The Battle of the Labyrinth kiss scene- Annabeth's POV

"We have to get out-"

I was interrupted by a door a couple platforms down exploding and a bunch of young telkhines tripping over each other trying to get out.

"Put your cap back on," Percy said. "Get out,"

I couldn't believe what he was saying. He wanted me to leave him here with a bunch of telkhines chasing him.

"What?" I screamed. "No! I'm not leaving you!"

I couldn't bear it! First Luke, then Thalia, now Percy! Ever since our first quest I knew I had feelings for Percy. I mean, he crossed the country to save me this winter! He had to have some feelings for me.

"I've got a plan," He said. "I'll distract them. You can use the metal spider- maybe it'll lead you back to Hephaestus. You have to tell him what's going on."

"But you'll be killed!" I said. My throat started closing up and I could feel the tears coming on.

"I'll be fine. Besides, we've got no choice." He said.

I knew he was right. I hate it when he's right. I also knew I wouldn't have time to tell him how I felt. So I kissed him.

It was the best feeling ever. I felt like nothing bad was going to happen. It was the perfect first kiss and I knew I would remember it forever. I pulled away.

"Be careful, Seaweed Brain," I said and put on my invisibility hat.

I sat there for a minute to see what his reaction was and I almost laughed out loud. He just sat there, staring at the lava, looking like he was trying to remember what his name was until the telkhines jarred him back to reality.

I stood up and ran for the Labyrinth entrance. When I got there I turned to see how Percy was was on a platform and all the exits were blocked by telkhines. He had no way to get out. I wanted to run in there and help him but there was no way I could help him. There were jut too many telkhines.

Then, I realized that the spider was getting away. I turned and sprinted after it.

Ten seconds later I heard a bloodcurdling scream coming from down the tunnel I just came from. That scream could only com from one person. The scream had come from the lips of Percy Jackson.

I couldn't bear the pain. I bawled the rest of the way back to Hephaestus' workshop. The only reason I didn't collapse on the spot was because I knew that Percy probably gave up his life to get me out of Mt. Saint Helens safely. I have to give the information to Hephaestus to honor Percy.

I pushed myself into a run, which was hard because my throat was closing.

When I finally got back to the workshop, I could barely breathe from all the running and crying.

I entered and Hephaestus turned to look at me.

"What did you learn?" Hephaestus asked.

I muttered something about telkhines and the greatest Titan weapon ever made through my tears.

"Where are the others?" he asked.

"Grover and Tyson took went down a different tunnel by themselves and Per-" my voice broke. "Percy, well, I don't know where he is,"

"Ah, well, do you want to know the way to Daedalus' workshop?"

"Um, actually, could you just send me back to Camp Half-Blood?"

"Yes," he said while tinkering with some metal. "Here. Follow this metal beetle and it shall lead you back to Camp Half-Blood. When you get there press the silver button in the middle of it's back and it shall come back to me."

He turned the beetle on and set it on the ground. It scuttled out the doorway.

"Thank you Lord Hephaestus," I said and ran after the beetle, back into the maze.

I scared the Hades out of Beckendorf and the Stoll brothers when I emerged from Zeus' Fist. They were in the middle of a game of capture the flag game.

"Hey Annabeth," Bekendorf said. "Where's Percy?"

I couldn't help it. I started bawling.

Beckendorf spread his arms and I walked into them. I could tell the Stoll brothers thought this was weird by the way they were looking at us but I didn't care. I needed some comforting.

"What happened?" Beckendorf asked.

I told him everything. Well, except the kiss, that would be kind of weird.

"Then, I was running down the hall, back in the maze, and I heard this horrible scream coming from behind me. I knew it was Percy. I went back to Hephaestus, told him about the telkhines, nd then just came back here.

"Annabeth, I'm so sorry! I know this must be hard for you. It's going to be hard on everyone at camp," Beckendorf said, trying to comfort me.

Then I felt something, this little tickle in the pit of my stomach. Somehow I knew that Percy was't dead. I could feel it.

"Percy isn't dead," I said.

"Annabeth," Beckendorf said calmly. "From what you told me, the most logical outcome is that Percy is-"

"Don't say dead," I interrupt. "He isn't dead. I know it. I can feel it."

"Annabeth, why don't you go find Chiron?" Travis suggested.

"Okay," I said as I walked off to find Chiron.

As I walked out of the woods I saw him over near the cabins.

"Annabeth," he said once he saw me. "How are you? Wait, where are Percy, Grover, and Tyson?"

