*SORRY SORRY I HAVEN'T UPLOADED IN FOREVER I'VE BEEN BUSY BUT I PROMISE MORE SOON*

Jason

He left Nico's cabin with a heavy heart, more upset than angry at the younger boy. He didn't know why Nico would be upset if Percy was still alive; he knew that Nico used to have a crush on Percy, but he was dating Jason now. So why would Nico not want Percy to be back? He had sacrificed everything for them all.

Jason had made up his mind about finding Percy, and he knew that the one other person who would want to find him would be Annabeth. She was his next destination, although he doubted she would appreciate him bothering her at college. This was more important, though.

He headed down to the beach and tentatively walked along the surf; he didn't want Neptune thinking that Jason was trespassing in his territory.

"Percy, if you can somehow hear me, then send me some kind of message again. I need to know. I want to help you, but I don't know how."

Jason didn't know what he expected. Maybe a giant wave or writing in the sand, just something.

Nothing happened.

He sighed and headed back towards the hill. He would find Annabeth and enlist her help; maybe she knew more than Jason.

He suddenly heard footsteps behind him, running towards him down the beach. He turned to see a small, dark figure headed for him. A second later, he realized it was Nico.

"You're coming?" Jason started to ask, but halfway through his question, Nico met him and stopped him with a kiss, his lips warm and soft, his hands cupping Jason's face gently. "I couldn't let you go off on your big adventure alone," he whispered. "What would I do?"

Jason smiled. "I'm so glad you changed your mind." He wrapped his arms around Nico and closed his eyes, content to be with him.

"So are we off to find Annabeth?" Nico asked. "She won't like us barging in on her at college and interrupting her classes." Jason laughed. "I'm sure she can make time in her busy schedule for us."

Nico smiled. "Especially when you do the intimidating 'I'm the son of Jupiter' act. No one can stand up to that."

Jason raised one eyebrow. "What exactly is this act you're talking about?" Nico rolled his eyes and grinned. "You know. 'Look at me, I'm Jason Grace. I beat up monsters in my spare time because I like it. I can blast you with lightning if I'm in a bad mood.'"

Jason shook his head. "Am I really that scary?" Nico shrugged. "Well, to everyone else, you're intimidating. But I see right through you." Jason raised his eyebrows and puffed out his chest. "And what exactly do you see?" he asked.

Nico kissed Jason softly, slowly. "I see a hopeless romantic who definitely knows how to kiss a boy," he whispered. Then he pulled back and smiled. "Now let's go find Annabeth."

Percy

The first thing he saw was darkness.

He was aware, on some level, that he was in an incredible amount of pain, but he wasn't fully conscious; perhaps that was for the better.

Slowly, he began to realize where he was, what was going on. The sound of waves lapping a shore reached his ears, and his heartbeat immediately picked up. Water.

He tried to open his eyes, but the effort was so monumental that he gave up, using his other senses to try to determine what was going on. He could still hear waves crashing, and the air smelled of saltwater and… something else. Smoke, like that from a bonfire. He tried to open his eyes again, and slowly, ever so slowly, he managed to squint up at a hazy night sky. Everything looked fuzzy and off, but he could see bright little dots that he knew were stars. He hadn't seen the sky in over a year, and it was almost too much.

He tried to look towards the sound of the water, but to see it, he would have to turn his head to the right, and he wasn't sure he could do that. Groaning in pain and screaming inside, he slowly turned his head until there, just out of the corner of his eye, Percy could see the ocean.

Something inside of him broke a little at seeing it, and his brain screamed at him to get closer, to let the waves crash over him and take away the pain, the awful pain. But he knew that there was no way he could get close enough to do that.

He couldn't cry out for help, he couldn't move. Percy was dying, on a beach somewhere, all alone . He had managed to escape Tartarus, and his reward was death so close to the one thing he knew could save him.

Please, he thought. Dad, if you're listening, this is the only thing I ask. I just want to see Annabeth's face again, one more time, and then I can die. I don't care what happens to me. I just need to see her. Please.

He didn't know if the sea god could hear him, or if he would even listen if he could. Poseidon wasn't the kind of dad to drop everything and whisk Annabeth to his side whenever he wanted her.

Percy tried to move again, but he could barely twitch his fingers without a wave of pain washing over him. Come on, he thought. Some hero. What kind of pitiful death is this? You gotta go out on a good one.

He reached out towards the water with his mind, trying to pull it towards him by the power of his will. The waves crept closer and he could feel the water moving towards him, then receding.

No, he thought. Come on. Closer. Come on. I can do this.

Ordinarily he would have been able to make the entire ocean just crash down on him and carry him away into blissful nothing. But he was weak, and distracted by the pain everywhere.

With a grunt, he reached out again and pulled the water towards him with all of the power he had left in his body, and the ocean finally obeyed. A wave crashed down over him and pulled him into the surf, enough that the waves could do the rest and pull him into the sea.

Immediately the pain eased and he could feel his wounds start to heal.

Annabeth, I'm coming, he thought, before he drifted into a peaceful abyss of nothing.