Time period: post - Blood of Olympus

Rating: T

Synopsis: For Annabeth, this is goodbye.

Dedicated to: JustNicula

This is Goodbye

ANNABETH PLACED A hand over her husband's, watching her sons chase each other around the yard while her daughter looked on from the hammock, reading a book and scowling.

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon. A lazy orange sun, perched low on the horizon, cast a warm glow over the Jackson family's backyard in upstate New York. The long expanse of amber-colored grasses, bleached from the summer drought, rippled in a gentle breeze. Percy had bought the house just for the backyard.

"It'll give them places to practice swordplay," he had told his wife with his lopsided smile when he had purchased the house. "I mean, what? Are we going to fence with swords in the middle of New York City? I think not."

Annabeth watched her children play, Percy beside her. It had been almost an hour since she had told Percy, and he still hadn't moved. Annabeth wasn't sure if he was still even breathing. Annabeth wasn't sure if she, herself, was still breathing. Every moment she watched her children play, her heart began to break, a little more, and a little more, until she was left with no feeling.

"Are-" Percy's voice was husky. Annabeth whirled, eyes wide. Percy's face was closed. He had never been easy to read, but now his face was as impassive as a stone block. She searched for something in his eyes to tell her what he was thinking or feeling, but found nothing. They were hooded.

"What?" she said, voice soft.

Percy raked a hand through his hair. His hand was shaking. "Are- are you sure? Are they sure? It couldn't hurt to double-check. Right? I mean, they didn't double-check already, did they?"

"They're sure," Annabeth said, a tear leaking out of her eyes. "I made them run it three times, Percy. They're sure. I… I mean, there's still a chance. It's slim, but it's still there. I just…"

"Oh, gods, Annabeth." Percy hauled her to his chest. His heartbeat was rapid and frantic. She could feel it through his skin. "Please don't cry. I just… I can't…" He took a deep, shuddering breath in. "I'm trying so hard to keep it together right now. I just don't know…"

Annabeth let out a weak laugh. Startled, Percy pulled away. "It's so funny," she said after a minute, hugging herself. "We went through all of that as kids… We fought all those monsters. We're still fighting monsters. And this is how... " She swallowed. "This is how I'm going to die. Cancer."

"You don't know that," Percy said, voice low and urgent.

"Don't I?" Annabeth began to cry, the floodgates open. "Percy, it's too late. The doctors told me already. I'm inoperable. They said a month if I'm lucky, maybe less. It would take a miracle for me to live."

"Then there'll be a miracle."

"But what if there isn't?" she sobbed. "Percy, what if I never see my boys grow up? What if I'm never at my daughter's wedding? What if I'm never there for graduation? What if I'm not there to see them grow up? What if I'm not there in that old people center, like we talked about, watching Family Feud reruns like we promised each other we'd do in our old age?"

"You will be," Percy said, as if there was no question. "You- you have to be."

Annabeth looked at him. "I won't be. That's the thing. I won't get to see Freddie shaving, or meet Paul's first girlfriend - or boyfriend. I won't get to watch you give away Sally to some guy, or girl, or whatever. I won't even get to live long enough to know if any of them will like guys or girls."

Percy's face went white.

"Percy," Annabeth whispered. "Don't you get it?"

He shook his head, but Annabeth was already talking.

"I don't want to have you watch me die. I- I can't do it. In an hour, I'm going to pack my bags and leave for Seattle. They've got a hospital there. A room is waiting for me."

"No," Percy said, shaking my head. "Annabeth, no."

Annabeth reached a hand up to Percy's cheek. His whiskery stubble scratched her palm. "I can't let you see me die," she said, voice quiet. "I can't. I can fight monsters. I can plunge into hell. But Percy-" Her lip wobbled. "I can't let you see me die. I want you to remember me as I am now. Not as what-" She squeezed her eyes shut. "-What I'm going to be."

Percy didn't say anything.

"Tell them I love them," Annabeth said, the last piece of her heart breaking. "Because this is goodbye."

"It's not goodbye," Percy said, shaking his head. "I won't let it be. Annabeth, I would rather have a few weeks with you, wasting away-" Annabeth flinched. "-in some hospital bed than have to leave you now."

His eyes were green, bright, alive. Annabeth found a no poised on her lips, but found herself saying, "Okay" instead. Breathing out a sigh of relief, Percy hugged her tightly, burying his face in her shoulder. "I love you," he whispered. "So much."

That night, Annabeth tucked her children into bed. She kissed eight year-old Sally's bright blond curls, she stroked four year-old twin Paul and Freddie's dark hair and read them The Poky Little Puppy before closing the door, catching a glimpse of their chubby faces in the glow of their Buzz Lightyear nightlight.

And then she climbed under the covers where Percy held her tight, vowing that everything would be alright.

The next morning, when Percy woke up, he rolled over to the side of the bed where Annabeth always slept. Instead of finding Annabeth's curls on her pillow, however, he found a rumpled mess of blankets. Frantically, he went to Annabeth's closet, where everything was gone.

The only piece of his wife that was left were the pictures on the wall: Annabeth in a wedding gown, smiling into the camera, Annabeth holding a newborn Sally, Annabeth holding up a two year-old Paul, both of them covered in cake batter.

Annabeth was gone. Forever.

Percy never saw his wife again.

And her children never saw their mother again.

A/N: A sad story, to be sure. Dedicated to JustNicula. Please review!