Oh my gods! I think. I was so worried about Percy that I completely forgot about Tyson and Grover. I feel horrible!

"I don't really want to talk about it right now." I answered. I was so sad right now I couldn't bring myself to talk about what happened the last couple days.

"We will talk about it later then,"

"Yeah, Chiron, thanks. I'll be in my cabin,"

With that I rant my cabin. I didn't need anyone seeing me crying over a boy, especially the Aphrodite cabin.

I threw myself onto my bed and took out the box of Kleenex I had underneath. I blew my nose and reached under my pillow for my picture frame and pulled it out.

It had three pictures in it. The first one was of Percy, Grover, and I running away from the St. Louis Arch. That was one of the first national monuments Percy destroyed. The second one is of Percy conked out in the Big House guest room when he had got to camp for the first time. I admit it, it was kind of stalkerish but he was really cute and I was bored. The last one is my favorite. It's Percy and I from the back, sitting on the beach, watching the fourth of July fireworks together last summer.

It just made me bawl harder. I missed him so much. I wish he were here. Or Tyson, or Grover, or even Thalia! They would help me get through this.

I sat there crying, clutching the frame for a few minutes, until I heard a knock on the door. Silena Beauregard's face peered in.

"Hey Annabeth," she said, walking over to my bed. "Charlie told me what happened to Percy. Are you alright?"

"Not really," I answer. "I've lost Luke and Thalia. Grover and Tyson are off somewhere in the Labyrinth. I'm not even sure if they're alive. I can't afford to lose Percy now. I don't know what I'll do without him."

"You really like him, don't you?"

I didn't want to admit it, but I knew I could trust Silena. Maybe she could help me figure all this out.

"It all started on our first quest," I said with a sad smile. "When we were in the water park. He asked me to go into the 'Tunnel of Love' with him without realizing what he was asking me. I knew at that moment that he was the one for me."

She looked at the picture frame that I had in my lap, picture side up.

"Wait, isn't that picture from when he first got here? When he was unconscious after fighting the Minotaur? That was before you say you had a crush on him." She said with a mischievous smile creeping up on her lips.

"Okay!" I confess. " I guess I thought he was cute, but I barely knew him so I didn't have a crush on him! Plus, I was bored." I smiled.

"Okay," she answered and put her arm around me. "I bet he feels the same way,"

"I don't know," I answer sullenly. "There's this mortal girl that he knows..."

"Annabeth,"

I look up at Silena.

"I see the way he looks at you, the way he talks to to you, the way he talks about you and I know he's in love, even if he doesn't know it yet." She smiled at me.

I smiled back.

"You know, there is one part of the story I left out when I told it to Beckendorf."

"What?" Silena asked, suddenly extremely curious.

"You have to promise not to tell anyone."

"I promise, I promise!" she says excitedly while bouncing on the bed in anticipation. "Tell me, tell me, TELL ME!"

"Okay, I kissed him before I left him." I confessed. I looked up at Silena slowly.

"Oh my gosh! Was it your first kiss? What was it like? What did Percy do after it?" Silena bombarded me with questions.

"Yes, it was my first kiss!" I said. "It was like everything around us stopped and for that moment, there was no Great Prophecy, no war, no monsters after us. It was all perfect. The funniest thing was the look on Percy's face when he thought I left! He just sat there staring at the lava, looking like he was trying to remember his own name! I almost laughed!"

Silena smiled. "That is so cute!"

"Thanks Silena. This talk helped a lot."

"Your welcome! If you ever need anymore help with Percy, just come to me."

"Thanks, I will! I've got to go find Chiron."

"Okay, later!"

And I ran off to find Chiron.

"Hello, Annabeth! Are you ready to talk about your journey?" Chiron asked when he saw me enter the Big House.

"Yeah, I'm ready." I said and sat on the couch.

I told him everything up to when Percy and I got to t. Saint Helens, then I had stop to take a breath.

"Then I went to investigate the heart of the mountain invisibly and told Percy to stay put. But when I got back, Percy was gone. When I found him again, he said he was being chased by a bunch of telkhines. Then, we saw some older telkhines talking about the greatest Titan weapon ever made. Then, a door a couple platforms down burst open and the young telkhines poured out. Percy told me to go invisible and get out. After some arguing, I did what he said, I left him. As I was walking through the Labyrinth, I heard Percy scream painfully. Then, I didn't know what to do so I ran back to Hephaestus' workshop, told him what he wanted to know and came back here."

