Welcome back to the annual story update! I can't believe a year has already passed! It came up so fast that I almost forgot to post for this story. Guilty. Alright, I won't go into any hardcore politics, but because of the election 9/11 has been popping up quite a bit. Usually associated with Osama Bin Laden, Bush's policies…other things that I don't feel like typing. Yes, I care about politics, but I won't start a verbal/virtual war here.

This chapter will be for those that lost their lives fighting in those planes. Every time I think about how those people must feel, it really brings me to tears. Especially the planes aiming for the Pentagon and the White House. They already knew the other two planes crashed, and they knew that they were heading straight towards their deaths, but they still fought.

I don't own Percy Jackson or any of the characters. I'm simply writing this story in remembrance of this event, because I feel that we should never forget what happened on this day. Some of you may not like what I'm writing about, so I'll say I'm sorry, but that doesn't mean I'll stop writing.

In the Arms of an Angel

The Flight that Fought Back

"Percy! Smile at the camera!"

Sally Jackson was standing in front of her son with a camera resting on her eye, preparing herself for the perfect picture. Paul stood next to her, moving the video camera from hand to hand, hoping to find a comfortable position. Both wore huge smiles.

"Mom! I'm going to college, not the other side of the world!" Percy beamed, pulling his light jacket closer to his body. Yes, it may be September, but this specific airport was especially chilly.

Sally squeezed her son's face, tears starting to leak from her eyes. "I just can't believe my baby got into college!"

"And it may not be in another country, but it is on the other side of the United States." Paul added his one cent comment, which made Percy glare.

He didn't want his mother worrying more than necessary, but a little bit of worry never hurt. That only means they care. It was true though. He was accepted into college, even with his dyslexia and ADHD. Someplace finally accepted him.

"It's only in Califor-"

"I'm sorry I'm late!" Annabeth was seen rushing towards the family while dodging in and out of people in the busy airport. "So sorry!" She bent over, trying to regain her breath.

"Oh good! Annabeth!" Sally embraced the young girl. "Tell your boyfriend to smile and cooperate!"

Annabeth smiled and tackled Percy. She knew it would be hard for her boyfriend to attend school in California while she attended a school in Boston, but they were beginning to realize their dreams. She already couldn't wait to spend winter break with him.

"C'mon Seaweed Brain!" She pouted. "This could be our last picture together in a while!" She pointed to her cheek, implying that a kiss should be placed there.

Of course, Percy couldn't argue with a ferocious young female. So, he complied like a good boy and kissed her on the cheek. The camera flashed, and hopefully his parents were satisfied.

Paul pointed the video camera at his step-son. "So Percy, did you trick us into thinking you were accepted?" He questioned with a smile.

Percy untangled himself out of Annabeth's embrace and pulled out a letter. "Acceptance letter, fool!" He waved it around in front of the camera and stuck out his tongue. "This world will be forever changed by my awesome actions!" He whooped and ran around Annabeth.

"And why are you two weeks late to classes?" Annabeth chuckled behind her hand at Paul's question.

A slight blush covered his cheeks as he mumbled. "I don't like planes…"

"What?" Annabeth said in fake exasperation. "The great Percy Jackson doesn't like planes?"

"It took a lot of will power and mental preparation to get me on that steal death trap." He pointed to the plane outside the glass windows.

"Flight 93 will be departing shortly. Please make your way to the gate." The announcement sounded through the airport.

A depressed feeling settled amongst the once cheerful family. Sally hugged her son tightly, telling him to not do anything stupid when he got there. Paul shook his hand 'man-style', then hugged him softly. They both pointed to where the bathroom was, leaving Annabeth and Percy to have some time alone.

They stared at each other for a second.

"You know…" Annabeth started. "I'm really going to miss you Percy." She rubbed her sleeve against her eyes in attempt to stop the tears that were about to spill over.

Percy pulled Annabeth to him and rested her head on his shoulder in a comforting manner. "We will see each other soon." He thought to himself. "And we'll call and talk all the time…"

"Annabeth…" He mumbled into her hair. "if you cry, then I'll cry and then my mom, who is probably watching from behind a pole, will cry." She let out a strangled laugh.

"You have your ticket?" She asked, trying to remain the strong one in the whipped out his ticket from his jacket pocket and smiled. "You know me, always prepared!" He laughed and kissed her forehead, then her nose, and finally reaching her mouth. She couldn't hold in the tears anymore.

"I-I want you to call me right when you get there, okay?" She sniffled while Percy wiped her tears with his thumb. "Don't do anything stupid that would make me worry, or I will come over there to kick your butt." She attempted a smile.

Percy traced her fake smile with his finger. "I need you to smile for me, sweetheart!" He demonstrated by showing his huge smile.

Annabeth looked at the floor, took a deep breath and looked back up at Percy with a smile that reached her eyes. "I'm just going to miss you…"

Percy hugged her one more time and stepped away from her warmth. "I'll call you everyday if you want me to!" He replied while picking up his small carryon.

