I do not own PJO or A:TLA

THE EEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNNDD. I hope you like the ending to this story. It's a little unlike all the other chapters but i just didn't know how to do end it. This story started out as just a silly little headcannon and now... now look where we are. Thank you.

Chapter 37

Annabeth awoke with a start in the middle of the night. She sat up in bed, her heart racing and a strange feeling in her head. She wasn't afraid but she wasn't sure what had woken her either.

Her half-sister sleeping in the bunk across from her shifted a little in her sleep and rolled over.

Annabeth swung her legs off the top bunk and let her bare feet dangle for a second before soundlessly jumping off and landing on the floor. She pulled her cotton pj bottoms straight as they had gotten twisted in her sleep, and crept silently to the door.

It creaked a little when it opened and the warm, summer night air blew gently in her face.

Even though she hadn't been sleeping much lately, she suddenly didn't feel tired. She felt awake and rested and expectant. She stepped out, she bare feet feeling slightly tickled by the dewy grass.

The wind blew in her face and softly closed the door behind her. The wind smelled sweet, like strawberries and ocean spray. It picked up her hair and played with it, pulling her away from her cabin.

Curious, she followed. The wind picked up as if it seemed to notice she wasn't going back to bed. It ran wild across her cotton pj's and ran through her hair as gently as a mother would brush it.

The way the wind was blowing wasn't natural. But it was evil either, it felt familiar and nice.

The stars were bright tonight along with the moon, which shone, igniting the night with it's silver glow. It made everything look softer and more magical. Just less real in general.

Carefully and gently, yet deliberately, the wind led her across the silent camp and up the hill to Thalia's tree.

Reaching over the dragon protector of the tree, she touched the healthy, thick truck of the tree. Sadness welled up, unwanted in her chest.

She missed Thalia. She missed Luke. She missed Malcolm. She even kind of missed her dad and step-family. She missed Percy's mom, Sally.

She missed Percy.

The wind blew in her face and shook her out of her thoughts. It tugged at her clothes across the boarders of camp.

She glanced nervously behind her and hesitated.

"I dunno..." She mumbled to herself and the wind.

It tickled her nose. A cricket chirped somewhere off in the distance.

"Okay, fine." Her bare feet were quite cold now, walking in the dewy grass, but she couldn't turn back now for shoes. This felt more important.

She stepped on the roots of the huge trees of the surrounding forest and hopped along until she came to a clearing. She stepped out, tucked her loose hair behind her ears and looked around.

It was quiet and the wind had stopped pushing her places. So, like any reasonable person, she sat down cross legged on the ground to wait for whatever she had been dragged out of bed for.

She hadn't waited long, just enough time for an ant or two to crawl across her foot, when what she had been waiting for finally came.

It started with twigs snapping and leaves rustling, then a couple soft-spoken swears and heavy breathing.

Annabeth stood back up and leaned forwards, hardly daring to hope. She stood on her tiptoes, bated breath and racing heart when he broke into the other side of the clearing. it took about half a second for his eyes to find hers and lock gazes.

And all the pieces of the world just clicked into place.

With a wordless cry she leapt forwards, meeting him in the middle of the open space.

They crashed into each other and his strong arms were wrapped around her middle, squeezing all the loneliness and helplessness she had felt in the past few weeks out of her body.

"I'm glad you're home." She breathed at last.

"Mmhhh." His hummed into her hair. "You smell good."

She laughed and broke off from their hug, pulled his head down and kissed him hard on the mouth.

He hummed again and she felt it move against her smiling lips.

She broke off from that and just looked at him. He smelled like smoke, which was weird because he normally smelled like the fresh ocean, but his arm hair and head were smoking slightly. Maybe crossing the boundaries between two different worlds was harder than she thought.

Then she noticed his clothes.

She burst out laughing, throwing her head back and taking a couple steps away to completely take it in.

"What are you wearing?"

He grinned back, laughing with his eyes. "Only the most fashionable outfit in the Fire Nation."

"Well, you're not in the Fire Nation. You're in New York and you look like a weirdo." She couldn't stop giggling. Which was unlike her. Annabeth Chase, usually serious and critical didn't have time for giggling.

But this was a special occasion.

Joining hands, they started walking back to camp.

"You have so much to tell me, Seaweed Brain." She said.

"I can't wait."

And he squeezed her hand and with that touch, she knew that he meant it. She knew that even though he probably missed all the friends he had made and the world he had left behind forever, he still liked her best.

He squeezed her hand again. "It's like it didn't even happen if I don't get to tell you everything."

And she knew that she liked him best too.

And that's a wrap people.

I am so, so, so grateful for all you people who stuck around for the literal FOUR YEARS I was working on this story. Thank you for not giving up when I stopped updating for months at a time. Thank you for reviewing. Thank you for being supportive.

And just

thank you.

for reading

for loving these characters like I do

for not wanting their stories to ever end

for craving more

for being creative

for writing

and thank you for fanfiction.

I'll see you all in my next story. Love you, you amazing weirdos and babes.