Annabeth POV

After I had told them all my plan, I decided to try to get some rest.

Yeah, right.

After what just happened between me and Percy, I couldn't get a wink of sleep. He kissed me. Gods, he actually kissed me! I know I'm still sounding like a lovesick girl, but heck, maybe I am just that. I kept recalling the kiss, how unexpected it was, like a surprise party. But even more fun than a party. I'd rather have Percy kiss me again than go to any party.

So here I was, sitting on my bedroll, watching the rushing water around us in the dark. Most of the Questers were asleep already, and they were farther up the island, bunched together. They all looked so peaceful, sleeping and snoring. But then Connor ruined the picture by sitting up and slapping his brother, saying he was taking up too much room with his eagle-spread form. I smiled, shaking my head. Then I felt someone sit down beside me. I turned and saw Percy, his black hair blowing in the sea breeze, his eyes matching the color of the water.

"Hey," he said. "Why aren't you sleeping?"

I shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."

He looked at me closely, "Because of the battle coming?"

"Uh," I responded, biting my lip. "More or less." Percy seemed to read my mind, though, and in the dark I could see his cheeks reddening started to match his. For a moment, we both sat there in the silence of the night. The waves lapped against our mini island, bringing the salty ocean smell into our noses.

I was lost in my mind, remembering what happened only an hour or so ago. I couldn't help but compare the two kisses we had shared: the one when we separated at Mount Olympus, and the one today. The first was- well, it was our first. It was an awesome kiss, and the circumstance it had been in made the kiss even more precious and bittersweet. But the second one... gods, that kiss was amazing. If kisses just got better each time it happened (which I didn't doubt with Percy), then I would be in Elysium soon. Just watching him as he stared distantly at the water made me want to kiss him again; made me want to feel that rush of emotions that surged up when his lips were on mine.

Wait, my mind told me. Then everything came crashing down on me. The battle coming up and the need for my plan to work. My plan held the lives of all of those Questers. I needed to focus. Percy has been taking up all my thoughts. I didn't mind that, but my concentration was crucial to this battle.

Heart against mind.

Unfortunately, logic crept its way into me. If I went with my heart in this instance, I would be pleasing only myself. If I chose my mind and focused on upcoming events, I might not only help people, but save them as well.

But it was so hard. Especially when I wanted nothing but to give in to my heart's desires.

I took a deep, shaky breath. "Percy?"

He didn't reply, but I felt him shift his gaze to me. I didn't look at him in return, though.

"Percy," I repeated, "what happened- between you and me- that... it was amazing, but right now we can't afford to lose concentration." I paused, searching for the right words. "What I mean is... we have a battle on our hands; a battle that could take many lives of our friends. We need to stay focused, and frankly, you already go through my thoughts frequently, but if we continued, and take it a step further... it'll just take more of our focus, which we need right now."

I finally glanced at Percy. He was nodding slowly.

"I understand," he replied. "And I agree. We can just ignore it for now."

He sounded dejected, tired, and I protested quickly. "No! I'm not saying ignore it! Gods, that would mean it didn't matter. And I don't know about you, but that kiss meant a lot to me." Percy looked at me once more, his sea green eyes studying me. He seemed to look right through me. I swallowed. "Percy, you mean a lot to me. A lot. And- and I don't want anything to happen to you. So that's why we both need to focus, for ourselves and for the others. I don't want things to change between us, only because I'm scared you will do anything to help me, because that's just what you're like. You'd throw yourself into danger just to save the ones you care about, but I don't want to be the reason you would get hurt. I don't want you to get hurt! Maybe when this is all over, things might change. But for now, we need to stay focused. It'll be better for the both of us."

I heard the unvoiced question in the air: would things change once this is over? Will it even be over? And if it ever finishes, will Percy and I still be alive to witness that? There were so many things that could happen during a battle- most being bad. One of my current fears was if I was wrong in pushing Percy away. This might be the only chance we have, and I just ruined it. But if we stay concentrated on the battle, we have a better chance of surviving and seeing a better day. It was a risk.

I heard Percy exhale largely. "Annabeth, you should know that I care for you enough that this won't change what might happen to me. I'll still do everything in my power to protect you. But if- if keeping our focus trained on the battle is what you think we need, then we'll do it. I trust you know what's best."

I bit my lip. Percy was being nice about this and all, but I still hated pushing him away. He sounded miserable but accepting, like he didn't like this, but knew it would be best. I didn't want him to think I didn't like him, because I did. But I wanted him to be safe more than I wanted myself to be happy.

"Thank you," I said. "For understanding."

He nodded. He and I were sitting close together, our legs touching.

"Just-," Percy said, cutting himself off and taking a deep breath. He looked like he was contemplating on whether to say whatever he was going to say or not.

"What?" I prompted.

He stared me, emotions chasing each other across his face. "Can I just kiss you one last time? Before the battle, just in case?"

My heart hitched, and instead of replying, I just pushed myself forward, connecting our lips for our third kiss.

