Marriage, like life, is filled with ups and downs, even for a god. Percy often said something he shouldn't have and Annabeth often let pride get in her way but for the most part, they were happy and life was peaceful.
Percy had never experienced a life of monsters until he was 11. Thanks to his mother's selflessness and years of putting up with Smelly Gabe, Percy had been safe. Annabeth often commented that it was strange to think that her children didn't need to worry about it. As they reached 11, Annabeth kept looking over her shoulder, out of habit.
"You need to stop being so paranoid," her husband said with a smile, taking her by the waist.
"Can you really blame me?"
"No but Annabeth, this is what you all fought for. This is what our friends died for. So that our children could grow up in a world free of monsters and titans and every other meanie that we fought when we were their age." Percy waved to the man who was making his way toward them.
"How can he look the same as he did when I first came to camp?"
"He's immortal," Annabeth scoffed.
"Hello Percy. Annabeth."
"Chiron," Percy said with a smile. "How is it around here?"
"In a word, peaceful. Our campers no longer think that this will be life and death. For the first time in my life, this camp is… just for fun." The old centaur looked a little stunned and Percy laughed.
"Fun. Do demigods know that word?"
"Since the Great Stirring, yes, they do. Although I will admit, I kept the lava at the rope course," he shrugged. "Got to keep it interesting."
"Well they're both really excited. But I have to warn you, Zale hasn't really done that great with being away from home."
"Why don't you bring them inside and we will show them around?" Annabeth turned back to her children.
"Zale! Jaycee! Come inside!"
"Wow," the twins said as they neared the entrance to Camp Half-Blood. Percy grinned.
"This is where I met your mother. And where I learned everything about being a demigod."
"You're THE Chiron," Jaycee asked in a voice of awe.
"Yes child. And you are THE Jaycee Jackson. I've been looking forward to meeting you." The girl gave her mother an excited look.
"Welcome to Camp Half-Blood."
The twins' heads twisted around so many times that Percy was afraid they would fall flat on their faces. They were HIS kids, after all. He was good with his sword but he had always been a bit clumsy.
"Pegasus stables are just over that hill," Chiron pointed. "Riding lessons every Tuesday and Thursday."
"I actually get to ride a pegasus?!" Jaycee's jaw dropped.
"You may even understand them," Percy nudged her. "You're a granddaughter of Poseidon. I can talk to all horses."
"That's so cool," she squealed.
"Is there a library," Zale asked, looking around. Chiron and Annabeth exchanged smiles.
"Of course, child. Right there between Athena's and Apollo's cabins. And do you see that cabin there at the end of the path? That's where you two shall be." The twins exchanged excited looks and took off toward the empty cabin. Percy gaped at the building, which bore close resemblance to Cabin 3.
"You built a cabin for them?"
"All gods are represented, Percy," Chiron said sternly. "We weren't sure if you would be sending them to camp or not, but the legacies of Percy Jackson will be most welcome here."
"Dad, you have to come see this!" Percy and Annabeth followed Chiron inside the cabin and Percy froze.
"Oh my gods." Annabeth snorted and hid her laughter behind her hand.
Tridents and coral and shells decorated the walls, while the bed sheets were aquamarine. Matching desks were in the corners with a lamp on each. In the corner, a grand marble statue of Percy holding Riptide and controlling a wave, sat. Percy approached the statue, his eyes wide with horror.
"That is so unnecessary...and huge."
"All cabins include a statue of their patron god or goddess," Chiron shrugged, ignoring Annabeth's stifled laughter.
"Yeah but… it could be smaller. Like a lot smaller."
"I think it looks just like you, Dad," Zale joined his father in front of the statue. Percy blew out a breath and covered his face.
"Let's continue on," Chiron said, clip-clopping out of the cabin.
