I can't believe how many of you said you would read my new story that's so awesome! I guess I'll be writing it then :). I teared up while writing this chapter I really hope you guys like it.

Disclaimer: Don't own

Annabeth POV

Saturday

My eyes water as I trace my finger along the frame of Percy's sleeping face, trying to take note of every detail and burning the picture into my mind. He looks so peaceful and content in his sleeping state. After a few minutes his eyes start to flicker open until I'm met with the sight of sea green eyes a few centimeters away from my own. His eyebrows furrow in concern when he sees the shine of tears in my eyes. My fingers move up to tangle themselves in his hair slowly and I don't dare to turn my gaze away from his, scared that if I do he'll be gone.

"Annabeth…" He whispers as he leans his forehead on mine.

"Please don't say anything. I just- I don't wanna talk…not yet." I plead quietly.

He nods understandingly and I bring his lips to mine using the hand that was in his hair. He returns the kiss almost instantly, his hand moving slowly but lovingly up my almost bare back to undo the clasp on my bra that I had put back on to sleep in after last night. A tear escapes my eye as Percy tilts my head to deepen the kiss. Needing to feel closer to him, I pull him as close as I can until I'm pressed flush against him.

We go slow as I try to forget about everything. Forget about having to say goodbye. Forget about the fact that he'll be thousands of miles away and most of all forget that there's a chance he could die out there.

The cool air brushes across my skin and I hear the tree branches swaying in the wind as we lay in the back of his truck.

I try to burn the feeling of his lips on my neck and on the spot behind my ear into my head. I moan when he moves farther down my neck and to my collarbone and shoulder, not being able to think about anything but Percy and this moment right here and right now.

Percy POV

I pull away from hugging Juniper, Piper and Calypso and turn towards my two best friends.

Grover and Leo stand a few feet away from me wearing grim expressions on their faces. Grover speaks first, his tone quiet and solemn.

"You stay safe out there Perce."

"Yeah. You better come back. Te juro que si no vuelves, lo hare-"

"Alright, alright I don't need a lecture in Spanish Leo." I say, cutting him off in the middle of his rant.

"We'll miss you Perce." Grover finishes. I share a hug with each one of them before making my way over Jason.

"Good luck man. Come back alive." He says with a lighthearted tone.

"That's the plan. Hey…watch out for Annabeth for me ok? Especially with that Luke guy. He hasn't been bothering her lately but when I'm gone-"

"Yeah of course. I'll keep an eye out." He says, nodding in response.

"Thanks. You know I'm really glad you're my cousin dude."

"Ok lets not make this sappy. You've got others to say goodbye to." He finishes. I smile and we share a quick hug.

"Hey Pinecone Face." I say with a sigh, turning towards my other cousin.

Her facial expression is unreadable and I can't figure out if she's going to punch me or hug me. Lucky for me, she goes with the later and a second later I'm pulled into a strong hug. I return it.

"I'm gonna miss you Kelp Head. Don't get hurt ok? I need my idiot of a cousin." She says when we pull out of the embrace.

"I don't know whether that was a compliment or an insult." I reply.

"Shut up. That's the nicest thing you're going to get out of me. Seriously though you need to come back you hear me? You're good for Annie. I've never seen her happier than when she's with you so you get back here ASAP ok?" She says, seriousness apparent in her voice.

I nod and pull her into another hug, this one longer than the last.

"I'll miss you too Thalia." I feel her nod into the hug.

"Now get out of here before I start crying." She says sternly when we pull apart. I chuckle sadly and walk towards my parents.

"Mom…please don't cry." I plead when I'm standing in front of them.

"I-I can't help it. You know how hard it is for me to say goodbye when you're being deployed." She replies shakily. I pull her into a tight embrace, towering over her small frame and feeling a lump in my throat starting to form.

She pulls away and places both of her hands on the sides of my face.

"I'm so proud of you Perseus." She whispers through tears before pulling me back into a hug.

"Be careful out there please."

"I will. I love you mom." I say shakily.

"I love you too."

When I turn to Paul an unspoken message passes between us concerning my mother. I know he'll always be there for my mom especially during the days after I leave and for that I can't even begin to express my gratitude towards him.

"We'll see you soon Percy." He says solemnly, sadness apparent in his eyes. We share a hug and I look at my mother one last time before turning towards the one person who I've be dreading to say goodbye to since we met.

Annabeth POV

"Look at you." I say when he turns to me. I take in his appearance. He was wearing his marine camo pants paired with a solid black shirt and his boots, his dog tags shining from the light at the airport. He looked like a genuine marine soldier.

We stand there for a minute looking at each other. The usual glint of happiness in his eyes is replaced by one of sorrow and sadness. I'm sure my eyes show nothing different except an added factor of fear for the possibility of him not coming back.

When I can't take it anymore I gasp as a sob forms in my throat. In two big strides I'm enveloped in Percy's strong comforting hold. He pulls me tightly against him and I don't care that I almost can't breathe because all I want to do is stay wrapped in his arms for as long as possible.

