This is my one-shot for livelaughloveandread, one of the reviewers of my House of Hades fanfiction. They requested the last to chapters of the Last Olympian from Annabeth's point of view.

So here it is!

Disclaimer: I own not the Percy Jackson, despite his awesomeness.

TWENTY-TWO

Percy gets dumped . . . kind of.

As I followed Percy, my mind was buzzing, trying to take in what Percy had told me.

"What was she thinking?" I asked, watching Percy's face as we ran towards the river. By the look on his face he had an idea, and it was just as bad, if not worse, than what I was thinking of.

The traffic was horrible, and people were starting to stare at the damage, probably wondering what could have happened. Police sirens were wailing, and I really hoped that no one tried to stop us. I probably looked really beat up, and Percy's clothes were almost shredded.

I knew Rachel must be trying to get to camp, but how were we going to get there?

"She'll never get through the defenses. Peleus will eat her." I said, catching up to Percy. He grimaced, and I could tell he hadn't thought of that. I felt a little bad, but at the same time I almost hoped it would happen.

"We've got to hurry." Percy said, glancing at Nico, who was running alongside us. "I don't suppose you could conjure up some skeleton horses."

Nico was wheezing as he ran, and I felt a pang of sympathy. "So tired . . . couldn't summon a dog bone." He groaned. Percy nodded grimly, and once we reached the river he let out a loud whistle. I could tell he wasn't happy about doing it, and looking at the water, I couldn't blame him. It was disgusting.

A pod of Hippocampi broke the surface, whinnying unhappily. They were just as beautiful as I remembered them, the rainbow fish tails, the heads and forelegs of white stallions. The one in the front was the bigger than the others, and extremely familiar.

"Rainbow!" Percy called. "How's it going, buddy?"

He neighed, and I could have sworn he was glaring at Percy.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," Percy said, and he looked distinctly uncomfortable. "But it's an emergency. We need to get to camp."

Rainbow snorted.

"Tyson? Tyson is fine! I'm sorry he's not here. He's a big general now in the Cyclops army." Percy said, and for the first time he actually looked happy.

"NEEEEIGGGGH!"

"Yeah I'm sure he'll still bring you apples. Now, about that ride . . ."

Within only a few minutes we were speeding up the East River. We zipped under the Throgs Neck Bridge, and headed for Long Island Sound. It couldn't have been more than half an hour before we saw the beach at camp, but it felt like much longer. We thanked Rainbow and his friends, and waded to shore. Argus was waiting for us, his arms folded, glaring at us with all of the force of his hundred eyes.

"Is she here?" Percy asked.

Argus nodded darkly.

"Is everything okay?" I said quietly.

Argus shook his head, and we followed him up the trail.

It was weird being back at camp after the wreckage we'd seen in the streets during the battle. Everything looked so peaceful, beautiful even. But it was entirely deserted.

When I saw the Big House, I knew something was wrong. Green light was shooting out of all the windows, and the magical Mist was swirling around the yard.

Chiron lay on a horse-size stretcher near the volleyball pit, surrounded by a bunch of satyrs. Blackjack was cantering nervously on the grass. He whinnied when he saw us, but my gaze went straight to Rachel.

She stood at the bottom of the porch steps, her arms raised like she was waiting for someone inside the house to throw her a ball. "What's she doing?" I asked quickly. "How did she get past the barriers?"

Even as I spoke I had a few suspicions, but all I knew about Rachel made me push them away.

"She flew," one of the satyrs said. He was glaring at Blackjack. "Right past the dragon, right through the magic boundaries."

"Rachel!" Percy called, moving forwards. The satyrs quickly stopped him.

"Percy, don't," Chiron warned. He grimaced as he tried to move, and I almost ran over. He looked like he was in a lot of pain, his left arm in a sling, his two back legs in splints, and his head swathed in bandages. "You can't interrupt."

"I thought you explained things to her!" Percy accused, his sea colored eyes worried and furious.

"I did. And I invited her here."

Percy's eyes widened, and I flinched slightly as he start to speak. "You said you'd never let anyone try again! You said-"

"I know what I said, Percy. But I was wrong. Rachel had a vision about the curse of Hades. She believes it may be lifted now. She convinced me she deserves a chance."

I was beginning to understand what was going on, and why Percy was so worried. "And if the curse isn't lifted? If Hades hasn't gotten to that yet, she'll go crazy!" Percy yelled.

The Mist was swirling around Rachel, and she was shivering.

