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

Chapter 23

Percy can't take any more surprises.

First he'd been nearly killed by his half-brother and then rescued by his father - his father, who he only met a couple times before in his life, usually for less than five minutes. Then he'd gone to the Underworld and met a ghost from his past. After that he'd been imprisoned by Hades, the Lord of the Underworld who hates him more than most demigods, for a month before being rescued by none other than Nico di Angelo. He'd finally returned to his friends, only to be greeted by Annabeth Chase, the girl who rejected him and he watched leave for what he thought would be forever. Almost immediately after he realized he was on Calypso's island, the girl whose heart he had broken when he left her for what he thought would be forever. As if that wasn't enough, he learned that Sciron had attacked his friends the night before and was only driven away after Silena, one of his oldest friends and his dead best friend's girlfriend, sacrificed herself.

The blows just keep coming.

Percy knows he's in a state of shock, but he's gotten very good over the years at functioning even when his brain lags behind. He's able to compartmentalize his grief, lock it away in drawers in his mind and focus on the present. It's probably not a healthy way to cope, but it's the only way to survive when the monsters keep coming.

He's trying his best to pick up the pieces. His first priority is to finish his mission of retrieving the pearl and returning it to his dad. Some of the other things he can deal with on the way; last night, for instance, he had sought out Calypso. They'd spoken for a long time, clearing the air between them and finding closure. He'd been so young when he'd washed up on her shores years ago, and so naive; Calypso herself had even noticed how much he'd changed.

Other issues aren't so easy. Mourning his lost friends is something he won't have the privilege of doing until the threat of Sciron is behind him. He'd had a lot of alone time trapped in the Underworld, but he'd had other things on his mind then. Other grief to process.

Now he's throwing himself back into his work. He's standing on a small boat, Frank and Leo sitting on either side of him, while they float in the middle of the Aegean sea. He can sense the old Greek trireme exactly where his father had told him it would be.

Poseidon hadn't given him exact instructions on how to raise the old shipwreck, but Percy knows the power lies inside of him. Now that he's patched things up with his old man, his power is stronger than ever.

He holds out his arms and closes his eyes, concentrating on the frame of the ancient ship. He can feel it in his mind, exactly how he'd felt the Pax come to life the moment he stepped aboard. He focuses on the water around it, and then he commands both the ship to rise and the ocean to assist.

Sweat breaks out on his forehead as he works. The small boat rocks slightly underneath him, but Frank and Leo keep it steady.

Percy hears the sound of something breaking through the surface, but he doesn't doesn't stop until he feels the water give way completely. Next to him, both Leo and Frank gasp.

"No way," Frank whispers.

"I have so much work to do," Leo says.

Percy opens his eyes. Listing heavily to port side but somehow afloat is the ship his father had promised - the ship from Leo's drawing. The wood is rotting in many places and the sails are completely gone, the main mast snapped in half and the top deck almost nonexistent, but it's there. Celestial bronze plates hold the disintegrating wood in place and shields line the railing, many of them mottled green and some missing.

"Behold, the Argo," Percy says, sitting down heavily.

"Wait, the Argo? As in Jason and the Argonauts?" Leo asks.

"None other."

"But that was thousands of years ago," Frank protests. "How is it still…?"

"It was built with the help of Athena. The Celestial bronze held it together over the years, and some of the wood comes from the sacred forest of Dodona. After her travels, the Argo was consecrated to my dad. He immortalized her in the stars, but the actual ship he kinda just left. But here it is, ready to sail again."

"Your dad is officially the coolest," Frank declares. "All my dad ever gave me was a spear and a book."

"My dad gave me a dragon," Leo says. Then he frowns.

"Let's get her back to Ogygia," Percy says, willing the waves to carry them back. "We have to be ready for the next time we face Sciron."

When Percy returns with an old ship, Annabeth knows they're in for a lot of work.

He carries it all the way up the beach. Calypso is far beyond being upset that her beach has turned into a workshop and instead helps. Between bringing everyone food and washing their clothes, she also spends a lot of time at her loom, weaving strong sails and singing magic into them. Leo draws up plans for how to fix the boat and divides the remaining crew members into teams to start on different projects. He then retreats to his workshop and continues patching Festus back together again.

Annabeth takes over supervising the work, using Leo's blueprints as a guide. The books she'd read while making her way back from England had taught her much about engineering and architecture, not to mention that helping Beckendorf and being at sea had taught her how ships work.

Frank is often sent away on missions to collect more Celestial bronze, and Will keeps Annabeth company by sitting on the beach by the dock, polishing the old Celestial bronze shields and returning them to their former glory - between treating splinters and burns and other work-related injuries.

Nico summons up a few skeletons to help with the manual labor. The nice thing about them is that when accidents happen and wooden planks fall on their heads, they're already dead and don't feel pain. They're also scarily strong.

Annabeth remembers Frank telling her that time passes differently on Ogygia, and right now she's hoping that it's in their favor because it's going to take them weeks, if not months, to get this ship in working condition.

