Disclaimer: All rights belong to Rick Riordan. I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.

Rating: T for dark themes and violence

Author's Note: sorry in advance!

Chapter 14

The city of Messina comes into view, the Pax's last stop before sailing through the straits and claiming the pearl. Annabeth thought that everyone would be eager that their quest is coming to a close, but the entire crew seems on edge. They glance furtively at the narrow channel of water between the island of Sicily and the boot tip of Italy.

"There's a lot of legends about that strait," Beckendorf tells her. "A lot of shipwrecks have happened there. Many have straight up disappeared."

"We have Percy on our side," Annabeth says. "We'll be fine."

"Percy may be powerful for a mortal, but he's nothing compared to some of the things that lurk in the shadows of our world. If you thought the kraken was bad, you have no idea."

Annabeth realizes how deadly serious Beckendorf is being. "Have you been having nightmares?" she asks, lowering her voice.

He doesn't meet her eyes. "We all have. There's something evil that waits for us in the Straits of Messina."

She stares out over the city, not wanting to admit that she's also been having dreams. Always the beach one - white dress, funeral pyre, storm clouds in the distance. Then there's Luke, holding Percy's sword. There's that ship, the big, awful ship with the snapping turtle figurehead and a black flag with a skeletal mermaid snapping in the wind. It comes more clearly into focus with each dream. Standing on the deck is the man with curly black hair, dark blue eyes the color of the sea during a storm, holding out a hand with the pearl glowing brightly. He makes eye contact with her and smiles slowly, cruelly.

Annabeth always wakes in a sweat. Of all the scary scenes in her dream, the thing she finds most disturbing is the lack of Percy. She doesn't know what happened to him, and that unsettles her even more than the pirate who looks very similar to him - the Evil Not-Percy.

Is that what awaits them in the strait of Messina?

Will walks up next to them, looking more well-rested and in brighter spirits than the rest of them. Either he hasn't been having nightmares, or he's found a way to ignore them.

"Messina," he says in disgust. "This is where the Black Plague first entered Western Europe, you know. A ship from Caffa floated in on the tides, everyone on board dead or dying of the plague. It absolutely ravaged the population. Two hundred years later, the Spanish came in, took over the city, and made it glorious again. One of the best cities in Europe, many people claim."

"So what happened?" Annabeth asks, glancing at the downtrodden buildings ahead. The closer they get, the more run-down the city appears.

"There was a second wave of plague a few years ago," Will crosses his arms. "The city was already in decline after some revolutions, and that was all it took."

Annabeth can see where the city has potential. In her mind, she's already imagining the changes she would make - fix up that fortress, clear those houses and completely rebuild them; the row of houses over there could stay, but they need to be completely renovated and maybe put another level on them…

"Honestly, I don't want to step foot there. All it takes is one deceased rat or person and our mission is over - forever." Will shudders.

"We're not going in the city," Beckendorf assures him. "There's a small village outside of it. It's been protected over the years - it's part of our world."

"You've been there before?"

"We sailed the Mediterranean more in the early days, back when it was just Percy and I. Percy's originally from Greece, you know."

"When did you stop coming to the Mediteranean as often? We've only been a couple times since I've been on board, and never this far south, and I've been with the Pax for almost a year now."

"Greece reminds Percy of his past. It's also the birthplace of the gods - of his, uh, estranged side of the family. Not to mention that his trip to the Sea of Monsters was a huge turn-off."

A couple hours later, nearing midday, they anchor not too far off the coast. Despite everyone's nightmares and earlier moods, there's a current of excitement running through the ship. The moral picks up noticeably. Annabeth climbs in a rowboat with Beckendorf and Percy as everyone heads to shore.

"What's so special about this village?" she asks.

"It's one of the only safe places in the world for people like us," Beckendorf says. "The village has magic borders that keeps out monsters and regular mortals. A lot of people who don't want to be on the constant run from monsters make their home here."

Annabeth sees a shimmer in the air about a hundred yards from the shoreline. They must have crossed through the magic border. Percy uses the waves to carry them to shore and they drag their boat onto the sand and tie it off. There's a forest ahead of them with a sandy path leading straight through.

Beckendorf takes the lead, his long strides leaving them scrambling to catch up. Annabeth has never seen him so excited before.

The forest opens up after a few minutes of walking, revealing a large open area. Annabeth stops and tries to comprehend all that she's seeing.

