Author's Note: I wrote this chapter years ago. I still can't believe how proud I am of it, despite how long ago I wrote it. Certainly before Blood of Olympus came out (in fact, most of my ideas for this fic are from before BoO), and right around the time of House of Hades, I decided to just write. What I produced was a few long chapters. In the next few months, I hope to add to them, round them out, and post them here.

Chapter 1 - Acts of Love

or

"Bad Blood"

(A Somber Event)

"Are you coming?" Percy said as he held out his hand to Annabeth. Sitting in the chair in front of the remains of cabin six, she looked up at the dark haired son of Poseidon. Her hair was frizzy and everywhere, she had splatters of mud and blood on her cheek and neck, and her eyes looked broken. Their stormy grey color looked so unlike her; their sadness blended into the rubble of the cabins around them.

"You should go without me," she said, rejecting his hand. "I'm not hungry."

Ever patient, Percy squatted down next to her, and took her hand that was resting on the side of the plastic lawn chair. Annabeth had brought it down from the Big House earlier that day, and set it among the scorched bricks and wood that were trashed in battle. No cabins were spared, and everything was a smoking mess. Still, she insisted in sitting among the ash and dirt for hours alone, rejecting all company around her, save for Percy.

"Wise Girl, you know you gotta eat, right? You can't stay here all day." But Percy gave her hand a squeeze and headed off to the pavilion where half-bloods, satyrs, and magical folk all gathered for supper.

It was a somber event, and everyone ate quietly. Percy sat between Piper and Hazel, who were both looking down at their plates as if studying them. He felt the sincere obligation to sit next to Hazel out of guiltiness and utter frustration (with himself). It was really the least he could do…

Next to Piper was Jason, and he kept opening his mouth like he was going to say something, then closing it again as he thought better of it. His sandy blonde eyebrows were furrowed throughout the meal, and he didn't make eye contact once with Percy.

Hazel kept to herself, quietly nibbling her way through a roll, though Percy could tell she wasn't hungry at all. Her efforts were for Nico's sake; hoping her behavior would rub off on him. He sat next to her and was hardly touching his food. His eyes were sullen like Annabeth's, though more hollow and less red.

Rachel sat next to Grover and across the table from Percy. After chewing a bite of her pasta, she asked, "Where's Annabeth?"

Because of the complete lack of conversation, everyone turned their heads up to look at her. But she was asking Percy, and her eyes stayed trained on him.

He cleared his throat.

"Um, she said she wasn't hungry," he tried, but the redhead didn't drop her gaze. "Should I have forced her to come?"

Rachel sighed. "I don't know. She may want time alone before the funeral…but I feel bad about us just leaving her. I'll try to talk to her tonight."

"No, that's okay," Percy cut in immediately, standing up from his bench at the table. "I'll go get her right now. I think I should do it." Rachel nodded, understanding, and Percy left to go find her, only squeezing Hazel's shoulder for a moment before he left.

(Nothing Left)

Percy didn't go far before he found her. Annabeth was heading up the path to the Big House, away from the direction of the demolished cabins. In tow was her navy blue backpack around her shoulders and White Sox baseball hat clutched in her hands.

As Percy jogged up to her, she raised his eyebrows at him.

"Can I escort you to dinner?" he asked through breathing.

"I'm just claiming a spot for my bedroll in the Big House," Annabeth mumbled. The light outside was darkening, so she kept walking briskly towards her destination.

"Oh, uh, good idea," he said, trying to find the words. "It could be awhile until we get the cabins fixed up." They were walking side by side, but she stopped next to him. He turned around to face her, and his hand met hers midair.

"Percy I have something to tell you."

I know, he thought. It's been on your mind all day.

"I'm listening."

A beat.

"I need to leave."

Percy was quiet, waiting for her to say more, but all he heard was the clinking of dishes as dinner cleared coming from the nearby pavilion.

"Huh?" was all he was able to articulate.