Jaycee was thrilled to see the archery range and the pegasus stables while Zale fell in love with the library and the dining pavilion (which was now completely indoors). It was a treat for Annabeth and Percy as well, who hadn't seen the camp since it had been rebuilt. Even though Annabeth had designed several of the plans for the rebuilding, she hadn't seen them completed.
While Annabeth took the kids to inspect the sword-fighting field, Percy stuck his hands in his pockets and leaned in close to Chiron.
"I actually didn't expect so much… dedication to the gods. You know, after… what happened."
"We still honor the gods," the centaur said solemnly. "There were some who objected to us rebuilding the cabins and their statues but this camp has existed for thousands of years and it has always paid tribute to the gods. We still make offerings at dinner time. We still teach the history. It is just more… care-free than it has ever been."
"Yeah, I bet," Percy whistled and looked around. "I could never have imagined Camp Half-Blood being just that. A camp."
"Nico said the same thing when he brought Zelene here. Times have changed indeed."
"Well, thank you for inviting them to come here. They've known everything for awhile now but they have been asking about Camp Half-Blood since we told them who they are."
"They are welcome to stay as long as they wish. We extend camp through the whole summer, and then we offer a two-week winter camp as well. Campers no longer live here year round. We of course will welcome those who lost parents or families in the war, but most of our campers only stay for the summer."
"Annabeth wasn't lying about Zale. He may decide to come home in a week. He's pretty attached to his mother."
"They are demigods, Percy. I'm sure once they meet others close to their age, they will be just fine."
"They've grown up around Zelene and Grace and Zinnia and Frankie. In fact, poor Zale was crying that he's seriously outnumbered. I hope he meets some boys his age at camp. He needs it."
"He'll be just fine," Chiron repeated. "Things worked out for you, didn't they?" Percy tried to smile but his eyes drifted to his wife and children.
"Do not start thinking of the future, Percy. Think only of the present and enjoy the precious minutes."
"I'm going to see what Annabeth is teaching them," he said off-handedly, waving to the centaur as he headed down to the field.
"Dad! Come sword fight with Mom!"
"No way," he scoffed as he reached his family. "Your mother is terrifying with a weapon. I'm not stupid." Annabeth and the kids grinned.
"You kids sure you want to stay here?"
"YES," they cried in unison. Percy and Annabeth exchanged grins.
"Alright but just know we will come back and get you if you change your minds."
"I'll get your bags out of the car. Chiron was going to introduce you both in the dining hall, if you want to head up there. It's almost lunch time."
"Come on, kids," Annabeth tried to take their hands but they both shook their heads and hissed "MOM". Percy turned away, a broad grin on his face, as he headed back toward the car.
He dropped the bags off in his cabin (shooting his statue a disgusted look) and headed up toward the dining hall.
Annabeth stood off to the side while Chiron stood up front between the twins. The hall was slowly filling up with people, while nymphs moved from table to table, filling up plates. Annabeth reached for a goblet, closed her eyes, and handed it to Percy. His eyes widened when he saw the blue liquid inside.
"Blue cherry coke," she said softly. He pulled her hand to his lips because he couldn't kiss her properly in front of a room full of demigods.
"Settle down everyone," Chiron's voice echoed around the hall. He stamped his hoof against the marble floor and the campers took their seats. He raised his glass toward the ceiling.
"To the gods."
"To the gods," echoed around the room. Percy watched as the campers carried their plates up to the fire (which he was slightly alarmed to see was not contained in any sort of bin or basket) and scrape a part of their dinner into the flames. Zale and Jaycee watched in wonder.
"At least they have each other," Percy muttered to Annabeth. "They won't be alone, like I was."
"When were you ever alone, Seaweed Brain," she retorted.
"Hey, you and Grover might have been my friends but after Poseidon claimed me, I sat at a table and slept in a cabin by myself. It was miserable. I'm just saying, at least there's two of them."
"Percy, look!" Annabeth pointed to the big table up front and Percy was shocked to see Dionysus. Mr D, the campers called him. After all these years, he was still the camp director.
