Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

When Percy woke up the next morning he was, for the first time in almost 2 months, totally and completely, happy.

Maybe it was because last night had gone much better than he had planned. Maybe it was because he and Annabeth had actually acted like themselves last night. Or maybe it was because they had kissed last night. For the first time in what seemed to Percy like much too long, he and Annabeth had kissed.

It was like they had never had this rough patch. Like he and Annabeth were... him and Annabeth again. When Annabeth had (pretty much) asked him to kiss her last night, Percy knew.

He knew they would be okay. He knew they would get through this, together. As long as they were together.

Memories of that fall into Tartarus penetrated Percy's thoughts. It was almost 2 years later but he still had nightmares about it. And he knew that when she had remembered, Annabeth had too.

It would never leave him. He knew that it was one of those things that he would always have to cope with, something that would never let him be as safe, as whole, as mentally sane, as he had been before. Knowing that a place like that existed... it was one of those things that Percy knew had the ability to drive him insane.

The only thing that had kept him the tiniest bit sane had been Annabeth by his side, holding his hand. Her presence had been the only thing reminding him that there was a much better, nicer, brighter place above. That there was a place that allowed people to escape from that dreadful hell. She had been the only thing that had kept him moving, that had given him the will to survive, the strength to keep going.

Percy knew that Annabeth had felt the same way.

They were each other's Achilles heel. Their one true Achille's Heel.

For a while Annabeth had forgotten. She had denied it. But last night... last night she had finally accepted that they were each others biggest weakness.

But they were also each others greatest strengths.

After Tartarus Annabeth and Percy were both changed. Both scarred. The only person who understood how they were feeling was the other. Not even Nico knew exactly what Gaia had thrown at the demigod couple, and that's what had scared everyone.

Once they had met up with their friends after escaping the Doors of Death, Percy and Annabeth stuck together more. They stayed below decks, in a cabin. Away from the other demigods but never away from each other. It had taken them several days to be able to actually, fully participate in a conversation with the others, and even then it was usually only strategy or planning.

Percy didn't crack as much jokes. He hardly laughed and he always wore the same weary expression.

Annabeth was even more aggresive than before, and went back to putting up shields. She was careful with what she said to people, always quick to draw her knife, and tried as hard as possible to forget about that part of her life.

The only thing that had driven them to do anything, had been the burning fire of revenge and hatred to get back at Gaia and the giants. To cause her just as much pain and worry, and fear that she had caused them.

They had been out for blood. And by the gods they had got it.

The battle had been hard. A lot of demigods (both Greek and Roman, Percy recalled) had been killed. Friends, family, some of both had perished. Percy winced, recalling all of the blows and screams. Remembering all of his friends just begging for it to end, begging for the pain to go away. Some had begged to be killed.

Well that had pushed Percy and Annabeth over the edge. They had escaped Tartarus, and then just a month after that, they had watched countless people they had known die. They had fought another war and again they had won, but this time niether of them felt a thing except for the sick satisfaction in watched Gaia and her spawn be beaten and the breaking of their strength.

Chiron said it was survivors guilt. He had told the others that no matter how much they tried to help their friends, the only thing that would help them were themselves. Both of them had watched so much suffering, had survived so much in their lives that now they were finally feeling the weight of it. Chiron compared it to the weight of holding the sky, an experience both demigods had gone through, except this time it was coming from their minds and there was no one to pass the burden too.

But Chiron was wrong with that comparison. Both Annabeth and Percy agreed that holding the sky had been much, much easier.

For a while people thought they had both been finally beaten. That this had been too much and had finally sent them over the edge. For a while, the two demigods had thought that themselves.

Percy and Annabeth sought out no one except the other. All Percy remembered from that time was the numbness that he had felt. He hadn't cried after the war. Not in his bed at night, not when people comforted him. He hadn't cried at the relief of winning. Annabeth hadn't cried either.

After several days of acting as a zombie would, Annabeth and Percy tried to talk to the others. They finally managed to put the images of the war and Tartarus out of their minds for short periods of time and focus on the present. They both laughed exactly 9 days after the war had ended.

But then it was time for the funerals.

The funerals of New Rome were different from the funerals of the Greeks. The Greeks burned a shroud (making sure the dead had a coin for Chiron's ferry, had some close friends or family say a few words, and then had a moment of silence to honor the victims memory.

In New Rome the funerals were slightly different. There was a choice of being buried or cremated. They still had the coin ritual, and they had one person who was close to the deceased speak, but after the funeral they celebrated. They held religious festivals in honor of all dead, drank and ate, and after the person spoke on the deads behalf they offered a sow to Ceres (Demeter). They burned part of the sow with the body, burned some in an altar as Cere's portion, and the rest was given to the people to eat.

Hazel's speech at one of the many cremations caused both Percy and Annabeth to fully come back to the people around them. It was that speech, that funeral, that pierced them both in a way nothing else ever could have. It was the loss of that friend that made them realize that they had to go on living. For the friend who had died. Annabeth and Percy lived, and tried, for him. He was a big reason they were who they were today and not an empty shell of it.

His was the funeral that both of the older demigods finally broke and wept at. But his was also the funeral where they decided to make the rest of their lives count and live them to the fullest.

oooOOOooo

Annabeth shot up in bed.

