Thank you for clicking on a new chapter! Thanks to my amazing friend and beta for editing this- Miz636! Not too much to say except I hope you absolutely enjoy reading!

Having Annabeth back at my apartment was weird.

If I had ever hoped for Annabeth to be lying in my bedroom once again, it was definitely not under these circumstances.

My mom checked on her just about every ten minutes despite Annabeth's assertions that she was alright. Annabeth still had a tight bandage around her shoulder that needed to be changed every six hours, but that was the least of my concerns. Every time I looked at her, I couldn't help but notice the weakness on her face. She looked absolutely worn out, and it scared me more than the fact that she was still ignoring me.

I was grateful that my parents didn't ask too many questions, although the tension between us was obvious. They just wanted Annabeth up and better. I couldn't ask for more myself.

It was about three in the afternoon when I sat in the living room just staring out the glass doors of the balcony. I watched the sun peeking through gray clouds in the sky, and I could almost feel the snow melting into water outside.

The weather was drastically brighter now that all the chaos in the Underworld was subsiding, according to Nico. I thought about Winter Vacation coming to end in a few days, right after Christmas. It had been anything but the vacation I had imagined.

Instead of spending it with Annabeth and making up for all the time we couldn't see each other, we had spent it stressed out about the monsters, arguing, fighting on the streets, and then miserable at camp. Annabeth hadn't even gotten a chance to visit her family like she really wanted. Rather, she got to see a sight I didn't even want to think about through an Iris Message and then in bed with a busted shoulder.

"Percy?" Annabeth said, making me nearly jump off the couch. I looked up to see Annabeth standing in the corridor, holding her arm with one hand. "Where's your mom?" she asked me.

It took me a second to come out of my thoughts and realize Annabeth was actually talking to me directly. "She went out with Paul a couple of hours ago when you were sleeping," I told her. "She should be back soon. Do you need anything?"

"No," Annabeth said, turning slightly, which immediately told me she still despised me.

I got up off the couch, approaching her before she could return to my room. "Here let me help you," I offered, noticing her bandage unwrapping.

Annabeth shook her head. "I can do it."

"Look, I'll leave you alone after this," I said, sighing. "I just want to help you, Annabeth."

Annabeth stared at me before finally mumbling something about last resorts as she gave in. I knew the last thing she wanted was to be at my place or anywhere near me, but we both knew this was the safest place for her to be.

We stood over the kitchen sink as I carefully undid her bandage. The bleeding had completely stopped thanks to Chiron's healing, but a purple bruise still stained her sink where she had taken the bullet.

I made sure I was extra gentle as I used a wet gauze to wipe the bruise, hoping it wasn't too painful for her. When I glanced at Annabeth's face, she seemed to be staring at me.

I blinked. "What?"

Annabeth looked away.

I was suddenly very aware of my fingers on her skin as I managed to wrap a new bandage around her arm. Annabeth's flesh felt like fire.

"Thanks," Annabeth said quietly, which once again caught me absolutely off guard. I was sure Annabeth hated my guts, and here she was mumbling a 'thanks' for helping her with an injury she wouldn't have had if it weren't for me.

As I thought about it, I said something that I realized was completely stupid right after I said it. "I'm sorry."

I was sure Annabeth would ignore me, but then she touched her new bandage. "For what?"

For everything, I thought in my head. For Rachel. For the injury. For letting you believe, even for a second, that I cared about someone else over you.

Annabeth looked at me when I didn't speak.

I tried my best to come up with the right words to answer her question, but with Annabeth inches away from me after all we had been through, I suddenly felt overwhelmed. I thought about what it would be like after school started and Annabeth would go to her boarding school. I suddenly felt like I would never see her again.

My mouth felt dry as I met her gaze. "I don't want it to be over," I said, surprising myself as the words escaped me. "It can't be over, Annabeth, not that easily. I know we aren't that weak. We're more than that."

I knew better than anything that I must have sounded like an idiot rushing my words, but once I had started, there was no stopping. Besides, I knew I wouldn't ever have another opportunity to talk to Annabeth when she was actually willing to listen.

"I'm not asking you to forgive me," I said. "I'm just asking you not to give up. Not this way. Please."

Annabeth's eyes were rimmed with red. "I'm not the one that gave up on us, Percy; that was you. The second you tested your chances with Rachel, you walked away from us."

"That's not fair," I managed, feeling helpless. "I never once, not even for a second, wanted anyone other than you."

I thought about how Annabeth had been pushing me away and how I had felt as I stood in front of Rachel. Back then, I thought I was upset over how abruptly things had ended with Rachel, but in reality, I was just terribly lost because of Annabeth's behavior.

As Annabeth stared back at me, keeping her eyes locked into mine, I couldn't help but think about all the good times we had spent together before snow had fallen. When I was with Annabeth, no one else existed. But when things started to get crazy and Annabeth was growing distant, my world had turned upside down. Now as I stood in front of her, I knew more than anything that I wasn't going to let it be over.

"I heard you," Annabeth finally said.

I searched her face for a second before frowning, truly confused. "What?"

"I heard you," she repeated. "At camp. After the bullet hit me and I couldn't see anymore. I just remember feeling my blood pouring out, and I remember what you said to me."

I thought back to the night I sat beside Annabeth right after I thought I almost lost her. I had spilt out every last honest feeling I had, not for her, but for myself. I had never expected her to hear me.

Annabeth looked away, fighting the tears in her eyes. "You said you wanted us to be happy together," Annabeth remembered. "I believe you."

She met my eyes again, her lips repeating the same three words that gave me hope. "I believe you."

As I stared at Annabeth, for the first time I realized that she didn't look so worn out and weak because of her injury, but because she was tired. She was tired of the all the mental trauma she had been enduring.

I thought she could have broken down right there as I watched her, but then we heard the footsteps outside the door, and I knew my parents were back.

"So what now?" I asked her. Half of me feared the answer while the other half felt hopeful.

Annabeth didn't answer me. Her eyes looked full of pain, but at the same time there was something there that told me she was holding on. I couldn't help but glance at her shoulder, remembering how she had risked herself for my life without a second thought out there on the streets, and for the first time I realized, just maybe, she hadn't given up.

As my parent's entered the apartment, Annabeth wiped a hand over her eyes, composing herself. She took a deep breath, and I had a feeling she was just as unsure as I was about what the future held for us.

I must say the end of this story is near. Very near.

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