"How did we forget he runs this camp? And we didn't warn the kids. They'll be calling to come home in a day." Dionysus shot them a glare from the table, as if he could hear them. Chiron stamped his hoof again and the god stood up, glowering.
"As if we don't have enough excitement around here already, we're welcoming two new campers today. Jaycee and Zale Jackson. Cabin 21. Yipee." He sat back down and took a gulp of his diet coke.
"Their names he gets right," Percy mumbled. Campers were standing up to get a look at the new demigods.
"Jackson? As in Percy Jackson?"
"They're good with water, right? They're Poseidon's grandchildren!"
"Annabeth Chase is their mother! The Mother of Earth!"
"Settle down, campers," Chiron said loudly. "Finish your meals and we will retire to the campfire. Jaycee, Zale, if you would like to take a plate." He motioned toward the table on the far right, before joining Dionysus at the big table. Zale shot his parents an anxious look and Percy made his way to the front.
"You guys will have a great time. Call us when you need, ok?"
"Stay for dinner," he asked quietly. Percy glanced back at Annabeth, and he nodded to his son.
"Of course." Percy and Annabeth sat with their children for dinner, and quietly slipped away when several kids asked them to sit next to them at the campfire. They grinned as they joined hands and walked through the entrance.
"Crazy to be back here," he muttered, his hair blowing in the night wind.
"So many memories here," she wrapped her arm around his waist and leaned into his side. "Sure you don't want to take a walk around the lake and reminisce?"
"I'd rather take my wife back home and take advantage of the empty house." She smiled but stopped in front of their car.
"I don't suppose you can make a car travel by water, can you?"
Despite what everyone told him about enjoying the moment, Percy's fear of losing Annabeth never faded. It was always in the back of his mind, knowing that death would one day separate them.
It was as his father had said; death has a way of making mortals cling to what they cherish. And Percy clung to her. He couldn't stand to be away for her for very long and he couldn't go a day without hearing her voice, if they were apart.
But Percy had told his father it was all worth it and he still felt it was true. As he walked his daughter down the aisle toward her groom, he felt it. As he held his sister's baby boy, he felt it. As he met his son's first boyfriend, he felt it. As he ended each day with his beloved Wise Girl, he most certainly felt it.
It was just after the birth of their first grandchild that it happened. Annabeth collapsed and Percy rushed her to the hospital. He would have preferred to take her to Will but he and Nico had gone to visit Zelene at college, and wouldn't be back for several days. So Percy waited in the white hospital room, clinging to his wife's hand. He really hated hospitals. He had stayed by his mother's side while his step-father had slipped away. He'd always hated how pristine they were, as if something surrounded by death could be so pure.
Annabeth stayed in the hospital for several days. Her daughter and son waited outside, while Percy refused to leave her side. He had thought seeing her after she returned from war had been the worst he had ever seen but this definitely topped that. Wires and cords kept her connected to machines while her eyes were sunken in and her skin was sallow. He was afraid to grip her hand too hard lest she might break. He had never seen his goddess looking so weak and defeated.
But when the tests came back and the doctors uttered a horrifying word, Percy nearly caused a hurricane outside. He refused to believe it and told the doctors he was taking his wife home.
Will gave him a solemn look when he exited Annabeth's bedroom. Percy shot to his feet and shook his head.
"No. No, please Will, tell me it's something else."
"I'm so sorry, Percy," Will whispered. Nico hung his head and Percy's hands gripped his hair.
"The doctors… the doctors said the can- that it had spread. A lot. How much time does she have?"
"It's spreading rapidly. Even if we proceed with the treatments, her chances are minimal."
"HOW MUCH TIME?" Nico and Will winced.
"Weeks. Maybe a month. It depends on how she responds to the treatment."
"Percy-" Nico started to stand but Percy disappeared where he stood. Will exhaled deeply and squeezed back tears as his husband wrapped him in his embrace.
