Annabeth wakes from her nightmare with a start. Her heart is racing wildly, and she feels her hands clenching the sheets by her sides. Her eyes quickly adjust to her darkened surroundings, and relief washes over her as she recognises where she is—her room on the Argo II.

The walls are tinted in a low, orange hue by the light from her owl lamp that's sitting on her desk. It used to help her fall asleep, but now she thinks it's not bright enough.

She shivers, recalling the nightmare she just came out of. It's a memory she wishes she could just forget, but it feels far-fetched to hope now after experiencing it again only her first night back from that place.

Annabeth tries to calm her racing heart, slowing her breathing and closing her eyes. But then the plains of Tartarus appear in her mind, blood-red skies and skeletal trees looming above her. She can almost taste the acrid air, feel the perpetual heat on her face.

Her eyes snap open, and she thinks her heart is beating even faster than before.

She sits up, starting to feel restless with the anxiety and nervousness building up inside her. It's like her emotions are buzzing just beneath her skin. She's itching to do something to release that energy and get back some peace of mind, but she's honestly exhausted. She just wishes her mind could shut down for a while—no dreams, no memories, no uncomfortable emotions, just peaceful, quiet nothingness.

But then the thought of nothingness sends another kind of chill up her spine.

The sheets rustle as she brings her knees up and cradles them to her chest. All she can think about is how drained she feels. She wonders how long this phase will last. She knows it's supposed to get better with time, but right now the heaviness in her heart feels like it will last forever.

Suddenly a stream of light materialises across the floor. Annabeth looks up to see the door is cracked open, and a silhouette of someone standing in the open doorway. The lights in the hallway outside glare behind it, shrouding the person's face in shadows.

Her heart skips a beat, but then she recognises the messy hair and the familiar lean frame.

"Percy?" she croaks out. She didn't expect her voice to sound so raw, but she's too disoriented and fatigued to feel overly self-conscious.

"Hey," he greets softly, fully stepping inside and closing the door behind him. "I'm sorry for barging in..."

"It's okay," she says. Truthfully, she feels a little better that he's here. The ball of nerves that stirred in the pit of her stomach earlier is now slowly dissipating. Nonetheless, she can't help wondering why he's here in the middle of the night.

She regards him curiously. He's picking at his fingernails, and his gaze is locked onto the floor. She senses that he wants to talk but maybe isn't sure how to start. He hasn't stepped any further into the room, either.

She makes a quick decision. Wordlessly, she shifts over on the bed so that her legs hang off the edge and pats the empty space next to her, beckoning him.

Percy hesitates at first, but accedes her request. When he settles down next to her, they're sitting so close that she can feel the warmth radiating from his body, their pinky fingers brushing at the edge of the mattress.

They slip into a comfortable silence, which comes easy for them whenever they're together. Percy's presence dispels much of the lingering unease from the nightmare.

Eventually, he breaks the silence.

"Were you having a nightmare?" he asks quietly. His green eyes glint in the scarce light as he looks at her.

"Yeah... How did you know?"

For a few seconds, he seems to think about how to answer.

"I was in the hallway when I heard you yelling," he says, almost regretfully.

A ball of guilt forms in her stomach. She wants to ask if she woke any of their friends, but the question must have already been written on her face.

"Don't worry about it," he quickly assures her before she can say anything. "I told everyone it's fine. I was awake anyway, so you didn't wake me up."

"Why were you awake and in the hallway?" she finds herself asking. She didn't mean to, but her mind just latches onto certain details sometimes.

Percy gives her a tired smile. "Don't try to change the subject."

Annabeth makes a mental note to ask him about it later.

"Anyway, it was pretty clear you were having a nightmare," he explains. "And..." His gaze on her deepens. "You were calling out for me in your sleep. Do you... want to talk about it?"

She looks away. The nightmare surfaces in her mind, and she feels her heart start to race and anxiety prickle under her skin.

She doesn't want to burden him, but maybe talking about it will help ease her mind. She has a feeling this won't be the last time she'll have to face those awful memories, but the thought of being able to sleep easier, if only for the night, is too enticing. Besides, she already survived the actual ordeal, so talking about it shouldn't be too hard, especially if it's with Percy.

She slowly lets out a breath.

"I was blind again, and I couldn't find you."

