As always, these characters do not belong to me.

Chapter Fifteen

The images were everywhere, and incoherent. Flashes, one after the other, trying to snag Annabeth's attention.

Luke yelling at her, his eyes full of malice ... Reyna standing beside her, spear ready as she charged forward ... Will aiming an arrow at her heart ... Percy singing that awful shanty ... Luke crouched before her, offering a hand and place to sleep with a beautiful crooked smile that had her shyly reaching out ... A cloaked figure leading her through the streets, teaching her how to survive ... Percy fighting through bandits and calling her name ... A beautiful woman with dark hair pouring tea with a friendly, but strained, smile ... Arachne drawing her knife before running towards her ... A crazed Octavian shouting, spit flying from his mouth ... An older-looking Malcolm hugging her ... A small red-haired lady darting around a battlefield, arrows firing from her bow in rapid succession ... Percy shirtless, standing with his back to her staring out a window but glancing back and smiling when he feels her gaze ... Another black-haired woman, this time with electric blue eyes with short spiked hair, looking at her in concern ... Percy wan, lying unconscious in a bed ... Percy bleeding badly from an abdomen wound ... Percy saying her name as his breath faded ...

Annabeth's eyes opened, a gasp escaping her lips and scratching at her already sore throat. Sunlight, sky, it was too bright. She blinked, confused. Where was she? How did she get there? Why couldn't she remember? She tried to calm her panic thoughts, closing her eyes and taking deep breaths, so many deep breaths.

Start from what she could remember. Luke set her a task. She needed to retrieve the Crystal, for him, for the Elites. She went with Percy at Luke's behest and they ran into all sorts of trouble; she could remember that. Octavian and his fanatics, Circe, Arachne, she recalled with a shudder, Drew and other Elites attacked them. Percy couldn't continue, he was hurt, and Annabeth had to leave him behind. It was harder to do than she imagined but if she didn't, then the violence would get worse. She had a new companion, Nico, and they had made it to the Cave. It was beautifully structured, and she walked through its walls and reached the chamber. The Crystal was a dish! A turned-out shield and she went to grab it and then …

Annabeth grimaced and groaned with the sudden throbbing of her head. That was the most powerful defensive mechanism she had ever encountered. As soon as she made contact, her head felt as though it had been split apart. Her body went numb as her mind screamed endlessly with the onslaught that attacked it so viciously. She thought she was going to die, she wanted to die, if that meant she could have some semblance peace once more. Roaring pierced her ears followed by a high-pitched screech. Her eyes were blinded and there was so much pressure in her head; she screamed and screamed, trying to dispel the pressure that just kept building and building …

And then it stopped. Or did it? It was still all so hazy. She was walking, or trying to, leaving, escaping. Something was in her hand, or was her hand just clenched into a fist? She was numb everywhere, it was hard to move, to think. She fell over, a lot. Something caught her and she felt, relieved, safe. She clung to that feeling, revelling in it. There was a heartbeat under her palm, a little fast but it steadied her, enough that she looked up and saw two beautiful green eyes …

Finding strength in that memory, she opened her eyes again. She didn't feel strong enough to sit up, but she could move her head slowly. It was still so bright! And there was green everywhere! A bird chirped somewhere nearby; the wind whistled lightly in greeting. She could breathe in the fresh air and it renewed some of her energy. Taking it slow, she sat up, taking a minute for the headache to dull before looking around and she almost sighed. A concerned Percy sat beside her, watching her every movement intently. He kept his distance, though it appeared to cost him every bit of willpower to do so.

"Drink this," he offered a small bowl that was steaming a little. "Will said it'll help."

There was tension in his jaw when he said this, and a small part of Annabeth was curious to know what had happened between the time she left and when they reached her ... Time. She looked closer at Percy. The bruises on his face were yellow, making his skin look odd and patchy, but at least he was healing. Gashes were sealed, no sense of pain in his movements … How long was she stuck in the Cave?

"You were in there for two days," he answered her silent question.

