Chapter Text
The ground was collapsing, silky spiderwebs were tangled around her leg and tugged at her. She could see the statue sinking into the gaping black hole that had replaced the floor.
She wasn't moving, her heartbeat hammered in her ears as she knew what was going to happen but she wasn't moving.
"Percy." Her voice cracked with exhaustion, her eyes went to find his as he turned around to her.
He saw.
Before he could reach for her she was already being dragged away towards the edge of the cliff.
She hit the ground hard, her skin dragging painfully as she finally moved, clawing at the ground for something to hold on to.
She could feel the inescapable dread creeping up on her. After all that she had been through in the past couple of days, weeks, months, years, she might just let go and let it be over with.
But then she felt his hand grab hers and she could see his eyes so desperately begging for her to keep fighting, to not let go of him.
It was a futile situation but she wanted to hope so bad that he could save her.
She was now hanging over the edge, the oppressive feeling of destiny made it clear to her what she was going to fall into if he let go.
Tartarus.
Tears pushed themselves out of her eyes and over her cheeks making clean streaks on her face covered with dust and dirt. She looked up at Percy, he knew it as much as she did, stray tears falling out of angry eyes.
He would fall in with her if he had to but he would not let go.
She could hear him screaming back at Nico and Hazel to go and meet them on the other side.
But she would not let him go down with her, he had already suffered so much. He had been pushed and pulled in any which way by the gods like a plaything. He had gone through war, had been offered immortality and lost his memories. He had fought so hard to just get some semblance of peace and quiet in his life.
A life that he wanted her in.
A life she wanted to have with him but one she feared she could not have if he went down with her. He would break down there, she probably would too. But she would rather go through hell alone to get back to him than drag him through hell with her.
"Percy." Her voice was weak and scared and she hated the sound of it. He only kept looking into her eyes made of storm.
"I'm not letting go, I promise." His voice was much the same, but anger was underneath it's surface.
She tried a wobbly smile, reassuring him that it was okay if he did.
He was laying on his stomach, his arm hanging over the edge one hand holding into her, his other trying to grab onto the floor.
"I'm going to find you again, no matter what." She told him as she could feel herself slipping away from his grasp.
"No! Don't talk like that! I'm pulling you up or going with you."
"It's- Percy, I love you." She was openly crying now, this might be the last time.
"Annabeth please, stop-" He pleaded with her as her hand slipped further from his grasp.
Through her crying she was smiling as his desperation to save her made her feel so loved.
"Meet me on the other side, okay? Meet me at the door."
He was whispering small words of protest to himself as she slipped even further from his grasp.
"I love you so much Percy." She had wanted to say it a million times over but it was too late.
She slipped away.
His beautiful, broken eyes were out of sight in an instant and Annabeth regretted not looking into them every chance she had gotten for as long as she could have.
Now Tartarus was swollowing her up, it was only darkness and even the memory of those eyes seemed to be far out of sight.