"After the funeral, I need to leave." Her grey eyes searched his, looking for hints of betrayal or distrust that she could have caused. Instead, she only saw fog.

"Where will you go?" he stuttered, not really understanding.

"Things have been…hard," she began. "On all of us. Yesterday, we watched our friends die…tomorrow, we have to bury them. I'm physically and emotionally spent. It's not that I don't want to keep living this life, but it's so demanding. I need a break from it all, and…I miss my family." Before Percy interrupted her, she clarified. "My real family. My dad and stepmom and my brothers. I want a high school diploma, and it's not too late." Her eyes were brimmed with tears, and worry was clearly etched out on her face. "I just got off the phone with my dad. I'm leaving in two days."

She waited patiently as her words sunk in for Percy.

"You can't just up and go…" he started, trying to find some flaw in her justification.

"Percy, we all grieve in different ways. I've had enough of fighting monsters for a long time, and while I'm not giving that up completely, I want to have a life. I want to be able to get a job if the need arises. I can't be tied down here, to this place, when all that I'll be able to remember are the bad memories."

His gut wrenched, his heart tumbled.

"You're saying you think we should try a long distance relationship?" Percy inquired in nothing more than a whisper.

He swore he could have seen her heart break in that moment, but he blinked and the look on her face was stone cold.

"Um, no," she started, then sighed. "I'm saying…maybe we should call things off for a bit."

If Percy was confused earlier, he was absolutely baffled now. He couldn't stop his blood turning to ice in his veins, his head was dizzy, he couldn't think clearly.

"Right now I just need a friend," she continued. "And maybe after some time, things will be different. I need to get away from all of this. I have to be at peace with myself before I date anyone, including you. My life has been non-stop training for ten years….We just faced our biggest challenge yet. I have to be ready for anything else that comes our way."

"Will you come back to camp?"

"Of course," she answered quickly. "I can't erase this part of my life forever. And you…you're a big part of my life. I don't want you out of it…I'd never want you gone. I just can't be in a relationship right now."

"Right now? You mean it could happen later?" Percy's hopeful tone was tangible, as was his sadness.

Annabeth took her time to say, "Maybe. I just want to get through school. If I take some extra online classes, I already have enough credits to graduate early. I want your understanding and support, but I also want space. And…I need to make sure I'm not with you because I need you, but because I love you."

His sadness was replaced with anger. Some campers started to approach, but one look at the scene told them they needed their privacy.

"You think that being away from me will help you come to that conclusion?" His hands were clenched in fists, digging his fingernails into his flesh.

"No," she shook her head. "No, Percy. I don't want you out of my life. I just can't do 'couple' things anymore."

Percy furrowed his eyebrows. "So that's it?"

"Well who else would have a say in the matter?" she asked. "This is just between us."

"I just thought you would talk to me about it before you fly across the—"

"You're my boyfriend, not my husband. I don't need to consult you."

The moment the words left her mouth, Annabeth regretted them. She bit down on her tongue, her cheek, anything to stop the tears from coming. She couldn't break down now, not when she was trying so hard to be strong.

"You're right," Percy said in a clipped voice. He dropped her hand. "Come on, let's find you a place to sleep." Without looking or speaking, they walked into the large blue house, and only the sound of their sneakers on gravel could be heard.

There was no campfire after dinner, no games or fun, not a single person laughed. Everyone knew someone who had died. Everyone had something on their mind. Not only had Greeks fallen in battle, but Romans were killed as well, leaving all of the purple and orange clad children in an emotional state unfit for any summer camp. At dark, they all piled into the Big House. There was enough room for everyone to sleep on the ground. Though cramped, nobody minded the closeness. It was hard to be alone in a situation like theirs.

Greeks and Romans were mostly intermingled, though the first and third floors were reserved for girls, and the second and fourth were for the guys.

Percy avoided conversation with everyone. He found some spare ground on the fourth floor, near the room in the attic where the oracle used to reside. He shoved it out of his brain, sick of prophecies, and forced himself to go to sleep.

