A/N: So. I finished the Mark of Athena. Worst cliffhanger ever. Literally. Oh my gods. :[ This fic isn't any better than that ending. This story is seriously depressing. I suggest listening to "Heartbeat" by Childish Gambino while reading. Maybe the karaoke version. Sniffle.

And I picture Annabeth as a pretty cool adult.

"Percy," my dad said, standing up from his throne, "Can I speak to you for a moment? Outside." I didn't know what he wanted to talk to me about, but it's never wise to refuse a god, even if he is your father, so I followed Poseidon out of the throne room. I glanced back at Annabeth. She was staring at the floor, her face pale. I frowned.

I must have still been frowning, because my dad sighed when he turned to face me.

"Percy, I know you don't want to do this, but it might be for the best."

"Dad!" I exclaimed. "I- How can I do this? I can't! I can't leave her, how would she react? I was afraid of losing her to the Hunters. I can't do this to her..." My dad got it. I didn't need to explain who 'her' was. He knew everything. He bent down and put a hand on my shoulder.

"I understand Percy. But Zeus would not take it lightly if you refused his offer. He's very proud. Refusing... well, you know it's never a good idea to refuse a god," my dad said. I struggled for words, but I couldn't find them. My world was getting ripped out from under my feet.

"I... how could I be immortal, anyway? There's already a god for everything. This isn't a good idea."

"The council would decide. You could help me with undersea affairs." I had always wanted to go underwater and help my dad...but not like this.

"Dad..." My eyes spoke for me. Poseidon sighed again.

"This is going to be hard. But I think it's the right decision." I understood where he was coming from. If I refused Lord Zeus's offer, he would never forgive me for that. I had another idea for a wish, but each second it seemed less likely it would work. Finally, I nodded.

"Good boy," said my dad, guiding me back towards the throne room. But I didn't want to be a good boy. I wanted to be with Annabeth. Walking back in the throne room, I couldn't look at her. If did, I couldn't have gone through with this. I stood in front of my Uncle Zeus. I couldn't meet his eyes, though.

"Lord Zeus," I said, my head towards the floor and my eyes scrunched tightly, "I...accept your generous offer."

"NO!" Her terrible shout came from behind me, and I dropped to my knees, my head in my hands.

"Percy!" I could hear her shouting my name, but it sounded unreal. Maybe this was all a horrible dream and I'd wake up from it.

"How can you do this, Percy?!" She was agonized, and I could hear her voice crack. I could hear her start to sob.

"Annabeth," I murmured. I heard rapid footsteps depart, and I turned to find she had run out of the room. Everyone stared at me again, and I blinked several times as tears pricked my eyes. I saw Thalia tear up by Artemis's side, but she tried to mask it with a glare.

I stood up and tried to stumble after Annabeth, but I was pulled back. I don't know what happened exactly, because after a huge flash of gold I blacked out.

When I woke up again, Olympus was still partying. Apollo sat next to me, grinning now that I was up.

"Percy! How do you feel?" I sat up. Aside from the aches from fighting a battle a few hours ago, I felt pretty good. In fact, I felt marvelous. I stood up immediately and examined myself. I radiated power. I looked at Apollo, my face in amazement.

"I'm..."

"Yeah, you're immortal now. You're a god, Percy." I was still in awe. But my face fell immediately as I remembered.

"Where's Annabeth?" I asked urgently.

Apollo looked hesitant. "I'm pretty sure she's still at the party." I turned to leave.

"Percy! Before you go... The council made a decision. You are to stay with your father under the sea. You can come up... every... ten years." I froze.

"T-ten years? You're kidding, right?" I studied Apollo's face. He was serious. I wasn't at all happy about that decision, but I needed to talk to Annabeth, so I ran to find her.

When I finally did find her, she tried to run away. She was understandably upset. I was almost a nervous wreck myself. I managed to catch up to her, but by that time we were far away from everyone else. I grabbed her shoulders.

"Annabeth..."

"Percy, just... l-leave me alone." I could hear the pain in her voice, and it just split my heart even further. I tried to think of words.

"I'm sorry," I said, knowing it was weak, knowing it was lame, but not knowing what else to do.

