Percy's POV

"There's a private school out there that I'll be going to," she said. "I'll probably hate it, but…" she shrugged.

"Yeah, well, call me, okay?"

"Sure," she said half-heartedly. "I'll keep my eyes open for…"

There it was again. Luke. She couldn't even say his name without opening up a huge box of hurt and worry and anger.

"Annabeth," I said. "What was the rest of the prophecy?"

She fixed her eyes on the woods in the distance, but she didn't say anything.

"You shall delve in the darkness of the endless maze," I remembered.

"The dead, the traitor, and the lost one raise. We raised a lot of the dead. We saved Ethan Nakamura, who turned out to be a traitor. We raised the spirit of Pan, the lost one."

Annabeth shook her head like she wanted me to stop.

"You shall rise or fall by the ghost king's hand," I pressed on. "That wasn't Minos, like I'd thought. It was Nico. By choosing to be on our side, he saved us. And the child of Athena's final stand—that was Daedalus."

"Percy—"

"Destroy with a hero's final breath. That makes sense now. Daedalus died to destroy the Labyrinth. But what was the last—"

"And lose a love to worse than death." Annabeth had tears in her eyes.

"That was the last line, Percy. Are you happy now?"

The sun seemed colder than it had a moment ago. "Oh," I said. "So Luke—"

"Percy, I didn't know who the prophecy was talking about. I—I didn't know if…" She faltered helplessly. "Luke and I—for years, he was the only one who really cared about me. I thought…"

Before she could continue, a sparkle of light appeared next to us, like someone had opened a gold curtain in the air.

Annabeth's POV

"There's a private school out there that I'll be going to," I said. "I'll probably hate it, but…" I shrugged. So much had happened. The mortal world suddenly seemed so unbelievably small.

"Yeah, well, call me, okay?" He glanced at me, sincerely worried.

"Sure," I said half-heartedly. I didn't know if he meant it. There were a few times this summer, when I thought something was really going to happen. But every single time, something cropped up. It was complicated. Seaweed Brain was complicated. "I'll keep my eyes open for…Luke," I whispered. Saying Luke's name still hurt a little, even after all this time.

Percy looked away, unexpectedly pained, but the expression cleared again almost immediately.

"Annabeth," he looked up again. "What was the rest of the prophecy?"

I fixed her eyes on the woods in the distance, but I didn't say anything. I didn't want him to know, not now.

"You shall delve in the darkness of the endless maze," he recited.

"The dead, the traitor, and the lost one raise. We raised a lot of the dead. We saved Ethan Nakamura, who turned out to be a traitor. We raised the spirit of Pan, the lost one."

I shook my head. Stop it! I wanted to yell.

"You shall rise or fall by the ghost king's hand," he pressed on. "That wasn't Minos, like I'd thought. It was Nico. By choosing to be on our side, he saved us. And the child of Athena's final stand—that was Daedalus."

"Percy—"

"Destroy with a hero's final breath. That makes sense now. Daedalus died to destroy the Labyrinth. But what was the last—"

"And lose a love to worse than death." My eyes stung. He would find out how much more I cared about him than he did for me. The gears were turning in his head as his eyes widened in realization. I felt so stupid, a stupid child of Athena succumbing to her stupid emotions.

"That was the last line, Percy. Are you happy now?" I said coldly.

"Oh," he said quietly. "So Luke—"

He was honestly so stupid. It was partly Luke, but it was also partly him. And he didn't notice at all. How many moments did I imagine? I reshuffled through all my memories of this summer, of the previous summer. He really didn't notice anything. All those moments that I fretted about like a regular silly teenage girl were all in my head. My heart was cracking in half.

"Percy, I didn't know who the prophecy was talking about. I—I didn't know if…" I faltered helplessly. I was going to have to tell him. "Luke and I—for years, he was the only one who really cared about me. I thought…"

Before I could continue, a sparkle of light appeared next to us, like someone had opened a gold curtain in the air.