"I'm scared." I whisper into the embrace as I bury my head further into his shoulder and close my eyes. I try to block out everything that's going on in the noisy airport around us to focus solely on him.

"I know you are." He says in response, kissing my head and rubbing my back as I allow more tears to flow down my cheeks. I was probably getting Percy's shirt soaked but I don't think he cared because he didn't do anything to prevent it.

After a couple minutes Percy loosens his hold on me enough to pull back and rest his forehead on mine. He keeps one hand securely on my waist as the other releases me to cup the side of my face. His thumb wipes the tears that are still streaming down my cheeks. I close my eyes at the touch of his warm comforting hand on the right side of my face.

"I love you Percy." I say, my voice cracking.

"I love you too. Gods I love you Annabeth."

When he kisses me it's unlike any of the other times we've kissed. At first it's light as his lips brush against mine gently. I'm the one who deepens the kiss, pulling his head down closer and crashing my lips to his. I don't know how long we stay that way. When my lungs are burning for air I pull back to look him in the eye.

"Come back to me. Promise me you'll return because I don't know what I'll do if you don't. I need you Percy." I plead through my tears.

"Annabeth-"

"Promise me." I say more urgently, my hands coming up to cup his face as I stare straight into his eyes. My breathing comes out softly when his eyes make direct contact with mine.

"P-please just…promise me." I repeat, whispering it quietly this time.

"Ok. Alright…I promise." He replies. I notice his eyes have a shine to them due to tearing up which only causes me to lose it even more as more sobs rack my body.

He kisses me again and I have to break it multiple times because of my inability to keep myself from crying. Each time we break away one of us initiates another kiss a few seconds later. His hand buries itself into my hair as my arms wrap tightly around his neck.

Flight 7249 now boarding

"That's my flight." His voice cracks as he pulls away to look at me once more.

"Percy….I can't-I don't know-this is-"

"Annabeth. Annabeth hey listen to me." He says as he tilts my chin to look at him. I shake my head back and forth as more tears escape my red puffy eyes. I felt like I was breaking inside, like I was glass that had shattered and I needed him to put me back together again.

"Remember what I told you last night? I am always going to love you and I'm gonna fight like hell to get back to you ok? You're-you're the best thing that's ever happened to me Wise Girl."

This is the final boarding call for passengers on flight 7249 to Afghanistan. The intercom announces.

Another sob escapes me at his words.

"I l-love you so m-much." I stutter out.

A small tear falls down his face. "I love you too."

He pulls me in for another kiss and I try to savor the taste of his lips on mine and the feeling of his arms around me, pleading to all the gods that he would come back alive and unharmed.

"Percy you've got to go or you're going to miss you're flight." I hear Paul announce sadly as he walks up to us.

"Go." I say almost inaudibly as I stare into his sea green eyes.

He shakes his head and leans in to kiss me one last time. More tears make their way down my face as I pull him into another. Knowing that I wasn't going to pull away first, Percy reluctantly breaks off the kiss. His eyes meet mine one last time before he turns around and walks towards the entrance of the gate.

Percy POV

"Shit man! You scared the hell out of me!" I say, turning away from unpacking my stuff to see the familiar eyes of the guy who'd snuck up on me while I was taking my clothes out of my bags.

"I called your name like three times Perce. Have you gone death?" He laughs.

We share a hug and I notice that he hasn't changed a bit. His dark eyes swirl with an unknown depth to them and his pale skin stands out against the black shirt he was wearing. We were dressed similarly with dark t-shirts and camo pants but that's what pretty much everyone was wearing around here.

"Shut up Nico." I say, punching him in the shoulder. For the first time since I got off the plane a few hours ago, a smile makes its way onto my face.

Nico was like the brother I never had. I had met him my first year in the service while we were in boot camp together. He'd had a rough few years in high school and he wanted to enlist in the marines to get away from everything back where he lived. The guy had been through a lot. Both of his parents had died in an office building fire and the only real family he had was his older sister Bianca who was currently attending a college in Florida and trying to become a teacher for children with disabilities. I hadn't met her but from the way Nico talked about her I could tell the two were close.

"You've been back for what? Ten minutes and you're already punching me? Man I really need to find a new best friend. I don't deserve this." He says sarcastically as he casually sits down on the other side of the bed where I would be sleeping.

"Yeah well I don't deserve to be practically scared out of my skin when just arriving here." I shoot back.

"Your fault once again. I told you I called you three times." He rebuttals.

I roll my eyes. " Whatever."

"So how you been man? How was leave? I didn't get a single letter from you while you were gone. It hurts man. Hurts right here." He says, pointing to his heart and putting on a completely fake hurt expression. I give him a disbelieving look and he cuts the act.

"Ok fine I'm not really hurt but for real man, what did you do while you were gone?"

"I…met someone." Without even knowing it, a grin spreads across my face as blond curls and grey eyes enter my thoughts. I barely notice Nico's amused grin as he looks at my expression but when I do I snap myself out of it.

