Alternatively

Died Twice.

"I'm going to kill myself."

"I don't think I'm the right person to confide that to."

She shook her head, flicking her pencil across the desk. "Suck my ass."

"Just saying," he leaned back in his chair. "Hurry up, will you? We've been here forever."

She would have argued, but forever sounded about right. The sky had darkened and it had only been a minute since she last looked and her stomach didn't bother growling, too empty to muster the energy. To make matters worse, the garden was little more than a rectangle-ish shape on the page. It took hours deciding to narrow it down from a square-ish shape, and she still wasn't sure she liked it.

And she wasn't even supposed to be designing landscape.

She pushed back from the desk, throwing open her bag and gathering the papers and glancing out of the corner of her eye as Percy stretched. "Yeah, yeah, if you were so bored, you could have left."

"Funny joke," he rolled out his shoulders, shirt pulled up ever so slightly.

She blinked and looked away. "There must be other people you have to lead into that bright white light."

"Oh, and miss your passing?"

"I work out," she stuffed the work binder in her bag with a yawn. "I eat healthy, I won't be dying anytime soon."

He raised his eyebrow and yanked open the office door. "Says the girl trying to work herself to death."

Annabeth just made a face, slinging the bag over her shoulder and taking her time crossing the room. The main space was lit only by the resting lights, individual desk spaces long since abandoned. Two of her co workers were still in a conference room, take out containers scattered on the table and post it note flurries stuck on the glass walls. She nodded when they gave exhausted farewells, pressing her phone to her ear just in case they wondered why she was talking to herself.

"Although," Percy punched the down button on the elevator panel. "I wouldn't be surprised if you were the only one capable of getting rid of you."

"I am practically indestructible," she shrugged, watching the news silently play out on the reception area tv.

Something about miraculous survival stories.

I'd know something about that, she flexed her fingers.

The elevator dinged and the silver doors slid open, nondescript pop music and warm light wafting into the lobby. She had been in that elevator hundreds of times, had ridden it up that morning, but her stomach tossed uneasily.

She walked inside anyway, jabbing the garage button as Percy loped his way to the opposite corner. "Probably gonna pick up some sushi on the way back."

"Spice it up and get a dragon roll."

"Salmon is fine, thanks."

"Come on, you only live once."

He was smirking when she shot a glare over, refusing to meet her eye.

Dumbass, she shook her head, fiddling with her phone's volume buttons.

The elevator shuddered, not anything more than normal operating hiccups, but her heart raced as the screen counted down the floors. She had to actively remind herself to inhale...exhale...because for some reason, her breath was held right at the base of her lungs. Until the door reluctantly opened into the garage, she couldn't help but think of all the ways such a simple mode of transportation could kill her and living was suddenly something she wanted to keep doing.