"That's it? You're deserting me and all you say is you're sorry?!" I bit my lip and completely crumpled. I wasn't supposed to break down like this. Annabeth finally looked at me and as soon as she did her expression mirrored my own. She fell into me, sobbing. We stayed like that for ages, neither of us wanting to let go, knowing we'd lose each other if we did.

"I don't know what I'll do, Percy. I d-don't want you to leave me," she sobbed, clinging to me like it was life or death.

"I... love you, Percy," she whispered, barely audible. I tried to regain any sliver of composure. I rested my chin on top of her head.

"I love you Annabeth," I said. I gave a long exhale. "And I will never stop loving you." Annabeth burrowed into me, and I held her close. I didn't want to give her up. Finally, we could tell from the sky that the party would be over soon. I had to give her up. I took her hand and we started to walk back to everyone, stalling and going as slowly as we could.

"I'll come visit you," I told her, when we were nearing the pavilion where the party was being held. "I'll come visit you every opportunity. It might be a while, though."

She turned to face me. "It doesn't matter how long. All that matters is that you come." Then she kissed me. I started to get all choked up again. Then she needed to go. It was excruciating, as if she was taunting me by going so slowly, but I knew she just didn't want to leave me. When she did, I was broken.

My ten years passed in a heartbeat. Perhaps I just couldn't wait to see Annabeth again. I still looked sixteen, but Annabeth would be 26 already. It had been too long. As soon as I had permission to leave, I darted out of the ocean and searched for her aura. One of my powers as a god was to travel as a type of spirit, so I could travel much after than on foot. I could also sense things I wasn't able to before.

I headed to Camp Half-Blood. I had a feeling she was there. When I arrived, I stood by the tree at the top of the hill. My old home. Lots of memories flooded back, which didn't make me feel any better. Then I saw her again. She looked older, but she still radiated with beauty. She had decided to keep her hair the same length. She looked amazing. I turned into a spirit, rushed down there and brought her back to the top of the hill with me in a blink of an eye. She looked shocked for a moment before she finally comprehended what was happening.

"Percy?" I nodded, dying with joy inside. I had waited ten years for this moment. Annabeth threw her arms around me, though it was strange now that she was taller than I was.

"How are you?" I asked, and this was definitely a conversation starter. She told me about going to Olympus and redesigning all the buildings, and I was happy she was able to achieve her architectural dreams. She said she was looking for me while she was up there, but of course I was under the sea. Then, she said she came back to camp to be an advisor. I put my arm around her, wanting to soak up all her essence before I had to go away for another ten years.

"I missed you," I murmured. "I've been thinking about you every single day." Annabeth's forehead tensed, but she tried to play it off with a nod and smile.

"Is something wrong?" I asked. I didn't know if she had training to do or something.

"No, Percy, it's just...nothing."

"Something's bothering you, I can tell. You can tell me. What is it?"

"Well, it's just," began Annabeth hesitantly, "It's been ten years, Percy. That may not be that long by a god's standards, but it's been a while for me. I...was heartbroken, but I needed to move on with my life."

A wave of sadness washed over me. I understood what she was trying to get at.

"You've... found someone else? Haven't you?" I asked, trying to prevent my feelings from creeping into my voice. Annabeth wouldn't meet my gaze but she nodded a bit. I sighed.

"Who?"

"You're not going to hurt him, are you?" Annabeth looked at me warily. I glanced down and realized my body was flickering white light, threatening to expose its true form. No wonder she was concerned. I could destroy her in a millisecond by accident if I didn't keep my emotions under control. I took my arm out from around her.

"Sorry," I apologized. I took a deep breath and tried to keep my flickering under control. "Of course I won't hurt him, Annabeth. If he makes you happy, he's fine by me."

Annabeth gave me a small smile.

"It's Nico," she said. I wasn't expecting that, and my flickering flared up again.

"PERCY..." Annabeth said cautiously, squirming slightly. I stood up.

"I'm sorry. I'm still, you know," I gestured to myself, "getting my powers under control and stuff. I should probably go before I blow up the camp or something. But... well... Nico's a good kid. He should make you very happy, Annabeth." And with that, I took off, only to long or her for ten more years.