(After the Funeral)

Jason's hands were stuffed in his windbreaker, and he paced up and down the rows of strawberries.

"I'm sick of it all, already," Jason said. He kicked his heels and rows in the dirt and grass, thinking it would make him feel better. It didn't. Though unsatisfying, he continued to repeat the manner. "I hate funerals. I hate burning our friend's bodies and talking about how great they were because none of that matters anymore. What matters is we couldn't save them." All Percy could do was nod. He didn't need to say anything, he agreed with everything Jason was saying. "We talked about their lives today for us. It's our coping mechanism, but it doesn't even make sense. We all fought with them. We all know the extraordinary things Frank did. Dakota, Clarisse, Travis. Everyone else. I can't even name them all, there's too many. It doesn't make sense," he said again. "There's too many. Why them instead of others?" The front of his shoe was caked with mud now.

"Come on," Percy said, trying to get him to stop and come out of the rows of strawberries. He touched Jason's elbow, and he spun around. His eyes were red, and thin tears were in the corners of his eyes. Jason was doing his best not to cry and break down, but was having little success.

"Are you okay?" he asked the blond.

Jason grimaced. "How do you stay so emotionless about it all?" he asked, curious contempt in his tone.

"Believe me," Percy said in disbelief. "I'm not emotionless. I've just…there's a lot on my mind. I can't stop blaming myself for everyone. My mom was a wreck, today. They couldn't let her come to the funeral, so she and Paul had to wait outside camp."

Jason hopped onto a fallen log on the outskirts of the strawberry patch. "Thalia started breaking down. I haven't gotten much of a chance to get to know her, but I've never seen her cry like that. I hate having to be strong for other people when I can't even be strong for myself."

Percy ran his hand over his black hair. It was damp; he hadn't even noticed it'd started sprinkling. "How's Piper?" he ventured.

Jason, atop of the log, walked back and forth a few times, keeping his balance by holding his arms out. He spun around and faced Percy.

"I think we're gonna break up," he said slowly, but not angrily. He swallowed, and looked down. Jumped off the log.

"Neither of us know what to do now that the war is over. We're both pretty uncommitted at this point, and it just feels old and worn. There's no denying we were both thrown into it anyways."

"You don't want to keep trying?" Percy asked. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he'd seen the breakup coming since he first met Piper and Jason. The relationship, while cute, was impractical and felt forced.

"I'm kinda just done at this point," Jason allowed himself to say. "I don't want to try and focus on dating anyone while we're rebuilding the camp and everything. It doesn't seem fair to everyone who died. And I couldn't do that around Hazel, you know. I'm one of her oldest friends, here. And with Frank gone, it just doesn't seem right."

Percy's heart sank. If he had to be honest with himself, he hadn't thought about it like that. His anger towards Annabeth had turned into a throbbing, persistent sadness that wasn't going anywhere too quickly. Was it wrong for him to be thinking about her so much when there were much more important things going on, especially when Hazel had just lost Frank?

Jason, realizing what he was implying, quickly tried to right things again. "That's not to say you should give up on Annabeth or anything…."

"Thanks," Percy said. "I wasn't planning on it."

"Well I mean…what you guys have is real. Four years kind of real. I woke up on a bus holding hands with a girl I've never met. You started dating her after years of quests and battles. That kind of trust doesn't just immediately happen, and even when it does, it's not always a sign that two people should date. Piper and I trust each other wholeheartedly. And I love her, but more like a sister than anything. You and Annabeth…You're the stuff of legends." Jason broke off quietly and looked at Percy. He'd never seen him so un-spirited. "We're going to have so much to work to do this year. We need more demigods desperately, camp has to be ready for new kids next year. Satyrs are gonna work their asses off in finding new half-bloods. And everything needs to be rebuilt. And Mr. D won't be a lot of help…Someone needs to keep the camp running after Chiron…."

