Ok, so I lied.

I'M SO SORRY FOR NOT GETTING THIS OUT TO Y'ALL SOONER!

To be fair, I was a bit distracted with the whole "Stranger Things 2" thing. You know how it goes.

Enjoy!

The six demigods sat in Percy's living room, waiting.

After the combined efforts of Jason and Frank holding Percy down, Piper's charmspeak, and Annabeth's quick thinking, Hazel and Leo were able to get Percy tied down and his mouth taped.

Now they all sat in silence in Percy's living room (not even Annabeth could stay in the same room as him; it was too painful), waiting for something to happen. Piper rested her head on Jason's shoulder while he rubbed her back, both of their eyes watery and tired. Across from them, Frank and Hazel were leaned against each other, fast asleep. Leo sat in front of the fireplace, gazing into the flames, and, for once, he was completely at a loss for words.

The only one not sitting was Annabeth. She paced up and down the room, unable to sit still.

"Annabeth, are you sure you don't want to sit down?" Piper eventually asked. "It's been an hour already. You should rest."

"I'm sorry," Annabeth said. "But I can't rest. I can't rest while Percy's . . ."

"It will work," Piper said, unintentionally (yet somehow intentionally) using her charmspeak.

"And if it doesn't?" Leo asked, speaking for the first time since they entered the room.

"Don't say that," Jason said. "It has to work."

"And if it doesn't?" Annabeth asked, still pacing. "If this doesn't work . . . "

A few tears slid down Annabeth's cheeks.

"It has to work," Piper said. "It has to."

"But if it doesn't," Annabeth insisted. "What are we. . . ." She chocked on a few of her tears. "What am I going to do?"

Nobody had an answer for her.

Having heard enough (or lack-there-of), Annabeth ran out the door, tears spilling down her face. She heard her friends call out for her, but she kept running.

She ran until she couldn't run anymore. She ended up in the middle of the park, but she hardly took any notice to her surroundings.

She collapsed onto her knees and started crying. She cried and she cried and she cried.

She cried for Percy. She cried for herself. She cried for both of them.

She cried for what felt like hours. She cried until she couldn't cry anymore.

And when that finally happened, she sank down to the ground and sat in a silence that should have been reserved for the Fields of Asphodel.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed before she heard someone coming up behind her.

"Who's there?" she called out, her apathy laced in her voice.

"Just me," a familiar voice called out.

"Mom?" Annabeth said in disbelief.

She turned around, and sure enough, there stood Athena in her human form.

"What are you doing here?" Annabeth asked through her hiccuping breaths.

"I thought you could use someone to lean on," the goddess answered, sitting down on the ground next to her.

Annabeth looked into her mother's eyes and realized that she wasn't lying. She had long since forgiven her for sending her to follow the Mark of Athena, but it didn't mean that Annabeth didn't still have some trust issues.

But she really needed someone to lean on.

Or rant on.

"Why?!" she practically screamed. "Just why?! Why would this happen? How could the Fates be so cruel?! We deserve to be happy for once in our lives! Is that too much to ask for?!"

Athena didn't seem fazed by this outburst.

"I know this is hard-"

"Hard?!" Annabeth yelled. "Of course it's hard! You don't understand! Nobody understands! Nobody else understands what it feels like to watch your innocent true love in eternal pain! You know why?! Because it has never happened in the history of the world! I am the only one that understands! You have no right!"

Athena sighed. "Please, Annabeth. Please try to listen to me?"

"No, you listen to me!" Annabeth screamed. "I have put up with you gods my whole life, and now this happens! All I want is to have a break! Because every second we spend talking, it's another second Percy is in pain!"

Annabeth continued to rant. She ranted while Athena listened. She screamed for so long, her throat stung. She ranted until all of the anger she had built up inside of her was finally gone.

After wait seemed like an eternity of silence, Athena spoke.

"I don't pretend to know what you're going through," she began. "But I'm here for you, dear."

Annabeth finally gave in and collapsed into her mother's arms. They both embraced each other as tightly as a normal mother and young daughter might.

They stayed that way for a long time, and Annabeth wasn't sure when it happened, but the rest of the seven had somehow joined the hug.

They would get through this.

It had to work. It had to.

But for now, all of them fell asleep in each other's arms.

I will update as soon as I can. But the more reviews I get, the quicker I'll update (wink wink).

PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW! I'M BEGGING YOU!

But I will try to update before Christmas.

Bye!