She frowned at the liquid in the bowl as she cradled it, trying to recall what had happened. A tear dropped, a ripple forming. Was it from frustration? Was it from pain? Was it from both? Annabeth, the person who usually had all the answers, had nothing, was nothing, could feel a hollow space that had been carved from inside of her and taken. No, not taken, but missing, suppressed. She took a sip before any more tears could spoil it.

Despite not feeling overly hungry, she drank the entire bowl, ignoring the dull burn in the back of her throat. She stared into the empty bowl as the blurry edges of her vision slowly started to clear. She accepted the canteen of water Percy handed to her next, letting the cool water soothe her dry throat. It was bright, but only because the sun was dipping under the horizon, directly into Annabeth's line of sight.

Two days. It couldn't have been that long. Two days of pain, of an assault no one should experience. But someone else did. Many others did and they couldn't handle it. She could now understand why, because she was almost like them. She almost succumbed to it. How did she think she was strong? Was she that proud to think she could conquer it? Why didn't she listen to Percy? More silent tears fell into the bowl.

Annabeth heard a rustle of movement beside her and she cringed, squeezing her eyes shut as a tentative hand fell on her shoulder.

"Annabeth," Percy murmured. "Whatever you're thinking, don't let it get to you. What you went through, would cripple anyone. Has, crippled those who went through it." He took a deep breath and her shoulders shook. "I'll help, in any way I can, I promise. You don't have to face it alone."

That was it. Annabeth couldn't hold back the new round of sobs that racked her body. She crumpled, unable to hold herself up any longer. She curled in on herself, letting her tears fall freely, letting her anguish, her sadness, her defeat, be voiced for all to hear. But there was only one person who heard, and he wasn't leaving her to face it alone.

"I am here," Percy said softly, taking her into his arms. "It will be alright. I've got you." He repeated it over and over, soothing her tears and rocking her gently until she calmed. Exhausted physically and emotionally, Annabeth listened to his heartbeat, letting its rhythm lull her to sleep.


Percy standing before her, waiting to see what she would do next as his heart thumped rapidly under her hand at his chest ... Luke smiling encouragingly at her when she learnt how to fight ... Clarisse smirking before bellowing out a challenge to the bandits ... Drew's eyes glittering with malice as she sent her Elites to engage her ... Arachne sacrificing the Athenian at the altar ... Annabeth's hands covered in blood ...

The last image was burned into Annabeth's mind as her eyes flew open, heart racing. Her headache was uncomfortable but not quite as fierce. She exhaled, gazing down at her hand. Pale, a bit dirty but not bloody. What did it mean? What she going to do? Whose was it? She flexed her fingers, sighing lightly at the normalness of the movements. She placed it back down where it was resting, which was against someone else's chest. She flinched and sat up, her wide eyes meeting Percy's as he surveyed her. His hand fell from her back and she blushed, realising where she had fallen asleep.

"Annabeth?" he asked cautiously, his hands out placatingly.

"I, I just need to, I just need a minute," she finished, rising into a seated position. She heard Percy do the same, just as she clutched her head with the throb of a newly forming headache.

"You look pale. Is it another headache? Will mentioned something about them," Percy added, catching her expression. "Do you want me to get him?"

"No, I can, control it," she said through clenched teeth. "Just another second." Her headache slowly began to dissipate but stubbornly sat behind her eyes.

"Can you remember what happened?" he asked tentatively.

"Um, pieces, but this headache is making concentrating difficult." She growled a little in frustration, one hand still clutching her temple. "I got in there alright, moved through the caverns and antechamber, which had some exquisite structural detail." Percy smiled a little at the reverence in her voice. "Made it into the chamber, saw the Crystal, and I touched it and then …" Annabeth flinched with a hiss in pain. Percy's grimaced upon seeing her reaction but didn't interrupt. She was grateful for that. She thought she saw a couple of shadows approach.