There's a complete Roman town spread out in front of her - not a modern Roman-turned-Italian town, like most of Italy, but an actual, classical, Roman town. There's a senate building, a forum, a circus maximus and a coliseum grouped together on one side. Not a hundred yards from the government buildings are several rows of houses, split into halves by a massive stone aqueduct that runs in from the forest behind the houses. To the right of the houses is a small hill dotted with shrines and statues.

On the other half of the valley are a few long buildings that Annabeth realizes are barracks. There's also a building with steam coming out of it - a bathhouse. A large field lies between the barracks and the cluster of government buildings, and a few figures in armor and swords are sparring with each other. The smell of fresh baked bread drifts over from the town.

"Welcome to New Rome," Frank says, coming up behind Percy and Annabeth. He has a wide smile on his face. "Home."

Percy looks more relaxed, but not in the same way as Frank. Annabeth remembers what Beckendorf had said on the ship - "Percy's originally from Greece, you know."

"New Rome is one of the only safe places for us," he explains. "The other is in Greece. Camp Half-Blood. That's where I first went when I learned about my father and this world. I spent a few months there training to use my powers and my sword. That's where I met Beckendorf. We left shortly after and set off on our own."

"It's like stepping back in the past," Annabeth breathes as a couple men in togas exit the senate house.

"If you think this is impressive, you should see New Athens. That place is almost as old as the original Athens - and it had already been sending out heroes for centuries when the original Rome started forming."

They start down the path. A cry goes up from some people milling around when their group is spotted entering the town, and a girl with dark hair drops her basket and comes running down the path, lifting her skirts with her hands. She jumps right into Beckendorf's arms, and Annabeth suddenly understands why he was so excited to come.

A few of the other sailors also meet up with their sweethearts. A girl with dark skin and wildly curly hair greets Frank with a kiss. A guy and a girl greet Will, though their reunion seems more family-like than romantic. Nico hangs out in the shadows of the forest until Will drags him forward and begins introducing him.

The only person to greet Percy is a blond-haired guy in a toga with a small scar on his lower lip. He smiles and shakes Percy's hand.

"Nice to see you again, Percy."

Percy half-turns her way. "Annabeth, this is Jason. He's a senator and one of the leaders around here."

Jason bows slightly. "Nice to meet you."

Annabeth returns the greeting, and the boys turn back to each other.

"How long are you going to stay?" Jason asks. "I've already alerted the kitchens - you'll have a proper welcome feast."

"We'll just be here for the night."

"Oh." Jason looks disappointed.

"We're on an important mission from my dad. Time sensitive."

Jason nods. "I understand. The gods aren't to be kept waiting. At least you can hang back and relax for one night."

"Actually, I wanted to talk about something with you before dinner." Percy glances around and lowers his voice. "It's about my mission."

"Of course." Jason glances back at Annabeth. "Let me get Piper. She can show Annabeth around while we talk."

A few minutes later a girl with deeply tanned skin and chocolate brown hair appears. Her hair is choppily cut and has a few braided strands interspersed, but instead of looking messy it just looks effortlessly gorgeous. She's wearing a turquoise Greek-style dress with golden armbands. She smiles warmly at Annabeth.

"I'm Piper," she says. "I heard you came on Percy's ship."

"Yeah. I'm Annabeth."

Piper immediately loops her arm in hers and begins showing her around New Rome. Annabeth finds herself absolutely fascinated and she asks a million questions about the architecture - most of which Piper can't answer, but she laughs and tries her best. Annabeth instantly likes her.

On the hill with all the shrines, Annabeth notices that the temples for Zeus, Bellona, and Mars are cleaned, the gold polished and shining, fires burning on the altars, and fresh offerings laid out at the feet of the statues. The shrine to Neptune, on the other hand, is not much more than a cracked and grimy salt fountain with a few rotten apple cores.

"Percy once said that the Romans feared Neptune, but they didn't love him," Annabeth says, staring at the fountain and feeling sad. She can only imagine how Percy must have felt the first time he saw it.

"The Romans didn't appreciate the sea the way they should have," Piper agrees. "They loved their gods of war, but they failed to recognize that without the sea, they wouldn't have been able to transport their armies to any of the regions they conquered."

