Hey y'all. To those reading my other stories, I did skip around on my list of things-to-be-updated because I either:

Had a serious case of writer's block

Had a lack of reviewers
OR

Had a very, very serious case of writer's block

If you have suggestions (so yes, check out my other stories) please be unafraid of sending something in for me to work on. If you actually read this, please put the word Enchilada somewhere in your review—if you do happen to review. Which I would appreciate.

Amen.

Enter stage left of my mind…

Six months.

They had passed, quite fleetingly to my dismay, since I had visited the campgrounds. Six months of Ania constantly arguing with the harpies about measurements and the placement of her desk—which unfortunately signaled that I would not be gaining a bedroom anytime soon—and they could never find a way to please her. Six months of staring vacantly at crying faces, blank expressions, hurting souls being torn from themselves and dropping them off at Charon's studio. Six months of muscle-tiring, sweat-producing strength exercises that involved me feeling oddly like Luke Skywalker from the old Star Wars movies with a little green man hunched over on my shoulders.

Six months that led me to my breaking point.

"That's it," I cried, fingers clenched in my damped hair, sweat beaded on my forehead. "I can't take this. If I have to transport one more of your stupid bookshelves—"

"Excuse me!" Ania sneered. "They are not stupid just because you cannot find a use for them!"

"You don't even have books on them," I growled, whirling towards her in the middle of the only accomplished room in the stupid palace on the stupid phantom island. It was a cylinder with a cone roof, the walls a damped blue brick that glowed eerily, the floor slick black glass. The bricks would often shift around each other and slide psychedelically, candles flickering atop the stone that jutted out softly. The air was thick and cloudy, incense burning through the fog. The only thing that kept us connected to the mortal world was the glossy crystal ceiling that would display the area around us like a tile mosaic, illuminated by the outer sky, giving fair vantage over visitors and allowed us to be aware of where the home had decided to sprout its roots from. Despite the bright white light from the sun, simmering through the ceiling, the room stayed dark and dank for concentration while Ania made constant attempts to train me.

The ceiling was dappled gray with water specks flecked across the glass, the clear image of an island in Florida radiant and glowing with faded tiles.

A knock echoed through the room and Ania muttered something that granted access to the room. Lupè sunk through the wall with the same glimmering smile plastered on, a stack of paper in her arms. She shuffled the packet in her hands and looked over at me. "So, we've had eighteen fatal car accidents in the past week, nineteen house fire deaths," she paused to read some more, "thirty attempts of suicide—wow, these kids need more sunshine in their diets."

"Right next to eating glitter and paste," Achos purred from somewhere behind me. I had gotten past the flipping out and turning to find her somehow beside me, but that couldn't keep my spine from going pin straight and my blood from running cold.

I couldn't let my mind shift to all of the tragedy that had occurred. It didn't sit right in the pit of my stomach—all of this madness reigning across the globe just for me to handle. "Anymore from human trafficking?"

"Oh," she studied the list, which suddenly seemed demonically thick, nearly one hundred sheets of paperwork just from the last week, each listing deaths from a different cause, names cataloged carefully for Hades to deal with. "Yeah, human trafficking came to a minimal halt for the time being. It seems the cops caught up with a pretty decent sized group that had been causing us some problems; but no sweat, it'll pick up again, boss."

"That's what I'm worried about."

The girls didn't have much to say in response, and it bothered me. They had become so accustomed to this idea of tragedy striking so rapidly. I hadn't really realized that so much was wrong with our world like I had currently; people were dying, crying, lying, whimpering, wishing for some sort of sun to blaze on their barren, empty lives. I made note that I had to get this to pull out some sort of emotion in the Algea.

"Anything else, Lupè?"

"Well, boss," I also noted how much I missed Blackjack, who was nestled in his stable at Camp Half-Blood with no rider but Annabeth, or so I'd been told. He was a stubborn Pegasus. "It's just that… you see, there's this quest…"

"And?"

"Well, your girlfriend's supposed to be going with the group," Lupè shrugged quietly. "We could go talk her out of it. You know, if you want us to."

Achos didn't seem too set on the idea, a disappointed grimace at the mention of girlfriend, but she was enthusiastic to get out of this hell-hole, that much was obvious on her beautiful, ever-changing mask. Ania didn't look like she planned to lift a petite finger in the direction of helping Annabeth with any problem or inconvenience unless I forced her—which may or may not be counted as direct interference. I just took into consideration the fact that Zeus and Hades had both made attempts on my life before, and it wasn't like Annabeth was my daughter or anything. I asked Lupè for the details on the quest, to which she had no information except that it was a favor for one of Aphrodite's children, which tipped the scale on uncomfortable in the pit of my stomach.

"Just," I didn't honestly have much to say in response to that, but I knew I had to say something before they went rouge and did as they pleased. I had about ten seconds of command before that would happen. "Check in; keep an eye open and get some details. Report back here when you've found something."

There was an annoying buzzing in my ears, low and quiet, like a bee floating at my side.

"Achos," I gave her a pointed look. "You've got some business off on the West coast, San Fran maybe. Go look into that."

She did as was routine for her, put her delicate, supple hands on my shoulders, and pressed her lips to my cheek softly, giving me one of those looks that I was soon figuring out was probably the way she looked at any male specimen, then dispersed in a fragrant cloud. I waited until I was sure I could breathe again and shooed Lupè away to tend to my will, which she did with—of course—enthusiasm.

"And me?" I had to turn and remember that Ania was standing in the room with the rest of us, breathing, grimacing, doing the thing that Ania's did best and just acting pissed off at everyone for everything. I knew we weren't going to progress much further past the strangle-each-other phase, but a little smile once in a while wasn't really too much to ask.

"Um," I bite my lip. What was I supposed to have her do? Lupè was doing as I asked; Achos was tending to her responsibilities, and Ania? "I guess you could…"

"I will deliver the souls to Charon, yes?"

"I… guess." In truth, I wasn't sure I wanted her torturing the souls any further. She would do well in the protection detail, but if they pestered her enough we would have liability issues and all Hades would break lose between deities, and I personally didn't want to deal with Hades sending anymore torturers after me. Ania would beat the crap out of the innocent, rather scatterbrained dead.

She turned to melt from the room, collect the souls gathering in one room or another, when I stopped her, made her promise to be nice. She obliged grudgingly, but I took what I could get. I busied myself with my sword, putting its cap on while making my move to follow her out, slipping the tool in my back pocket.

"And Percy?" I looked up to her. "Annabeth… she won't be around forever."

I thought of days that would pass even more without her around. Because I knew that being a mortal, she wouldn't last forever. One day she would come to the end of the line, her cord would be cut by the Fates, she would slip to eternal rest—hopefully peacefully and of old age—and I wouldn't get to see her face for all of my eternity. Her soft features, battle-hardened and sun-kissed, grey and gold a crown along her brow, her mischievous and calculating grey eyes. All gone one day. It didn't seem real now, but it was planted in the back of my mind. I would lose my Wise Girl to Hades, to Elysium. I was just praying it wouldn't come soon.

"Yeah, I know."

"So why do you waste your time on her?"

Now, I was pissed.

"Waste my time? I've got all eternity; I'm willing to share it with her."

"But you two are mere children. Others will come. You risk my sisters and your position on keeping her from getting a scratch on her filthy paws—"

"Hey now—"

"And for what? To watch her vanish? She is temporary, Percy. She will not last forever, you know that."

"And you have a better idea?"

And she kissed me.

Which left me wondering if she had reminded me of Annabeth's mortality for my visiting her more often or to let her live on without me.

A/N: And scene. Sorry it's so short.