A/N: New chapter daaaay! I'm obsessed with this chapter, I hope you like it!

Annabeth

I was in shock. I wanted to turn around, run back into the bathroom, or run back to the party—do something. But my limbs wouldn't move. My mouth wouldn't move either. I just stood there, staring at him.

Percy Jackson, my once-best friend, my former confidant, my once soul mate, was standing in front of me after ten years of silence.

"Hey," he said softly, as if he didn't know how to handle this moment either. "I need you to come with me, it's important."

"Percy…" I said again. His name rolled off my tongue with a familiar ease that gave me the slightest bit of pleasure. I inspected him as he stood in front of me. Somehow he hadn't changed. Physically, he was older. He wore his hair differently, and you could see the maturity in his features. There were a few gray specks in his hair that we all suffered from in our 30s, but he made no effort to cover them like I did. His eyes were still the same, though, and he had the same boyish aura that I had loved all those years ago.

"Will you come with me?" he asked.

"Wait, what?" The gravity of his words sunk in and I recoiled. "No, this is… confusing. I can't go anywhere with you." I couldn't leave Kennedy's party. Even if I had wanted to, I was already off to a bad start as maid of honor, having been over an hour late. Being maid of honor was possibly the most important thing you could do in girlhood, so I couldn't fail. Failing wasn't something I allowed for myself.

I took a few steps back, trying to sever whatever connection was happening, but I couldn't turn around.

"Annabeth, please." The way he said my name sent a shiver down my spine. Memories and mixed emotions flooded my head.

"I wouldn't be here if I had another option," he continued. He pulled out a photo of two teenagers: a boy with curly, sandy-colored hair and a girl with black, wavy hair cropped to her chin. "The boy in this photo is in trouble, and if you don't come with me we might not have a way to save him. I know it sounds crazy, but I'm asking you to trust me one more time. We used to trust each other with our lives, and I'm asking for final favor."

Oh, like I trusted you not to break my heart ten years ago? I wanted to snap at him. Instead I took a breath and looked around. "Give me a second," I said and returned to the bathroom.

I ran a towel under the cold water and placed it on the back of my neck. Was there a window I could crawl out through? No, I was on an upper floor. I would risk a second story window right now, even in these shoes.

I revisited the theory that I had hit my head. What were the odds that I would walk back into the hallway and Percy would be gone? He couldn't actually be here, wanting me to go with him to who knows where to do who knows what. The way he said my name had felt so real, though.

I thought about the photo of the two kids. Was it possible he was lying about them being in danger? Assuming they were campers, which I guessed because of their orange t-shirts, did I still have a responsibility to help? I thought about when the god Apollo had been made mortal and asked for Percy's help. Percy had respectfully declined because he had too much going on and that had still turned out fine. Apollo found other people to help him. I also had too much going on, like my handbag arriving in a few days. That needed a signature at delivery; I couldn't miss that.

The thought made me pause. Earlier, I asked myself if this was what my life had been reduced to. Now, I wondered if this was the type of person I'd turned into. I thought about the party happening down the hall. Kennedy might not notice my absence or just assume I got lost in the crowd. Grayson would probably notice, but he'd been so busy shopping his upcoming promotion around he might not think too much of me disappearing for the evening. Hopefully I could just shoot him an email in the morning.

At that moment, I knew what I was going to do. I also knew I was going to regret it. Part of me was still bitter towards Percy, and it had taken me a long time to get over him. I almost said no to a date with Grayson because I didn't think I was ready, even though it had been several years since my breakup with Percy at that point. I'd secretly thought about the possibility of seeing him again for years, which I wasn't particularly proud of. I knew that part of why it was so hard for me to get over him was because we had no closure. He was just up and gone one day, no explanation. If I could possibly get some closure out of this, and finally fully move on, I think I owed that to myself.

My mind was saying go, both to help the kids and get an explanation about one of the biggest unresolved moments of my life. A smaller, less dominant part of my mind was telling me to go because it was Percy, and he was always going to have that effect on me. I was actively trying to ignore that part.

I peeked my head out the door, half expecting him to be gone and to confirm the head trauma theory. He was still standing there and I walked to meet him, silently checking in with myself one last time on my decision.

"Okay, Percy, I'll go with you. But I'm not promising you anything."

His face lit up and he grabbed my wrist, guiding me down the hallway. "Deal."

We went down the back stairs and exited into an alleyway. I figured he either had a car waiting or we were going to get a cab, but my stomach dropped when I saw something big moving behind us in the alley. Immediately, my mind flashed back to all the monsters we fought as kids. I really, really hoped Percy hadn't sought me out to help fight some mythological threat to New York City. I couldn't do that even if I wanted to, it had been too long, and I had no weapons. I hoped Percy knew that too.

I panicked when he started to walk toward the figure, and almost called out for him to stop, but the Mist started to clear before I could. I realized who I was looking at.

Blackjack the pegasus.

"Are you ready?" Percy asked the pegasus. That's right, I thought, he can talk to horses and some other magical creatures.

