Things have been different ever since she made the deal with the gods to bring him back. It's like all of the darkness that he normally keeps hidden away has been brought to the surface. He's quicker to anger, more reckless than ever, and he is insatiable.
No one can keep up with him in training anymore. It's like the Curse of Achilles but without the drain in energy afterwards; Once he gets started, he's unstoppable. No one stands a chance, and so people stop trying.
Annabeth goes up against him, even when everyone else has given up, dagger in her hand and smirk on her face as she goads him on. But as much as she doesn't want to be afraid of him a part of her is, and he knows it. He holds back when he fights her, even lets her win sometimes, and it's never quite enough.
His new hunger doesn't stop with sparring. They've always been a physically affectionate couple, finding ways to express themselves through actions that words would never allow.
So when Annabeth starts to feel him drifting away she tries to pull him back, curling her body over his and whispering, "I'm yours, I'm yours, I'm all yours," as he moves inside her. He bows his head and kisses above her heart, and he sounds broken as he says, "I know, I know, I know."
It's still not enough.
The space between them grows.
"What do you need?" she says, practically begging, clasping their hands between them and squeezing tight. "I'll do anything, Percy, just tell me what you need."
He looks at her sadly, shakes his head. "I don't know, Annabeth."
Percy gets sadder, and Annabeth gets older, and it finally starts to sink in, exactly what she's done.
They're together, but they can never really be together again.
They try, of course they try, of course neither of them admit it. They're stubborn and stupid and so obsessed with keeping what they worked so hard to build that they're not just going to give up on it now.
But when the gods call for Percy to go on a quest, he doesn't say no.
"Maybe it'll be good to get away for a bit," he says, shrugging.
Annabeth chews her bottom lip. "Is it safe though?"
He laughs, humourless. "Of course it's safe. Nothing can hurt me now."
She scowls, and silence settles between them. They're twenty-eight, and they're so tired.
Her voice is quiet when she asks, "Will you come back?"
He threads his fingers through hers, presses their palms together. She can feel his pulse beating in his wrist, and she thinks, I did that.
"Of course I'll come back." And that should be it, that should be enough, but she hears the bitterness creep into Percy's voice as he says, "I'm your something permanent, remember?"