Author's note:

Hi, it's me again. You're probably wondering why I've been writing so much lately. Well, I'm taking a fanfiction course, and it's really been inspiring to help me learn to write better. So here is another product of my imagination. Hope you enjoy!

-SOS

Normal:

Birds chirped outside the window, water splashed down by the beach, shouts rang out from the climbing wall and the battle training ground, and Chiron directed the campers to breakfast in his loud, booming voice. All this noise was enough to wake any sleeping person within hearing range, which included Percy. But in response to all the morning chatter, Percy opened his eyes, sighed, and muttered, "One more minute, Mom," as if he were at home and expecting his mom to be the one waking him up.

Then he closed his eyes again, and rolled over. Before he could fall back to sleep, though, he sat bolt upright in bed.

He had realized that he was going to be late for the camp-wide training battle, and that he needed to get up and get ready for it. Looking at the clock, Percy sighed. It was five-thirty in the morning, and he was tired.

As he finally got out of bed four minutes later and started to get dressed, his mind began to wander. He began to think about why he was up so early, and why he couldn't get up later in the day.

Maybe if I wasn't a demigod, I'd be getting up late in the morning, eating pancakes cooked by my mom. Blue pancakes, he thought. And maybe if I wasn't a demigod, I'd be able to go to a regular school and have regular extracurricular activities instead of slaying monsters and traveling through Tartarus.

Percy tried not to let his imagination run wild, but as he ran his fingers through his black hair in an attempt to make it look like he hadn't just woken up, his thoughts scrambled around in his head.

Maybe if I wasn't a demigod, my friends like Silena, Beckendorf, and Leo wouldn't have died. He grimaced, not wanting to feel what his mind was urging him to think. And maybe…

Percy squeezed his eyes shut as if it would help him push away the unwelcome thoughts. It was no use. He didn't want to think about it, but… Maybe if I wasn't a demigod I could just be normal.

Shaking his head to clear his brain, Percy walked out of his cabin, his mind brooding over the fact that he had the opportunity to be normal and yet he wasn't. After taking Riptide, his pen-sword, out of his pocket, he walked to breakfast, preoccupied with his thoughts.

Percy ate quickly, tapping his pen on the table while shoving food into his mouth and barely chewing before he swallowed each bite. Fortunately, no one was obliged to sit with him during meals, as today, he probably wouldn't have been good company. Unfortunately, however, he had signed up to be in five of the ten tournaments taking place today, during the camp-wide training battle. Today they would have to fight with an distracted Percy, but usually everyone knew not to approach him when he was in one of his moods, the moods that had originated from his trip to Tartarus. Ever since Tartarus, Percy would experience horrible mood swings that affected the life of him and everyone who knew him. He would either be really quiet, or really manic. So everyone knew to stay away. Well, everyone but the new demigods knew not to get near.

"Hey, Percy!" a little girl exclaimed from behind him, excited to meet her idol who had been the subject of many legends that had been told around the campfire.

Whirling around, Percy coughed up the food that had got stuck in his throat while he had been eating. His eyes were like those of a frenzied horse, and his fork was extended in a defensive position. Luckily, his sword was sitting next to him and he hadn't grabbed that, because then he could have killed the girl.

The girl took a frightened step backwards, but Percy's eyes softened immediately. Ever since his mom had announced she was having a baby girl, he had taken a liking to young children. Even when he was in one of his moods, they would never be affected by it. Little children calmed Percy. There was nothing else to say.

"Hi," Percy said quietly. Even though he wasn't in the thoughts-flying, finger-tapping mood around children, he still wasn't his usual self, so no sarcasm or jokes from him. The girl smiled nervously, looking around for a way out of the conversation even though it had just begun. But after a nod from Percy which indicated that she should start talking, she launched into what she had planned to say.

With a forced grin, the girl said, "Hi, I'm Andi. I just wanted to say that you're my hero and I hope you do amazingly during the tournaments." No exclamations like most of the young campers who met Percy used in their speech. Just plain punctuation. At least Andi had finally realized that something was up.

Percy nodded. "Thanks," he mumbled, turning back to his breakfast. Andi stumbled away awkwardly as everyone else pretended they hadn't been watching the exchange.

When breakfast was over, everyone left the dining hall, but before Percy could leave, Chiron caught up to him and stopped him with a hand on the young adult's shoulder.

"Yeah, what do you want?" Percy said, looking at Chiron, and not even bothering to fix his attitude when he realized it was his childhood mentor.

Chiron didn't say a word about Percy's mood, at least, not Percy's mood towards him. But he did say, "Percy, are you sure you want to fight today? You don't look like you're having a good day."

"What do you mean?" Percy usually didn't realize when he was in one of his moods, though everyone else seemed to pick it up. Today was one of the days when Percy was clueless yet again about his thoughts and actions, and how they affected other people.

Taking a deep breath, Chiron murmured, "Percy, think." When he didn't respond, Chiron sighed. "Listen, Percy," he said, "please give the fact that you're not doing so well a thought when you decide whether you want to fight today or not."

