"The Anatomy of Falling"

Mystic25

Summary: An homage to Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson for The Mark of Athena. SPOLIERS from Book Three of Heros of Olympus

Rating: T, no violence, a lot of introspection. But I'm going for a higher rating, to cover myself.

DISCLAIMER: All the characters belong to Rick Riordan. The bastard who made me pine for another year.

A/N: After reading The Mark of Athena in two days flat (I haunted the mailbox the day of my Amazon package due date) I review it as amazing, and full of so much Percabeh moments I was so fangirling out. The last few parts of Annabeth's final chapter were some of the sweetest, bravest most beautiful of moments, so this is a little homage to it.

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"Percy, let me go…"

"Never."

- Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson

The Mark of Athena

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"Promise me!" Percy's shout only echoed up, below it seemed to be sucked down by the eternal darkness that had opened up like the mouth of a monster.

His arm was beginning to throb from gripping the rock ledge, his other arm, like it was about to be severed from its socket. But he wasn't letting either of them go. In one hand he gripped the earth, in the other hand he gripped Annabeth's wrist.

Far above Nico's face went from shocked to stunned at Percy's request, at how much more complicated things had just gotten. But more importantly, at what it meant for his friends. "I-I will."

Beautiful sacrifices to wake up the goddess.

The voice seemed to blow past Annabeth like a wind, she felt it blast up her body, hitting the fire in her ankle with a frigid coolness. It left her dizzy, nauseous. She fought to keep a hold of Percy's hand.

The hand that was still holding hers. The one she told him to release so she could fall. But he didn't listen. He never listened.

She didn't want to fall into this darkness whose ending she knew would lead to Tartarus. But she had just gotten Percy back. If she fell alone, then he would still be alive.

She couldn't damn him with her, she couldn't do that to him.

Even if she was scared, even if every nerve of her body cried out that she couldn't be without him again.

He had come back – after so long. He had come back to her. She wished that counted for something, that the Gods would see them and say: Oh poor things, lets air lift you right out of there!

But when had that ever worked? When had the gods ever decided to be fair about anything?

She glanced at Percy's face, Gods he was so dirty and looked so exhausted, but was still there. The stupid moron was still there. Something inside Annabeth hurt so much more than the pain racing up her broken ankle.

"We're staying together," Percy's voice was strained. He looked down into the huge crater and saw her, dangling there above the abyss, her face painted red with pain and hurt. But her hand was warm in his, he could feel her heartbeat through the skin, wild, and alive. "You're not getting away from me. Never again."

The sun seemed so far away, its warmth like a dream. Annabeth wondered if she would ever see it again. She never thought she would miss something so simple. The world had an infinite amount of complexities. Being a braniac, she could dutifully name them all off.

But dangling above an entrance of Tartarus –she knew it was the simple things she would miss the most: light, her friends.

Percy.

When she thought she was going to die with Arachne, her first thought was of Percy, She had missed him for such a long time. Her bones ached with missing him, and she was going to leave him forever, that thought was more unbearable then the dying part.

But he wasn't letting her miss him this time. He wanted to come with her. Her stupid, dumb, brave, wonderful Seaweed Brain.

Gods, they were twelve when they first met, they were twelve and now they were here.

If Annabeth had time to calculate everything that brought them to this moment – she wouldn't be able to.

Because Percy would interrupt her and boil it down to the simplest of things: 'It's always been you and me'.

"As long as we're together." She agreed, and it felt like a goodbye to the world and her friends above, and an I love you Percy all wrapped up in one.

Percy remembered back during the Titan War, when Annabeth had dangled above the broken remains of the bridge that had connected Olympus to the mortal world. How he had tugged so hard on her to pull her back; not about to let her fall over the edge.

But he couldn't do that this time, it was too late. But he could fall with her. Because he loved her, and if she were there then he could deal with the rest.

He remembered their talk on the stable floor, about how they first met. He saw her in his mind, 12-years-old, all storm gray eyes and halo of blonde hair staring at him above his cot at Camp Half Blood. He saw her eyes now, still the same storm gray, her hair was a mess, bloody, torn.

Still beautiful.

He let go of the rock, but not to her hand, the darkness rushed up to meet them.

I love you Annabeth.

They plummeted into the abyss.

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"So fill to me, the parting glass.

Goodnight and joy be with you all."

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End

I was so glad they went together, that they love each other that much. Oh yeah, made me sad and happy at the same moment.

The bit of lyrics at the end are from: "The Parting Glass" from the Bonus Track of "Give Me Love" by: Ed Shereen.

R/R please.