Hey guys. Happy Friday! We're back again with another chapter of Saudade and I'm going to have to warn you that this chapter is the start of a roller coaster of events and emotions.

Be prepared.


Annabeth's eyes slowly flickered open when she felt someone gently nudging her. She rubbed her tired eyes and found Nico smiling at her softly. He offered her a hand up and basically pulled her to her feet. They hand been walking on the road for hours and Annabeth had begun to stagger. With little sleep the night before combined with the adrenaline of actually seeing walkers again, made Annabeth drop about half an hour ago. Nico had promised to wake her up after she had her small nap so they could continue moving. She would sleep when they found Faymarsh.

"Ready to keep walking?" Nico asked worriedly once she was back on her feet. Annabeth nodded and lightly slapped her face a few times to wake herself up. "You sure? You can rest a bit longer if you want."

"No I'm okay. We need to keep moving. If we don't have any more stops today we can make it to Faymarsh before the sun sets."

Nico nodded slowly and they easily fell into step with one another. Annabeth truly did feel a little better after a small rest but she could feel herself wobbling as she walked. Nico casually wrapped an arm around her to steady her but chose not to say anything. She leaned her head on his shoulder gratefully. She let her eyes shut as she focused on Nico's breathing. Their pace had slowed dramatically but she didn't care as long as they were still moving.

"Do you think he's going to be mad?" Annabeth whispered tiredly. Nico squeezed her closer to his side.

"Who? Percy?"

"Yeah." She nodded regretfully. "You think he's going to mad? I just left him. No verbal goodbye or note…Do you think he understands why? I wanted him to understand."

"Percy has come to know you almost as well as I have Beth." Nico informed her lightly. Annabeth opened her eyes to stare at him sleepily. "I think he woke up upset but he probably understood why you left. He might be madder at Luke; he's the one who started all of this."

"When I have the energy, I know I'll be worried about that." Annabeth yawned. Nico smiled to himself. A sleepy Annabeth was soft and warm; a complete one eighty from her usual personality.

Nico opened his mouth to comment further but a loud noise approaching had him tense. He eased Annabeth off of him and spun around quickly to place her behind him and face the threat. It was too loud to be a horde of walkers and it sounded like it was coming quickly. With walkers ruled out, Nico simply pulled out his sword and prepared himself. Annabeth shot him a small glare and shifted out from behind him, before lifting her crossbow. He rolled his eyes; she never wanted to be protected, instead always determined to fight together side by side. He smiled to himself. Once Nico noticed the dirty truck quickly approaching, he tensed further until he noticed who was driving it. His sword clattered on the ground. Annabeth glanced over at him worriedly and Nico couldn't help but burst into laughter and grip his aching stomach.

"Oh my gods!" He wheezed. "Percy actually came after us! He looks pissed!"

When Annabeth's grey eyes widened in panic, he laughed harder. If she wasn't fully awake before she would be now. The truck came to an screeching halt and the door slammed open as Percy stormed over to them. Thalia casually walked behind him and lifted her hand in a wave.

"Hey guys." She greeted happily. Nico waved back at her before giving Annabeth one final smile.

"Someone's gonna get a spanking." He teased gleefully. Annabeth glared at him fiercely and he wisely went to stand next to Thalia. She nudged him just as Percy reached Annabeth. Nico smiled when he noticed she looked as amused as he did.

"You know those two banged it out?"

"Hell yeah."

They fist bumped and watched the show in front of them unfold.

0~0~0~0~0

Percy couldn't believe that actually found her only an hour on the road. He had felt all that morning's anger return when he saw Nico and Annabeth huddled together on the road. He wasn't jealous; how could they just walk out in the open like that where any walker or threat could get them? Weren't they supposed to be smart? Thalia had cackled as she pointed them out. Percy felt himself slam on the breaks as Nico burst out laughing at the sight of him. His face flamed but he ignored their friends and easily stomped over to a stunned Annabeth. She was staring at him like a deer in the headlights.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?"

Immediately Annabeth's surprise vanished and anger quickly replaced it. She was never good at expressing her feelings to him and he often picked fights with her just so she would let something out. Often she ended up screaming her fears at him anyway. Annabeth easily swung her crossbow over her shoulder and placed her hands on her hips.

