Disclaimer: I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, characters, series, movies, or anything else you may recognize.

Chapter Twenty-Two

It's Not Over

As soon as we all arrived at camp, we were ushered into the Big House, ordered not to say anything to anyone until we had spoken with Chiron. Once we were sitting inside, Chiron brought us all sandwiches with Cokes and chips. A delicacy at camp, really. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until I saw the food in front of me. I guess that's what happens when you're stuck inside a maze for three days.

"So," Chiron said once everyone had eaten. I glanced over at Andee who just stared at her food, showing no interest in eating, "how did it go?"

"It was a trick," Andee said quietly, continuing to stare at her plate. "They 'key' was a literal key until we got out of the maze, and then the Mist wore off. It turned into a letter, telling me how stupid I had been to think there was a way to destroy the Lord of the Titans who, by the way, has risen."

"Oh," Chiron said, his disappointment obvious in his tone of voice. "Well, then we must start preparing for battle immediately. I will inform the rest of the camp of the news…you should all rest."

Andee was the first one to leave the room, practically sprinting to her cabin. I shot after her, knowing I had to catch her before she got there or I wouldn't get a chance to talk to her for who knows how long. I somehow managed to catch up to her by the fire in the center of the cabins and latched onto her wrist. She stopped, but refused to look at me. "Andee," I said, "you have to talk to me."

"I can't," she said, her voice cracking a little.

"Andee," I said softly, moving close so that I could try to hug her. As soon as I wrapped my arms around her, she stiffened.

"Please don't," Andee said shakily, her hands moving over top of mine.

"That wasn't me," I told her. "You know that wasn't really me – I would never do that to you."

The shaking god harder as she moved my hands off of her. She held them in hers as she turned to face me. Tears were streaming down her face now. "I can't do this anymore, it has to end."

"Andee –"

"I'm done. It's over. This – this whole thing was a mistake," Andee said before running off to her cabin and slamming the door behind her.

I walked up to the door and knocked. "Andee, please let me in." There was no answer, so I sat down in front of the door – she had to go to the bathroom at some point.

I think I probably fell asleep there, because the first thing I saw was Annabeth shaking me away, telling me to get dressed and come to breakfast. I didn't want to leave my post in front of Andee's cabin, but I knew it wasn't going to help things. So I forced myself to shower and re-dress before going to breakfast. Andee wasn't there.

It was like that for days and days on end. No one saw Andee – it was if she had disappeared into the depths of her cabin. I was forced into doing all of my daily activities, especially now that we knew for sure a war was coming. Everything was focused on preparing our numbers in case the camp was invaded, which was very likely. The Hephaestus cabin was busy at work forging as many weapons as they could, and everyone was training twice as hard. No one really had a choice, as Chiron had made our training ten times as intense, taking away anything resembling fun. When I had a break – which was rare now – I would try to get Andee to come out, which never ended the way I kept hoping it would. She wanted nothing to do with me.

So when I went to go the arena to do some sword training with the Apollo guys, I was a little surprised to see Andee there. She was doing hand-to-hand combat with her brothers, showing them up without even trying. Lee stopped fighting Andee and glared at me when he saw me. Andee landed a few more hits before realizing that he'd stopped and she turned around.

Her face dropped when she saw me and she tried to push past her brothers to the other exit, but surprisingly, Lee stopped her, whispering something to her. She started shaking her head, obviously disagreeing. As I got closer, I was able to hear a bit of their conversation.

"…you have to talk to him at some point. Even if it's just to finalize things, but you're not approaching this in a healthy way and you can't just leave him hanging like that."

"I told him it was over. It's not my fault that it didn't get through to him."

"Then make it get through. You have to deal with this."

"Andee, can we please talk?" I interrupted. Andee stared her brother down before finally walked past me, making a subtle gesture for me to follow. So I did, letting her lead the way out to the middle of the cabins. She stopped and faced me, crossing her arms over her chest, an obvious sign for me to back off.

I couldn't do that, though.

"I can't do this again, okay? We're done. That's it. I don't know what kind of closure you need, but that's all I can give you," Andee said. It was like she was back to the cold Andee from before.

"I don't need closure because we both know this isn't over," I told her. "It's barely even started."

"You're wrong."

"What did I do to make you like this?" I demanded. "Is this all because of what happened in the maze? You know that wasn't really me, right?"

