A/N: Finally! An update!

I plan to finish the next three chapters before I update the story again. I'm not sure how long this will take me (we have finals this week) but hopefully it won't be too long.

If you haven't realized by now, we are very close to the end of this story, but never fear, we have a while to go yet.

This chapter is dedicated to justanotherdreamgirl who leaves the most enthusiastic reviews for this story. Thanks! ;)

And sorry if the formatting is weird on this chapter. I think something messed it up in Microsoft Word.

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.


Annabeth tried not to limp, and she thought that she was managing really well considering a demon had just taken a bite out of her side.

They were walking on the train tracks, heading north toward Seattle. Percy had offered to carry her, but she had refused and settled for holding his hand instead. He kept looking over at her out of the corner of his eye, but Annabeth never looked back at him.

He hadn't really said that much since they started walking. She guessed that he was still pretty freaked out, and his thoughts were so incoherent, she was having a hard time listening for words.

She was even kind of freaked out. Sure, it hadn't been one of the worst wounds that she had ever had, but Percy's reaction had been pretty shaky, and she didn't like to see him like that. It had upset her just as much to see him so upset.

This is going to take forever unless we find a train.

"Maybe one will come along eventually." Annabeth said.

Percy was quiet for a few minutes before he said, "You know, it's not really fair."

She frowned. What did he mean? At the moment, a lot of things weren't fair, but Annabeth didn't know what he was talking about this time.

"What's not fair?" She asked as she stepped on a twig and watched it break.

All of this.

"That you get to know everything that I'm thinking, and I can't even hear you." Percy said.

Her frown deepened, "How does that make sense?"

"You know everything that I've ever thought about you, and I don't even know if you feel the same way about me." Percy said.

Annabeth stopped walking. This probably wasn't a good time to get mad at him, but how could he even say that out loud?

"Well," Annabeth said sharply and with plenty of attitude. "I don't think it's fair that you feel like I don't feel the same way about you. Since when do you need to be able to read my mind to understand that I feel the same way?"

You took my words out of context.

Percy rolled his eyes, "You know that's not what I meant. And don't pretend that you wouldn't think this was unfair if the situation was reversed. You would be going crazy."

"Maybe I would, but this isn't exactly sunshine and daises for me either." Annabeth said as she started walking again.

It was a few more minutes before Percy said, "You should tell me."

"Tell you what?"

"The things you think about me. It's only fair, don't you think?"

Annabeth hesitated. It probably was fair, but there was no way she wanted him to know that she thought about him all of the time. He had to realize that she wasn't going to offer this up willingly.

She had an idea. "Why don't we play Truth or Dare?"

I've never played that game.

"Never?" She asked in surprise. Even she had played it before. Sure, the Aphrodite girls had forced her to come to a sleepover once before Silena had died, and they had played Truth or Dare until Annabeth was tired of all of the giggling, but it still counted.

"No. I never really had anybody to play it with until I went to Camp, but you know, we were too busy trying to save the world." Percy said.

"Well, let's play. You go first." Annabeth said.

Um, okay.

Percy said. "Truth or Dare?"

"Truth." Annabeth said.

He didn't say anything for a few seconds, "Ugh! This is why I never played! I'm bad at this part!"

Annabeth laughed and smiled at him, "Well, you claim that it's not fair that I know all of these things about you, and you wanted to know what I thought about you. It's the perfect time to ask."

Good point, but I still don't know what I want to ask.

"Well-" Annabeth started.

"Oh!" Percy interrupted. "I got one. Was I your first kiss?"

These questions weren't as difficult as she thought. She nodded in confirmation. "You were my first kiss."

"Okay." Percy said with a smile, "Now was-"

"Hold up!" Annabeth said. "It's my turn! Truth or Dare?"

That's not fair!

"Too bad. Truth or Dare?" Annabeth smirked.

"Truth." Percy said.

"Did you ever kiss Rachel again?" She asked. She remembered all of his memories that he had showed her, and she really doubted it, but it could have happened.

Are you serious right now?

"Answer the question!" She said.

Percy shook his head, "I never kissed her. She kissed me, and it only happened once. Now, Truth or Dare?"

"Truth." Annabeth said again.

"Am I the only one you have ever kissed?" Percy asked.

Annabeth bit her lip. "No."

What?!

"I'm not the only one you've kissed!" She exclaimed.

He looked at her worriedly. He looked like he was going to lose it, and she definitely didn't think that was fair. Sometimes he was such a hypocrite. "Who did you kiss?!"

Annabeth hid her smile from him, "It's my turn. Truth or Dare?"

You're kidding me!

"Truth." Percy said hurriedly.

She kicked a rock off of the railroad track, "When did you first realize that you liked me?"

Let me think for a minute.

It was another few seconds before Percy said, "Well, I don't really remember the exact date and time, but I think it was sometime after you were kidnapped and I was on that quest to save Artemis. I think I just realized that my life sucked without you, and I really didn't like anything when you weren't with me." He smiled suddenly, "I remember being so mad that you were taller than I was."

Annabeth smiled too and squeezed his hand a little tighter.

"Now, who did you kiss besides me?" Percy asked. His mood was still playful, but his eyes were kind of serious.

"You didn't ask me truth or dare." Annabeth said just to annoy him.

You did that on purpose.

"I knew you were going to pick truth." Percy said with a shrug.

She rolled her eyes, "Well, I pick dare."

He shrugged again and grinned, "Fine. I dare you to tell me who you kissed other than me."

Dang. That was a plan worthy of Athena.

