Hey guys! This is my second official fanfiction, my first being "The Daughter Of The Prophecy" on Wattpad so if you're another PJO fan you can read my story there.

This is a "trying to be canon fanfic" because it tries to stick close to the books but there are some added bits and stuff.

I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS.

Plz review!

Thx again and enjoy!3

Annabeth POV: Chapter 1

A sudden bang startled Annabetah out of her abysmal nightmare. Her cheeks were wet and her body was bathed in a cold sweat. The sheets were twisted around her limbs, probably because she was thrashing in her sleep. Her heart pounded against her chest. Annabeth trembled. The room was entirely dark. No light anywhere except for the outline of her door. The remnants of her nightmare still clung to her mind, haunting her. Annabeth had no trouble imagining monsters lurking in the murky darkness of her room. Another flash of Tartarus flashed in her mind. Annabeth let out a frightened cry and buried her face into her pillow. Even her breaths trembled. She swallowed and once again turned to see the endless darkness of her room. She couldn't see anything.

Her nightmare was of Tartarus of course. What else could it be? She and Percy had only returned from there a week or so ago. After spending the first day or so in the infirmary, their injuries were almost all healed. Of course, it wasn't the physical injuries that were the most painful.

Annabeth shuddered, a rush of cold trickled up her spine. She wanted to go to Percy's cabin to see if he's awake, he could always calm her down when she's like this. Percy...oh gods. He wasn't coping well, Annabeth thought. I should let him sleep and not bother him.

She hid her face under her bed covers and at least attempted to get rid of the memories floating in her head. Her nightmare was of Percy, that's what scared her the most.

He stood over Achlys with a dark look in his eyes as she struggled to regain control over her poison. As Annabeth watched Percy drown the Goddess of Misery in her own tears, her heart broke into a million pieces. She watched the dorky, quirky boy she fell in love turn rotten, just like Luke - into a monster. She begged Percy to stop and that some things aren't meant to be controlled but instead of stopping, he slowly turned his head around to face her. His eyes were no longer a beautiful sea green or even an evil dark emerald, but they were a bright gold, like Kronos. Percy raised his hand and Annabeth felt her breath freeze, pain shooting up her body. Why would he do this? Why? He walked towards her, a malice grin plastered across his once handsome face, and stabbed out his sword.

Annabeth shed a single tear, no matter how hard she tried to hold it in. He would never do that. He was Percy, the saviour of Olympus. She couldn't control what she did next, it was as if her legs had grown a mind of their own. She climbed out of bed, fixed her old camp half Blood t-shirt she had been using as PJs and walked towards her cabin door. She stuck her head out of the hallway, blonde curls falling down as she twisted her head to look down the corridor. Fearing that Buford would start shouting at her for being out of bed during lights out, Annabeth rushed to the door down the end of the hall - Percy's door. Her feet made a squeaking sound as she walked across the polished wood of Argo II, her heart beating just a few beats faster than usual. She turned the door handle and climbed into the bed of the sleeping demigod.

She stared, in a totally not creepy way, at his sleeping face - his silky, black hair being blown up and down by his shallow breaths. Without meaning to, she pressed her lips against his - just to feel the rush of being with him again. Annabeth felt a small smile grace his face as she pressed just a bit harder. His green eyes shot open and he reached for his sword in a panic.

"A-Annabeth?" he stuttered. "What are you doing in here?"

She turned her head to face him and replied: "couldn't sleep."

"O-okay...Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a nightmare."

"Wanna come closer?" Percy grinned, opening his arms for a hug.

"Just shut up, Seaweed Brain." she murmured with a small smile as she shuffled closer to him and pressed her back against his chest.

A few minutes passed when she spoke up again, "I love you."

A couple of sleepy grunts were heard behind her while they both fell in a peaceful sleep.

The egg yolk sun poured through the cracks in the curtains and awaited entrance into Annabeth's eyes. Sight still in the clutches of the night's glue, she hesitantly rubbed her eyes. She quickly jolted up, nearly hitting her head on the bunk. Percy also woke up because of her jerky movements, yawning and scratching his neck sleepily.

"Did I sleep in here? Oh, gods. I'm so s-"

"Annabeth chill out."

Annabeth huffed a strand of blonde hair out of her face.

