A/N: Happy Hashtag TeamCap Day! I hope all of you are doing well. I've gotten so many great messages from you guys these past few weeks, too many to count, and all of you are so sweet and so kind, it's truly amazing that we're all in love with these super dorks. Again, I'm thrilled that I have such a lovely readership. So many have stepped forward asking to draw fanart or have written fan fiction, I cannot even BEGIN to tell you how incredible that is. You are all so talented and it's truly an honor to be a part of it!

Things have been nuts here on my end. We're moving to another place in the city, I'm enrolled graduate school, and I'm joining a roller derby team! So many things are changing in my life but I always have IGAB to come back to. Though not for long! The end is nigh! Ah!

Special shout out to Hannah and Kat, my betas. You guys are the real heroes.

As always, you can find me on Tumblr at flyingcrowbar or you can follow the "#stm au" tag. That's the best way to contact me, stop by and say hi, or check in on any IGAB info. Have fun!

"Hey Percy," Leo said as he approached their usual cafeteria table. "You're in the paper."

It was morning, too early for this nonsense, but Percy put his tray down and plopped in place next to Leo who was looming over an unfolded local newspaper. Man, Percy hadn't seen one of these in too long. He almost forgot that news was actually printed in this fancy day and age. Oftentimes, they'd run a blurb about Percy's latest victory, or the season record, or coach's newest interview. This felt different already.

Jason and Frank had been leaning over the table, reading the article, and grew stony faced when Percy spun it so he could read. Splashed across the front page was a picture of an empty locker room and Percy's official team photo (raucous grin and all) in the corner.

"Swimming Shakeup: Star Scandal - Percy Jackson Sitting Out?" he read aloud. A knot of pain lodged in his throat. He skimmed the article but didn't need to know the specifics. He had lived it, after all. An anonymous spokesperson said that the team was boycotting because of Percy. It was all his fault. Everyone blamed him. The national title, all down the drain, because Percy just had to make waves.

"So it's official?" Frank asked. "You're really not going to Nationals?" Frank's puppy-dog look was almost as painful as having to admit that it was true. When he nodded, Frank dipped his head low and stared at his food.

"It's whatever," Percy said, forcing a smile. "Things happen."

"That sucks, dude," Leo said. "Can't a civil rights lawyer get in on this? Beat someone with a really heavy law book or something?"

Annabeth, who had made a pit stop for an extra side of strawberries, finally sat down next to Percy. When she saw the newspaper, she simmered. He could feel all of her muscles going tense, even though she wasn't touching him. It was like she was making the air go all wonky.

"I've got other things I need to worry about," Percy said. "I have one last final today and then I'm home free. I can finally enjoy my summer, like a regular person."

"Yeah, but isn't Nationals supposed to next Saturday? What are you going to do?"

"I dunno. My weekend is open now. Maybe go to a movie? Isn't Piper's dad in a new thing? The one with the robots?" He asked that of Jason who snapped to attention when he realized that Percy was talking to him.

"Uh, yeah. Whatever you want to do, bro."

Annabeth stabbed her sausages with her fork but neglected to actually eat them. It looked like she was still trying to kill the animal they were made out of.

Percy desperately wanted to change the subject. He didn't want to talk about this anymore. "What about you guys? Almost done with exams?"

"I've got two more today," Jason said.

"Same," Frank added.

"Nope, I'm done. Which is great, because Caly is coming to town."

Percy was only mildly paying attention as Leo went on and on about his mysterious girlfriend who was finally going to show up, live and in the flesh. While staring at his eggs, Percy got lost in a daydream. He imagined he was in Vegas, standing on those steps in front of the arena. He could practically hear the crowd, feel the water, smell the chlorine. His heart yearned, ached, physically wrenched him when the fantasy dissolved, like someone had thrown a pebble into a crystal clear puddle.

Annabeth's hand snaked into his and her fingers laced around him. She could sense he was miles away, and yet she brought him back. He looked at her, into those beautiful gray eyes, and saw everything she was meaning to say. He just nodded and leaned into her.

Jason and Frank had been listening to Leo's plans about all the things he wanted to do with his girlfriend, all of which consisted of lip locking and not much else, but their eyes drifted upward to some place above Percy's head. Their expressions shifted from mild amusement to apprehension. Jason gave Percy a strained look with a head nod, signaling that he should turn around, and both Percy and Annabeth did.

Standing directly behind Percy was Mark Sever. The table ebbed into an awkward silence, as if expecting Percy to do something stupid. Granted, he probably would have if Annabeth didn't hold onto his hand tighter.