"Me?" She cried in disbelief. "What about you? What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in Acheron with your family! That was the deal!"

"You don't think that stupid deal changed?" Percy scoffed, ignoring the pain in his chest. Did their night together not change anything for her? "C'mon Annabeth did you really think I wouldn't chase after you? Did I not mean anything to you? Was that it? You drop us off at Acheron, sleep with me to spite Luke then vanish without an explanation?"

Annabeth's mouth open fell open in shock and Percy shrugged. His throat suddenly felt dry; he couldn't speak. Painful insecurities floated in the air around them and Annabeth struggled to find her words for him. Her silence was almost as painful as rejection.

"Is that what you think?" Annabeth whispered softly. Percy shrugged once more and shifted away from her. He was aware of their audience and regretted not pulling her away from other ears. This should be between them. Annabeth reached out and gently grasped two of his fingers to pull him closer.

"Of course what happened changed things." Annabeth mumbled with red cheeks. She smiled at him gently. "It was my goodbye. I didn't expect you to actually chase after me Percy. I thought it was going to be our last night together and I wanted to leave with a good memory. I would never use our relationship as some kind of pawn in Luke's game. We're too special for anything like that so please don't think it wasn't important because it was. It meant everything to me."

Percy pulled his fingers free of her grasp to fully intertwine their fingers together. Annabeth glanced down at their hands nervously, not used to the contact, before smiling shyly up at him. Percy smiled down at her and used their intertwined hands to pull her into his chest. He easily cupped her cheek and pulled her mouth to his. Her lips were warm against his and she let out a small sigh as she reached up to intertwine her fingers in his hair. Percy released her for a second before kissing her once more; the excitement of seeing her again flowing through their kiss and making his stomach bubble happily. When they pulled away, Percy touched his forehead to hers.

"I'm still mad." He whispered breathlessly. Annabeth laughed and shut her eyes to nuzzle closer to him. He could see how exhausted she looked.

"I'm sorry."

"You can make it up to me later."

Annabeth smiled once more and they slowly pulled away from each other. Percy blushed before glancing over at Thalia and Nico. Both looked thoroughly amused; Thalia's dark eyebrows disappearing into her hairline. Annabeth coughed and wiped the corner of her mouth before turning her gaze to the ground. Percy reached up to rub the back of his head.

"Uh, hey Nico." He greeted awkwardly. Nico waved with a small smirk on his face.

"Do I get a hello kiss too?"

0~0~0~0~0

Haley watched Troy sulk as she quietly picked at her food. Mason sat silently next to her while Maya ate from their shared plate. Kate and Kaden were talking on the other end of the hotel lobby, eating and laughing like good friends. Haley didn't understand why Troy was so upset; she couldn't really see them as anything other than friends. Kate was ready to read. She shifted away anytime Kaden leaned closer, didn't make contact and pulled away quickly after Kaden touched her. Anytime she was with Troy, something as silly as personal space didn't exist.

Haley sighed as she brushed some of her blonde hair out of her eyes. She was getting a bit tired of Kate and Troy's little dance around each other. Part of her wanted to encourage Kate to be with Kaden so she could somehow get Troy for herself but one look at the poor boy, Haley knew she couldn't put him through that kind of pain. He was so oblivious and someone needed to show him what he was missing out on. Haley set her plate down and reached over to grab Troy by the hand and tug him out of the lobby and out into the warm air. The sun was just beginning to set and Haley felt sadness rush over her body. This would have been the perfect moment for Troy to confess to her and instead she's about to push him towards Kate. This new world really was cruel.

"You need to knock it off." Haley told him firmly. Troy blinked at her in confusion. "The pouting and sulking anytime you see them together. Kate and Kaden are friends and if she wanted them to be more they could be. Either you need to accept the fact you like her or stop being selfish and let her be with someone else."

"It's not that easy!" Troy argued. "She's been my friend for years and the thought of her being anything more is too…terrifying but watching her with someone else is torture."

Haley froze and pointed at him accusingly.

"Wait. You know you like her?"

"Yeah." Troy sighed. "I really do but the whole idea surrounding it makes me scared. What if-"

"How long have you known!?" Haley screeched, gripping his shoulders and shaking him. Troy waited for her to stop shaking him before shrugging and staring down at her like she was the crazy one.