Ten years later. Again. Annabeth would be in her 30s. I realized I needed to cool down. The minutes I spend with her are precious, and I needed to relax and not make her freak out. As I stepped out of the ocean, I was thrown off guard. Annabeth wasn't at Camp Half-Blood, I could tell. She was farther down; Georgia maybe.

I dashed off, following her aura, and I ended up in front of a house. I gasped. Annabeth was out here in the real world, making a living doing something. I walked up to the door and hesitated. I couldn't just knock and walk into her house. We left off on a sour note, and it had been ten more years. Instead, I walked over to the window. I was looking into a study. There was a dark stained wood desk, and one of those curved lamps with a green cover you'd see in an old fashioned movie. There were also pictures of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings on the walls. I smiled. This room screamed Annabeth.

And rightly so, because she was in the room. She had her back to me, and she was talking to another person. She had a copy of something with a lot of pages in her arm. I guessed it was some kind of manuscript. She gestured to the door, and I had to duck to avoid being seen.

The door opened next to me, and I pressed myself in the alcove next to it to avoid being seen. I could hear Annabeth talking to this man.

"Are you sure, Annabeth?" he said.

"Don't put my name on it, Rick," replied Annabeth. "The world doesn't need to know. And they'll start to suspect."

"Alright, if you're sure. Call me if you ever need anything. I should go, or I'll miss my flight. I'll see you in a couple months."

"Thanks," said Annabeth. "See you around." Annabeth left off with a sigh, and she closed the door. The man walked down the steps, and just as I thought I was in the clear, he turned around and looked at the house. He stared at me emotionless for a moment.

"That's funny," he said eventually. "Sea-green eyes." I nodded uncertainly.

"I know you," the man said, with a knowing smile, then he turned and started to walk away.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Miss di Angelo is an author," was his simple reply. He got into his car and drove off. I paled. She had married Nico. A few minutes later after I had gotten over my initial shock, I peered back into the study window. She wasn't there, so I went around the house until I found the next window. It was a bedroom, most likely a guest. The next window was the family room, and this was where I stopped.

There were two little children.

The girl had a little pink dress on. She had dark eyes, and hair to match, though I wasn't sure if her eyes were more towards the gray or black side. She looked about five. She had a little brother. He looked around two years younger than her. He had fair hair and lively blue eyes. Playing with both of them was an aged version of one of my friends. He looked almost the same, with the jet black hair and eyes to match, he just looked more experienced.

Then Annabeth came in to join her... family. I saw how tenderly she looked at all of them, and my heart started to ache. She was happy, so I was happy for her. But at the same time, I felt regret. What would her future have looked like if I hadn't become immortal?

I was jerked out of my train of thought when Nico and Annabeth kissed. I cringed. Then the phone rang inside their house. Nico picked it up, and he had a dazed look on his face before he whipped his head around to face the window. He met my eyes for a moment, then shouted something, presumably to Annabeth. She turned and ran out of the room in the direction of the front door. That man Annabeth was talking to before must have called them and told them about me.

Nico shouted something to me, but I couldn't hear it. I shook my head and took a step back. I wanted to get out of there. I disappeared, the last thing I heard being Annabeth calling my name.

I was not looking forward to making my decade-annual visit to Annabeth with her new family there, so when I stepped out of the water I resolved to get her by herself. I found her in the morning, driving her now-teenagers to school. There was also another little kid in her car. I observed him. Nico probably looked exactly like that when he was five. I hitched a ride on the back of her car, but nobody noticed except maybe a few drivers who were concerned that a near-invisible rear end was in front of their window.

After she dropped off her children, Annabeth went shopping. I couldn't approach her in front of all the other shoppers in case she spasmed out and got really mad at me, so I took that opportunity to observe her. She surprisingly still hadn't changed much. She may have been over 40, but she didn't look it. She still had that firm expression that broke into that smile I loved. The only thing that hinted at her age was her hair. She preferred the mid-back length, and I was glad she kept that because it was what I was used to and it complimented her. But we didn't match anymore. I kept the streak of gray in my hair from holding up the sky because it reminded me of her. But now she had more gray. It streaked down her hair, so it looked she just had a few gray highlights.