"I was so disoriented," she confessed. "I must've lost consciousness because one second I was standing and the next I was on the floor, struggling to my feet. There was blood, so stark on the stone floor. I think it was mine but there were other stains I didn't notice." She frowned, her memories stubbornly refusing to cooperate. She was missing a crucial piece. "I had it," she said in revelation. "I had it in my hands. I left with it. Where is it?" she asked Percy.

"Over there," he replied hesitantly, shifting aside so she could see it leaning against their bags.

It had been wrapped haphazardly in someone's cloak, one of its edges peeking out from underneath. Another memory came upon seeing the bundle. It was shaky, pieces still needing to be put into place, but her mind was slowly kicking back into some form of normalcy; or she hoped. She went to rise, her eyes entirely focused on the Crystal when she heard the tang of a bowstring, and instinct had her freezing.

"Annabeth," Will said calmly. "I'm going to need you to stay where you are."

"Will, what are you doing?" Percy asked in surprise.

"The Crystal shouldn't have left the Cave," was his response. "It's needs to be returned."

"Then we can discuss this without the drawing of weapons," Percy insisted.

"Not if she insists on the path she is taking," Will disagreed.

Annabeth hadn't moved from her crouch or looked towards Will. Her headache began to intensify, having her grit her teeth to prevent her gasp of pain. She rose, with some trouble, to her feet, raising her head to look at Will, who indeed had an arrow trained on her heart. Nico stood behind him, watching him and Percy, who she could feel bristling at her side from the threat directed at her. She looked into Will's crystal hard blue eyes. If he was anything like Annabeth, she knew he wouldn't hesitate.

Her head gave a fresh burst of pain, worse than before. She groaned, clutching her head with one hand, squeezing her eyes shut. As most of her thoughts dissolved with wave upon wave of excruciating nausea, she had one thought that cut through the haze and it made no sense: she had been in this exact scenario before.

"Her nose," observed Nico in shock.

She opened her eyes and placed fingers to her nostrils, pulling them away sticky with blood. She glanced up, her eyes falling on Will, who stood unwavering, though his eyes had widened in shock … but then there was two of him, then three. Her vision split, the three Will's standing beside each other, in the same position, with the same bow and arrow. Every so often the three would fuse together before separating with the pulse of Annabeth's migraine. They were saying different things, their voices reverberating against the other, making it hard for Annabeth to distinguish the individual words but her mind somehow translated them:

"Don't make me do this, Annabeth," one of them warned.

"Stop!" the second screamed.

"Control your breathing," ordered the third.

Annabeth felt as though her head was splitting like her vision. She crumbled to the ground, moaning out her pain, placing her hands to the sides of her head as if to prevent it from being ripped apart. She could hear more voices, Percy's and Will's, several Percy's and Will's, but they were warbled, fuzzy. Sweat formed on her temples, trickling down her back as she shook violently.

She turned towards Percy and like Will, there were three of him. They were all moving differently, again, just like Will. One Percy moved towards her, fear and pain written on his face, another charged towards Will and was shot. She almost screamed but saw when he fell beside her that the arrow was embedded in his shoulder; a hindering shot only. The third was still standing, wanting to go to her side but rooted on the spot, his hand outstretched and frozen. Were they reacting to the different Will's?

With a momentous effort, she turned her head and gazed down in front of her. Her hands were blurred, and if she didn't look directly at her chest, she could see an arrow buried into her heart. She panicked, thinking Will had shot her and she didn't notice but that wasn't it, was it? There were three Will's, three Percy's, what if they were three different Annabeth's as well? What was happening to her?

Control your breathing.

Annabeth groaned again but listened to Will's phantom voice. She took a deep breath, trying to steady her pulse. She focused on that, just that, blotting at everything around her until she could get it under control. She didn't know how long it took; a second, a minute, an hour, but the pain in her head lessened enough for her to pick up the situation. Will and Percy were arguing, Nico trying to mediate but fail. It was about the Crystal, the damn Crystal.