"That was their fatal flaw - the Romans had a warped worldview. They were blind to their own faults." Annabeth moves along the grouping of shrines to the one for Bellona. "We met a pair of female pirates who were daughters of Bellona a couple weeks ago. They had taken over Blackbeard's ship."

Piper grins. "Really? I would have loved to meet them."

"Maybe not." Annabeth retells her the story of their encounter with Hylla and Reyna.

Piper stares at her with growing shock. "And you defeated him? Just like that? No wonder Percy wants you on his ship."

Annabeth's face grows hot. "Piper...how well do you know Percy?"

"I've been on a couple mini-quests with him and Jason. Why?"

She opens her mouth and closes it. She's not sure what exactly she wants to ask the girl. It's just that all the crew members - Beckendorf, Frank, Will - have either a godlike admiration for Percy or they're his best friend. She wants a more impartial opinion.

"One of the things I've noticed about him is that he...he acts without thinking a lot of the time. He's not arrogant, just...impulsive. It's almost like he thinks himself invincible. I've asked his friends about it, and they always say things like, 'Oh, no one dares touch the son of Poseidon!' or 'No one wants to mess with Poseidon's favorite son!'"

Piper nods. "I know what you mean. He's an extremely powerful demigod - one of the most powerful I've ever encountered. And it's well-known that Poseidon favors him. But honestly, I think a lot of that is just his personality. From the first time I met him, I got major troublemaker vibes. He's the kind of boy your father would hate." Piper shrugs. "He's a bit...insolent. And I don't blame him - when you've been pushed around by the gods the way he has, it's ingrained in him to rebel."

"It just worries me. The last few close calls we've had - Nico, Reyna and Hylla, Clarisse - they've all been the result of something he did unintentionally. What happens when we meet someone he purposefully angered?"

"It sounds like he needs someone to reign him in," Piper says, leading her back down the hill. The aroma of roasting meat fills the air and makes Annabeth's mouth water. "I think you're good for him, Annabeth. You're able to step in and use reason rather than pure emotion. From what you told me about Hylla and Reyna, you were able to smooth things over rather than make them worse. He's taken you on all his side quests so far, right? That means he sees it, too. He knows you help temper his emotional outbursts."

"It doesn't always stop him, though," Annabeth laments, thinking of the box with Medusa's head that he sent to the gods.

"And you won't always be able to. Percy's not dumb - he's very much aware of his faults. Too aware, if I'm being honest. He doesn't think very highly of himself. He doesn't see himself as a hero, so he doesn't always make an effort to do the right thing and act like one all the time. He needs you to be the voice that reminds him of how much he's worth, and that his consequences do have actions."

Annabeth glances over at Piper. "You seem to know him better than you let on."

Piper twists a stand of hair around her finger. "I'll admit that I spent my first couple quests comparing him to Jason. They're very similar in terms of who they are and what they've done, but their attitudes are completely different. I think a lot of it has to do with their background. Jason was born and raised as a Roman, and discipline and respect is hard-wired into his nature. Percy's Greek, and he's more wild and independent. Jason would never dare talk back to a god, let alone fight one, and he's always very careful to tie up every loose end."

"Isn't that exhausting? I mean, it's smart, yeah, and saves a lot of suffering in the long run, but how does he find time for it?"

"It is exhausting," Piper agrees. "That's why he doesn't go on many quests anymore. He's even trying to step down from his leadership position here. He wants what all heroes want, but so few get - a quiet, peaceful life."

They step into the open-air banquet lounge, where air nymphs are flying around, setting out plates and cups and silverware. In the corner, Percy and Jason are speaking intensely. Annabeth and Piper pause in the doorway and watch them.

Annabeth can never imagine Percy settling down quietly. He has too much weight on his shoulders. Although he doesn't talk about it, she knows he's still torn up about what happened to his mother. He still blames himself for it. He feels responsible for all of his crew members, and he takes each casualty personally. He has a complicated history with the godly side of his family, especially with his father.

Percy isn't happy.

Annabeth has seen it before, but she hasn't really comprehended it until now. Talking with Piper, hearing her own insights and fears parroted back...She truly sees it now. He's not a happy person. He's suffered, and he keeps suffering, and he's running himself into the ground. He's trying to make his father proud of him by completing all these quests, but everyone else already seems to think that his father favors him over all his other children. He's trying to prove something that's already been proven. He's letting the gods walk all over him, yet at the same time he's picking fights and sticking up the proverbial middle finger at them every chance he gets. He knows several safe places where he could settle down and be surrounded by his friends, but instead he sails around to the most dangerous places and fights all the monsters that he can.

