Percy POV

Annabeth and I were deep in a heated debate when Nico busted through the door. He carefully closed the door behind him and then sank into a nearby chair.

"So... how did it go with the good doctor?" I prompted as he stared at the two of us with a confused look.

"Uh, am I interrupting something?" Nico questioned, gesturing to us.

I looked at Annabeth and suddenly realized that our faces were merely centimeters apart and Annabeth's face was flushed. We were simply trying to pass the time but I guess we can get pretty passionate about things that truly matter.

"Well, kind of, but it's not important. Well actually it is." I stammered. "Nico, would you consider a hamburger to be a type of sandwich?" I needed someone to back me up here.

He paused for a long moment. "You know what, I'm not going to answer that." Nico sounded exasperated. "I just came to tell you two that I'm leaving. So, bye." He stood up looked around the room.

"Wait Nico." Annabeth said quickly. "Why don't you stay with us for a while? Take some time to regroup and help yourself before going back to... whatever you do."

"Like I told that guy, I don't need time to regroup or whatever. I moved on from what happened and you should too. I did what my dad told me to do and now I'm going home. This whole thing has just been another chapter in "The Tragedy of Nico" and I'm turning the page. Stuff happens. Get over it." Nico crossed his arms.

"Dude. It's ok to admit that something bothers you." I remember a younger Nico cracking the earth when I told him about his sister's death. "But I get that everyone has their own way of coping. If you think you have moved on, then that's great. But just know that Annabeth and I are always here if you need anything."

Nico's glare softened. "I know Perce. Don't worry about me. I've spent a long time feeling sorry for myself but people have showed me that I don't have to stay in the dark forever. You two take care of each other. And Annabeth make sure that Percy doesn't drive you totally insane." His mouth twitches in slight amusement.

"It's tough but I'll manage." Annabeth replies. "See ya around Nico."

Then Nico walks to the dark corner of the room and vanishes with a chilling gust of wind.

Annabeth slumps down on the bed. "I don't like him going off on his own all the time." She murmurs.

I shrug. "He's got his own friends now. He's not a little kid anymore."

"Yeah well he definitely grew up too fast."

0-0-0-0-0

Dr. Wright was sitting across the table from me and Annabeth. Two humongous stacks of blank notecards were placed in front of us, along with a variety of pencils, pens and markers.

I raised an eyebrow. "Um, what's with the craft supplies? I really didn't come here to study for the SAT."

"This is an exercise to help you both realize the impact you have on other people." Dr. Wright explained. "Each card represents one person. Just right down how your choices affected that person and what the outcome was, or what the likely outcome will be." He took a card and a purple marker from the desk and wrote the word 'BUTTERS' on the front. "For example, because I adopted my cat, he now has an addiction to Lucky Charms but he also lives with a loving family."

Annabeth leans forward. "You do realize that there is no way to determine the number of people we have impacted and that there are infinite factors that determine future outcomes, right? I hope you have more notecards and a few months to wait for us to finish." Her right hand twitched and I couldn't tell by her tone if she wanted to grab the notecards to get started or grab the doctor's throat.

Dr. Wright smiled patiently. "This isn't meant to be a complete or detailed project, and you both can take all the time you need. The exercise is meant to be worked through slowly and be edited as you continue to impact those people or new people you meet. No one will be looking at these cards or grading them or anything, the goal of this exercise is to help you reflect. I'll certainly be here for you if you need someone to talk to or have questions."

I nodded and Annabeth leaned back again.

"Also, it would be best if you worked on these separately. At least at first. It will be interesting to compare them later if you wish but these cards are meant for each individual." The man nudged the supplies closer to us. We each took a stack of notecards and I held the box of pens and stuff.

As we walked down the hall to the patient lounge, Annabeth nudged my shoulder.

"Hey remember that time when the Stolls took like every piece of paper in camp?"

I grinned, "Yeah they made a fleet of origami cranes and got Cecil from the Hetate cabin to magic up some bottles of wind."

"Oh so that's where they got the wind!" Annabeth laughed breathlessly. "I was worried that they blackmailed some poor wind nymph. Grover was so mad when all the cranes got stuck in all the river reeds he had just planted."

I smirked. "Maybe all these cards would make some great entertainment. I bet you can get real craftsy." I wiggled my eyebrows at her as she rolled her eyes.

"Actually, I think I'm actually going to start doing what Dr. Wright suggested. At the very least it will be interesting to see if I've actually made a difference in someone's life." She grabs my hand and leads me to one of the tables. "You should do the same, this should do wonders for your fragile ego" she teased.

She sits on the opposite end of the table and pulls a black pen from the box. She takes a deep breath and starts writing her dad's name on her first card. I watch as she flips the card over and starts making a series of bullet points in neat Greek handwriting. I sigh and grab a card and a cool green colored pencil, the outside decorated in tiny smiley faces.

I stare at the blank card in front of me. Who should I start with? I close my eyes, letting names and faces pop across my vision. Grover. Mom. Luke. Hazel. Ethan. Bob. Annabeth. Clarisse. Nico. Beckendorf. Bianca. Even Bessie the Ophiotaurus made a cameo. I realize with dread that a lot of the people I know (knew?) are dead. Maybe because of me. I shake my head to get rid of that depressing feeling. Alright cards, lets do this. I open my eyes and start scrawling a name on the first card. Annabeth. She might need two cards, I mused. I start just listing things that have happened because of me.

Went on a quest. Almost died – a lot. Now enjoys blue raspberry licorice. Won't go to an aquarium. Fell into Tartarus. Almost died in Tartarus. Almost didn't make it out of Tartarus. Has that scar on her ribs where I accidently cut her in practice. Likes guinea pigs.

I filled 3 cards with stuff about Annabeth before moving on to my mom, Paul, Blackjack, Grover, Frank, Will, Bianca and others. I tried staying positive but truthful. Like how I helped Nico and Bianca escape that manticore, but then got Bianca killed in the quest. Like how I abandoned Beckendorf on that boat where he was blown to bits with greek fire. Like how I helped Frank and Hazel bring back the twelfth legion's eagle but put them both in terrible danger. Like how I gave Calypso hope of rescue but then broke her heart and left her.

I put my head in my hands and took a break. My hand cramped and my head hurt. Did I really impact all these people? Was I doing the right thing? Am I a good person? Whoever put me in charge of anything seriously needs to get their head checked. I looked over at Annabeth. While my finished cards were scattered around, she had a small neat stack of finished cards by her left hand. She continued to write on a card as her head was bent down in concentration. I noticed a tear drop down on the card she was working on, smudging a large portion of the ink. She sat up slightly and scowled, quietly ripping up the card and starting over on a new one. A few scraps of ripped cards littered the floor under her chair. This was harder than I thought.

One more. Then I'll take a break and talk to Annabeth.

I take another card, and start writing Tyson's name on the front.

A/N

Don't worry, it is always darkest before dawn

Thanks for everyone's continued support