I was correct. The kisses just got better. This one was gentle but hungry, soft but fierce. We fit together so perfectly. Percy brought a hand up, cupping the back of my head, his other holding my waist. I put mine around his neck, entangling my fingers in his dark hair. I didn't care about the fact that some of the Questers might be awake and they could see us. I just wanted this kiss to keep going. I didn't want to stop and face reality once more. And I sure as Hades didn't want this to be the last.

Slowly we drifted apart, keeping our hands around each other. Both our breathing was heavy and ragged, and my lips were tingling from the attention. I shut my eyes tight, squeezing them.

For a while we just sat there together, stuck to each other in a desperate embrace. I laid my head on his chest, listening to his beating, alive heart. I prayed it would stay that way in the next few days.

I needed to pull away. I shouldn't have kissed him; it just made this decision harder, and my feelings for him even stronger.

I leaned back, not meeting his eyes. He sighed, taking his hands away, disengaging his body from mine. Immediately I felt cold.

"Good night, Annabeth."

How he put so much tender care into those three words beats me. It pulled at my heart. I had to fight myself to stop my hands from reaching back up for Percy. The son of Poseidon stood up, then turned and reluctantly headed back towards the tent. I turned and watched his receding back, forcing down the urge to ask him to stay with me. It took all my willpower to stay silent. I flipped back around and faced the stars. I felt something wet roll down my cheek.

Gods, what that boy did to me. I think I've cried more in the past few months than I have in my whole life.

But I've realized I've also laughed more, and smiled more. And I've loved so much that my heart aches, bursting with emotion. Percy didn't just bring out the best of me, he brought out every little thing I had. Pain and happiness.

I shifted on the hard ground, closing my eyes. Right away I felt sleep approaching me. As the darkness overtook me, I muttered one last prayer in my mind to all the gods out there.

Please keep Percy safe.

Sleep was overtaking me, finally being able to after so long. It was short, but I felt much better when someone shook me awake. I rolled over, looking at Piper. She smiled slightly.

"We have some news."

I was up and ready to go see what this news was in less than five seconds. I slung my hair up into my typical messy ponytail and brushed some dirt off my dark blue tunic, then followed Piper up to the tent. It was early morning. The sun was still gone, but the sky was starting to turn to a lighter shade of blue. Most of the campers were still asleep, which was good- they were going to need all the rest they could get. Piper pulled back the flap to the tent and I entered. Inside, Greek torches lit up the area. Percy and Jason were standing around the table talking with someone. They all turned and looked at me.

I got three different greetings. Jason nodded politely. Percy clenched his jaw, staring at me with those fierce green eyes, and I fought back memories of last night. The third person looked at me for a second, and in the dimly lit room, I finally recognized her.

"Lacy!" I said, going up to her. She and I hugged while Lacy talked.

"Annabeth, it's so good to see you!" She leaned back. "I've wanted to come visit you but I've been so busy. I heard you got kidnapped! Gods, I would've been so scared if I was you. But you're a fighter! Anyways, when I was on my way here, I saw an owl! Yes, and it was-"

I held my hand up to her mouth, stopping her flow of words. I knew that if I didn't now, she would keep talking and her voice would just make me want to keep listening. But we didn't have time.

"Not now, Lacy," I said apologetically. "Sorry, but we kind of have something our hands that needs all of our focus." At that my mind flew back to last night before I could stop it. I felt Percy's gaze on me, but I didn't turn. "Well, the obvious question is how did you know we were here? And why are you here?"

Lacy's face drooped slightly, and alarm bells went off in my head. Lacy was a pretty cheerful person. Like the kind of person that would take a lot to bring them down.

"Well, I knew you were here because Piper had told me before you left. And I came because I had to tell you..." she paused, taking a deep breath. I grit my teeth, trying to wait. "There was a bombing in a town in Greece yesterday."

For a moment, the tent was dead silent.

"What?" I asked incredulously. Apparently she hadn't told the others this yet, for they looked just as surprised as I did. We all started asking questions at once.

"What do you mean 'bombing'?"

"Which town?"

"Is anybody hurt?"

"Who did it?"

Lacy bit her lip, trying to answer everybody's questions. "I mean bombing, as in, they blew up a part of the town. And it was Larissa. A few people were hurt, but not fatally. We don't know who did it, but... it was a fire bomb."

A fire bomb. Only the gods could use fire bombs. And Larissa? I was there!

Immediately, Jason's, Percy's, and my mind went to the kids at Larissa's Learning Center. Oh, gods. I hope they were okay.

But this fire bomb thing was bad. We couldn't communicate with the gods, yet one of them dropped a bomb on a small town in their homeland?

"A fire bomb... That's not good." Percy seemed to be thinking on the same track I was as he said that.

"But- it makes more sense now," Piper put in, standing next to a pondering Jason. "I mean, we know Luke has either allied with or captured Iris. She could set off those bombs. both the one in Larissa and that one a long time ago on the way to the council."

I nodded. That seemed like an eternity ago. Two eternities. I looked at all of us, once normal demigods (or as normal as demigods could get) now fighting to save Olympus.

