"Don't be too organized for your future. Life is unpredictable. Things change." - Wilson Kanadi

1

"Hey, Wise Girl. How's it going? Is Olympus looking good?"

He swung his sword, taking grim satisfaction at the hiss the celestial bronze sword made as it cut through the dummy's head as if it was melted butter.

"Oh, it's terrific, Percy!" She beamed, her grey eyes shining with happiness as she threw her arms around him and gave him a quick kiss on the tip of his nose. "I just rebuilt your dad's temple. You should come see it sometime!"

Thwack. There goes another dummy's head, ripped off by the sheer strength of the wild slap he sent into its jaw with his blade. With a jolt of pain up his arm, Riptide flew from his grasp and landed somewhere to his left, but he didn't care. Trivial pain, such as a potentially sprained wrist or dislocated shoulder, couldn't even compare to some of the pain he'd felt before.

"I'm sure it's great, if you built it." He grinned down at his Wise Girl lovingly, taking pleasure from the excited warmth radiating off her being as he pulled her close for an embrace. Their knees bumped gently together, and Annabeth, in a rare moment of adorable clumsiness, lost her balance and slipped on the fine, white sand of the beach.

Couldn't compare to a fraction of the pain he was feeling now. With a nearly feral growl, he whirled around and punched another dummy in the gut, ignoring the sudden, stinging pain radiating off his knuckles. It's stiff, wooden waist immediately gave with a sickening crack, making him nearly grin in satisfaction.

With a cute squeal, she fell backwards, grabbing wildly at whatever purchase she was able to find - in this case, his neck. He collapsed onto her just as she impacted against the sand with a huge oof! Her warm breath tickled his nose as they lay there, on the beach, Percy's body on top of hers, staring into each other's eyes. Percy was mesmerized by the shifting shades of grey in his Wise Girl's stormy, grey irises as they leaned unconsciously close to each other…

His dark, green eyes flashed menacingly, almost maniacally, as he literally tore the last dummy's head off with a rage-filled snarl. The familiar burning of the hot lake of fury slowly bubbled up his chest as he slammed the wooden sphere into the wall of the arena.

"Nuh-uh, Percy, don't be a bad boy, now," Annabeth suddenly smirked at him, wagging a finger in mock disapproval. Mortified, Percy quickly rolled off her, and with a wave of his hand, a splash of water cleaned the sand off their bodies without getting them soaked. "Not today, anyways. I have to wake up early tomorrow - have an internship at Gensler tomorrow in 'Cisco. It's the biggest architect firm in the world!" Percy watched with mild amusement and love as she jumped up and down like a giddy eight-year-old. "Can you believe it? My dad sent them some of my designs, and they thought it was good, and-"

He pounded into the dummy's head again and again, imagining the face of everyone who's ever done him wrong in the past. Gabe, Ares, Luke, Kronos, Zeus-

"Have a safe flight, Wise Girl." He kissed her on the cheek in farewell as she disappeared into the early morning airport crowd. "Don't die on me now!"

Oh, the irony. He tore the dummy's fake eyes out with his fingers, imagining it was that forever-cursed Lord of the Sky. It was all because of that so-called mighty King of the Gods, Zeus, Zeus, Zeus-

"What?" He asked, very quietly, and a visible gulp was present as Hermes eyed him warily.

"You heard me, Percy," he repeated, sounding as if he'd rather be anywhere but next to him right now. "Her plane got hit by a stray lightning bolt. She's dead."

"She's - she's what?" Percy couldn't quite get the message into his head. His Wise Girl, dead? From a "stray" lightning bolt?

Zeus's ever-so stern face appeared in place of the dummy's as Percy slammed into him with his fist, again and again and again and again and again. He wasn't sure, but a scream might have torn itself from his throat as he completely decimated the dummy head. Well, what was left of it, anyways.

