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 26

Annabeth walks around the deck of the Argo II, trying not to grimace with pain. It's been three days since their fight with Sciron, and she's sick of lying in bed while every second brings them closer to the inevitable showdown. Sciron won't be surprised by Percy this time; he'll be ready.

She can sense Percy, Frank, and Will watching her from the top deck, which is why she puts on such a show of strength. She refuses to be sidelined during the last battle. It's a stupid idea, anyway; if the monsters overtake them, no hiding place on the ship will be sufficient to hide her. She'd rather die on her feet with her knife in her hand than dragged out of hiding and executed.

Percy had protested her getting up today, but she couldn't sit still any longer. There was nothing to distract her (except the blankets that smelled irritatingly like Percy, who she apparently couldn't get her mind off anyway) and her thoughts started driving her crazy.

Now, walking around and nodding at the surviving crew members, she feels herself return to normal. The light breeze off the sea blows gently through her hair. She has a blanket wrapped like a shawl around her arms. Although the worst of her fever has passed, she still shivers from time to time.

She wanders around, watching as the crew prepares for another battle. Weapons are being cleaned, repaired, and redistributed. Leo is busy fixing Festus and the ship, as well as installing some nasty new weapons. She watches him for a while, occasionally pointing out suggestions. When he sees her for the first time, Festus clicks and whirls happily (or so Leo translates). Annabeth wishes she could look at Festus without seeing Silena riding him to battle one last time.

Annabeth has had time to think about a lot of things. While bedridden, she's come to terms with the deaths of Beckendorf and Silena. Part of her understood their sacrifice in a way she couldn't before when she took that bullet for Percy. The anger she felt at their deaths faded away, leaving a melancholic and nostalgic feeling. She was also finally able to shut the door on her past life for good. Facing death made her realize what she really prioritizes. Although there will always be a spot in her heart for her family and for Luke, that part is no longer the one that keeps her heart beating.

Most of all, she thinks about her interactions with Percy in the last few days. She still remembers that cold chill she'd felt down to her bones during the battle when she just knew that something bad was about to happen. Her first instinct was to cover Percy's back.

She'd never seen someone look so furious and desperate as Percy did when she fell. Most of what she remembers is a haze, but she can clearly picture how he'd screamed and swung his sword around, standing over her protectively. Then he'd summoned up so much power that he'd blown both of their ships several days away.

She remembers him at her side every moment after. He'd held her hand while Will removed the bullet and patched her up. He'd carried her to his own cabin to give her the best lodging and privacy. And their conversation afterward…

"Why did you take that bullet for me?" he asked. Her cheek still burns where he'd touched her face with his calloused fingers.

"You would have done the same for me," she responded, but it was only half the truth. The other half of the truth is something she'd known for a while but hasn't been able to form into a coherent thought to herself, let alone confess to him.

Annabeth feels like she has so much bottled up in her chest that if there were to be one slight opening, it would all tear out. She can barely bring herself to look at him right now. She's trying to do her best to distract herself but she can't escape his presence. The ocean around her reminds her of his eyes, the ship under her feet reminds her of the night he changed her life, the Celestial Bronze weapons glinting in the sunlight remind her of Riptide and the way he wielded it when she was shot…

It's going to come out somehow. Annabeth knows it. She just doesn't know how to handle it. For once, the right words evade her. So instead of facing him, she just does her best to keep him at a distance.

She stands at the railing and grips it hard, hanging her head and looking down. Her side aches and her chest is constricting and damn Percy Jackson for making her feel this way.

"You okay?"

She half-turns to see Frank standing behind her, his forehead creased in worry.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She straightens up and faces him, her jaw clenching as the motion aggravates her injury.

"You're just as bad as Percy," he complains. "Always trying to play the hero, to carry everything on your own shoulders."

"Well, I am a woman, and that's what's expected of us." She offers him a weak smile. "What's Percy's excuse?"

"He's too self-sacrificing for his own good." Franks shakes his head. "Although you're heading that way, too. I expect him to do dumb things, but you're the smart one."

"That's why I did it. He's not completely invincible."

Frank doesn't look surprised, just sad. "No one is," he says. "Not even the gods. That's why they need us."

Need us to die for them, Annabeth thinks.

"Annabeth, I understand that you want to fight when we find Sciron again. And I support you. But please, be careful." Frank's eyes swim. "You're more important to everyone here than you realize. You've become a leader to most of the men, and a close friend to some of us. We've already lost too many people who are important to us."

"I don't plan to take any more bullets, if that's what you're worried about." Annabeth steps back from the railing. "How far away do you think we are from Sciron?"