I found my chance to talk to her when she broke for lunch. Her car was parked at the back of the lot, and the back of the building she had to walk past was virtually uninhibited. I caught her on the way to lunch. She looked shocked when I walked around the corner and "accidentally" bumped into her.

"Percy!" she exclaimed, as her expression tried to catch up with her mind. In the span of a few seconds, her expression went from surprised to happy to angry.

"We need to talk," Annabeth said. "Have lunch with me?" I couldn't and wasn't planning to say no, so we went to McDonalds. I had to admit, it was good to have a hamburger for the first time in 30 years again.

"The favored food of ghosts," said Annabeth with a smile. It was hard to read her, she was the one who was good at that.

"If it only was blue," I drabbled. "So-"

"Nuh-uh, Seaweed Brain. I start asking the questions this time. My first question is...why did you not come to see me a few years ago?" The look on her face morphed again; this time it was more pained. "Nico saw you, and I was calling you, but..."

I sighed. "It was just...I wasn't expecting to see what I saw. I wasn't prepared. I mean, it was to be expected, you know, you having children and all, but still. I...it's...I think it's probably unhealthy for me to...I don't..." I couldn't put my thoughts into words. I knew I was still in love with Annabeth, but I wasn't sure why. We had kissed exactly once, and then our ways had to split. So why did I still feel so strongly about her? I figured it was that we had been through so much together.

"So? You were shocked and confused. You could have come inside. We would have explained everything. You said... it would take a while, but you would always come see me. But you didn't."

"You remembered," I whispered.

"Of course. I'll never forget."

"I'm sorry." I glanced up at her. "That was pretty stupid of me, huh?" Annabeth cracked a smile, biting back a sarcastic comment. I grinned at her.

"Go ahead, say it," I groaned.

"Wasn't your reputation to be stupid?" she joked.

"And I'm proud of it!" I added. She laughed, the one tune of her voice that always had remained the same. I savored that moment.

"Anyway," she continued, "Why are you under the sea so much? Why can't you come up more often?"

"My dad put me in charge of all these affairs," I moaned. "It gets really boring. And apparently there's this 'rule for my own good' that I should only be allowed up every ten years, which is really unfair. They said they'd lift it after a while, but whatever." Annabeth must've seen how annoyed I was with how I was doing, because she didn't press any farther.

"Can it be my turn to ask the questions?" I asked. I was really curious about some things and I wanted to get off the previous topic.

"Sure," she said. "Ask away."

"So," I started, "Who was that guy at your house ten years ago? He said he knew me."

"Oh gods," Annabeth said, breaking a smile, "That's Rick Riordan. He's my partner."

"Partner in what?" Annabeth adjusted her weight like it was going to be a long story.

"I was an author before I 'retired.'" This sentence alone raised even more questions for me, but I waited for her to finish. "He was just my friend for a while; we were both interested in architecture at the same time. Then he told me about wanting to write a book, so we formed a partnership. We started a collaboration on a book about architecture, but it wasn't very good with the publishers, so we turned to fiction. We needed a stellar idea though, so I suggested a fictionalized version of Camp Half-Blood and all that. So I told him all about my past that he never knew...up until when you, you know, became immortal. He was fascinated. He had the idea to tell it from your point of view. Frankly, it was a hit. I insisted my name not be on any of the books though, because we wanted people to just regard it as fiction and not suspect anything."

I sat there in awe for a few seconds before managing to say, "Wow."

"I can take you to the bookstore later. You can look at them there."

"I would like that," I said. "Okay, next question."

"Mmm?"

"Uh...how many kids do you have?"

"Just three," Annabeth answered. "And we're not having any more, if that's what you're implying." My ears turned red.

"Of course that's not what I'm implying!" I laughed awkwardly.

"Would you like to...hear about them?"

"Very much," I smiled.

