I don't quite know
How to say
How I feel

Those three words
Are said too much
They're not enough

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me
and just forget the world?

Let's waste time
Chasing cars
Around our heads

I need your grace
To remind me
To find my own

All that I am
All that I ever was
Is here in your perfect eyes,
they're all I can see

I don't know where
Confused about how as well
Just know that these things
will never change for us at all

- Chasing Cars, Snow Patrol

Percy sprinted up the stairs, dodging several tired looking campers. He was barely aware of Will Solace hurrying behind him, struggling to keep up. His own footsteps echoed in his ears, thumping irregularly with his heartbeat, blocking out everything. Everything except Annabeth.

She's fine, the hopeful part of his brain claimed. Annabeth's tougher than anyone you know. She'll get through this.

He pushed open the double doors leading out to the terrace, but paused for a second as he took in the sight before him.

Annabeth lay on a lounge chair. Her face was pale and beaded with sweat. Despite being swaddled in multiple blankets, she was shivering. Silena was wiping her forehead with a cool cloth.

Percy and Will pushed through a crowd of Athena kids. Will unwrapped Annabeth's bandages to examine her wound and Percy made an effort not to wince. The gash was deep and oozing a horrible green color.

"Annabeth…" His voice caught.

She blinked a little before focusing on him. "Poison on the blade," she croaked, a weak smile playing on her lips. "Pretty stupid of me, h-uh?"

He could feel everyone in the room watching them, but he kept his gaze fixed on her.

A sharp intake of breath from Will snapped his attention away. "What?" he demanded as calmly as he could.

"Ju- just hand me some nectar." Will attempted to sound unperturbed, but Percy could see the tenseness in his jaw and the barely disguised panic in his eyes.

"Will-"

"It's okay," he replied unconvincingly. "Somebody hand me some nectar!"

Percy grabbed a flask from Malcolm and passed it to him.

Will cleaned out the wound thoroughly, brows furrowed.

Annabeth clutched Percy's hand. "Ow! Ow, ow." He put his other hand over hers and squeezed it gently.

Will sat back, looking exhausted. He glanced at Percy, not quite meeting his eyes. "Can I talk to you outside?"

Percy frowned, but nodded.

He squeezed Annabeth's hand again. "Just a second, okay?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'll survive."

He managed a smile, glancing at Silena as he got to his feet.

She smiled weakly - an attempt at reassurance he assumed - but there was a hint of alarm in her eyes.

He wondered if children of Aphrodite could sense emotions like satyrs could. Was that why she was tense?

He followed Will out of the room.

"What's wrong?" he said the moment the doors closed behind them. "Something's definitely wrong. What, do we need more nectar? Ambrosia, bandages? I can ask the Stolls-"

"Percy," Will interrupted this terrible sad look in his eyes.

It was the kind of look you give a five-year old, before telling them why they can't see their favorite grandparent anymore.

That's how he felt. Like that five-year old. Angry and confused, knowing that something was wrong but not understanding it or how to deal with it.

"Don't," he said, cold realization seeping into his bones. The look on Will's face said more than enough. "Don't say it."

Percy walked over to a window, ripping aside the fancy draperies. He pressed his hands against the dusty sill and took a shaky breath.

Inhale. C'mon Percy, they need you. She needs you. You need you. Exhale.

"Okay," he said, without turning around.

"I- the venom, it's spread past the shoulder. I can't stop it. It's spread too far, too fast."

Percy whipped around now. "There's got to be some way to stop it. I don't care, call your dad!"

Will pursed his lips. "I'm not sure he can help with this Percy. Especially in his weakened condition. Typhon-"

"I know," Percy said flatly. "But I still need to try. Blackjack-"

"No," Will stepped in his path as he started towards the stairs. "Percy-"

"Will," Percy interrupted his voice deadly calm. He stared down the taller boy. "I'm not letting go without a fight. There's always a way. There has to be one. And I have to find it."

"I'll do it," Will said.

"What?" Percy paused.

"I'll talk to Apollo. And Asclepius. I don't know how much it'll help or whether we even-" he paused. "I'll try my best. You need to stay with Annabeth. Just in case..."

Percy looked him right in the eye, taken aback. Will still looked tired and sad, but determination gleamed in his eyes. He remembered how much loss the son of Apollo had endured in the past year. Not only had he lost siblings and friends, but also others. Being a healer was sort of like being a therapist, Percy guessed. Losing campers that were under your care - your responsibility - couldn't feel too great.

"Alright," he said.