Jason stopped talking, knowing the brunette wasn't even listening to him. Percy was waving his hands around gently and collecting the droplets of rain into large ball, rolling it around in his hands.

After some time, when Jason had sat down on the log and satisfied himself with just watching the water roll around in Percy's hands, Percy spoke up.

"Do you think she'll come back?" Jason, regretting calling him emotionless, had never heard so much power and hurt packed inside of six words. He resisted the urge to sigh: it wasn't often you got to hear your sixteen year old best friend talk about how brokenhearted he was.

"You're a fool," he said matter-of-factly. "And also a bit of an idiot. A brilliant idiot, but I can see why she calls you 'Seaweed Brain.' Of course she'll be back. It's Annabeth. She wants to be logical about it. Do things right. She doesn't want to break up with you; she feels like she has to. Being away from you will clear her head, and she'll be reminded by how much she loves you. Piper was up late with her last night, Annabeth was crying and Piper actually had to use the cornucopia to summon chocolate ice cream. If you think it's not hurting her, you're wrong. "

Percy looked up at Jason and met his electric blue eyes.

"Thanks," was all he said, then he got up and walked back to main camp.

(Where He Went)

"I'm sorry about Annabeth." Hazel looked at him sidelong.

"Er...me too."

"Have you said goodbye to her yet?"

"No. I'm kind of saving that until the last minute. Have you?"

"Uh, yeah, about an hour ago. She didn't really have a lot to say, except that she'd be back. I think she wants to do a little work in Camp Jupiter while she's there, so I might visit later. She'll come back, you know. Still, it sucks."

Percy's guilt ate away at him. Here was Hazel, comforting him about being dumped, when her own boyfriend had just gotten killed a few days prior.

"How are you holding up?" he asked her cautiously.

It took Hazel a long time to reply. "Everyone's been so supportive, I think it could be a lot worse. But it's hard…I don't plan on going back to my camp for months…the whole place reminds me of him. I'd rather stay here and be helpful. Help clean up camp, you know." She looked over the water of the canoe lake and sighed. "Was it like this when people died in the first war?"

Percy was a little shocked for that to be brought up. Hazel didn't often bring up the past they had before she came into their time.

"We knew they didn't die in vain. But…it was still hard. Each was someone's sister, brother, best friend, significant other, child. No one comes out of it the same."

"That's for sure," she agreed. "As much as I love adventure…I can't say I'm not happy about things slowing down for a while."

"Same," Percy said. "It's only a slight consolation."

Hazel paused a moment before saying: "Do you think Leo made it to Calypso?"

He swallowed. Waited. Didn't say anything. Hazel almost took at as a "No, he was probably dead."

"Yeah," he said at last. "He disappeared. If he'd died, there would have been a body. Hopefully Calypso found him. I mean, it was his one request to the gods."

"Do you think we'll ever see him again?"

Percy's smile was remorseful.

"Time passes differently there. What might feel lifetime to him could feel like a month to us. Nothing like this has ever really happened before…He asked to go there. And the gods granted that wish. At least we know that he's happy."

"I understand." Hazel nodded. "He's smart, though. He could…come back."

Percy didn't want to argue and say he didn't believe the short curly haired boy could get off the island a second time. Then again, he didn't believe it was possible to get there a second time.

"It's Leo," he settled on. "Anything could happen."

Early on the morning of her departure, Annabeth planned to meet Percy before she left. The sun was just starting to rise (which she read in her mind as a sick piece of symbolism) and nearly no campers were up. She'd already made peace with Hazel, Piper, and Jason the night before. She didn't see it fit to talk to Nico-she always felt a strange vibe from him, like he didn't particularly like her. She wanted as few bitter endings as possible.

Annabeth took the "Try to Pretend it's All Okay" approach while saying goodbye to Percy. Anything to keep her from crying.