Annabeth sighed, "I was out in San Francisco at school, and this guy that I was tutoring for our AP Chemistry exam was studying with me in the library after hours. He was pretty cool, but I remember that his cologne smelled like toothpaste."

Percy was looking at her with wide eyes, "When?"

She didn't even remember that they were playing a game and that she technically didn't have to answer. "It was a few months after the Labyrinth."

Cooler than me?

"No," she rolled her eyes. "Of course not; no one is as cool as you."

"When did you kiss him?" Percy asked. He let his fingers slip out of hers, but she grabbed his hand again.

"I didn't kiss him. He kissed me, and I just kind of let him for a few minutes."

A few minutes?!

Annabeth rolled her eyes again, "I was mad at you, Percy. I thought that you were dating Rachel and didn't like me. I figured it was stupid for me to mope over you while you weren't even there. Besides, nothing else happened. I told him to stop, and he did. End of story."

Still. It's not fair. I've only kissed you like three times.

"Whatever. Truth or Dare?" Annabeth said.

Percy looked at her for a few seconds and said, "Truth."

"Do you want to have kids when you grow up?" Annabeth asked. She knew he was going to think something was up (she never asked questions like that) but she seriously wanted to know.

Seriously?

Percy had a smile on his face as he nodded, "Yeah, in a few years. Maybe one or two. I definitely want a girl and a boy. I think twins would be pretty cool. But, you know, as long as they didn't look too much like me."

She looked over at him crazily. Why wouldn't he want his kids to look like him? He was so beautiful.

I, uh, have a big nose.

Annabeth laughed lightly, "You do not. Your nose is fine," she decided to bait him and see if he took it. "Who would they look like?"

You might as well say it now, Jackson. She already knows.

He looked down at his feet as they continued walking, "Well, I hope they would have blonde hair and gray eyes. Hopefully, they would look a whole lot like this really smart and pretty girl I know. If she wants them too."

Her smile was so big she thought that her face would freeze. She hadn't had any idea that Percy wanted all of that stuff, and it was awesome for her to find out that he had been thinking about it just as much as she had.

Annabeth looked over at him and smiled, "She wants them, but she was kind of hoping they would have black hair and green eyes."

"Oh yeah?" Percy said playfully.

She bumped into his shoulder as they walked, "Yeah, actually."

"Well," Percy said. "I think that blonde hair with green eyes and black hair with gray eyes would be kind of pretty, don't you think?"

"They would be the best." Annabeth said.

Will be. They will be the best.

She sighed, "You think so?"

"I know so." Percy said.

Annabeth wished that he knew for sure. She wanted to have all of that with Percy. She wanted to be able to grow up with him and give him a family like they both deserved. But to do that, they needed to get home.

We're going to make it.

How did he know what she was thinking? Did he just guess, or was he starting to hear her-

"I think that I'm starting to hear you too." Percy said. He looked pretty confused, "I'm not getting any words yet, but I could tell what you were thinking about just now. You wanted to go home, right?"

She nodded absently. If he could tell what she was thinking about, then how long would it be before he started hearing all of her thoughts?

Me too, Wise Girl.

Ω

"Did you hear that?" Annabeth asked quietly. She had been listening for a while now, and she was pretty sure that a noise was following them.

Percy and Annabeth were still walking down the railroad track. They had yet to see another train that they could hop, but they were making okay time as it was. At least, Annabeth hoped they were.

Hear what?

"The rustling behind us. Left side." She murmured.

Percy tilted his head to the side to listen for the sound, and after a few seconds, he nodded.

What do you think it is? Monster?

She looked over at him and met his eyes.

Should we run or fight?

I don't know. We could try running and then we could try fighting if it doesn't work, but if they're following us then it will be obvious that we will stick to the tracks.

We can't risk losing the only way we've got to Seattle.

Valid point. Let's run. If it follows us, then we can deal with it eventually.

Annabeth nodded and tightened her grip on his hand. She pushed her backpack back onto her shoulders and shoved her hair behind her ears before they lunged forward and broke into a sprint.

She could hear the rustling sound follow them as they ran. It didn't get any louder, but it did stay behind them.

She turned to look back behind them, but she couldn't see anything.

Trap! Stop running! We need to get off of the tracks!

Annabeth jerked her head back around to see Cole standing in the middle of the train tracks, blocking the way.

It was too late for them to avoid them. Annabeth was sure that Cole had them surrounded, and now that Regina didn't need them, he wouldn't hesitate to have them killed on the spot.

Percy skidded to a stop and jerked Riptide out of his pocket. Annabeth stood at his back, pulling her knife from her waistband of her jeans. She was trying to keep her emotions buried, but seeing Cole again made her nervous.

What do we do? Annabeth! What do we do?

She was thinking for an amazing plan that would get them out of this mess, but she couldn't find one. From here, it looked like all of their options were gone, except for fighting. It looked like that was all they had left, but Annabeth didn't think they could make it through a fight with Cole if he had more people here.

Her doubts were confirmed when six more guys stepped out to stand on Cole's sides. There was no way they would get through this in one piece.

That left them bled dry. There wasn't any water around for Percy to get them away. A train wasn't coming anytime soon. They were alone without help.

Annabeth! We're running out of time to do something!

It really didn't help that Percy sounded so frantic in his thoughts. Her throat was already starting to close, and she was sweating.

Cole smiled at her, "Well, it looks like we have another chance, don't we, sweetheart?"

Annabeth recoiled and frowned at him while Percy growled angrily.

Cole nodded to his gang, "You guys know the drill. One of you keeps our sweetheart entertained while the rest of us take care of Mr. Jackson. And let's get it right this time! We can all have a little play time after that."

