Sorry for the delay. I mean seriously, teachers tell you have to study and then they go ahead and pile on the homework?

Anyhow...

Leave out all the rest by Linkin Park

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She waited. A day, two, three. They seemed to zip by. But none of them brought the thing she needed most.

She'd received sympathetic looks from everyone and a few had gone to congratulate her on navigating her way through the Labyrinth.

'Great job I did too.' She thought bitterly as they turned to leave.

But sympathetic looks wouldn't bring him back.

Chiron had told her that when she felt ready she could return to her usual routine but she channeled all her anger and frustration of his abscence at the innocent dummies that lay in ribbons on the arena floor where she'd carelessly left them after a furious training session against herself.

Most of her anger would be transformed into tears at the end.

Silena Beauregard from the Aphrodite cabin was very comforting at times though. Somehow, she knew exactly how Annabeth was feeling.

Guilt from just abandoning him. Loneliness. He was her best friend. But sadness welled inside her each time his name was mentioned, each time she stared at the Poseidon cabin or the Poseidon

table, or each time she glanced at her necklace where the bead of a trident was visible in celebration of the first son of Poseidon in decades.

But Silena didn't judge her, her understanding personality was a break from the other campers secretely thinking that she had left her friends in a maze to die.

But Silena wasn't with her when Chiron brought it up. Neither was Thalia, Luke, Grover or the one she needed most, Percy. She was alone in body and mind.

"It's nearly been two weeks, Annabeth. We, Mr. D and I feel that it is time to ....burn the shroud."

Her grey eyes looked so helpless and it caught him off guard as he was well used to looking at the self-confident daughter of Athena with all the answers.

"But there's still a chance he'll come back. I mean, heroes have been lost for much longer than a fortnight...."

"This is true. But with the battle nearing, I'm afraid we can't continue waiting for much longer."

His voice was firm and strict. He'd only ever used that voice with her once before. The night Thalia had died. She'd been bawling her eyes out when he told her that Thalia would've been happier as a tree. She couldn't believe she fell for such a lie but it was comnforting to hear someone older telling her that everything would be okay.

But deep inside her she knew that this time it wouldn't be.

A tiny bit of hope that was kindling inside her was slowly burning out as he spoke.

"I understand how you feel, my girl. He was very dear to you....."

"He's not dead."

He dipped his head slightly, knowing that what he was about to say would make her angrier than he'd ever seen her.

"We've received no news from Hephaestus as to his whereabouts....."

"That means you have no proof as to where he is. It does, in no way, mean he is dead."

"He was very dear to you. You have had a hard fatal flaw is hubris, yes, deathly pride but another flaw in you would be your dependancy. Annabeth, when you first arrived with Luke and Thalia, I knew immediately who your mother was. Do you know why?"

She glanced up at him and sensed he wouldn't continue until he heard her at least speak.

"I don't know. My eyes?"

"No. Well, they were strong factors but I knew immediately when the first words shot out of your mouth. You were sure of the situation, and knew who to stick by. And you stuck by Luke. Your loyalty to him and intelligence used made it inevitable to see how like your mother you are. Forgive me, but my first thought of when Luke left was that you'd soon by joining him. I thought you were siblings when you arrived but the owl and the caduceus proved me wrong. But you always acted like siblings. I once thought myself that you maybe thought.......yes well, it seems I was wrong about quite a lot of things involving you."

"What did you think?" She asked.

He hesitated slightly.

"Aphrodite knows."

She looked down slightly.

"No. No, I didn't."

"I see that now. But our main focus must be the battle, you of all people, I would expect to understand that."

She inhaled loudly, knowing that the next sentence that came out of his mouth would be concerning Percy's shroud.

"I think it best we hold the funeral on Monday."

The reality dawned on her suddenly, like the sky falling down onto her shoulders again and her breath unevened rapidly. Tears fell like rocks onto the small coffee table and she was alarmed by her release of emotion from her.

They continued to fall as Chiron handed her a tissue.

She muffled her cries in it and kept it to her face to wipe the growing tears. He didn't say anything for a while. There was an awkward silence in where she kept it to her face just to make sure she wouldn't have to speak.

"Monday. And I thought perhaps I could ask Charles to craft a shroud out of burning..."

"I'd like to make it."

"Are you....would you be okay to...."

"I want to make it."

"And there is the case of the burner. As Percy had no siblings...."

"He's not dead."

"As Percy has no siblings, I thought that you would be the most appropriate burner. He'd had wanted it to be you."

She sniffed as he said that last part.

"And I trust your speech..."

"Will be ready."

He nodded but was taken aback by the sudden hostility in her voice. He stood up, said that she could stay as long as she wished and left her with a caring nod, scared that he might have hurt her too suddenly but decided that if Annabeth was strong enough to handle Thalia's death and Luke's betrayal, that she could handle this.

She was a resourceful girl. Incredibly intelligent and her ability to handle such situations with so much care that she was one of his favorite campers for decades.

He had no doubt. She would get through this. She could handle this.

But he was wrong.

Her body shrunk in the chair she sat and her eyes welled up again, thinking of what she would say and how she would create a shroud good enough to commemorate her best friend, the bravest boy she ever knew.

I know it's been long but I hope I made it worth the wait?

I hope to finish this (maybe) before my Summer exams which start on the 31rst? Probably not but I'll be posting randomly.

Reviews are most welcome and are what practically keep me alive for another day! So please, if you would?

LF xoxoxoxoxoxox