Inspiration for this came from a bad fic. It said, and I quote, "But let's start at the beginning. After all, that's where all the best stories start, right?" It was fine up until that but then it kind of bombed.

This is dedicated to Katerina Riley. Either she's a really good narwhal or she's stalking me. Anyways, Katerina said she liked Percabeth. Here you go.

It was late. He was all alone in his small, cramped apartment. He wasn't really sure why he had so much stuff anymore, since it was just him living there now. And it wasn't like the kids were going to visit for a while anyways.

Pictures were on almost any surface possible. Some from way back when, some from a few years ago. Almost none were very recent, since he didn't really have a reason to take pictures after she died.

He stared vacantly at the TV, waiting for the ads to end so he could get back to watching the 11 o'clock news. Finally the newscaster returned and she brought bad news; it was always bad news, it seemed, never anything good.

He watched for a few more minutes before turning it off with quiet click of the remote. He let out a deep breath before he got up. His old back cracked with displeasure as he stood up. His hand moved to massage it. He started the short tread to the kitchen.

He reached up with a shaky hand to the cupboard above the sink. He carefully grabbed a glass, making sure not to drop it. He turned on the tap slowly, letting the lukewarm water chill itself until it was cold. He watched the water for a moment. He always liked the water. It had been a while since he had gone swimming. He wished he could have gone just one more time, maybe on a picnic with the kids and his wonderful grandkids.

Slowly, the old man began to grin. He concentrated on the water and watched as it started to move. Instead of falling straight down the drain, it moved to the left before it crept up the side of the sink, slowly crawling until it had found its way up the lip of the cup. It swayed for a moment before tipping in with a quiet splash.

He took a sip and put the cup back on the sink. He left it there.

His gaze then turned to the bright, neon bottle of pills. He frowned and decided to leave them be. Maybe tonight he'd dream. Maybe.

He began the slow walk to his room, watching his quiet, humble home as he passed. He smiled slightly at the pictures of the two of them when they were younger, her with the kids, and his grandchildren smiling fully at the camera.

He missed those days.

He walked past the bathroom and into his bedroom. His pale cream bedspread didn't catch his eye, but rather the picture on the bedside table. It was of her, back when she still had the beautiful curls, the big smile she gave out so freely and the energy to still move mountains.

Beside the picture was a telephone. He picked up the receiver and slowly dialed the number with one finger.

A distracted voice answered. "Dad?"

He smiled. "Hey Cals."

"Are you okay?" She asked. He could imagine that if he said no, she'd grab her coat and rush out the door and be over in less than five minutes.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He answered quietly.

He could picture Cally closing her eyes to hide her rolling eyes. "It's almost 11:30. The girls are sleeping, why are you calling?"

"I'm sorry." He said quickly. He realized how old he sounded right then. He sounded like the feeble old man he thought he'd never be.

"Jesus, dad, do you know how long it took me to get them to sleep?" She demanded. "What if you had woken them up?" She paused. "What do you want?"

"I-I just wanted to let you know I love you."

He heard her sigh. "I love you too dad. Am I still going to be able to bring the girls over Saturday?"

"Yes." He lied.

"Okay." He imagined her bobbing her blonde head, the curls bouncing into her face the same why it happened to her mother. "I'll call you tomorrow."

"Okay." He responded. He put the receiver down and picked it back up again. He started dialing the next number. It rung eight times then was sent to voicemail.

"Hey." The voice of his son rang in his ears. "You've found me, it's Luke. I'm not here at the moment, I'll call you back as soon as possible. But if it's Kelsey, just ignore that last part."

He shook his head at his son. He was getting over a nasty divorce.

The beep sounded, and he cleared his throat. "I know you're not in." Of course not. He was probably off in a bar. "I was just calling to check up on you. I would say call me back, but you never do."

He cleared his throat again. "I just wanted to let you know that I love you. Remember that, okay?" He said it like he was waiting for the answering machine to answer back. It didn't.

"Bye." He said, putting the phone down for the last time.

He leaned back in his bed, glad he was already wearing his night clothes. He inspected the ceiling. He imagined that the dots on the ceiling were stars, and he imagined that he was on the hill again, right next to Thalia's tree, gazing at them.

He felt bad for lying to his only daughter. But he knew. He could just feel it in his old, worn bones that tonight was the night. Tonight was the last night.

He closed his eyes. He could see the dark indigo sky now, the stars shining brightly. The clearest constellation was Zoe, who was forever standing tall. He smiled, seeing it again. Even if it was a figment of his imagination, it brought warmth to his heart.

He imagined that Annabeth was next to him, whispering soft words in his ear like she used to every night. He could feel her warm breath in his ear.

"Gods," He breathed slowly.

Not a single soul heard him.

He looked out the window. Life would go on without him. How much of an impact would his departing make, anyways?

Tonight was the night. But he wasn't scared. He was calm, relaxed, waiting for the moment that was long overdue.

"Gods." He whispered again. "I love you so much."

He said it with a smile. Percy closed his eyes for the last time, the smile still lingering.

He dreamed for the first time in a long time, he dreamed of Annabeth and she told him how much she missed him, and she had been waiting. She brought him to a house, full of pictures and novelty items. She gathered him in her arms and whispered in his ear, "I love you too."