A/N: Hello everyone, welcome to this story. I hope you enjoy it.

This chapter has been re-edited on January 15th, 2014. I hope it is now easier to follow.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.


He was lying there. Barely breathing. I stood over him, vision cloudy with tears, and I was forgetting to breath.

Perseus Jackson was on the ground in front of me. His hand was oozing and smoking with yellow gunk. He began to convulse and his breathing became erratic. Oh Gods, he was going to die. After all we went through this summer, he can't die on me like this.

"Where's Chiron," I screamed at the top of my lungs, "Someone get Chiron!"

"An- Annabeth," Percy's breathing was very labored and erratic.

"Percy, don't talk. Chiron will be here any second," I gripped his good hand with both of mine, squeezing reassuringly.

"Luk- Luke did this. Scor- Scorpion. He's with Kronos," He was shaking horribly. I was shaking my head in disbelief. Luke could never do this. He was our friend.

"The prophecy," It suddenly struck me, "betrayed by one who calls you a friend." I shook my head in disbelief. There was no way my oldest friend could do this.

He squeeze my hand in-between fits of shaking and coughing, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, you didn't do anything," His breathing stopped. I knelt down close to his face and whispered in his ear, "no, no, no. Please don't die on me. Don't leave me like everyone else in my life. I dropped my guard and we just became friends. Don't do this to me. Please," I pleaded on dead ears.

His vibrant sea green eyes quickly draining into a dull, lifeless green. They became as dark as the night sky they were reflecting.

He was not breathing at all. Tears welled up in my eyes.

Chiron finally arrived a moment later. He took in the scene before him and checked Percy for a pulse. He glanced up at me and I felt Chiron pick me up, place me on his back, and gallop us back to the Big House.


I completely zoned out with grief. I did not notice us going into the Big House or Chiron dropping me onto the couch opposite the ping pong table. Minutes passed by before he broke the silence with a cough and a question.

"Annabeth, what happened out there?" Chiron asked me. I did not even notice he was in his wheelchair now, magically compacting his horse half into it.

"Where's Luke?" I shot him a red-eyed, teary look of 'please tell me this is not really happening.'

"He should be with his cabin, it is after curfew," he raised and eyebrow.

"I need to see him. I have to know," I said almost pleadingly. He nodded to the doorway on my right. I saw a familiar shape I had not seen in the room with us run out of the room.

After he sent my half-brother Malcolm to get Luke, his gaze returned to me, "Why is it so important that you see Luke?"

I sighed deeply, fighting back the tears that have not stopped falling since I found Percy tonight, "I need to know that he did not betray us. I need to know he did not ki- kill Per.." I lost it. Chiron came up and wrapped me in a fatherly hug. For the past five years he has basically been a father to me. Certainly more than my own father ever was.

After a few more minutes, Malcolm came back in. He was out of breath from running.

"The Stolls said Luke went to see Percy hours ago, and that he didn't come back yet."

My heart was pounding. That news ripped my whole world out from underneath me again. "Oh Gods, it's true," my heart sunk and threatened to stop working the more I realized he did it.

"What is it child?" Chiron has a way of saying things so that it calms you, unfortunately this was not one of those times.

"Percy told me Luke killed him and Luke's working for Kronos. He said something about scorpions too."

"The third line of his prophecy," I nodded in agreement, "Pit scorpion venom killed him. You should go back to your cabin and try to sleep. This has been a hard night for all of us."

"No," I said firmly. "I need to see him first."

I really didn't want to see the lifeless body of Percy, but I knew I had to. I had to say goodbye to my new friend.


Chiron led me through the Big House to the infirmary where they put Percy's body. His right arm almost completely dissolved by the venom. I fought back more tears at the sight.

"May I have a few minutes alone?" Not taking my eyes off Percy.

"I'll be outside when you are done child." He squeezed my shoulder and I heard his wheelchair turn and leave.

I stared at Percy's face for a few minutes. Not wanting to accept the fact he was dead, and not knowing what I want to say to him.

"Just like the first time I saw you." He was probably in Elysium now. He deserved it.

"You're not drooling though." I would never admit it to him, I now never could, but I thought he was kind of cute when I was taking care of him that night.

"I hated you at first when we found out you were Poseidon's son." I really did. I was developing a minor crush on him before the revelation. Why couldn't he have been Zeus or Hades' kid? Anyone but my mother's rival.

"I got to know you a little, and I stopped hating you. You were still annoying as all Hades." Annoying, but when he wasn't looking I would smile a little.