She had thought that Nico was lost the first time she saw him, but now she sees that Percy is just as lost. Percy just does a much better job of hiding it than Nico.

"When I first saw him today, he was happier than I've seen him in years," Piper remarks, drawing Annabeth out of her thoughts. "I'm glad you guys found each other."

For some reason, Annabeth feels really disappointed. She almost doesn't want to correct Piper, but she has to.

"No, we're not - I'm just on his ship temporarily. He helped me escape from Ares, who kidnapped me and took me to Tortuga while he tried to get a ransom from my family. I'm going back to England as soon as this quest is over."

"Really?" Piper glances over Annabeth. "You wear those pirate clothes like you were born to. Somehow I can't picture you in one of those ridiculously poofy and frilly dresses."

"They're not my favorite," Annabeth agrees. "But I'm not interested in this life. Not permanently. I was just craving some adventure before I settled down and got married."

"And Percy knows this?" Piper nods her head his way.

"Of course. We've been very open about this from the beginning."

Piper's eyes dance in the evening sunlight. She doesn't say anything. Annabeth's mind drifts back to her earlier train of thought. She thinks about what Piper said about comparing Percy and Jason, and almost instantly she begins viewing Luke and Percy side by side.

Luke and Percy are both fighters: Luke fought for the British army in Europe, and Percy fights for the gods. They both lost their mothers when they were young: Luke's mother went insane, and Percy's mother was killed. They both have issues with their dads: Luke and his father fight a lot, and Percy is estranged from his father. Despite their backgrounds, they've both made a name for themselves: Luke is well known in the upper society circles and as a soldier and Percy is a hero. And they both carry around a lot of sadness.

Annabeth will never forget when Luke returned home with the scar on his face for the first time. When the light hits it just right, it looks like the path a tear makes as it falls. It matched the clouds that dulled his once bright blue eyes. He was a changed man when he came back from the war; colder, more mature. Annabeth didn't love him any less, but she still had to adjust to this new version of himself.

She wonders what Percy was like before he became a pawn of the gods. She wonders if he was goofy - sometimes she gets a hint of that side of him, when they're messing around on deck or when they were walking about Naples. It's only a hint, though, and it's gone before she really gets a grasp on it.

She wonders how much she's changed since joining this quest. Will she be as much a stranger to Luke as he was to her when he first came back? Annabeth can't imagine she'll be as sad as he was, but she knows she's different. She's fought monsters, faced skeletal warriors, and even killed a man. Will he see all of that when he looks at her? Will he even want her?

Annabeth hadn't even considered that she may not be wanted back. She thought she had a choice for the future, but maybe she made that choice the moment she stepped foot on the Pax.

There's a flurry of activity and a group of people begin flooding in the banquet room. Piper takes Annabeth's arm and leads her over to Jason and Percy. Frank and his girlfriend, who he introduces as Hazel, join them later.

The meal is crazy, to say the least. Although Annabeth starts at their table, they soon all move after the first course. Percy takes her around the entire room, introducing her to a flurry of people she knows she won't remember. Names and faces blur around like crazy. Other than Hazel, Jason, and of course Piper, the only other new person she remembers is Beckendorf's girlfriend, Silena.

Silena is the most beautiful girl Annabeth has ever set eyes on. She's not the kind of envious beautiful that many girls are - Silena is simply naturally beautiful. She wears a simple blush-colored Greek-style dress and has the front part of her hair pulled to the back, allowing the rest of the soft black waves to tumble down around her shoulders and halfway down her back. Her almond eyes are warm and her pink lips curve into a graceful smile. She practically sits on Beckendorf's lap the entire time, one of his arms never leaving her waist. Her laugh sounds like music. To top it all off, she's also one of the nicest, most down-to-earth people Annabeth has ever met. Annabeth can't even be mad at how perfect she is.

Watching Silena and Beckendorf and how happy they are together, it makes Annabeth's heart ache. Of course she's happy for her friend, but she also realizes how much she misses being that close and intimate with someone.

After the meal, the nymphs rush in to clear out the area. Silena loops her arm through Annabeth and leads her into the city of New Rome.

"What's going on?" Annabeth asks.

"The party is going to start soon! And you are not dressed up enough. Come, I'm sure I can find something that will fit you."

