A/N: I know, I know. What took me so long? Why am I updating only now? Sorry guys, I'm just so busy right now that I almost have no time to write. But I'm sure that you guys understand. :D

One thing before reading this chapter: I brought one characters from the series into this chapter, but I kind of changed her. I'm not sure but you might find it funny, but it's symbolic. You will also find her story unfinished but that's because it's UNFINISHED. I'll continue it in the next few chapters.

Also, I won't be posting any shoutouts in this chapter. I'm pressed for time but know that I'm appreciating all your reviews so keep them coming.
With that being said, I present you chapter 14. :D

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NEVER LET ME GO

Chapter 14: STAND BY ME

ANNABETH

The least likely person was the one who took me in.

New York was huge, but I almost explored every inch of it at my quest for self rediscovery. I didn't really know what I was looking for, or how to find it. All I knew was that I had to be away from anyone and give myself time to think without anyone's voice in my head. For the first time in my life, I let my brain assume what I call the "vacuum state" – where nothing exists. I pushed aside unnecessary thoughts, all thoughts in fact, out of my head. That time, I let myself experience the feeling of blissful emptiness. I thought that once my mind was clear enough, I would sort everything out and figure who Annabeth Chase really was.

My being alone lasted for about two hours until I came across someone whom I haven't seen since high school. Percy's father, Poseidon Jackson.

I was at the mall and was about to have dinner when I saw he came out of the fast-food restaurant I was about to enter. We both stopped for a second until he gave me a small smile. "Annabeth," he greeted. "It's been so long. How are you?"

"I've been better," I answered. "And you?"

"My resort's been keeping me busy," he said. "I didn't expect it to grow so fast and now I'm looking at a new branch in California."

"That's good to know. Good for you." I paused. "Percy will probably blow a gasket when he finds out that a new one will be opened soon."

"I don't think my son cares about what I do anymore," he said quietly, sadness momentarily crossing his face. He then quickly fixed his expression and smiled. "I apologize. I don't think it's something we should talk about right now." Poseidon cleared his throat and looked away. I took the opportunity and stared at him. I had a good idea on how Percy would look fifteen years from now. They shared the same shade of sea green eyes, same tan skin and they both held that mischievous glint that always branded them as troublemakers. But there was also the underlying gentleness. Whereas everyone could count on them to be dependable in times that they need someone to protect them, they could also count on them in times when they just need someone. There was the undeniable courage but at the same time there was also a hint of being mellow.

"But then again, it's something that we should talk about," said Poseidon. "Will you come with me, Annabeth? I think it's about time we converse about someone whom we both care deeply about."

I didn't even hesitate. I needed a quiet place to think, after all. I rode with Poseidon to his resort located in Long Island Sound, both of us quiet the whole way. It was a bit uncomfortable, because I'd never really have any alone time with Percy's father before so I wasn't really used to talking to him. Poseidon Jackson was also a man of few words; he mostly kept to himself the entire time that he was driving.

The resort was huge, its location very much like that of the summer camp that Percy and I used to go to. Stretching for almost five miles in total, it was no wonder why developing it took a lot of his time. There were manmade swimming pools but I could tell that Poseidon limited it so patrons could still have the "wilderness feeling" – like they were away from the city; there was the golf course, the rooftop and floating restaurant. The place was a paradise a few miles from the city, which was the clear reason why even at this time of the year, there were still a lot of people checked in.

"There is something I recently opened," Poseidon shared as he got out of the car, opening the door for me. "This is something I'd been working on for the past year. I went to a lot of places, countries, to gather what I have here. Come on, Annabeth."

I followed him past the kitchen, across the entire golf course, into this secluded part of the resort. I thought he was going to take me to the forest but when he swept the low-hanging branches of the tree in front us, I gave a gasp of surprise. Before us was an underwater castle, only it was above water, if that makes any sense. It was a replica of the Parthenon from Greece, only modifications were made to make it look like a tribute to the Greek god of the seas, from which Percy's father was named after. The height was reduced, stretching for only about twelve feet up; the white paint was changed into a mix of blue and green, the marbled pillars wrapped in synthetic seaweed; two huge tridents were placed on either side of the doors with statues of mermen beside them. There were sedimentary rocks cut and formed into stepping stones, laid from where we were standing up to the stairs leading to the entrance.

"Wow," I whispered in awe. As an aspiring architect myself, I couldn't hide how impressed I was with the architecture in front of me.

Poseidon smiled down at me. "Thank you, Annabeth." He extended an arm in front of him. "Shall we?"

I nodded and walked right behind him, careful not to slip on the rocks. Sometimes I would hop from one to another and I was reminded of the days I would play hopscotch and I would force Percy to play with me. The memory brought a smile to my face.

Poseidon and I climbed the steps and he proceeded into opening the double doors to let us in. Only then did I notice the word engraved in a black marble that was nailed right on top of the doorway. Περσέας. "Perseus," I read. I turned to look at Poseidon. "You named this after him?"