"Ooohh I see. Jackson's found himself a girl. Bout time dude." He says in realization.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing." He says in a tone of voice I can't decipher. Nico's just about the hardest person to read. You never know what he's trying to say unless he actually says it.

"So is that all I get or are you going to tell me her name? What's she like?" He asks curiously.

"Annabeth." Her name rolls off my tongue naturally. I don't fight it anymore as I let the smile stay on my face. I missed her already and it had only been about a day, most of the time being spent on a plane.

"That her?" Nico asks, bringing me out of my thoughts and pointing to a small picture I had of her tucked into the bag I was unpacking. I hadn't noticed I was holding it until he said something.

Her blond curls shone brightly in the picture as the wind lightly blew her gold locks and she smiled at the camera. I had taken it the day we'd had a picnic in our spot in Central Park. Her grey eyes gleamed with happiness and she had on no make up once so ever, making her look as beautiful as ever.

"Yeah, that's her." I reply, not taking my eyes away from the photograph.

A few weeks later

"Percy just go! I'll be fine they need you!" Nico shouts, gripping his lower left leg and putting pressure on the wound to try to slow the blood.

"I can't just leave you here Nico! You're hurt!" I yell back through the sounds of gunshots surrounding us.

"I got shot in the leg not the heart. I'll be ok. Right now you need to get back out there and help!" He demands harshly, gripping his leg a bit harder.

Fourteen of us had been sent on a mission to scout out an area. Since Nico and I were sergeants we each were in charge of six men. A land mine had gone off a little into our search, that's when all hell broke loose. Gunshots came from almost every direction and we had to take cover behind some large rocks near the clearing we were standing in. Before Nico and I had the chance to be completely covered a bullet managed to hit Nico in the leg.

"But-"

"Go! Right now!" He screams.

I reluctantly nod before getting up to check if the area around us was clear. It was hard to see anything but it looked like there was no one too close.

"I'm coming back for you ok?"

"Yeah yeah, not like I'm gonna get up and run away." He says sarcastically. How he manages to be so light hearted in a situation like this shocks me.

Without another word I sit up and lean back against the rock we were behind, cocking the sniper rifle in my hands and positioning myself to get ready to run to the next barrier. I glance at Nico once more before running out and into the field.

A bullet just narrowly misses me but manages to skim my waist as I slide behind the next available barrier, finding myself next to another marine. Charlie Richardson, a guy who was fairly new having been here about two and a half years.

"You got an update?" I ask him through heavy breaths, wiping the sweat off my forehead from underneath my helmet.

"Not good sergeant. Soldier Mason was right next to me when they started shooting, he couldn't make it behind something fast enough and he got hit. There are some others over to the right but I lost sight of them when they moved forward."

I nod in response. "Thanks Richardson. Stay back here incase anyone manages to pass."

Not waiting for a response, I move back out into open territory and further to the front line, firing a few bullets along the way from behind barriers and managing to get a good shot a few times. A few of the soldiers had stayed back instead of heading to the front.

This isn't laser tag anymore. I think in my head as I continue to move forward.

Once I'm at the front barriers I spot most of the other soldiers we came here with. Their faces are grim with determination as they take turns shooting from behind the rocks. Once they see me approaching their expressions change to ones of relief.

"Sergeant Jackson. We estimate that there's about four shooters left but they've all got extremely good aim. We think Clarisse managed to wound one of them but we're not sure." One of them explains.

Clarisse La Rue was one of the few female soldiers assigned to this base but she was definitely someone not to be messed with. She had better aim than most of the other soldiers and she had shown that she belonged here.

"Sir you're bleeding, are you alright?" She asks after having taken another shot.

I look down to see the red staining of blood on my uniform from the bullet than skimmed my side. It hadn't been bothering me but now that I was paying attention to it, it was starting to hurt like hell. I winced as the pain shot up my side.

Gods Annabeth was going to kill me.

Annabeth.

A new wave of adrenaline floods through my tired muscles as I move closer to the other soldiers.

"I'm fine. We've got to get a good shot at the other shooters." I say, grabbing my gun tighter and pulling myself up against the barrier. It took a few shots but between the five of us we managed to hit the enemy and the shooting stopped. It was so quiet you could probably hear a pin drop.

When the dust cleared I took in the scene around me. The blazing sun shone down on the area, covering me with a fresh layer of sweat. My muscles ached with the weight of the equipment I had on. I immediately ran over to the rock I had left Nico behind and much to my relief, he was still there, alive and still holding his leg. We had come here with fourteen soldiers.

Now we were left with ten.

So that's this chapter! I wanted to let you guys know that this story is sadly coming to an end soon. There are a few chapters left maybe like two or three but that's it. Let me know if you liked this chapter. I apologize if the war scene isn't very accurate.

REVIEW, REVIEW AND REVIEW!

-M

Question for readers

What do you think of Nico and the combat scene?