An AU right here, but with the same old Camp Half-Blood. Typos and OOCness, of course. Hope you enjoy my 50th story!

. . .

macabre—(adj) tending to produce horror in a beholder; disturbing and horrifying because of involvement with or depiction of death and injury.

. . .

In the world that they lived in, they were complete opposites for a number of different reasons.

Annabeth should've known to stay away from Percy Jackson from the moment that they met. Love stories weren't supposed to come to happy endings. The fact was that everyone died one day, so really there never was a happy ending.

Of course, sometimes people went to Elysium for all eternity. That had its perks, obviously. But everyone wanted to live a long, full life. Death didn't have the same things as if and it never would.

As a matter of fact, the day that they met, Annabeth hadn't really wanted anything to do with Percy. He was scrawny and beat up, and he'd been drooling all over the pillows in the Big House. She'd had to tend to him.

"I wonder who your father is, Lightning Thief," she whispered, remembering what Chiron had told her about a month before. "I bet it's Zeus and this whole worry is just one big scam to cause some fighting amongst family. I bet you'll have no idea what I'm talking about if I ask you."

Percy let out a loud snore, and Annabeth idly brushed away some of the black hair across his forehead. They seemed to be about the same age. Annabeth sensed trouble with him, but all demigods were troublesome.

Maybe one day the two of them would be friends.

.oOo.

The day that Percy and Annabeth met one another, Aphrodite was having a particularly bad day. Zeus had yelled at her for no apparent reason and Ares was refusing to talk to her. Her own charmspeak didn't even work.

Like she sometimes did, she checked in on her sons and daughters at Camp Half-Blood, and noticed that that one girl—Annabeth was her name—was spending an awful amount of time with that new kid. She had to zoom in to see who it was, because Aphrodite knew that the daughter of Athena liked to spend her days with Luke, that nice son of Hermes with the monsters in his closet.

Oh my, it was Percy Jackson, that secret, forbidden son of Poseidon.

They didn't know he was a son of the sea god yet, but she did. They would all find out soon enough. Annabeth would then learn to stay away from him, because Athena and Poseidon had made it clear millennia ago. She remembered it like it was yesterday.

No children of theirs shall ever be together in any romantic or sexual way. The punishment for this is the death of the provoker and the eternal sorrow of the other.

The only odd one out on that decree had obviously been Aphrodite. She hated when other gods decided her role. She was the one to decide who ended up with who and who broke up with who and who died because they loved the other person so much.

Love was complicated and she was the master of it.

In a flash, Aphrodite could see the two of them together in the future. They'd start dating despite the consequences. They would think that they were invincible. They would love one another completely in secret and then disconnect themselves from the world of the gods, knowing what would happen if they were caught.

They were going to love each other so much. Aphrodite couldn't stop that if she tried. True love was so hard to come by.

So she decided to give them a helpful push in the right direction.

.oOo.

"Admit it," Percy said, shoving his face into hers with a wide smile. "You like me."

They were thirteen years old. One year had passed since they'd met and Percy knew that he was a son of Poseidon. He knew that Poseidon and Athena hated each other, but that didn't mean that they had to hate each other too, right?

Right now, they were friends, in a way. He often had changed that word to enemies, but he wanted to be friends with Annabeth. They were great battle partners and always hung out together. They'd been on more quests than he could count. They were always doing deeds and whatnot. Yeah, they had to be friends.

And maybe someday, he hoped, they could be boyfriend and girlfriend.

Annabeth looked gorgeous, but Percy didn't know why. Her blonde hair was a rat's nest and her orange shirt was on backwards. She'd barely slept in the past two days, apparently, but Percy still thought she was pretty. And that was even after smelling her breath.

Her gray eyes were narrowed as she shoved him away. "Are you insane? Of course not!" She glanced around. They were sitting at the beach together. It was summer and it was late. They were stargazing. "Shut up! We're going to get caught if you keep your voice that high."

"So what? You hate me then? I guess I'll be on my way. . ."

"No!"

"Then you like me," Percy concluded, poking her in the side where she was ticklish.

She shied away. "As a friend, yes."

"What? Did you think I was asking—"

"Don't even finish that sentence."

"Yes ma'am!" Percy saluted, then turned away to hide the insanely huge smile stretched across his face. Percy was actually kind of sure that he liked her as a little more than a friend, but he wasn't going to admit it now. She'd punch him.