Percy let out a throaty chuckle, "We should get to breakfast. Don't want anyone thinking we...um...did things."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Seaweed Brain trying to be punctual? It really is the end of the world."

She got a pillow to her face for that.

Percy jumped up from the bed and reached out his hand for her to take. He gave her a bright smile and Annabeth hauled herself up. There was something so sweet about his smile, genuinely happy. Her and Percy held hands and walked into the kitchen. The rest of the seven were eating breakfast around the table, none of them sparing a glance that way. Whether it was because they didn't care or whether they knew they spent the night together and decided not to mention it.

"Sleep well, guys?" Leo grinned, breaking the silence of the room.

Percy smirked and rolled his eyes, "shut up, Valdez"

Percy and Annabeth sat down next to each other, filling their plates with pancakes - blue for Percy.

"How was watch last night?" Annabeth asked Piper, once again filling the room with conversation. "Anything worth noting?"

"Only some venti attacks and even then Jason got rid of them quickly" sending a quick glance to Jason.

He hadn't been in the greatest spot after being stabbed by Michael Varus on Ithaca. Annabeth didn't want to show it, but when he was injured, Annabeth was very close to a panic attack. She had found herself getting more riled up by the smallest things - understandable but that doesn't mean she likes it.

"I barely did anything! Pipes you're the one who distracted them."

"You're kidding! I trie-"

"Yeah! Yeah, we get it, okay guys!" Leo exclaimed.

After that, the demigods eased themselves into their own conversations. Jason, Frank and Percy arguing over something archery related, Piper and Leo having a heated discussion about probably something stupid.

"You're alright, right Annabeth?" Hazel turned to face Annabeth, her bright golden eyes boring into Annabeth.

She paused for a second. "I had a bad one last night" Annabeth sighed. "Nothing Percy couldn't help me with."

"If you ever need to talk, I'm here. We're all here for you."

Annabeth nodded her way before digging back into her pancakes. It's not that she didn't appreciate her friends' support. It's just that sometimes they treat her and Percy like mentally unstable patients who will explode with the slightest problem. This was apparent right after they got back. There are times her head just didn't work, whether she liked it or not. Annabeth tried so hard to focus and it's like trying to run through water. Her brain fogged up with memories of...down there and thoughts go nowhere at all. Sometimes Annabeth thinks it's nature's anaesthesia, anything to numb the pain, to wipe out the trauma. Then there are the times of clarity, sudden moments when she can see every detail and feel every feeling, similar to her ADHD. Annabeth hates to say it but the triggers can be something like Festus's clicking language or Frank's notching of an arrow or the smell of Leo's morning coffee. She doesn't even know why these things hurt her and Percy. It's unfair. Percy seems to have more nighttime panics than her, numb in the day and broken in the night. Whilst she has panics in the day, less powerful attacks at night.

Percy's laughing brings her back. Her gaze focuses on his eyes crinkling up and his arms clutching his belly. Her own happiness swells inside her, briefly allowing her to relax.

Then suddenly the ship lurched to a halt, the seven quickly abandoned their breakfast.

"Everyone get their armour on and meet on the deck." Shouted Percy. He had really stepped up as leader after he and Annabeth got back, Jason willingly stepping down. It occurred to Annabeth how much the crew had changed whilst they were gone. Piper was much more confident, Leo more mature, Hazel's mist manipulation, Jason's abundance of leadership with Frank really stepping up to fill that role. Getting that out of her mind, she ran to her cabin to get her drakon bone sword and suit up. Climbing onto the deck; the wind whipped her hair around. The sea raged much like Kymopoleia's sea storm. The waves were so large that the Argo II was dwarfed, riding up and down the mighty swelling sea like a child's toy. The air was thick with a briny mist, the deck awash with salty waves.

"Percy! Jason!" she screamed, she could hardly see them even though they were standing only a few metres away. "Try and control the storm."

"Uhhhh. Annabeth, we have a bigger problem here!" Frank yelled.

A giant sea serpent rose from the waves. Her scales gleamed in the slowly disappearing sunlight. Violet streaks were shot through them brighter than the sun or so she claimed. Black attached itself to both sides of the violet. With teeth as sharp and cold as icicles they could rip through the seven's leather armour. She thought absently just for defence.

"Jason, Percy, try to work on the storm, everyone else, work on the chinks in her scales" and with that, Annabeth gave a yell and ran at the monster.