"It's not your fault."
"I couldn't save him. Now I can't save her."
"My father is the Lord of the Dead, Will. You can't save everyone." Will glanced miserably back at the bedroom behind him.
"But if I could save just one, I'd want it to be her."
Percy had avoided Mount Olympus as much as he could. Now he approached the gods' gardens with a determined look on his face. His fists were clenched by his sides, his footsteps were steady, and his eyes glistened dangerously. Poseidon caught sight of his son and clutched his trident.
"Percy! Son, what's happening?"
"I need to speak to Zeus."
"He's…away. What's wrong?"
"Annabeth is dying. And I want him to reconsider. I want you all to reconsider."
"Slow down. What are you talking about?"
"I don't have time to explain. I need to call an urgent meeting. Now."
"Percy-
"Apollo!" Percy saw the god sunbathing in his garden and left his father gaping. "I need your help."
"Well what can I do for you, Perseus?"
"Annabeth has cancer." Apollo lowered his sunglasses and gaped up at the young god.
"Please. If anyone can… Apollo, I can't… I can't lose her."
"Percy," Apollo stood and set his glasses on the chair. "You know I have no control over this."
"Oh bullshit. We interfere with mortals' lives plenty! What's one more?"
"You have to understand-"
"No, YOU have to understand. I. Can't. Lose. Her!"
"Perseus Jackson, what is all of this fuss?" He frowned up at the goddess, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. His mother in law had never been his biggest fan but he figured if anyone would try to save Annabeth, it would be Athena.
"Your daughter is dying," he spat. "And she doesn't have a lot of time." Athena looked taken aback.
"How-?"
"Cancer," Apollo muttered. "I wish I could curse whoever brought that into existence." Athena swallowed and turned back to Percy.
"You know what Lord Zeus will say."
"Why do we let one god control what we say and do? Maybe the titans had the right idea, trying to overthrow him."
"Percy," Poseidon said warningly, following his son.
"Sorry Dad but I'm sick of it. Even as a demigod, I was sick of it. We let the demigods fend for themselves during the Great Stirring and no thanks to us, they defeated our enemies. The world is the most calm, peaceful place I have ever seen, thanks to ANNABETH. Thanks to Jason Grace and Frank Zhang and Thalia Grace and Tyson and Reyna and Piper and Hazel and Nico and Will and thousands of others, so many who died to make the world better! But hear this: if you let Annabeth die, I will cover the world in my wrath. I will rival Kronos and Gaea. You remember what I was capable of when I was a demigod? Watch what I can do now, with these powers you've bestowed upon me."
Athena, the goddess of wisdom, and Poseidon, the earthshaker, actually took a step backwards. The gleam in Percy's eyes was downright terrifying. After all Percy had been through, they had no doubts whatsoever that Percy could embrace the darkness and turn his back on acts of good. There would be no bringing him back. Without love in his life, Percy could become more dangerous than any enemy the gods had ever faced. It shook Poseidon in the worst way.
"Think about it," Percy snapped before he disappeared in a massive wave. Poseidon cast Apollo and Athena a nervous glance.
"Where has Zeus disappeared to?"
"As far as I know, visiting his most recent, ah, friend," Athena sniffed.
"Then we appeal to the Goddess of Marriage and Family."
"What makes you think she will help," Apollo wrinkled his nose.
"Because even she agrees that these two have had enough. And she was the main one who supported us making Annabeth a goddess before they were wed. Athena, we must try." Sighing deeply, the goddess nodded and trailed after Poseidon as they made their way to the house at the top of the hill.
Hera did indeed agree with them but she doubted her husband would. When Zeus returned, Poseidon and Athena pleaded with him but the lord of the gods refused.
"I am not afraid of a minor god," he said dismissively. "And we cannot make allowances for everyone."