"Of course I know that wasn't really you," Andee said. "But that doesn't make it hurt any less or stop me from thinking there might be some truth there. It doesn't stop from me seeing that version of you every time I see your face. But even that is just a tiny part of what's going on."

"Then tell me what's going on."

"I can't!" she yelled, stomping her foot on the ground in frustration. "I can't! We just can't be together! It's over, okay?"

"No, it's not okay! Why can't you tell me what's going on, Andee?" I told her. "I can't live without you."

She stared at me in shock. "Please don't say that. You deserve so much better. You can live without me."

"Well I don't want to!" I said. "You're the only one for me – there is no one better for me than you."

"Stop it!" Andee yelled, hitting my chest. Her eyes were getting watery now. "Don't you get it? Haven't you felt it? We shouldn't be together – it's wrong. I've been lying to you the whole time we've known each other! Did you know that? I haven't told you the truth."

"Then tell me now."

"I can't."

"Yes, you can," I said softly, touching her arm. "Please."

She gazed into my eyes as tears fell from hers. She squeezed her hands in fists at her sides. "I let everyone think that my birth name is Andee, and no one every questions it, but it's not the name on my birth certificate."

"So you lied about your name, that's not a big deal," I told her.

"Yes it is! Names are so powerful, Percy, and you know that," Andee said. "That's why I don't tell people my name – because it changes everything. It's the reason for everything that's happened." She was silent for a few moments as she cried, and I held her close to me, rubbing her back. "My real name is Andromeda."

"So what's wrong with that? It's a pretty name."

"It's a horrible name!" Andee exclaimed, pushing me away a bit. "The Fates brought us together for a reason, Percy. They love to repeat history and that's what they've done with us. Think about it, think about everything."

Our full names were Perseus and Andromeda – like the Ancient Greek story. I saved her from a "monster" and then fell in love with her, just like Perseus did in the story. I was the sea and he was the sky. There were so many incredible little things that made a lot more sense than before.

"So we're like the originals – what's wrong with that? They lived happily ever after, didn't they?" I asked.

"Yes, but the names are cursed now," Andee said. "Aphrodite hated Andromeda because her father said she was more beautiful than the Nereids, and more beautiful than Aphrodite herself. So she cursed the name. Every Andromeda would have a Perseus, but it would always come with some sort of heartbreak. There has been a Prophecy about every Andromeda and Perseus since the original."

"How many others have there been?" Andee looked at the ground, shuffling her feet a bit. "Andee, how many?"

"We're the second," Andee said. "The Andromeda before me – which was not long after the first – took her own life because her Perseus left. He just left her alone."

"So what does your Prophecy say, Andee?" I asked.

"It doesn't matter."

"Andee, please tell me."

"A half-blood will enter the darkest depths of her mind,

To save her, and the strongest love they shall find.

A repeat of history but their story's a fatal twist,

For she will never stop loving him once she is kissed.

The gods themselves will try to keep them apart,

Because until death will her love break her heart," she recited.

"I'm not going to break your heart, Andee," I said softly, cupping her face in my hands. "I will never break your heart."

"You already have."

"That wasn't me, Andee! I would never say or do any of those things to you!"

"It may not have been the real you, but at that time, it was. That's all that matters. And I can still hear you saying that you don't love me and that I never mattered," Andee said, still crying. "I should just become a Hunter like everyone wants me too. My grandfather would be thrilled."

"Don't do that."

"Why not? I'm still considered 'innocent' enough to, and I get a special in because it's my aunt. Then I never have to worry about getting my heart broken again," Andee said.

"I won't let you do that, Andee," I said softly, "you know that's not what you really want. And besides, I'd have to find you and making you fall for me all over again, and then Artemis will probably turn you into an animal, and I think it's safe to say that neither of us want that."

She made a sound that was halfway between a laugh and a hiccup. "It doesn't matter, Percy. None of this matters. What we have isn't real – the Fates orchestrated. None of this is real!"

"It feels real to me," I said. "And I love you, Andee. I love you more than I thought was even possible. I knew I loved you the moment I first saw you."

"Don't say that, Ducky," Andee said. "It's just what the Fates want. None of what we're feeling is real. Don't you think this all happened pretty quickly? We've barely known each other for three weeks – we barely know each other at all!"

"We know a lot about each other," I said, and added, "Love happens quick! What has your dad said about your mom?"

"That it was love at first sight."