"Well, the oldest is Bianca. You probably saw her when you looked through our window ten years ago. She's the one with the black hair? Yeah. She's become like a miniature version of Thalia. She's trying to be rebellious, but she's a sweetheart when she's not trying to impress her friends. She's actually met Thalia. She went to camp a few summers...the two of them really hit it off! Anyway, next would be...Luke. He's three years younger than Bianca. He's still clinging to me, so, well, I'm not exactly looking forward to him leaving for high school next year. And then there's Percy..." Annabeth broke off with a small laugh. She was trying to keep the smile off her face. I couldn't help smiling either. She had named her kid after me, after all!

"He's five. He's just a darling. He's had his struggles, but...he's doing okay."

"They sound wonderful," I smiled.

"They really are. Okay, what other questions have you got for me?

"Just one more. You said you were retired. What...?"

"Oh," she sighed. "Well, unfortunately, I was...ah...diagnosed with...cancer. I don't know where it came from, but the doctors said it was hereditary. Percy, little Percy, that is, he has it too. So..." Annabeth broke off, studying my face for emotion. I bit my lip. After all she'd done, cancer got to her? I wanted to say something, but I didn't know what.

"Come on," she said after a few moments, "lets go to the bookstore."

We walked down a few blocks and turned into a Barnes&Noble. Annabeth led me to the juvenile fiction, and went down the authors' last names until we reached the R's. My mouth dropped open. 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians.' 'The Lightning Thief.' 'The Last Olympian.' Three other books in between. And something called 'The Heroes of Olympus.'

"Auuuhhh," was all my mouth managed to say. Annabeth picked up 'The Last Olympian' and placed it in my hand. I flipped through the pages. Everything was exactly like what had happened. Except for the end. That Percy had chose to stay with Annabeth. I bit my lip, browsing through the last page of the book. There was something about my birthday, and a cupcake. I sighed and nonchalantly wiped my eyes.

"Can I take these back with me? Do you mind?"

"Of course not," said Annabeth. I grabbed five of the books about me. Then I turned to 'The Heroes of Olympus.'

"What are those?" I asked.

"Those really are fiction," said Annabeth. "They're still about demigods, though. I'd, ah, suggest you'd wait on those, though." I nodded and brought my books to the cash register. The lady looked at me funny. Then when I dug in my pocket for money and brought out a few sand dollars with it, she looked at me even stranger.

She rung up my order, and just as I was about to take my bag and leave, she said, "Nice inferior imitation."

"Excuse me?" I said? I was confused for a few minutes, then I realized she thought I was trying to pretend to be Percy.

"You're obviously wearing contacts and you're trying too hard," she said snottily.

"Oh yeah?" I retorted, taking my pen out of my pocket. I uncapped it. The cashier looked unphased.

"Um, Perce," Annabeth pointed out, "the mist."

"Oh," I said.

"Come on Seaweed Brain," smiled Annabeth, "lets go." The cashier snorted as the two of us walked out of the store. Annabeth sighed and looked at her watch.

"I need to pick up the kids now. Do you want to come with?"

"Nah. I should get back. But...it was brilliant spending time with you. Really."

"Same here." Annabeth sighed. "You're coming back next time, right?"

"Definitely. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too. See you around, Seaweed Brain."

"Back at you, Wise Girl."

It hadn't been ten years this time. Something had felt wrong for months, and finally I had convinced my father to let me go up early. The feeling in my heart was the worst today. Something was up.

I headed off to Georgia and was attracted to the hospital. That wasn't a good sign. I walked up to the front desk.

"Um, by chance, is there an Annabeth Chas- di Angelo here?" I asked the nurse. She gave me a weary eye.

"Maybe. Who are you?"

"A family friend."

"You gotta be on the visiting list. Name?" I thought about faking it and pretending I was one of her kids or something, but I hoped Annabeth thought of me beforehand.

"Uh...Jackson? Percy Jackson."

You serious, kid?" I laughed nervously.

"Do you think I'm serious?" The lady didn't crack a smile.

"I have a Peter Johnson on here, if you're done fooling around," the nurse said monotonously.

"Yeah! I mean, yeah. I was trying to see if you believed me. Peter Johnson's my name! Yup. People call me that." It wasn't a lie, exactly.

She raised an eyebrow. "Second floor, hall 5. It can be accessed from both ends. Room 15b." She then pointed at the stairs, even though there was a perfectly good elevator on the other side of the room. I walked up the stairs.