"Husband," Hera lay a hand on his arm. "I once said she would make a powerful goddess. The daughter of Athena. I stand by that still. Even you said she has talent."
"So she's talented at building and designing things," Zeus rolled his eyes. Athena's grey eyes flashed and Poseidon clutched his trident tightly.
"Brother, my son is powerful. And if he loses the only connection to humanity he has, he will become an unstoppable force of darkness."
"He is still a father," Zeus scoffed. "And if he really does turn on us, then we will obliterate him."
"Obliterate a god," Athena said. "Lord Zeus, please see reason. Why should we risk making one of our own turn on us? Let my daughter live."
"I expected this from the two of them," Zeus threw Hera an angry look. "But not from you, Hera."
"I am still the goddess of marriage and family, my lord. As much as the demigod has paid me insult, Percy's and Annabeth's marriage means a great deal to me. I would see them happy and forever united as a powerful couple here on Mount Olympus."
"Unacceptable. And if your son comes to visit again, that is exactly what I will say."
"You are pathetic, brother," Poseidon snarled. The sky flashed with lightning and Zeus looked ready to hurl his brother off the clouds.
"You have a personal grudge against my son. Do not deny it. You are angry he was ever born. Well he was born, Zeus. He was a powerful demigod in life and now he is a powerful god, minor or not. You will not listen to reason and you risk tearing us apart, as you always do. We could save ourselves much trouble but you just will not see him happy."
"I don't have to listen to this," Zeus said like a petulant child. Hera half expected him to stick his fingers in his ears and stick out his tongue. She rolled her eyes as her husband disappeared in a flash.
"I will try to talk to him," she sighed. Poseidon bowed low and made his way back to his garden. He glanced up at the statue of two tridents and sighed.
"My poor boy."
Annabeth slept for most of the day and Percy brought her meals to her in bed. She was weak and frail, her beautiful blonde hair had thinned and was falling out, and her hands were brittle like a skeleton's. Visitors waited in the living room until Percy told them quietly that she was awake and could see people. Piper and Grace, Hazel, with her new husband and their daughter Frankie, Grover and Juniper with their daughter Zinnia, Sally and Estelle, Will and Nico, Chiron in his wheelchair, Clarisse, Leo and Calypso, even Athena, disguised as a beggar woman. All of them entered the dark bedroom and left with dull eyes. Annabeth had always been a ray of light, strong and proud and brave. Seeing her in the bed, unable to move, was devastating.
Percy returned to Mount Olympus every day to plead with Zeus but the god was unyielding. And every day, Annabeth's thread of life grew thinner and thinner.
But Annabeth continued to smile. She asked her children to read to her and asked to hold her granddaughter. She squinted at the pages of her books until Percy smiled and took it from her, finishing the page and laughing when she said "just one more chapter". She kissed Percy like she always had, full of passion and life. Her body might be fading away but her soul was as bright as ever. Percy's eyes filled with tears whenever he would look down to see her beautiful smile. She reached up and rested her trembling hand on his cheek.
"I will always love you, Percy Jackson."
"Forever, Mrs. Jackson," he pressed his lips to hers. "I'll love you forever and even after that."
"Don't be afraid, Percy. We knew this day would come."
"Too soon, my love," he choked back tears. "It's here too soon. You can't leave me. I'm lost without you." She wrapped her frail arms around him and cradled him to her chest, allowing him to cry.
The medicine made her hair fall out and she was always nauseated but Percy still cooked for her, making all of her favorite meals. Calypso helped him take in her clothes when she complained that she was tired of wearing nothing but nightgowns. Will brought nutrients and made smoothies that helped give her a bit of strength. Percy told her stories about their glory days while she lay in his arms. Her laughter shook them both as he recounted their first kiss under the lake.
"It was the best underwater kiss of all time," he nuzzled her cheek, kissing her softly.
