Hey again.

So, I have another one-shot. I was kinda down when I wrote this, so sorry its sad.

As I wrote this I was listening to the song "If I Die Young" by The Band Perry. This is probably the saddest story I've ever written. This wasn't really planed out, it just kind of came to me while thinking of what I should write because a friend had told me to write a story. Because he's a really good writer and friend, this story is dedicated to leo valdez 15.

I realized while writing this that every sad story I've done is where someone is closing the doors. . . weird. I hope you all enjoy.

Review and tell me what you all think.

Thanks guys :)

Annabeth's POV:

Annabeth looked at the run-down faces of all of her friends as Percy helped her stand with her broken ankle. As she looked at each and every one of them, it only made her even more upset then she already was. They all stood in a circle, all looking worn and beat up from all the fighting they had just done.

The silence was almost scary, she couldn't take it anymore. Annabeth opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. What can she say? She knew that they were all thinking the same thing. For once, Annabeth didn't know what to do.

Someone had to close the doors.

As she looked at Percy, she looked at the scraps and cuts they had gotten from in Tartarus. The time in there was something she will never forget. The monsters she had to face and how at times she felt so vulnerable when fighting. She never wanted to experience anything like that ever again. Just the thought of it made Annabeth want to cry. She could already feel the hot tears forming, but she blinked it back.

Stop it, she told her herself. What's crying going to do? This is serious. But then again, there was that soft part of Annabeth that had started to come out as she thought about this. She had always kept it in, trying not to show it. To show how fragile she can be. She only ever showed her soft side around Percy, and even then she had to be strong for her Seaweed Brain.

In Tartarus, it was so hard. Not only had she broken her ankle when in Arachne's lair, but she also think she might have sprained her wrist, along with the many cuts covered in dried blood, and the scars that will stay with her forever, making her think of her time in Hell when she would look at it.

No one made eye contact, because they probably felt the same way she did. They had fought all their way here, just to get to Percy and Annabeth. Even in Tartarus, there was times where Annabeth would think, who is going to close the doors? She couldn't think of anybody that would, and as much as she didn't want anybody to, somebody did. An oath to keep with a finial breath. Was this it? Is this the line of the prophecy? One of them closing the doors? And if so . . . who?

Annabeth couldn't think. All so much was circling in her head, it kind of made her dizzy. She grabbed onto Percy's shirt for support, even though he had his arm around her.

Still staring at Percy, she thought of all the good times she had with her Seaweed Brain. She thought of the time she ever first saw him, drooling in his sleep. As much as she didn't want to admit it back then, she did think he was cute. Every summer he would go to camp, they would go on a quest. She loved spending time with him, and Annabeth was especially happy when they started dating. She'll never forget their very first kiss. Yes, it wasn't romantic or anything because they could have died, but Annabeth had felt butterflies when she kissed him. This was the girly soft side Annabeth didn't want people to see. She didn't want to be the hopeless little girl she was when she had first met Luke and Thalia. Percy knew her soft side, and she knew he knew it, but he decided to not say. And that only made her love him more.

A small smile crept onto her lips as she thought this, not taking her eyes off him. She noticed that his gaze was on everybody else, and she knew he was thinking the same thing she had thought before. Her smile vanished and she looked back to the others. This time, her voice worked.

"We can't just stand here wasting time. We all know what we have to do . . . somebody has to close the doors." She looked at the floor as the finished, her voice dry. It hurt for her to say those words, but nobody would say anything, even though they knew the same thing.

Silence once again filled the room. Not one word out of anybody. As much as she wanted somebody to do it, at the same time, she didn't want anybody to do it. These were her friends, she could even call family. She didn't want to lose them. She loved them too much for them to go. Annabeth started to tear up once again, letting a single tear fall. Thankfully nobody noticed, but she wanted to cry even more. Finally, after what seemed like forever, she heard a voice.

"I . . . I'm going to close the doors." Annabeth looked up and was surprised to hear Jason have said those words. Jason had said it so slowly, it was like he wasn't completely sure he wanted to do it. She immediately looked at Piper, who looked of pure sadness.

Piper didn't say anything, not a word, she just looked at Jason. Jason turned his head and faced Piper. Again, he didn't say anything. It was as if they were having a mental conversation with one another. This kind of surprised her. Annabeth would have thought that Piper would have screamed, yelling at her boyfriend to stay. But, she did see Piper start to cry. It wasn't like a full-out sob, but a few tears went down her face fast and Piper closed her eyes. Jason moved his hand to her face and wiped the tears away, making Piper open her eyes again. After a few minuets, Jason leaned in and kissed Piper.

Annabeth felt so bad. Was he really going to do this? Jason Grace was going to close the doors? She couldn't believe it. She had thought of Jason as almost to perfect; always following the rules, never getting in trouble, a swordsman, a boyfriend, and none only than the hero that would end this quest. He would be remembered forever. She just had never thought that he would close the doors.