"You cannot be FUCKING SERIOUS!" Percy screamed at Zeus. "A STRAY FUCKING LIGHTNING BOLT?" Everyone present in the room, including the twelve Olympians, even the King of the Gods, cringed back at his grief-filled, venomous green eyes, swirling around, as dark as a hurricane. "For what, exactly? Was it another one of your one-night stands that didn't work out? The HEROINE of FUCKING OLYMPUS, of your CITY, YOUR IMMORTAL ASS, was killed because of whatever stupid FUCKING TAMPER TANTRUM you had. And what do you say? 'Oops, my bad-'"

"Percy, calm down-" Apollo tried to reason-

"I swear, I'm going to kill you," he sneered at the Lord of the Sky. "I'm going to kill you, torture you, rip out your flesh, cut your veins and let your stupid immortal ichor run down this mountain like the River of Pain runs down Tartarus. I'm going to throw you into Hell and trap you inside the Mansion of Night and watch and laugh as Nyx's children rip out your eyes and your heart. I'm-"

He remembered screaming obscenities, so many obscenities, dozens, maybe even hundreds of threats at the King of Olympus. He vaguely recalled attempting to charge him with only his sword, but multiple arms held him back, probably saving his life. He had a hazy recollection of alarmed voices, his father, Artemis, Hestia, all telling him to calm down, to take a deep breath, that it was going to be fine, but it wasn't, it wasn't, because the one constant in his life, the one who'd been with him through his ups and downs, the one he shared his first kiss with, the only name he remembered during his period of amnesia, the one he fell into Hell for, the one he loved, was gone, gone into Elysium, and she was probably going to go for rebirth and he would never meet her again-

With one last agonizing cry, he crushed Zeus's face in his palm, and he reveled in it, he reveled in the illusion of power he held over his new mortal enemy, he reveled in the feeling of utterly destroying him with his bare hands as he slammed the utterly disfigured head into the wall, leaving a huge web of cracks in it-

As suddenly as it had came, his adrenaline rush stopped. His rage abated, his vision no longer tinged with a blood red hue. And he collapsed to his knees, uncaring of the sudden, hard impact of his knees on the concrete arena floor, and he felt…

Empty. Devoid of anything. Drained of energy and depleted of emotions. He welcomed the sensation, the feeling of null, of nothing, of void, because it was better than the pain. The anguish, the grief, the suffering, because he was without who he thought would be his soulmate, his lifelong love. And with her departure took his dreams, his plans with her in New Rome, his motivation, his ability to feel happy…

His will to live.

But no, he couldn't take the easy way out, he couldn't stab his own heart or slit his wrists, couldn't hang himself or jump off , because that would be cowardly, and he couldn't leave behind his mom, Paul, Thalia, Jason, all his friends at camp…

And Annabeth would hate him for it.

"You're a coward, Percy Jackson. A coward!"

Her words reverberated around his brain as he picked himself up from the ground. He could barely move his legs as he attempted to stagger back towards his cabin, but he wouldn't fall, he couldn't fall, because he was strong, he wasn't a coward. He was strong, he wasn't a coward. He was strong, he wasn't a coward. He was strong, he wasn't a coward. He was strong…

With a groan of pain, he toppled forward. He struggled against his sudden inability to move or to keep his eyes open as he attempted to stand once again. With his on-and-off vision due to his fluttering eyelids, he could see the world spinning around him. A sharp spike of pain stabbed itself right through his temple as he cried out and curled into a ball, hoping to lessen the agony. His vision was darkening, but he thought he saw - a silver building? Silver jackets? Silver eyes? Everything was silver, and Percy didn't know why. "Why is everything silver?" he slurred as he felt himself getting picked up roughly. "No, stop, leave me be," he protested. "Leave me be-"

"Don't listen to him, Lieutenant," a feminine voice, sounding as if it came from far, far away, like from a building several hundred meters from his location, and through several thick, heavy curtains, ordered. "He is delirious with pain and exhaustion."

"What?" Percy demanded weakly, somehow managing to find the strength to try and sit up, but a strong hand pushed him back down into whoever's arms he was in. "I'm not delirious."

"Yes, you are, Kelp Head." Gods, he would recognize that voice and that nickname anywhere, at anytime, even through his muddled mind. Thalia Grace, his cousin, best friend and daughter of that creature. "My lady, where should we take him? Back to his cabin?"

"No, Lord Poseidon would not appreciate it," the voice he deemed at Artemis, another daughter of that thing replied. "Take him to my cabin."