"A day at most. I've been charting our course and what I know of Sciron's, and it's going to be soon."

Annabeth nods. One day. She may have to pay Will a visit; she needs to be in full fighting form for the final battle, whatever it takes.

"Captain Jackson!" a pirate yells, staring out of the spyglass. "I see a ship headed towards us!"

Annabeth turns as Percy takes the stairs two at a time up to the top deck, where he takes the spyglass and looks himself. Frank is right on his heels.

"Prepare for battle!" he shouts a second later, handing the spyglass back.

The ship's already busy atmosphere kicks up a notch higher. Annabeth stands in the middle of the storm, taking deep breaths to calm her nerves.

As anxious as she is for the battle ahead, she's also ready for it. She's sick of the nightmares, sick of living on edge, sick of worrying about Sciron. Whatever happens today, she's ready.

Her side still hurts, but the nectar and ambrosia have all but healed the injury. She's prepared to fight. Most of the crew members (the ones who survived the first battle, at least) are also healed and well-armed.

Nico grips his black sword. He's outfitted in all black armor. Instead of hiding in the shadows, he's now become a shadow. Will stands at his side wearing golden armor - too many close calls during the last battle, apparently - and looking like the sun itself. They're an odd pair, that's for sure, but Annabeth also sees why they're good for each other.

Frank has on golden armor to match his spear. He also has his bow and a quiver of arrows strapped to his back. He has a new scar on the edge of his right eyebrow from the last battle, but he looks more confident today than Annabeth has ever seen him.

Leo isn't wearing armor, but he has special gloves that he designed to focus his fire in order to harness it as a weapon. As usual, he has his toolbelt around him, and Annabeth knows he's been installing a lot of new dangerous weapons and traps around the ship and Festus.

Percy's not wearing any armor. She knows he's practically invincible, but she's still worried. She remembers him telling her that the bullet she took would have killed him. She hopes it was just a lucky shot by Sciron and not a sign that he knows Percy's weakness.

She's wearing some bronze armor that she scavenged from the cargo hold. It's a patchwork set, but she's more worried about the practicality than the aesthetic. She doubts it will hold up against Sciron's gun if he decides to try and shoot her again, but it might help against the monsters.

The sky around them darkens, the clouds roll in thick and heavy, and the winds pick up. In the distance, now visible with the naked eye, is Sciron's dark ship.

Percy stands at the top deck, Frank at his right side, and looks over his assembled crew-turned-army.

"When you joined my crew, you knew the dangers we would be facing. You knew we'd sail where only the heroes of ages past had gone before. You knew we would fight battles for the gods and man alike. We've been to the Sea of Monsters and back. Some of us have been to the Underworld and back. And some of us haven't come back." He looks grim. "But today we're not just fighting for any god. We're fighting for our patron god, the ruler of the seas and my father! He gave us this ship, and he's given us many fair winds and calm seas. He's escorted our fallen friends and shipmates into the next life in return for their service, and he will do the same for all of us when it is our time. The sea gave us a home when the world rejected us, and now it is our time to fight for it!"

A cheer goes up from the sailors. Percy watches them all for a long minute, looking sad. Then he turns and says something to Frank, and his first mate descends the steps, leaving Percy alone.

Annabeth turns back to the sea. Sciron's ship is closing in, close enough to see the monsters of the deck. The crew of the Argo II scatter, taking their battle positions. Leo runs around and arms his weapons. Annabeth glances back at Percy and realizes it might be the last time she ever sees him. She wades through the bustle on the deck and climbs to the top deck.

Thunder rumbles around them. Annabeth's hair, tied back in a ponytail, is buffered wildly by the wind. Percy's eyes are darker, as if they're reflecting the sea around him. He watches Sciron's ship as every second brings his destiny closer.

"So this is it," she says, standing next to Percy at the railing. "The final battle."

"Yeah." He glances over at her. "Try not to get shot this time, okay?"

She rolls her eyes. "Only if you try not to expose your Achilles' heel."

"Deal." He looks back out in front of him. "Annabeth, if things go south…"

"Don't say that."

"Jump into the sea. My father will protect you."

"I'm not abandoning ship, Percy. If we're overrun, then I'm dying on my feet with my knife in my hand. Even if I did escape, what kind of life would I have? Sciron would destroy the world with the pearl, and even if he didn't, I would have lost all my friends." Annabeth shakes her head. "This is where I'm meant to be."

"I knew you'd say that." He looks back at her. "I had to try, anyway."