"Jackson," Mark said. His arms were crossed, his frown even crosser than usual. His gaze flicked toward Annabeth for a half a second and then went back to Percy. If he hadn't been paying attention, he would have missed it. Annabeth squeezed Percy's hand again.

Slowly, Percy let go of Annabeth's hand, stood, and climbed over his bench to face Mark. They stared each other down, eye to eye. A fist could have separated the space between them.

"What?" Percy asked, more like a challenge.

"Practice. Tonight. Seven. Be there."

"What?" This time, his question had a completely different tone. He didn't mean for it to come out so shocked.

"You heard me. Show up or don't. But you're not pussying out for Nationals."

"But coach is…"

"It's fine. Coach will be there. You'd better be too."

Percy couldn't believe it. He thought this must be a trick, some kind of ploy to come after Percy in some way. He thought maybe he should be wary, be careful about what this meant, but the look in Mark's eye was conclusive. He was sober in his sincerity, even though it looked like it killed him to say it. Mark looked at Annabeth again and shifted on his feet.

Percy wasn't sure he completely got the message.

"Why though?" he asked.

"I don't have to explain myself to you," Mark spat. "Just be there." He turned away before Percy could even process Mark's change of heart (or if he even had one). Percy was still standing there long after Mark had disappeared into the crowd of students eating breakfast.

Something that felt eerily like hope had sparked in his chest. Was this for real? Was he really going to Nationals? He felt like the ground was slipping underneath him, like the whole world had turned on its head. He was seeing things from a new perspective, a brighter perspective, like blinders had been lifted from his eyes. He could see colors more vividly, notice how bright they actually were, like a mist had evaporated in the morning sun. He hadn't noticed it had been any other way until it wasn't.

Still stunned, he took his place back at the table.

Annabeth was watching where Mark had disappeared. Jason and Frank were staring at him, their dropped jaws having turned into wide grins.

"Yo, is he for real?" Leo asked, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder in Mark's direction. "What gives? Why'd he change his mind?"

"Who cares?" Frank said.

"Percy! You're going to Nationals!" Jason said, as if Percy didn't realize.

"I'm going to Nationals," Percy said, then louder, "I'M GOING TO NATIONALS!"

He raised his fists above his head in victory. He felt lighter than ever, like he could do anything. Even a backflip. He decided against it, just in case he failed. Which, undoubtedly, he would.

Annabeth leaned over, grabbed the side of his head, and pressed her lips into his cheek. She buried her forehead into his neck and held him tight. Percy swayed with her weight but could have carried her right out of the cafeteria and into bed. He desperately wanted to make out with her, hard core. Her, pinning him down and kissing the ever loving shit out of him; him, kissing back with nothing left to lose.

But he had a final to go to.

Ugh. Of course.

He scarfed down breakfast so quickly, he might've forgotten to breathe. He wanted to get his test done and over with as soon as possible so he could head to the pool straight away and catch up for lost time. He kissed Annabeth on the top of the head as he got up and hurried out of the cafeteria. Once he was out the door, she shouted his name, making him turn around.

"Percy," she said again, quieter, softer. She jogged up to meet him.

"What's up?" he asked, unable to stop from smiling.

When she reached him, she worried her lip and tapped the toe of her shoe into the floor. He couldn't possibly understand why she seemed hesitant. Was she scared that he might be walking right into a trap from Mark?

"Look, I'll be fine! Mark wouldn't do anything to hurt me now that this whole thing is in the papers. He doesn't have the spine."

"It's not that," she said. "I'm just really glad that you're in my life and I'm sorry it took so long for us to get to this place."

Percy smiled impossibly wider.

"I'm really proud of you," she said, "and I want you to remember how this moment feels."

Percy laughed. "Okay, weirdo."

She pushed her finger into his sternum, hard enough it dug in. "I'm serious," she said, though she smiled. "You have to focus on this dream in front of you. Nothing else matters."

"Nothing else matters," he said. "Except finals."

A glimmer flashed in her eye. "Who even are you?"

Percy laughed again.

"Whatever happens next," she said, "none of this is important." She waved her hand behind her, to the school, to the drama, to the world. "I want you to win. No matter what."

"It'll be easy, with you there to cheer me on."

Annabeth bowed her head but Percy scooped her up in a hug. He had always liked hugging her, ever since he first could. She tipped her head back and looked at him through those long, curly bangs and he kissed her once more. Kodak moment.

"Alright, I need to go," he said, breaking away even when he didn't want to. "Gotta make you proud. Don't wait up for me!"

"Hey," she said. "I love you."

He flashed her a semi-ironic, mostly genuine, heart symbol back and disappeared around the corner.

