Guilty Thoughts

She felt guilty about it, really she did. She couldn't help it though because when she thought about it she could see their future, see the future that she and Percy could have. She could see them growing older, doing homework in college, spending sleepy Sundays on the couch watching tv, having kids and everything in-between. Those damn words though kept flying through her brain.

A half-blood of the eldest gods

Shall reach sixteen against all odds

And see the world in endless sleep

The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap

A single choice shall end his days

Olympus to preserve or raze

Those lines kept repeating themselves in her head like a bad song. For what seemed like an eternity she felt on the verge of tears hearing in her head the words that sentenced the boy she cared about fiercely to death. She was so caught up in it that she didn't hear Grover come up and sit beside her.

"I don't need to be a satyr to know what you're feeling right now." Grover said looking at her with a sad look in his eye. He knew how she felt about Percy, he knew the prophecy and he knew how Percy felt about her. Grover couldn't think of a fate crueler to his two best friends than this.

Annabeth looked up at Grover, they had known each other forever and besides Percy he was her best friend. If there was anyone in the world who knew what she was feeling it was him. She stared at him for a moment and for that moment Grover could see how much this was killing her.

"You don't have to feel guilty about it," Grover whispered and that immediately made Annabeth unleashed the flood gates. Now no one would ever say Annabeth was anything less than strong as iron but looking at her now it would be hard to tell.

"I do have to feel guilty about it because I want one of two other people to die. When we found out that Nico was a Son of Hades I was so happy because it meant there was someone else. Thalia had already chickened out and condemned Percy to die because she was afraid. She was afraid that she wouldn't be able to make the right choice so she forced Percy to make it. And then here comes Nico and I'm sorry to say but he's alone, he has no one on Earth anymore, he's bitter, he doesn't belong in this time and he's a Son of Hades and it's perfect because he can be the prophecy child." Annabeth took a breather she didn't want to continue but she knew she had to. This had been plaguing her for so long that she needed to flush it out. She continued, "But then Percy has to be Percy, he has to protect everyone because he is too much of a selfless idiot to think anything of his own self-preservation. He tells us that he will be the prophecy child to protect Nico and I just want to scream at him. This kid hates you Percy let him die, bet-ter you than him," She could feel the stutter in her voice but she didn't care she would get through this and then when she had said it all she could hate herself. "I wanted it to be Thalia because I didn't want it to be Percy, and then when she fell through and I felt how hopeless it was again, I spent all those months with Thalia and less time with Percy because I thought I was going to lose her again. I secretly hoped that I would lose her because then, then I could keep Percy. The Fates gave me that hope and I feel awful about it. Thalia took me in when no one else would and how to I repay her? By hoping she'd die. And then after she joined the Hunters and Nico came into the picture I was so grateful, they gave me that hope again but just as soon as I let myself believe it Percy submits himself to the Prophecy and now all of us are going to lose him because he is too good of a person. I can't lose him Grover, after everything that we've been through I want to be with him, I need to be with him. And recently everything has been more and more intense and I just I know I'm falling in love with him. I'm falling in love with a boy who is destined to die." She felt awful, she could taste the word vomit that had just poured out of her mouth and she couldn't stand to look at Grover. She went to stand up but Grover pulled her into a hug and she just cried into his shoulder.

"I understand how you feel Annabeth and you aren't a horrible person for wanting this. I've felt the same way, Percy is my best friend and I don't want to lose him either. You've lost so much in your life already and you don't want to lose him too. I know how both of you feel and I can tell you with one hundred percent certainty that Percy feels exactly the same way about you. Through our empathy link I can tell how he has lost sleep thinking of you, wishing life was different. I can tell you how his heart hurts when you aren't with him and how he wants to kiss you. The only reason he doesn't do it is because he figured out a while ago that he was probably going to die and he doesn't want to do that to you. He's hanging with Rachel so much because with her he can pretend for a minute that he isn't going to die, that the fate of the world isn't on his shoulders and that he is just like all the other mortal teens. He wants to be with you Annabeth, and he doesn't want to die." Grover let his own tears fall and for a moment the two cried and prayed knowing that it might be futile and that in a few days they might lose their best friend.