You're Not Getting Away From Me

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: What We All (Including Percy) Have Been Waiting For

Annabeth's POV

We sat next to each other on the couch in the Big House. Every once in awhile Percy would toss Seymour, our pet stuffed leopard head that hung on the wall, Snausages. I thought about how many times I had sat here. I shocked me how many times it had been with Percy, but it also shocked me how few had been with Percy. Part of me felt like I'd known him my whole life. It felt like those years before he came down Halfblood Hill in the pouring rain, beat up and scrawny, didn't even exist. Those twelve years before had all been a dream. The other part of me, however, felt like after everything we'd been through, my time with Percy has been very limited. These last couple years in New Rome felt the most real.

I must have been staring at him because his voice brought me back to reality.

"Annabeth? Earth to Annabeth. Hello? Anyone home?"

I shook my head, trying to clear it, and responded, "Sorry, I was just thinking."

"Yeah, I know. Whenever you think or concentrate really hard, your eyes get, like, ten times brighter. And your eyebrows scrunch together and you frown slightly. But don't worry, it's cute. To me at least." He didn't even remotely sound like he was making fun of me. More like admiration. I blushed deeply. "But seriously, what were you thinking about? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. In fact, I'm feeling great. We've got a threat from an angry tall guy who's holding up the clouds, our camp was attacked by a creepy monster, and this was supposed to be a nice summer. Why would you think anything was wrong?" I snapped. Percy's eyes flicked away from mine and he threw another Snausage to Seymour. Now I felt bad. I didn't mean to sound that harsh. I'm just screwing up with him today.

"Perce, I'm sorry, I-"

"No, it's fine. I get it. I feel the same way. But something about this whole... mess... is really bothering me. I feel like we're forgetting something important."

"Actually, I've been feeling the same way. It's like we're missing a piece to the puzzle," I told him truthfully. I had been feeling off about this situation. Like I know more than I realize I do. "Let's tell Chiron that when he gets here."

Right on cue, Chiron walked through the door. He looked extremely weary. "Tell me what, kids?"

"We're missing a piece in this. There's something out there we know, but we don't know it," Percy interjected before I could answer. I mentally face-palmed. Definitely not the way I would've put it, but he was right.

"I don't know. I'll just tell you everything I do," Chiron said softly after a long pause. "There's an alliance of monsters and Titans and other 'evil' entities going on right now. The leader is, as you probably already figured out, Atlas."

The "alliance of monsters" started turning gears in my brain. The thought was right at the surface, but it wouldn't break through.

"Have you guys noticed the lack of monster attacks, and how easy it's been to get newly found demigods safely to camp?" Percy and I both shook our heads. "Well, I suppose not, being at college. But there has been. It's because when the monsters are reforming and entering this world through the Doors of Death-" both of us on the couch flinched "-they aren't seeking out demigods. They're going to Mount Tam to create a... union... of sorts."

"A union that does what?" Percy asked hesitantly. But we both already knew the answer.

Chiron seemed to age before our eyes. His shoulders sagged like someone sat a bag of sand on them. He looked at us with pain. "To get revenge on you two."

Silence weighed down the room. The only movement was Seymour still munching on his snack. While the news made me want to cry, I saw it coming. In fact, it was starting to come together, or at least a little more. I was so close.

"We do know a little bit of their plans-"

"Wait!" I cried out. It all slammed into me like a tidal wave. "I know what we forgot! Halloween!"

Both of them just stared at me for a minute like I'd gone crazy. Then it hit Percy.

"Kelly! The Minotaur!" Then Chiron started to catch on.

"I had forgotten about that. Mostly because I wanted to forget about it. At the time, I knew something was going on, but I tried to put it off and hoped it would disappear. I was affected by the two wars. But that was too ridiculous of me. I hope you two learn from my mistakes." Chiron looked ashamed of himself when he said this.

"We forgot about it, too," I immediately added.

"Yeah, don't beat yourself up. The wars hurt us all," Percy assisted me. Chiron just smiled at us meekly.

"I hate to tell you this, but... I believe it's the only way. We need to send you two on a quest back to California to scout out this organization. And maybe defeat them in the process."

"How in the Hades do we do that?" Percy demanded.

"I don't know. I'm sorry. But I have faith in you two. If anyone can do this, it's you guys." Chiron sounded so sincere that it made me want to jump up and prove him right just to make him proud.

"So do we just go without a prophecy, or...?" I asked. Please no prophecies, please no prophecies, please.

"I'm going to announce to the whole camp what's going on when we're done here. If Rachel spouts a prophecy, so be it. If she doesn't, so be it. We can decide from there whether you take a third or fourth or however many companions with you." Percy and I nodded numbly. Chiron noticed. "I am truly sorry to do this to you now." With that, he trotted away, shouting over his shoulder for us to meet in the Dining Pavilion in five minutes.

"Well... now I get to travel the country with my girlfriend, again," Percy finally broke the silence with. "This'll be loads of fun, I'm sure."

"Oh yes, tons."

We stood up simultaneously and instinctively grabbed for each other's hands. I started to walk out the door, half dragging Percy behind me. He stopped, stopping me too.

"What?" I remarked, turning around.

"I just wish this wasn't happening."
"Me too."
"It's so much... too much... I don't think we should stay like this."

"Stay... like, stay here? Yeah, we need to get going." He was starting to worry me. What was he talking about?

"No, I mean... stay dating."

My heart dropped to my stomach and my voice quivered when I said, "What - what do you mean?" I started to think about how I'd been treating him lately. Had I been doing something wrong? He was not breaking up with me, was he? I honestly don't know if I could live with that. We'd been through so much. I needed him right now.

"I mean... I don't want you to be my girlfriend. Will you be my wife instead?"

Just as the first tear fell down my face, his latest words got through my ears, entered my brain, and became processed. I looked down at Percy as he lowered himself onto one knee and pulled out a little box. My hand flew to my mouth in shock. New tears - tears of joy - rolled down my face freely.

"Of course, Seaweed Brain." I wasn't even sure he could make out my words, but he must have got the idea. He stood up, lifted me off my feet and spun me around in circles. When he finally set me down again, he whispered in my ear.

"I had to do that before... before everything else happened. Just so you'd know how much I love you."

"I love you so much." I couldn't put enough power into my words. But he knew; he felt the same way for me. He knew what it felt like to not be able to hug hard enough, kiss lovingly enough, tell meaningfully enough.

He slipped the beautiful ring onto my finger. It was a silver band, with a pearl and diamond side-by-side. I stared at it for a long time. It was perfect.

"Do you like it?" he asked me softly.

"It's absolutely gorgeous and perfect."

"Good. I spent a long time looking." I laughed. I gazed into his sea-green eyes that were shining with happiness. I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned in to kiss him. He pulled me closer.

We're going to be a little late to the announcement, I thought, but I couldn't have cared less.