Four Months Later

Annabeth walks along the empty decks of the Argo II (as they've rechristened the ship), a clipboard in her hand and Leo at her side. They're making a last minute inspection. Tomorrow Leo will attach Festus as the figurehead and wire in his Archimedes spheres, the last steps on this massive project they've undertaken.

It's been four months now since they started. Every day has been spent working from dawn until dusk. Annabeth is exhausted; she and Leo became the de facto leaders of the whole restoration. She can't remember the last time she's had a full night's sleep, but walking through the finished corridors, the wood gleaming in the flickering light of their lantern, she can only think that it was all worth it.

This is the first thing Annabeth has built, and she feels so proud of it. She created this ship. Leo may have sketched out the initial designs, but she had tweaked them and been in charge of all the details. She'd supervised the work and made sure it was done correctly.

"I can't believe it's finished," she finally says, her voice echoing along the dark corridor. "We rebuilt the Argo."

"This is gonna be the biggest, baddest ship that ever sailed the Mediterranean," Leo agrees, running his hand along the wall.

"I just hope there's people to witness it." Percy had been forwarding reports form Grover about Sciron's activities. While they toiled away in the seclusion and safety of Calypso's island, Sciron had become a menace to the outside world, causing hurricanes and earthquakes wherever he sailed. And his control over the pearl is only growing stronger.

"Hey, don't get all brooding on me. Tonight's a night for celebration." Leo looks up at grins at her. "We did something amazing here. And tomorrow, we're going to set off and do even more amazing things."

Annabeth tries to let herself relax. Leo is right. She's come so far since they first began. When she first joined the Pax, she had become Percy's advisor and a friend to his closest friends, but the rest of the crew hadn't taken much notice of her. After her duel on Hylla and Reyna's ship, the story had leaked out and the crew had been almost intimidated by her. When she first returned, some of them were still upset at her. Now, since she's taken the lead on the Argo II project, she's become a real leader who's looked up to as much as Percy and Frank.

It feels good. Annabeth knows it's her hubris peeking out, but she can't deny the satisfaction she gets when people take her seriously. Growing up as a woman in a world where females were considered weak and inferior, Annabeth is still overwhelmed every time she's addressed with respect from a man. She wishes her mother could see her now. She wishes her mother could see what Annabeth has done with the education and the intelligence that was passed down to her.

"You're right," she says, leaning her arm on Leo's shoulder. "We make a pretty good team."

Leo ascends the ladder to the deck and they stand in the moonlight, the sea breeze blowing over them. Annabeth feels unstoppable. She feels like challenging Sciron to try and fight her again. She's not weak anymore. She's finally grown into who she was meant to be.

"Let's go," Leo says, pulling her away. "I believe there's a party with our name on it."

The fire in the central hearth of Ogygia has been converted into a ten foot tall bonfire that roars and crackles. A few crew mates try to play music on make-shift instruments, and though it sounds terrible, no one seems to mind - except maybe Will, who's standing on the edge of the group with a pained expression on his face and his hands covering his ears. Nico stands nearby, watching him with an amused expression.

Leo jumps in the middle and throws his hands up, the bonfire exploding another five feet. The men cheer and pat him on the back, congratulating him. Annabeth finds herself being escorted to the middle next to him.

"Let's hear it for Annabeth and Leo!" someone shouts, holding up mugs. Another crew member shoves drinks in their hands and they raise them hesitantly, glancing at each other in surprise. Neither Annabeth nor Leo is used to being the center of attention.

Then, with a shrug, they tap their mugs together before drinking. Both of them immediately splutter, not expecting the bitter alcohol that washes down their throats. The men laugh and pound their backs a little roughly as they cough.

Everyone wants to congratulate Annabeth, it seems. Even though she'd been a strict and sometimes cold supervisor, no one seems to mind now that the work is done. They share stories and though Annabeth blushes at some of the things she'd said or done in her stress and exhaustion, everyone laughs and plays it off.

The alcohol takes the edge of her nerves, and the men's praise grows her confidence. She begins to enjoy herself. She laughs loudly, sings along off-key with the men, and even grows used to the vile drink.

Calypso finds her in between conversations and takes her arm.

"You've really changed, Annabeth," she says, smiling softly. "I've never seen you look so happy and confident. You were so lost when you first came here."

"I've found my purpose."

Calypso raises an eyebrow. "Are you going to be a shipwright, then?"

Annabeth laughs. "Not quite. I don't think I could ever leave these people. The Argo II has become my home."

"I'm happy for you." Her eyes grow distant, and Annabeth remembers that Calypso is stuck here, unable to ever find another home.

"Hey." Annabeth reaches out and grabs her shoulder. "I know how hard it must be for you to live here forever, but you've handled it so well. Instead of being angry and bitter, you've created a beautiful home for castaways like us. We're forever in your debt."