.oOo.

Annabeth couldn't deny it. She liked Percy.

As more than a friend.

That was her problem. That was her big mistake. And she knew it.

"Give me one good reason that you won't date me," Percy was saying, angry now. There was this explicit hurt in his green eyes that broke Annabeth a little. She didn't want to hurt them, but them being who they were, they just couldn't be together.

In their world, Percy was like gasoline and she was a match. They didn't mix together, and if they did, everything would combust. They were opposites in most things. Annabeth had blonde hair and he had black hair. Her eyes were gray and his were green. She appreciated a good book and he wanted to burn them. She liked learning and he didn't. She used a knife and he used a sword.

In reality, those facts didn't matter to Annabeth. The biggest reason they had to stay apart was their lineage.

"Percy, you know why," she said, not looking at him anymore.

"What? Is it because our parents hate each other or something?" he demanded. "I'm sure they won't care if their children date. And if they do, then they'll have to deal with it. Is that why you won't date me?"

"Yes!" she cried out. "That's exactly why!"

"But I don't see the point—"

"Don't you get what will happen? Don't you care?"

"What do you mean? They'll be angry?"

That stopped Annabeth. She realized that Percy didn't know about the decree that had been made long ago. Of course he didn't. Most people didn't study the Gods laws like Annabeth. She should've suspected this. Percy didn't understand what happened when their parents found out. It wasn't that she didn't want to date him. It was that she couldn't.

"Percy," she began. "As you already know, Athena and Poseidon hate each other, but it's more than that. A long time ago, they made this decree that if. . ." Annabeth choked a little before continuing. "That if any of their children ever got into a relationship, and one that caused the relationship would be killed and the other one would live in heartbreak forever. That's how much they hate each other, and that's why we can't be together."

His eyes were wide with shock. He finally understood why them being together was dangerous. Their friendship was dangerous as it was. They couldn't take it any farther. "So. . ."

"If we dated, then one of us would be killed for it. And Percy, I'm not afraid of death, but I will not see you die."

For a long time, Percy was very quiet. The only sound was the rustling of the trees. He took deep breaths and Annabeth still didn't want to look at him. But then Percy grabbed her chin and tilted her head up to look at him. She was shocked by the sudden act.

And then Percy kissed her. His lips were on hers, so sweetly and softly. Annabeth didn't dare move. She couldn't if she'd wanted to. Every muscle in her body locked up at this forbidden act.

Percy pulled away. "I had to," he whispered. "Just once."

Then he turned and walked away, leaving Annabeth standing there, praying that no one had noticed.

.oOo.

And at that time, no one had.

.oOo.

It was Percy's fifteenth birthday and Annabeth knew exactly what she was going to get him.

She'd never been more nervous in her entire life, but it wasn't just because of the present. It was because of what came after the present, and not only because of his reaction, but because of the bigger, more deadly reaction. Annabeth had been sweating buckets all day and avoiding him too. If this only happened once, and the Gods didn't catch it, then no harm done, right?

Besides, they hadn't caught it last time.

After the campfire that night, as all of the other campers headed back to their cabins, Annabeth latched her hand onto Percy's arm and pulled him off. He didn't even have a chance to protest as she yanked him away.

Neither of them said a word as they ventured to the beach. Annabeth smiled at all of the memories of them lying on the sand late at night, she teaching him about the constellations. They hadn't had to do that for a while now.

Actually, they just hadn't had any time. They were always hunting monsters or on crazy quests all over the country. It wasn't like they had the time to take a break and stargaze.

Especially now that the Great Prophecy was upon them.

Percy still didn't know what those fateful words said yet, but Annabeth did. She'd known for a long time, and that was one of the reasons she was doing this now. She didn't care what was going to happen, which was impulsive and stupid, but oh well. They could die at any moment.

"Happy Birthday, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said, once she was sure that they were alone. The only noise apart from them was the gentle lapping of the waves.

"Thanks," Percy answered with a wide grin. His eyes sparkled in the moonlight. "I thought you'd forgotten."

"What? Forget your birthday?" She scoffed. "I'm not an idiot."

"Trust me, I know."

"Anyway, I wanted to give you your birthday present. And trust me, it's hard to find you one. Like seriously, what the hell do you even like?" They laughed. "It took me forever to finally come up with a present for you."

Percy arched a brow. "Drawing out the suspense, I see."