Jason pulled away from the kiss, a sad smile across his face. Again, he didn't say anything. He just looked at everybody. This confused Annabeth. Why wasn't he saying anything? What was he doing? This wasn't making any sence. He went up to everybody, one at a time. Frist Leo, after that Hazel, Frank, Nico, then Coach Hedge. He went to Percy and smiled. A genuine smile. Percy smiled back, but looked like he was lost in thought. They hugged, and Jason finally went over to Annabeth.

She didn't say anything. Not a word, she just stared at him. Jason did the same thing. They had their differences, and although Jason and Annabeth never really talked or hanged out, she still felt close to him. He pulled her into a hug, and she hugged back tight. In Tartarus, she had fought a monster, and when fighting it, she had fallen and hit her rib cage. It hurt when she hugged him, but she didn't care. He hugged back just as tight and whispered into her ear, "I'm going to miss you." Annabeth was fighting for tears not to fall. She shut her eyes and just kept on hugging him. Finally, they pulled away. Jason walked over to Piper once more, pulled her close and kissed her again. What is Piper going to do now? She's not going to have a boyfriend anymore. Annabeth couldn't imagine the kind of things Piper was thinking. And yet, Piper was so calm, so strong. She was kind of jealous at how well she was taking this. But a voice shook Annabeth from her thoughts.

"No."

She turned her head and faced the person. It was Percy. Confused, she asked, "What do you mean no?"

He looked at her with a sad expression. "Jason isn't going to close the doors," he paused for a moment, then continued, "I am."

Annabeth was speechless. She blinked a few times, trying to process what he had just said. Did she hear him right? Did he just say he was going to close the doors? No, he can't. He won't, not on her watch. Annabeth stood there, staring at him. Everybody was. They couldn't believe it either. They all looked at him with wide eyes, not knowing what to say. Annabeth didn't say anything. She couldn't. Percy looked at her straight in the eye, almost telling her 'It's okay.' But she didn't believe him. Finally, she found her voice.

"What did you just say?"

"You heard me, I'm closing the doors," he said. Percy bit is lower lip, not looking into her eyes anymore. Annabeth started to feel light-headed, and stumbled. Hazel grabbed her arm, helping her stand. She looked down, closing her eyes tight. Don't cry. . . you will not cry. . . She repeated over and over in her head, but failed. Tears started running down Annabeth's cheeks, fast. Percy walked over to Annabeth, and embraced her into a hug.

He rubbed her back, whispering into her ear, "Don't cry. . . please. . . " Hearing that only made her cry more. She couldn't stop it.

She mumbled into his chest, "Why? You can't close the doors. . . I need you."

He pulled away from her and looked at her dead in the eye. He didn't say anything, just looked at her. Annabeth knew he was trying not to cry, she could tell. She knew her Seaweed Brain. He could be strong and brave when he needed to, but when things got emotional, he got soft just like her. They both tried to hide it, but in a situation like this, they couldn't handle it. Slowly, tears began to go down Percy's face. He closed his eyes tight, and hugged Annabeth again.

"I'm sorry."

Both of them sobbed into each others arms. Annabeth opened her eyes and saw out of the corner of her eye, that everyone was crying. She knew well enough that everyone had gotten close to Percy, even Jason. But nobody felt even as close than she did.

She took deep breath, trying to calm down. Percy pulled away once more and put his hand on her cheek. She put her hand on top of his, just looking at him. He leaned in slowly for one last kiss. The last kiss. Annabeth kissed him back passionately, putting her other hand on his cheek as well.

She remembered the night Percy disappeared. He had kissed her goodnight, and had went to his cabin. Eight months she had looked for him. She looked non-stop. It was Hera all this time, and in New Rome, they had reunited. With the thought, Annabeth smiled a little into the kiss.

Then she rememberd, when they both fell into Tartarus. He promised he would never leave her. And yet. . . he was. She knew it was for the greater good, but the feeling was overwhelming. Not being with him was too much to bear. She didn't want the kiss to end, but eventually he pulled away with a faint smile on his face.

He walked away, saying his goodbyes to everybody. The most heartbroken was Hazel, Frank, and Nico out of the seven knowing him the most besides Annabeth. After he said goodbye to Piper, the last person, he walked over to Annabeth one last time and kissed her on her forehead. She wanted to smile, but the pain was too much. Percy looked at her with a smile, but sad eyes.

With the last of his strength, he walked over to the doors. Frank and Jason helped him close from the other side. As the doors were about to close, Percy looked at everybody. He last looked at Annabeth, and even though he didn't say anything, she knew what he wanted to say.

I love you, don't forget me. Annabeth was never going to forget her Seaweed Brain. Never in a thousand years.

And with that, Percy Jackson, a true Hero of Olympus, closed the doors.