Run, Annabeth! As soon as they all attack me, run!

She shook her head desperately and turned to yell about that stupid plan, but she was tackled to the ground, and she couldn't see Percy anymore.

She thanked the gods that she had wrestled with the Ares campers for the past 10 years at Camp. The guy that was supposed to be "keeping her busy" was one of the smallest guys in Cole's gang. If she played her cards right, she wouldn't have any trouble.

But even if she did get away from this one guy, how was she supposed to save Percy from six others? Even she knew that she couldn't do that on her own right now, and with no help anywhere close by, it didn't look like there was a silver-lining.

When the guy on top of her twisted her wrist, she didn't hesitate as she brought her knife up and buried it in his stomach. She pushed him off of her and rolled away before he could collapse on top of her.

Annabeth! Run!

She was standing up again, but the trees were so thick, she couldn't see Percy right away. It took her a few seconds to spot him a couple of yards away from her, standing in the middle of a circle and fighting his way through it.

As he sliced with his sword, he yelled, "Run, Annabeth! I've got this! I'll catch up to you!"

Her brain shut down.

At his words, she was washed into a dream that she had a few nights ago right before they met Regina in Houston. It was the dream where the voice had threatened her that Percy would die if she didn't quit and go home. And now, it was happening. It was going exactly as the dream did, right down to the position of the trees.

Did that mean Percy was about to die? Was this going to be it? Was this-

She couldn't bring herself to move. She was frozen on the spot, staring in terror as Percy turned his back and Cole swung his sword.

A scream pierced the air, and Annabeth's eyesight blackened.

Ω

Annabeth didn't know how long it had been, but the next sound she heard was someone yelling, "Brother!"

Her eyes shot open, and she scrambled to her feet.

It must not have been that long because Percy was still fighting. He had taken down a few of Cole's helpers, but most of them were still standing.

She started to move toward him to help, but something snagged her ankle, and she kicked her foot in the face of guy who had wrestled her down. He was still clutching his stomach together, and blood was everywhere, but when her foot connected with his jaw, he went down hard.

I hope she ran.

Annabeth jerked her attention back to Percy, and she sucked in a surprised gasp when she saw two familiar faces fighting on Percy's side.

"Tyson!" Percy yelled. "Get Mrs. O'Leary and go find Annabeth! I'll catch up with you later!"

The friendly Cyclops shook his head, "I cannot do that, brother! We promised Daddy!"

Promised? What?

The ground under Annabeth's feet started to shake. The tracks… A train was coming! Another train was coming! This was their way out!

"Percy!" Annabeth yelled as she jumped into the fight at his back.

Annabeth?! I told you to run!

She knocked one guy down and kicked him away while she stabbed at another one. "A train is coming! This is our chance out!"

"Annabeth!" Tyson yelled happily.

She took one second to toss him a tired smile before she continued to slice at throats, "Hi, Tyson!"

Percy's hellhound, Mrs. O'Leary, barked excitedly at her name, but then savagely swiped away one of Cole's guys that tried to get to Percy.

"You guys jump the train, and I'll finish this and catch up to you!" Percy said, cutting at Cole with Riptide.

She dodged a sword and moved to Percy, grabbing a handful of his shirt and spinning him around her and behind Mrs. O'Leary. He frowned at her, but she pulled him even closer so they were pressed together chest-to-chest.

"Either all of us are going or none of us." Annabeth said as Mrs. O'Leary and Tyson covered for them for a few seconds. "I am not leaving you here with him. So you pick right now. We both stay and fight or we go. Choose. Right now."

Annabeth. We don't have time to-

Annabeth tightened her grip on his shirt and pulled him even closer. Somewhere deep in his mind, she thought she heard him groan because of what she was doing to him, but she could have been mistaken.

"You heard me. Choose right now." She said seriously.

Percy glared at her for half a second before his gaze flickered up to Tyson and Mrs. O'Leary, who were having trouble holding all of Cole's gang back by themselves.

Fine. You win.

"Fine." Percy said. "We're going to jump over Mrs. O'Leary and head toward the tracks. We won't stop running until the train comes and hopefully we can find a car that all of us will fit in."

She nodded and let go of his shirt.

Annabeth.

Percy stopped her from moving away when he set his hand on her cheek and stared at her. He didn't say anything, but his thoughts said it all.

I hope this works.

She grasped his hand for half of a second before she turned away and slid under Mrs. O'Leary's legs. She side-swiped the first few swords that fell her way, and she felt Percy block the other weapons from reaching her.

"Tyson!" Annabeth yelled as soon as she made it through the line of Cole's gang. "Follow me!"

"Yes, Annabeth!" Tyson yelled. "Good doggie! Follow Annabeth!"

Annabeth ran alongside the train tracks and looked back to see the train coming right up behind them. A couple of cars down, she spotted a cargo car that looked empty with its door open. If they timed it just right, they could jump in perfectly.

We're going to make it! I think we can make- Ack!

Annabeth jerked her head around to see Percy fall to the ground under Cole. He looked like one of the only few left, but he had just tackled Percy.

Percy looked up and saw Annabeth start to slow. He shook his head.

Keep going! Don't stop! I'm fine! I'm right behind you! Just go!

Tears threatened her eyes and she turned around and ran back for Percy, who was grappling with Cole.

"Annabeth?" Tyson yelled confusedly.

"Get on the train!" She yelled back to him, "I'm coming!"

No, Annabeth! Go with them!

Cole had Percy held to the ground on his stomach. Percy's arms were pushed above his head, and Cole had a knife cutting down his back toward his only weak point.