She walked up to him near the main entrance to camp with her hands in her hoodie front pocket. She suitcase was already packed with all the belongings she would be taking with her (leaving only her Camp Half Blood shirts back in her Athena-cabin dresser. Annabeth was dressed in street clothes-jeans, sandals, a sweatshirt. Her hair was up, her eyes were sad and tired. Percy approached cautiously.

"You going to be okay all alone in San Francisco?" he joked.

"I'll have my family," she reminded him, shooting down his attempt at humor. Percy shot her a look. Really? I'm trying to make things not so bad.

I know, she thought. She said it with her eyes. And I'm sorry. Awkward before they even really said anything, she cursed herself. Exactly what she was trying to avoid.

"But I really will miss you, Percy," she tried. "The school year will be like nothing I've ever done. I won't know anyone, I'll be away from my friends, I'll be away from you."

Percy nodded. He already knew this. It was all he could think about the past few days.

"Annabeth, the camp needs you." He bit his lip. "If you ever decide you want to come back-"

"I will come back, Percy," she reminded him. "I promise. I'm not going forever, I'm just stepping back for awhile. And they don't need me. Percy, they need a leader. That's you, that's not me. I'm...good with riddles and figures and I'm smart. But you're good with people."

Percy's facade cracked. "But I'm lost without you."

"I know, and that's why I have to leave."

"I still don't get it," he pleaded. There were tears in his eyes, and thankfully no one was around to see them but Annabeth.

"We've been by each other's sides for four years. I don't even know what I'm like when I'm not around you."

"What about when Hera kidnapped me and kept me from you for months?" Percy demanded.

"I was miserable," she admitted.

"So isn't that a sign that-"

"Look, Percy, I don't know how to explain this to you!" So much for trying to keep from crying. Annabeth quickly wiped the tear sliding down her left cheek. She crossed her arms over her body. Inhaled.

Exhaled.

"Maybe in May, when I graduate and come back for good, I'll realize it was stupid to be away from each other for so long. But in the meantime, I need you to try. I will not go through a long distance relationship. If we still love each other, then we'll know we should be together. But if I'm away for nine months and meet someone in San Francisco, am I supposed to tell them I've got someone waiting for me?"

Percy shut his eyes and shook his head.

"I will be waiting for you, Wise Girl."

"I still don't want you out of my life, Percy. I would never want that."

"Then what role am I supposed to play?"

Annabeth was at a near shout. "Please just be my friend." She took a breath. "Do you know how hard it was for me to bury Clarisse and Travis? And Frank? Gods, Percy, Chiron was like a dad to me. I didn't even get to talk to him before he died." Percy listened intently, despite the situation. Annabeth hadn't opened up to him about Chiron yet. Hadn't even dared glancing over the subject until now.

Her eyes were filling up. "I need to get out of this place, Percy," she said. He brought her close and wrapped his arms around her. Crying into his shoulder, she said, "Everything here reminds me of them."

And for a moment, pressed up against Annabeth, Percy understood. For what would it be like to lose Paul or his mother? Or Tyson, whom he'd grown close to over the years? Even like losing someone as close to him as Grover. These demigods who were her friends and family had died protecting something larger than life. And Percy didn't blame her for wanting to get some time away from that.

"Know that while you're away, I'll still need you," he whispered. His aim wasn't to make Annabeth feel worse, but she started crying.

"Gods, Percy, I'll miss you too. More than you'll ever know. This is the hardest thing I've done, and I've defeated giants and cyclops with you."

"Do you really have to go?" he said in one last-ditch attempt for her to stay.

Annabeth pulled back and wiped her nose with the sleeve of her sweatshirt.

"I'm afraid so. I'll say hi to my dad for you."

"I hope you have a good safe flight."

"Thanks," she said. She pressed her lips together and brushed stray hair out of her face. "I told myself I wouldn't cry."

"You wouldn't be crying if you weren't saying goodbye," he reminded.

"My mind is made up," she said firmly. Annabeth took his hands in hers and looked down at them. "If I don't talk to you right away, don't worry. I might be around with my dad. I might try to get a job. Who knows."