"Hey!" Percy shouted. "Stop!" He started to run towards her, ignoring the satyrs, and got within ten feet before somethings tossed him back into the grass.

Rachel turned and opened her eyes. She looked as though she was peering at us through water. "It's all right." She sounded like she was far away. "This is why I've come."

"You'll be destroyed!" Percy protested.

Rachel shook her head. "This is where I belong, Percy. I finally understand why."

I stared at Percy's face as he strained to get up, my heart aching. I didn't even like Rachel and I was worried.

I started as the big house rumbled, the door flying open. Green light poured out, and I recognized the musty smell of snakes. Mist flooded the yard, coiling and writhing around the house.

Then the Oracle appeared in the doorway.

She looked worse than I'd ever seen her before, her tie died dress ragged, her hair falling out. Her eyes were staring blankly into the distance, but as I watched she stumbled straight towards Rachel. To my surprise, the mortal didn't look scared. In fact, she looked pretty calm for a girl who was watching a glowing green mummy walk towards her.

"You've waited too long," she said. "But I'm here now."

For a few seconds the sun's glare blinded me, and when my vision cleared Apollo was floating above the porch, blond and cocky, despite his rather odd fashion choices of a white toga and sunglasses.

"Apollo," I heard Percy say, but Apollo held a finger to his lips.

"Rachel Elizabeth Dare," the god said, "you have the gift of prophecy. But it is also a curse. Are you sure you want this?" I shivered, despite the warmth that Apollo had brought. What we were watching was something that hadn't happened for decades.

Rachel nodded, her eyes steady. "It's my destiny." She said softly. I could have sworn I heard a strain of wistfulness in her voice.

"Do you accept the risks?"

"I do."

"Then proceed," Apollo said.

Rachel closed her eyes. "I accept this role. I pledge myself to Apollo, god of Oracles. I open my eyes to the future and embrace the past. I accept the spirit of Delphi, Voice of the gods, Speaker of Riddles, Seer of Fate."

The words sounded natural, but I didn't know where she'd gotten them. As she spoke the mist thickened, and a column of green smoke spewed from the mummy's mouth and coiled around Rachel. Then I watched in shock as the mummy crumbled into nothing and Rachel faded from sight, surrounded by the mist.

A few seconds later she appeared again, curled into the fetal position. Before I could stop myself, I was rushing forward, Nico and Percy beside me, but Apollo had other ideas.

"Stop!" He hissed. "This is the most delicate part."

"What's going on?" Percy demanded. "What do you mean?"

Apollo looked concerned as he studied Rachel. "Either the spirit takes hold, or it doesn't."

I shivered. "And if it doesn't?" I asked quietly.

"Five syllables," Apollo replied, ticking them off on his fingers. "That would be real bad."

Percy ran forward despite Apollo's warning, and knelt next to Rachel. The mist was sinking into the ground, and the pale light was fading, but even from where I was I could tell that Rachel wasn't moving, and was barely breathing.

Then I saw her stir, and heard her voice. "Percy."

"Are you okay?" He asked, and I looked at my feet. Why did this have to hurt so much?

Rachel tried to sit up. "Ow." She muttered, pressing her hands against her temples and grimacing.

"Rachel," Nico said, "your life aura almost faded completely. I could see you dying." He looked even paler than usual, and his hands were shaking slightly.

"I'm all right," Rachel murmured. "Please, help me up. The visions- they're a little disorienting."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Percy asked, sounding worried.

Apollo drifted down to the porch, his eyes glowing. Literally. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce the new Oracle of Delphi."

My eyes widened as I realized what he was saying, what that really meant. "You're kidding," I said before I could stop myself.

Rachel smiled weakly, and I could tell that she was looking at me. "It's a little surprising to me too, but this is my fate. I saw it when I was in New York. I know why I was born with true sight. I was meant to become the Oracle."

Percy seemed dumbfounded. "You mean you can tell the future now?" He asked. I almost laughed, but I held it back.

"Not all the time," Rachel said. "But there are visions, images, words in my mind. When someone asks me a question, I . . . Oh no-"

"It's starting," Apollo said cheerfully.

Rachel doubled over like some had punched her, then almost immediately stood up again, her eyes glowing green. When she started to speak, I felt myself shiver at the weirdness of it. Her voice echoed, as though three people were speaking at once.

"Seven half-bloods shall answer the call.

To storm or fire, the world must fall.

