Percy's POV

"Thank you, again." With those last words, I turned away from the two powerful deities and into the street of New York. The two girls waved as I turned into a black wolf and padded away in the direction of Camp Half Blood. I'm coming, Annabeth.

Annabeth's POV (whoa, haven't heard from her in a while!)

It had been almost a week since Grover and I escaped from the werewolves. Almost a week since I had abandoned Percy. Almost a week since I had heard anything from him. I was trying to remain strong, but everyone knew I was beginning to lose it.

Almost a week ago, when Percy and I were standing in the werewolf cave, plotting to massacre them all, he promised me he would be back before his curse took full effect. He would be at camp to take the antidote and return himself to me as a human, my loving boyfriend. He told me he had a week.

Tomorrow, it would've been a week. And I still hadn't heard anything.

It was starting to drive me insane.

"Annabeth, you have to stop," I heard someone say to my left.

I glanced quickly over my shoulder before returning to the work I was doing at my desk. "Go away, Grover. I'm busy."

The satyr sighed and settled himself down on one of the bunks in the Athena cabin. "That's my point! When's the last time you actually relaxed since this whole fiasco started?"

I wasn't quite sure why he was asking the question. Everyone knew that I hadn't "relaxed" since that date with Percy in the park. Regardless, I responded, "Grover, you know what happened last time I relaxed."

"But Annabeth, you're not even going around to lessons or anything! You've been holed up in this cabin for days! How long have you been working?"

I remained silent. Grover didn't need to know that I had been working at this desk in my cabin for five days. We had been back in camp for six. On the day, the day right after we returned, I was a whirlwind of energy, helping where I could while also pining after that stupid son of Poseidon. I expected him to return that day. That night, I went to bed disappointed and have mostly stayed in my cabin since.

"Annabeth," Grover started, letting out a heavy sigh. "You know I want him to come back as much as you do! He's my best friend. But you're not doing him any favors sitting here, working yourself to death. What would he say about that?"

He would call me a Wise Girl, teasing me, telling me I don't have to work so hard to be better
than everyone else. "He wouldn't say anything, because he isn't here."

"I'm sure he's on his way-" Grover began, but I interrupted.

"No! No, Grover! How many times can one person cheat death? I knew it was a bad idea to let him fight those monsters alone, but he swore he'd be safe so I let him! I just walked away from him, Grover!"

"Technically, we were flashed away," he muttered. I continued on as if I hadn't even heard.
"How many times will he come back to me, Grover? How many times will he just barely cling to life, like a stubborn cockroach, before something manages to exterminate him? He would've been back by now, Grover. He would've been back. He wouldn't have made me worry." I didn't realize I was crying until I felt a few tears drip from my chin onto the blueprints I was working on.

"Annabeth," Grover started softly as I wiped my face rapidly, "you have to accept the truth that Percy... Percy isn't..."

I stood up abruptly, my hands slamming down on my desk and scattering my papers everywhere. Startled, Grover leaped back from me, his pupils dilating slightly in fear. Eyes blazing, I glared at the satyr.

"Don't you dare, Grover Underwood!" I spat. "Don't you dare say he's dead!"

"Annabeth, please, this isn't healthy! I-"

"No! Percy is still coming back!" My voice sounded slightly hysteric, even to my own ears.
"You can't convince me that he isn't!"

"Annabeth!" Grover shouted after me, but I was already gone. Already on my feet and bolting out the door, I sprinted away from the Athena cabin. I didn't quite know where I was running to, only that I couldn't bare to hear the words Grover thought he needed to say. He didn't. I couldn't... Percy couldn't...

He wouldn't do that to me.

Barely realizing I had reached the edge of Camp Half Blood's borders, I flung myself down at the base of Thalia's tree. My knees curled towards my body as I let my hands fly up to cover my face. Tears spilled from my eyes. My words coming out in broken sobs, I muttered, "He's going to come back. He can't- he can't be dead. He can't be. He's coming back."

As my tears died down, logic couldn't help but seep in. It was almost a week. He would've come back by now. He wouldn't make me wait. I held my breath, hoping for one last moment that Percy would show up, alive and well, like he always does. Hoping he would defy death, just one last time. Just for me.

Please, fates, do me this favor.

I waited, my breath trapped in my throat, but nothing approached. No tall, black haired demigod. No large, black furred wolf.

"He-he's dead," I choked out, tears starting anew. "He'd be back by now." Sobs racking my body, I curled into the harsh wood of the pine tree, hoping no one would find me.

That lasted for a total of a half an hour. The sun had just finished setting behind the dark silhouettes of the cabins and buildings as I felt a disturbance. Sitting up, I glanced around me, peering around the trunk of the pine tree, glancing into bushes surrounding me, as I wondered what exactly it was that had startled me.

It took me a moment to locate exactly what it was. The light had disappeared almost completely, leaving me with a night vision that was very sub-par compared to most animals and monsters.

When I heard a twig snap to my right, from outside the camp borders, my head whipped around to keep my eyes on the potentially dangerous sound.

I didn't see it for a moment. Just as I was able to convince myself that I was hallucinating due to the immense stress from the apparent death of my boyfriend, the shadows shifted. As I watched, from the depths of the dark shadows enveloping Camp Half Blood, a black wolf stalked towards me.

I stared at it, honestly thinking I was indeed insane. I had just pronounced Percy dead. This couldn't have been him, walking towards me like it was nothing.

Like he hadn't just given me a heart attack.

Recalling the past week's stress and anger, I shot to my feet and glared at the still-approaching wolf. "Perseus Jackson!" I roared, my anger catching up with me. "What did you think you were doing? You gave me a heart attack! Where were you? What took you so long? Did you not know I was waiting for you? You had me so worried!"

As I had been ranting, the wolf kept walking slowly forwards. The closer he got to me, the more I could tell something was wrong. "Percy?"

His vibrant green eyes flickered towards me, looking into my gray eyes. Our eyes locked onto each other for a moment, Percy limping towards me ever so slowly. He stopped walking, just outside the camp borders.

"Percy?" I asked again, my heart beating faster as he didn't acknowledge me. "Percy?"

He blinked, slowly, before tipping over off his feet and onto his side. With a thud, the black, furry body collapsed into the dirt, sending up a cloud of dust.

"Percy!" I rushed towards him, scooping up his small body from the ground. Immediately noticing how abnormally hot his skin (and fur, by extension) felt, I turned and carried him towards the infirmary. If he didn't get help, and fast, his temperature could rise to a lethal level.

Looking down at the unconscious wolf, I whispered, "I'll save you, Percy."

Notes