Oh-

Even though Annabeth was still terrified of the thought of facing Cole, seeing Percy like this made her so angry she started trembling. There was no way Cole was going to take Percy away from her. He was way too important. He was everything.

Annabeth threw herself at Cole and tackled him. They rolled away from Percy, and Cole pinned her to the ground.

"Well, I sure didn't expect you to throw yourself at me, honey." Cole said as he grinned down at her, "That just makes everything even better."

Annabeth spit in his face and kneed him in the crotch. He rolled off of her painfully, and she stood up.

Percy was still lying on the ground, shaking and trembling. Annabeth couldn't have been too late, could she? He had to be okay! He had to!

She would have to worry about it later. If they didn't get up now, the train was going to pass by completely, and then Cole would get back up and attack them again.

"Come on, Percy!" Annabeth said as she hauled him up off of the ground and draped his arms over her shoulders. He was way too heavy for her to carry, but if she could drag him to the train tacks she could probably manage to get him up on the train. Maybe.

Annabeth stumbled toward the tracks. The gods must have been with them because as Annabeth and Percy made it to the side of tracks, the car that Tyson and Mrs. O'Leary was in rolled by, and Annabeth pushed Percy up to Tyson's arms.

"Annabeth!" Tyson yelled as he hauled Percy into the car.

She ran to catch up with them, but as soon as her hand was around a bar, she tripped.

She squeaked in pain as she was dragged along the ground. The gravel tore at her skin, and she was sure she was going to have quite a few scratches.

"Not so fast, sweetheart." A voice growled under her. "You're mine."

While she hadn't been paying attention, Cole had run up behind her. He had his hand grasping a fistful of her jacket, running alongside the train.

"Let go!" Annabeth yelled.

"Not without you!" Cole yelled over the sound of the train.

Her hand started to slip. She fell a few more feet toward the ground and Cole.

But Zeus was with her. The tracks curved suddenly, and as Annabeth held on to the bar, she jerked her body to the side and used her momentum to kick Cole in the face, sending him flying to the ground and rolling away.

Annabeth used whatever strength she had left to pull herself up, but someone else reached down and picked her up just as her arms gave out.

Ω

Tyson and Mrs. O'Leary were both very enthusiastic when they saw her. Truthfully, Annabeth couldn't have been more relieved that they were here. As soon as Tyson had hauled her up into the train car, she had thrown her arms around him and hugged him.

"Annabeth!" Tyson said. "Percy is not moving. I do not know what is wrong!"

Percy couldn't actually be hurt, could he? Annabeth thought that she had made it in time and his back wasn't cut. Could he still be hurt even though his back wasn't injured?

She pushed away from Tyson and slid to the ground beside Percy. He was sprawled out on his stomach, and his eyes were closed. Annabeth tried to focus on his mind, but she couldn't hear anything from him at all.

She worriedly pushed his shirt up and brushed her hands over his back, but there wasn't anything there. His skin was flawless and his muscles glinted under his tan. So what was the problem? Was he just shocked? Had he gotten too upset?

And how was she supposed to fix it?

"Percy," Annabeth said. She cradled his head and carefully rolled him over onto his back. "Percy, wake up. Come on, Seaweed Brain. Wake up."

Tyson knelt down on Percy's other side, "Brother, wake up. We are worried."

Annabeth got an idea, "Tyson, hand me my backpack."

He turned around and grabbed the pack from where Mrs. O'Leary was sitting guard. He handed it to her with a wide eye.

She fished the ambrosia out of the bottom of the pack. She hated to use it on Percy because it might not even work, but this was her only idea.

Annabeth opened Percy's mouth and crammed some of the ambrosia down his throat. At the same time, she worked her hand under his shoulders and held her palm to the small of his back. Maybe it would shock him out of his shock or-

ANNABETH!

She winced as all of Percy's thoughts hit her mind like a cannon ball. A couple thousand images assaulted her mind, and she couldn't process them fast enough to keep up with him.

His eyes shot open and he gasped, "Annabeth!"

"I'm right here." She said softly. "We're okay. We're on the train. What happened?"

Percy was still shaking, and he looked up at her with wide eyes. He shook his head, "Cole had a knife to close. I freaked out. I just couldn't get up and then my-"

Annabeth cut off his desperate rambling. She held one of her hands to his face, letting her fingers brush against his lips. "That's okay. It doesn't matter anymore; as long as you're okay. Tyson and Mrs. O'Leary are here."

Percy nodded, but his breathing was still shaky.

Don't really feel like talking right now.

"Hi, brother! You are not dead!" Tyson said happily.

Percy managed a small smile, "Amazing, huh?"

I just want to sleep.

Annabeth nodded and looked up to Tyson who was smiling like he had won the lottery. "Tyson, do you mind taking watch first? Percy needs to rest, but if you're too tired to then I can take-"

"I will take first watch while Percy rests. Annabeth should also rest while she can." Tyson said as he moved toward the door of the train car where Mrs. O'Leary was already curled up and snoozing peacefully. Sometime before she had jumped on, Tyson had closed the other door, so now only one side was open to the outside. She hadn't realized it, but most of the day had already passed; the sun was setting, and it was getting a lot darker by the minute.

Annabeth started to pull her hands away from Percy so she could lie down and rest, but Percy knotted his hands in her shirt.

Don't move your hand from my back. It hurts without your hand there.

"I'm sorry," she murmured as she grabbed a sleeping bag from Percy's backpack. "Just a second. Wait just a second." Annabeth bunched the sleeping bag under their heads, and then she wedged her hand under Percy's back and spread her fingers over the small of his back.

