I woke up in a stranger's cold, hard bed. It was suddenly hard to breath.

In front of me was Jason facing the other way, his fair hair contrasting with the thin, dark shirt he wore. It was too tight on him, or maybe he just wanted to show off his chest.

"What the hell am I doing here?" I asked in a quiet voice, hardly able to speak above a whisper

Jason turned around and smirked. His blue eyes gleamed brightly with mischief in the dim lighting.

"I'm here to do what I want," he answered sneakily. Jason took a step closer to me, the floorboards creaking underneath his feet.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Jason said cautiously. Even though we were alone, he had the sense that someone was nearby. "But I might scar you a little. Maybe a lot."

I shivered in the cold air. A small window to my left was open, billowing cold air onto myself. I grimaced.

"Why would you do this?" I whispered. "I thought you were good."

Jason threw back his head and laughed deeply. "There's no such thing as good people," he said, finally looking at me. I just noticed how icy his eyes were. "If I cannot reach Heaven, I shall raise Hell."

I closed my eyes and took deep breathes as Jason came closer. He stepped to the bed slowly, tense, like he was sort of scared. He concealed something in his hands and every bone in my body told me to run, but I was frozen. I knew he wouldn't go as far as to kill me. But only the gods would know what else he could do. What information he wanted.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to think about everything except what was going on. Percy's mischievous smile, his dimples, his eyes. He was my anchor to safety. My only reason.

I can take this. I'm strong. I'm so strong.

My eyes snapped open as Jason stopped moving. The room was still dark, and the floor was still littered with his clothes. But the stench of blood was clearly new.

Jason was dead. I could smell it.

I watched as Percy gripped Riptide tightly in his hand. Red liquid dripped from the tip. Jason's blood.

The sight made my stomach churn.

Jason's chest streamed blood from a puncture by where his heart was. The blood ran down his stomach to his kneeling legs, soaking the bed sheets.

"Percy," I whispered.

His head snapped up to face me. His eyes turned soft as he ran to my side.

"What did he do to you?" Percy asked softly. He bent down to my forehead and held his lips there, careful as ever.

"Nothing. He didn't do anything."

Percy nodded and helped me up. The dizziness subsided and sitting up helped me breathe better.

We didn't speak. The room was quiet, only the wind made noise.

I got off the bed, careful not to touch Jason or his clothes.

I'm so cold.

Percy grabbed my hands and looked into my eyes.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered.

I leaned my head against his chest. His heart beat fast with unease.

"Don't let me go," I said softly. "I'm afraid you'll let me go."

Percy pat his hand on my hair. "I'll never let you go," he replied gently. "I'll never let you fall, or get in trouble, or get hurt." He pulled away slightly, still holding my hands. His face leaned in closer to mine. "I love you Y/N," he said before dropping a light kiss on my lips. "I always will, okay?"

I shook my head. "Don't make promises before you know what you're getting into," I mumbled. "Don't count your chickens before they hatch."

"But I don't care," Percy replied with a smile. He swung our linked hands. "I don't care, as long as I'm with you."

I took a deep breath and let my arms wrap around his chest.

"You're so reckless," I said. Then, looking into the eyes I first fell in love with, "But that's why I'm here with you."

Percy held one of my hands softly and opened the door to the room with his other. It led to a living room, with Drew Tanaka lying dead (stabbed) on a large red couch.

I looked at Percy, and we left the house without talking. Our feet were marching to different paces, all the way to the property line of camp. I didn't ask how Percy found me, or how he found the camp.

And then we stepped at the same time, walking by Thalia's Pine.

Percy watched me sideways, wondering if I noticed the same thing. I nodded slightly, and his grasp on my hand tightened.

After some time in the forest, I opened my mouth.

"How come you're always there to save me?" I asked in the silent trees. "I'm never there to help you."

Percy stopped and focused his brilliant eyes on mine.

"You have no clue how wrong you are," he smiled brightly. We took a step closer together, our hands linked and our chests brushing. "You saved me, Y/N. You fixed my broken heart, got it?" Percy looked back out to the tips of the trees that swayed slightly. "I am always in your debt for that."

I shook my head and looked down. "But you saved me too," I whispered. "I didn't know what love was before I met you."

Our eyes met, and time stopped. It was like everything had disappeared. Nothing could interrupt us, nothing at all. The world could be collapsing, but not for us. He was my world, and I was his.

"We're home," he whispered.

We took a deep breath in sync, looked away to the last line of trees before campers would appear, and ran into the sunlight.

Thank you, Percy Jackson. For everything you've ever done for me.

His soft voice still rang in my ears.

'I'll never let you go. I'll never let you fall, or get in trouble, or get hurt. I love you, Y/N. I always will, okay?'

He's so beautiful.