"It's a not the real Crystal," she growled painfully. Everything went silent and foolishly she thought she had gone deaf. She shifted, relieved to hear the rustle of fabric. "It's one of replicas that sat at the feet of the statues," she explained. She kept her eyes closed, knowing if she opened them and saw multiple people again, she would be sick.

"So that's why it felt different," Percy revelled, snorting in surprise. She heard more movement, an exclamation of warning and then Percy confirming in wonder, "a fake." He snarled suddenly, but it was silenced just as quickly as it came.

"Open your eyes, Annabeth," Will instructed gently.

Unwillingly, Annabeth obeyed. Her hands were clenched into fists on her thighs, but they were no longer blurry. She exhaled slowly in relief, mustering the courage to lift her gaze, staring at Will, who had crouched in front of her, his bow slung over his shoulder. Those crystal blue eyes lost their hard gleam, in its place a healer's appraising look.

"How many can you see?"

"One," she answered, wondering how he knew. "But, you're blurry at the edges." She pressed her fingers to bridge of her nose, opening them again to find the same result. She could only imagine what Percy and Nico were thinking hearing their bizarre conversation.

"No, that's good," he assured her. He even smiled encouragingly at her. She must have looked bad. "That means the outcome has become more precise."

"What does that mean?" Percy demanded, striding forward. "You know what, never mind that. How did you know that?"

Will ignored him. "The dose I gave you mustn't have been enough," he said, mainly to himself as he placed the back of his hand against her forehead. "I underestimated the potency. You will need to take more if we're to suppress your exposure."

"Hold on," Percy said angrily, shoving away Nico's restraining hand. "What are you giving her?"

"Something that will stop the headaches and nose bleeds. I can explain it to you properly but only after I tend to her. If she doesn't get treatment soon her brain will shut down from the pressure."

Annabeth chose then to wheeze out another painful moan, only confirming Will's diagnosis. With his anger temporarily dampened, Percy followed Will's instructions dutifully, though he made sure to never stray far from her side. Annabeth was placed half-sitting, half-lying against the spare saddle bags and bedrolls, the fake Crystal tossed aside and laying forgotten nearby. She pressed a cloth to her nostrils, her mouth clenched shut to prevent the contents of her stomach from regurgitating.

Explaining the need to control the new dosage so she didn't overdose, Will spoon fed the contents to her, gaging her symptoms every few minutes in-between spoonful's. She was horribly mortified, and she was sure her flushed cheeks Will commented on was due to her embarrassment rather than the medicine. After a quiet word, Percy and Nico withdrew some distance away, Percy giving her an understanding smile and Will a scowl before he did.

The mortification lasted about an hour and in the place of the headache came a heavy fatigue. Her limbs were lethargic, her eyes struggling to remain to open and focused. Considering the amount of trauma her body had been through in the past few days, it was understandable the backlash would be just as severe. She didn't have time to rest, not yet.

"Have any of you sighted the Elites?" she asked Will.

Will regarded her. "Nico spotted a sizable encampment to the east that he assumed was them. Probably take us a day to reach it."

"Alright." Annabeth got to her feet, shaking out some of the numbness.

"I'm not going to convince you to rest, am I," Will asked rhetorically

"Luke expected me with the Crystal a week ago." Will rolled his eyes. He mumbled something that Annabeth suspected wasn't polite, but she let it go. "You said yourself that all factions are on the verge of a full-on civil war. We need to at least try and settle them before it escalates beyond control."

"If you give Luke what appears to be the Crystal," Will began as Percy and Nico made their way back towards them. "It may pull some factions into line, but I don't see how placing it into the hands of any leader, real or fake, could achieve peace?"

"I'm aiming to subdue the small bandit and religious camps first. The larger ones may try to gain control of the Crystal, but the Elites will handle their attempts. Eventually, they will admit defeat and it should, theoretically, stem the flow of rising crime enough for the guards to get it back under control."

"You're forgetting Luke's ambition," said Percy. "He won't stop until he has control of everything. This mission of yours was about gaining his path for domination. You won't be able to change his mind," he said, reading her thoughts. "I tried, so has countless others. His ambition is too strong."

