A/N: Really short, and really angsty. Sorry. Wrote this a while ago, and decided I might as well post it. I'll have a new, fluffier, longer one tomorrow. :)
BTW, spoilers for the Mark of Athena!
He smiled at me. Squeezed my hand. And let go.
We fell. It felt like time was slowing down, as if we weren't moving. He leveled out beside me. I was sure he was crazy. Absolutely insane. I almost wished he had let me go and saved himself, so he could help me from the outside. But honestly, I was so relieved he came. I wouldn't have survived without him. Not because of the monsters (although I'm sure they would've proved a real problem too), because I'm pretty sure I would've never made it far enough to face one. I would have landed and just sat there, going crazy. We were separated for 8 months. And then I went off following the Mark of Athena, separated again. And if I had fallen into that pit alone, or, for that matter, with anyone else, I would have lost it. I love him, and wouldn't be able to stand it to face Tartarus without him. Or just be without him. So, as we fell, I took a breath of relief. I was falling into hell, but I was falling into hell with him. I squeezed his hand, and as we hit the ground-much more gently than I'd expected-I looked into the darkness, squeezed his hand, and we took one step forward- together.