Annabeth

"Why can't I?! I've got a chance to save my-my- my husband! You want me to just… let him die!"

Leo tried to grab her hand. Annabeth glared at him and snatched it out of his reach.

Leo sighed and pointed at her wedding ring.

"Perseus Romulus Jackson, the third died in the rebellion."

Annabeth clutched the skirt of her dress and clenched her jaws. For a moment she didn't say anything.

"How do you know that for sure?"

Leo touched her shoulder, this time she let him.

"His name is on the stone of martyrs… You wouldn't know… it was buried with the blueprints for the time machine."

Annabeth's shoulders shook beneath Leo's hand.

She couldn't just let him…

"I don't care! I'll save him anyway!"

"You can't Annabeth"

Leo squeezed her shoulder,

"I'm sorry but it could change everything… I can't-won't let you… I'm sorry."

Annabeth gaped at the boy standing above her. She should have run to him and flung herself at him, she should have bawled her eyes out and… well whatever she should have felt was not what she was indeed feeling. At that moment she was angry.

The man on top of her had died with his hand on her thigh. She kicked it off, thankfully the other one had jerked away when he had been shot.

Percy picked the body off her and tossed it on top of the other one.

Annabeth ripped his hat off.

Pieces of sweaty raven locks dropped above his left eye and curled behind his ears. He was pale… deathly so. The nerve creeping up his neck was bluer and… somehow bigger.

"Why did you wait so long? Couldn't you have just… shot them at the door?"

Percy placed a finger over his chapped lips, everything about him screamed that he had risen from his grave… except for his eyes. They were clear and alert.

He grabbed Annabeth's waist and leaned down,

For all her angst she sure cooled down fast, or rather she became hotter. Shivers ran up her spine and threatened to shake her knees, but she held on.

"They had weapons all over their body. By the time one of them was dead the other one would have killed you."

His soft whisper tickled Annabeth's ear and made the hair stand at the back of her neck.

Percy raised his hands and ran his knuckled down her cheek.

Annabeth gulped. It was all very strange. She hadn't realized it at that time but her body had become more spontaneous, more sensitive around him.

But she realized it then.

It was as if her skin had come alive after a very long and unpleasant nightmare.

Slowly, she reached up and grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer.

"I thought you were dead."

Her whisper was soft and filled with the tears she refused to shed.

Percy smiled then, it was small and sad and gave Annabeth's heart a painful lurch.

"I thought so too."

Annabeth stared into his eyes. She never wanted to look away. She was afraid that he would vanish if she did.

He lean down then and was inches from her lips when she realized how cold he was.

Her palms clapped over his face,

It could have been the dim light, it could have even been the horrible stench that was making him ill. They needed to get out of there.

Suddenly the thought of standing in the same room with three corpses dawned on Annabeth. She stepped away hastily and grabbed Percy's hand.

"Let's go."

Percy looked amused. He jerked his head towards one of the fallen guards.

"You'll have to wear his clothes. Keep yours on or they would be dreadfully loose."

Annabeth frowned and looked at the corpse of the bulky guard. His tongue was hanging out of his mouth and even in death his face was set to show his eternal lust.

She picked up his discarded uniform and glanced at Percy.

He was looking at Rachel. She wondered if he had ever seen another such corpse, with their intestines and couple of other organs ripped out and splattered.

She quickly bunched her skirt up and wriggled into the pants. Next was the shirt. The bulk of the skirt around her belly made her look like a long necked tea pot. She tried to push up the sleeves but they came tumbling down each time when she tended to the other.

She made a small sound of frustration at the back of her throat.

Percy turned around.

Annabeth was caught in another one of those rumored eye locks, where your body became tingly and hot even if you were standing a mile away from the other person in a crowded street.

Percy grabbed her hand and neatly folded both her sleeves. He looked down and nodded,

"The pants seemed to be the right length at least. Can't do anything about their bagginess."

Annabeth looked around for the hat.

"Here, take mine."

Percy stepped forward and wrapped her hair up before stuffing them inside his hat. His fingers brushed the back of her neck. Annabeth inhaled sharply.

She looked up at Percy with wide eyes. She was so glad to see him. She would tell him about that when they were away from those corpses. She'd a lot to tell him.

Percy grabbed one of the keys from the huge black ring and thrust it into the door.