Oh my gods.

Percy flinched several times, and his hands loosened from her shirt. He slid one of his arms around her waist and inched his fingers under her shirt to rest on her hip. He buried his face in her neck, and Annabeth could feel his eyelashes brushing her skin when he blinked.

She tightened her arms around him and whispered in his ear, "It's okay, Seaweed Brain. Everything is fine. You're okay."

You're okay too?

Annabeth buried her other hand in his hair, "Yep. I'm fine. Just go to sleep."

She listened to Percy and Mrs. O'Leary snoring lightly and Tyson singing softly for a little while. The train was running smoothly with a light screeching sound every few seconds. She fell into a dreamless sleep while running her hands through Percy's hair and over his back.

Ω

Annabeth was sitting up when she woke.

She was disoriented for a few seconds (hadn't she been lying on the floor?) but she realized that she was propped up against a sleeping Mrs. O'Leary with her head on Percy's shoulder. Her hand was still pressed against Percy's back, and she could feel Percy's arm wrapped around her waist.

Sorry I woke you up.

She blinked a few times and shrugged even closer to him. "It's okay. Did you take watch? I could have taken it."

You were exhausted.

"It's fine." Percy said. "You were still sleeping. I didn't want to wake you up."

Annabeth yawned into his shoulder and finally leaned up. She let her eyes flit around the train car to find Tyson snoring loudly and sprawled out in front of Mrs. O'Leary. Past him, the train car door was half way open, letting a few early rays of sunlight seep in. She could see a little bit of the sunrise.

"How is your back?" Annabeth asked. She knew that he felt better with her touching him, but her hand was falling asleep, and the tingling was getting uncomfortable.

"It's okay." Percy said. "I think that I just freaked out yesterday."

She nodded and started to pull her hand away, "So I can move my hand, right? I can't really-"

No! Don't!

"Please don't!" Percy said, leaning up and pulling her hand back to his spot. "I'm sorry, it's just-"

Annabeth sighed and nodded, "it's fine, but at least let me switch sides and hands. I can't even feel this one anymore."

Percy nodded and pulled her over his lap and to his other side so she could switch her hands out. She sighed when she pulled her other hand away and tried to work the stiffness out of it.

This is kind of pathetic.

Annabeth stifled her laughter when she looked at him, "Yeah. I can't wait to tell everyone back at Camp."

He was holding back a smile when he said, "If this gets around Camp then there are going to be a lot of rumors about you. I can see the Aphrodite girls attacking you now when I tell them that I think that you need a make-over."

Annabeth hit him on the chest with her hand, "You wouldn't dare. I'll just tell everyone that you're desperately in love with me."

That won't work!

"Everyone already knows that." Percy sang. "You'll have to come up with something more embarrassing."

She rolled her eyes, "Fine. I guess I can go see your mom and get some of those baby pictures that she promised me. I bet all of our friends will love seeing you in the bathtub."

Is she bluffing? She's totally bluffing. Mom didn't promise her pictures! Did she?

"You just want to see me in the bathtub." Percy said with a huff.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Do you know where we are?"

"Not exactly, but I'm pretty sure we're getting close to Seattle." Percy said.

"How can you tell?" She asked. Percy could have been completely wrong, and they could have jumped on a train that wasn't even going north.

He shrugged, "I feel it. Something is… drawing me there, you know?"

Annabeth hesitated. She knew that the children of the Big Three were exceptionally powerful demigods, and they got weird dreams and feelings, (she grew up with Thalia) but sometimes those feelings weren't always good. She couldn't even remember how many times one of Thalia's or Percy's "feelings" led them into an attack or trap.

But right now, that seemed to be about one of the only things they had on their side.

"Good or bad feeling?" Annabeth asked warily.

"I'm not too sure," he said. "I think we're almost there. We should probably wake Tyson up and send them back to Camp."

"They're not coming with us?" Annabeth asked in surprise. She figured that they could use the extra help when they tried to fight Regina.

No way!

He shook his head. "Of course not. They could get hurt."

Annabeth tried not to roll her eyes, but it annoyed her when Percy's fatal flaw acted up. He did realize that they could use the help, didn't he? If they had Tyson and Mrs. O'Leary helping them they stood a really good chance (or at least a better chance) of winning in a fight against Regina and freeing Aphrodite. But if Percy had his mind set on them going back to Camp, she wouldn't be able to change his mind unless she fought with him and mad him angry.

You think that this is because of my fatal flaw.

She shook her head, "No. I know that this is because of your fatal flaw. You know that we would have an even better chance of winning if they came with us."

"Maybe, but like I said. They would get hurt." Percy said.

"We could get hurt." Annabeth argued. She scooted a little closer to him and threw one of her legs over his.

Percy didn't look at her, but he wrapped one of his hands around her knee. His fingers splayed across her jeans. "I know."

She voiced what he was thinking. "But you don't care. You still don't want them to come with us."

"No." Percy said. "I don't."

She sighed, "Fine. If that's what you want then I won't argue with you."

You won't? Maybe that's what I was trying to get you to do. It's really sexy when you argue with me.

She bumped him with her shoulder, "Shut up, Seaweed Brain, and wake Tyson up. If you think we're getting closer to Seattle then we need to get off of this train."

Ω

"But, brother! I want to stay with you and Annabeth!"

Annabeth winced as Tyson objected to Percy's orders. If he kept arguing with Percy, then he was going to completely give in and let them come to Seattle. Then, Percy would be angry that they had wormed their way into coming, and if they did get hurt, he would blame himself forever.