An oath to keep with a final breath,

And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death."

When she stopped speaking she collapsed, and Nico and Percy caught her. I stared blankly, my mind buzzing.

"I'm all right," I heard Rachel say, and thankfully her voice was normal.

"What was that?" Percy asked.

She shook her head, confused. "What was what?"

"I believe," Apollo said, "that we just heard the next Great Prophecy."

I shivered, and I saw the foreboding appear in Percy's eyes. "What does it mean?" He demanded.

Rachel frowned. "I don't even remember what I said." She sounded a little concerned.

"No," Apollo mused. "The spirit will only speak through you occasionally. The rest of the time, our Rachel will be much as she's always been. There's no point in grilling her, even if she has just issued the next big prediction for the future of the world."

I could have laughed. He said that, and expected us not to ask questions?

"What?" Percy said. "But-"

"Percy," Apollo interrupted, "I wouldn't worry too much. The last Great Prophecy about you took almost seventy years to complete. This one may not even happen in your lifetime."

I felt a flood of relief go through me. He was right of course.

But what Percy said next shook my confidence. "Maybe, but it didn't sound so good." His eyes were dark, and I was sure that his thoughts had been the same as mine.

"No," Apollo said cheerfully. "It certainly didn't. She's going to make a wonderful Oracle."

Thankfully Percy finally dropped the subject, especially when Apollo insisted that Rachel needed rest. I couldn't help but agree. She looked about ready to drop.

Percy had a talk with her before she went inside, and I avoided them. I knew they would want some privacy. Instead I went and found Tyson, and we ended up doing some last second baking.

It was a very long, very strange day. The rest of the campers trickled in from New York, some in cars, others by pegasus or chariot. The injured were cared for, and the dead were given funeral rites at the campfire.

Silena's shroud was a horrid hot pink, but embroidered with an electric spear. Clarisse and her cabin were for once united with Aphrodite's cabin, and they claimed her as a hero.

No one talked about her being a spy, and as Clarisse and one of the Aphrodite girls lit up the shroud, the secret seemed to disappear.

Dinner was incredibly subdued, and I wished that I could sit with Percy, but the rest of my cabin wanted to make sure I was alright first, Malcolm checking my arm and everything.

The best moment was when Juniper saw Grover and tackled him, yelling his name. When he'd been missing, the two of us had been worried together, and talked a lot about boys and just how stupid they really were when it came to us.

Grover and Juniper went down to the beach for a walk, and the sight was a bittersweet one. I'd seen Beckendorf and Silena do the exact same thing so many times, and I wished they were still there right then.

Everyone was congratulating Nico, thanking him, welcoming him, which was wonderful. The poor kid deserved at least one break.

I waited as the crowd slowly thinned, some going to the campfire, others to bed. Percy stayed too, sitting alone at the Poseidon table, staring out at the sea.

When everyone was gone, I moved over and sat next to him. "Hey." I said quietly. "Happy birthday."I didn't look at my hands, where the huge ugly cupcake sat. Percy looked at me uncomprehendingly.

"What?"

"It's August 18th," I said pointedly. "Your birthday, right?"

He looked shocked, as though he hadn't realized. As I examined him, I thought about it, and decided it was definitely possible. Today we had helped to kill a Titan, he'd been offered immortality (gods that had been horrible) and we'd watched a mortal become an Oracle.

"Make a wish." I told Percy, and I knew what I wanted the wish to be.

"Did you bake this yourself?" He asked quietly.

I shrugged. "Tyson helped."

"That explains why it looks like a chocolate brick," Percy said, his eyes twinkling. "With extra blue cement."

I laughed.

Percy hesitated for a moment, his sea green eyes thoughtful, then blew out the candle. We cut it in half and shared, just eating with our fingers. We'd been friends too long to care about stuff like that. It was nice to just sit next to Percy and not worry about whether or not we were going to be attacked by a monster, not thinking about the prophecy, or what I would do if Percy died.

We just sat and eat chocolate cupcake with blue icing, and listened to the crickets and the monsters in the woods."You saved the world," I whispered, glancing at Percy.

"We saved the world."

"And Rachel is the new Oracle, which means she won't be dating anybody." I said, finally stating the thoughts I'd had since the Oracle and Rachel successfully combined.

"You don't sound disappointed," Percy said, and I could feel him watching me.

I shrugged. "Oh, I don't care."

"Uh-huh."

I raised an eyebrow, and barely managed to keep myself from smiling. "You got something to say to me, Seaweed Brain?"

