So this is the result of a dream I had last night. It's just a one-shot and it's not really my best, but I like it.

It's set about two weeks after the Last Olympian and Percy and Annabeth are a couple. I'm warning you, though; it may be a little OOC for Annabeth. I love her because she is extremely strong and confident. In this we see a bit of her weak side, kinda like we did right before she and Percy left in BotL and after the Sirens in SoM. I don't think that we saw the effects of the final battle. I would have been a little scared if I had watched so many of my friends die, almost lost my best friend, and almost died myself.

Disclaimer: I love Uncle Rick way too much to ever try to steal his characters, so I will admit that I do not own Percy or Annabeth. Nor do I take credit for the amazing drawing I used for my cover. That belongs to "palnk" on deviantArt. I wish I had that much skill.

Always

I woke up with a start. My heart was pounding; my breath was labored. I had tears streaming down my face and could feel my hands shaking.

"It was just a dream," I whispered to myself, but I couldn't get those images out of my head. It had felt so real.

I jumped out of bed and grabbed my hat from my bedside table. I knew I wouldn't be able to fall back asleep until I had proof that he was still there, that it really was just a dream. I snuck out of my cabin, knowing it wouldn't be hard. I had enough training to move soundlessly across a room. Outside, I ran the short distance between my cabin and my destination. I knocked softly on the door before pushing it open.

He hadn't heard my knock. He was still sound asleep on his bunk.

"Percy" I whispered softly. "Percy." He jumped awake, grabbing Riptide and uncapping in one swift motion.

"Wha-? Annabeth? What are you doing in here?" Percy recapped Riptide as he stood and made his way towards me. The light from the window must have been shining on my face, because he immediately saw the tearstains on my cheeks. "Annabeth, what's wrong?" he asked as he wiped them away.

I couldn't say anything, so I threw myself into his arms and broke down. These last few days had just been so hard. I needed to know he was there.

"Whoa! Hey, shhh. It'll be alright." Percy just held me as I cried. He led me to the bed and sat with me. He stroked my hair and whispered to me, trying to calm me down. I don't know how long we sat there, but he waited patiently.

"I'm sorry," I whispered as my crying subsided, my face still buried in his shoulder.

"Why are you sorry?"

"For waking you up. I- I just..."

"Hey, Annabeth, look at me." Percy pulled away slightly from our embrace and brought my face up. "What's this about?"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to compose myself. When I looked up, all I could see were those sea green eyes. I saw the worry clearly etched in his face. I shook my head. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you. I just... I just needed to know you were okay. I had this dream and it scared me."

"A dream dream or a demigod dream?"

"A dream dream. We were back in Manhattan, on the bridge. You know which one I mean?" Percy nodded. "Well, it was just like that night. We were both fighting, back-to-back. I had stepped out a little bit to lung at someone. And, out of the corner of my eye, I - I saw Ethan go at you. I t-tried to get back, I tried to block the knife, but I wasn't quick enough this time. The knife, it hit you in the back, right in your Achilles spot." The tears began to leak down my face once more. "Percy, you just - you just crumpled to the ground. I tried to call your name, but nothing came out. I - I couldn't move. I couldn't do anything. And then you were just gone. You vanished. It was like you had never existed. I know it's silly, but I woke up and needed to see you. Needed to be sure you were okay." Percy wrapped his arms around me, once more.

"Annabeth, can I show you something?" I nodded. He reached over and began to lift up my shirt sleeve. "Do you see that? Right there?" His hand gently traced the small, discolored line on my skin. "That is the scar from the knife you stopped. And this," he took my hand and placed it on his chest. "This is my heart. It's still beating." He took my hand again and weaved his fingers through mine and with the other he cupped my cheek. "Ethan never stabbed me. You were quick enough. You saved me. I'm still here, Wise Girl, and I promise you that I'm not going anywhere." He leaned in and kissed me. It wasn't passionate, just a sweet, tender kiss, but it conveyed more love than I had ever thought possible.

"Thank you," I whispered as I pulled away. I knew it was late, and I probably should have been heading back to my cabin, but I couldn't. "Percy?" I asked tentatively, "could I stay with you, just for tonight?"

He smiled, "Of course." We both lay down on his bed. I rested my head on his chest as he ran his fingers through my hair. But even with all of his reassurances, I still felt something nagging at me.

"Don't make promises you can't keep," I murmured.

"Huh?"

"You promised that you weren't going anywhere." I looked into his face and saw his confusion. "How are you sure that you won't leave? We're demigods. We're always in danger. You can't promise you'll always be there. What if something were to happen?"

"Okay... Then what would you like me to promise?" I thought for a moment.

"Promise me that, no matter what, you'll never forget me. Promise me that, wherever life takes us, you'll always remember me."

"That's the easiest promise to make." He smiled and kissed me on the forehead. I lay my head back down on his chest. Almost immediately the rhythm of Percy's heart began lulling me to sleep. Just before I drifted off, though, Percy whispered something. He probably thought I was asleep, but I heard him clearly.

"I love you, Annabeth Chase, and I will never, ever forget you. I swear on the River Styx that I will remember you, always."

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed. Leave a review and let me know what you think.

Update 4/25/15: Could you please go to my profile an fill out the poll there? I'm considering whether I should change my pen name? What are your opinions on that? Unfortunately, there's no way for you guys to leave individual feedback in the poll. But if you want to PM me your reasons, I'd love to hear them. Thanks