"My mom says the exact same thing about my dad," I said. "They were only together for the summer before…well, before my mom got pregnant with me. So who cares if the Fates brought us together? That's just what they do! We still choose what we do with those feelings, and I not only love you, but I want to love you. That is my choice. And you get to choose too, and whatever you choose, I'll try to respect that." I brought her closer to me and held her face in my hands so she would look at me. "I love you, Andee."

"I love you too, Percy," Andee said, leaning into me and putting her hands gently on my chest. "I am hopelessly and desperately in love with you and I want you more than I've ever wanted anything in my life, and it terrifies me. I don't want to feel like I did in that maze ever again, but that's what has been foreseen for my future and I can't just ignore that."

"You have nothing to be terrified of," I said, leaning my forehead to hers. Her breath caught a little and I smiled. I'm kind of stupid sometimes, but I love you so much and you have to know I would never do anything to screw this up. You are one of the best things to happen to me."

Her nose brushed mine. "Why do you have to make this so hard for me?"

"Because I love you and I'm supposed to be the one who makes stupid decisions in this relationship," I told her and pressed my lips to hers. She kissed me back with a passion I had never felt before, and I couldn't get close enough to her. I grabbed her by the hips to bring her closer, and she took it a step farther, jumping up and wrapping her legs around my torso so I was holding her up.

She gave me a little half-smile and brought her lips crashing down onto mine. "Cabin," she said breathlessly against my lips.

Good idea. "Mine or yours?"

"Do you want to be interrupted?" she asked, giving me a look.

"Good point." We didn't need to get caught by Chiron, and I didn't need to be beaten up by her brothers. "My cabin it is," I said and Andee nodded as I maneuvered us towards my cabin, Andee's legs still wrapping around me. She started kissing down my jaw and let her teeth graze my neck as she occasionally nipped at my skin. "If you keep that up, we're not going to make it to my cabin. We are literally going to be making out on the ground, in front of everyone."

"That's fine with me," she said with a devilish smile

"Don't you be cheeky," I growled and she kissed me again, and it was all I could do to get us into my cabin and lock the door behind us before going crazy. I lowered her onto my bed and before I could do anything else she tugged my shirt off and threw it across the room.

"This is a beautiful sight," Andee said, kissing down my chest.

"Don't objectify me," I said, mock hurt. Her response was to take off her own shirt. "You know what? I'm okay with it."

"Come here," she growled, pulling me over so that I was on the bed too. I climbed on top of her and she giggled, wrapping her arms around my neck and kissing me more. I mimicked what she had done early, kissing her neck and sucking on it lightly. She gasped and tugged on my hair a little, her body arching against mine. I reached underneath her and unhooked her bra, which she quickly threw off of her, so apparently it was a good thing for me to do. I trailed kisses all the way down her stomach which made her laugh – apparently she was ticklish there. I undid her shorts and slid them off before getting rid of my own. It didn't take long for us to lose our underwear as well.

"Are you sure?" I asked her quietly. I didn't want to do anything she didn't want to do. "We can stop."

"I don't want to stop," she said, sounding a little flustered, and I saw her eyes wandering before they re-met with mine. "I love you and I want you in every single aspect. I'm choosing you, Ducky."

We took our time and after we were done, we laid in bed together, Andee wrapped up in my arms. "I've never done that before."

"Me neither," Andee whispered, "but it was absolutely perfect."

"Thank the gods," I said and she laughed, giving me a sweet kiss. "You are so indescribably beautiful, Andromeda."

"I love you, Perseus," Andee said, giving me a sweet kiss. "You have a way of making things more complicated."

"I'm good at that, aren't I?" I gave her a lazy grin.

"You're good at a lot of things," she said, sounding a little impressed. I laughed and hugged her tightly, kissing the top of her head. "You really are the sweetest person I've ever met, Percy." She started lightly tracing designs on my chest, giving me that good tingly feeling. "I don't get why you don't just give up on me."

"If you could see yourself from my perspective, you'd understand completely," I told her and she kissed me.

"Gods, I love you," she said.

"I love you too, Sunshine," I said. I couldn't stop saying now that I had. Andee was the best thing to happen this summer.

"We should probably get back to training before anyone notices that we're gone," Andee sighed.

"Let's stay here for a while, hide away from everyone," I suggested.

She tried to hide her smile when she said, "We really do need to get back to training."

"It can wait an hour or two," I said, pulling the blankets over our heads. "I'm not ready to face the world yet."

"Okay," Andee said, giving me another kiss before snuggling in beside me.