"You'd probably kick my butt."

"You know I'd kick your butt."

For a moment our eyes met, my gray ones meeting his beautiful sea colored ones. He looked away, brushing crumbs off his hands. "When I was at the River Styx, turning invulnerable . . . Nico said I had to concentrate on one thing that kept me anchored to the world, that made me want to stay mortal."

I looked at the horizon, my heart in my throat.

"Yeah?"

"Then up on Olympus," he continued, "when they wanted to make me a god and stuff, I kept thinking-"

"Oh you so wanted to." I interrupted, feeling again the heart wrenching pain at the thought of him leaving me, to become a god.

"Well, maybe a little. But I didn't, because I thought- I didn't want things to stay the same for eternity, because things could always get better. And I was thinking . . ." He trailed off.

I was trying hard, and failing, to keep myself from smiling. "Anyone in particular?" I asked softly.

He looked at me. "You're laughing at me," he complained.

"I am not!"

"You are so not making this easy."

I laughed, and put my hands around his neck. "I am never, ever going to make things easy for you, Seaweed Brain. Get used to it." Then I leaned forward and kissed him.

I could have just sat there forever, but then someone spoke behind us. "Well, it's about time!"

The entire pavilion was suddenly flooded with torchlight and campers. Clarisse led that charge as she and the rest of the campers hoisted us both onto their shoulders.

"Oh, come on!" Percy complained. "Is there no privacy?"

I wanted to laugh until the next words that were spoken. "The lovebirds need to cool off!" Clarisse said gleefully.

"The canoe lake!" Connor Stoll shouted.

The rest of the campers cheered as they carried us down the hill, but I couldn't help but notice that they kept Percy and I close enough that we could still hold hands. I was laughing, and I finally felt like camp was perfect. I heard Percy laughing beside me, and when I looked at him, his face was red, but the happiest I'd seen him.

I held onto his hand right up until they dumped us into the water.

Percy used his power over water to make a big air bubble at the bottom of the lake, so that we wouldn't have to come up, even though our friends were probably waiting for us.

When your new boyfriend is a son of Poseidon, you aren't in any hurry.

Besides, we enjoyed having the best underwater kiss ever, and how many other people can say that?

TWENTY-THREE

WE SAY GOOD-BYE,

SORT OF

To no ones surprise, camp went late that summer. Two weeks of dating Percy, of winning Capture the Flag, of having s'more's, and doing the sing-along by the campfire. They were the best two weeks I've had my entire life.

It wasn't just that Percy and I were finally dating, there was lots of other things happening. Grover had taken over the satyr seekers, and was sending them out across the world to find the unclaimed half-bloods. I was surprised at how well the gods were keeping their promise. We were getting messages from satyrs all over the world with news that they'd found a new demigod or two.

I had been put in charge of designing the new cabins for the minor gods and goddesses, along with Hades, with the help of their children.

It was really exciting to see something that I had designed spring up in camp, and the work went quickly. Chiron and I had meetings almost every day to discuss adding a whole new wing of cabins so that everyone could have enough room.

Nico had been a great help, getting some zombie builders to work on his cabin so that everyone else was free to work on the other cabins. Nico's cabin looked incredible, with the solid obsidian walls, with a skull over the door, and torches that burned with green flame.

The Hermes cabin had been slowly emptying out as the unclaimed kids finally got signs from their godly parents. You could tell by the looks on their faces, and on the face of the Hermes kids, how much more comfortable it was, and part of me wondered if Luke would have been happier there.

Every night we got at least two new campers, usually with some of the worst monsters pursuing them. Most of them made it through, and soon camp life started to get back to normal.

I went up to Olympus twice both times over the weekend, and started sketching my ideas, and talking with the gods themselves about what they wanted.

But the best part about those two weeks was Percy. Every morning he would come to my cabin to pick me up, and we'd go and do the camp activities. Whenever there was a break in our schedule, we'd go for a walk by the beach, or we'd take our lunch and would find a nice mostly quiet spot in the woods and have a picnic, which would usually end in us fighting some random monster who'd happened upon us.

We joked, and laughed. I showed him my ideas for Olympus, and he made suggestions, some of which were actually good ones.

My siblings teased me relentlessly, and whenever Malcolm saw me with Percy, he glared. It made me laugh at how protective he was.

And yet when he talked to me about it, he honestly seemed to support our relationship.