"But, my lady-" Thalia started to protest. Trying to take advantage of her distraction, Percy tried to roll out of her arms, but was unsuccessful in his pitiful attempt.

"No buts, Thalia," Artemis interrupted. "You wanted to keep an eye on him? Here is your chance."

"I don't need anyone to keep an eye on me," Percy groaned weakly up at the blurry image of a human-shaped blob of silver. "I'm perfectly fine alone."

"No, you are not, Perseus Jackson," Artemis replied flatly. "You are exhausted, grief-filled and nearly dead. And, even if you are a boy, I suppose it would not do for the twice Hero of Olympus to fall. Which is why I apologize for my next actions."

"What-" Percy began, but was cut off when he felt something hard connect against his temple. Almost immediately, he blacked out, but not before he croaked out one last statement…

"I'm strong. Not a coward."

"With all the smiles you brought me, I never thought you could bring me so many tears"

"When I was at the River Styx, turning invulnerable…" Percy brushed some cake icing off his hands. "Nico said I had to concentrate on one thing that kept me anchored to the world, that made me want to stay mortal."

Annabeth's stormy eyes were hard to read as she kept them on the horizon. "Yeah?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Then up on Olympus, when they wanted to make me a god and stuff, I kept thinking…" Percy trailed off, unable to find a route to elaborate his feelings. He inwardly cursed himself for always messing things up.

Luckily, Annabeth saved him. "Oh, you so wanted to, Seaweed Brain," she smirked, but a little light of...expectation? Happiness? Danced in her eyes.

"Well, maybe a little," Percy admitted, for himself as much as it was for her. Immortality, after all, was a hard offer to turn down. "But I didn't, because I thought…" He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts, pleased that Annabeth had chosen to remain silent and listening. "I didn't want things to stay the same for eternity, because things could always get better. And I was thinking…"

Percy's throat felt as dry as sandpaper. He had played this moment in his head dozens of times since after the battle, but now that it had actually arrived, the words seemed to be stuck at his throat. He glanced over and saw Annabeth's lips twitching as she tried to hold back a smile.

"Anyone in particular?" she asked, her voice soft and teasing.

"You're laughing at me," Percy complained. "You're not making this easy." But his heart lifted and his tense shoulders relaxed, because at this moment, he knew, he knew-

Annabeth laughed, for real this time, a genuine, tinkling laugh which made Percy's heart flutter and his breathing hitch. She regarded him with a hint of smugness as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

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

And they melted into each other, sharing a first...well technically second kiss, but a first, voluntary one by both of them, and Percy thought it was special. Even as they were dumped into the canoe lake, Percy never let go of her hand, and he was laughing, and she was laughing too, her face totally red, as they were thrown and were about to impact against the lake's surface-

A jolt of pain racing through his right arm was all it took to make Percy's eyes snap open. He grimaced as he struggled up to a standing position, his body oddly sore, and massaged his shoulder slowly. Apparently, he had fallen from his bed onto the hard, wooden floor of wherever he was, and his right shoulder had taken the brunt of the impact. Although, it shouldn't have hurt that much. He didn't recall doing anything to injure it…

Then his moment of blissful ignorance came to an end, and everything came racing back to him. Annabeth. The arena. Zeus's face. Pain. Getting carried.

Annabeth.

Black flashed before Percy's eyes as he collapsed to one knee, his eyes wide with fear and pain as he clutched at his own throat, and he felt like he was suffocating, drowning in the muskeg of the Alaskan wilderness, being asphyxiated by the curses of the arai in Tartarus. A sharp pain stung in his heart and blossomed its way out through his whole body, and all he could think of was Annabeth, and how she was gone, she was dead-

The moment ended, as quickly as it had come. Percy slowly relaxed, although his hand was still trembling, and stood up shakily. He was the son of Poseidon. He was strong, not a coward. He was the Hero of Olympus. He was the Bane of Kronos, One of the Seven. He was…

Her Seaweed Brain. That one thought alone sent Percy over the edge, and he collapsed onto his knees again, tears silently streaming down his face. He dared not sob, even as his throat constricted painfully and his mouth tried to open and scream and wail, because if anyone heard, heard the twice Hero of Olympus crying, the leader of Camp Half-Blood, one of the seven heroes...no, that would be terrible, he couldn't allow anyone to hear-

"There is no shame in crying, Perseus." Percy's head snapped up, and he instinctively got up into a defensive stance, Riptide already uncapped and held in front of him threateningly. The girl standing in front of him, however, didn't seem bothered at all.

