I watched the highway wind like a snake through the shadowed hills far below us. I could feel Percy beside me, his presence warm and comforting, like a safe haven in the turmoil of the Prophecy and Percy's most recent dreams. And especially in the midst of ever-present thoughts about the encounter with my mom.

Percy had just said something about the giants, but I couldn't keep in the question any more.

"Percy, have you seen Posiedon lately? Or had any kind of sign from him?" I asked, still keeping my eyes on the dark view below.

"Not since...Wow." Percy paused to think. "I guess I haven't thought about it. Not since the end of the Titan War. I saw him at Camp Half-Blood, but that was last August. Why? Have you seen Athena?"

I couldn't look at him. Even though I'd been aching to tell him something about the secrets weighing on my heart, I still felt nervous. "A few weeks ago," I said quietly. "It...it wasn't good. She didn't seem like herself. Maybe it's the Greek/Roman schizophrenia that Nemesis described. I'm not sure." I shuddered, remembering the angry look in Mom's gray eyes. I took in a deep, shaky breath. "She said some hurtful things. She said I had failed her."

"Failed her?" Percy asked, like he couldn't believe me. "How could you ever – ?"

"I don't know." I finally looked at Percy; his handsome face was shadowed, but the look in his eyes still made me feel better. I knew he would always believe in me even if Athena didn't. "On top of that," I continued, "I've been having nightmares of my own. They don't make as much sense as yours."

Percy was silent, probably waiting for me to elaborate. However, I didn't want to. I didn't want to relive those horrible dreams, not right then. I hadn't brought him to the stables to talk about monsters and giants and Gaea waking. I remembered our carefree summer and fall before he disappeared, those few blissful months of holding hands and being teased by our friends. I hadn't felt this heavy rock of emotions then – the fear of what waited in Rome, the agonizing insecurities that came with the feeling of being a failure to my mom, the confusion of trying to figure out what the Prophecy meant, and then the ordeal with Romans and those eidolons...all mixed up with the fluttering excitement of having Percy back.

Yes, having him back made everything a million times better – I could handle things now, I could. Even if the Prophecy said Wisdom's daughter walks alone.

A faint smile crossed my lips. "Some romantic evening, huh? No more bad things until the morning." I leaned in and kissed Percy. He put his arms around me and kissed me back. After a long moment, I pulled away a little. Our foreheads touched. My heart raced. Percy smiled, his deep sea-green eyes crinkling ever so slightly at the edges. He smelled like the mint toothpaste I'd just ordered him to brush his teeth with.

"We'll figure everything out," I said softly, feeling better already. "I've got you back. For now, that's all that matters."

"Right," Percy said. "No more talk about Gaea rising, Nico being held hostage, the world ending, the giants – "

Percy's tone was slightly teasing, but his words made momentary panic rise in me. "Shut up, Seaweed Brain." Boy, it felt good to call him that again! "Just hold me for a while."

We eased into a comfortable position with his arm around me and my head on his shoulder. We didn't speak, just sat there listening to each other breathing, and the gentle hum of the Argo II. I closed my eyes and for the first time in who knows how long, let myself completely relax. My worries slipped away as if they were being carried off by the current of the sea. I felt Percy reach for my hand, and I slipped mine into his gladly. My heart skipped a beat to feel his rough, strong hand again, but soon it settled into a steady, calm beat of happiness.