Percy frowned. "I'm fine," he protested, and stalked away in the direction of the training grounds, ready to start his day at the camp-wide training battle.

Percy was standing by the training grounds, watching his girlfriend practice. He heard her shouting at her brother, telling him to duck and fake left as she swung her dagger. He also heard everything else she said, which was everything she probably didn't want him to hear.

"Seaweed Brain. Gods, he's such a Seaweed Brain," Annabeth muttered as she practiced her sword-fighting skills with her brother, Malcolm, in preparation for the camp-wide training battle. Percy heard her, and smiled slightly. When she called him Seaweed Brain, that meant she loved him, right?

He started to walk over to her so he could tell her that he loved her too, but as he was just a few steps away from her, she walked to the campfire, in the opposite direction of him. Then he saw why. Chiron was calling all the campers to the campfire so they could go over the rules of the tournament. He followed everyone and took a seat at one of the logs in the back, next to a tree. Nobody sat near him.

Chiron clapped his hands, and everybody was silent. They all turned to face the great centaur who had gained their attention, who had a sad look on his face. After scanning the crowd, his eyes landed on Percy, and the look got even more sad. Then he looked away, and regained his usual smile.

"Okay," he said. "I know you probably don't want to hear me talking for a half an hour when you're all ready to get fighting, so let me keep it simple: no mortally injuring or killing your fellow campers, please." His expression turned grave for a moment as he glanced Percy's way again (the boy was fingering the blade of his sword gently and not paying attention at all), but then he pasted a grin on his face. "Now, let the games beg-"

"Sir, Chiron, sir!" A young camper dashed towards the old centaur, looking scared and sorry to interrupt.

"What is it, Aaron?" Chiron asked calmly, patting the boy's back as he stood by the fire, gasping for breath.

"Monsters…" Aaron panted, doubling over and trying to breathe. "Monsters… on Half-Blood Hill!"

The whole camp erupted into commotion. Trying to get up at the same time, everyone was stumbling over each other and the logs by the campfire. Since Percy was in the back, however, he wasn't in anybody's way and therefore was the first camper to reach the pine tree on Half-Blood Hill.

A crowd of monsters of all breeds awaited the campers as they assembled their ranks by the camp's boundaries. They ranged from multiples of feather-shooting birds to a single cyclopes. Percy grabbed Riptide from his pocket and started to swing at the monsters, sending them all to certain doom. Beheading some and stabbing others, it looked to everyone watching that he had it all under control.

Yes. He did. He had it all under control until a monster reminding him of Akhlys, the monster that had almost killed him in Tartarus, arrived in his line of view as he sliced at the oncoming ones.

The monster was thin, wearing a tattered dress. Blood covered her body, much like the blood that Percy remembered to have been dripping from Akhlys's cheek scratches in Tartarus. And to top it all off, her stringy grey hair matched the hair of the Akhlys in Percy's memory.

Percy had defeated the real Akhlys once before. Defeating a wannabe should have been much easier. But Percy didn't want to live his life killing monsters.

All he wanted was to be normal.

He sighed. No one else knew what to do with this new monster. Everyone was looking to Percy to come up with a plan. "Well, I don't want to come up with a plan," he wanted to shout. "I want to be normal and live a normal life with normal friends. Annabeth would be much better at coming up with a plan than me."

Suddenly he froze. Annabeth. His girlfriend, his best friend, his lifeline. Where was she? He looked around as his swordhand moved with a mind of its own, killing the monsters quickly and easily. All except the Akhlys. Even his swordhand (moving as if it were a separate part of Percy even though he really was controlling it, just distractedly) didn't want to mess with her.

Where was Annabeth? Percy couldn't see her anywhere, and was quickly reminded of when the arai in Tartarus cursed his girlfriend, leaving her blinded and alone. That was the way he was feeling as he looked around for Annabeth. Blinded and alone.

More memories came flooding back. The way Percy had almost died a countless number of times during their expedition through Tartarus. The way he killed Akhlys by choking her with her own poison. The way Annabeth started to look at him differently after that, like he was a murderer.

He wasn't going to let that happen again. He wasn't a murderer. He was just a normal demigod.

But he knew that wasn't true. Even among demigods, even among his own people, he still wasn't normal. He would always be known as a child of the Big Three, as the guy who ventured through hell and back.

Gods, all he wanted to do was just be normal. Why was that too much to ask?!

As his swordhand slowed down, he realized the Akhlys was the only monster left. A few courageous campers were fighting with her, but it was clear they weren't doing so well.

Percy was stuck. Should he go help them, or should he try to be normal and not interfere with their fight? He glanced at the floor. A scream was heard, the real-world fight interfering with his inner battle. He jumped, and decided he had to step in before he even realized who it was. Looking up, he saw a limp Annabeth in the Akhlys's grasp.

He ran to the Akhlys, noting that though his girlfriend looked weak, her eyes were still open and she was breathing. Watching the other campers battle the monster, he contemplated what to do. He had only defeated her once before, but in doing so had made Annabeth afraid of him.