"Good!" She shouted, watching in despair as Percy made his way over to the gate.

"Don't worry about me!" He waved at his parents, then at Annabeth. "Bye, Wisegirl!"

Annabeth wiped her tears and waved back. "This isn't a goodbye, Seaweed Brain!" She replied. "It's a see you soon!"

He threw her a kiss and disappeared inside the gate. Sally and Paul both embraced the young girl, whose crying would strike pain into any passerby's heart.

"A plane has crashed into the world trade center!"

The trio stared at each other in horror. Only one thought crossed their minds, "Which plane was it?". They sprinted up the stairs and into the Jackson's and Paul's apartment. Sally dived for the television remote.

"Flight 11 hit the North Tower! My god, is this an accident?"

An audible sigh of relief was heard in the living room of that apartment. Annabeth sat down heavily and rubbed her temples. "Percy wasn't on that plane…thank god…" she thought to herself.

"When I see that boy I'm going to give him a good talking to for making me worry!" Sally vowed out loud.

"It's not his fault that another plane crashed." Paul commented from the kitchen. He was starting to make a light breakfast.

"But it's just like Percy, to get into an airplane on this kind of day!" Sally commented back.

Annabeth was still sitting on the couch, starting to feel raw emotions overcome her. Was she relived? Of course, but she has a gnawing sense of worry eating away at her.

"Oh my god, what is this? A plane just crashed into the South Tower! This can't be an accident!" The news informed.

Annabeth's blood went cold. Sally's and Paul's playful bickering ceased when they heard her strangled cry from the living room. The couple ran into the room and watched as both towers continued to burn. Sally covered her mouth with her hands.

"Which plane was it?" She whispered hoarsely.

Annabeth looked up from her hands, her eyes already bloodshot. "They didn't say yet."

"It just couldn't be Percy's plane…it just couldn't be…" That thought raced through the minds of most special people in Percy's life.

"We just got an update. Flight 175 was the airplane that crashed…."

Another relief, but the family was still shaken up with Percy's almost death. Annabeth glanced at the clock. 9:38 A.M. She couldn't even begin to comprehend everything that was happening. The towers were falling, and she couldn't do anything at all, just watch.

"Viewers, this has to be the worst attack on America to date. Yet another plane has crashed, but this time, into the Pentagon."

Sally let out a cry. This was getting bad. Of course they were heartbroken about the events, but only one person mattered right now, and that was Percy.

"Can we call him?" Paul whispered. He was kneeling next to the television where his legs gave out.

Sally's eyes widened and she rushed towards the phone, but before she could dial any numbers, it began to ring. She pressed the call button and slammed the phone to her ear.

"Hello? !" She practically screamed into the phone.

"Mom?" Percy's voice crackled at the other end of the line.

Sally almost dropped the phone with relief. Paul and Annabeth stood beside her. "Thank god your alright, Percy." She whispered into the phone. Annabeth smiled as Paul hugged her to him.

"Why, what happened?" Percy knew what was happening on his plane, but he wanted to find out what was going on down on the ground.

"Three planes crashed into buildings!" Sally exclaimed. "One hit the North Tower, then the South Tower and now the Pentagon."

Percy finally knew what was going to happen to him. His plane wasn't going back to the airport and the realization just hit him. He wasn't going to leave the plane today.

"Ma, I gotta tell you something." He kept his voice firm.

"What is it honey?" Sally's smile was beginning to fall as she realized something. Why would Percy be calling in the first place?

"My plane was just hijacked not too long ago…" She dropped the phone and backed up against the wall. Her face was a mask of horror.

Paul went over to her in attempt to comfort, but he had no idea what just happened, but Annabeth had a good idea. She picked up the phone from ground.

"Percy?" Annabeth's voice shook a bit.

"Wisegirl?" She smiled at the sound of his voice. "What happened to mom?"

"She's a bit upset…" Annabeth looked over at crumpled Sally. "Percy…was your plane hijacked?" Percy didn't answer immediately, but some screams were heard in the plane. "Percy!"

"Uh, yeah?" His voice sounded distracted. "Sorry, they threw more tear gas…not cool, right?" He pretended to laugh it off.

"Percy," Annabeth took a deep breath. She knew what was about to happen, just like Percy knew. "you're at the back of the plane, right?"

"Right now, yeah…" She could hear his voice becoming more depressed.

"Percy, is there anything you can do?" She asked. "You know what happened to the other planes…and your plane right now could be heading towards a major landmark." Neither of them knew that, that landmark was the White House itself.

"Annabeth, I can try." Percy's voice sounded unsure. "They said they have bombs, but I think their bluffing." Annabeth's eyes widened and a lump formed in her throat. It's a miracle that she was able to keep her voice under control. After all, her boyfriend was in a life and death situation.

