Sorry for such a short chapter! It was the most we could do in the time we had, so we just decided to publish it.
Percy had his arm around her, and they were both smiling. It was one of their better days- one where they had gotten sleep without nightmares, one where they hadn't had flashbacks.
The two of them stared at the stars with a sense of nostalgia, remembering how Annabeth had taught Percy the constellations. How Zoe had turned into one of those. How they had met so many of the ancient beings depicted in the sky. What Bob had told them.
They had been lucky enough to find a space on the beach that wasn't surrounded by campers. Being a Son of Poseidon, Percy had helped with that, finding a slightly hidden mini beach.
They were in the water up to their ankles, their feet bare, waiting for the fireworks to start. It was their third year going together, and it was no less romantic than it had been the first time.
The first had been the summer of their time in the Labyrinth. They had gone as friends, but had had a fun time.
The second was a few weeks before the first Great Prophecy really happened. They had again gone as friends, but they realized how how They had felt for each other.
Then Percy had disappeared, and the next summer was spent on the Argo II.
This time was their first really going as a couple, but they had gone on dates before, and the so-called dates didn't really feel like stereotypical dates. They were always together anyway; these dates just allowed them to get a break from everything. They just had fun together.
They were older than they had been the first two times, and were less innocent. Looking back, the two of them hadn't truly known sacrifice and pain and fear. Now they were struggling to come to terms with it.
After a few moments they decided to sit down, still waiting. Percy smiled at her, then said, "Excited?"
"Yeah." She offered no other answer. She was excited, but wished that they had more time together away from everything. She almost didn't want the show to start, because enjoying the almost-silence with Percy was amazing in itself.
"What's up?" He asked, his face suddenly slightly worried. This always seemed to happen, one of them seeing through the other's facade of happiness.
"I just wish we had more time," Annabeth said, but their conversation ended there because the fireworks made by the Hephaestus kids started, and they were more spectacular than ever.
Two months later, they had been at camp for a weekend and had played the capture the flag game. That game. She still continued to second guess her decisions, the ones she had made in the past year. She flat out regretted some of them. But there was nothing she could do now, no turning back time.
There was no way she would go to any firework display, not unless she was with him.
Three days later, Annabeth skipped her lesson with Circe. She figured it would be okay, as she was making progress, and could nearly always shoot balls of light from her hands in a controlled way.
She told Kaia that she wasn't feeling well and closed the door to her room. Really, she wasn't feeling well. She felt kind of sick. It was August 18.
His birthday.
Their anniversary.
It would have been four years now. But it was basically over, and she hated that. She didn't want to do anything that day. There were things she had to admit to herself.
First of all, she was pretty sure she still loved him. More than anything. His absence killed her, and it was her fault. She had done this to himself. She had hurt both of them.
Second, he probably didn't feel the same way. She had ruined it for both of him, and he probably hated her now.
Third, there was a lot she didn't know that she wanted to know. What was he doing for his birthday? Did he hate her? Did he think she was a murderer, or had he believed her the whole time?
And it was her fault. All of this was her fault, and she regretted it all more than anything. She missed Percy Jackson, and there was nothing she could do about it.
End of Chapter 6