They had jumped off of the train after Percy had woken up Tyson. They were still in the tree line, but the trees were getting thinner, and they had to be close. Somehow, Percy had been right, and judging from the cover of clouds over the sky, they were just outside of the city limits of Seattle. Annabeth guessed that they were only a few miles away from the industrial part of Seattle (where the shipping yard would be) and it shouldn't take them too long to get there. Annabeth hadn't even bothered arguing with Percy over bringing Tyson and Mrs. O'Leary with them, and right now, Percy was about to cave.

She stepped in after another few seconds of Percy trying to argue with him. "Tyson, listen to Percy on this one. Take Mrs. O'Leary and go back to Camp. We will meet you there in a few more days."

Thank you!

Tyson didn't fall for it so easily. "You and Percy need help! I made a promise!"

What? Wait a minute- How did he even get here? How did he know where to find us and that we needed help?

"Tyson," Percy said. His voice was hard, "How did you know where to find us?"

His eye watered with tears, and Annabeth was sure that he was about to cry right now. "Daddy told me where to find you. He said that something terrible is coming and that you should listen to Athena."

Athena? He hates Athena!

"Listen to Athena? What did she say?" Percy asked stupidly.

Annabeth gasped from her place beside Mrs. O'Leary. Her hand was now frozen in Mrs. O'Leary's fur, and the hellhound sniffed at her worriedly.

Back before they had left New York for their quest, they had met Hermes in an alley, and he had given them several gifts from Athena. She had sent them the compass, the towel, and a message for Percy.

Watch your back.

Poseidon had told Tyson to come warn Percy about Athena's advice. Why? What was coming that was so terrible? What was going to happen?

Annabeth?

"Annabeth, are you okay?" Percy asked.

She ignored Percy's question, "Tyson, did Poseidon tell you anything else? Did he mention any other names?"

To her disappointment, Tyson shook his head, "No. He just told me that it was very, very important that I found you and took you back to Camp. Please, come on."

He was talking about my back. Athena told me to watch my back. Holy shit. Something bad is going to happen. Something awful is going to happen.

Annabeth met Percy's eyes. He was trying to stay in control, and he looked in control, but he was freaking out on the inside.

And maybe she should freak out too. On this quest, several gods had been guiding them and warning them to be careful the whole time. Annabeth had thought that it was just because finding Aphrodite was so important to all of the gods, and they just wanted to make sure that they succeeded. But now, maybe all of the gods had been in on this quest because they knew something was going to happen. Maybe they just needed Percy and Annabeth to do all of the hard work for them. Maybe they should listen to Regina. Maybe they should just quit and go back to Camp with Tyson until Zeus fried them for not finding Aphrodite. At least she would get to kiss Percy again.

We can't do that. We can't just go back.

"We can't, Tyson. We have to finish this quest before we go home." Percy said as he threw all of the insane and scared thoughts out of his mind.

Percy was right. They couldn't give up. They had to finish this. They had to get Aphrodite back.

Annabeth nodded and stepped up beside Percy. "He's right, Tyson. We can't come home yet. We have to finish this."

"But, Annabeth, I told Daddy that I would bring you back home. He will be very angry if you do not come back with me." Tyson said.

"Lie to him." Percy blurted. "If he asks you, just tell him that we said we would follow you home, but you don't know why it's taking us so long."

"Don't lie." Annabeth corrected. "Just repeat what we told you. We will be home soon. Just tell him that. He will understand."

"He will be mad at me. He will not trust me anymore." Tyson sniffled.

We can't just do this to him. Tyson worked so hard for Poseidon's respect. We can't just ruin that.

Annabeth was thinking a million miles an hour. She couldn't make Tyson lie and tell Poseidon those things. Percy was right; it would ruin everything that Tyson had worked for.

"Take Percy back home." Annabeth blurted out. "Poseidon only wants Percy to be safe; he doesn't care about me. I can finish this quest by myself and meet you guys back at home. Tyson and Mrs. O'Leary will be safe. Percy will be safe. I'll be there soon."

What?! Are you crazy?!

"No way in hell am I leaving you here." Percy said stubbornly.

"Yeah, you are. It will be the best thing for everybody. I can meet you back at home after I finish this." Annabeth said.

Tyson nodded from where he was standing. "Yes. Annabeth is very smart. She will meet us back at home. Come on, brother."

"Everybody hold up." Percy said. He framed her face with his hands and pulled her against his body. "I am not leaving you here by yourself. You need me to help you. I can't just leave you here. You'll die and then I won't be there to save you and I can't- I just can't. Don't make me do this. Please don't make me do this."

Annabeth forced her tears back. She wasn't going to let Percy see how much she wanted him to stay with her. He needed to go back with Tyson. He would be safe if he went back.

"You need to go back, Percy. You've got other people. Besides, I'll be there soon. I just have to take care of Regina and go to Olympus and then I will be home." Annabeth lied. She knew that if Percy left she wouldn't make it back. She might manage to free Aphrodite (she would have to) but she doubted she would be alive to come back home.

Stop lying to me. Just stop.

"I don't have anyone except for you. I can't live without you. I won't live without you." Percy said, tightening his grip on her.

Annabeth tried to push away from him, but part of her was screaming to collapse into his arms and never let go. She couldn't make him leave her. She knew it herself. She wouldn't be able to survive this quest without him.

I am not leaving you. You can't make me. You can't make me go home.

Annabeth was just about to finish arguing with him and push him onto Mrs. O'Leary, but Tyson spoke up.

"I will lie to Daddy." He said.