Annabeth realized why Percy had given her his hat. Even if the uniform smelled of unwashed bodies and rotten sewer, the hat would have been closer to her nose. She could smell sweat and salty breeze, she could smell Percy… or rather what the top of his head was like.

She grabbed a hat from the floor and thrust it over his head.

He tilted his head back and looked at her.

She smiled at him.

She was happy. She had never thought that a single person other than her family could ever make her long for them. He was a miracle. He had somehow made her a little… soft.

His green eyes lit up. Annabeth could see herself in them.

And then he smiled back.

~oOo~

It wasn't easy to quietly follow Percy through the dark dungeons. They'd been fast, avoiding the other guards and prisoners. Annabeth had thought that he would lead her away from that dark and dank hole.

But they only seemed to be going deeper.

Another turn without any torches loomed ahead.

Annabeth opened her mouth to ask where they were going but instead her jaws hung down.

Percy had pushed a few loose stones and a small trap door had silently gaped open.

"What-"

He grabbed her waist and pushed her down.

She tumbled down blindly and then dropped. Her head hit a rather hard and pointy object and dust filled her lungs.

She coughed and squinted around.

The lighting was dim and the pleasant hum of stereo wafted over her from some far away corner. She looked around at the tiny cage of bricks and coughed. The fireplace was clean and devoid of any coal or soot but the faint smell of burning flesh made Annabeth's stomach wobble.

"Annabeth! Move!"

Just before he dropped down on the furnace like a bag of very cranky stones Annabeth had hopped out and into the small room. There was only one torch alit. Two giant armchairs were crushed together in the small place, a small wooden coffee table balanced gingerly on their foot. Several cards lay strewn around the table.

Annabeth glanced down and stared at the-

"Queen of hearts."

Percy bent down and picked it up. She stared at the card and then at him.

She opened her mouth then closed it.

She had too many questions for him and had no idea from where to begin.

A small patch of crimson blossomed over his abdomen.

His buttons were flying open even before Annabeth had consciously realized what she was doping. She had never been so bold before. It had been Luke who had slipped his hand inside her shirt most of the time she'd been with him. She would immediately stop kissing him those times, moving away with some excuse. It wasn't as if she hadn't been shy. She had been. But it mostly had been the fact that Luke had appeared too smooth… it had seemed too easy with him, he hadn't fumbled or laughed awkwardly or had even looked away bashfully when he had been with her.

Silena had always preached that those with experience were the best.

But he had somehow always annoyed Annabeth with his ways of touching and holding her.

And now as she tried to quickly get rid of Percy's shirt, she could feel his heart bumping against his chest,

"Annab-"

Annabeth gasped. His entire abdomen was covered with swaths of bandages. The skin near the linen appeared bloodless and white, starkly standing against the small cut at his side.

She looked up, straight into his watery eyes. At that moment in her heart she knew that there never would be another pair of eyes breathtaking enough as the one before her. The glean of moisture made the sea inside his eyes brighter.

"Wha- are you hurting?"

She quickly looked down at the new cut and then back up at him.

The sides of his lips curled up.

"Not that silly little gash."

Annabeth ignored him. The cut was on the flesh. She decided to wash it first and then ask about the bulky bandages around his gut.

"Come on."

She grabbed his hand.

"Where can I find some water and clean cloth around here?"

Percy tugged at her hand and made her look up at him. Annabeth blushed. She wanted to look away but held his eyes. She liked how his eyes were shining and how the small smile seemed to brighten his chalky complexion.

"You're lucky it's a doctor's suite."

Annabeth huffed,

"You call this small cupboard a suite?"

"Yes?"

Percy blinked and looked around in confusion. Annabeth just shook her head and smiled.

"What are suits like then? Hundred years from now?"

"Much like the ones now I bet."

She muttered under her breath.

He pulled her along, around the armchairs, stepping into a narrow hall.

Annabeth instinctively clutched the loose ends of Percy's hanging shirt. She was growing weary of the monstrosities the darkness seemed to conceal. Rachel's tattered body and dead eyes came to her mind. She shuddered and closed her eyes for a heartbeat.

Percy entered another dimly lit room which must have been the doctor's bedroom.

Annabeth looked up.

The roof was flat dank with wet patches.

Percy bent down to grab a small basin from under the huge bed.

She quickly hurried to his side and gently touched his shoulder.

"I'll take that."

She took the basin from him and looked around. There was a small door on the other end of the room.

"Dr. D's bath." Percy said with a short laugh.