Annabeth smiled at him and mustered up all of her courage. She pushed the consequences out of her mind. The sand was soft beneath her feet as she padded up to Percy very slowly, and then set her palms against his chest. He jerked underneath her touch as she arched her neck slightly to completely look at him.

His heart was racing just as fast as hers. "Annabeth. . . what are you doing?"

She got on her tiptoes and kissed him deeply. Unlike their last kiss so long ago, they both contributed. Percy cupped her cheeks as Annabeth slid her fingers into his hair. They breathed each other's air and kissed for so long. They forgot about their heritage for a few minutes and indulged in one another, because they didn't know if they would ever have this chance again.

They broke off and Annabeth shoved Percy a little. "That never happened."

"Of course."

.oOo.

As a matter of fact, at that moment in time, eleven out of twelve of the Olympians hadn't caught that small little act of defiance. The only one who had was Aphrodite, and her heart swelled because of their love, but also shattered because of the fatality of the action. This, she knew, would not end well.

.oOo.

He was really sure how'd they done it, but they'd survived the Titan War.

It hadn't been easy, but he didn't want to think about that anymore. If he dwelled on it too long, he knew that he would probably lose his mind. But after having nearly died about a thousand different times, he didn't care what some stupid law said about his future. He was a demigod, dammit, and he didn't care anymore.

The war had ended three days ago, but Percy and Annabeth hadn't had much time together. They'd seen the other here and there, but there was a lot of work to be done. Percy hadn't slept in days. He was exhausted, but like with the laws, he didn't care.

Percy took the first day they had a break to find Annabeth. She was nearly passed out, leaning against a tree trunk. Her eyes were blinking slowly but went wide when she saw him. She sat up. "Hey!"

"Hey," he said quietly. "I have something to tell you."

"I was just getting ready to find you to tell you something too," she said. "I'm just really tired. You can go first."

"No, you can."

"How about at the same time?"

"That works."

For a minute, Percy just stared at her and she stared back. Neither of them, clearly, were sure what the other's reaction was going to be, but then at the same time, perhaps fated to happen, they didn't say any words. They came together like magnets and their lips met in a wild frenzy.

"I love you," Percy told her in between kisses. He'd never spoken truer words. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," Annabeth said softly, pressing her lips to his cheek and neck. "I've loved you for years."

They pulled apart from one another. "We will do this," Percy said. "We will make this work. Who cares about some stupid law? We've fought for them for so long. They've made us do terrible things. We will be together. Maybe just in secret, but I love you too much to watch some other guy win over your heart. You're it for me, and I want to be with you forever.

"I wouldn't be able to stand seeing you with another girl. We have to try."

They wrapped their arms around each other and Percy pulled Annabeth into his lap. For a while they just held one another, knowing what could happen to them and knowing how their fates were likely going to turn out.

"Percy," she breathed finally. "We don't stand a chance."

"Yes we do. We're heroes, Annabeth. This is worth the risk, because we deserve this."

.oOo.

That night, Percy and Annabeth stayed together in the same bed, arms and legs wrapped around each other as they showed their love. Things were getting ready to combust between them. They didn't care. In those hours, they only cared about their love. They had a feeling what was going to happen soon. That was what fueled their frantic kisses.

This, sadly, was when Athena and Poseidon found out about their offspring's scandalous relationship. And even though a war had just ended, things went from bad to worse from then on out.

.oOo.

Percy had never been more fearful in his entire life, standing in the still ruined throne room of the Gods, right before the Twelve Olympians. He was shaking slightly and he gripped Annabeth's hand, not minding what they would think. It was all over anyway.

They'd only been together a day.

"It's punishable by death!" roared Poseidon, an angry look across his face that almost made Percy want to shrink back and runaway, though the anger from his father wasn't directed towards him. The sea god had his eyes trained on Annabeth. "I'll kill you!"

"Don't you dare!" Athena screamed at him. "This is obviously your fault! I'll murder your son. I don't care about the consequences. He doesn't deserve to live!"

"True love is something you cannot deny," Aphrodite whispered. Percy was barely able to hear her over all of the commotion coming from their parents. "If I hadn't done this, they would've ended up together anyway. There is nothing that you can do to stop it. Just let them be."

"We can't," Zeus said, looking almost depressed, as if he didn't want this for them either. "It's law."