"I don't understand how word of my task spread," Annabeth mused. "It was a need-to-know mission."

"I think Luke has executed some other plans while you were away," said Will, a little grimly.

"Unless it was other Elites," said Percy, scratching some stubble on his cheek. "Trying to usurp him but again, I think that's unlikely. Either way, it has made the situation worse and we just need to deal with it. I don't think any solution we can come up with is going to be a good one."

"Which is why I need to get back to Luke as soon as possible," said Annabeth. She turned to Nico, heaving her bad onto her shoulder. "Can you take me to that camp?"

"Hang on," said Percy irritably as Nico went to grab his and Will's bag. "Are we just going to ignore Will aiming an arrow at Annabeth, and then somehow curing her? And what about all the stuff about the Cave he just happens to know."

"He's a guardian, Percy," said Annabeth, surprised he hadn't realised it. "What did you think his tattoo meant?"

"What tattoo?" he demanded.

Three sets of eyes went to Will, who sighed and pulled the collar of his shirt aside, revealing the tattoo Annabeth had spotted while he was tending to Percy.

"It's the same symbol on the statues," said Percy in awe. He rounded onto Nico. "Did you know about this?"

"He might've mentioned something about it when I asked," said Nico sheepishly. His cheeks turned pink and he avoided their gazes.

Percy smirked, giving him a light shove to the shoulder. He rounded onto Will. "Care to share?" he asked. Though his tone was light, his eyes still glittered with suppressed anger.

"We can ride and talk," said Annabeth, picking up Percy's bag and throwing it in his direction.

He scowled at her, grumbling under his breath as he fetched their horses with Nico. Annabeth could only imagine what Percy was asking him, judging by the way Nico's shoulders hunched and the bright red his face was slowly turning. Will took that time to appraise Annabeth one final time before they were leaving and to give her something to keep up her energy levels, so she didn't fall from her horse in exhaustion. She didn't bother looking back towards the Cave, knowing she never wanted to see it again. Nico took the front, Percy the rear, though he kept close as Will answered their questions.

He had been recruited by the Apollites after Percy's first brush with the Cave. Tasked as a Nomad, Will's objective was to travel through the different towns and villages, ferreting out any rumours or whispers about clans or individuals who were wanting to try their hand at stealing, not only the Crystal, but any of the many powerful artefacts hidden and preserved from human hands. Annabeth's interest spiked at the revelation, but Will quickly squashed her curiosity by refusing to disclose the locations of those he did know and warned her about trying to find the others. She relented but stored that titbit of information aside for after the mess they were in was over.

Nomads weren't the only occupation of the Apollites. Will mentioned that a special guardian was chosen to defend at the entrance to the location of the artefact, turning away those who slipped past the Nomads. Percy didn't recall such a guardian when he entered the Cave twice, Annabeth confirming that she too, wasn't stopped on her way in.

"We're losing numbers," admitted Will, his gaze forlorn.

Their leader had disappeared in mysterious circumstances and the guardians that went in search for him never returned. The Apollites were in disarray, a once proud clan reduced to working in the shadows. Their communication threads were tenuous and if a guardian had reached out for help, their call was often lost or delayed to the point that a Nomad answering the call was too late. Will had only realised the Cave's guardian was missing when he had met Percy and heard his tale from the others in their home village.

"And Annabeth?" Percy demanded, his expression dark. Annabeth knew he was thinking of the lives lost to their own greed, of the others he had tried to sway and failed because the guardian had gone missing and help hadn't come at all.

It was then that Will said something that surprised Annabeth. The Stolls had alerted him to an Elite travelling with Percy to steal the Crystal and he hastened to cut them off. He should've stopped her early in their venture, but he admitted to being distracted, his eyes glancing Nico's way for the briefest of seconds. He then told Annabeth and Percy that there were people destined to have the ability to wield, or in some cases, read, the artefacts. The guardians stationed at the entrances would know when the right person approached and would let them enter unhindered. When Annabeth asked how they knew, Will merely shrugged, unable to answer.

