The last chapter! I can't believe this story is already coming to an end. Bucketloads of thanks to all who read, reviewed, and encouraged me as the story fell into place! I couldn't have done it with you.

Disclaimer: I'll say it again. I'm not Rick Riordan.

Despite all the trying ordeals and heart-retching losses I had been shoved through during these last couple of weeks, I couldn't fight the sunbeams of elation warming every part of my body. The boy had been offered godhood, and he refused it! Percy had been given the gift of a lifetime- no, of eternity- and he said no. And you want to know the best part?

I could have sworn he was looking straight at me when he said it. Those green eyes steadily held my gaze and I noticed an imperceptible nod of the head, the faint lines of a smile softly etched on his face. And suddenly the whole situation went a level deeper- that he wasn't just refusing godhood, but he was refusing godhood for me- a permanent promise, of sorts. Maybe I'm squinting too excessively as I read between the lines, maybe I'm not.

I guess whatever the truth is, it will come out tonight (one way or another). Because today was-

"Percy's sixteenth birthday," Aphrodite breathed. "The deadline is today, honey. You're not running at of time- you're out of it altogether!"

I buried my head in my hands and leaned against the cool rock behind me. My intention this afternoon had been to get away from the world and take a walk in the woods, but the goddess of love had suddenly appeared requesting a mandatory meeting with me then and there. You don't refuse a goddess.

"So," Aphrodite said, snapping her fingers to get my attention. "What exactly are you planning on doing?"

"I- I was just planning on…you know…" I bit my lip and looked up at her guiltily. "Winging it?"

Aphrodite's plucked eyebrows narrowed, and she heaved an angry sigh.

"This night defines you and Percy's relationship, right?" she prompted.

"Right."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but Eros's deadline expires at midnight."

"Right."

"Your whole life will be changed by what occurs tonight."

"Right," I said nervously, wondering where she was going with this.

"Right," Aphrodite said smoothly. "So it seems appropriate to just go into this night WINGING IT?" Blood rushed to her powdered cheeks and her narrowed eyebrows plummeted even further. "No?" I managed to squeak, expecting certain death at any second.

"No." Aphrodite smiled. It was clear there were no questions about the matter.

"So, you're going to-,"

The underbrush crackled behind where we stood as heavy footsteps thundered through the forest. Aphrodite flashed me a sympathetic look and vanished in a whirl of rose petals. With a jolt, I realized the silent words that were written in her eyes. You're on your own now. There would be no more visits from the goddess of love. I didn't know whether to rejoice or panic, it felt strange for this whole issue to finally be coming to an end.

"Annabeth?" a low voice sounded behind me. Tyson's large eye blinked at me inquisitively as I pivoted with a whirl of my ponytail to greet him.

"Hey Tyson!" I said in surprise.

"I was looking for you, and here you are! This is great. I wanted to tell you what we're going to do for Percy's birthday!" he smiled, clapping his hands together like massive cymbals. It took all my willpower not to wince from the great noise that issued from the gesture.

"That-that's awesome. What exactly did you have in mind?" I know I couldn't afford to waste time working on a project with Tyson instead of planning out my evening with Percy, but how could I refuse that big brown eye?

"Cake, blue cake. Percy's favorite!"

"Do you have the ingredients?" I asked, actually warming up to the idea.

"Yes, the Stoll brothers bought me them!" I considered notifying Tyson that those sons of Hermes hadn't bought anything since the day they were born, but decided against it. His innocence was sweet, if not a little comical.

"Cool," I said, walking ahead with purpose. "We'd better get started if we want time to ice it!"

By five in the evening, Grover, Tyson, Juniper and I were staring down the final product- a blue frosted lump with a striking resemblance to a brick.

"It's the thought that counts, right?" Grover's voice cracked.

"Yeah, and maybe it'll taste better than it looks," Juniper offered with optimism. I actually didn't care about how the cake had turned out; my mind was in ultra-planning-mode. All afternoon I had been constructing and tearing down conversation after conversation, confession after confession, trying to figure out the best way to tell Percy the truth.

Only a few hours remained for our friendship. Where it went from there, I had no idea.

Dinner was painfully slow, each bite an hour to chew and swallow. I waited, knowing Percy would probably be the last to leave the table as he lost himself in thoughts. Slowly everyone trickled away until only he remained, watching the moonlight caress the ocean and listening to the wind whisper through the pines. One deep breath. I stood up and walked over to the Poseidon table with a blue brick in hand.

"Make a wish," I said, dropping the cake slab onto the table.

"Did you bake this yourself?" he asked, flashing me a lopsided grin.

"Tyson helped."

"That explains why it looks like a chocolate brick- with extra blue cement." I laughed, and he blew out the candle. I'll always wonder what he wished for.

After the cake had been reduced to crumbs, I began to speak again.

"You save the world," I began, cutting cleanly through the thin silence.

"We saved the world," he amended, elbowing me playfully.

"And Rachel is the new Oracle," I said, my mouth suddenly dry, "which means she won't be dating anybody."

"You don't sound disappointed."

"Oh, I don't care," I said with a valiant endeavor to keep nonchalant.