Percy's final felt like a dream. He was in a daze, even while he read through the questions and filled out his scantron. In hindsight, he didn't think he did all that bad actually. Maybe he really was worrying himself too much over it. With swimming on the mind, nothing else seemed like that big of a deal. His whole future was laid out in front of him, in the form of a very tantalizing swimming pool, waiting for him with open arms.

Stepping back into the gym was like coming home. But that didn't mean everything was okay. The second he set foot in the locker room, there was a hush as eyes followed him. He did his best to ignore them, remembering what Annabeth had said only a few hours ago, and got undressed. While some of the team was still prickly, most welcomed him back with slaps on the back and firm handshakes. There were still good people who weren't affected by Mark's influence. It was just that Mark's people seemed to make their point louder. There was little else he could do to change their minds besides swim his heart out and get out of this place. With Nationals just within reach, right at the edge of the tips of his fingers, he was so close to making that happen.

Graduation was barely a blip on his radar. It was all about getting that gold medal.

"Good to see you, Percy," Coach Hedge said when Percy made his way poolside.

"Thank you, sir," he said, wringing his swimming cap in his palms. He was so relieved to find coach reinstated, it made him feel like he'd been filled up with helium.

Coach turned to the rest of the team. "Take it easy today, gents. I don't want anyone pulling anything. Keep up your intensity, but be sure to know when you've hit your limit. This is a time for you to focus, bring your energy to your center, and remember how hard you've worked to get to this place."

A balloon swelled in Percy's belly. Butterflies were threatening to carry him into the air. The team parted as groups went to either stretch or warm up, and standing opposite Percy was Mark, glaring at him, his arms folded over his chest. When Percy saw him, immediately Mark looked away.

Percy had to walk past him to get to the end of the pool. Mark pretended Percy didn't exist. He didn't mind that at all. But together, they lined up on the starting blocks and got ready for a few laps. Percy could sense Mark fuming not so silently beside him, his breath huffing, his joints cracking, as he prepared for his swim. It was comforting seeing his usually steely mask starting to crack.

Percy glanced over at him as they both stepped onto the block at the same time.

"Stay the hell away from me, Jackson," Mark said, sliding his goggles on over his eyes.

Percy didn't give him the satisfaction of an answer. He was itching to get into that water. At the chirp of the whistle, Percy leapt off the block. He was flying, soaring out of his own body, his spirit shedding his skin. When he threaded himself through the water, it was like he wasn't a person anymore, but a crashing wave, or a stone skipping across the surface, or a shark. He didn't know where his body ended and the water began. How could he have ever truly given all of it up. It was so much a part of him, it would have been the equivalent of cutting off an arm, or gouging out an eye. He would have never been the same.

He swam a few laps, drinking in the fact that he had never felt so free, and then stopped to do some stretches. When he climbed out of the pool, he felt like someone had been watching him.

When he turned, he found only the windows opening out to the grassy field of campus, vacant except for the mingling students finished with finals and laying out in the deep orange, evening sun as if they were too exhausted to move ever again. It was an eerie sensation. He could have sworn someone had been standing right there, staring at him.

"What are you looking at, freak?" Mark asked, pushing his way by Percy. He didn't stick around for an answer. Percy wasn't expected to give one. He sighed, chalking it all up to his nerves, and went to his corner to stretch. He wouldn't think of it again.

After practice, Percy felt refreshed, better than a breath of fresh air or a good night's sleep. He felt good about his last final and even better about Nationals. Everything was falling into place exactly as he wanted it to.

As a surprise, he grabbed a couple bottles of Coke for he and Annabeth to share and put in an order for pizza to be delivered. It was a celebration after all.

"Annabeth!" he called, the second he stepped into his room and dropped his bag on the floor. "You hungry? I'm starving. I ordered from that place you like, with the greasy crust." He flicked on the light and expected to find Annabeth sitting in the dark, having forgotten to turn it on as she got lost in her readings, but instead he found the room empty. Not just empty with the absence of Annabeth, but the absence of the rest of her. Her desk was cleared, her bed was naked, her side of the closet barren.

Percy blinked. He wasn't one hundred percent sure about what he was seeing. Either he had walked into the wrong room or…

No, this was the right room. He was sure of it. His things were here, his clothes still on the floor, his uniform hanging from the bunk, his notes that he'd poured through last night still strewn about his bed.

"Annabeth?" he called out again, more cautiously this time.

He waited to hear a response, movement from the bathroom, or even for her to pop out from behind the dresser shouting 'Surprise!' but he was only met with silence. His heart punched up into his throat.