His son's cry shook the house and made him drop the pot he was holding. Percy burst into the bedroom and found his son holding her limp hand, his daughter weeping on the other side. Percy dropped to his knees and took Annabeth's hand. It was cold to the touch and he shivered.
"No." He stood and gathered her in his arms, wincing at how weightless she was. Her heart still beat against his chest, though like everything else, it was fading. Zale gasped as his parents disappeared in a wave that drenched the room. Jaycee spluttered through her sodden bangs and Zale jumped to his feet.
"Where'd they go?"
"Oh dad," she muttered. "Please."
Percy didn't care about entering Olympus through the elevator with a mortal. He appeared on the hilltop with a storm brewing over his head. He carried his limp wife down the hill, to the throne room.
Gods and goddesses gasped as Percy entered, drenched to the bone. As a minor god of water, they had never seen him wet but his dark hair hung in his sea-green eyes and his form shook with each step he took. Zeus leaped to his feet.
"What is the meaning of this?" Percy didn't answer but placed Annabeth in the center of the room. He knelt next to her and lowered his heads.
"My lords and ladies. I'm here before you, not as a god nor even a demigod. Just a mortal. A helpless mortal, faced with losing the greatest love he has ever known. I already know my lord Zeus's opinion but I beg you all, please… save her. Make her immortal. Give her powers or not, I don't care. Just don't take her from me." The gods and goddesses shifted in their thrones, shooting each other anxious looks. Hera smiled down at him and clutched the sides of her throne. Athena started to rise but leaned back in her seat.
"This surely isn't the same woman you asked us to make immortal years ago," Hecate said, uncertain.
"There has never been another," Percy said, his voice breaking.
"Annabeth Chase? Her? She looks like a skeleton." Athena shot Aphrodite a deadly glare.
"Sickness steals away youth and beauty, you fool." For once, Aphrodite didn't know what to say. Hestia reached out for Annabeth's hand and shuddered.
"She's so cold." The goddess created a small flame in her hands and held it near Annabeth's face.
"Make the girl immortal," Artemis said loudly. "She is a true warrior and deserves the honor."
"I agree," Hephaestus nodded. "We only refused because Apollo said she was meant for great things. And she has done them! Grant her immortality."
"We need to hurry," Apollo knelt next to Annabeth. "She is running out of time." Percy looked each god and goddess in the eye and they all shifted uncomfortably, muttering to themselves and looking at the ground. His eyes were lifeless, completely dulled and dead. Pain was etched in every line in his face, which had aged beyond his years. His dark hair was streaked with gray, his lips were dry and cracked. It was as if he was dying along with his love.
"Make her immortal," Aphrodite nodded. Dionysus and Ariadne nodded in agreement, their hands gripping the other tightly.
"The girl does not deserve to die. After all we have put them through, Zeus, give them this," Hades said angrily. Persephone squeezed her husband's arm and nodded in agreement.
"I am with my husband. Let her live. Percy Jackson has done much for the gods, as has his wife."
"For once, I agree with my son-in-law," Demeter gripped her scythe. "Make her a goddess." Percy's eyes widened as each voice called out an affirmative. A few, like Ares, only shrugged half-heartedly but they did not protest.
Zeus rose to his feet and clutched a lightning bolt, as if he would incinerate both Percy and Annabeth with it.
"And what would she be the goddess of, Perseus Jackson?"
"She is already named, My Lord. The Mother of Earth. The Savior in the Great Stirring. Gaea is gone, faded completely, and so Annabeth shall be the new Earth Mother. Trapped between two worlds, like I am, she will continue to protect the demigods of Earth, as she has always done."
"The Architect of Olympus," Hestia whispered, rising to stand behind Percy. "I shall give her my title of goddess of architecture. The hearth is what I tend. Let Wisdom's Daughter become a goddess, My Lord Zeus. I have no throne to offer her but I offer my hearth and home. If you should not accept her as the Mother of Earth, she shall tend to the fires in my place."