Will met his gaze steadily. Then, apparently convinced that Percy wasn't going to hurl himself onto a pegasus and fly off to Olympus, he turned and disappeared down the stairs.

Percy watched him go and leant his face against the window. He noticed smoke curling out of a window opposite his, and hoped there was no one inside.

Slowly, he let himself slide to the cool marble floor. He saw what looked like a bloody rag lying next to the doors and groaned, pressing his fists against his burning eyes.

He felt someone slide onto the floor beside him, almost soundlessly.

He waited for the wetness around his eyes to subside before looking up. Thalia was kneeling in front of him, eyes shining.

She grabbed his hands in hers and squeezed them tightly, a few tears escaping her eyes. She blinked rapidly.

"Hey," he said hoarsely. "You heard?"

She nodded.

"We were right there."

The quiet voice on his right made him jump. "Nico."

"Thought you might need some cousinly company." He smiled, but it looked strained.

Thalia ruffled Percy's hair lightly. "I'll go talk to Annie. Give you some time to collect yourself."

Oh gods. Annabeth. How was he going to tell her? "No, I'll come."

Thalia put a hand on his chest, pushing him down gently. "You both need time to come to terms with this. I don't think she'll want you to be there." Seeing his expression, she added, "Give us a few minutes. Trust me."

He deflated, unsure of whether to be angry that everyone was telling him what to do, or relieved - he wasn't sure he could make rational decisions right now.

Thalia paused before pressing her lips to his forehead. A gesture that was so warm and sisterly that, any other time, he would have laughed and teased her. Now, he barely felt it.

She slipped through the doors, closing it carefully behind her. Percy let his head fall back against the wall. He could hear Nico breathing next to him, just barely. He felt him shooting him glances.

He closed his eyes, regretting it almost instantly. He saw the battle. A blur of orange and gleaming bronze arcing around him.

Annabeth's face - surprise melting into pain, disappearing completely as Blackjack flew into the distance, carrying her limp form.

Over and over he relived it, thinking of what could have gone differently. He should have never left her side. They were partners. They were supposed to have each other's backs. Whether it was in lying to Sally about who ate the last of the blue cookies, or to Chiron about where his Dean Martin CDs had mysteriously disappeared. Or in battle. Especially in battle.

And Percy hadn't. He's been swept away in his own overconfidence and put her in danger.

"Don't."

Percy snapped out of his thoughts, looking at Nico in dazed confusion. "Don't what?"

Had he said something out loud?

The son of Hades shook his head. "I can tell what you're thinking. You're blaming yourself for all of this." He gestured vaguely.

"How do you know?" Percy said defiantly.

"Because I know you," the younger boy said impatiently. "You blame yourself for everything. People die, Percy. You can't blame yourself every time. Like Bianca-"

"You blamed me for Bianca's death," Percy said quietly.

"No," Nico said. "I blamed myself." He looked down, picking idly at stray threads on the knees of his jeans.

Percy studied him curiously. He could hear voices and sounds of movement coming from outside the doors.

"Do you think," he began hesitantly.

Nico tilted his head, indicating that he was listening.

"I mean, would it have been easier, no, I-" he broke off, taking a deep breath before beginning again. "Do you ever wish that you could have been there when Bianca died? Would that have been easier for you?"

Nico looked at him, his obsidian eyes distant. "I do." He sighed before looking away. "I don't think it would have been easier... but I'd have wanted to. Be there, I mean."

They sat in silence for a few moments, before he spoke again.

"I don't think Bianca would have wanted that though."

Percy hovered in the doorway as Travis and Connor herded out Annabeth's siblings, most of whom had tears running down their faces. The rest just looked defeated. Percy could hardly blame them. He probably looked way worse.

They were followed by a tense looking Jake Mason and Silena who were talking to Thalia in low, urgent tones.

Nico had already left after Will had Iris-messaged Percy - he hadn't said much, just shook his head sadly. I'm sorry.

Percy sighed, waiting for all of them to leave. He felt kind of bad about it; after all, he wasn't the only one who needed to say goodbye. But the moment he had stepped in they'd all gotten up immediately, an unspoken unanimous decision.

"Are you just going to stand there?" Annabeth called out, light amusement coloring her tone.

Despite having her back to him, Percy had a feeling she knew the exact expression on his face, what he was thinking - probably even his posture.

He couldn't imagine her not being there, he thought. She was one of the few constants in his life. She was always there, whether it was smirking at him from table six during dinner, straightening his armor straps with the usual sigh before capture the flag or knowing exactly what he was feeling and how to make him feel better.

It was as if this realization propelled him forward. He knelt in front of her, clasping her hand and resting his face on her good shoulder.

