Chapter Twenty-five

I'm actually going to cry. I can't believe that this is the last chapter. Oh... *blows nose*

What can I say to you all except thank you? Honestly, without you all, I wouldn't be writing right now. And writing has made me meet all of you guys and I cannot even think about a life like that. Thank you.

FellowBookReader Thank you! Oh, that's weird. Hmm :/

ImpossibleThings12 awe, thank you so much! I tend to do that a lot, sorry. Haha, awe thank you, that means so much to me! :)

Strawberrygirl2000 Haha, thank you! :)

Thrawn13 I'm sorry, haha thank you! :)

For the last time in Alone In The Shadows,

I love you all!

*Virtual Hugs*

Ro x

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Annabeth smiled as Leo and Piper got into another one of their silly fights. This time it was about if Leo was cheating on playing cards or not. She shook her head slightly.

They were all in the Poseidon Cabin on a Saturday afternoon. Three weeks after the whole thing with Gaea and things could not of been better. All of them were sitting in a small circle on the ground, couples sitting next to each other. Percy had his arm resting comfortably across Annabeth's shoulders.

She looked at all of her friends in detail. Percy, Jason, Piper, Leo, Frank and Hazel. Each of them smiled and laughed without a care in the world and it warned her heart. It was times like these that Annabeth really treasured, where they were all just having fun and being kids.

Percy had bounced right back the day after he left the infirmary. But, then again, what did Annabeth expect of him? He was back to her grinning, joking and immensely sarcastic Seaweed Brain. And, though Annabeth teased him ceaselessly, she loved him for him.

Whilst they'd been captured by Gaea, apparently Jason had stopped acting... like Jason. He'd been stressed and worried about every little thing. But now, he was back to the leader. He was back to the Jason Grace that they all knew. It was hard to imagine him as anything else now.

Piper. Annabeth loved her in that way that only best friends truly understood. Piper hadn't fell apart whilst they'd been in Gaea's control and Annabeth admired her for that.

Leo hadn't known of much about Gaea or their kidnapping. But Annabeth knew that he'd felt distraught over starting that fire. He'd said that the lions hadn't been evil, they'd only been under the influence of Gaea. Annabeth also knew that he'd had to be reassured that, without him, they would never of gotten out.

Frank had helped immensely in the battle before the fire. Maybe it was because he was a son of Mars that he was good in a fight, maybe it was that war skill that only came from Mars but he'd been incredible. And he and Hazel had never been more adorable then how they'd been after everything with Gaea was sorted.

The two of them had ran into each other's arms and hugged and squeezed each other till they couldn't breathe. Percy had been unconscious for it all. It was the sweetest thing Annabeth had seen since Percy had gone missing.

Nobody had realised how strong Hazel's magic truly was. It hadn't even occurred to them that Annabeth could make just about anything happen with it. And with the tricks of the mist, the fact that she was a trained warrior, a daughter of Hades and the magic seemed almost impossible with how young and innocent she was.

It was strange to think that all of these idiots sitting around her and gone through the things that they had. They just seemed like ordinary kids but, really, they were so much more than that.

She knew how hard it was to be a demigod. How you never knew if you'd step away from a monster attack alive or dead. How your friends could die at any moment. How, if you slipped up, you'd have a God or Goddess to deal with.

Though, along the way, you met some pretty amazing people. Annabeth smiled and snuggled closer to Percy, her head resting where she knew was a scar. One of the many scars that Percy had acquired over the years.

But Annabeth loved every scar, every bruise, every cut, every freckle, every burn. She loved everyone's imperfections because it meant that these people before her and gone out into the world and lived and these marks on their skin were proof of that. And she thought that that was something pretty special.

Well, it wasn't the best ending chapter in the world. I'm sorry, guys.

But OHMIGOD I AM DEAD. WE DID IT! I actually cannot believe that we have conquered another fanfiction. Wow.

You guys are incredible. Period. If anyone ever tells you anything other than then fact that you are perfect and beautiful and special, tell them to come to me. You guys make my day, you make me laugh and, physically, I cannot express how much I love you guys. Seriously.

I love you all so, so much. And I cannot wait to see what the future holds for us all. But I know one thing, it will be amazing.

Ro x

"If you have the strength to dream it, you have the strength to do it."