"Put away the sword, Perseus," she said impassively. "You are in my cabin, after all."

Percy lowered his sword, but was still ready, his knees bent slightly and his body tense in case the girl decided to suddenly turn into a flesh-eating monster. She made no such moves and no indications of such actions, however, as he studied her warily. Auburn hair, silver eyes, teenage face, lithe body-

Ah. That explains the silver walls and bunks and sheets and generally everything around them, at least. Even the vaguely silver morning sunlight streaming through the windows. "Lady Artemis." Putting away his sword, he managed a half bow, his voice sounding hoarse even though he hadn't been audibly crying. "It is...an honor?" He offered, attempting a weak smile, but a smile nonetheless.

Artemis rolled her eyes dismissively. "Cut the formalities, Perseus," she ordered. "There is no need for you to be so uptight around me."

Right, haha. She could wiggle her pinky and turn him into a jackalope. No need to be so uptight.

"Do you know why you are here?" she asked.

Why was he here? He vaguely recalled Thalia carrying him off to a cabin. Or was it another girl? Either way, it was evident that said cabin was in fact the cabin of Artemis, the eternal maiden goddess who...disliked the opposite gender. Which only added to the mystery of why he was in her cabin, in a room, alone with her.

"No," he answered honestly. "I hope you aren't going to turn me into a jackalope, though."

A flicker of a smile played on her lips. "Unfortunately, no, that is not on our agenda for the day. I am glad you can still find it in yourself to kid and jest, however. You were quite...ah, worn out yesterday, when Thalia and I found you collapsed in the middle of the cabins. May I ask what event had occurred to leave the Hero of Olympus in such a state?"

Percy winced, almost imperceptibly; he had gotten much better at shielding his emotions since the incident which ruined his life, but it was clear that Artemis had caught it, judging from the ever-so slight softening of her sharp, silver eyes and the sympathetic look on her face. "Spit it out, Perseus," she ordered. "Holding it in will do nobody any good."

Percy laughed. He laughed, a sharp, bitter laugh, a laugh which held no mirth, no trace of the happiness which usually accompanied his laughs; a laugh which reminded him of the venomous screeches of the arai in Tartarus, the bright, poisonous flowers of Akhlys. A small tremble rocked the floor as he abruptly ceased his pained laugh and stared at Artemis incredulously, who had a slightly disgruntled expression on her face. He couldn't blame her. Was that a normal reaction? No, not by anyone's standards, to laugh at something so tragic, but he wasn't just anyone, he was Percy Jackson, twice Hero of Olympus, one half of the two demigods who'd braved the deepest pits of Hell and seen things nobody should ever have to see. He was Percy Jackson, the boy who thought he could finally settle down and have a good - no, not a good life, just a peaceful life, a normal life, and whose dreams had been ruined by the very person whose ass he'd saved two times now-

"What happened, you ask?" He smiled icily, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "Ah, I dunno, Lady Artemis. Maybe it's because she died."

Maybe it wasn't the best idea to talk like that to a goddess, especially in her own cabin, but Percy couldn't care less at that particular moment. If she wanted to turn him into some furry critter and release him into the wild, well, fine, he'd get ripped up by some predator and die and go to Elysium, maybe. If she wanted to just kill him here, well, he wasn't stopping her. Technically, it wouldn't be committing suicide. It would just be...intentional goading.

"Perseus-" Artemis began, a hint of warning in her tone. "You're in my cabin, in front of me. Be careful-"

"I don't give a flying fuck," Percy interrupted tiredly. "Kill me, shoot me, turn me into that jackalope. Add that to your plans tonight. I don't care, dying sounds pretty cool right now. You wanted to hear what happened, so I'll give you the whole, unwatered version, right here, right now."