Annaeth pushed the door open gingerly, expecting to be hit by awful stenches of dead frogs and outdated antiseptics. All she could smell was a bit of mould. There was a yellowed bathtub and one of the earliest flush toilets. Thankfully there was a tap.

Annabeth sighed and turned it. Cold water dribbled down on the stony floor before hitting the smooth bottom of the basin.

Annabeth came back in and shut the door with a light thud.

Percy was sitting on the edge of the white bed, away from the flat and dusty pillows, staring at the ceiling. He had fetched some cotton napkins for her. She went over and tugged at his shirt.

Percy looked at her for a moment,

"I can… It's not even a cut."

Annabeth glared at him and dragged the sweaty piece of clothing down to his elbows. He tilted his head towards her, gave her a strange look, then pulled the shirt off his fingers.

With shaking hands Annabeth soaked the light blue cotton and dabbed at his side. He was right. It was barely a cut and the blood had already clotted. But that didn't mean that the rest of his abdomen was simply pricked or scratched. The heavy padding bumped against her fingers. She knew that any thorough puncture wound around the abdomen was mostly lethal… being stabbed through the abdomen was a very painful way to die.

Annabeth dropped the bloody cloth on the floor.

Her hands shook terribly.

What had they done to him?

Percy took both of her hand in his and rubbed soothing circles on her knuckle with his thumb.

"It's not as bad as it might look."

He pulled Annabeth down beside him but it didn't work. Annabeth couldn't look away from his bandages. Annabeth had heard about victims in plane crashes, terrorist attacks, terrible accidents… but she'd never seen anyone patched up to their necks before.

She freed her hand from his and lightly touched the most prominent bulge with the tips of her finger.

Annabeth could feel it, her gut tearing apart bit by bit and blood oozing out of her body. Her heart squeezed painfully and jumped to her neck.

She quickly snatched her hand away.

Tears threatened to break out of her lashes. She pursed her lips and looked up.

"What- What happened to you?"

Percy shrugged them winced.

Annabeth's heart was becoming too painful inside her chest. She wanted to hurt the person who had tried to kill Percy. She wanted to tear his guts apart.

"A sword wound. One of those bloody nob-"

"They run you through with a sword?"

This time Annabeth flittered through his abdomen with both sets of her fingers in a panic. She was afraid that this was all a cruel joke fate was playing on her. At any moment blood would seep through the bandages and Percy's skin would fly open… and he would be dead.

His name is on the stone of martyrs

Leo's horrible voice crushed her mind. She wanted to scream. This was not how it was supposed to end.

But it was too surreal. Percy's wound was real and lethal and if he wasn't dead yet then he would be soon.

Annabeth shut her eyes and breathed through her nose.

Maybe she was just unlucky. The last person she'd tried to love had thwarted her heart with lies and insincerity… and now the boy she'd finally fallen in love with was going to die.

Cool hands cupped her cheeks but Annabeth refused to open her eyes. If he was going to disappear then she would rather not look at him anymore. His eyes and occasional smiles were branded on her very soul anyway.

"Hey."

His soft minty breath his Annabeth's hot cheeks. She wanted to jump away and run as far as she could from him.

But she couldn't move, her body wouldn't let her. She wanted to feel his warmth at least once if he was going to-

He is dead Annabeth. Everyone here is dead. This is the past.

But it wasn't the same as before. She hadn't physically ached for anyone before.

"It was nothing really. The cut was deep but that was all it was... a deep cut. I didn't even loose enough blood to slack around. Though honestly I think Dr. D would have just let me die if I had become bed ridden. He scowls enough now just to change my bandages fro-"

"Shut up."

Annabeth clutched his wrists and finally blinked open her eyes. His face was too close. His lips were chapped and pale but Annabeth still wanted to taste them. He hadn't nearly kissed her enough.

"I- I told you to return soon! I-"

Percy bent closer, resting his forehead against hers,

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Sorry?"

Annabeth had hardly whispered those words out but had filled them with all the pain and anguish she had carried atop her chest for the last couple of weeks.

Percy winced but didn't move away.

"You're sorry? You made me think you're dead and you're just sorry? And you put me through- put me through all that just so you could be some huge idiotic hero and save that wretched red faced-"

And then his lips were on her, insistent and demanding. Annabeth's heart broke through her chest and all reason left her.

His hands trailed up her arm and curled around her wild hair, sending small shocks in their wake and making her week.