On his desk, bathed in the dimming evening light, was a can of Coke and a letter, with his name written on the front in Annabeth's handwriting. He moved towards it, but didn't reach for it. He didn't want to make it real. He didn't want to scrape the edges of the paper between his fingers, or think about how cold the Coke (Share a Coke with Percy) still was, dewey from being out of the fridge. He just stared at her handwriting.

She always wrote his name like he'd imagined a girl like her would, a big looping P followed by a scribble for the rest and ending with a looping Y. She had written it in a hurry. She was always in a hurry, off to do the next thing, keeping up for the sake of keeping up, never in the present, always working for the future. His hand shook when he reached out to the letter. Inches from it, he paused, but steeled himself and took the paper into his hand. He unfolded it and read:

I've turned myself in.

Please don't try to find me.

It's better this way.

I'll always love you.

~A

Percy read the note, then read it again, then once more.

The words didn't want to sink it. His brain had turned to stone and the letters just bounced off. It took him yet another read to finally grasp that Annabeth had gone.

She was never coming back.

He had lost her forever.

Hours before Percy would get home, Annabeth had packed her things. When he left her in the hallway earlier that day, she knew it was time.

The first things she packed away were her books, then her clothes, then her odds and ends, like her posters she had collected over the year and pictures she had taken. She expected to be sad while she did this, but she had anticipated that feeling and compartmentalized it away, packed nice and neat in the corner of her heart that she couldn't touch. It was too heavy and burdensome to carry with her on her sleeve. She looked over her things in the bathroom: her deodorant that smelled like a man's version of spring; her razor and shaving cream that she had pretended to use for her face but were as dry and as unused as the day she bought them; her shoe polish to keep her loafers as shiny as new. All of it would be thrown out. She had no use for them anymore.

She didn't have use for this binder either. She took it off and dropped it with the rest of her things. Air filled her lungs, a sigh came out. Andrew Chase was no more.

It took her exactly as much time as she had anticipated to pack her things. She put her suitcase and backpack by the front of the door and before she left, she put out the Coke can she had bought for Percy. With an extra page from her journal, she scribbled a note, telling him the words he deserved to hear. Putting her parting gifts on his desk was a lot like leaving flowers on her own grave. It felt disjointed, surreal, like she wasn't sure that any of this was really happening, but it was.

It was time for her to move on. She had caused so much damage already, it was time to give it up. If Percy had never met her, he wouldn't have been tangled up in her mess. If she'd never met him, she wouldn't have to break his heart. If she'd never come to this school, she wouldn't have hurt Nico. If she'd never lied to her dad, she could have lived out her senior year guilt free, gone to a respectable college, settled for something a little more reasonable.

But she didn't. And it was her fault. This was going to happen eventually. Time was up.

She carried her things across campus, headed straight for the headmaster's office, but had to pass the pool on the way there. She forced herself to look inside, to see if she could spot Percy amongst the crowd, and when she did her heart sank into her shoes. He was climbing out of the pool, lithe and strong. He looked so happy, happier than he could have ever been these past few weeks. She could see it in his shoulders, in his gait, in his eyes. Without her here, he would have been exactly like that without any kind of hiccup. He would have had a year exactly as it should have been. And she had mucked it all up.

Before he could spot her, she kept on moving.

When she made it to the main office, they didn't take her seriously when she told the truth.

"I'm a girl, pretending to be a boy, and I'd like to speak with the headmaster," she repeated, keeping her voice level.

The receptionist merely looked at her, staring her down as if looking for any reason for her to think this was a practical joke, then slowly picked up the phone and made a call.

Annabeth was told to sit and wait.

She did. Her things were stacked around her, like parapets and she was the castle. Bolt students glanced into the waiting area, wondering just what was happening and none of them having any clue as to the truth. She kept her gaze forward, her hands clasped in her lap, and kept waiting.

Only a few minutes later, she was called into Headmaster Grace's office. She left her things out front. This wouldn't take long.

Waiting for her inside was the headmaster, Jason's father. This was the first time she'd seen him in person and he was exactly as she pictured Jason's father to be. She could see so much of Jason in him, minus all of the things that made Jason, well, Jason. He was square from his shoulders to the trim of his white beard, his fingers laced together in front of his mouth and moved only his eyes, not a wrinkle of a smile in them, as she entered the room. He wore a pinstripe suit with a golden pin on the lapel and a purple kerchief in the front pocket. Energy seemed to radiate from him. She could sense it the second she stepped into the room. It was as if she had walked across a fuzzy carpet in wool socks.

