he'll leave like the rest


she was alone for an eternity

with nothing but bitter thoughts and sadness and those unrequited loves bearing down on her

and he came

out of the sky, thrown high into the sea like some avenging god wreaking vengeance from above upon the unsuspecting victims

and she thought, briefly, as he lay in the water, that perhaps he had been exiled like her, that perhaps he could do what the others never could.

that he could

stay

with her, forever, in her prison, her companion, lover, friend

a flicker of hope dawned in her caramel eyes

swirling with emotions unrequited for far too long

they sent her a hero to care for when she needed it most, and she would do her duty and heal him, and she brought him into her cave

and worked her magic, long, and hard, alone, but for his breathing, which kept her attached to the sanity that had been fraying for far too long...

it had been - years? centuries? eons? since she had had a guest, and she was excited for the first time in forever (a/n see what I did there *wink*)

and she hurried and sang her healing and loved him and gave him the powerful he needed

and she dreamed and wished he would be the one that would accept, and never leave

but she inwardly knew he'd

leave like the rest


and she heard him muttering softly in his doze, a soft name in the night.

she leant closer ~

he smelt of salt and ocean and breeze and she guessed he must have been a descendant of Poseidon

and she made out the phrase, a syllabant name repeated over and over

Annabeth..?

and her hopes and dreams were crushed again, as painful as it always was, her heart carved and jabbed at with a knife and she was crying softly for daring to think he could be the one to stay

the girl's name was spoken with such love and adoration and longing

she knew she would be left behind and he would go back

like all the others before him

and he opened his brilliant emerald eyes that made her fall for him all over again

"Annabeth?"

she wanted to cry.