She hopes she can hold on long enough as her vision goes blurry with tears. She can barely hear the music playing in the elevator over the sobs pouring out of her. She quickly loses track of time as her mind recalls the conversation she had with Percy when they took shelter at the shrine of Hermes.
“What do you mean you’ve never told me about your family? You talk all the time about your mother and how much you miss her.” Annabeth said to Percy in confusion.
“Yeah, but she didn’t die when I was 12; she died when I was 8,” Percy said.
Annabeth stared at him in shock for a second before asking, “Then where were you for the 4 years between then and when you came to camp?”
“My mom's cousin took me in,” Percy stated, “he took me to live with him in Gotham.” Percy paused for a moment, and Annabeth stayed silent, letting him continue at his own pace. “Bruce introduced me to his 2 sons, Dick and Jason, as well as his father figure, Alfred. I didn’t really handle things well in the beginning. My mom had just died, and I wasn’t ready to just join a new family.” He smiles as he recalls the memories, “That didn’t matter to them though; they knew I was going through a rough time and did whatever they could to help me through my grief and feel as if I belonged. Especially Jason, he was so happy that he could be an older brother, he made it his mission to become my best friend.”
“Well, did he succeed?” Annabeth asks with a smile as she listens to Percy open up about his past.
“Spectacularly, within a couple of months, we were practically joined at the hip. He loved to walk around, introducing me as his younger brother; he insisted on throwing a party when Bruce adopted me, and I was officially his brother. He would always read to me, since he knew I struggled with it.”
“What about the others?” Annabeth asked
“Dick wasn’t around much, but when he was, he always made an effort to spend time with me. I think he wanted to be around more, but every time he visited, it ended with him and Bruce fighting. Alfie was the best. Whenever I felt down, he would always ask if I wanted to make cookies with him. He would help me make cookies just like my mom did and never got mad at the blue mess I would always create all over the kitchen.”
At the thought of young Percy and the mess he could have made while making his mom’s signature blue cookies, Annabeth laughed. Immediately, they both went quiet and tense. The laughter felt out of place in the pit, and it seemed like it got darker just to counteract the positive emotions between the two demigods. They both stayed tense and waited, making sure no monsters heard the laughter and came to investigate. Finally, they were confident that no one had heard the sound, and they relaxed. Annabeth turned back to Percy.
“And Bruce?” she asked, letting Percy continue.
“He tried,” Percy responded as the corners of his mouth turned up into a sad smile. “For that first year, he really tried. He definitely wasn’t winning any father of the year awards, that’s for sure, but still, it wasn’t long before he was my dad. Eventually, it seemed like he wasn’t trying as hard. It sometimes felt like I had to earn his attention, or that there was something he wasn’t telling me. I mean, I know it’s a lot of work running Wayne Enterpri-”
“Wait, Wayne? Your dad is Bruce Wayne?” Annabeth asks, interrupting Percy. Percy takes a moment and just stares at her.
“Yeah, my dad is Bruce Wayne, didn’t I mention that?” Percy says, confused.
“No, you did not!” Annabeth exclaims quietly, “Seems you left that little detail out, Seaweed Brain.”
“Oh, well, yeah, Perseus Jackson-Wayne, can I continue now?”
“Yes, of course, Mr. Wayne,” Annabeth says mockingly.
“It’s Jackson-Wayne, Ms. Chase.” Percy is silent for a moment, “Where was I?”
“Being busy with WE,” Annabeth tells him with a grin.
“Oh yeah. Anyways, it still felt like there was something that they were trying to keep me in the dark about.” A frown starts to form on Percy’s face as he continues. “Eventually, it wasn’t just Bruce; it was like they were all in on some secret that they didn’t want little Percy to know. I was a part of the family, but at times it seemed they wanted to keep me on the sidelines.”
“Is that why you left?” Annabeth asks curiously.
“No. They were still my family, and I loved them. I think I just tried to convince myself I was wrong. Plus, they didn’t just ignore me. Jason and I were still best friends, and we all spent time together, but I was just kept at arm's distance sometimes.” Percy’s frown deepens as he stares at his hands, fiddling with his pen in his lap.
Annabeth stares at him inquisitively, waiting for him to continue speaking. Realizing he’s stopped, she places her hand on his arm and rests her head on his shoulder.
“Then why did you leave?” she asks softly. Percy’s hands stop fiddling with Riptide in pen form, as he takes a long breath before finally answering.
“When I was 12, there was an accident. Bruce and Jason were on a trip, I don’t really remember what it was for, or if they ever told me, but Jason never came back. I think they said it was a terrorist attack of some kind, but I was in shock after learning that he was dead. All I could think about was that the last words I said to him were ‘I hate you’ just because he was too tired to read the Odyssey to me, even though he’d probably done so a thousand times before.”
Percy leans his head to rest on Annabeth's, grateful for her comfort. She moves her hand down to grab his, giving it a tight squeeze to let him know she is there and that he can take his time.
“It was a hard time for all of us,” Percy continued, “Bruce didn’t take it well, Alfred was doing his best, and Dick was on a trip himself. I don’t think anybody had even told him yet. As for me, well, first my mom, then Jason, I was probably handling it worse than Bruce was. We were all trying to work through it, but I think that just meant we all felt alone. One day Bruce…” Percy pauses and sighs. “We had a fight, and that’s when I left.”
Silence hangs in the air as Percy finishes speaking, before he is suddenly engulfed in a hug by Annabeth. She doesn’t say anything, just holds him and rubs circles on his back till the tension he didn’t realize he was holding fades.
“Thank you for sharing,” Annabeth says after a long time. As the hug ends and they return to sitting side by side, Annabeth assumes the conversation is over and is content to sit in the silence until Percy speaks again.
“I think I want to go back,” he states, “when this is all over. I think I want to go back.” Annabeth looks at him in shock.
“You want to go back?” she asks softly.
“Yeah, it’s been 5 years, I’m sure we’ve all changed,” Percy says, sounding like he’s trying to convince himself. “Plus, I heard I’ve got new siblings. I think I’d like to meet them.” He stops and thinks for a moment, “and I think I want to tell them the truth, all of it.”
“The truth? Are you sure?” She asks, surprised. Percy pauses for a moment, then looks away.
“Yes… No… I don’t know. I don’t want to keep things from them, but I don’t know if I could do it, or if I’ll ever get the chance.” He states solemnly. Annabeth lifts her hand and turns his head to face her. She leans in to kiss him softly. Leaning back, she looks into his sea green eyes with a soft smile on her face.
“When we get out of this, I will make sure you get the chance,” she promises, “and whatever you choose to tell them, I will be with you the entire way.”
Annabeth’s sobs intensify as she realizes she won’t be able to keep that promise. Her body shakes with grief, and the strain of holding the doors closed. When the elevator dings, she barely realizes what she’s doing before she lets the doors go and falls forward into the cavern. She lies on the floor, lacking the energy to do anything but cry, until she feels someone lifting her head, and a hand grasps hers. She looks up through her tears at the blurry shapes around her.
“Percy didn’t make it. He’s still down there. He’s gone.” She says to the shapes with the last of her energy. As she starts to fade into unconsciousness, she has one last thought, knowing it is what she must do.
‘When this is over, I will find the Waynes, I will tell them the truth. I will tell Bruce the hero his son Perseus Jackson-Wayne was.’