Annabeth's grip tightened on Percy as she turned to see Tyson looking at his feet. "Tyson, we can't ask you to do that."

"No, it will be fine. I will lie and tell him that you will be home soon. I cannot make Percy come home now; Annabeth will get hurt without him." Tyson said.

Thank gods.

Percy pulled her even closer to him, "Tyson, thank you. Thank you so much. When I get back, I'll tell Poseidon that he should be mad at me, not you."

"It is okay, brother. I will see you and Annabeth back at Camp." Tyson said as he crawled on Mrs. O'Leary. "Please be careful."

Annabeth swallowed hard, "We will, Tyson. You be careful too."

Mrs. O'Leary barked in goodbye, and they ran toward the shadows as Percy and Annabeth waved.

Would you have really made me leave you?

"Yes." She whispered against him, snaking her arms around his middle.

"I wouldn't have gone." Percy said.

She looked up at him, "Yes you would have. I would have convinced you. I know you better than anybody else. You would have gone back home."

Percy didn't say anything, but his arms around her were tight. He buried his face in her hair.

He spoke again a few minutes later. "Do you really think that something bad is going to happen?"

Annabeth gathered her will and pulled out of his arms. "I don't know, Percy, but I guess we have to go find out."

Ω

Annabeth found out that it was really convenient that the gods blocked out the weather at Camp. If it rained as much as it did in Seattle in Long Island, Annabeth wouldn't ever get to train.

We need to get out of the rain for a few minutes.

They had been walking through Seattle for about an hour. It had been a steady stream of rain since they had broken through the trees. They had walked through the outer city limits, and Annabeth was thinking that they were relatively close to the industrial part of town.

Percy's hand tightened around hers and he pointed ahead to a strip of buildings on the other side of the street. "There's a coffee shop over there. Let's go see if anyone knows where the shipping yard is."

Annabeth nodded and let him pull her across the street. She squinted against the rain and pulled her jacket tighter around her. She wasn't used to it being this cold in the summer, and her bones were chilled.

She sighed when Percy pulled her inside the coffee shop. The warm air and the smell of coffee relaxed her muscles, and she felt a little better already.

Thank gods. I'm getting sick of the rain.

The coffee shop was like a ghost town. There were a few people sitting at some of the tables, a pair of older women with a copy of a popular teen book in their hands, a teenager with a pair of headphones and a laptop, an older man at the bar.

Annabeth led Percy through the chairs and grabbed a table close to the women. They looked up at her when Percy pulled out her chair, and both of them smiled when he helped her take her soaking jacket off.

"Well, I suppose chivalry isn't dead, Janet." One of the women said lovingly as she stared at them.

Are they talking about us?

The other woman sighed, "I wish my husband would learn some. All he does for me now is ask when dinner will be finished and when it's a reasonable time for sex."

Annabeth covered her snicker when Percy sat down and looked over at the two women crazily.

Janet leaned over toward their table and smiled, "I just have to tell you that you two are the cutest thing I have ever seen. How long have you been together?"

"Oh," Annabeth started with a glance at Percy, "We're not-"

Hold up. We could have some fun with this.

Percy interrupted her and grasped her hand from across the table. "We've been together for a year. Next week is our anniversary."

They both squealed, "Aww! How cute!"

Annabeth smiled at them, "Thank you."

"You two should stay together forever. Now, Janet, what did you think when he bit her? I mean, I think my husband heard me shriek all the way in the basement." They turned back to their conversation.

Annabeth looked at Percy and raised an eyebrow, "A year?"

He shrugged and grinned again, "Maybe. You interested?"

She rolled her eyes. "That was a stupid question."

Before Percy could say anything else, he was cut off.

"Perseus!" Someone said sharply.

Full name? Who the heck knows my real name in Seattle?

Ω

Annabeth thought that the guy in the fishing hat and Hawaiian shirt looked a little out of place.

Apparently, Poseidon was in Seattle for a visit. The god of the sea pulled a chair up to their table and sat down with them, waving over one of the waitresses. He calmly ordered three hot chocolates and stared at them.

Uh, is this real life?

It was obvious that Percy wasn't going to say anything, so Annabeth spoke first, "Um, hi, Lord Poseidon."

"Hello, Annabeth, Percy. Did I not tell you two to go back to Camp?" He said. His expression was calm, but Annabeth didn't know if that was false.

"Dad, we have to find Aphrodite. If we don't, Zeus will fry us when we get back." Percy said. He let his hand slip out of Annabeth's.

The god's eyes narrowed, "Dangerous things are at work, Percy. I believe that it is unwise to get involved in this. Sometimes things are swept out to sea that even I can't find."

Ugh, an ocean metaphor.

The waitress returned with their drinks, and Poseidon handed her a handful of drachmas and seashells. She looked confused, but she didn't argue as she turned away.

"Dad, did you send Tyson after us? You know that we can't give up in the middle of this quest, and making him come find us and tell us to come back home with him was really mean. You knew that we wouldn't go, and he got so upset when he figured out that we wouldn't. Why would you make him do that?" Percy blurted out angrily.

"Percy." Annabeth warned. If he kept speaking to his dad like this Annabeth was sure that Poseidon wouldn't appreciate it.

I can't help it! He should know what he did!

"You are right, Percy. I did send Tyson to find you and bring you home; you were about to give in and go back, but Annabeth did something that I didn't plan for." Poseidon said with a look at her.

She didn't really know what to say. Was he mad? Was he happy? She settled for a neutral response, "Sir?"