Artemis opened her mouth to interrupt, but Percy was on a roll, and he wasn't going to stop because of some random Olympian who could vaporize him in the blink of an eye. "Annabeth died, that's what happened," he snapped. "All because of that - of that thing you call your father. We had plans, you know," he continued, his voice raising. "On the Argo II, in Tartarus, after the war, we had plans, plans for a future together, in New Rome, attending college, settling down in an apartment. I could get a mortal degree, and she could be rebuilding all your palaces and statues and fountains and gardens and salad bars up on Olympus. We could've been happy."

"We were looking forward to it for a long time, you know," he said, his voice nearly reaching a shout. "Four years of college in New Rome, no need to worry about wars, about doomsday prophecies, about monster attacks every other second. It was what kept me - what kept us going, through the war, through Tartarus, after the war when we had nightmares about the - the things down there, our plans for a future kept us going."

He took a deep breath. "And it was going wonderfully, as well. We were on spring break - that two week break the college gives us, and we were happy to just spend time at camp together, and that one day, she told me on the beach, really happy like, her grey eyes shining and - and all that." He swallowed as he attempted to keep his voice steady. "She told me she'd gotten a chance at getting an internship or something at the biggest architecture firm in the world - heck, I even remember the name, Gensler - and was taking a plane to California the next morning. Everything was going so well."

His voice dropped again to a near whisper as he couldn't speak louder without his voice cracking into a million shards of glass. "And your father, the oh so mighty King of Olympus, Lord Thunderpants himself - he ruined it all. A stray lightning bolt, for what, exactly? Seducing some other girl and being unfaithful to Hera again? A hissy fit because he got his ass whooped by his wife again? He accidentally killed her, killed off all our plans, our dreams, our future together, our happiness, and all he says is 'I truly apologize for this, my daughter'. To Athena. He doesn't even bother talking to me, the one who saved his ass, Olympus's ass, more times than I can even bother to count, and just goes off banging more chicks while he leaves all her friends, her family, her siblings, dad, even his stepmom, and me to pick up the pieces. Again."

"We were supposed to be done! We were supposed to be happy! You know, I was named after Perseus, the only hero who got a good ending in the Greek myths, and for a while after the war, I actually believed it, that I could be a lucky one, I could end it off on a positive note, but fuck, nope, that son-of-a-bitch had to fuck up again for the millionth time in my god DAMNED life-"

He took a shaky breath, letting his sudden bout of blood-red fury calm down as Artemis stared at him, her eyes slightly wide, her mouth opened slightly as she tried to absorb in everything he'd said. "Sorry about that. It's not fair to yell at you, I guess," he chuckled bitterly. "I always respected you - one of the better gods who have some common sense, and it's not fair to scream and shout at you for all my problems - speaking of which, why do you even care anyways? You're a goddess, an Olympian, even, and I'm just some lowly demigod who you could squash like a wasp if you wanted to." He couldn't help but add on one, last jabbing remark: "So, why, pray tell, do you, the mighty Olympian goddess, care about some random demigod lowlife like me?"

That last remark wasn't fair to Artemis, he knew, but quite frankly, he didn't care right now. That last comment, directed at all the Olympians - what had they done to try and make his life fair. Nothing, that's what. Aside from the occasional visit from his father to strike up some idle banter (not that Percy didn't appreciate him, he loved his father), the Olympians had done nothing, absolutely nothing after the end of the war. No rewards, no parties, not even a thank-you note to all the demigods and the Seven and Nico and Reyna and even Coach Hedge. It was as if they'd used the demigods, again, to get rid of the thing which threatened their rule, and once that had ended, forgot about them completely again. Oh, sure, demigods were still getting claimed, Olympus was open again, but considering how hard the demigods had saved their sorry hides, that was next to nothing.

He stood there, panting and heaving, staring awkwardly at the wide-eyed goddess in front of him, but he felt relaxed, calm. It was as if he had had the weight of the sky on his shoulders again for the past...oh, three weeks or so, since she died, and now it had been lifted, and he felt suddenly impossibly light. He decided that if he was going to get smited, as least he was feeling better. Always look to the positives, right?

