Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson. Or Villanelle for DGB, where the title came from, for that matter.


When they finally see the open Door, she realizes that she has long since forgotten what light looked like, never mind daylight.

It flares in her eyes, burning, burning, threatening to blind her.

She tightens her grip on the shoulder her arm has been thrown around.

"Percy," she whispers, voice hoarse after days of disuse. "Percy, we're here."

He cracks his eyes open - sight doesn't make much of a difference when there is no light - and gasps.

"We made it!" he exclaims, and his childish delight gives her hope that maybe - just maybe - they can survive this. That they can heal and move on from Tartarus.

But there are myriad scars on both of them - not all of them physical - and some of them not even closed. There are monsters behind them and monsters in front of them and monsters within them.

For now, though, the light overtakes all.

It is when they reach the Door that everything begins to fall apart.

Joyous shouts do not deafen her, as she thought that they might have. She squints out blearily into the open sunlight, into pale faces and sad eyes.

"One of you needs to stay inside to close the doors," Nico finally says, breaking the silence. His voice is low and broken, and Annabeth is, for some reason, completely unsurprised.

By unspoken mutual agreement, they stop.

And for some reason, she finds it unbearably funny that after everything she and Percy have done, this is how they will be rewarded. She starts laughing, and Gods, it hurts. Her throat hurts and her arms hurt and her lungs hurt and her legs hurt and her ankles hurt and- it hurts because she can feel his shoulders shaking, and it doesn't even matter if he's laughing or crying, because it's all the same now.

She knows that they look crazy, hysterical, insane, but can't see the others' faces because her eyes haven't been working for a while now but she thinks they deserve to let loose, after everything they've been through.

"Of course," she manages to choke out between what she thinks might be sobs now. "Of course."

But Percy's shoulders have stilled beside her. His head lolls to the side, onto her shoulder, and his lips brush against her ear.

Despite everything, she shudders.

"Annabeth," he whispers.

She manages to control herself to a few stray hiccups of air.

Their friends outside must be panicking outside but she can't even hear them anymore. She and Percy are the only ones left.

"We're staying together," he says, echoing words from what seems like forever ago. "You're not getting away from me. Never again."

She thought he might have tried to play the hero again, make her pass over to the side of the living while he stayed behind. But he understands - understands her. Her hand reaches out as she realizes she never should have doubted him.

Her fingers finally find the edge of the Door.

"As long as we're together."

She pushes.


AN:

Seven half-bloods shall answer the call

To storm or fire, the world must fall

An oath to keep with a final breath,

And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death

I was rereading the scene of the fall from MoA, and started thinking about the prophecy. And the promise that Percy was never going to leave Annabeth was the only one I could think of. With all the speculation about who would be closing the door from the inside, I couldn't help but wonder... what about both of them?

And, well... yeah.

I would greatly appreciate constructive criticism.

etione