Poseidon leaned back in his chair and sipped from his hot chocolate. "I didn't plan for you to be ready to send Percy back home to save him. I was not expecting to be able to split you two up, which would have been far more disastrous than following through with this quest. You two are more powerful together, and I think it is imperative that you two stay together. Which, I do think that you both should go back home. The gods can find Aphrodite. You shouldn't be responsible for finding her."

Oh man. I didn't expect that.

Annabeth was as surprised as Percy. She hadn't been waiting for him to say anything besides something like that, but now that he had said the opposite of what she was expecting, she was tongue-tied.

"But, Dad, we can't give up. We've never given up. We're demigods. We don't give up." Percy said stubbornly. "We've done dangerous things like this before. I fought Kronos. How could this be worse?"

Poseidon shook his head. "Percy, telling you would ruin you, may the Fates forgive me for telling you this much. I can't speak to you." He turned his sea-green to Annabeth. "But I do need to speak to you."

Without me?

"Me?" Annabeth asked. Didn't Poseidon hate Athena? Shouldn't that mean that he hated her?

Poseidon raised one of his eyebrows, and he looked eerily like Percy. "Yes, dear. Now, Percy, if you could step out and retire to the restroom, that would be wonderful."

What the heck? Why do I have to leave?

Percy shot Annabeth a look, and it looked like he was considering if she would be here when he got back.

Poseidon caught on before Annabeth could tell Percy that it would be okay. He laughed slightly and rolled his eyes, "Honestly, I do believe you two are attached at the hip. Go on, Percy. I promise to take perfect care of her until she is returned to you."

Ugh. Fine, Dad. It's not like I could argue with him. Annabeth, come get me if you need me.

Poseidon and Annabeth both watched in amusement as Percy stomped off to the restroom like a frustrated toddler that just had his favorite toy taken away.

It was a few more seconds before Poseidon said, "Something you said to Percy and Tyson bothered me very much."

She was on guard the next second. Normally, it wasn't wise to say something to piss off a god, but Annabeth couldn't really think of anything that she had done to make him angry directly.

"Lord Poseidon, I don't remember saying anything except for him to go back to Camp with Tyson." Annabeth said carefully.

Poseidon cocked his head and raised his eyebrow again, "Exactly. While trying to convince Percy to go back, you said something that was completely untrue. I do care about you, child. You are very important to Percy therefore, that makes you important to me. And, you have earned my upmost respect by trying to give your life for Percy's like you have this whole time."

Annabeth was shocked to be hearing any of this. Poseidon respected her? Poseidon actually cared for her like he cared for Percy?

"But… you hate my mom don't you?" The question slipped out of her mouth before she could help it. The last thing she needed right now was to make Poseidon mad.

He laughed lightly, "Hate is a strong word, dear. I do not let my opposition with any other god effect how I see their children. Especially when they are important to Percy." He said. "Annabeth, I need you to understand that this is not going to be as easy as you believe."

She nodded helplessly, "What do you mean?"

"Percy has a weakness for you. You have seen it plenty of times on this quest, but this could be his downfall. If you don't make the right decision, both of you will die." He said.

Is she okay? Can I go back out there?

What did Poseidon mean? How could one of her decisions mean that they would both die?

"What decision?" Annabeth asked.

He frowned at her, "Curse the Fates, I'm sorry, Annabeth, but that's all I can tell you without causing major damage. Do you love Percy?"

"What?" She asked in surprise.

He repeated his question. "Do you love Percy?"

"With all of my heart." She said immediately.

"Would you give your life to save his?" Poseidon asked, leaning closer to her.

Annabeth's heart was banging in her chest, but she answered in less than a second. "Absolutely."

Poseidon nodded and stood up, "Remember that, Annabeth. Don't forget those things. Those two things are the most important things you will need when you get to where you are going. And tell Percy that I will speak to him later."

"Lord Poseidon," Annabeth stopped him before he could leave the coffee shop.

He turned to look at her, "Yes?"

"Could you point me in the right direction? We don't know where the shipping yard is." She said hopefully. Maybe Poseidon would take pity on her and just tell her.

He didn't take the bait, "I do believe your mother gave you something to use when you have a problem like that. And please, Annabeth, make sure that I do get to talk to you and Percy later."

Before Annabeth could answer, the god of the sea walked out of the coffee shop and melted away in the rain.

Ω

Annabeth jumped when she heard, "Where did he go?"

She almost dropped the compass that her mother had given her before leaving New York when Percy came up behind her and spoke to her. He had gotten better at sneaking up behind her and blocking her from his mind since he had known she could read his mind, but it still scared the Hades out of her.

Uh, oops.

It was a good thing she had demigod reflexes because she would have dropped the compass and shattered it if she didn't.

"Uh, he had to leave." Annabeth said as she studied the compass.

"What did he say to you while I was gone?" Percy asked.

She shrugged, "Nothing."

That bad? What did he say? Do I need to say something to him? What-

Annabeth stood and shrugged on her jacket. "No, he just told me to be careful and to keep you safe. That's it."

"You sure?" Percy asked, leaning closer to her.

"Yep." She said, smiling at him. "Now let's roll. I know where we're going."

They walked out of the coffee shop and into the rain.

Are you sure we should be using that?

"Using what?" Annabeth asked.

"The compass." Percy said. "Every time we use it something bad happens, and we get into a trap or an attack or something."

She rolled her eyes, "So what are you saying? My mom gave us something that was cursed?"

Don't blame me.

"I'm just saying we should be careful." Percy said as the rain came down a little harder. The Seattle air was heavy, and Annabeth was ready to finish this.


A/N: Thanks for reading! Leave a review about what you're thinking!

-SomethingMoreCreative