"Not too long. I mean I know something was different with her but it wasn't until she left me standing in that laundry room that I knew. I actually went to her for help figuring out how I felt. I couldn't understand why I felt like my chest was warm anytime she was around or why my heart would dance in my chest anytime she smiled at me. I didn't understand why I couldn't stand the thought of her not constantly by my side. She gave me this look and I just felt my love for her smack me in the face. She mumbled something about not knowing either then ran off to be with Kaden."

He said the other boys name like it was poisonous. Haley shook her head to try and process all the information he just gave her. That happened only yesterday; Kate had come into their room and dragged Maya off to tell her everything that had happened. Haley had tried not to listen but Kate's voice carried throughout the small apartment and she heard everything. They had all thought Troy was completely oblivious to his feelings but he was just scared? That didn't add up to her.

"Why haven't you told her?" Haley asked in pure disbelief. Troy sighed.

"Haley I can't." Troy moaned. "Kate is my best friend's little sister and one of the closest people in my life. I can't just pull her aside and say 'hey so I'm in love with you!' It's not that easy and frankly just the idea of it is making me terrified."

"Troy none of this makes sense to me." Haley told him honestly. "Kate's been in love with you forever –don't even look surprised; we've all known this- and you're scared to tell her you feel the same way? The second you smile at her Kate practically melts into a puddle on the floor. You're one of the bravest people I know! How can you be scared of something that's a sure thing?"

"I-I just am okay!" Troy snapped; his hands reaching up to grip his hair. "Jesus Hale, none of this is easy for me okay? She's so important; too important to start something with that might not work between us. I can't lose her and if the two of us being us ends badly, I will. Kate would hate me and I just can't live with that."

SLAP!

Haley panted as she pulled her red hand back. Troy reached up to grip his cheek in pure shock. Haley shook her head and gripped his shoulders to make him look her right in the eyes.

"We just have this one little life Troy Lucas and we were all dealt a really bad hand but that doesn't mean you can shy away from a good thing because you're scared. It doesn't work that way! I admit I didn't like Kate at first because she had your attention when I wanted it but she doesn't deserve this. Her feelings for you have never wavered in all the years she's known you. Why would you think they would suddenly disappear the moment you returned them? You two work and I promise you the second you tell her your feelings, she'll be the happiest she's ever been."

Haley reached up to sadly brush some of his black hair out his eyes. She knew she was doing the right thing; she had always known Troy was in love with Kate. He may have just figured it out himself but that didn't mean those feelings weren't there before. She was foolish to think she could just come in and take him away from his soulmate. Haley was tired of being selfish. She would always be happy as long as he was. She smiled up at him softly, her heart aching in her chest.

"Don't throw away love because you're afraid of losing it." She whispered to him. "You'll miss out on too much."

"I'm just not ready."

Haley nodded in understanding but tilted her head towards the hotel window. Kate was smiling brightly as Kaden waved his hands around as he told a story. Right as he paused, Kate lifted her hand to giggle behind it cutely. Haley heard Troy sigh.

"Well if you're not ready then I'm not going to hold a gun to your head about it. I've said my peace –sorry for the slap by the way but you needed it- and now you just need to think." Haley dismissed. "But I would suggest you don't wait too long. Kate's been waiting years and something tells me she might not want to wait anymore."

Haley took a deep breath to try and calm down. Her heart was aching with each beat and she just needed to get away and find another moment for herself. Being around Troy, hearing his wonderful feelings for Kate, knowing those feelings weren't for her was too painful. Just as she turned to head back inside, Troy's hand gripped hers. She shut her eyes and paused; she refused to turn around but she would never pull her hand free from his.

"Hale you're one of my best friends." Troy told her honestly. Another piece of her heart broke. "Me and Kate…I want it so badly but I don't want love to blindly guide me. Tell me honestly; do you think me telling her is a good idea?"

No.

Be with me instead.

I promise to love you as much as she does.

Please.

"Yes."