"Uh-huh." He wasn't convinced.

"You got something to say, Seaweed Brain?"

"You'd probably kick my butt."

"You know I'd kick your butt," I said, but my heart had already started racing.

"When I was at the River Styx, turning invulnerable," he began, "Nico said I had to concentrate on one thing that kept me anchored to the world, that made me want to say mortal."

My heart raced a little faster, if possible. "Yeah?" I said, deliberately not looking in his eyes. I knew my mask of nonchalance would break if I looked at him.

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

"Oh, you so wanted to," I cut him off, but recalling that look in his eyes, I wasn't so sure.

"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…"

"Anyone in particular?" I asked, feeling the edges of my mask starting to tear. Every one of my thoughts were screaming, "Oh my gods, this is it!"

"You're laughing at me," he complained, noticing my strange expression.

"I am not!" I protested, but my mask broke as a smile erupted on my face.

"You are so not making this easy!"

"I am never, ever going to make things easy for you, Seaweed Brain," I said softly, wrapping my arms around his neck. His skin was smooth to the touch and sent my racing heart to light speed. "Get used to it."

We were so close now, closer than we had ever been before. He snaked his arms around my waist and suddenly my lips crashed into his, a sudden fire alighting in my heart. The lights around us glowed brighter, his warm hands holding my body against his squeezed tighter, my heart rate increased yet even higher as his lips pressed back against mine. Carefully at first, lightly and curiously, then harder and deeper, stealing my breath altogether-

"Well, it's about time!" Clarisse growled from behind me, and I laughed against Percy's lips. Of course the moment had to be ruined. Suddenly the dining area was invaded at all sides by campers, their eyes gleaming with mischief and voices cheering. I blushed crimson, but one glance at Percy's beaming face shoved my embarrassment deep back down inside. Reaching forward, I squeezed his hand- just to remind myself that he was real, that this was actually happening.

The Stoll brothers hoisted the two of us up onto their shoulders, carrying us off to Hades-knows-where. It didn't matter. All of my problems had dissipated the moment my lips touched his. Eros's deadline? Forget it, we were together now! We rounded the bend and suddenly I understood my dear old friends' intentions. The dock. We were headed for the dock. I couldn't believe it! They seriously couldn't be cruel enough to throw us into-

I closed my eyes and felt the cool water blanket me as we dropped into the dark ocean. Percy was laughing beside me, his hand still interlocked in mine. It was uncanny how well I could hear him underwater, it was like we were in one big…

Air bubble. I opened my eyes and looked around in amazement.

"How did you-," I gasped.

"Son of Poseidon," he smirked. "It has its plusses."

Our laughs echoed throughout the small chamber, Percy's like a meandering brook dancing across soft rocks, mine like a spring wind rustling through summer grass.

I brushed his smooth cheek and our lips met again, this time with more heat. Again and again and again. For all I knew, it was the greatest sensation in the world, kissing Percy. My head spun and feet wobbled, but his strong arms held me close and steady as his lips brushed my cheek, my jawbone, my neck-

It was unbelievable, what the touch of this boy could do to me. My hands ran through his dark hair like they had longed to since the moment I saw him, my hot breath becoming one with his. I didn't want to stop, not now, not ever. But finally, after a few eons must have passed, we stepped apart and sat down on the bottom of the bubble to catch our breath.

No worries existed any more- no more concealing my feelings for Percy or wondering if we'd ever get things right before it was too late. The deadline that used to hang over my head like a pregnant raincloud, threatening to unleash its storm, now faded into nothingness. I smiled, knowing Aphrodite was probably sobbing like a middle-aged woman at the finale of her soap opera. So she'd finally gotten her happy ending after all. Our happy ending.

"Why," Percy sighed, "did we not figure all of this out years ago?" My head fell into his lap and his hands found my curls, stroking them in a soothing motion.

"Because we're both stupid, stubborn people in denial?" I offered.

"I just can't help but think about how great things could have been if we had gotten together before this," he sighed. "How could I have only realized right now?"

Suddenly, his hands stopped stroking my hair. "But-I did," he gasped, and his eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "Did that happen?" he whispered to no one in particular.

Oh, so he remembered what happened in the Lotus Casino now? Please, surely life wasn't that cruel.

"It happened," I murmured, "a long time ago."

"In the Lotus Casino?" he asked, eyes huge.

I nodded. "Remember this?" I kissed him softly on the cheek. "Four years ago, I started crushing on you in that hotel in Vegas." I thought it unnecessary to mention the push arrows. There would be time for that story later. "But we forgot a lot of things that happened in the hotel, because of its enchantments, and it was forgotten. I remembered it again the moment I kissed you in Mount Saint Helens."

He groaned. "We could spent another four years of our lives like this," he nodded toward our hands, which were tightly intertwined.

"Let's not waste any more time then, shall we?" I whispered, and slowly leaned up to kiss him again. The little spark that had ignited so many years ago had now spread like a wildfire in my heart, never to be doused again.

The end! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it! Again, thank you for reading and reviewing, your opinion is what kept up my steady updating. Be sure to check out my other stories and leave a final review! It would mean the world to me.

-Just a girl with ideas