"You were insufferable on our quest until the Kindness International truck." He was so stupid. Almost got us killed a few times, and himself a dozen more times.

"I started to like you after we talked there." I sighed, here comes the creepy part.

"That's when I realized I had a crush on you. That's when I realized I didn't really have a crush on Luke. He was like my brother. You were something else." Professing I have a crush on a dead boy, the son of my mother's rival nonetheless, am I really a daughter of Athena?

"I know you were too oblivious to see my change in attitude towards you. I know it's too late now, but I still wanted you to know." I kissed his cheek softly, hoping that I did not linger long enough for it to become creepy.

"Enjoy Elysium, Percy. You earned it." I squeezed his cold, lifeless hand, "Goodbye."


I was proud of how well I held myself together saying goodbye. I saw Chiron in centaur form on the porch and told him I was alright and goodnight. I just wanted to get back to my cabin and sleep. I was hoping this was actually all a dream. I knew it wasn't, but I can wish can't I?

I walk past Cabin 3. Cold and empty. Just like it had been for so many years before I even got to camp. I wondered if Poseidon had heard the news yet. I felt bad for him.

I noticed something unusual when I looked up to my cabin. My brothers and sisters were standing outside. It was well past curfew, they had better have a good reason.

"Malcolm, what's going on?" I questioned as I got closer.

"Annabeth, he's here. He wants to talk to you inside." His eyes were wide with fear.

"Who is here?" My grey eyes meeting his. Not Luke, please not Luke.

"Poseidon."

Poseidon, in our cabin? Oh Athena was not going to like this at all.

"What does he want?" I asked my brother hesitantly.

"To talk to you," He replied, "He woke everyone up and asked to see you. When we saw who it was, everyone fled expecting mother to come and force him out."

"Take everyone up to the Big House. Tell Chiron," I took a deep breath, "I'm going to see what he wants," he nods and mouths good luck. I imagine I'm going to need it.

I slowly make my way to the door. I hesitate to push it open.

"Hello?" I ask meekly entering my cabin. There is almost no light in the cabin, but I can barely make out a shape sitting on my bed.

Poseidon looks up at me and gestures for me to take a seat next to him on my bed.

"Lord Posei-" He cuts me off with a wave of his hand.

"Annabeth." He finally says after a few minutes of silence. "Sit. Please."

I do as instructed. I look up at his face after I'm seated next to him completely not expecting to see what I did. Poseidon had tears running down his face! A God was sitting on my bed crying. Percy must have meant so much more to him than anyone else could have imagined.

"This was not how the Fates had planned events," he started slowly. "They came to me after he died and told me it was not they who cut his string. Actually his string was not cut at all. He should not be dead. Someone more powerful than the Fates changed the ultimate doom of my son."

It took me a moment to digest everything he was saying before I asked, "If his thread is still uncut, does that mean he is not actually dead?"

"I spoke to my brother not long before I came here. Percy is not in the Underworld," I gasped hope growing in my mind, "However, Hades did say he was most assuredly dead," The hope wilted as a dark realization started to manifest.

"Where is he then?" I asked hoping my train of thought was wrong.

"I know you are smart enough to know the answer. You are not Athena's favorite for no reason. If he is not alive and he is not in the Underworld," His voice started to trail off, "you've been close to the only other place he could be."

This is true, I had put it together. I don't want to believe it, but the facts are all pointing at it. Percy was in Tartarus. Oh Gods, just thinking about when we were at the cavern entrance to the pit makes me ill, but Percy is down there. I don't even know what I was feeling at that moment.

"Annabeth, breathe," Poseidon said putting his arm around me. "I know you were very nearly dragged into the pit during your visit to the Underworld, but you need to be strong."

"What do you need of me?" I knew he was not here to just talk about the loss of his son. He was not stupid enough to come in Athena's cabin and casually chat with her daughter. He has a plan and I want to know about it.

"The Fates told me what was supposed to transpire. They told me the whole story of what was supposed to be your next 6 years," He closed his eyes, "the Gods will not survive the next threat let alone the one after that without Percy. I need to make you stronger and smarter to take his place. I need you to Iris your mother and get her to come here. She has refused any of my IMs since Athens."

My jaw hung open for a second, "Are you sure that's wise? She will probably try to kill you just for being in this cabin."

"I'll take my chances," He said half-smiling.

"Your funeral." I say as I stand up to grab a Drachma and create a rainbow


A/N: The meeting between Athena and Poseidon occurs in the epilogue chapter. Some plot points I do not yet want to reveal will be exposed there, so it is my recommendation that you continue on with the story.