A/N: This is it. God, I can't believe it. The last chapter.

Honestly, I didn't know how this was going to turn out when I started writing this fic back in 2014 (can you believe?) and to see it become what it is now, is just amazing.

I know it's not perfect, but I tried and I'm so proud of how far it has come. When I started the prompt came out of a random page from the nearest book (which was Goblet of Fire) and I was such a newb at writing.

Obviously, I have come a long way (though there is a still a lot I need to work toward) and it's all because of you guys. I am beyond grateful to all of you who have stuck with it this far and continue to read it. And to all the people who just got here, thank you too.

To anyone who has read and supported this story, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

And remember, while this is the end of one story, it doesn't mean there won't be more. Please check out How We Could Have Met 2! I will be continuing chapters on that story!

But anyway, without further ado, here it is: the last chapter:

We're all stories in the end, just make it a good one, eh?

"Tell us a story?"

"Which one?"

"About how Percy and Annabeth met!"

"I have."

"You've told us fifty-four different stories, which one is true?"

"They're all true."

"How can that be?"

"Because it's a story, and stories can be whatever you want them to be. The existence of one does not invalidate the existence of another."

"Tell us one more?"

"This is the story of a boy named Perseus and how he met a girl named Annabeth."

His voice was hoarse from crying, tears staining his cheeks. He was going to collapse but he clutched himself upright, on to Grover for dear life. His vision was starting to cloud as he staggered forward.

The last thing he remembered seeing was a ceiling fan, a yellow light and the stern faces of a bearded man and a pretty girl whose blond hair was curled like a princess's.

"He's the one. He must be," he heard her say, her voice providing a focal point. He couldn't hold on to consciousness much longer.

"Silence, Annabeth," the man said. "He's still conscious. Bring him inside."

And with that he slipped away into the darkness.

The next time he saw the girl might have been a dream, he just knew there had been pudding involved.

He was formally introduced by Mr. Brunner, "This young lady nursed you back to health, Percy. Annabeth, my dear, why don't you go check on Percy's bunk? We'll be putting him in cabin eleven for now."

Oh, did he mention he seemed to be in some sort of camp, which revolved around… Greek mythology? He still had a lot of questions and not enough explanations.

The girl, Annabeth, agreed, and he took a moment to study her.

She seemed his age, maybe a couple inches taller and whole lot more athletic. She almost looked like a stereotypical California girl with a deep tan and curly blond hair but her eyes ruined the image. They were startling gray, like storm clouds; pretty but intimidating, too, like she was analyzing the best way to take him down in a fight.

He saw her glance at the minotaur horn in his hands— he still couldn't believe he had done that— and thought maybe she would be impressed. Instead she just said, "You drool in your sleep," and sprinted off.

He was a bit taken back by this girl. He had only just met her but he felt like this wouldn't be the last he'd see of her.

"Then what?"

"Because you're my friend, Seaweed Brain. Any more stupid questions?"

Now that struck a cord. She fell asleep soon after that but the words lingered. Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, the girl who he thought was going to hate him forever, had just called him her friend. And not only that, she had opened up to him. He glanced at her sleeping form. She looked tired, bags under her eyes, exhaustion written on her face. But behind that he saw the soft, unguarded Annabeth. As the exhaustion caught up to him, despite the chaos of the quest, he felt a small flicker of hope in his chest.

-LINEBREAK-

His only thought was that he had to keep Annabeth alive, that was the most important thing. He had to break the spell and being underwater was the only way he could do that. But she couldn't breathe underwater like he could, and that was presenting itself as a pressing issue currently. He willed the water around him to move, directing currents and eventually creating a bubble of air around them.

Please be okay, he thought as she gasped and coughed. And when she looked at him he could tell the spell had been broken. She let out a heart wrenching sob and he just held her close. He had seen what the Sirens had shown her. He let the thought of a rebuilt Manhattan and Luke leave and focused on getting back to the boat.

Oh, and one more tiny thing. She may have kissed him on the cheek after winning the chariot races. And he may have died a little inside.

-LINEBREAK-

"Dance! You look stupid standing there," Thalia had called. And they had, despite Percy being a sweaty awkward mess that kept stepping on her toes (not to mention she was still taller than him by a couple inches). Still it was good.

And then she had been taken away, and Percy felt his heart stop. He had to get her back. And when he saw her again with the weight of the world on her shoulders and streaks of gray in her hair, he could have cried, cause here she was, alive.