"It's just whenever I see him next to you, I lose my head." He confessed. "I think mom's trying to use me to get him out of the picture."

I laughed and shook my head. "I certainly hope not Mal. I thought she'd resigned herself to the fact that Percy and I are going to be dating, no matter what she says."

Malcolm shrugged, and his serious gray eyes met mine. "I don't think she'll ever resign herself to that, but I wish you luck."

That night was the bead ceremony. The Hephaestus cabin had designed the bead this year. It portrayed the Empire State Building, and etched into it were tiny Greek letters, spiraling around the image, spelling out the names of all the heroes who died defending Olympus.

I knew we were honoring them by wearing the beads, but every time I looked at it, I felt sad. I'd known some of these people since I was seven. We'd lost so many campers . . .

"Never forget this summer!" Chiron told us. He was mostly healed from the battle of Manhattan, but he still had a faint limp. "We have discovered bravery and friendship and courage this summer. We have upheld the honor of the camp.

He smiled at Percy, and the entire camp cheered. We all knew he was the hero.

"And now," Chiron said, "early to bed! Remember, you must vacate your cabins by noon tomorrow unless you've made arrangements to stay the year with us. The cleaning harpies will eat any stragglers, and I'd hate to end the summer on a sour note!" With that very optimistic thought, we headed off to bed.

The next morning Percy and I stood watching from the top of Half-blood hill as the buses and vans pulled away, taking most of our friends back to the real world. A few old-timers were staying behind, and some of the newer campers. Percy was heading back to Goode high school for his sophomore year.

"Good-bye," Rachel told us as she slipped her bag onto her shoulder. She looked nervous, and I didn't blame her. I admired her for keeping her promise to her father and attending Clarion Academy. I was pretty sure that if I'd made a promise like that, I would kill myself.

"You'll do great." I said, stepping forward and giving her a quick hug. We'd become good friends over the past two weeks, our arguments long forgotten.

Rachel bit her lip. "I hope you're right. I'm a little worried. What if somebody asks what's on the next math test and I start spouting a prophecy in the middle of geometry class? The Pythagorean theorem shall be problem two . . . Gods, that would be embarrassing."

I laughed, and she smiled.

"Well, you two be good to each other." She said, focusing her gaze on Percy. His eyes widened, and he looked like he wanted to protest, but before he could, Rachel had wished us luck and ran down the hill to catch her ride.

I'd gotten permission from my dad and step-mom to attend a boarding school in New York, so I would be able to oversee the rebuilding and remodeling of Olympus.

"And close to me?" Percy asked.

I smiled. "Well, someone's got a big sense of his own importance." I teased. But I laced my fingers through his. Truthfully, he was far more important to me than redesigning Olympus could ever be.

I watched Peleus, our guard dragon as he began to snore. The Golden Fleece hung right above his head, and reminded me of the Sea of Monsters, our second quest. Just the thought of the quest made me think about the newest prophecy.

"You've been thinking about Rachel's prophecy?" Percy asked.

I frowned. "How did you know?"

"Because I know you."

I bumped into him with my shoulder. "Okay, so I have. Seven half-bloods shall answer the call. I wonder who they'll be. We're going to have so many new faces next summer."

"Yep," Percy agreed. "And all that stuff about the world falling in storm or fire."

I pursed my lips. This prophecy made me think of mythology . . . It sounded really familiar but I couldn't totally place it. "And foes at the Doors of Death. I don't know Percy, but I don't like it. I thought . . . well, maybe we'd get some peace for a change." It felt kind of weird to admit it, but I'd really hoped that we could have a break for a few years.

"Wouldn't be Camp Half-blood if it was peaceful," Percy said, shooting me a quick glance.

"I guess you're right . . . Or maybe the prophecy won't happen for years." I hoped I sounded more hopeful than I felt, because I still had a sense of foreboding.

"Could be a problem for another generation of demigods," Percy agreed. "Then we can kick back and enjoy." I nodded, but my heart and mind didn't agree. Percy's eyes were as unsure as I was, and I realized that he was worried about it too.

But what did that matter?

We were together on such a beautiful day. Even though school started tomorrow, we wouldn't be far apart. Sally and Paul had already invited me over. Percy and I had all the time in the world.

"Race you to the road?" Percy asked, raising his eyebrow at me.

"You are so going to lose." I said, and I took off down Half-blood hill, the wind on my face, and the sound of Percy's life ringing out behind me.

And for once, I didn't need to look back.

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