I have no excuses for not updating. I had literally zero motivation until I realized I didn't have an Annabeth chapter of her death, so I decided to go for it. I have also borrowed shamelessly from Percy's chapter, for obvious reasons. Anyway, thanks heaps to y'all who faved, followed and reviewed. On to the chapter! And remember to review! :D

Annabeth was done.

Before the final battle, she never would have thought that, but it was true. Annabeth was done.

She'd survived running away from home at age seven into a world full of monsters. She'd fought and won against hundreds of monsters, and she'd outwitted humans, Titans, and gods. She'd survived Tartarus itself.

But Annabeth Chase had finally met her match.

At first, she had thought, This isn't so bad. The Seven had managed to come together to defeat Gaea's forces, and they had been doing excellently. Annabeth had located the leaders of each monstrous squad, and killing them had frightened most of the subordinates into retreating. The rest were easily killed by the Seven, and although Gaea had almost countless numbers of monsters at her disposal, even she couldn't stop them running away. Even the Earth Mother had limits, especially when she was still on the brink of awakening.

But she also had more power than she'd ever had before, and she wasn't afraid to use it.

Annabeth had been scanning the battleground, hoping against hope that the last wave of monsters had finally arrived, when she saw it.

'It' was a monster she had never seen—and she had been fighting monsters half her life, and researching them almost as long. Annabeth liked to know what she was up against, but this monster was one that even she couldn't name.

It looked like a lion, but with smoking red skin and an equally red mane. It was literally smoking; wisps of smoke curled off of its lithe body, and as Annabeth watched, it belched a stream of fire, swished its tail and glared at her. Its eyes, unlike the rest of it, were pitch black.

"I'll deal with it," Percy said grimly, and Annabeth glanced over at him. His face was taut. "You stay back."

Annabeth felt like she'd been slapped in the face. "Percy, I'm not going to stay back and watch while you get killed!"

Percy stared at her for a moment, then pulled her closer and kissed her, hard. When he pulled back a moment later, he was breathing hard, but his voice was gentle when he said, "I love you, Annabeth."

"I love you, Percy," Annabeth replied, equally softly, because she was aware that this could be the last time they ever shared a moment like this again.

For a moment the two demigods stared into each other's eyes, gray looking into green, but then Percy turned and readied himself for battle, Annabeth following suit.

The monster, now only a little ways away from them, stood still for a moment, regarding the pair with those eerily black eyes, then, without warning, lunged.

And Percy was there, Riptide flashing as he intercepted the creature's path. "Where's Leo when you need him?" he muttered.

Annabeth glanced around, but saw no one. Somehow, she and Percy had wandered away from the others, and they were either dead or busy fighting their own monsters. The thought wasn't comforting.

Then Percy cried, "Annabeth!"

She whirled around, but not fast enough. The creature had leant forward on its forelegs, and snapped its jaws open wide. Annabeth barely had time to blink before a bright stream of fire and smoke whooshed from its mouth—and targeted Annabeth's leg.

For a second she was puzzled, but then came the pain.

Annabeth remembered how she had been ironing her stepmother's clothes for her, once, when she was little, and had accidentally dropped the iron on her foot. This pain was a million times worse. Her entire leg radiated bright, searing pain. It felt like her leg was being ripped apart from the inside, then slowly burned to a pile of ashes. Just thinking about it made the pain worse, but it was dominating Annabeth's brain. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't even think.

And above all, Annabeth hated not being able to think.

She tried to look for Percy, but her vision was a field of white ringed with red. She called out for Percy; in her mind it came out as a desperate shriek, but her mouth didn't even open to utter it.

Annabeth blacked out.

When she came back to consciousness a few moments later and tried to open her eyes, she could see, but it was a little blurry from the tears threatening to spill over. At first there was nothing but red rocks, but then there was Percy kneeling over her, and she'd know Percy anywhere.

His eyes, the beautiful green eyes she loved, were filled with concern. "Come on, Annabeth. Can you stand?"

At his words, the pain that had been pressing at the back of her mind made itself known, washing through her leg, and Annabeth knew better than to try and put weight on it. She shook her head no.

Percy slipped his arms under her body and lifted her. Annabeth knew he was trying to be as gentle as he could, but it still sent waves of pain coursing through her. She grimaced, nails digging into Percy's arm as he moved.