Percy nodded. "Do keep me updated, though." Annabeth nodded, but he knew she wouldn't. At least not in the beginning.

"Okay," she breathed. "I think I should go, now. Say bye to your mom for me, tell her I love her. And anyone else I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to." In one quick motion, she dropped Percy's hands, wrapped them behind his head, and planted her lips firmly on his. She didn't linger, but there was an air of promise in the kiss. Percy didn't reciprocate the kiss-it was over quicker than he could register what was happened. Immediately, he felt angry and confused at Annabeth for playing with him like this. Mostly confused. When she withdrew, he kept his eyes closed. Bit his lip.

"Annabeth, you can't just do that," he said.

"I'm sorry. I needed one last one. I'm sorry."

And she turned with a swish of her blonde, curly ponytail waving goodbye.

(Pathetic Tragedy)

The first day after Annabeth left for San Francisco, Percy didn't get out of bed. Luckily, he didn't have to; most campers were just moping around for a large portion of the day. He got Jason to bring him water and food; he did so willingly (with a touch of sympathy). It may have been pathetic, but he wasn't the only one who didn't get up. Hazel, too, was having a rough morning, and though she made it down to dinner, it was only per Nico's request. The boy was doing a lot to make sure his sister was okay.

Two days after she was gone, Percy got up and did his best to act normal, or as normal as everyone could be with the camp in ruins. It would have been nice to have Annabeth's visionary eye to help rebuild the buildings and structures, but thinking about her hurt too much, so Percy forced the idea from his mind. The gods, of course, were no help, either. They were busy trying to get Olympus up and running again—much of the battle had hit them hard as well. Perhaps after they fixed their home, they'd assist their children. After all, they seemed a bit more willing to help after all the aid the demigods gave them during the war. It was nice not to be looked down upon by them, for a change.

For a week, he managed to conceal his emotions well enough to start getting things started on the rebuilding front. With Jason's help, they were able to organize groups and assign different tasks. Some would work on chopping trees for firewood and logs for the camp cabins. Others restored activity areas like the volleyball net, canoe shed, and climbing wall. Luckily, the sword fighting arena remained mostly untouched, so Percy found himself working out more often than usual; Jason would accompany him, or when he tired, Nico did. Neither were as challenging as he would have liked, but it was something to burn off excess energy, and something to keep his memories at bay.

The bathrooms in the Big House were unnecessarily crowded, so one morning, about a week after the funeral, he dragged all of his stuff (which wasn't much) to the public camp bathroom that they normally used. It was located near the cabins, but he didn't bother looking at the slow progress being made. Instead, it was time to shower.

He hadn't put off personal hygiene before, but to say it was his priority would be a lie. Percy knew he smelled terrible, but there wasn't any way to take a long shower and get totally clean when there were fifty other boys waiting to get a chance. The bathroom was empty and quiet, being the middle of the afternoon, so he took his time.

When he was finished, he up on a fresh camp shirt and his jeans, then headed off in search of something to do. Anything, really, to do.

(Change)

Nico, on a mission, asked everyone where he could find Percy. Jason smirked when asked, but Nico brushed it off.

The mood at camp had been dismal the past two weeks, and there was only the son of Poseidon to blame.

When Nico first came to camp, he looked up to Percy. He was younger than a majority of the campers at the time, but people looked up to him anyways. Everyone wanted him on their Capture the Flag team, people always wanted to challenge him in sword fighting, an on the last Titan war, they took orders from him without any hesitation. Just like he trusted all of them, the campers were completely loyal to him.

But with Percy off in a sulking mood, nothing was getting done right. Work on cabin construction had halted, and kids lay around with zero motivation. Chiron wasn't there to whip their asses into shape, and senior campers were just as lax as everyone else. It was just as Nico feared would happen; without the excitement of everyone's favorite camper, life at Camp Half-Blood was dull and boring.