I walked through the halls until I reached hall 5. There was a bench part way down and a door labeled 'Room 15b' right next to it. Sitting on the bench were Annabeth's children and a little baby, presumably her oldest's. I didn't want to walk past them, so I walked a bit and entered the room from the other side of the hallway so they couldn't see me. It helped I turned invisible and materialized in the doorway of the room. Annabeth and Nico were both inside. Nico was sitting on a chair to Annabeth's left. He was leaning over her, paler than usual. As for Annabeth, she was in a hospital bed, wearing one of those white gowns. She was hooked up to some kind of IV and her heart rate was beeping on a screen. There was also a doctor inside the room. He turned around and jumped when he saw me.

"Where did you come from?!" he asked.

"It's okay, Doctor," said Annabeth; her voice sounded so soft and frail. "He's a friend." Both the doctor and Nico regarded me.

"Well, my boy, do you know what's going on?" The doctor asked me. I shook my head.

He lowered his voice and said, "Unfortunately, her cancer has consumed her. She doesn't have much longer. I can't explain how she's managed to hang on this long, but she's just running on sheer spirit now." I felt the color drain from my face, but I nodded slowly.

"I would," the doctor paused to clear his throat, "say your goodbyes. I'm sorry. Now, I should go break the news to her children." I blended into the wall in the corner. I would go last. Annabeth would probably want me to. I watched Nico lean over and give Annabeth a lingering embrace.

"Elysium," he murmured. "I'll come see you. I'm certain you'll be there."

"I could-" Annabeth paused to swallow painfully, "be reborn. Three times. Isles of the Blest."

"You could make it there too. Whatever you do, just... be happy. You're amazing. I love you so much." Emotion cracked Annabeth's voice as she tried to reply, so she just kissed him. Her children burst into the room. The doctor lingered outside, obviously not wanting to intrude.

"Mom!" cried Bianca. "I wish...we can't do anything, but...gods, I'm going to miss you!" Tears streamed down all of their cheeks, and I could feel my eyes start to water.

"Don't go..." murmured Percy.

"I wish I didn't have to, but it's my time. You all must stay strong, alright? You have all made my life so amazing. Bianca, you have always made me proud. And these two years with my granddaughter... Luke, your legacy will always live on. You are terrific. And my brave little Percy... words cannot describe how amazing you are. I love you all." All of them proceeded to give their mother hugs and exited the room, sniffling. They probably didn't want to see the exact moment their mother died.

"Percy," whispered Annabeth when everyone had left. I walked up to her.

"Annabeth," I choked. "You waited for me."

"I had to," she replied quietly.

"It's...you remember that day we were on Olympus?" Annabeth closed her eyes and nodded.

"I remember."

"I said I would never stop loving you. I never did. And-" My voice broke. I couldn't keep talking. I looked at her and saw she was crying too.

"Actions speak louder than words," she managed to get out. So I leaned down and kissed her, the second and last time. And she kissed me back. I sat there for a moment and held her hand, the two of us crying silently for a minute. Then the beeping turned into a long line. I melted into the wall again, my face in anguish. The doctor and Nico covered her up and walked down the hallway. Their footsteps receded and the only sound that could be heard was three people crying outside. I saw Annabeth's spirit leave her. She looked sixteen again. She waved to me. I wiped my eyes and waved back. I would see her again. I took another second to regain my composure and stepped into the hallway. Three pairs of bloodshot eyes turned in my direction. I figured my eyes looked exactly the same.

"What...what were you doing in there?" asked Bianca.

"Visiting your mother," I replied.

"Why?" questioned Luke.

"I loved her once." I said. It wasn't a lie, exactly.

"But...you look my age," noted Percy.

"So I do," I said. Then I gave then a small smile and walked down the hallway, turning into a spirit partway down and sending them a small sea breeze.

I must've cried, like, five times while writing this. I hope you liked it. Maybe it touched you in some way. Or made you sniffle. I can't think of a good concluding sentence for the end of this feat, so I'll end with my favorite anonymous quote.

Stars can't shine without darkness.