Calypso's smile turns pained. "For the first time in thousands of years, I haven't felt alone. You all have given me the best gift of all. I shall cherish these moments for the rest of my life."

"You deserve to enjoy this party as much as the rest of us. It would have taken us months longer to finish the Argo II without your help."

The other girl nods. "You're right. I will." She drifts off into the crowd, and Annabeth wishes there was a way they could do more for the girl who's done so much for them.

Annabeth's eyes scan across the crowd and stops on a pair of sea green ones. A pang goes through her. For all her success over the last four months, none of it has to do with Percy. She hasn't spoken to him since he first came back. At first she tried to get him alone, to talk to him, but he seemed to be avoiding her. Finally she buried herself in her work, hoping that keeping herself busy would make her miss him less.

It didn't work.

He looks away and disappears in the shadows. She tries to ignore it, tries to ignore him, but the high from being accepted and praised by the others dissipates. All the glory in the world is worth nothing when he won't even look her in the eye.

Annabeth can't lie - although she'd loved her work and found pride in it, a large part of her had also hoped that she could impress him. She would build him a ship so beautiful that he would fall in love with it - and with her.

She'll always be proud of the Argo II. It's a good, strong, beautiful ship that any captain would kill to have. Nothing can take away the pride she has when she looks at it. But she can't celebrate anymore tonight. She feels as though the wind has been knocked right out of her.

She slips past the crowd and disappears.

Annabeth sits on the beach, digging her toes into the sand and looking out over the beach, where the Argo II gleams like a thousand drachmas under the moonlight. The sounds of the party are muted behind her, but she's already as far from the music and noise as possible on this tiny island.

She hears pattering footsteps behind her and Mrs. O'Leary trots over to her, walking in a circle before lying down beside her and resting her large black head in Annabeth's lap.

Annabeth strokes her fingers through the dog's fur. At least there's somewhere here who appreciates her without her having to prove herself.

They sit for a while, enjoying the fresh night air. Annabeth has long since given up trying to ignore the sea and the stars. Even though everything reminds her of Percy, she has learned to push away the wave of sorrow deep down. She can't live forever being haunted by memories. She can't live forever being haunted by what-ifs.

Mrs. O'Leary's ears suddenly pick up. A moment later, Annabeth hears someone crashing through the brush.

"Mrs O'Lear - " Percy stops suddenly when he sees them on the beach. Annabeth bounces her leg, encouraging the dog to get up. Mrs. O'Leary stubbornly closes her eyes and ignores her.

"Sorry," Annabeth says, not looking at him. "Guess she fell asleep."

"It's fine." He hesitates, still standing a few feet behind her. Annabeth pretends to not notice, but she's hyper aware of his every move. "I meant to tell you...the ship looks great. You did good."

"Thanks."

They sit in awkward silence for another moment.

"Annabeth, I - " Percy steps forward and sits down on the sand, a few feet away from her. The space feels infinite, even though it's the closest they've been in four months. "I'm sorry that I've been ignoring you."

"I'm the one who should apologize." Annabeth scratches the back of Mrs. O'Leary's ears. "I left you when you needed me most."

He shakes his head. "No, I made a mistake. I knew you were engaged and I still thought…" He trails off. "It doesn't matter. You don't owe me anything."

"I owe you everything. If you hadn't helped me on Tortuga, I'd probably be dead by now, or still a prisoner of Ares. And if you hadn't invited me onto your ship and introduced me to this world, I'd be married and probably a mom now. That isn't a horrible thing, but with all the societal restrictions...I'd never have reached my full potential." Annabeth motions to the Argo II. "This is what I was meant to do. To build great things."

"Is that why you came back?" His voice is quiet. "Because you were unhappy?"

"Partly. After experiencing all this freedom, it was hard to adjust to being a woman of status again. But I could have been happy with Luke. I loved him. I could have adapted and stayed, and I wouldn't have been miserable forever."

"But you didn't."

"No," Annabeth agrees. "I couldn't stay because we didn't have closure."

Percy is silent. She continues.

"I worried about you. I couldn't stop thinking about if something terrible had happened. There was a storm one night, and I was sure that it meant you had died. I felt responsible. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was the betrayal from the prophecy that meant the end of everything. I had to come back to be sure. And when I found out you were dead - " She balls up her fist. "I didn't know where to go or what to do. I burned all my bridges to come back, only to find that you were gone."

"You weren't the betrayal from the prophecy." Percy traces his finger through the sand. He looks almost nervous. "So you - you came back for me?"

"Of course, Seaweed Brain."

She looks over and sees that he's smiling a little. She hasn't seen him smile since before he was captured by Sciron.

"I'm glad you're back," he finally says, looking over at her. "I missed having my Wise Girl around."

"Just wait until I start giving you orders, too."

"Trust me, I can't wait." He stands, and this time Mrs. O'Leary gets up, shaking the sand off her fur. "Goodnight, Annabeth."

"Goodnight, Percy."