"Annabeth." She heard him snarl. She continued walking – Percy only wanted to fix his broken pride, be able to say he got the last word in. She wasn't about to give him the satisfaction.

"Annabeth." He tried to grab her lower arm, but Annabeth yanked it out of his grasp.

"Get off me." She hissed.

In response, Percy grabbed her shoulders and spun her around to face him. "No."

Annabeth felt her heartbeat quicken as she examined Percy's face. His eyebrows were furrowed, his mouth a severe line, and his eyes were burning with what could only have been hatred.

She almost cowered. Angry Percy was bad enough. Angry immortal Percy was another story entirely.

"I let you get away once. I'm not about to repeat my mistake."

He half dragged her to the edge of the throne room. They continued down an adjacent hallway that led to a room roughly the size of a normal classroom, only it felt a whole lot smaller because it was at least halfway filled with broken fountains. The statues were crumbling, missing appendages.

Percy released Annabeth, and she sprung away from him, hoping she was glowering and not quailing.

She gestured around the room. "Is this supposed to be a metaphor or something?"

He ignored her. "You don't get to pull that crap on me again, Annabeth. It's not fair."

Annabeth felt the blood rush to her head. They were really going to do this, weren't they?

But why the hell not? What have I honestly got to lose?

"I don't know what you're talking about." Annabeth said, trying for a disinterested tone that would not betray how upset she really was.

"Oh, don't give me that bullshit, Annabeth. You know exactly what you're doing." He spat. "Instead of coming right out and saying what you're feeling, you prefer to just wrap yourself up in this illusion of superiority. Because emotions make you vulnerable, don't they, Annabeth?"

He was breathing very heavily at this point. "So you bury your feelings. You push them down so hard that they burst out when you're upset. Any insult you throw is just a reflection of how you can't face your own feelings. Now that's pretty cowardly."

For once, Annabeth was speechless. Percy incorrectly took her silence as a cue to continue burning what little of them remained.

"But this time, I'm not going to just take it from you, Annabeth. I don't run from things when I'm scared. Can you say the same?"

"Congratulations." Annabeth said, and her voice was far away. "Good for you. Look at all these hard problems you're facing!" Anger cut in on the edge of her voice.

"I mean, immortality must make your life so hard. This eternal youth and health deal…seems like a rough lot. I'm so proud of you for FACING YOUR PROBLEMS."

Percy shook his head, gazing up to the sky, an ironic smile playing across his face. "Forget it, Annabeth. You're impossible."

"And you're insufferable."

A scene from four years ago flew across both their minds – Medusa's garden, Percy was sending a package to the gods. She was "impossible" even then, and he was just as "insufferable" as ever. Grover told them to stop acting like an old married couple.

The full brunt of their history hit them. History that would conclude tonight. The arguments, tears, and pain, sure.

But also the jokes. The smiles. The late night conversations on quests, when neither of them could sleep. How their first thought after a battle was whether the other was okay. How Annabeth had just known where his Achilles Heel was. How rescuing Artemis had been less important than finding her.

How they knew each other so well. How, no matter how bad things got between them, they always seemed to patch it up enough to continue to coexist. Because what they had, their friendship, was more important than either of their egos. But after every rip and tear, they grew further and further apart. And now Annabeth was afraid she wouldn't ever be able to fix it.

"You want me to tell you what I'm feeling?" Annabeth asked, her voice a hoarse whisper. Percy shook his head. "No, Annabeth, really, it's okay, I know-"

"After… well, you know, Olympus's assembly… I tried to figure out what it is about me that just screws up everything I touch."

Percy was shaking his head absently, mumbling incoherently under his breath.

"I was stupid, really." She continued absently. "I thought you might be the one thing that was permanent in my life. But, true to form, my luck's pretty 'inadequate.' I'm pretty inadequate."

"Don't say that." He whispered. "Annabeth, don't you dare think-"

She smiled robotically. "I should have know… demigods don't get happy endings. "

Percy stopped shaking his head and just looked at her.

"Except for you, of course." She said, smiling a tight smile. "Immortality. Have I properly congratulated you?"

He reached for her. "Annabeth, I-"

"STOP IT!" She shrieked. "Don't touch me."

He pulled his arm back, and fear and pain mixed in his eyes. She angrily brushed tears off her cheeks. She hadn't even been aware of the fact that she was crying.

"Go enjoy yourself. Go to fancy parties. Travel with Poseidon to underwater conventions, or whatever he does down there! Be a good god. Help some mortals. Make peanut butter sandwiches with Tyson. Fall in love with that pretty mermaid!" Her whole body shuddered as she took a breath. "But for Hera's sake, don't worry about me. Be happy."

Percy glared at her, clearly not appreciating what he interpreted as a guilt trip. "Annabeth. Don't you get it? None of this means anything without you."

"I CAN'T HELP THAT!" she cried. "I can't help that, Percy. All night, I've had to convince people that I'm fine. I've had to put on this act so people wouldn't look at me like I'm a puppy that was left on the roadside in the rain. Because I'm the one they feel bad for."

"They shouldn't pity you." He said quietly. "You'll be fine. You'll become a great architect. You'll marry an industrious, brilliant guy. You might even have a family. You'll die at a ripe old age, surrounded by people who love you."

His intense gaze met her eye evenly. "They should pity the fool who left her."

Annabeth threw her arms up in the air. "You know what's been super helpful, Percy? All these declarations of self-loathing. They really accomplish a ton."

"You have to know I'm sorry." He said desperately.

"I don't care whether you're sorry or not!"

"That's a lie." He said quietly.

She looked at him helplessly.

"Stay." Annabeth raised the white flag with a whimper. She was clutching her own elbows, and the waterproofness of her makeup was being severely tested.

"I didn't know you wanted me to." He whispered. "You never needed me, Annabeth. The only thing I ever did was put you in danger."

Annabeth half snorted, half sobbed. "Of course. You would try and protect me."

Percy started to approach her, and when Annabeth did nothing to stop him, he enclosed her in his strong arms. And Annabeth broke down, burying her face in his shoulder. She could feel his heart racing through his shirt. Percy held her trembling figure in his arms and kissed the top of her head. He brushed the side of her hair aside and murmured in her ear, "I'm going to fix this."

He released her and moved with inhuman speed out of the room.