A/N: Hello, My name is Champion and this is a One-Shot that came out of thin air. I hope you like it. I know it is not the best, but it is what I have in me. Please enjoy.
They had come so far.
They had survived so much.
They had survived things that had been proven impossible.
They had been to Hell itself and walked out alive. Cracked but not broken.
They had been through so much that this did not seem possible. But it was. This was real. This was his reality. His Hell.
It had been just another day. A day just like most were since they had won. He awoke as he did every morning these days, to a mess of blonde curls. The sunlight shined into their apartment in New Rome, the sounds of the city coming to life drifting through the walls into their bedroom.
She was still asleep. He peeked over the bed of curls and saw that the alarm had yet to go off. Planning to enjoy what time he left before they had to get up, about five or six minutes, he hugged closer to her. Finally comfortable, he smelled her hair. It smelled of a strange but soothing mixture of old books and strawberries.
She shifted in her sleep. He immediately stilled, not wanting to wake her just yet. She seemed to fall into a deep sleep again. He relaxed, enjoying this moment that he wished could go on forever.
He could hear more sound fill the room as more people began their day. He knew soon that they would have to be parted and he dreaded it. But even now he relished the feeling of when they would reunite that afternoon.
After coming out of Tartarus, the pair could not stand to be apart. If one was away from the other for more than five minutes they would have a panic attack. Sleep was impossible unless they were holding each other. The Apollo campers had told them they had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The diagnosis made sense, small things that had once not mattered were all they could think about.
They no longer felt safe in the dark. When it was dark their eyes would dart all around trying to locate threats, their hands connected and the others where their blades were located, even if they did not have them.
Once, at night, the Praetor placed her hand on his shoulder. Before either could tell what was happening she was on the ground with his sword at her throat.
When the pair had entered New Rome's university, different classes and schedules had forced them apart most times. So when graduation came around their PTSD could be managed. Panic attacks were rare. Nightmares were becoming less regular. They thought they would finally be able to move past it.
He looked at the clock again only one minute until they had to be up. He gently reached over and turned off the alarm, deciding that a gentle wake up would be better that the buzzing the clock produced.
He sat up and shook her shoulder and called her name, slowly getting louder. After a moment of this she began to stir. She the rolled over and sat up. Yawning, she said good morning and ran her hand through her tangled hair.
She opened her eyes, revealing those stormy grey irises through messy curls. To him she never look more beautiful.
She smiled at him. He smiled at her. The kiss they shared was full love.
She giggled and gave him a mischievous look. Then she darted to the bathroom. As the door closed her laughter could be heard. It was a game they played every morning. It was a game of who could get the bathroom first, thus claiming it as theirs. He laughed too and proceeded to do his daily push and sit ups.
When he heard the water turn off he stopped and went to the kitchen to start breakfast. He was halfway through making the food when she walked in and took over so he could get ready.
When he returned the food was ready and any dishes were already put away. As they ate, she said her father messaged her, said he wanted to have lunch. He was fine with that. They were having lunch frequently and he was glad she was finally able to get along with her father.
He was teaching the new legionnaires how to incorporate the more wild Greek style combat into their organized Roman training.
She had a meeting with the senate on expanding New Rome. Then Lunch with her father in San Francisco.
When it came time that they had to leave they said I love you. They kissed. The hugged for what seemed to be half a second longer than normal.
They kissed one last time and parted ways. Her to the Senate House. Him to the Field of Mars.
He found his students for the day. They were mostly from the Fourth and Fifth Cohorts. He drew Anaklusmos and began showing them what to expect from unorganized and unorthodox combat.
It was close to noon. The sun was at its highest point. He was observing his class when he heard his name called. He looked and saw her running toward him. He went over to her and asked her what was wrong. She had just wanted to tell him that it was time for her to have lunch with her father.
He asked how her meeting had went. She asked how his students were doing. When she had to go they kissed. He asked if she had her knife and Yankees cap. She laughed and told him she was always ready. He told her to be careful and that he loved her. She said she would be and that she loved him.
Not much later and she was out of sight. He put his attention back on his class.
Soon his students had enough for the day. Their progress had been less than stellar, but he knew it would take time. After giving a few final pieces of advice, he dismissed his class.
He looked at his watch. She should have been back by now, but she probably was just talking with her father. He more than anyone knew how easy it was to lose track of time.
As he walked through New Rome he heard his name called once more. He turned around to see a pale boy running toward him. He smiled, it had been a while since he had seen his cousin.
When the pale boy reached him they shared a brotherly hug.
The two began to talk as they walked through the city. His cousin said he came to visit his sister and thought he would stop and say hello. After the two had caught up they decided to get lunch in one of the many cafes the city had to offer.
They talked and joked throughout their meal. Teasing each other about their relationships.
Things grew serious when he told his cousin he was going to propose soon. His cousin was happy for him. He had said he hoped his father would let leave the underworld to attend the wedding.
They paid the bill and were soon enjoying the beautiful day in the city. As they were walking his girlfriend messaged him to say the her father was going to drop her off at the entrance to camp and that she would see him soon. They told each other they loved one another. The love could be heard in their statements.
As he saw her eyes, still stormy gray, still beautiful, he got a strange feeling. He didn't think anything of it. The message ended. His conversation with his cousin continued.
They were walking through the garden when suddenly the atmosphere grew darker. The air grew colder. The very sun seemed to dim. His cousin dropped to ground crying uncontrollably.
He was immediately at his cousin's side asking what was wrong. His cousin kept repeating she's dead. It was all the boy would say. He asked who was dead, asked if it was his sister.
When the boys crying seemed to slow he finally said a name. But it was a name that he never wanted to hear. A name that made the world stop turning. The name that broke his heart and his soul.
Annabeth.
He stood there motionless. Not even taking a breath as the name sunk in.
This wasn't possible. It couldn't be. He had just spoken to her. This could not be real.
But it was. A drunk driver had run a stop sign. His car smashed right into her door. The car rolled over three times. She died five minutes away from the hospital. Her father survived but may never walk again. The drunk walked away. He walked right into another car. When he gets out of the hospital he will be in jail. It would be his third DUI.
They had done the impossible.
They should have died so many times, yet they lived.
But death caught up with one of them and the other wished it would catch up to him.
This should not be real. But it was.
This was his reality. His Hell.
A/N: I thank you if you made it this far. This just had to be written for some reason. The next chapter of Son Of The Archers should be out soon, so do not worry. See y'all next time.