Upon meeting Annabeth, albeit bloody and manic trying to protect Percy, he could see she wouldn't be persuaded abandoning her task, but he theorised that maybe he wasn't supposed to try. So, he had let her go at the village, only to prevent her from leaving the outskirts of the Cave when it was clear she was not destined to own it. While he didn't apologise outright for threatening her, she could respect his reasoning; it wasn't the first time she had an arrow aimed at her and she was sure it wouldn't be the last.

All Apollites were healers, their knowledge far more superior to the standard physicians in towns and villages. Will had trained extensively and it was because of this that he had been able to concoct a solution to subdue Annabeth's side effects from the Crystal; that, and the knowledge handed from Apollite to Apollite. Answering Percy's question of potency, Will theorised that a guardian had administered Percy with the treatment and due to his delirium, simply forgot.

"Twice?" asked Percy sceptical. "I forgot about that twice?"

"Fine, you're special," said Will with a roll of his eyes. Percy scowled and Annabeth suppressed a smile.

"You mentioned the Crystal was one of the artefacts that could be 'read'," said Annabeth. "I don't recall seeing any inscriptions."

"That knowledge wasn't given to Nomads," said Will. "The one destined to read it will know how."

It was a lot to unpack. But at the same time, it made perfect sense. She had questions, a lot of questions, but Will had given her all he knew; the rest she would have to figure out on her own. So, the Crystal had a purpose besides a symbol of power. She doubted Luke, or the other bandit factions. The religious factions and cults may have some indication, but maybe not in its entirety, especially if they think sacrificing the guardians, which is what Annabeth suspected was happening to the Apollites, was the key. She thought of Octavian, his insistence on a sacrifice … he knew of its power, or to an extent, he had to. He was forcing people into its depths, but for what reason. To retrieve it? To appease the Cave itself?

"The headaches and nosebleeds, it's not a defensive mechanism, is it?" she deduced. Will shook his head, confirming her suspicion. "It's just, what, the Crystal is, how it works."

With talk exhausted for the night, they moved quickly onwards, only stopping for a few hours in the early hours of the morning. They continued with haste as the sun began to rise and coat the land in a warm glow. Percy became increasingly withdrawn as Nico led them closer to the camp, letting Blackjack drift further behind the group. Several small bandit traps and raids were set up along their journey, each avoided by Nico's skilful observation. Prepared for an ambush, Annabeth had one hand on her knife, surprised when none occurred as they halted with the camp just within sight in the morning light.

What felt like seconds later, Annabeth confirmed it was an Elite camp, though she had a feeling that they all knew that regardless, and she was preparing to part ways with her companions. It was strange, thought Annabeth as she surveyed the camp, to have such a large number of Elites outside of their compound. If Annabeth had to hazard a guess at the number of tents she could see, she thought their numbers had almost tripled in the months she had been away. That steep of an increase meant one thing; Luke was preparing for war.

She swung down from her saddle, double checking her bags. She didn't need to, and she knew she was simply delaying when she had to leave, but the others let her, and she wondered if they were reluctant to say their farewells as well. Joining her beside her horse, Will held out a small pouch of herbs, judging from the faint aroma. Nico and Percy had also hopped down from their horses, Percy looking interested in the condition of Blackjack's flank and the straps of his saddle, not glancing once in her direction.

"The images I saw," she began, accepting the small pouch handed to her. "Will they continue?"

Will looked thoughtful. "Maybe when your mind is at its most vulnerable state, like when you're asleep. You may feel some sense of déjà vu, but I'm sure the dose I gave you will put an end to the worst symptoms. It will be an echo of the sensation you had been feeling."

Annabeth nodded, relieved. The few hours of sleep she had gotten had been peacefully image free, but she had been unable to get the image of her hands covered in blood from her mind. She placed the pouch of herbs into her saddle bag, re-tying it and checking the security of the fake Crystal, knowing she couldn't put it off any longer.