He gently nodded, looking up. "I named it after the most important person in my life." I stared at him. It is rare for me to encounter a man who could expose himself to others. After being with Percy for so long, I knew that it's because it is in their nature to be the strong ones, the ones in control, which is why they found it hard to tell that they, too, get hurt, that there are times that they also feel scared of things. I knew this because I was one of the few people who had seen this side of Percy. It took him a very long time to actually trust me to let me inside that other face of his.

Poseidon cleared his throat uneasily. "I apologize for that," he said, letting himself in. "Please, do come in."

I was awed when I came in. Lined along the walls were glass boxes with metal linings, each one containing fossilized sea creature. From a variety of humongous sea shells to the smallest bones of fishes. There were too many remains of sea creatures for me to actually notice all of them. Especially after I saw the main attraction right in the middle. I didn't recognize it right away, until I focused. The length of the creature's bones, the width . . . it was familiar. I looked at Poseidon. "Was that Mrs. O'Leary?"

Poseidon nodded. When we were nine, a few months after Percy and I met, and during our first summer at that summer camp, we were walking down the beach. It was my stepmom's and Percy's father's idea. Since it was the first time that we were there, we were required to bring our parents. Percy's mother, however, wasn't able to come with us, which was the reason why it was Poseidon who came. The same thing happened to my Dad. He was also busy. So for a few days and I had to endure being with someone whom I didn't even like.

Anyway, that afternoon Percy and I snuck out of the scheduled activity we both deemed as "outrageously boring". We decided to just take a walk on the beach. We were on this secluded part when we both saw something that excited us both. A dolphin on the shore. Percy was more excited than I was, since he loved the sea and everything that has something to do with it. We both ran to where it was and immediately stopped at once. The water was tinted with red from the blood gushing from a gash on its side.

"Oh, no," I remember Percy saying, kneeling down beside the wounded animal.

He reached out his hand. "Don't!" I yelled, stopping him. Percy looked up questioningly. "It's wounded Percy, it might attack you."

He shook his head. "That's exactly the reason, Annabeth. She's hurt. I bet she's scared." He looked back at the dolphin and gently rubbed the spot between its eyes. I expected it to trash or to lunge at Percy but the animal leaned into Percy's touch, whimpering, like it was asking for help. "Don't worry, girl, I'll help you." Percy looked up at me. "Annabeth, call my Dad. Tell him I need his help."

"Percy – "

"Annabeth, please!"

"Fine," I answered as I ran back to where the camp was.

Poseidon and my stepmother were going around looking for us. They both gave a sigh of relief when they saw me but Poseidon's eyes widened when he saw I was alone. "Where is Percy?" he asked.

I took some time before answering because I was panting. "Percy needs help," I finally managed to croak out.

Poseidon's worry grew. "What happened? Where is he?"

"Follow me," I said as I ran back to where I left Percy.

He was there, now sitting in the water. The dolphin's snout was now on his lap as Percy repeatedly ran his hand on its head. He was whispering into its ear. I felt Poseidon falter behind me as she saw that his son was fine. He then surged forward and waddled into the shallow water and helped Percy into standing up.

"Dad, we have to help her," Percy said.

Poseidon looked down and checked the wounded animal. "I don't know, Percy."

Nine-year old Percy gripped his Dad's arm. "Dad, please," he pleaded. "Come on. She's wounded. She needs our help." The dolphin flipped its tail, spraying us with water, like it was asking help itself. "Dad, please. Do it for me."

Poseidon looked hesitant at first but then gave in. He took out his phone and called someone.

I didn't really know what happened after that. The witch – and by that I mean my stepmother – forced me to go back to the camp. I did, however, get updates now hat happened to the dolphin. Percy kept on sending me pictures of them together. There was one with her being treated and Percy swimming right beside her. There was another one with them in a pool, splashing around and the last one that he sent was the one four months after we found her. That was when they freed her back to the ocean. During those four months, Percy started calling her Mrs. O'Leary, insisting that she liked the name.

I didn't really have that much of a connection to the dead animal, but I could tell that it meant a lot to Poseidon.

"How did you recognize her so easily?" Poseidon asked, bringing me back to the present.

I shrugged. "Mrs. O'Leary's the only dolphin I know who means something to you and Percy."

"Still," Poseidon said, "I didn't think you'd recognize the remains as that of a dolphin's." I was about to open my mouth to answer but then Poseidon chuckled. "Then again, I forgot who I'm talking to."

"How'd you find her?" I asked.

"Right before we released her back to the sea, I had someone put a tracker in her, that way I could tell where she was." He paused and looked at me. "You're going to ask why, so I'll give you an answer. When Percy asked for my help to treat her back then, that was the first time that I was actually given the chance to do something for him. I knew he didn't want to go to the summer camp with me. And when I saw him there in the water, cradling her head on his lap, begging me to help, I realized that for once I could actually do something for my son. For the first time I thought 'My son is giving me a chance to make him happy, I can't fail him.'" He cleared his throat before continuing. "That was the first time that I felt like I was being a father to him."