If it was anyone else, Annabeth would have said no, but there's something about Silena that makes Annabeth wordlessly go along with her. Silena pulls open her wardrobe and takes out a few dresses, holding them up against Annabeth before shaking her head.

She finally settles on a pale blue dress in the same Greek-style that Piper and Silena both wore. Most of the other girls that Annabeth saw, Hazel included, wore Roman-style dresses.

Annabeth slips the dress on. The flowy fabric has two silver clasps at her shoulders, just past her collarbone, and it flows down to her waist in a u-shape. The bottom part of the dress falls straight down, cinching in slightly at the waist. It really is beautiful. Silena loans Annabeth some silver cuffs that latch on just under her elbow and helps her pin her hair back so that a few curly strands frame her face while the rest are pulled up.

Silena clasps her hands together. "You look so gorgeous! You'd make Aphrodite jealous. Here, borrow these sandals - they'll match it perfectly."

Silena doesn't change her dress, but she restyles her hair and adds some golden jewelry. Then they head back to the banquet hall, which has been radically changed. The tables and couches have been folded up and pushed to the side to leave the space open. A small group of musicians play harps and other traditional instruments in the corner of the room, and the torches along the wall have been lit. In the distance, the sun is setting and painting the sky hues of pink and orange.

Beckendorf has changed into clean clothes, and he and Silena head into the middle of the room, where a few other couples and single people have started to dance. Annabeth sees Frank and Hazel fumbling around, red-faced and laughing as they attempt to dance (Frank may be an amazing fighter, but by the gods he's also one of the clumsiest people Annabeth has ever met). Beckendorf doesn't look very comfortable, either, but Silena is amazing and she more than makes up for his lack of talent. Jason and Piper are also decent, and they make a good-looking couple as well.

Some of the other crew members are talking with girls on the side, trying - with various rates of success - to get them to dance. In the darkest corner of the room, by the piled up couches, Annabeth spots Will and Nico hanging out and talking. Nico scowls at everyone except for Will, who he stares at with a neutral expression.

Annabeth stands in the back, not quite sure what to do. The only dancing she's ever done is the formal dancing deemed socially appropriate by high society. It's very distant and formal, although it can be fun. The kind of dancing here - well, Romans were known for partying, and even the Greeks here are letting loose.

She still feels that ache in her chest. She hadn't realized how much she missed Luke and her family until now, seeing all her friends reunited with their loved ones and their families. As much fun as she's had on the ship, it's definitely lacking in certain ways. Especially being the only girl on the ship, Annabeth feels as though the others are constantly tip-toeing around her, trying not to make her feel uncomfortable or put her in an awkward situation.

The last time she'd really touched someone was when Percy saved her from the Sirens - she still remembers him wrapping his arm around her to propel them away from danger. Afterward, Annabeth had hugged him - it was a rare, impulsive move for her, but she'd felt so abandoned and heartbroken after that encounter that she couldn't help it.

Almost as if he can read her mind, Percy materializes next to her. The sun has gone almost completely down by now, and the only break in the darkness is the flickering light from the torches.

"This is a nice party," Annabeth says, trying to make conversation. "The Romans sure know what they're doing."

"I wouldn't be surprised if Bacchus or Dionysus shows up in some form tonight. A part of his essence travels to wherever there's a party."

A guy with black curly hair and stained red lips staggers past them, lifting a wine skin to his mouth. Annabeth raises an eyebrow. "Is that him?"

"No, but close. That's his son."

They stand in silence for a minute. Annabeth can feel Percy looking at her, so she stares straight ahead. She can't stop thinking about how it felt when she hugged him or when they were underwater together. That happened weeks ago - why is she thinking about it now?

"I like your dress," Percy suddenly spits out. "Blue is my favorite color."

Annabeth glances over at him. Despite her irritation at herself, she can't help but smirk. He looks so awkward and uncomfortable right now - so much different than the confident hero she's seen him be.

She remembers what Piper said about him earlier: "Percy's very much aware of his faults. Too aware, if I'm being honest. He doesn't think very highly of himself."

Annabeth's smile fades. She wonders what he's thinking of right now. Does he feel as lonely as she does?

"It makes sense, blue being your favorite color," she says, trying to cover up the awkward silence. "Since your dad is, you know, the sea god and everything."