"I never asked," began Will, giving her an excuse to stop. "What changed your mind?" His eyes drifted to the fake Crystal.

Annabeth followed his gaze, then glanced at Percy before back to Will. "Someone told me that the power of the Crystal wasn't supposed to be wielded by us." Percy tilted his head but didn't turn around. "I realised after I became conscious that he was right, but I knew that if I returned empty handed more will sent to retrieve it and I couldn't let them go through what I did."

"And if they know what power the Crystal possesses? They will know what you retrieved was a fake."

"You're beginning to sound as if you care," she retorted slyly, grinning briefly. Will wasn't amused. "I am hoping that they don't," she answered.

Percy snorted. "Are you sure you're Athenian?" he asked jokingly. Will and Nico looked surprised at the revelation.

Annabeth smiled; glad he sounded a bit more like himself. "Been spending too much time with an optimist, I guess."

He smiled briefly, before turning and striding away. She quickly checked she had everything on Silver Mist, again, biting her lip as she glanced towards where Percy was. Nico came up beside her, silently urging her to go. With a small but grateful smile, she went to Percy. He stood silently, gazing towards the camp with an unreadable expression. The set to his shoulders was tense, his jaw muscle flickering. Annabeth had already guessed why he was being so distant, but it wasn't until she stood next to him that she finally admitted it to herself.

He couldn't go with her. After only just being reunited, they had to part ways again. He left the Elites and there was something between him and Luke that was fractured beyond repair. If Percy was to walk into the camp with her, Luke would arrest him or kill him, and Percy was needed too much for either option. Hadn't they agreed to this from the beginning of their journey? So why did it cause an ache that was unfamiliar to Annabeth? She hadn't felt this way when she parted from Luke, but with Percy ...

She found herself memorising his face. The thick mop of black hair that appeared always messy but with a type of disorganised grace that Annabeth longed to brush back from his face or simply run her fingers through. That fringe hid the pale scar that marked his hairline but didn't seem to bother him. Nor did the splash of small freckles on his nose and cheeks that was only noticeable up close. Then there was the hard to miss green of his eyes that never seemed to dull, chiselled jaw with the slightest scar along its left side, full lips that were quick to smile and their touch that spiked Annabeth's heartrate to dangerous levels.

As she thought of his lips, suddenly he turned, grabbing her around the waist and kissed her fiercely.

"Do you remember the whistle tune I used to summon Blackjack after we escaped Circe's?" he asked her when he broke away.

Her startled brain took a few seconds to register what he said. "Yes, I think so."

"Good. I won't be far. I don't trust Luke and I think he's got other plans in place he hasn't disclosed with you, which I suspect you believe as well. If you need me, need me for anything, whistle that tune. Blackjack will be able to pick it up if I don't." He looked at her, waiting until she indicated she understood. He kissed her again and at least Annabeth was a little more prepared for it. "Remember, if you need me," he kissed her again. "Anything at all," another kiss. "Whistle." Annabeth was starting to get really disoriented and distracted as another kiss met her lips. "And I will come."

"Like my own personal call boy," joked Annabeth breathlessly, smiling a little dizzily from all the kisses. Percy's lips twitched but he was too intent on making sure she knew she had another option, an escape, to give her a witty response. "I will, I promise."

Percy nodded, his eyes revealing the worry he had tried to keep from her. She placed a hand against his cheek, her thumb running softly against his cheekbone. He closed his eyes briefly, those green irises softening when he reopened them. This time it was Annabeth leaning up, pressing her lips against his. The next kiss they shared was longer than the other small kisses, but it was too brief. There was a promise of future kisses in it, of passion and heat yet explored.

And cut short. Percy pulled away, his chest heaving. His eyes raked over her face, over her body, giving her one last crooked smile before walking away. Annabeth, breaths ragged, lips tingling from where his had touched, stared at his retreating figure, trying to convince herself she would see him again.