She expected to see the headmaster, but she did not expect to see the person perched next to him was Chiron. He was looking as alarmed as was polite. He didn't say anything when she took a seat at the chair in front of Headmaster Grace's large mahogany desk.

No one spoke. Annabeth wasn't sure if she should start or if he should. She wasn't sure where to begin. She opened her mouth to at least try to explain herself, but the headmaster beat her to it. His voice was like rolling thunder.

"Here I was, enjoying a cup of tea with my dear friend -" he beckoned to Chiron "- when I get a mysterious and somewhat nonsensical phone call."

Annabeth swallowed.

"It's come to my attention that one of my pupils isn't who he says he is," Grace said. "Or rather, who she is."

The words had been robbed from Annabeth, as if scared away.

"Is there something that you wish to confess?" he asked. His deep, rather depthless blue eyes bored into her.

"Yes, sir," she said. "My name is Annabeth Chase. Those who knew me here called me Andrew."

"Annabeth Chase, is it?"

She nodded. "I'd rather not drag this out any longer than I have to, sir."

"Headmaster, if I may," Chiron spoke up, his voice surprisingly soft. "If I can vouch -"

"Let the girl explain for herself."

Annabeth managed speak without her voice cracking. She felt as if on the verge of tears, teetering on the edge when a single gust of wind would knock her off balance. But she refused to cry. She told her story, explained her reasonings, explained her methods and motives. He listened, still as a statue.

"And you did this alone?" the headmaster asked, sensing she had finished.

"Yes, no one else. I acted independently. I bear responsibility alone." It was mostly the truth. Percy had no reason to be in trouble over it. Neither did Thalia or Jason or even Chiron.

The headmaster remained unmoving. She hoped the shock of it hadn't killed him on the spot. But he took in a deep, rumbling breath and his eyes scanned her.

"This is quite a serious offense, Miss Chase," he said.

Annabeth nodded. At least she agreed with him.

"In all my years, I've never heard of such a thing happening," he said. "This is quite a conundrum."

"I've already packed my things and I'm ready to leave campus. I'll accept any further punishment you feel is fitting."

"Sir," Chrion spoke up again. Headmaster Grace looked at him, finally. "Miss Chase has been an exceptionally profound student from the moment she set foot in my classroom. Nothing less than the best has been given and she's had quite a positive influence on her fellow classmates. It's my understanding that she tutored a number of young men during her time here. It seems that she had only meant to attend Bolt to be challenged in a way that no other school could challenge her."

The headmaster considered his argument with a subtle tip of his head. He regarded Annabeth again and she forced herself to sit up straighter under his watch.

"Compelling," he said, then turned back to Annabeth. "But nevertheless inexcusable."

"Yes, sir," she barely managed to say. She felt like she was being crushed to death.

"This institution was founded on honesty and integrity. Everything you've told me has led me to believe that you are the exact opposite. Frankly, I don't see why I shouldn't press charges."

God, if Annabeth didn't feel like she was on trial before, she certainly felt like it now. The look Headmaster Grace was giving her sent the hair on her arms on end. It was the look of power. She had none of it; he had all of it. He was judge, jury, and executioner. Her stomach had pooled somewhere in her shoes, swirling into an inky black vortex of despair. Her eyes burned, and settled to stare at the nameplate on the headmaster's desk.

She waited for the axe to fall. She wanted it to be over with, but at the same time, she wished she could take it all back. The moment hung, pregnant with shame. The headmaster looked down at a stack of papers on his desk, as if she wasn't even in the room, as if she wasn't worth his time anymore.

"Get out," he said, waving his hand like he would a dog. "You're giving me a headache."

Annabeth stood up, glanced at Chrion, and left.

She'd never get her diploma. She'd never go to Columbia. She'd never become anyone, do anything, build anymore. It seemed her best and only skill was to destroy, to break, to shatter. As she walked, every footstep seemed like it was her last.

A cab she had called for earlier was already waiting in the parking lot. The driver helped her load her bags into the back. Before she got into the car, her hand resting on the door frame, she spotted a shadow moving just out of the edge of the lights from the building. Nico had paused to look, his arms full of books. His face was slashed with a mixture of confusion and joy. He was happy to see her, it was clear, but he was confused why she was halfway in a cab.

He made a move as if to wave, maybe contemplating coming over, but Annabeth mustered only a small lift of her fingers, a half-hearted salute, and a pained smile before she ducked into the cab and shut the door.

Annabeth's heart allowed her to shed a single tear, which she wiped away with a stiff wrist.

Without any ceremony, the cab pulled out of the parking lot and away from Bolt Academy.