Cutting into the battle with the terrible monster, he slashed at her, trying to avoid hurting Annabeth. Percy stabbed, sliced, and slashed, but the Akhlys wasn't dying.

So he was going to have to kill this monster in a different way.

Gritting his teeth, he charged at the Akhlys, his sword raised. Just as he released his grip and let the blade sink into her head, he heard another scream.

The Akhlys had covered her head with Annabeth, killing both Annabeth and herself in the process.

No.

No.

No, this couldn't be happening.

Percy screamed, a deep, loud, guttural scream that everyone heard. He sank to his knees.

Annabeth.

Was.

Gone.

Annabeth was gone.

AnnabethwasgoneAnnabethwasgoneAnnabethwasgone.

No.

Percy couldn't breathe.

Annabeth was gone and he had killed her and gods, what was he supposed to do? The girl he had known since he was twelve, his best friend, his girlfriend… was gone.

She was gone. And Percy was the one who had killed her.

For a few minutes, everything around him was a blur. People moving, voices nervously talking. No one approached Percy.

Then, when the mess of the battle had been cleared up, Chiron helped Percy to his feet, and guided him along slowly to the infirmary. "Percy," he said softly as the broken boy tried not to move, "I think you want to say goodbye to Annabeth."

"...goodbye?" Percy asked, tears in his eyes. "You mean, they can't save her?"

"I'm sorry." Chiron sighed. "The wound was inflicted right next to her heart. She bled out before they could even get her to the infirmary." He tightened his grip on Percy, probably afraid that the young man would run if given the chance.

But Percy didn't move. Instead, he stared at the floor. "She was right. I am a murderer."

Chiron shook his head. "You're not-"

"She was right and I am a murderer and I should have died, not her, and if I were normal none of this would've ever happened," Percy shouted. "That Fury should've killed me when I was twelve. None of this would have ever happened if I was dead."

"Listen, Percy. It was an accident. And you never would have met Annabeth if you were normal," Chiron said. Percy thought about that.

"Yeah. If were normal I never would have met Annabeth. But if I never met her, she never would have died. So it's still a lose-lose situation," Percy told Chiron, and then wrenched out of the centaur's grip and ran.

Standing next to the smoldering campfire that was a dull gray to represent the campers' moods, Percy held the heather-colored piece of cloth that was Annabeth's shroud. He bit his lip as Chiron nudged him with a hoof.

"Come on, Percy. It's okay to feel sad but sometimes you just have to let go," Chiron comforted Percy, nodding when the boy looked skeptical. "Go ahead. Say something and then burn the shroud."

"Ahem," Percy cleared his throat. All the campers turned to look, but Percy didn't even give them his attention as he nervously stared off into the distance. Chiron put an arm around Percy's shoulders, as if giving him a sign to go on.

"So, um, hi. If you know me, you know I'm not good at anything. I screw up everything: my life, your lives." He paused before painfully squeezing out the words, "My girlfriend's life."

He stopped. No one said anything as he paced back and forth in front of the campfire before continuing.

"Yeah. I just mess up everything. And I'm sorry. But this isn't about me. This about Annabeth, and how I'm sorry." Percy blinked, keeping his eyes closed for a few seconds longer than usual. When he opened them again, they were glistening with tears.

"I'm not good at talking," he said. "I mean, yeah, I can taunt monsters, but that's pretty much it. Annabeth," he choked back a sob as he said her name, "Annabeth was much better at the whole talking part. But I'm going to try. For Annabeth."

"For Annabeth," the crowd echoed solemnly.

"Gods, this is hard," Percy muttered. "I should've prepared a speech beforehand."

Chiron stepped up to where Percy was standing. "Just talk about everything. It'll give you some closure," he whispered, patting him on the back.

"Okay," Percy said, addressing the audience as he spoke. "So, as you might have heard, I killed Annabeth. The reason I did so is because I wasn't paying attention, because I was thinking."

What should he say? Everyone was looking at him with sympathetic looks. He didn't want to be pitied. Randomly, he said, "I'm not normal. Neither are you, but that's okay. If you were normal you wouldn't be here. If I were normal, I wouldn't be here either. But I'm not. And you're not."

The campers in the audience nodded, most of them unsure of where this was going.

"If I were normal, I wouldn't have met Annabeth. Then again, if I were normal, Annabeth wouldn't be dead. But what I've learned over the course of my life is that the good always outweighs the bad. The good is that I spent so many years with the best girl in the world just because I didn't turn out normal. So I'm glad I'm not normal, and you should be too," Percy finished.

He slowly lowered the shroud into the fire, and let it burn.

Afterward, people came up to him with their condolences, but Percy wasn't paying attention. Instead, he was thinking.

Percy really was glad he wasn't normal. And not just because it was the reason he met Annabeth.

It was because honestly, what normal person, or even normal demigod, would hatch a plan to go into the Underworld and get their girlfriend back?

Nobody.

Nobody but Perseus Jackson, a demigod who was happy to be the complete opposite of normal.