"Huh. I'd never thought of it that way." Percy frowns. "I like the color blue because one time my step-father said that food couldn't be blue. From that day on, my mom did everything she could to make our food blue. My step-father was a terrible person, and it was one of the ways she rebelled against him."

Percy had never mentioned having a step-father before, although it makes sense. Once his mother became pregnant without being married, there would be a terrible scandal. Since she couldn't marry Percy's dad, she had to marry whoever would be willing to marry a pregnant girl to protect her. Often enough, it's terrible men who take advantage of women's vulnerability.

The story explains a lot about Percy's personality, too - he isn't just rebellious because of how the gods have treated him, but because it's something his mother did and he admired. She was put in a powerless position, but she still stood up for herself. Percy most likely sees himself the same way. Instead of an abusive spouse, the gods are the ones controlling his life. And instead of proving them wrong with blue food, he's proving them wrong by pushing back against their supreme authority.

Annabeth understands him a lot better than she ever has.

She doesn't realize she's staring at him until he motions to the middle of the floor. "Uh, do you want to dance?"

"Sure."

Her heart begins pounding as he takes her hand and leads her away from the edge. For so long, Percy Jackson has been this mystery she can't quite solve - and every time she learns something new about it, it explains one aspect of him while opening up a dozen new questions.

Percy glances around at the other couples and then tries to copy their stance. Annabeth has to bite down to keep from laughing.

"You don't do this very often, do you?" she asks.

"Never," he confesses.

After a bit of fumbling around (Annabeth regrets poking fun at Frank and Hazel earlier) they get into a rhythm. The musicians play a few upbeat songs, and they get caught up in the fun, spinning and twirling around with their friends. Annabeth hasn't seen Percy smile as much as he does tonight, and she herself can't wipe the grin off her face.

There's something magical in the air that night - a type of magic that has nothing to do with gods or monsters or fate. It's a type of magic that exists only among mortals on the eve of a battle. No god could ever feel this alive because they do not understand the fear of death. This magic, this feeling, is reserved for humans.

The ache inside of Annabeth disappears as the night wears on. Even though she's never loved wearing dresses, this one feels so light airy and she loves the way the skirt twirls as Percy spins her. After weeks - months - of awkward conversations and moments on the ship, moments where they went from baring their soul to being nearly strangers for no real reason, nights where they suffered from nightmares so vivid and personal that they couldn't share them with anyone, let alone each other, neither Annabeth nor Percy can take their eyes off each other. Every time Percy spins her, Annabeth's head whips around so that he's always in her sight.

The only exception is during a slower song. A lot of the couples are facing each other, but both Annabeth and Percy agree without speaking that staring into each other's eyes during a slow song would be too much - although too much of what, exactly, is a question Annabeth isn't sure she wants answered. Instead, Annabeth leans back against his chest and he wraps his arms around her. They sway back and forth, the motion reminding Annabeth of her nights in the hammock on the Pax. She closes her eyes and lets herself feel everything.

She really knows she should stop when Percy rests his face against the side of her neck and shoulder, but she isn't even thinking. For the first time in her life, Annabeth is just letting herself feel. She's completely lost in the moment, feeling as though she's truly breathing for the first time in weeks.

At some point in the night, she and Percy sneak out of the banquet hall and walk through the warm, summer night air. In the darkness, Annabeth isn't exactly sure where they are until Percy waves his hand and a soft blue glow appears. They're at the Neptune shrine on the top of the hill. Not far below them, the muted sound of the music drifts out into the night as well the flickering of the torches.

Percy has brought the sad fountain to life. The crack repairs itself, the rotten fruit is washed away, and the rusted spigot splutters to life. The crystal clear water glows as it cascades up and then down.

They sit with their backs against the fountain, close enough that their legs are touching. Annabeth looks up at the sky and marvels at how clear the stars are.

"Do you know the constellations?" Percy asks, glancing over at her. His sea green eyes reflect the water from the fountain, making him appear ethereal and not entirely human.

"Yeah. My dad taught me them when I was a little girl." She points straight up. "Those three stars in a line there - that's Orion's belt. And that cup-shaped one is a ladle."

"It's actually part of Ursa Major," Percy corrects. "The Great Bear. It was actually one of Zeus' mortal lovers who Hera turned into a bear when she found out. She's got an attitude problem."

"Most of the constellations are based on Greek myths." Annabeth pauses, rethinking her words. "Well, they're not myths, I guess."