"Who was the provoker?" Ares demanded, eager as always for bloodshed.

"It was me," Percy spoke up. He looked into Annabeth's wide gray eyes, fearful but also stony, with loved tinged in the corners. He was not going to let the love of his life die. He'd sooner be buried alive. "Kill me and leave her alone."

"No," Annabeth exclaimed. Her voice was hard and her face was ashen. "Kill me and let him live. It was my fault entirely."

"Listen to them, vouching for each other," Athena spat. "It's disgusting."

Percy winced at her words. Poseidon didn't even love him, he realized, and Athena didn't love Annabeth. To them, their lives didn't matter. This was all about getting back at the other, like a revenge tactic. It was sick.

"No," Aphrodite said, her voice dripping with sympathy and sadness. "Kill them both. They was no provoker in this situation. They loved each other no matter what and wanted to be together. They are both the cause and the effect."

The gods mumbled to one another, and Percy didn't know what to say. In the end, one of them would have died and the other would have died a little inside. But this way, he realized, if they both died, they would still be together. He hated it and loved it at the same time. He squeezed Annabeth's hand a little and felt a feeble squeeze happen.

The rest of what happened that day was drowned out by the thoughts in his head. Percy knew that they would agree with Aphrodite's idea. It was the only way to 'fairly' settle things. For the rest of his time with the living, Percy didn't care about what had happened and what was to come.

He only cared about holding onto Annabeth.

In their world, the two of them together, being who they were, was a sin. But the universal sin, as most knew, was what was to come, and this wasn't because of Percy and Annabeth's love for each other. Ultimately it was because of Poseidon and Athena's absolute loathing for the other.

They didn't mix. They weren't supposed to be together. But to Percy, every second had been worth it.

.oOo.

Percy and Annabeth's lives ended in tragedy worthy of the ancient Greeks. They died loving one another but with no control over how to live their future. Of course, they'd known this would be a possible outcome.

The sad part was that they hadn't even graduated high school. They hadn't gotten married or had any kids. They hadn't lived a full life and died peacefully in their sleep before drifting away to the land of the dead. They hadn't even graced the age of seventeen.

The horrifying part was the way they had died. It hadn't been simple or easy, like a bullet to the head or an arrow to the heart. It wasn't fast and it certainly wasn't painless. Pain was one thing that the Gods were quite capable of. They made sure that the two demigods had experienced plenty of it before their ends.

The unfortunate part was that they hadn't stood a chance.

.oOo.

Hades wasn't an Olympian and hated all of the other gods. He couldn't help it. They were selfish and unfair, pushing people into his realm before their times. They acted like they were the true masters of death, but that was the biggest lie of all.

The day had gone by like any other, except with more death due to the recent battles. He'd sat in his castle upon his great throne and bossed people around. He only liked to be alerted if there was something very urgent coming from the Judges of the Dead. He didn't even like it if his sons of wife disturbed him. He preferred to sulk during his downtime.

Being a god was boring.

Being a king was no better.

A ghost glided swiftly into the room and knelt at his feet. "Lord Hades, the two demigods, Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, and Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, are in the Judgment Pavilion now, awaiting their trials. Is there anything we should take note of before beginning?"

Hades was actually caught off guard by this. He knew who they were. They were young. They had relations with his son. They were excellent fighters. They'd broken into the Underworld multiple times. He hated them. "Why, tell me, are they dead?"

"They were killed, my lord, by the gods. For loving one another."

Hades really wasn't fond of love. He didn't like Percy Jackson or Annabeth Chase at all. But he abhorred the Olympians even more.

He barely even had to think about it. "Send the two of them to Elysium."

The ghost blinked and stumbled back in shock, because Hades was never this easy on anyone, not even those related to him. "But my lord, they haven't even had a trial yet—"

"Don't defy me," he thundered, and the ghost left hurriedly. Hades hadn't done this to be necessarily fair to the two demigods. He did it to show the gods that they didn't own everyone. They weren't the ultimate controllers of the universe. They were a system of checks and balances, and they couldn't control them, and they didn't control him.

The two demigods had died at the Olympians hand, and from then on out, they were under the control of Hades.

.oOo.

Percy and Annabeth loved each other into death as they went to Elysium. The world of the dead, no matter how beautiful it was, had nothing like the world of the living did, of course. But they had each other, and for them, that was enough.

And this time, the Olympians had no say in what was right and what was wrong.