0~0~0~0~0

Annabeth felt Percy sigh as they hit another bump in the road. She had dozed off again the second Nico had helped her into the cab. The truck was too small for the four of them to ride inside so Nico and Thalia had climbed into the back and easily fell into conversation as the world zoomed past them. Anytime Percy drove past a walker he would knock on the window behind him and the two would duck low to avoid being scratched or grabbed as they drove past. Annabeth thought they had a good system. She adjusted her head on Percy's shoulder and smiled to herself when she noticed he had intertwined their fingers in her sleep.

"How far?" Annabeth yawned, lifting her head from his shoulder to look at him. "We can still make it before nightfall right?"

"Yes Annabeth." Percy teased. "My answer has been the same every time you've woken up to ask me."

"I'm sorry. I'm just worried you know? It's been so long and I'm finally going to see them again."

"I know Baby. We'll get you there okay? Don't stress."

Annabeth nodded and set her head back on his shoulder. He had given her his hoodie when he noticed her shivering and she easily ducked her chin into the warm fabric. If things were different, Annabeth could see them doing this under circumstances. Annabeth shut her eyes and tried to pretend they were going on a date. She had met Percy by accident during a school field trip with his class and he had asked her out after he gathered all his kids back on the bus. She had instantly said yes and the two agreed to dinner and a movie. Annabeth smiled to herself, feeling lost in the daydream. Percy's hand tightened around hers.

"What are you smiling about?"

Too embarrassed to tell him the truth, she hid her face in his hoodie. His ocean smell filled her nose and her whole body relaxed. She never knew someone could comfort her like this; only her mother had made her feel this safe. Percy lifted up their intertwined fingers to kiss the back of her palm, still waiting for an answer.

"My family's gonna love you." Annabeth told him teasingly. Percy glanced over at her. "Helen will coo over your looks and tell me I've got myself a good one while my dad grumbles to himself in the corner. He'll try to intimidate you at first but once he'll quickly warm up to you and awkwardly tell you to look after me, embarrassing all of us. Bobby and Matthew will think you're cool because you've been able to survive this long but they'll like Nico more because he has a sword. They'll probably all try to tell you stuff to embarrass me too. I'm excited for you to meet them."

Percy hesitated for a minute before nodding in agreement. Annabeth stared up at him in concern. Why did he look so nervous? Was he worried about meeting her family?

"I'm sure I'll love them too." Percy agreed with an easy smile; any trace of his previous nervousness gone. Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "If they're anything like you, I'm sure I'll like them."

Annabeth smiled lightly at the compliment but she couldn't shake the feeling that Percy knew something she didn't. She brushed it off for now, too excited about being reunited with her family again. An idea sprung to mind and she pushed herself off Percy's shoulder to sit up on her own. She suddenly felt more awake.

"Hey I just thought of something!" Annabeth told him excitedly. "Instead of being in Acheron, we could all settle down in Faymarsh. Piper could have the baby there too. We wouldn't have to worry about Luke breathing down our necks constantly."

"Whether we move to Faymarsh or not, I'm going back to Acheron to settle things with Luke." Percy informed her angrily. "I broke his nose before I left and told him I'd come back for him. I might end up killing him Annabeth. Someone like him…"

"I know what he's like." Annabeth muttered darkly, turning her body away from his. "You don't have the right to go back and take revenge on him. He's done nothing to you but keep your family safe. He gave Piper and Alice a safe place to sleep at night and food on the table for them."

"Are you defending him?" Annabeth could see Percy's fingers gripping the steering wheel tightly.

"No." Annabeth snapped quickly. "I'll never defend him. I was just pointing out that I was the one he ruined. I was the one who let myself be fooled; I'm the one who deserves to get revenge. If anyone is going to kill him, it's going to be me. And I don't even know if I'll want to after I reunite with my family. I'll just want to get the others away from him and live safely without him and try to forget."

"You and I both know, you'll never forget what he did to you. He sent your family away Annabeth knowing you would come back for them. How can you just let that go?"

When Annabeth stayed silent, unsure what to say Percy continued.

"If anything happens, I want you to know that if you do decide to go after Luke let me come with you this time." He reached over to grab her hand once more. "We're a team now right? Anything Luke did to you, he did to me too. If you want revenge on that asshole let me at least get another punch in alright?"