I looked at the Mrs. O'Leary's remains. Now I fully understand how those bones could mean so much to him. Maybe it made him quite stupid, or hopeless, or shallow, but for someone like Poseidon who kept on trying to make Percy feel how much he loved him but kept on failing, stupid things like these are the ones whom he hold most dear to his heart. They were like reminders that once, we did something right.

I know because I'm just like him. The hanky that Percy used to wipe my tears when he found me at that library crying because of my stepmother, the piece of twig he used to set my broken ankle when I accidentally slipped on our third summer at camp, the table napkin he stole from a restaurant where we ate after I accidentally spilled my share of orange juice on my dress – all of those things I keep with me. They were all in a small box that was under my bed. There were nights when I would take them out and just look at them and I would be reminded of the days when we were still together.

"I know you understand why," Poseidon said. "You know, sometimes we can't avoid hurting the ones we love the most, sometimes we act out of fear that we would cause them pain but by doing otherwise we're actually hurting them more. I guess that's something that we'll always do, but does it mean that we can't try? Should we, if we just keep on hurting them? If you ask me, we should because I believe that doing something and trying is better than not doing anything at all and just letting what we feel left unsaid." Poseidon took a step to where I was standing. "I can see how hard you're trying to reach out to Percy. I saw how much you care for him. As his father, I'm asking to pleas not give up on him. Don't give up on my son."

"Shouldn't you ask Reyna?" I asked. "I mean, Percy's with her. If he'll listen to anyone, it's going to be her."

"Reyna is too perfect," said Poseidon. "I'm not saying that you're not; obviously you are. Percy has a knack in trusting the best of people. Being with Reyna, I do see how much she's making him happy. I can also see how much they love each other. She was the first person whom he let into his life after you left. He made exceptions for her. He learned to love again because of her. Reyna Rivera is the picture of a perfect woman. You, however, Annabeth, are flawed. You balance him out. When Percy's with you I can see him struggling to keep up, to learn, to grow up. You challenge him always and that's a good thing for someone like Percy. You give him a headache most of the time, you hurt him a couple of times in the past; you were the only person apart from me who I know have hurt Percy that much. But I can also see that by doing so, you gave him a chance to life, to discover more of himself, something that I don't think he'll be able to accomplish with Reyna. And let's not forget who really taught him how to love. Let's keep in mind that little girl whom my son made fast friends with and protected against everything." Poseidon stared into my eyes. Those orbs were very much like Percy's that it made me uneasy. "You, Annabeth, are the one whom he needs." He exhaled loudly. "Maybe I'm a terrible man for asking this from you. If this makes me an awful person, then fine, I'm an awful person. But please, don't walk away now. Please, help my son. He needs you. Teach him how to forgive, teach him how to live fully again."

"I-I don't know, Poseidon," I answered. "I don't think that's something I could do. It's something I would do but I don't think he'll listen to me."

"He will," he said. "Trust me on that one. Percy is very much like me. We may seem to just ignore what others tell us but the truth is we listen, especially when the words came from someone we treasure."

I wanted to tell him that there's a possibility it won't work, that I was just doomed to fail again, but my phone ringing stopped me. I took it out of my pocket and checked the screen. It was Thalia. "Hey, what's up?" I answered.

"Where are you?" she asked. But she didn't wait for my answer. "Listen, my landlady just called me and she said that there's someone hammering my door calling your name."

My immediate thought: Josiah. "Who is it?"

"You won't believe me; you'd better see for yourself," she answered mysteriously.

"Thalia – "

"Just go home and check!" she yelled before ending the call.

"I'm guessing you need to go now?" Poseidon asked. I nodded absentmindedly, wondering who that person could be. I was convinced that it was Josiah but then I thought of Thalia. She wouldn't tell me to go home if it was him. "I'll have someone drive you."

The drive back to Thalia's apartment was uneventful. I kept on thinking about my conversation with Poseidon. Should I do what he asked me to? Would I hurt Percy again by trying? Was Poseidon correct when he said that it's better to try than not do anything at all? What if by trying I pushed him farther away?

My train of thoughts got interrupted when I saw who that person was. I could feel my shock showing on my face as I went out of the car. It wasn't Josiah Hudson. It was Percy.

He was sitting on the stairs with his hands on his neck, his head bowed down. My feet sped up, approaching him. "Percy? I called. "What happened? Why are you here?"

When he looked up, I got another shock. His eyes were red from crying. He looked terrible; his skin pale and dark bags were under his eyes. What surprised me the most was the look in his eyes – it was broken. It was like I was looking into a nine-year old Percy's eyes and not the man in front of me.

Percy stood and grabbed my hand. "Annabeth, please," he said, his voice hoarse.

"What is it? What's going on?"

Then before me, Percy slowly fell to his knees. "Please, I need you. Our son needs you.

[Next - Chapter 15: BEHIND THESE DARK EYES]