My eyes flickered to the rubble of the cave while Loki stood around, only wishing that I could somehow have saved Annabeth's body.

A hollow pang seemed to sound through my body, a silent reminder that I would never get my Wise Girl back.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, as if by doing that I could somehow make myself feel whole again, to feel normal.

But then, normal is something I would never be.

"Percy."

I looked up to see Loki looking at me with the most apologetic look I had ever seen on anyone's face ever before.

"I am so, so very sorry," he said, "but I cannot stay in your world any longer. They're calling me back. I have to go."

He glanced up at the sky as if they were about going to drop out of it, doing who knows what they did.

"Go," I said, with a forced smile, "I can handle it."

He gave a sharp nod, took out a glowing blue cube and vanished, almost as if he had never been there.

I inhaled heavily, the tears starting to stream down my face as the full blow of what had just happened hit me square in the face.

Annabeth was dead. I couldn't die. We'd never grow old, have kids, have a life.

Collapsing by the edge of the rubble, I knelt down and prayed, harder than I had ever done before.

I was so distracted by my grief, I hardly noticed the warm presence of someone behind me.

Athena was staring at the rubble, her face as cold and intimidating as ever as she met my tear-stained eyes.

She silently conjured up a burial shroud, the stormy gray lining of the cloth the exact same shade of Annabeth's eyes.

I fell down on my knees beside her, wishing her alive, with everything I had, even though something inside of me knew it wouldn't work.

"I would've let you be together, you know," Athena said, an uncommon tone of an emotion creeping into her voice. "I am so very sorry for not realizing how happy you made her, for holding a grudge against you for something that was not your fault."

I glanced up at her, watching a single tear glide down her cheek.

"I forgive you," I stated, as her face pulled into a forced smile, the action seeming too happy, too cheerful for such a sorrowful moment.

Hesitantly, she placed a hand on my shoulder, making me aware of how tense I was, the stress of the day building up on me.

Athena's eyes flashed back up at the sky, watching the clouds gather with the promise of rain. "Let's get her back to camp."

I nodded, though my body was ready to give out. I had to have strength for this.

***

I was tired of explaining what had happened. I was tired of the apologies, the sympathetic glances I got, the whispers that were spreading through Camp.

Annabeth was my all, the other half of my broken soul. With her gone, I was only fragments of what used to be, shattered pieces of glass.

As her shroud went up in flames, I silently sang of her, the architect of Olympus who died too soon.

I wanted to savor her, to keep every little detail of her sharp in my mind, so that I would never, ever forget her.

The flames started licking up my ankles and I didn't notice, didn't even feel the heat as the fire consumed me, turning the world a smoky black.

***

A familiar head was tending to a small hearth when the darkness finally cleared, and my vision was restored.

"Lady Hestia," I said, rubbing my head as she nodded, her eyes full of ancient memories that looked completely out of place in her eight-year-old form.

The hot coals sizzled quietly in the stark silence until she spoke up. "Perseus, are you happy? With being a god, I mean."

I shook my head, rapidly. There was nothing I wanted less than being a god.

"Are you sure?" she asked, her brown eyes carefully watching me.

"I just... I just want to live a normal life, you know? To be able to grow up, and get a job, and... die, someday."

She gave me a short tilt of her head.

"The Olympians don't wish you to know this, but since you were made to become a god against your will, there is a way of numbing the ichor, so that you can live a relatively normal life, but that itself, is irreversible."

I fiddled with my pen, spinning it around and around. "I'll do it."

"Are you certain?"

I gave a short, sharp nod. I didn't like being unable to die, to be unable to join my one and only love in Elysium.

"Very well," she said, with a small smile that assured me I had done the right thing. "Let us begin."

***

"Hello? Mom?" I called as I opened the front door, looking around the cluttered room for any sign of my parents.

"Percy."

Mom came running out of the kitchen to embrace me, stopping short when she realized that someone was missing.

She glanced up at me, her deep blue eyes phrasing the question she was hesitant to voice.

I bowed my head, collapsing into her arms, once again completely overwhelmed with pure, pure grief.

"Oh, Percy," she gasped out, her voice breaking, "oh Percy."

I managed to stand up straight, the tears streaming down my face as I felt a large pang of guilt streak into my heart.

If I had never let her come.

If I had turned Loki away the first time he showed up.

If I hadn't driven Apollo, and never got corrupted by those demons.

If I had never dragged her into this mess, this whole problem she didn't have anything to do with.

"Percy," Mom whispered, gently pulling my out of my thoughts. "You reversed it."

I nodded simply. "How did you know?"

She gave me a weak smile. "I used the same kind of magic when I withdrew from my own powers."

"I can't stand it," I said, "being stuck here without her."

Mom lifted my chin up, forcing me to look her in the eyes. "She'd want you to move on and live."

I wished I could argue with that but I couldn't, because I knew my girlfriend.

"I can't," I said, turning away.

"Not now, maybe. Not yet. But in time, you can do it. Who's going to be the one to tell Annabeth's story? And yours."

Exhaling deeply, I looked up, glancing at the sky, which was now clearing up to a light blue.

"Will you help me?"

Mom nodded. "Of course."