Annabeth smiled lightly and shrugged. She didn't really know what to tell him. Her mind was focused on Faymarsh and the people waiting for her inside the town. They were getting closer, she knew they were. More walkers were stumbling out of the trees and out onto the road. She pointed ahead of her towards a grocery store.

"We should ditch the car there and make the rest of the trip on foot. The car's engine is attracting too much attention and we don't want to bring a horde with us when we get to Faymarsh."

"Are you okay to walk the rest of the way?"

"Yeah." Annabeth smiled truthfully. "I was having a hard time before but I've been dozing almost the entire way. I'm good now."

She knocked on the back window and easily slid it open as Nico glanced back at her. Percy slowly turned into the grocery store's parking lot and hid the truck against the side of it. No one passing on the road would see it and take it while they were gone.

"We're walking the rest of the way."

"You got it Hot-stuff." Nico agreed easily. Annabeth rolled her eyes affectionately while Percy offered her a hand out of the truck. She grabbed her crossbow and took it as she hopped out. Thalia jumped over the side of the truck and easily landed on the ground. She placed her hands on her hips and stretched as Nico climbed out after her.

"Everyone ready?" Percy asked, glancing at all of them. "We're bound to run into walkers."

Annabeth loaded her crossbow, Nico pulled out his sword and Thalia held up two of Mason's machetes, having traded up from her bat. Percy nodded before pulling out an axe and loading his pistol for emergencies. As they walked back to the main road, Annabeth found herself getting goosebumps. She couldn't believe she had only met these people a month and a half ago; it felt like a lifetime. They were standing by her side and helping her fight to get back to her family. They showed her what it felt like to love and be loved again. She couldn't imagine what kind of person she would be right now without them.

The unmistakable sound of moans broke her free of her thoughts. Annabeth easily had her crossbow up and ready to fire as her friends got ready next to her. Several walkers broke through the trees and stumbled out onto the road towards them. Annabeth easily shot the closest one in the head; a horror squish sound echoed out to them as the monster fell to the ground. Nico huffed as he easily sliced through two walkers heads with one swipe. Blood splattered against his clothes and Annabeth groaned as she felt it against her skin. She hadn't missed this. Percy and Thalia easily took care of the remaining two walkers and they all let out a collective sigh once the threat was gone.

"I didn't miss that." Thalia grumbled as she tried to wipe blood off her arms. "I'm never gonna miss that."

"We need to keep moving." Annabeth told them all quickly. "More will come and Faymarsh isn't far."

They all began to walk again in comfortable silence. Annabeth looked above her at the heavy rainclouds; the air was chilly and she had no doubt another small storm was heading their way. She could only hope they would be safe in Faymarsh when it hit. The air around them was deathly silent, no birds chirping or animals running around in the trees around them. Only the sound of their breathing could be heard; Annabeth felt a chill run down her spine. She hoped someone would say something just to break the silence.

"Oh my gods!" Thalia groaned in pure disgust. Annabeth almost jumped at the sound of her voice. When she looked over to see what happened, she only saw Thalia gripping her nose and glaring angrily at Nico. The boy in question shrugged and held up his hands defensively.

"You guys know it happens when I get nervous!"

"Damnit Nico!" Percy cried out as he reached up to cover his nose with his shirt. "How can they smell so bad? What are you eating?"

Annabeth held in her giggles at their reactions before the smell actually hit her nose. She gagged instantly and Percy plugged her nose for her until she stopped. She replaced his fingers with hers and glared over at her partner. Nico caught her look and his shoulders slumped; another small fart slipped out and the three of them let out another collective groan.

"You guys aren't helping by staring!"

"That's it! You're walking behind us until you can control what comes out of your ass!"

0~0~0~0~0

Annabeth took a deep breath as she stared at the sign in front of her. After walking for another hour, ignoring Nico's protests about staying behind them and killing any walkers they came across, the four of them had finally made it.

Welcome to Faymarsh!

They had all congratulated each other and hugged before running ahead to try and find the sanctuary. She was minutes away from seeing them again. It wasn't until Annabeth found the gate that she realized why Luke had willingly offered her the information. The large wall was standing tall and proud, almost a mirror image of the ones at Acheron but that wasn't what they all focused on. She could hear Thalia gasp behind her as Nico came to stand by her side.