"Percy, you have to do something. Anything." Her voice sounded desperate. The last thing she wanted was more deaths. There was enough of that already.

"I'll do everything I can." The phone call was starting to crackle.

"I love you Percy." Her voice wavered as silent tears coursed down her cheeks.

"Ooooh, haven't heard that little word in a while!" Percy barked out a laugh, but Annabeth could only sob more.

"I should have told you everyday!" She forced out. Percy's parents were still sobbing uncontrollably. "Your parents send you their love."

Annabeth could practically picture Percy's smile. "Tell them I love them too, very much, and Annabeth," His voice sounded sad. "check in my dresser drawer later tonight, okay? No sooner then that." She gasped slightly, getting hit by the fact that this was the last time she would probably talk to the love of her life. "I love you Annabeth. I've always known that you were the one for me."

Tears streamed down her face and she sobbed into her hand. "Oh, Percy…" Was this really our goodbye?

"I need you to be strong." Percy smiled. "For my mom and Paul. They could really use someone like you."

"Percy, I love you so much," Annabeth sobbed. Tears started streaming down Percy's face when he heard her like this. "I don't want you to go!"

Percy knew he was going to die. Right when the hijackers revealed themselves. Whenever something is hijacked, someone dies. This situation is no different.

"Annabeth," He kept is voice steady. "I need you to calm down." She breathed in deeply. "I love you, and I'll see you real soon, okay?"

"Alright, Percy." Her voice was hoarse. "I love you too."

The dial tone was all that was heard. Annabeth kneeled on the ground, wrapped her arms around her body tightly, and joined Sally and Paul by releasing all the tears she currently had in her body.

"We have a report that a 747 is down in Pennsylvania, and that remains unconfirmed at this point."

Annabeth knew that those reports were true. She knew that plane once held her beloved Percy. She knew that she wouldn't be able to stop crying until god knows when.

However, she gave sad, soft smile. "You did it Percy…" She thought to herself. "You stopped the plane…"

Annabeth got up off the ground and made her way to her duffel bag. She needed to talked to someone, anyone. Hopefully Thalia wasn't sleeping through all of these. Her phone came to life in her hand and she gasped in surprised.

2 Missed Calls

Both were from Percy, the boyfriend that died only minutes ago. Annabeth stared in shock, for what seemed like hours, but she brought herself to call her voice mail and listen to the messages.

The first missed call was at 9:45 A.M.

Annabeth listened intently as Percy's voice cracked through the phone.

"Hey, Annabeth. I know I just called you…like five minutes ago. I guess I cant stay away!" He laughed softly. "Alright, I guess if you're listening to this, then something probably happened and I'm no longer among the breathing." He chuckled again. "Okay, I want you to go into my bedroom now and do what I told you to! Listen to the next message when you get there!"

Annabeth was more or less surprised. She walked over to Percy's bedroom, holding the wall for support, and opened his drawer. A strangled sob was released from her throat. In his drawer was a small box. A box that held a ring.

She pressed the next message with a shaking hand.

The next call was at 9:48 A.M.

"Hey again! You've probably found the ring, right? I picked it out months ago, but I never had the courage to give it to you. Until now." He sighed over the phone. "Annabeth, I love you so much and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

Annabeth dropped herself into a fetal position as tears cascaded down her cheeks. She was barely able to keep the phone to her ear.

"I know you can't answer this question to my face, but, like all men, I'm hoping you would have said yes. I had everything planned out for us after college. Everything. This is probably the first time I planned anything out so much." He barked out a laugh. "I want you to remember me, Annabeth, but don't cry too much for my sake." His voice shook. "It always hurt to see you cry." Yelling was heard in the background. "I gotta go now, sweetheart. We're gonna be breaking into the cockpit. A flight attendant even boiled some water to throw at the hijackers. Pretty smart!" He tried not to sound scared. "I love you, Annabeth. Don't you forget that."

Annabeth rubbed her eyes and reached for the box. Inside was a gold banded ring with a small diamond on top. It was perfect for her.

"Yes, Percy." She placed the ring on her shaking left hand.

Annabeth Chase stood with Sally, Paul and so many other hurting families, in front of the Flight 93 temporary memorial. Flowers, pictures, anything and everything was covering the larger plaque. She smiled softly when she saw the rows of wooden angels, one for each passenger and crew member.

She was amazed with herself. Even though she wanted to break down and cry, she couldn't. It was almost like she could feel Percy standing right next to her, comforting her pain, telling her not to mourn.

She placed the picture of Percy kissing her cheek on the memorial. Her engagement ring glinting happily in the sunlight.

The Flight that Fought Back, is what Flight 93 is normally called. Thank you so much for reading this chapter. It always means a lot to me. God bless those people on that plane. Who knows what might have happened if they had not fought against the hijackers. See you all in 9/11/2013.