Percy gasped, and she pulled her hand away to find it sticky with blood. "Percy! What happened to your arm?" Looking down at it, Annabeth saw that she had accidentally widened a gash on his arm that was now dripping blood, and she winced in sympathy. "Gods, Seaweed Brain. Sorry."

"It's okay," Percy said through his teeth, but his voice was uneven and his movements jerky as he laid Annabeth down, searing pain stabbing through her and making her head spin for a moment. Her back slid against something hard, and she twisted around slightly, her leg burning as Annabeth twitched it slightly, and saw that Percy had put her up against a small boulder.

Even though the pain from her leg was getting more unbearable by the minute, Annabeth had to smile. Percy loved her so, so much.

There was the sound of footsteps up ahead of her, but she couldn't even look up.

When she mustered the will to do so, she couldn't help but gape in surprise. There was another monster she'd never seen before approaching Percy, and it had the cruel eyes of a Titan but the bulky body and musculature of a Cyclops. Worst of all, it carried a long, wickedly sharp black spear, and it looked ready to fight.

As Annabeth studied Percy, she realized with a growing sense of horror that he didn't look as prepared as the monster did. In full health and strength, nothing could stand in his way, but now? Now, when there were no bodies of water nearby, and Percy was already tired from dozens of smaller battles?

Now, though her entire being rebelled against the thought, Annabeth didn't think Percy stood a chance.

She closed her eyes.

"Annabeth, don't worry, it'll all be okay." Percy's worried voice floated back to her, and Annabeth smiled weakly. Her Seaweed Brain was still thinking of her, even when surely he knew he was about to die.

Annabeth hissed as another spasm of pain shot through her, but still managed to say, "If you say so, Seaweed Brain." She had to hold on for Percy. She had to be brave for him.

But there was a little selfish part of her heart that didn't want to be brave, and it was that part that caused her to close her eyes so she wouldn't see Percy's end.

"I love you, Annabeth."

Annabeth's eyes flew open, just in time to see the monster's spear go through his chest. Someone shrieked—she thought it might have been her—and then he was falling, that beautiful tangle of messy hair spreading about his head as he lay on the ground. Percy was covered in blood and about to die, but Annabeth didn't think she'd ever seen anyone as handsome as he was in that moment.

There was an ugly laugh from somewhere above Percy's head, but Annabeth barely registered it. She felt like she was floating, and totally numb. There were cruel snaps coming from somewhere near her; Annabeth thought placidly that those were probably her bones breaking, but she didn't care anymore.

She thought of a time when she had faced Arachne and knew, somehow, that she had reached and crossed her threshold for terror. She had been done. And in the same way, she had reached and crossed her threshold for pain. It was admittedly a very high threshold, but Annabeth was in so much pain. She couldn't take any more. She couldn't feel anything anymore.

But then she opened her eyes and saw Percy lying beside her, his head turned away. She wanted to see his eyes one last time.

"Percy," she whispered.

For a moment he lay still, and terror swept through her, but then he lifted his head and turned toward her. When Annabeth saw his eyes again, her whole world dropped out from under her, and the pain came back, all of it. And the pain of knowing Percy was dying came, too.

"Annabeth," Percy whispered, and then he fell back onto the ground, hands trembling as he lay there. He had never looked so vulnerable, and he had never looked so beautiful.

"Oh, Seaweed Brain. You know I love you," Annabeth said, her voice raspy.

"I love you to hell and back." Percy's eyes were bright, and Annabeth remembered another time when all she'd had to hold onto was his hand, and he had said, "Never."

"Back at you. Oh my gods, Percy, I love you so much." Annabeth had a sudden need for him to understand how much she loved him, because she wouldn't be able to go if he didn't know that.

But Percy's eyes were shining, and Annabeth knew he understood when he whispered softly, sadly, "Okay."

"Okay," Annabeth replied, and reached for his hand.

He let her take it.

The only thing Annabeth could say, after that, was 'I love you'. She said it over and over again, and Percy told her over and over again it would be okay. And she believed him.

Finally, after she had stopped talking, she felt the pain spike, and she cried out, unable to help herself. But Percy didn't mind; he simply put his arm around her.

Annabeth's mind quieted, and her breathing calmed. Her heartbeat, which had been racing moments ago, slowed to a crawl, and finally, finally, Annabeth Chase was at peace.

As she let herself go, the last thought she had was of Percy's eyes.