"Plus we know Luke wants Annabeth, but we don't know what for," Jason said.

Percy ended the thought for him. "So he might have sent that as a warning to you." He looked at me, and I looked at him back, our eyes strong.

"Well," I said defiantly, "we're not going to back down. But we might need to start moving faster."

Lacy had been listening to us, and now she turned to me, a question on her lips.

"Because if he just did that," I said, answering her unspoken question, "he'll probably do more. We need to get moving before he bombs Athens or some other city."

They all nodded in agreement.

"Well, the pegasus I took to get here is outside, and he's famished," Lacy said, sounding anxious to get out of the tense room. "So I'll just get out of your way and you guys can plan." She exited quickly, leaving the room in a quiet state as we all thought deeply.

"We need to do it today," I said into the silence, looking at the three others in the room. "We can't afford to wait and endanger the people in Greece."

They dipped their heads, accepting the fact that the battle is coming sooner than expected.

"But..." I trailed off, grimacing. "The Questers are thinking they have one more day before the fight. Can- will they be ready? Will they follow me into battle that holds possible death for many of them right now?"

Piper looked at me firmly. When she spoke, I knew she had woven some charmspeak into her words. "It'll be fine, Annabeth."

I looked at Percy. He was staring at me evenly. "They trust you. I trust you."

Even though Percy didn't have any charmspeak, his words were more reassuring to me than Piper's, and I nodded and started to rethink battle plans.

"We need to tell the mermen," Percy said urgently. "They don't even know the original plan, and the fact that we changed it to today..." Percy's fingers were tapping nervously on the table, his dark grey tunic rumpled from him constantly messing with it.

"Can you go tell them?" I pleaded with him. "Please?"

He nodded. "Of course." With one last look at me that held all the anguish and feelings of last night, he turned, trudging out into the early morning.

"Alright, now we need to wake everybody," I gulped. "And tell them."

I felt a steadying hand on my shoulder, and I looked up at Jason.

He gave me a small nod. "I'll do it, you've done so much for us already."

I bobbed my head, muttering a thanks. He followed Percy's footsteps out, disappearing. He hadn't been gone even for two seconds before the flap opened again, and in came Thalia. She was wearing her black pants and boots with a silver hunter's jacket. Her bow wasn't anywhere to be seen, but I knew from the past that if she needed it, it would just appear in her hands, along with a quiver stocked with arrows.

"Percy came out of here looking like someone died," she said. "Then Jason did the same. What's up?"

Piper and I exchanged a look, then we turned and started catching her up to speed. She stayed silent until the very end.

Then she stated, "Well, that's awesome. Let's talk about something other than imminent danger and war."

Piper shook her head at the hunter, but a smile grew on her face. So, complying to Thalia's wishes, we talked about something else. We talked about being a hunter, to which Piper visibly shuddered and I couldn't get a black-haired, sea green eyed boy out of my head. So nothing really changed for me, honestly. Then we talked about what would be the worst monster to fight.

"I'd say a drakon," Piper said, shrugging.

"I'd say love," Thalia said truthfully. Both Piper and I started laughing as Thalia took her turn shuddering.

"You know," Piper said, turning to me with a sly smile on her face, "Speaking of love and all, I have a confession. I saw you and Percy down at the edge of the island last night."

Thalia countenance took on that of Piper's. "So did I."

I sighed, hating the way the conversation had turned. "It was nothing."

Piper raised an eyebrow. "Nothing?"

"Looked like a big nothing to me, then," Thalia said, a disgusted look on her face. "A lot of nothing that had everything to do with physical touching."

"Guys, it-," I tightened my jaw, looking down. "It's nothing. Please, let's just talk about something else. Please."

Thalia and Piper exchanged confused looks, but I didn't elaborate. I really didn't want to talk about it. But Piper seemed disappointed, so I turned the attention to her. "What about you and Jason?"

Thalia's eyebrows rose. "My brother, huh? Got the sweets for him?"

Piper turned dark red, muttering, "Oh, shut up." I managed a strained smile at the both of them, and as we continued to talk, I got better. It was nice to just talk with my two best friends before everything was going to happen. It just made me forget everything for a little while and I was able to unwrap myself from reality. It didn't work as much as, say, one of Percy's kisses would, but that couldn't happen now.

Jason ducked his head back into the tent to find us all laughing at one of Thalia's stories from when she was on the run with the hunters. He smiled at us laughing, and told us that everybody was awake. Piper jumped up and happily walked over to him. They grinned at each other and locked arms while Thalia followed, pantomiming a gagging person, and I just watched them all go. I was glad Piper had someone, and I was equally glad that Thalia seemed okay with it. Nothing worse than dating your best friend's brother while your best friend hates you for it.

I went out to follow them, stepping into the early sunlight. Percy wasn't back yet, but the rest of the Questers were up. But instead of despair and anxiety at the news, they looked determined and strong. A burst of pride sprout up in me. Somewhere along the way I had started to think of them as my family. I hated the thought of them getting hurt, but I knew they had to go into battle. But they were ready.

I just hoped we all got out of this together.