((A/N This chapter is pretty short, but it gives insight on how Annabeth died, so it's pretty important. Plus... well, you'll see ;) R&R))

After our kiss, he leaves me. He breaks into a run, calling "Be careful!" over his shoulder. Then he disappears through the trees.

I grip my knife hilt in my hand firmly, preparing myself for what I hear closing in. And then it's there, shining gold and bronze, wielding two swords and two whips in its four arms. Its eyes glow red, and its teeth are metallic and razor sharp.

"Stupid machine," I hiss, holding myself in a defensive manner. It whirs at me angrily, as if it knows what I'm saying. "You were only a prototype. No wonder you're all whack."

It charges, its weapons flying frantically, but I dodge it easily, rolling to the side and coming up on my feet. I stab at it, but my knife tip bounces off of the hard metal, my wrist crackling with the impact.

"Ow!" I yell at the machine, "Not cool."

My ADHD kicks in, and I find myself coming up with battle plans while I dodge and stab at the training-dummy-gone-haywire. None sound even remotely possible until…

I begin running away from the machine, driving it farther into the forest. I sprint towards Zeus' Fist, the ginormous pile of rocks that is so famous in capture the flag. I begin climbing it, as fast as I can, but the machine lunges out with a whip and grabs my ankle, sending fire through my foot. I cry out and kick randomly, hoping to connect with something. When I do, I climb as high as I can, right up to where I can see out over all the trees. I see the Big House in the distance, and a huge crowd of people spilling from the forest into camp. I see Percy, turning and darting back into the forest, coming to help instead of getting medical care. "Stupid Seaweed Brain!" I groan, realizing I have to kill this thing quick, before he gets here.

The machine had trouble climbing the rocks, but now that its reached where I am, its arms begin flailing again. I dodge a whip, slide beneath the knives, and lodge my knife deep into its core, the place where a human heart would be. Its eyes flicker, and it lets out a shriek as it dies, its energy failing.

I don't realize that we're on uneven rock. I don't realize that the robot is going to fall on me. I don't realize that I'll be pitched off the peak of Zeus' Fist. Until I'm flying.

My body slams into the rocks, and pain consumes me, but I keep bouncing down, down, down. I hear myself screaming. I feel my bones break. I feel my skin being ripped open. But I don't feel my neck snap.

All of it comes rushing back as I sit in the corner of the cabin and watch as Percy sleeps. He asked me if I would stay. I told him yes. Of course, he didn't hear me, but he assumed.

It's about six in the morning when he wakes up. He calls out to me, and I reply. I'll never give up on replying. He shakes his head, and retreats to the bathroom where I hear the shower turn on.

"You'd better not be watching," he laughs through the door. I smirk, but give him privacy, walking over and sitting on his bed. I run my hands through his sheets but they don't move. I want them to move so badly.

I wait for him, and when he's done showering, he comes out of the bathroom in new clothes. His orange camp shirt looks too bright for the expression on his face.

"This is pitiful," he mutters, "Everyone else is going to think I'm crazy."

"Don't tell anyone!" I exclaim.

"Are you going to follow me around all day?" he asks quietly. I tell him probably.

He comes over to sit on his bed, so I move out of the way, not wanting to be sat upon. He looks ahead, at the wall.

"Can you please sit where I'm looking so that I know I'm looking at you?" he asks me. I shift so that his eyes meet mine. His eyes look empty. "How come I could see your eyes last night? Why can't I see you now?"

"I don't know."

"What I want more than anything is to hear your voice right now."

"I'm talking. You're just not listening."

"What are we going to do?"

"I don't know."

"Can you kiss me again?"

This question catches me off guard. He looks at me pleadingly, and I submit. I crawl over to him and put my hands in his hair. I think I feel a piece of it move against my touch, but it stops after a moment. His eyebrows come together and he whispers, "I felt that."

And then I lean in and kiss him full on the mouth, not holding any of my emotions back. I pour my heart and soul (or however much soul I have left) into my kiss.

And he responds.

He kisses me back, his face pushing against mine, his nose bumping against mine, his hands tangling in my hair, and I feel all of it. I kiss him harder, and he lets me take over. I let my hands run along his shoulders and chest, feeling his warm skin underneath his shirt.

I'm running out of breath, but I refuse to pull back, because I'm scared this won't be able to happen again. Our kiss turns to one of urgency and desperation, and I feel myself on the verge of tears. I don't let him pull away, even as they spill over, even though both of us are panting wildly.

But then he pulls away, brows furrowed, breathing heavily. "Why are you crying?"

"I kissed you!" I sob, "I kissed you!"

"I asked you to," he replies in a whisper, eyes wide.

"Y-you can hear m-me?" I try to pull myself together, but I just keep falling apart all over again.

He's silent for a few moments, and then he shakes his head, "This is crazy."

"But can you hear me?" I cry, reaching for his hands. My fingers pass through it and I sob again.

He doesn't answer, but instead says, "You're gone again."

"I'm right here." I tell him, grabbing his bicep. He doesn't feel it.

"If you're still here…" he bites his lip, "That was both the best and weirdest kiss we've ever had."

I'm about to ask him why it was weird, but then I realize he couldn't see me. I put myself in his shoes and it creeps me out a little.

"And we're going to figure out a way to do it again." He adds finally, "I swear on the Styx."