"Oh no."

No, the wall didn't have their attention; the large hole in the wall the walkers were stumbling out of did.


I'M SO SORRY

I HAD TO CUT IT OFF THERE, I HAD TOO.

Yes so I'm sure a lot of you are pissed but think of it this way. You only have to wait until Monday for the next chapter. That isn't too long right?

*Nervous laughter*

Yeah so I warned you that things were going to get intense. I have to deliver.

There's two things I want to address really fast. They actually don't have anything to do with this chapter either.

1) So I know what Piper and Jason's baby's sex is and I'm determined to keep it a secret but I'm torn for names. I have a couple in mind but I want one that really stands out you know? Not wanting to give anything away I want you guys to give me both male and female names you like. If I end up choosing your name over one of my own, you'll get a special shoutout :D

2) I had a few people PM me and even review about Mason and Maya asking if they were a thing...I honestly don't know about that. On one hand I really like the idea of them being really really good friends and bonding through their love of Kate but the idea of them maybe being something romantic but unspoken is really appealing too. I mean I could also mention that both Mason and Kate started something with their sibling's best friend and I think that's both cliché and hilarious haha I'm asking what you guys prefer. It doesn't change the main story idea if they stay friends or become something more. I mean maybe? Its something that COULD happen. One of my older brother's best friends has been there with me through everything. We had a little thing for years; something warm but unspoken and we ruined it by actually trying to explore what it was too early. Now we barely speak and he has a girlfriend while I'm neck deep in school responsibilities but it was something I think back on fondly. If Mason and Maya DO start something, it probably won't be as dramatic as Tate or Percabeth and it won't even be lowkey like Piper and Jason but it would be there. What do you guys think? Let me know!

Question Time:

1) What are good boy\girl names for Piper and Jason's baby? (Already know the sex but I'm flailing on a name. If you give me one I like, I'll give you a shout out!

2) What about Maya and Mason? If you read the above paragraph you will see I'm really torn. I wouldn't have thought about it if you guys didn't bring it up! Haha let me know your thoughts.

3)...Yeah so there's a huge elephant in the room about this cliffhanger. What do you think's going to happen in Monday's chapter?

We did manage to hit 20 reviews! WOOO! We're at 457 currently and I'm ridiculously excited. I mean we could be at 500 reviews by chapter 30; that's awesome right? I think we can do it.

If we hit 500 reviews before chapter 31, I'll do something special for you guys. Maybe like a bonus chapter\ one shot about our character's lives before the outbreak? I don't know yet, you guys let me know what you would want. 500 reviews though!

This is my second most reviewed story (Just Another Hollywood Romance leading with almost 700 reviews) So I'm proud of us. I'm thinking this story is going to be around 50 chapters but I don't know yet.

I'm taking the ACT tomorrow so wish me luck guys! I'm nervous af for the math section. I'm terrible at math.

Be sure to check out my Tumblr! Once i start to get more followers, I'll let you guys know about updates and everything. I'll also answer asks and questions there too. I'm GreenNinja23 on there too but you can also find me under the name 23greenninja23

SNEAK PEEK TIME!

Annabeth felt her brain shut down. Walkers weren't supposed to be leaving the wall leading into Faymarsh; no they were supposed to be on the other side of it, begging to be let inside. She didn't notice the look her friends shared behind her back. Nico tendering reached out to touch her shoulder comfortingly but Annabeth harshly shrugged his hand off. In a mild act of panic, Annabeth didn't bother to reach for her crossbow. She grabbed a machete from a stunned Thalia and bolted towards the walkers to get inside. Maybe they were still okay! Maybe she still had time.

Sorry about the sneak peak. I literally couldn't give you anything in fear of spoiling the chapter.

Thanks to stormrunner74, IIII Winter Wolf IIII, Naked Brothers Band Forever, apple444, MAL-DaughterofChaos, NeverBetAgainstGirls, Loloree, Narniandemigod, AlphaX14, AnnaUnicorn, WalrusInSocks, Avril . skye, ThaliaJoelle, AquaPolarBear, Dan12391, AmarilloSkys, ALittleMoreLove22, madelynne, Awesome and SapphireTrafficker for reviewing!