Nobody else seemed willing to do anything about it, which left it up to the son of Hades to put things back in place.

He headed to the canoe lake that Connor Stoll said he'd be at. Not a trick, he thought surprisingly, knowing the boy was much more serious without his partner in crime.

Percy was standing ankle deep in the water, looking across the lake with his hands in his pockets. He was wearing khaki shorts and a sweatshirt, not his orange Camp Half-Blood shirt. He seemed to have it on less and less, now.

Nico walked up to the water's edge and cleared his throat. Percy spun around quickly, and his startled state sent water splashing in different directions. Nico, now wet, grimaced at the cool water covering his shirt.

"Sorry," Percy said quickly, not wanting to piss off the younger boy. "You scared me." Nico knew all too well that this was the case—it seemed to happen all the time with everyone he knew. He supposed he was just a light walker, but maybe being the son of Hades had something to do with it.

After a minute of them staring at each other, Percy said, "Can I help you with something?"

"Yeah, actually," Nico said.

"I'm all ears," Percy replied, hopping out of the water. He sat on a bench next to the canoe shed. "Let's talk."

"You've gotta cut the crap."

Percy blinked.

"I'm sorry, what?"

Nico swallowed. "You…you heard me."

Astonished, Percy turned away from the younger boy. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Something hit Nico, agitated him, and he went off his wire. "For the gods' sake, Percy!" Nico yelled, and thunder rolled across the sky. "Ever since Annabeth left, you've half assed everything you do and spend all your time here at the canoe lake. I'm the only one at camp who'll admit it to you, because nobody else seems to really care that literally nothing is getting done."

Angry, Percy said, "What do you mean nothing's getting done?" He almost jumped out of the bench. "The cabins are almost rebuilt, and—"

"Some of the cabins are almost finished. You and I both know the camp spirit has completely gone—" Nico interrupted.

"That's bullshit!" Percy cut in. "What do you expect me to do about it?"

Nico looked at him with seriousness. "Something. Anything. Percy, you have to help, you're the only one who can. Kids are sitting around camp doing nothing. Nobody's used the new climbing wall, and it's new and improved and challenging. Yes, people died, but they're not even trying to get their minds off it. Of course, you would know that if you were ever around. I hear you come out here every day."

Percy was skeptical. "You think I can fix it?"

"It'd already be fixed by you if Annabeth hadn't left." Nico knew he was touching a sensitive spot, but it was the only way to get Percy to listen. Perhaps a more sincere approach would work…

"I know that you're upset, but it's not like you to sit around and let everything else just happen. You're a go-getter; you don't just wait for things to happen to you. The way I see it, you have two options." Percy rolled his eyes. It wasn't every day one was given love advice by a fourteen year old, but still, he listened.

"You can snap out of it and move on, or fucking do something about it already."

Taken about by Nico's harsh language, Percy's ears perked up. "Do…something?"

"By the gods, Percy, you're thick." Nico explained to him, "Annabeth broke up with you so she could be reminded why she was in love with you. You have to show her why she should still love you."

Nico stayed silent, letting it sink in. He waited for the older boy to talk next.

"She'd get annoyed if I did anything to get close…" Percy reminded him.

Nico rolled his eyes. "She told you she wants to stay in touch, she isn't lying to you."

Percy thought a moment. "My birthday's coming up…."

"Keep going," Nico said, encouraging proactive thinking. His job wasn't to be matchmaker, but he did want Percy happy (happy enough to spread it to the rest of camp), and this was the one place to start. He just needed to see that Annabeth wasn't as distanced as Percy thought she was.

"I've never been to San Francisco, maybe she would want to show me around?"

"That's more like it!" Nico said, starting to get fired up.

"And Zeus said I could have safe travel in the air as long as I lived for all that I've done." Percy contemplated the idea. "Do you really think I could go visit her?"

A devilish grin spread on the young boy's face. "I think it's a couple Iris messages away from a plan."