"That's not how this works, Hestia," Zeus barked.
"You never protested when the Lady Hestia bestowed her throne upon me," Dionysus said, his arms crossed. "Why object now?" Hestia knelt beside Annabeth and cupped her hand around the dying woman's mouth.
"Hestia!" Hestia breathed into Annabeth's mouth and Percy's eyes widened when his wife's chest rose and then fell. Apollo followed Hestia, repeating her actions and breathing into Annabeth's mouth. His twin sister knelt down and did the same. Then Athena, Poseidon, Hermes, Persephone, Hades, until all of the gods stood in a circle around her. Hera cupped Annabeth's cheek tenderly as she blew a short breath. When she stood, they all looked to Percy, whose arms shook as he gathered Annabeth into his lap.
"Mother of Earth," he whispered against her lips before he breathed his life force into her. He stroked her bald head, blinking back tears, before he stood and joined the circle between Poseidon and Artemis. Zeus remained unmoving in his throne.
"Zeus," Hera called sternly. Her eyes flashed dangerously and Zeus grumbled as he flung himself out of his throne. He tilted Annabeth's chin with a giant finger.
"Goddess of Earth and demigods alike," he muttered as he lowered his mouth to hers. He joined hands with his wife and Hades and there was a loud clap of thunder as the circle was completed.
"Arise, new goddess, and breathe new life!" Percy nearly broke the circle when a bright light surrounded Annabeth, engulfing her completely. Artemis squeezed his hand and he closed his eyes as the others were doing.
"Welcome, new goddess, to our circle." Percy's eyes shot open and he stifled a sob.
She was perfect. Her blonde hair flowed down her back, with a golden band wrapped around her forehead. She wore a floor-length white dress with splashes of blue near the edges. Her cheeks were rosy and full and her eyes were bright slivers of silver. She held up her hands to study them, her eyes wide and questioning. A soft golden light continued to glow around her. Zeus nodded to Percy, who cleared his throat.
"Annabeth Jackson," he said, loud and clear. Annabeth's eyes fell on him and widened even more.
"Goddess of Earth and Earth's demigods, Mother of Earth, we ask you to join our circle." He broke hold with his father and stretched out his hand toward her. She took a tentative step toward him, her palm sliding into his. Poseidon took her hand and there was another clap of thunder.
"It is done," Zeus announced, dropping his brother's hand.
"Good because I am starving," Hebe whined.
"I think I could do with a nap," Morpheus yawned.
"Come on baby, let's get out of here," Ares grabbed Aphrodite's hand and they vanished. Hephaestus glared at the spot and turned away, grumbling about a new trap he would try. Athena cupped her daughter's chin and gave her a smile before she slipped away from the throne room.
"Come on." Percy took Annabeth's hand and dragged her up the hill toward his garden. When they were standing underneath the trident fountain, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her with all the love and passion he could muster. She watched in wonder as the grey disappeared from his hair, his shoulders started to straighten, his face became youthful and handsome. And his eyes… those sea-green eyes shone brighter than any emerald or sea glass she had ever seen. Her hand went to his cheek and he leaned into her touch.
"You're not getting away from me, Wise Girl. Never again." She draped her arms around his neck and smiled.
"Now where have I heard that before, Seaweed Brain?"
A year ago I started writing this and finished before the Burning Maze came out. I went back and changed a few things to keep true to the universe and I went back and forth, back and forth, on if I would pull an Uncle Rick and cause mass angst. Well, Percy and Annabeth have literally been through it all. So this is the ending I had imagined for them all along. I hope you all enjoyed, despite the tears! There will be an epilogue, for those who are thinking it's sort of an abrupt ending. I was aiming to have the whole thing posted by Christmas and just had a few spare minutes at work today!
Thanks for following and reviewing! I will most likely write another Percabeth fic soon, I love these two and it was fun to delve into their heads to face each challenge!
Happy Holidays! XOXOX