Hey everyone! I was in the mood to write something depressing, and here's the result. Check out my profile for other fanfics on Percy Jackson!

(This is a fanfiction site for a reason, right? There's no point in a disclaimer... I wonder why I do it now.)

Annabeth yelled a war cry as she charged the last few monsters. She could see Percy battling the other ones out of the corner of her eye, but Annabeth didn't dare look.

As the monsters vaporized, Annabeth dusted her hands off on her jeans against the golden dust. Percy turned to her, his expression on of grim victory as he trudged towards her.

Annabeth, panting hard, managed a weak, "Well, that wasn't as bad as I expected."

She expected Percy to laugh, but instead, his eyes grew wide with horror.

Annabeth realized he was looking at something behind her.

Percy's cry of, "Annabeth, look out!" was swallowed in the heat of the situation.

It was a drakon.

It was large, and dappled green and yellow. It was mesmerizingly beautiful, with frills around its neck, and Annabeth was reminded of a warm summer's day.

And also reminded of something much less pleasant.

Annabeth's breathing was labored as she stared at the monster that was just all-too-familiar. Visions flashed across her eyes, a charred ground, horrors in the darkness, a Titan glowing silver and a boy's broken body —

Annabeth began screaming.

And screaming.

And screaming…

Something touched against her lips, and Annabeth was yanked back to the present. Percy had kissed her. Percy was okay. Percy was alive —

That's when Percy fell to the ground, stabbing with Riptide wildly. The drakon was hit, amazingly, and it crumbled into dust.

But Annabeth wasn't focused on that.

"Percy? Percy?!" she asked frantically, fumbling against his neck for a pulse. It fluttered weakly against her fingertips.

No. He was going to be okay. He was going to be okay.

"Annabeth…" Percy stared up at her, those beautiful sea green eyes, slowly losing color. She nodded. "Percy, I'm here. You're going to be fine," she replied, simultaneously rummaging desperately in her bag for ambrosia and trying to staunch the bleeding where the drakon stabbed him.

The corners of Percy's lips tugged into a smile, but it was wistful. "Annabeth, I'm not going to be fine."

She glared at him to hide the tide of horrible, horrible fear churning in her gut. "Of course you're going to be f - fine." Her voice broke and she hiccuped. "Eat this." She thrust the ambrosia at him.

Percy's vibrant eyes were starting to lose their color, fading away, fading, fading. He smiled once more, melancholy, and shook his head.

She stared at him. "What?"

"No, Annabeth… you know you can't save me."

"Percy, please!" The tears finally began sliding down her cheeks.

Percy looked at her, eyes brightening only in the slightest as he looked at the one he loved. "Don't cry," he whispered hoarsely, wiping her tears and cupping her face. If he was to leave this world, he wanted to leave with Annabeth the last thing he saw. "I love you, Wise Girl."

Annabeth choked on her sob. "I — I love you too. And it's going to be okay. It's going to be okay!"

He didn't say anything at first, just smiled sadly, tracing her face with his fingers.

Annabeth gripped his hand desperately. "Percy, don't leave me, please don't!" Her voice was getting thicker, layered with grief.

"I won't," he croaked, "I will never leave you."

Annabeth let out a sob, the tears falling faster than ever.

Percy's eyes fluttered once. His pulse was getting threadier, and Percy licked his dry lips. "Annabeth —" he choked, blood clogging up his lungs. "Promise me — you've got to be happy." Percy's vision was frayed at the edges, but staring into Annabeth's beautiful eyes, dripping quiksilver, her felt that he could stay there forever.

But he was drowning.

And much, much too fast.

"Annabeth," he breathed.

And he tumbled into the void.

Annabeth felt the exact moment. She felt the moment when his heart stuttered and then stopped altogether under her palm, felt when the life drained out of his eyes, leaving them only glassy marbles fixed on her.

No.

No!

"N - no," Annabeth hiccuped, "You're fine. We're fine. We're going to finish high school, and then we'll go to college in New Rome, just like you've always wanted. You can study marine biology, or surfing, or whatever you want to do — as long as you stay with me. And then we'll graduate and you'll propose and we'll buy a house by the beach, so we can listen to the waves all night long. I'll tell you I love you every night before bed. We'll have kids, and grandkids, and…" Annabeth rambled, her voice trailing away.

When he didn't answer, the truth finally set in.

Percy was gone.

"No, no, no!" she wailed. "NO!" She clutched his hands so tightly they should have been turning purple, but he had lost too much blood. "You promised!" she wept. "You promised you would never leave me, and you did, you Seaweed Brain!" Droplets wetted her tattered shirt, her pants, but Annabeth didn't give any notice. She faced the sky, tightening her grip on her lost lover. "Please mother, bring him back!"

No reply.

"No!" Annabeth's stomach convulsed. "Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, anyone!"

But no one gave any notice to the fallen demigod.

"No… no…" Annabeth curled up on the ground against Percy's limp body, crying against his chest as she did so many times before. But this time, there was no warmth, no comfort, no soothing, steady beat.

There was just — nothing.

Nothing.

This nothingness had replaced him.

"No…" Annabeth sobbed weakly against his chest, wishing she never had to move.

Percy was gone.

And she was alone.

Alone.

Thanks for reading!