There were plenty of rainbows around (Percy could create them at will with his water powers), so Nico helped him ask Annabeth. He was terrified at first, but was too giddy with excitement to finally doing something to see her.

Nico prepped him by running through what he should say to her. He was amiable about the whole thing, wanting to make sure it went smoothly. When at last he thought Percy was ready, he handed over a golden drachma from his pocket.

In just a few moments, Annabeth appeared in a shimmery haze on the other side of the rainbow. Nico stood off to the side so Percy could have his time alone with her.

"Oh my gods! Percy!" She flung herself towards the rainbow so quickly, filling what Percy could see before he got the chance to observe where she was. "It's so good to see you!"

His heart wrenched watching Annabeth. Annabeth, who looked so happy there in her home city. Annabeth who seemed so happy with her decision of what became of them. Annabeth who was positively glowing, so that Percy could hardly focus on what he was trying to accomplish. It took him a second to remember what he was going to say.

"Hi! Uh, how've you been?" he tried, running his hand through his dark hair. Next to him, he could hear Nico smothering a cackle.

"Oh gosh, well the weather down here is way colder than New York but otherwise it's been good! It's been, what, three weeks?"

"About twenty two days?"

"About?" She smirked. "Wow, that long. What's been going on at camp?"

"We're coming along on building the cabins, they're about halfway done. And well, that's about it."

Annabeth asked, "And how is everyone?"

"Uh, well, I've actually got Nico here with me," he admitted, not bothering hiding it. She raised her eyebrows. "Jason's getting along well, Piper's actually been training like crazy. No word from Leo, or anything, not that we expected to. Rachel says 'hi.'"

"And Hazel?"

"She's hanging in there, I think. I've spent some time with her, Nico's with her a lot—"

"True," he said, butting Percy over so he could take a look through the Iris message. "I feel like she misses her old camp, but hasn't talked about going back, yet. Misses him a lot…."

"I do too," she said. "I really, really do. What are things like…without Chiron?"

Percy answered, "Pretty different. Mr. D doesn't really give a rip about what we do, even though we saved his ass multiple times last month. Jason's recently decided he's gonna take over organizing camp activities every few nights, we're supposed to have Greek versus Roman Capture the Flag tonight, and he wants to bring in some of the war games traditions that they had at Camp Jupiter. He thinks it'll help with bonding or something."

"That's a really good idea," she said, brain whirring. "You haven't been helping him with organizing? Firing up the Greeks?"

She was kind of kidding, though it made Percy feel a little guilty. Maybe Nico was right about him slacking off. "Nah," he said quickly. "Listen, we actually called for a reason." He was surprised by how well this was going.

"Oh?"

"Right. So…Nico had the idea—"

"Incorrect," Nico pointed out. "This was Percy's idea."

"Well I had the idea that maybe I could come visit you over my birthday since I haven't seen you for awhile and stuff, and it might be good to see the city or—"

"That's a great idea!" she cut in before Percy embarrassed himself further. "I'll need to talk it over with my dad—"

"And Zeus promised air travel—"

"And we'll pick out some days and stuff for us to do! We'd love to have you."

"Wow, cool, thanks," he said towards her obvious Greek hospitality.

"I'll stay in touch, then." She looked at him expectantly and smiled.

"Of course," he said.

"It's pretty late over there, isn't Capture the Flag starting soon?"

Percy smiled, something real and true. He wasn't even upset about Annabeth right then—he was just glad he'd be able to see her.

"You're right, I should go."

"Go kick some Roman ass for me," she grinned, and the Iris message ended. As soon as she was gone from his sight, Percy broke into a grin and ran off the dock, diving into the lake, leaving an amused Nico in his wake.

Author's Note: And that's a wrap on the first chapter. If you liked it, please (!) review. If you hated it, please (!) review. Feedback means the world to me, and it's the best way to keep new chapters coming, scientifically proven.

Till next chapter,

Liv