"I know." She stares at him, a thousand different thoughts clouding her head. There's so much she wants to say, and so little time. Why did she wait? What was she so afraid of? She was stupid.

Maybe it's her imagination, but she thinks she can read the same thoughts in Percy's eyes. Normally he's so hard to read, but for once she knows exactly what's going on in his head.

"Annabeth, I - "

She cuts him off, grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him towards her and kissing him. When she releases him, he stares at her with a stunned expression on his face.

"Good luck," she says, taking a step back. "Don't die."

She turns and walks away, heading down to the middeck to take her position. She has a million thoughts spinning around in her head, and at least a few of them will make her cry if she lets them. The other half would try to make her convince Percy to just run away with her now and let the gods deal with Sciron.

Sciron's ship pulls up next to theirs, monsters foaming at the mouth and grinning maniacally as they set their eyes on the humans. Annabeth pulls out her knife and takes her place next to Frank. He nods at her once, a sign of support and solidarity. He'll have her back.

Unlike last time, there is no banter between Percy and Sciron, no waiting period. Sciron's ship bumps up along the side of the Argo II and the monsters leap over the railing. Percy and Sciron lunge at each other, propelled by their own personal hurricanes. Battle commences.

Annabeth slices and hacks with her knife like there's no tomorrow. She covers Frank's back while he sweeps his spear at any advancing monsters. Around them, the crew is using everything in their power to their advantage. Leo's Archimedes spheres are zapping monsters left and right, and other small explosions pop up as the monsters trigger his hidden traps. Festus is blowtorching any he can. Leo himself is using his gloves to fire pulses of concentrated flames at monsters, disintegrating them left and right.

Nico is summoning up legions of the undead between swinging his black sword. He seems to be pacing himself a bit more than last time. Will is at his back, blowing a golden whistle. Annabeth can't hear any sound from it, but some of the monsters hiss and scream and claw at their ears before exploding on the spot.

Out on the ocean, Percy is launching himself at Sciron with a sword while Sciron uses the pearl's power to fend him off. He already has a bleeding cut on his arm, though, and Percy doesn't even look tired.

For a while, Annabeth thinks they have hope of getting out alive. Every man cuts down ten monsters or more. The entire deck is coated in monster dust and various horns, claws, and other spoils of war.

As the battle drags on, Annabeth realizes that for every monster they disintegrate, there's a dozen more on Sciron's ship just waiting. Percy and Sciron are stuck in a stalemate. And the crew - well, the crew is just human, and they're starting to tire out.

They begin falling back, creating a loose circle in the middle of the deck. Annabeth realizes they must have lost about half the crew. Nico is barely staying on his feet, Will has his sword and is desperately trying to fend monsters off with it, Frank lost his spear and is alternating between shooting his bow and straight up stabbing monsters with the arrows, and Leo has exhausted his personal fire powers (though not his tricks; he's using one of his spheres as a control and the others to attack, and it's probably the only thing keeping the monsters at bay at this point).

Percy falls back to blast a wave of monsters off the ship, Sciron at his heels. He lands on the deck and blasts through a bunch, but more just fill their place. Then he's ripped away again by Sciron, back out to sea.

His intervention gave the surviving crew just enough time to regroup, though. Everyone picks up new weapons, takes a few sips of nectar, and gets back in position. Annabeth glances at Frank, and she sees the same hopelessness mirrored in his eyes. They're both smart enough to do the math.

Just as a fresh wave of monsters hit the deck of the Argo II, Annabeth hears a horn blowing. The monsters all stop, and everyone looks in confusion through the rain and dark skies. The mist parts and three ships come sailing straight towards them.

The first is flying a black flag with a skull on it along with a crimson red one - none other than the Queen Anne's Revenge. Annabeth has never been so happy to see Reyna standing at the bow of the ship, her purple cloak flapping dramatically in the wind behind her. The second ship is flying a red flag with a boar on it, but it's Clarisse not Ares that's bellowing orders from the deck. The third ship has silver flags with the moon, and a group of girls with silver bows stand on deck in a line, releasing as one. The volley lands right on the monsters, each arrow hitting its mark. Thalia throws Annabeth a mock salute as they nock their bows for a new volley. Next to her stands Jason, Piper, and Hazel. Jason raises his gladius and lightning crackles down from the sky, Piper draws her bronze dagger, and Hazel brings her hand up to her mouth and whistles. Within seconds a beige stallion with dark hair blurs across the surface of the water and skids to a smoking stop next to her. He tosses his head proudly and Hazel climbs onto his back, drawing her long spatha.