Next to her, Percy seems to go still. She thinks he might be reliving the experience again in his head, too.

"It was more like a memory," she continues after a beat. "Everything was the same. It all felt so real..."

She feels the unmistakable prick of tears behind her eyelids. She closes her eyes, hoping to dispel them, but when she opens them again her vision is blurry.

She lets out a quiet sigh. "I'm so tired... Honestly, I just wish I could forget everything. I don't want to remember any of it."

Her next breath comes shakily, and she has to clamp her teeth on her lip to stifle the sob that's trying to escape. Percy doesn't try to stop her tears. His presence is enough to make her feel reassured, and she doesn't feel awkward about spilling her emotions out into the air.

"How long do you think it will be like this?" she asks softly, unable to help herself. "The nightmares, seeing the memories and... that place, all over again."

Percy takes a moment to think. "Honestly... I don't know. Probably a lot longer than a while."

He smiles wryly, and she finds herself returning it. Somehow, he still manages to make her smile in a moment like this.

The moment of respite is interrupted, though, when Annabeth thinks about how they wouldn't be in this situation if she didn't give Arachne the chance to pull her off the edge of the cliff. She knows she shouldn't, but she can't ignore the thought of not having all these horrible memories of Tartarus now living in her head, waiting to emerge in her nightmares.

"Something else bothering you?" Percy asks, though he sounds like he already knows the answer.

It won't be the first time he'll be hearing her voice her guilt about them falling into Tartarus together, and he already tried to convince her it's not her fault, so she decides she wants to understand something else.

Though she's aware of the tears on her face, she gathers the courage to look him in the eyes.

"Why did you have to follow me?" she asks him softly. "Honestly, I wish you would have listened when I told you to let me go. Then at least one of us wouldn't have these memories."

Percy frowns. "How can you even ask me that? If our positions were reversed, would you have let me fall alone?"

Unbidden, the image of that scenario forms in her mind. It strikes terror in her heart, and instantly she knows her answer is no, but Percy doesn't wait for her reply.

"I know you still blame yourself for us falling into Tartarus, but Annabeth, it's not your fault. I blame Arachne for what happened. She's the one who wanted to take you down with her. But I... I chose to follow you. I wanted to."

He takes a breath, and Annabeth thinks she sees tears glistening in his eyes. He finds her hand in the dark, his touch sending warmth through her fingers and up her arm.

"I meant what I said before. From now on, I go where you go."

"You're not getting away from me. Never again."

Annabeth feels fresh tears stream down her face. She doesn't know what she ever did to deserve him. How could someone care about her that much?

Suddenly she feels self-conscious. He listened to her talk about her fears because he wanted to be there for her, without expecting anything in return. She trusts him entirely, and she wants him to know he can trust her, too.

She sniffles and wipes away the tears on her cheeks.

"Enough about me," she says with a small chuckle. "Are you having trouble sleeping?"

Percy stares at her silently, as if thinking, how did you know?

"You mentioned you were in the hallway when you heard me. Were you... also having nightmares?"

"Oh. Well, not exactly... I just couldn't fall asleep."

He gets a distant look in his eyes, like he's remembering something. She feels his hand twitch.

"Every time I close my eyes, I just see that place," he says. "It's like I'm right back there again. I think I... I'm afraid to go to sleep." He doesn't meet her eyes, seemingly ashamed. "I didn't want to be alone... so I thought I'd see if you were having trouble sleeping, too. That's when I heard you crying out."

Annabeth smiles softly even though he isn't looking at her to see it. "I'm glad you came by."

"Annabeth... there's something you should know," he confesses suddenly. "When we encountered the arai and you got blinded... What happened afterwards. It's my fault."

She tries to make sense of what he's saying but finds that she's still confused. He still doesn't look at her, and it's starting to bother her. She wants him to see that she's not judging him—or worse: mad at him—in any way.

"After I got blind? Percy... That was Polyphemus's curse. How is that your fault?" she tries to tell him gently.

"No... When you thought I abandoned you. The arai told me that was because Calypso cursed me for leaving her alone on Ogygia. I promised her she would be free, but I never made sure the gods actually kept to their word. And you got punished instead... I'm sorry you had to go through that."

Understanding finally dawns on her, but she doesn't feel upset in the slightest.

"Percy, will you please look at me?"