"I know most of the myths, but not many of the constellations," Percy admits. "I only know Ursa Major because the star at the center of the back, Dubhe, points across the sky to Polaris. I have perfect sea bearing, but all sailors know about Polaris."

"There's Canis Major and Canis Minor." Annabeth points. "Do you know what those are?" Percy shakes his head. "They're Orion's hunting dogs."

"Orion didn't have dogs last time I ran into him," Percy mutters.

Annabeth points to another section of the sky. "That's Cassiopeia. She boasted about being more beautiful than nymphs, so Poseidon sent Cetus, a sea monster, to ravage her kingdom. Her husband, Cepheus, consulted an oracle who told them that they had to sacrifice their daughter, Andromeda, to the sea monster. They chained her to the rocks, but your namesake, the original Perseus, saved her. What I don't understand is why Poseidon then placed Cassiopeia and Cepheus into the sky." She looks over at Percy, who's staring at them.

"My father...he's like the sea. His mood is always changing. Some days he's the calm, still waters that lap gently against the sand. Some days he's a raging hurricane. The nymphs probably riled him up, but by the time Andromeda was sacrificed he had calmed down enough to realize his overreaction."

"Do you think we could ever end up in the stars?"

"Why would we?"

"Why wouldn't we? You already did what the original Perseus did - you saved me from the kraken."

"Not really. I just threw a jar of Greek fire at you that Beckendorf gave me and then made sure that we didn't get blown up with the creature."

"That's why we'd both get to be in the stars. Equal responsibility."

Percy shakes his head slowly. "You have to do a lot more to get into the stars these days."

"Like what?"

Percy points to a constellation that looks like a figure stretching out a bow. "Do you know that constellation?"

Annabeth tries to recall her childhood nights spent with her father under the stars, but she doesn't remember that one. "I don't think I've seen that one before."

"That's because it's only a few years old. Remember the mission I told you about, the one where Bianca died?"

She nods.

"And I told you about Zöe Nightshade, the leader of the Hunters of Artemis, who was prophesied to die at the hand of her father?"

Annabeth's eyes widen, and she turns to face him. "That's her?"

Percy nods. "She served as Artemis' right hand for over three thousand years. That's what it took her to get a place in the stars." He leans back against the fountain wearily, and a sad look passes over his eyes. "I've only been serving the gods for seven years now, and sometimes I feel like I've hit my limit. I don't know how she did it for thousands of years."

"She didn't do it alone. She had the other hunters. She shared her load." In all the excitement of the party, Annabeth had forgotten exactly how unhappy Percy is. Now she sees it creeping back. She's heard of poets comparing their sorrow to the sea, but those metaphors take on a completely different meaning with Percy. "You have to trust the rest of us more. We want to help you. You just have to let us."

He looks away, leaving Annabeth feeling more frustrated than ever. "It's not that easy," he finally says.

"Yes, it is. You claim you're not a hero, but you act like one, trying to do everything by yourself and not letting anyone help you. And you're the absolute worst pirate I've ever heard of, because pirates aren't supposed to be selfless leaders who risk everything for others. If you're going to act like a hero, then at least take credit for being one. Stop downplaying everything you've accomplished. I would have been dead a half dozen times if it wasn't for you. I owe you my life, Percy."

He turns back to her, his eyes still aglow from the fountain, and by the gods if he doesn't look like a god himself. There's a timeless sorrow behind his eyes, as if he's lived too long and watched too many people he cared about die, and all his accomplishments are worthless compared to the unending passage of time. For all his powers, for all his bravery, for all his sacrifice - he's just a man. Somehow that makes him simultaneously seem like a god and like more than a god.

Annabeth still remembers her first impression of him - sitting quietly at a back table, all alone in a crowded tavern. He's made friends and enemies along the way, discovered a whole new side to his family even as he lost the other side, and in the end he's still the same twelve-year-old boy who lost his mother.

Percy doesn't want to be in the stars. He doesn't want to be remembered. He just wants to be happy.

She could make him happy. She could be happy with him. That's all she's thinking as they lean toward each other, the distance closing up in a breath.

Just before their lips touch, another face flashes in Annabeth's mind, and she leans away, hating herself more than she ever has.

"I'm sorry," she whispers, unable to look him in the eyes. "I can't. I'm engaged."

She stands, gathers up her skirts, and runs.