"No!" The sound of Percy's fist banging against the metal elevator doors echoed around the room. "No, no, no, no, no."

"Perce-Percy, please stop." I placed a hand on his shoulder, his muscles tense.

"How?" He turned around. "Both Bob and Damersen are dead."

"Not yet." Luke spoke from the corner where he had his finger on the button that was taking us up to freedom.

"They may as well be!" Percy rested his forehead on the wall. "It's all my fault."

"Percy," I slipped my arms around his waist, resting the side of my face in his back. I could hear his uneven heartbeat. "Don't blame this on you. Gods, my head hurts." I winced at the sudden wave of pain I felt.

"Uh? What's wrong?" Percy turned around and cupped my cheeks. He turned my head side to side. "Styx Annabeth, you've been hit in the head. You're bleeding."

"Yay..." I mumbled, nearly loosing my balance. Percy helped me lean against the door. He ripped off the sleeve of his shirt and wrapped it around my head.

"That will have to do." He turned towards Luke. "Is everything sorted?"

Luke nodded. "Guards should be at the top. I got a letter to them ages ago, if they're not there then we're going to have to walk back home."

"How exactly are we going to do that?" I looked up drowsily at Luke, sliding down to sit on the floor.

He shrugged. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Percy nodded and crouched down in front of me. "I want you to tell me if you feel any more pain."

I nodded. "But what will you do about it?"

He smirked, something I hadn't seen in what felt like eternity. I felt an explosion of hope fire inside me. "I'll figure it out, after all Wise Girl, you're not the only one that reads."

I raised my eyebrows questioning him, smiling slightly. He nodded, pleased with my response.

He was about to get up but he paused and shuffled a little closer. "If I was you, I would have a little chat with Luke. If guards are up there, then this could be the last time you may have to have a proper conversation."

I nodded, my smile dropping as I thought about what was to come. If there were no guards up there, the three of us would eventually get home and Luke would be thrown into jail if he wasn't killed on the spot. And if there were guards up there, then he would be taken from me and thrown into jail quickly. He could be shot dead as we stepped out.

Percy kissed me lightly on the forehead and sat down in the opposite corner of where Luke was standing. With some difficulty I managed to stand up and gained my balance, walking over to Luke.

I leaned on the wall next to him. "Thank you."

"For what?" He asked. "All I've done is make everything worse."

I gripped onto his free hand tightly, staring into his cold blue eyes. "Thank you for taking me into your little hut in the middle of the woods. Thank you for looking after me when no one else really did. Thank you for being my long distance friend and my close friend at the palace. Thanks for making me laugh, smile and cry. Thank you for helping us get out of here. Thank you for being my Luke Castellan again."

He pulled me into a hug, resting his head in the crook of my neck. "I'm- I'm so sorry, Annie. I wasn't thinking, I caused you so much pain." He sighed. "I'm sorry and thank you for being my family."

I pulled back from the hug, my eyes filling with tears as I stared at my childhood heroes face. His scar was more prominent than ever, his sandy blond hair dirty as hell and his cold blue eyes filled with so much sincerity and love. "I wouldn't want it any other way."

I turned, not wanting to look at him any longer and touched the back of my head gingerly. "You okay?" Percy asked.

I nodded. "I will be."

"Alright guys, one more minute left." Luke pointed towards the doors. "You're going to have to pull the doors open."

Percy took the right side, I took the left. We put out fingers where the crack between the doors was, and opened our feet into a stance to steady ourselves.

"I love you, Wise Girl."

I smiled at him, my dream of finally being free crashing down on me as heavy as the sky. "I love you, Seaweed Brain."

"Go!" Luke shouted.

Percy's and I's hands turned white with the effort of pulling open the doors. I heard him grunt as his door gave out, mine following suit.

I was blinded by bright light as all three of us stumbled out of the elevator, holding hands looking bloodied and bruised. The sound of footsteps and shouts exploded around us, and my eyes focused. Guards in the Illèan uniform rushed towards us, tackling Luke down onto the ground. His hand slipped out of mine and I saw his land with a loud thumb onto the ground. I blinked and saw two guards on top of him, bringing his hands behind his back and locking them in handcuffs.