Blackjack whinnied, apparently saying something back.

"I know your back has been bothering you, but we talked about this before we got here," he said.

Another whinny.

"If your back is bothering you that much then we need to get you to see an equine healer when we get back."

This time Blackjack snorted and stomped his front foot.

"Dude, I do not think more donuts is the answer here. You know what, never mind," he said, shaking his head. He glanced at me and said something else to Blackjack about not having a lot of time, as if he sensed the wrong move would make me flee. It seemed like Blackjack acquiesced, and he dipped his head slightly as if saying "fine, hop on."

"Alright, let's go," Percy said to me, mounting the pegasus and bending down with his hand extended to help me up.

I glanced down at my dress. The black fabric was tight around my lower thighs.

"No," I said.

"Annabeth…" he trailed off. His voice was soft but had an edge to it, like he didn't want to be here anymore than I did, and that annoyed me. He had managed to temporarily bring my defenses down, but he was quickly succeeding in raising them right back up.

I stared at him, one eyebrow lifted. His move.

"You used to ride all the time," his hand was still extended for me.

I snorted and waved my hand up and down my body. For some reason, I was still confident that I could ride a pegasus. I remembered it not being too different from riding a normal horse, which I still did from time to time. Maybe it was ego talking, but the winged horse of it all wasn't the problem.

"Maybe when I wasn't wearing heels and a dress with no stretch," I countered.

This time, he raised an eyebrow at me. "I know it's been a while, but I somehow didn't think you'd turn into the type of person who would say no to a challenge because you're worried about your outfit."

It was the oldest trick in the book, a challenge, and I knew it. But he was also right, and I couldn't say no. He had won. I huffed as I walked over to him and took his hand.

I lunged over Blackjack in one go, squealing as I landed and tried not to flash Percy and the rest of New York. Unfortunately, I heard the unmistakable tear of fabric right away. I groaned. This was my favorite dress.

Percy turned and looked amused as I fussed over the rip that now shot up my thigh. The seam had torn, but I could probably have it fixed.

"You've changed," he commented.

"I grew up," I retorted. "And I see you've stayed the same?"

"You'd be surprised." I didn't get a chance to respond, as Blackjack launched into the sky and I yelped. I realized very quickly that I was going to have to hold on to Percy in order to not fall to my death, and I regretted my decision to come with him almost immediately. I was glad I was seated behind him, because I might have been blushing.

"Do you mind telling me what's going on?" I asked, my face close to his ear.

"I'll tell you when we get to camp," he shouted back against the wind. So we were going to camp. My chest tightened at the implication of this. A lot of demigods didn't go back to camp if they managed to make it out. Percy and I had been a little different, since we'd done four years of college at New Rome University in California. I thought back to the ten camp beads on the necklace in my office. Camp had been my home for over a decade, and one day it was just gone to me. I hadn't gone back after the last summer Percy and I spent together.

"Okay," I tried to swallow my nerves. "Want to tell me how you found me, then?"

I thought I detected a slight blush on the tips of his ears before he answered. "It wasn't that hard, you're famous. It doesn't take much to track down a famous person if you're determined enough."

Now I was definitely blushing. "I'm not famous, not even close."

"You are famous. You have well known architecture firms in New York and Los Angeles. Plus, I see your face every time I drive into the city, because you have that giant billboard near the Queens Midtown Tunnel. Everyone knows who you are. If you want your dream home built you go to Annabeth Chase."

My mind flashed to the billboard I had reluctantly agreed to do, and I cringed. I knew it was a bad idea at the time, but I didn't think it would ever come back to bite me like this. Chase Design Co., it read. The name of my firm. Percy was right. I hated looking at it though, but I did have to face it every time I came back by car from Long Island. Grayson's parents lived in Long Island, and he would always comment on it when we went past. I thought I looked too intimidating and cold, far too much like a child of Athena, but everyone in charge kept saying it symbolized being strong and stable like one of my buildings.

"Well, thanks, I guess. But, I meant how did you find me at the party tonight? How did you know where I was going to be?"

"I may or may not have stolen your phone earlier," he admitted sheepishly.

"I knew I didn't leave it at work!" I exclaimed, claiming victory over my life. The possibility that a possibly crazy, half-god, ex-boyfriend stole my phone was much more likely than me simply losing it. "Do you have any idea how much stress that caused me?"

"Sorry," I thought I could detect a note of guilt in his voice. "But hey, you got it back didn't you? I returned it to where I found it."

I thought about the phone laying at the bottom of the venue's decorative water feature. Then, my mind jumped to Percy having been in my office. I thought back to all the times I left my phone unattended today. Had Percy been watching me? And for how long? He must have been in my office, too. And, oh no, he must have seen the photos I had of me and Grayson in my office, and—.

I felt sick, and the regret of this decision had taken hold squarely in the pit of my stomach. This wasn't my life anymore. I couldn't be having these thoughts.

"Percy, I want off this pegasus," I said.