(There was that bit with Aphrodite but we're going to gloss over that)

The thought of her joining the hunters was even worse than losing her the first time.

"Annabeth," the panic rose in his chest. "Don't."

She looked at him, confused.

"Look, I need to tell you something," the words stumbled out, "I couldn't stand it if...I don't want you to—"

"Percy, you look like you're going to be sick," she said, looking concerned.

The relief he felt when Artemis said Thalia felt like he had finally let go of the weight of the world. And when she asked what he had meant earlier he had asked her to dance. And maybe it was the beginning of something special.

-LINEBREAK-

Annabeth had been acting weird. She didn't seem to like Rachel all that much, something Percy could not understand. Afterall, Rachel was a nice person. But Annabeth remained as hostile to her as she had to him in the beginning.

But at the moment right before the explosion, when they were cornered and all he wanted was to make sure that she was going to be safe.

"Put your cap back on and get out!"

"I'm not leaving you!" she had yelled.

Then she had glared at him like she was going to punch him but it had ended with a kiss that had left him in a daze and had almost gotten him killed.

And then she had hugged him in front of everyone, tears in her eyes, thinking he was dead. And all he wanted to do was hug her back and never let go.

-LINEBREAK-

They were in the middle of a freakin war. Maybe that's why he had built enough courage to say it.

"Don't I get a kiss for good luck? It's kind of a tradition, right?"

He had expected a punch, sneer or something but she had simply pulled out her knife and responded, "Come back alive, Seaweed Brain. Then we'll see."

And then she had gone and almost died saving his life. He almost drowned the entirety of the city. He wasn't sure what they were anymore, do friends casually reveal the most vulnerable, I-would-die spot on their body because of a curse?

And then somehow they had won? And he was offered godhood. And when he looked at Annabeth's face she looked exactly like he had when he thought she was going to join the hunters. And he had said no.

She brought him a lopsided blue cupcake and it was the best thing he had ever seen. They sat there sharing bits of cupcake and stealing small glances.

"Got something to say to me, Seaweed Brain?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

"You'd probably kick my butt."

"You know I would."

He smiled at that, "When I was at the River Styx, turning invulnerable… Nico told me to concentrate on one thing that would ground me to the world, that would make me want to stay mortal.

He paused and looked at Annabeth. She kept staring at the horizon, her gaze fixed, "Yeah?"

He took a breath, "And then up on Olympus when they wanted to make me a god and stuff...I kept thinking—"

"Oh, you so wanted to," she interrupted.

"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." His throat was getting dry. "And I was thinking… "

"Anyone in particular?" she asked softly. When he chanced a glance at her, he saw she was trying not to smile.

"You're laughing at me!" he complained.

"I am not!" she denied.

"You are so not making this easy."

And she had broke out into a real smile and put her hands around his neck. He tried to remember how to breathe.

"I am never, ever going to make things easy for you, Seaweed Brain. Get used to it."

When she had kissed him, he was pretty sure his brain had melted.

"But there's more?"

The moment had been broken by their friends appearing out of hiding and cheering and teasing them. It had resulted in them being thrown into the lake, holding hands.

Stupid idea since Percy was the son of Poseidon, and had experience with air bubbles.

Let's just say it was the best underwater kiss ever.

"What happens next?"

"The rest is history."

"You can't end it like that!"

"Stories never end, as long as they are told over and over, as long as they are remembered, they can never truly die. Chapters may close and there might not be any more to come, but the story, the story lives on."

"But we want more"

"Then imagine it! Imagine it, create it, bring it to life in your mind or on a page or a screen or even a whisper in the night to be lost to the winds. The world is yours for the taking, take everything, make your own story. Because after all, that's what we are, we are all stories in this book of life. Just make yours a good one."

A/N: And so ends the last chapter. Thank you again to each and every single one of you for all your support, I can never thank you enough.

And also thank you to my beta, who is the most supportive and amazing person, I'm so lucky to have you in my life. If it wasn't for you, this story would have never started. So thank you!

(and of course all original lines are from Rick Riordan)

And what I said is true, the story lives on. In this case quite literally.

Please check out How We Could Have Met 2 for new chapters! I will be uploading on there, in fact look out for something on that story in a few days or so!

You are all amazing, wonderful people, I hope you're able to get out there and make your story a good one :)

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you liked this chapter and thought it was a fitting end to this long journey. Please let me know your thoughts!

And I'll hopefully see you over in How We Could Have Met 2!

See ya! :)