But, as he engaged the goddess in a silent staring contest, she made no move to attack or to change him into some small woodland critter. "So…" he ventured awkwardly. "Let me guess. You're gonna change me into something small and furry now, or maybe stab me or shoot me."

Artemis, however, slowly shook her head. "No," she said quietly.

Percy blinked. Had he misheard the goddess? "No?"

"No," she repeated. "I'm not going to turn you into something small and furry, Perseus, as you so eloquently put it," she added the last part drily, as if an afterthought. "I - well, I have never been in your situation before, suffering from heartbreak...but a few of my Hunters have, and...and I think I understand what you're feeling right now."

Well, this conversation suddenly took an U-turn, and now Percy feels bad for having shouted at her. "Ah, well...thanks for not, um, killing or polymorphing me?" he offered. "And I'm sorry for, well, yelling at you, I guess. As I said, it wasn't fair to you."

"I will let it slide, this time," Artemis said with an amused but warning tone. "Because I feel sympathy for your plight, son of Poseidon. Believe me or not, I have paid attention to you, after that battle on Othrys. I have seen your deeds and noticed your traits. Stupid, headstrong, dense-"

"Gee, thanks," Percy mumbled.

"-but also caring, compassionate, and loyal to a fault. I know you are a good person, Perseus, despite your current status as a male. Perhaps you would like me to change that?"

"No, no, that's fine, really," Percy hastened to assure the goddess. "But...wow. You've seen all that?"

"Indeed," Artemis nodded. "And perhaps...perhaps you give me a little bit of hope, Perseus, that not all of the opposite gender are as pig-headed and arrogant as the majority are. You have managed to befriend my former Lieutenant, after all. No small feat, if you ask me."

"I - wow, damn," Percy breathed. "I - I never would've thought-"

And he never did think, that some of the gods maybe cared enough to pay a little attention, and that it would be Artemis of all the immortals to know so much about him. For the first time during their little conversation, he was at a loss of words, because he didn't know how to express - he didn't know what he was feeling right now.

Artemis regarded him impassively as he attempted to calm his raging myriad of emotions.

One. Two. Three.

Close your eyes. Deep breath in...exhale.

Percy opened his eyes again. He felt considerably calmer, more relaxed. His mind was clearer, his thoughts re-lining themselves up again alongside the train tracks in his brain. "It's just so...hard, y'know?" He finally said shakily. "She was the one rock in my life, ever since I got thrusted into this world of monsters and gods and Titans and Primordials, and now she's - she's gone, and…" Tears stung his eyes. "I just want her back so much, if only for a day, an hour, even a second…"

"I understand," she said quietly. "At least, I try my best to understand, and that is all I can offer."

"No, no, that's fine," Percy hastened to assure her. "It's more than I would expect - I mean, it-"

Artemis laughed, three short, bright, tinkling notes, which somehow relaxed his tense body. Lifted his spirits. Made him...not happy, not by a long shot, but content.

"I will take my leave now, Hero of Olympus," she said quietly. "My Hunters will be back soon from their expedition into the woods. I suggest you leave as well, unless you wish to lose a few body parts."

"Of course, my lady," he nodded awkwardly, and they were back to normal, a demigod and a goddess once again. Gone was the quietly comforting air they had been conversing in a mere few seconds ago.

He missed it already.

Artemis gave him one last nod. "Stay strong," she murmured, and disappeared into thin air without so much as a flash. At least she wasn't as dramatic as her father.

Percy left as well, but not before kneeling down in the center of the silver room and sending a silent prayer of gratitude to the goddess. "Thank you, my lady," he murmured. "For talking with me." For caring, he wanted to add, but decided against it. It would sound...insensitive.

And for the first time since the death of his beloved, Percy walked into the morning sunlight with the ghost of a smile flickering around the corners of his lips. It wasn't much, barely a twitch. He was still weighed down by grief and pain and anguish. He still wanted to kill Zeus for what he did. He still missed his Wise Girl so very much.

But a smile, however fleeting it was, was better than nothing, at least.

It was a start. And once again, he sent a silent thank you to the goddess who had helped him make it.

Thank you, my lady.

No, no need for formalities, after all. No need to be so uptight. Even if she could wiggle her pinky and turn him into a jackalope.

Thank you, Artemis.