She had dreamed last night, and now she remembered parts of her missing life. Without bothering to get dressed she ran to the living room yelling Percy's name.

"PERCY!"

He had already been sitting up on the couch, but once he heard her cry he rose to his feet. "Annabeth?" he asked her confusedly.

She laughed at the sound of his voice and crashed into him, wrapping her arms around his back and feeling his warmth. She ran into him so hard they stumbled back a bit before Percy balanced them again. "Woah," he said, "slow down. What happened?"

She looked into his eyes, unsurprised by the small tears of joy in her own. Without answering she smashed her lips to his. Once they were both out of breath she pulled away. "I remember." she whispered,

Percy froze. His eyes widened, arms tightened around her, and it seemed like he stopped breathing. Finally his eyes focused on hers and his voice came out strangled; a mixture of hope and disbelief. "What?"

She laughed and pulled back slightly to look at him clearly. "I. Remember." she told him. "Not everything. There's still a lot that I'm completely clueless about, but I remember lots of things."

Percy stared at her. Finally his eyes filled with wonder and happiness. "You remember." he stated, his voice sounding like he was finally understanding. "You- you remember. You know what happened with us. You know everything we've done." His voice halted and his next sentence came out on a shuddering whisper, "You know who I am."

Annabeth nodded. "I remember the Titan War! I remember our quest for the Golden Fleece, the night that I first saw you. I remember being in a black hole of hell and knowing that you were the only thing I was surviving for. I remember our first kiss in the Labyrinth, the night we held up the sky and you rescued me from Luke. I remember the feeling of when Hera took you from me, I remember sitting in my cabin for hours wondering where you were and missing you. I remember the day I saw you again," here she laughed, "you were wearing a toga, and for a second I thought Reyna was going to tell the Romans to kill Piper, Leo, Jason and I because I judo-flipped you." She halted and met his eyes again. "Percy, I remember loving you. And missing you. I remember hating you and fighting with you and screaming at you and laughing at you. I remember loving you," she repeated, "but most importantly, I remember you."

Annabeth wasn't sure what happened next. The only things she knew were Percy lifting her up and spinning them, pressing her closer than ever, kissing and crying, hugging and laughing. And then Percy said something that scared her.

"I love you."

But it also made her feel unlimited and unbroken happiness. And that won out over the fear.

"And I love you." she told him, and she meant it with everything she had.

Percy smiled at her, and then they were kissing again and Annabeth didn't know how but they ended up crying again. Eventually Percy sat on the sofa, pulling Annabeth down with him and wrapped his arms around her. She sat on his lap and curled into him. Once she got herself under control she asked something she had been wondering since she woke up. "Percy?"

"Hmm?" he asked.

"Where are the rest of the 7? And Nico and Tyson- oh gods Tyson! How is he? I feel so bad he's probably so upset. And my dad! And the kids and Karen!" Annabeth's eyes widened with each name she said. "What about your mom and Paul! How's Sally! Oh my god I can't believe I forgot them all! I feel so bad!"

"Hey Annabeth calm down. Their all fine." At her skeptical look he sighed in defeat. "Okay so their really depressed you didn't remember them and are going out of their minds with worry for you."

She frowned, "Percy that's not what I want to hear."

He shrugged at her. "You didn't believe me when I told you the truth. They really are fine. At the start they were bummed and they still are, but they're going on with their lives. Annabeth, they survived losing people in a war. Their just thankful you aren't dead."

Annabeth looked down. "Ya, I suppose."

Percy put a hand under her chin and pulled her gaze back to his. "Annabeth it's okay. We can go see them today if you want."

Her eyes grew clouded. "Really? Would they be okay with that? Percy you know I don't fully remember them yet. You're the one I remember the most and even then there's a lot missing."

"Annabeth it'll be fine," he rolled his eyes, "they wanted to see you even when you remembered nothing. They care about you. How you are, what you've been up to, how you're coping. You. Their your friends, they'll understand." His eyes filled with mischeif. "Clarisse even called to ask how we were. She's worried about you too, maybe we should visit her as well."

Annabeth wrinkled her nose. "I don't remember Clarisse from now very well, all I know is that she and Chris are together and he made her slightly friendlier, but I do remember her from when I was 12."

Percy laughed. "She hasn't changed much but believe me, you'll notice the difference."

Annabeth smiled, but then her smile faltered. "But I have classes today. We won't have the time to visit them all."

Percy winked. "Leave it to me," he told her, "you just worry about getting dressed and making us breakfast."

Surprisingly Annabeth felt like she could. She could leave Percy in charge of getting all of her friends to see her again somehow. With anyone else she would never be able to do that. She was a slight control freak so things like this were always up to her. But Annabeth wanted to stop worrying. She wanted to stop fretting, and over analyzing and always having to be on top of things. She wanted her biggest worries to be making sure the toast didn't burn and making her classes on time.

Percy nudged her. "Go get ready, I'll get the things for breakfast." He kissed her before getting up and pulling things from the cupboards.

So Annabeth did just what Percy told her to.

oooOOOooo

Another chapter done! I have 1 more to go and then you guys need to tell me if you want an epilogue cause I could work that in too. Thanks to the followers and people who have favourited this story, you're all amazing. Reviews are loved and appreciated!

Love you all!

Percyjacksonfan3