The monsters continue pouring out of Sciron's ship, but now they're being attacked on three sides. And if that isn't enough, a few figures start climbing out of the sea and over the sides of the Argo II. Annabeth is about to attack when she stops in her tracks. It's a group of cyclopes, all following one with a battle axe, an ornate Celestial bronze shield, and a serious look on his face.

"For Percy!" he shouts, hefting his axe in the air. "For Posiedon!"

The other cyclopes behind him repeat the cry and as they rush into battle. Annabeth stands, stunned, but Frank just breaks out in a grin and jogs over to the cyclops.

"Tyson! You made it!" he cries out.

Tyson turns and grins. "We did! Daddy said that Percy needed our help. I got all of Percy's friends and we got here just in time."

"You're Percy's brother?" Annabeth asks, suddenly remembering Percy's comment about how things were different with his half-brother because he "wasn't mortal".

"Yes. I am Tyson. A good son of Poseidon, not like bad Sciron." Tyson wrinkles his nose. Then he really looks at her. "You are very pretty. You must be Annabeth."

"You know who I am?"

"Percy told me." Tyson's grin widens and then he pulls her into a tight hug. Annabeth has to bite her tongue from crying out; her side is still very tender. "It is good to meet you!"

"You, too," she manages to breathe out. Then he releases her, and his grin fades away.

"Percy needs our help," he says, pointing to where he was fighting with Sciron. "I go."

Frank grabs his shoulder. "It's too dangerous. Sciron is Percy's fight. We need to worry about the monsters for now."

Tyson looks torn, but then he finally nods. "Okay. Time for bad monsters to go bye-bye." He hefts his battle axe and charges into the fray.

Annabeth gets distracted watching Percy's fight. He may be nearly invincible, but as long as Sciron has the pearl, Percy's own sea powers aren't enough for him to get the advantage. They need to get the pearl away from him somehow.

Annabeth glances around the deck, looking for something she can use. She sees one of Sciron's gold pistols laying on the deck, probably dropped when he was chasing Percy. An idea pops in her mind so crazy that it might actually work.

She picks it up and then dashes across the deck, snatching a small Archimedes sphere out of the air. It zaps her slightly when she grabs it, but she ignores the pain.

She returns to the railing, not twenty feet from where Percy and Sciron are blasting each other with water. She cocks the pistol, aims it, and sends a prayer out to Apollo and Artemis and every other god she can think of.

Then she fires.

The bullet flies through the storm, the pistol recoiling from her hands with a loud pop. She watches as the bullet just misses the pearl in Sciron's hands by a centimeter. It's close enough for both Sciron and Percy to pause and turn her way.

Sciron grins cruelly. "So close," he taunts. "My guns would never betray me."

Annabeth cocks her head to the side. "I didn't miss," she replies.

The Archimedes sphere swoops in, a thin claw hand retracting out and snatching up the pearl. Then it zips back to the deck before Sciron can react.

Sciron's jaw drops, and Percy backhands him with a wave. He disappears under the water, and Percy propels himself back to the deck. His feet hit the wood with a loud thud and then he reaches his hand out. The Archimedes sphere drops the pearl in his palm.

Sciron erupts from the water, shooting at them with his remaining pistol. Annabeth steps behind Percy and the bullets ricochet off his iron skin. He clenches his fingers around the pearl and a whirlpool begins forming. Sciron tries to rocket himself away, but the water no longer obeys him. He's sucked into the vortex. It suddenly drops, and Sciron's scream fades away as the waters close over him and the whirlpool washes out.

"Where did he go?" Annabeth asks, peering out from behind Percy.

"I sent him straight to Tartarus. Can't risk him escaping the Underworld again." Percy's face is grim. He raises his hands, and the sea around them calms. The clouds lighten and start drifting away, and the winds die down.

He makes a motion with his arm and waves rise out and wash away the monsters from the decks of the four ships, also carrying away Sciron's dark ship but leaving all their allies unharmed.

In less than a minute the battle is over and all the evidence washed away.

"I have to go return this to my father," Percy says, looking intently at the tiny pearl that had caused them so much trouble. "I'll be back."

He disappears over the side of the ship, Tyson and the cyclopes following him.

"So what do we do now?" Frank asks, glancing around at the other ships. Clarisse has a fist in the air and is screaming challenges at the vanished monsters. Reyna and Hylla are wiping their swords off on their pants. Thalia and the hunters are picking up spoils of war from the deck of their ship.

Annabeth watches as Will drops his whistle and Nico's sword and fumbles for his medical bag.

"We help the wounded," she says. "And we wait."