"Seems like you've had a hard journey." Chiron answered thoughtfully.

"But Chiron, Percy isn't dead. Have you ever had that feeling that when someone that's lost isn't dead? That's what I feel with Percy."

"Okay, Annabeth," Chiron said. "I believe you. Now get some sleep. Seems like you've had a tough week."

"Okay,"

It had been two weeks since the Mt. Saint Helens incident. Nobody at camp thought Percy was alive, even me, because we haven't heard from him and Tyson were still in the Labyrinth and we haven't heard from them either.

My eyes were bloodshot from crying, which I had been doing a lot of over the last two weeks. I was about to go to Percy's funeral where we would burn his burial shroud. I made it because I didn't trust anyone else to do a good enough job. It was made of long green silk and embroidered with a trident.

Everyone had already gathered in the amphitheater when I finally got there with the shroud. I carried it up front to where Chiron was standing.

"We have gathered here to remember Percy Jackson, a fallen hero that had been an important part of this camp. We assume he is dead," Chiron said sullenly. "After so long a silence, it is unlikely our prayers will be answered. I have asked his best surviving friend to do the final honors."

I put the shroud into the fire, tears welling in my eyes yet again. I turned to face the audience.

"He was probably the bravest friend I've ever had. He..." I managed as I looked over the audience. Off a little ways behind the audience, I saw a sight I never thought I would see again. I saw my old friend Percy Jackson.

I felt my face get hot. "He's right there!" I yelled.

Everyone's heads turned and people gasped.

I heard a bunch of people yelling Percy's name as everyone ran over to him. Chiron galloped over and everyone parted to make him a path.

"Well," Chiron said with relief. "I don't believe I've ever been happier to see a camper return. But you must tell me-"

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" I yelled, pushing through all of the other campers. I ran up to him and hugged him so tightly I think I might have cracked a couple of his ribs.

Everyone else went quiet so I pushed away so as not to make more of a scene than I already had.

"I-we thought you were dead, Seaweed Brain!"

"I'm sorry. I got lost." Percy said. Like that comment was going to calm my nerves.

"LOST?" I yelled. "Two weeks Percy? What in the world-"

"Annabeth," Chiron interrupted. "Perhaps we should discuss this somewhere more private, shall we? The rest of you, back to your normal activities!"

Chiron picked Percy and I up and set us on his back. We galloped off to the Big House.

Percy explained how he caused an explosion at Mt. Saint Helens, got blasted out of the volcano, and was marooned on an island. Then, Hephaestus found him and told him he could leave. Then, he used a magical raft that brought him back to camp.

"You've been gone two weeks," I said. "When I heard the explosion, I thought-"

"I know. I'm sorry. But I figured out how to get through the Labyrinth. I talked to Hephaestus." Percy said.

"He told you the answer?" I asked.

"Well, he sort of told me what I already knew. And I do. I understand now. Percy told us his plan.

My jaw dropped. "Percy, that's crazy!"

Chiron sat back in his wheelchair and stroked his beard. "There is a precedent, however. Theseus had the help of Ariadne. Harriet Tubman, daughter of Hermes, used mortals on her Underground Railroad for just this reason."

"But this is my quest. I need to lead it." I said.

"My dear, it is your quest. But you need help." Chiron says calmly.

"And this is supposed to help? Please! It's wrong. It's cowardly. It's-"

"Hard to admit we need a mortal's help," Percy interrupted. "But it's true."

I glared at him. "You are the single most annoying person I have ever met!" And with that comment, I stormed out of the Big House, tears running down my cheeks.

I knew he had visited Calypso's island. He didn't even have to tell me.I mean, it was the most logical place he would have landed. Now he wanted to get Rachel's help. I couldn't stand him sometimes. Especially when he's right.

I ran back to my cabin and cried, using my twenty eighth box of tissues in the past two weeks. I was thinking about how Percy would never love me. Then I remembered what Silena had said 'He's in love with you even if he doesn't know it yet.' He even came back after going to Calypso's island. I would be able to forgive him for that. But not for needing the use of Rachel. I just wish we could use someone else, like his mom. Oh well! I'll keep going with the quest but he'll have to suffer the silent treatment for a while. And I won't be nice to Rachel. At least not yet I won't.

By the way, I don't own PJO. Please review! I want your feed back! And I was first percabeth121417. The email for that account got messed up so I can't use it anymore! But I did write the first chapter for a Mark of Athena fanfic so if you want the rest of the chapters, look here! Thanks for reading! :)