He follows her request, and she hopes that when he finally meets her eyes, they are conveying enough warmth to help him believe her.

"I don't blame you... or Calypso for what happened. I guess that's just how it works. Everything we do comes with a consequence. Even we can't get away with slaying monsters without getting cursed—literally. That's all part of being a demigod, I suppose."

She smiles wryly. She knows she's not as good at lifting spirits as him or Leo, but it feels like a whole victory when her words manage to elicit a tiny smile on Percy's face.

He leans in to kiss her on the cheek. "You know you're amazing, don't you?" he tells her.

She can't be certain he doesn't feel guilty anymore, but she decides that for now it's good enough that he's smiling again.

"If you say so," she answers, now grinning.

In that moment, she realises that although she hates that they ever fell into Tartarus in the first place, she's glad that they were together. After so many years of having people she loved leaving her in different ways and feeling unsure if she would ever find something that would last, Percy became someone she grew to believe would stay. Those months that he disappeared are the among the hardest times in her life, and she never again wants to feel the way she did back then.

She basks in the peace that has settled around them for a few more seconds.

"Thank you for being there for me," she says quietly. "You're always there for me, and I probably don't say it enough."

Percy smiles warmly at her. "You know what they say: going through traumatic experiences together is great for strengthening relationships," he says very seriously.

Annabeth almost laughs. It sounds absurd and ridiculous after the vulnerable moment they just shared, but she can't deny the truth in the statement. He always knows how to make people feel better. She realises it's one of the many reasons she loves him.

"I couldn't have made it out of there without you," she says with a watery smile.

"We wouldn't have made it out without each other," he says. Then a sad look passes over his face. "And Bob..."

Annabeth feels her heart constrict at the memory of the Titan, guilt washing over her again. "I'll never forget what he did for us... I'm sorry we had to leave him behind."

"Me too." Percy squeezes her hand. "He chose to save us. He's a hero."

Annabeth feels a certain kind of sadness whenever she thinks about Bob. He came through for them on more than one occasion although they hadn't really given him any good reason to. He was kind and compassionate. She knows it's probably futile to hope he survived Gaea's army of monsters at the Doors of Death, but she'll always remember that she owes her life to Bob the Titan.

She lets out a yawn. Percy smiles at her.

"You're exhausted," he notes. "I think it's time we both finally get some sleep."

He kisses her forehead. Then he releases her hand and stands up.

He's crossed half the room when he slows down and stops altogether, his back to her.

He seems hesitant to leave. Annabeth realises she doesn't want him to go, either. Though she's finally able to feel exhaustion taking over, the darkness feels too close still, and she remembers what he said about having trouble sleeping.

"Can you... Will you stay for tonight?" she asks, feeling a little flustered. She knows if Coach Hedge were here he would have stormed in long ago and pulled Percy out of the room by the back of his neck like a rogue kitten, but he's off-ship accompanying their friends Reyna and Nico to deliver the Athena Parthenos to Camp Half-Blood.

Percy blinks, like he's taking a second to process her question. "Are... Are you sure?" he asks.

"We're just going to sleep, Seaweed Brain."

"Of course! I just want to make sure you're comfortable."

Annabeth smiles. "I am, I promise."

She makes room for him next to her, but when she looks up at him expectantly, he looks nervous again.

"You are not sleeping on the floor," she says simply.

"I could take the table..."

"Percy."

He grins sheepishly and slowly walks back towards her. He's careful as he moves to sit on the side she left open before lying down over the covers, clearly trying his best not to disturb the sheets as much as possible.

Annabeth rolls her eyes good-naturedly. Settling down onto her side, she pulls the covers over herself up to her stomach, which is as far as it can reach with Percy lying on the rest. She doesn't mind it, though.

Percy stares up at the ceiling. She wonders what he's thinking, but she doesn't get the chance to ask when he turns his head to look at her.

"Goodnight, Wise Girl," he says softly.

"Goodnight," she replies, a small smile on her face.

She falls asleep to the quiet, rhythmic sound of his breathing and the warm scent of the ocean.

Miraculously, she doesn't see Tartarus in her dreams anymore that night.

-Ψ-

When she wakes up early the next morning, Percy's no longer next to her, but she finds that she's not worried. She realises it's probably for the best that their friends don't see them leave her room together for breakfast.

-END-