Percy missed her sharp gray eyes. He missed her Know-It-All smirk and the way she knew him like no one else. He even missed her somewhat obsessive love of architecture, even though she tended to ramble on and on about the subject. There was so much to miss, and it hurt him inside, made him feel sick. And he hated it. He hated Fate, so cruel that it wrenched his love away from him. Because he loved Annabeth, more than he loved anyone else in the world. She was his heart, his soul, his everything. And now she was gone.

Don't forget to live, She was probably urging from Elysium. And when he didn't listen, she would want to judo-flip him into the pavement. But nevertheless, he couldn't move on. Percy felt a surge of bitterness and then guilt at his own longing when he saw his friends, happy and in love. It wasn't their fault. It was his. It was his fault that he wasn't fast enough, that her neck had audibly snapped when she was tossed against a brick wall by the hydra. Percy killed the hydra with a single, vicious slash from Riptide, but the damage was done. And he could only lean over her and cradle her body, begging her to stay with him. But she stayed still and silent and cold. That wasn't right. She was bright and warm and full of life. This motionless one with skin like ice couldn't be his Annabeth. The girl who'd traveled to Tartarus and back couldn't have died so abruptly. So unceremoniously.

Later, Jason and Nico told him that they'd found him, holding her body close to his, and that he was unresponsive to anything they said. The son of Hades had to use his limited powers of hypnokinesis to put Percy to sleep in order to pry him away from Athena's daughter. Percy refused to attend the funeral, refused to speak, and ate next to nothing for an entire month. He didn't even leave his cabin. Will Solace, the head councilor of the Apollo cabin tried to heal him, but there was no physical damage to heal. Soon, Piper had enough.

"Annabeth would kick your ass if she saw you moping around like this! She loved you, and would want you to live a happy life. Besides, you're just setting yourself up for the verbal punishment of the century once you join her again." Whether it was because of the girl's words, or of his own account, Percy slowly came to. Started training again. But things were dull. Meaningless.

His friends convinced him to come to a party celebrating the end of the summer. Not that there was anything to celebrate without Annabeth Chase. He'd asked Nico if there was any way of contacting her, but his eyes darkened, like curtains had been drawn behind him, and he simply shook his head and walked away. Percy wasn't an idiot. He knew that the fine line between life and death should not be tampered with. But he had to try for his Wise Girl.

Now, he watched his friends, all laughing and chatting. They missed Annabeth, sure. But they could let her go, resign themselves to Fate. Piper was teaching Jason how to dance, while Leo made a paper crane for Calypso. Even Frank and Hazel had come, along with Reyna, who was sharing a cup of punch with another Roman. Clarisse and Chris were playing darts, and even Katie and Travis were eating next to Lou Ellen and Connor. Nico and Will sat in the shadows, away from both Percy and the others, leaning against each other and whispering secrets to the night air. Everyone had found their other half, their soulmate.

And Percy was the odd one out. The one that no one needed with their entire being. The one who lost his love, never to find her again. Unless…

He didn't want to, but it needed to be done. His mother would be devastated, but she had Paul. And his friends all had each other, to get through the pain. He couldn't live without her. It wasn't like he hadn't tried, but there was no one else for him. He wondered if Rachel got lonely. She probably did. And the camps didn't need him to be their hero anymore. There were brave and worthy heroes everywhere, you couldn't throw a rock without hitting one. The Olympians could make do without him.

That night, Percy Jackson inexplicably died of causes unknown. Those in Camp Half Blood and Camp Juniper were initially in denial. Then, they mourned, and eventually found solace in one another. But meanwhile…

Percy entered Elysium, searching for one thing— the girl with the curly blond hair. And there she was, with a golden aura and a tongue as sharp as ever.

"Seaweed Brain, how dare you?! How dare you go and die for me when you only deserved to live?! When you should've lived a full life!" She shouted, tears in her eyes.

"Could you have lived without me?" He asked her gently. And she paused, her anger dissolving. She slowly shook her head, ponytail swinging from side to side.

"I am a hypocrite, I won't deny that. But what of everyone else who cares for you? It feels selfish of me to have you."

"You're too good for me, Wise Girl. It's an honor to have your love, for now and forever. The others can deal with loss. They're not deluded into thinking that there's no death in the world. Everyone dies, Annabeth. Some sooner than others. Besides, I've already been dead, from the moment that you were."

"I love you, Percy. You're starting to sound wise. Any wiser, and you'd almost be catching up to me." She let out a weak peal of laughter. "Come on, Seaweed Brain. There are some people who would like to see you once more." She leaned forward, and he kissed her almost hungrily. She hugged him tight, leaching the echoes of pain from his spirit.

And they lived on in the hearts of those who knew them, happily ever after. Not the perfect tale of love, but some things are better left to Fate. After all, the journey was more important than the ending all along.

A/N: I didn't exactly proofread this, so I apologize for any mistakes in advance. Thanks for reading, tell me what you think, and stay awesome, guys ;)