Percy's POV

I woke up on a cold, wet beach. The gentle waves lapped up over my feet. I sat up and winced as a sharp pain shot up my arm. I reached up and touched my shoulder. When I pulled my hand back, I wasn't shocked to see it covered in blood. Dang it.

I closed my eyes and tried to remember what had happened. The sea monster destroyed our ship. My friends...Annabeth... My heart sank. They could be anywhere. They could be dead.

But what if they weren't? I had to at least try to find them. I sat up a bit too eagerly and became overwhelmed by nausea. I groaned and fell back down into the sand with a soft thud. Down the beach I noticed a peculiar white speck. I dismissed it and closed my eyes. My thoughts drifted to Annabeth and our last night together. How she fell asleep in my arms as the sun went down. My eyes snapped open. Annabeth was wearing a white shirt that night. That speck on the beach...

I hastily stood up and began sprinting down the beach. Adrenaline surged through my veins and the pain in my shoulder disappeared. The closer I got, the more confidence I had that it was Annabeth. I called out her name, but this time I didn't get a reply. As I got even closer, I could make out her blonde hair and limp figure.

She couldn't be dead...after all we've been through. Memories raced through my mind like an old movie. The first time I saw her lying in the hospital wing at Camp Halfblood, the first time she'd called me "Seaweed Brain", how beautiful she had looked after Circes had gotten a hold of her in the Sea of Monsters, holding her close while she sobbed after hearing the Sirens, when she took a poisonous knife for me and saved my life, the first time she kissed me in the labyrinth...

I knelt next to her and cradled her limp body in my arms. There was a weak pulse in her wrist. I was flooded with relief and silently thanked the gods.

"Annabeth..come on. You have to wake up."

I gently shook her, but I got no response. I noticed that her lips were dry and cracked. She was dehydrated. It was getting dark fast. Annabeth began to shiver uncontrollably. I guess I had washed up on the beach before her, because my clothes were already dry. I quickly peeled off her wet shirt and put my sweatshirt on her. I had to find her freshwater soon, or she would die of dehydration. Of all the traumatic, near-death experiences she had survived, she better not die of dehydration.

I peered into the thick forest and weighed my options. There may be fresh water for Annabeth. But there also may be dangerous animals or even monsters, and Annabeth and I were not in the condition to survive an attack. Plus, going into the forest would mean leaving behind my source of power: the water. I decided that staying on the beach was our best chance for survival. We would find water. We would find our friends. We would make it out of this, just like we have every other impossible situation.

I slid my arms under Annabeth's slackened figure and held her close to my chest. Then I stood and we began the long journey to find our friends.