Hay! Sorry that it's been taking so long! I didn't mean for it to! :( I've been busy with schoolwork and I'm sorry, but school comes first, then music and then fanfiction! It's my parent's rule... My problem is I have the ending written but not the middle! So anyways, here's the next chapter!

He's Gone Away…

Chapter 21

Memories

Annabeth's POV

Annabeth woke up on Monday, with a feeling of dread in her heart. She did NOT want to go to school!

An hour later she was ready to go and Thalia had barely started getting ready. "Get some clothes on! We're leaving in 25 minuets!" "Stop badgering me." Annabeth sat down, with The One-in-a-Million Baby Name Book, the Greek edition, and started reading names and writing down some on a list.

"Aadi- French- Beginning, na. Aaliyah- Arabic- Sublime, nope! Abbey, ha ha, like an abbey! Definitely not! Abcde, that's just a really said name A B C D E! Acacia, it's Greek, meaning tree! Poisonous tree! Well, I've found a Greek name, but it's a tree."

"Annabeth, Thalia, are you ready to go?" "Yes" "No, can I have a minuet?" "Fine, but be quick!" Thalia ran around packing her school stuff and grabbed a cinnamon pop tart and another for Annabeth. "I'm ready, let's go."

Annabeth set down her book and grabbed her backpack and headed to the car. She climbed into the back seat and tried to take off her backpack. Something was caught on her shoulder strap. It was her engagement ring.

When she finally got the ring untangled, she stared at it. It was silver and intertwined with small diamonds on the braid and a modest, small yet elegant diamond in the middle. The light caught the diamond just right making it gleam.

I found him sitting in the dining pavilion, so I plopped down next to him on the bench. "Hey," I said, "Happy birthday."

He just stared at me.

"It's August 18th," I said, laughing just a little. It was so typical of him to not remember his own birthday, but I don't blame him really. You could say that a lot had gone on throughout the day.

"Make a wish," I said as I handed the cupcake to him.

"Did you bake this yourself?"

"Tyson helped," I admitted.

"That explains why it looks like a chocolate brick with extra blue cement." He had a playful smirk on his face.

I couldn't help but laugh. He thought for a moment before blowing out his candle, and then he cut it half and gave some to me. We watched the ocean as we ate it. Despite how bad it looked, it was actually pretty good and I was impressed. I wasn't really the greatest cook, but hey, with the life I had, there wasn't much time for baking deserts.

"You saved the world," I said.

"We saved the world," he corrected.

"And Rachel is the new Oracle, which means she won't be dating anybody."

"You don't sound disappointed."

I just shrugged, saying, "Oh, I don't care." So, I was understating… a lot.

"Uh-huh."

I raised my eyebrows at him. "You got something to say to me, Seaweed Brain?"

"You'd probably kick my butt." He said, a glint in his eyes.

"YouknowI'd kick your butt." I smiled coyly.

"When I was at the River Styx, turning invulnerable… Nico said I had to concentrate on one thing that kept me anchored to the world that made me want to stay mortal. Then up on Olympus, when they wanted to make me a god and stuff, I kept thinking—"

I cut him off, smirking; "Oh yousowanted to."

He agreed with that, saying, "Well, maybe a little. But I didn't, because I thought I didn't want things to stay the same for eternity, because things could always get better. And I was thinking…" He stopped for a breath, and you could tell he was choosing his words carefully.

"Anyone in particular?" I prompted, though I had a vague suspicion of whom he was talking about. I was trying to suppress a smile, which he noticed.

"You're laughing at me," he whined.

"I am not!" I denied.

"You are so not making this easy."

Then I did laugh and I boldly put my hands around his neck, pulling his face closer. "I am never, ever going to make things easy for you, Seaweed Brain. Get used to it."

Then I kissed him; that was one of the best kisses ever. The last kiss ever gave to me was to say goodnight. He kissed me and said, "I'll never forget you, wise girl." It's like he knew…

"Uh… Annabeth… We're at school. Are you going to leave the car?" "Oh, sorry. I was thinking!" She climbed out and went inside.

There were signs for Winter Formal EVERYWHERE! "Thalia, when did this happen?" "I believe before we came back. I thought you noticed it before. It was there on Thursday, when we met with your principal." "Oh, I didn't. I guess I was a little distracted." "Let's head to class."

School passed fast, well except for the part where James was flirting and Lexi was teasing them about not going to winter formal (not at the same time though), because no boys liked Annabeth. Annabeth and Thalia ended up laughing so hard they were crying.

When they got home, Annabeth set about finding dates. "Tell me again Annabeth why we have to go to that dance?" "Because I want to prove Lexi and her gang wrong!" "Ugg!" "Let's get cracking." "You're forgetting one thing. I'm a hunter. No dating, no romance!" "This could get rid of James." "Oooh! That makes it SO tempting." "I'm sure Artemis wouldn't mind if you just go out with… say Nico or Malcolm?" "Maybe, how' bout you go as friends? With Malcolm. It'll get rid of James forever. We could have Malcolm threaten James…" Annabeth coaxed. "Oh, all right!"

"Good! I'm going to IM them now! Do you have a drachma?" "Ya here you go." "Hay Annabeth, Thalia, what do you want to have for dinner?" "Something blue!" "I don't care." They shouted respectively. "I can do that!" "Thanks!" "I'm outta here. I'll be watching T.V."

"O, Iris Goddess of the Rainbow. Pleases except our offering, show me Malcolm at Camp Half-Blood. Malcolm! Hi." "Hi Annabeth." "Hi Annabeth," said Sophie who was also in the Athena cabin at the time. "Hay Sophie! How are you?" "Good, I gotta go and find Cormic, he owes me money!" "Good seeing you, and good luck!" Sophie left. "So Annabeth, what do you want?" he said taking a sip of water. "I want you to go to Winter Formal at my school, with Thalia." He spit the water out, "WHAT?" "Ya, there's this guy James, who's driving Thals crazy and well, we think that if she had a "boyfriend" to threaten him to stop, he would." "Okay. Wait, she's a hunter. No, I won't. I don't want to be turned in to a deer or lion!" "We, well I, think that Artemis will be okay with it. Please Malcolm?" "I'll think about it." "Good, can you ask Nico to come with me?" "Sure… I guess… I don't know what Nico's response will be." "My response to what?" "Hay Nico!" "Hay Annabeth. So, my response to what?" Malcolm looked at Annabeth and she nodded. "Annabeth was wondering if you would like to join Thalia and I, by accompanying her to the Winter Formal at her school." "English!" "Nico, do you want to go to Winter Formal with me?" "No." "What?" she said tears filling her eyes. "You think I'm ugly don't you."

"Annabeth, what's wrong?" asked Thalia entering the room. "Nico thinks I'm ugly." "That's not what I said!" "You're dead, death breath, you hear that, dead!" "Wait!" shouted Malcolm over Nico's protests, Thalia's threats and Annabeth's sobs. "Nico, why won't you go to Winter Formal with Annabeth?" "Because it's a dance, and I don't dance." "Well, I can teach you!" responded Malcolm. "Please will you go with me?" "Uh… Fine"

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