She made a sound somewhere between a sigh and a laugh - or a sob. What? He had never claimed that he was good at interpreting the sounds that girls made.

Annabeth threaded her fingers in his hair, squeezing the hand that held hers.

"How do you feel," he breathed.

"Like I just got stabbed with a poisonous blade."

"Really."

She shifted. "I'm not sorry I jumped in front of the blade, if that's what you mean."

He lifted his head from her shoulder, so he could see her face. She was pale, bruised and clammy with sweat. Her grey eyes were serious, but unregretful.

Percy felt her forehead. She was still burning up.

She poked the area above the bridge of his nose. "Your eyebrows get all scrunched together when you're worried. It's cute."

"Why?" was all he said, responding to her earlier statement.

"You would have done the same for me."

It was true. They both knew it. Though it didn't make Percy feel any better.

"I should have been more alert," he said." Ethan-"

"-was targeting you," Annabeth finished. "It's not your fault, Seaweed brain. We couldn't have foreseen that."

"I should have," Percy muttered, pressing his face to her cheek, breathing her in. She smelled of sweat and dried blood, but the scent of lemon soap still lingered in her hair.

She leaned into him, a shiver running through her body. "It's getting cold," she murmured softly.

Percy could feel the words forming against his skin before he heard them.

She took a shallow breath, letting it out in an uneven, rattling exhalation.

Percy remembered having heard somewhere that rattling breaths meant that someone was close to death. Maybe it was Annabeth who'd told him. Probably.

He pressed closer to her. "If I had a jacket, I'd drape it over you."

"The cliché romantic gesture, huh?"

How she managed to sound so snarky while she was dying, was beyond him. "I'll never get to do that," he said.

"Not to me," she agreed.

He groaned, only half teasingly. "This completely ruins the plan."

"Percy Jackson actually planned something out?"

"And it failed."

"Of course. You should have just asked me."

"Yeah," he said, letting himself smile for a second.

"So," she said casually. "You'd already planned our first date?"

"Yep. I was going to ask you right after all of this. Should have done it sooner."

"It wouldn't have stopped this though," she said sadly, then stopped suddenly, gasping for breath.

He squeezed her hand tighter. "Shh," he soothed. "Just a little longer." He kept his voice steady and calm, even as hot tears dripped down his cheeks.

"I'm not sure I can," she said, grimacing, but tried to make it look like a smile.

Her cool fingers reached for his face, brushing his hair out of his eyes, wiping the tears away.

He gazed at her, into those eyes. Those constant grey eyes. He remembered when he'd first come to camp, he'd been fascinated and more than a little intimidated by them. Over the years he'd grown accustomed to them - well not really, but he knew them better than his own.

How they darkened when she was worried or angry, clouded over when she was thinking and cleared up and sparkled like precious grey pearls set in diamonds when she laughed (at him).

Right now they were shining, filled with love.

He managed a shaky laugh. "I love you, you know. It's just so... unfair." He squeezed his eyes shut. Feeling her eyes on him, he continued, "You're my best friend. I mean, you're much more than that, but you'll always be my best friend. And I'm an idiot."

She laughed, tears spilling down her cheeks too. "You are," she said. "But you're my idiot."

She put an arm around his neck. Percy could smell grapes on her breath, maybe from the nectar.

"To be fair," she muttered, "I didn't make things easy for you."

"When have you ever?" he replied.

And then she was kissing him.

In that moment he forgot everything. He forgot about the war, about Kronos, about the limited time they had. All he knew was that he was kissing Annabeth Chase.

They pulled apart, bringing them back to reality and the ticking clock hanging above them, minutes drifting to seconds as their breaths became shallower.

"I wish we had more time," Percy whispered, almost to himself.

"Yeah, so do I," Annabeth muttered back, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips. Percy noticed she'd gone limp in his arms, her eyes miles away.

"Annabeth," he said desperately. "Annie."

"Don't call me that," she said faintly, having trouble focusing on him.

"Annabeth." Percy pressed his forehead to hers. His tears mingled with hers.

"I love you," she whispered, closing her eyes, looking peaceful, finally.

I'll always love you. Before he could say it, she was gone.

And Percy lowered his head and cried.

A/N: Is it bad that I wanted you to cry?

Yes, yes i know the Achille's heel thing is a major loophole, but shh :p

Well, this percabeth oneshot became more of a percadeath oneshot.

...

I'll just let myself out.

Also, do let me know about the areas where i can improve and/or anything else you'd like to say.

Thanks for reading lovelies! Byeeee :)