"It's too late now!" he yelled as Blackjack took a sharp dive. I tried to muffle a scream and tucked my face into Percy's shoulder instinctively, and didn't open my eyes until I felt us land with a jolt. I kept my eyes closed but felt Percy dismount. When I opened them again, he was standing with a hand extended to help me off. Well, I had said I wanted to be let off.

I tried to make my descent as ladylike as possible, and that was made easier thanks to the new tear in my dress. That I was actually grateful for. I dropped Percy's hand as soon as I could.

We were standing in the middle of a large dirt road, and I paused to take in the scenery for the first time. I knew this place. We were about a fifteen minute walk from camp. This was the road that led to the protected valley. I glanced down at my shoes and groaned.

"He couldn't drop us off any closer?" I asked.

"Blackjack and Porkpie are having some sort of beef," he said, and somehow all those words made sense to me. "He hasn't been staying at camp. I'm actually glad he dropped us off this close."

With that, Blackjack launched back into the sky. Percy yelled "thanks bud!" as the winged horse flew away. We started to walk.

We walked in silence for a few minutes as my thoughts raced. I never, never wanted to be back here. It was too painful. Since I couldn't keep the memories at bay today, my mind flashed back to the last time I was here.

"I don't want this life!" I screamed at Rachel through tears, thrusting my bronze knife into her hands, determined to leave it here and walk away forever. "I don't want to do this anymore, not without him."

I choked back the lump in my throat that formed at the memory, and as quickly as it made me sad, the memory made me angry. I had been forced to give up all my friends, my home, and my support system. I had to completely start over, all because he decided he didn't want me anymore. I could have stayed, but his presence leached into every inch of everything I knew. Everytime I talked to Grover, Rachel, or any of our other friends, I could feel him and it ached in every corner of my body. My only choice had been to start over.

I tried to concentrate on the sound of the gravel crunching under my feet and on keeping my balance so my heel wouldn't snap on the uneven road. I had nothing to say to Percy. The shock of the night had worn off, including the adrenaline that had likely compelled me to go with him, and now all I could feel was bitterness seeping into my veins. My heart ached. It was the same type of angry, all-encompassing, devastating heartbreak I had experienced ten years ago, when I sat in that busy airport waiting for him, but he never came.

At that moment, I tripped on a rock and my already tender ankle rolled again. I let out a guttural, rage filled yell and bent down to rip the shoes off my feet.

"I hate these shoes!" I screamed as I threw them as hard as I could into the brush.

Percy jumped, and it occurred to me that he had no idea what had been building in my head for the past few minutes. He looked at me incredulously. "What?" I snapped.

"It's nothing, just… I'm wondering whether I grabbed the right Annabeth Chase."

My eyes rolled back in my head, and I turned to start walking again. I knew I was acting out of line, but I felt out of control.

"Well, I might not be who you wanted but I'm who you've got. I'm not a demigod anymore, I don't know what you were expecting."

He jogged to catch up with me. "I'm sorry, what? You're not a demigod anymore?"

"That's right," I said, eyes straight ahead. "I'm not a demigod anymore. I gave that up. I decided I didn't want to live that life anymore, so I denounced it. And I was doing just fine, until tonight."

Percy suddenly looked enraged, and this made me stop in my tracks. The last time I'd seen him this angry, a toilet had exploded.

"That's ridiculous. First, that's not how that works. Second, you just decided you didn't want to be a demigod anymore one morning when you woke up?"

I nodded, not breaking eye contact. Why was he so mad that I didn't want to continue the life we built after he left? He continued to walk.

"Why do you care? Shouldn't you be glad I'm not occupying the same space as you anymore?" This time I jogged to catch up with him, stones digging into my bare feet.

"Why do I care?" he asked, repeating my question back to me. "Because, despite what you may hope, I still want the best for you. I never wanted to be the villain in your story. Do you hate me that much?"

His voice sounded pained as he asked the last question, but I saw red. This was not how I imagined this going. Percy did not get to be angry with me. He had made his choice all those years ago. I silently wished I could go back to this morning, pull the covers back over my head and never get out of bed. But I couldn't do that.

"You never wanted to be the villain in my story? Well congratulations, you are. I loved you so much, Percy. But apparently you didn't, and you were the one who decided to tear my life apart. And you never even gave me an explanation as to why you left."

Tears welled in my eyes now, and I tried to walk a few more feet. Percy didn't move, I turned around, and his face had gone deathly pale.

"Hold on," he said. "Annabeth, you broke up with me."

I felt all the blood drain out of my face, now. My stomach churned; I was going to be sick.

"What?" Was all I could muster.

Percy opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, a dragon roared just down the hill. A horn blew. I whipped my head around and realized we were standing right next to the pine tree I'd seen a million times, Golden Fleece still present and swaying in the summer breeze. Campers were approaching, and I heard someone yell "Percy's back!"

I looked back at him, and he was still staring at me. Campers ran up the hill, asking all sorts of questions but Percy kept his gaze trained on me. I couldn't look away either. Something was terribly wrong.