She pushed against his chest and glared at him,

She could hardly breath,

"How dare you interrupt me?"

Percy swallowed and rubbed her cheek with his thumb.

"I missed you."

"That's completely beside the point!"

"I don't care about the red faced girl you were going on and on about."

Annabeth sniffed,

"Then why did you-"

"It was either death by the guards or the old ladies."

He shrugged and grinned.

Annabeth made a sour face,

"It's not funny."

His thumb brushed along her swollen lower lip.

He pushed her down on the bed and hovered on top of her. Annabeth's hair fanned out beneath her.

Percy sucked in a breath, his eyes moving all over her face before settling down on hers.

"You're right. It's not. It's beautiful."

Annabeth's whole body burned with desire. She whimpered, a soft wounded sound, so foreign and yet so easy to breath out through her lips.

Percy was down on her, crushing her chest with his, his mouth hungrily devouring hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck. A deep throaty groan vibrated through his chest, making Annabeth's pulse stutter. She was too hot, and the heat had gotten to her head.

Her slid the baggy pants off her with his feet and fumbled with the links on her shirt. They were stuck. They laughed at his frustrated tugs.

Percy moved up and looked at her,

"We should stop. I want you too much."

Annabeth fought to take in gulps of air into her lungs.

"You're right. You're hurt."

But neither of them moved. They stared at each other, warped in each other's arms and lost in the clouds of puffed breaths and the soft and hard corners of the other.

"My stitches came off two day ago."

Percy whispered, his soft breath made Annabeth shiver.

"And I have been waiting for you since…"

"Since?"

Percy chuckled and lightly nibbled on her ear lobe. She swallowed hard. Her mind was focusing solely on him and hi hot finger tips, his soft lips searing and signing her flesh. It had completely abandoned her.

"I don't really know-"

She quivered and sucked in a sharp breath when his lips touched her neck.

"You were saying?"

Annabeth took a deep breath and mad up her mind and grabbed his shoulder and made him look at her.

"I don't know but it has been a while…a very long while."

He grinned again, this time he was playful, charming. His hair was a dreadful mess from when her hand and slipped up his shoulders and rummaged through it. Annabeth's finger's twitched to be there again, between his soft and long strands which curled behind his ears in the most adorable way.

She thumbed the blue nerve pulsing along his neck. His cheeks were flushed, bringing a healthy hue to his paleness.

He caught Annabeth's hand and brought it to his lips.

"You remember? I was going to tell you about… I said I would tell you when I saw you next."

Annabeth nodded.

The smile fell from his face. He placed Annabeth's hand against his chest. His heart was racing, faster and faster… beating her's to the race.

He was looking straight into her eyes, the storm in his sea colliding with the thunder in her dark clouds, his expression solemn.

"I love you, Annabeth."

Annabeth's lips parted… but no sound came out. She was feeling too many emotions at once- love, elation, a fiery desire burning through her very being and… heart wrenching pain.

Her heart was breaking while it was soaring up.

He is going to die.

No!

She screamed at the ugly voice inside her head.

I won't let him. I know it's selfish but I just- I just can't. I'll keep him here forever.

"Since when?"

Annabeth whispered.

Percy smiled again, a lopsided cunning grin, making her whimper once again,

"I don't know but it has been a while, a very long while."

Annabeth laughed and spread all her fingers above his heart.

"Come to me."

And he did.

It has been crazy folks! First my laptop literally shattered into a million pieces and then my landlady asked me to leave in a month because she is getting married Again! Serously who asks people to leave for that :'(

Anyway I'm so sorry for the super late update! I think the story would need about two or three more chapters then what I had thought before. I'll be looking for new places to live but still try my hardest to update within the next ten days! So please keep reading and telling me about the chapters!

IIII Winter Wolf IIII: Really! I'm so glad!

suntan140: Seems like it doesn't it.

bookfangirl445: You think so? I'm still learning to write! Thank you so much!

Maya: xD He is alive! Thank you for reading!

AnnaUnicorn: It is Percy... unless there is some evil alien doppelganger planning to take over the planet *o*...! '_^ kidding!

The Whispering Words Of Death : He is back! Let's see what Luke is up to now.

Sava: I'm so sorry! My laptops all fabulous now! (I bought a new one) and my landlady is being mean but... my laptop's all I need! See you in ten days!

Thank you everyone who is taking their time to read. It means a lot a an aspiring immature and slightly unhinged wannabe writer like me!