"No!" I yelled, rushing towards him. Hands wrapped around my shoulders as I struggled to get to Luke.

I looked around wildly and saw that the arms didn't belong to Percy like I thought they did. Jason face came into view. "Leave him, Annabeth."

I struggled against Jason's grip and saw Percy being put onto a stretcher by Will, a number of guards surrounding them. A nurse rushed over to me and tried to get me into another stretcher but I wouldn't have any of that.

"No please!" Tears started to fall down my grimy cheeks, leaving a clear path in their wake. "He didn't do anything! He helped us!"

Jason started to use more force, pulling me towards the stretcher. I looked over towards Percy who was trying to sit up, but Will kept pushing him down.

"Luke!" I screamed, my hands reaching out towards him.

He looked over at me, blood running down the side of his face, and smiled. "I'm okay, Annie. You go, and then come find me, will you?"

He was pulled up onto his feet and pushed towards a police car that was parked next to two ambulances. Guards circled the small dusty area we were in.

"No," I whispered, watching him being forced into the car. "Please, Jason. No."

His grip on me loosened and he helped me over to the stretcher where a nurse helped me get on. I lied down and looked up at the blue sky, no white fluffy clouds in sight. The nurse pushed the stretcher towards and ambulance and with the help of others got me into the back of it.

"Percy." I whispered as the needled was pierced through my skin on my arm, making me very drowsy. Within seconds I was unconscious.

The sound of beeping filled my ears and I stirred slightly. I heard a gasp and felt someone grip onto my hand. I groaned as I opened my eyes and saw the face of my father.

"Annabeth!" He touched my forehead slightly, almost as if making sure I was alive and real.

"Dad?" I asked surveying the room I was in. I recognised it as a royal family suit in the hospital wing at the palace. "Wait... I'm home?"

Dad nodded, tears filling his eyes. "Yes, kiddo. You're home. You're safe and you're okay."

"I'm okay." Fresh tears irrupted  as my dad embraced me. The familiar feel of my dad made me so relived, I felt like I was flying.

I pulled back from the hug and wiped the tears off my cheeks. I was dressed in the standard hospital gown, plugged into a couple of machines surrounding my bed. Dad sat in the edge of my bed and the right wall, where there was meant to be a wall, was actually a curtain.

"Percy?" I asked my dad. "How is he?"

Dad grinned and stood up, pulling back the curtain. I looked over and saw Percy sleeping peacefully on the bed, his face clean and his hair still messy. The sound of his heart rate monitor was in sync with mine.

"Oh gods," I covered my mouth with my hands. "Thank the gods he's alive."

"Thank the gods you're alive, honey."

I turned towards the door to find Sally beaming at me, Paul right behind her.

"Sally! Paul!" I nearly screamed as they rushed forward and hugged me so tightly I was sure I was going to pass out.

"We are so glad you two are back." Paul smiled at me.

I hugged Sally again, almost breaking down at the motherly touch. This was real, we were finally free.

Sally pulled back but kept her hands on my shoulder. I took this time to look at her. She seemed tired, exhausted actually. There were large bags under her eyes from what I guessed was lack of sleep, and her eyes were tinged red, obviously from crying. She wore a simple loose t-shirt and jeans, very different from her normal formal clothes. And her hair was done loosely and unprofessional, meaning that she hadn't been okay at all. Paul looked exactly the same, his forehead stilled creased in worry, and the sides of his head seeming to be a little more grey.

"How long have we been out?"

"Hitting the eighth hour, kiddo." Dad sat down next to me a gripped my arm like I was about to disappear.

"Eight hours?"

Sally nodded. "You're injuries filled a page and a half."

"Luke?" I asked.

"Locked up," Paul sighed and placed a gentle hand on my knee. "I know that he helped you two escape, but we can't just let him free after all he's done. You're allowed to see him anytime you wish though."

"Him?" Came a voice from the opposite side of the room. "Jeez, Wise Girl, I hope you're not in love with someone else."

"Percy!" Sally cried and rushed towards her son who was trying to sit up.

Paul jumped off my bed and rushed to Percy as well, wrapping his arms around his wife and son. I could hear muffled whispers and the sound of crying coming from the trio.

Percy stuck his head out from under the hug and smiled at me, his sea-green eyes sparkling with love.

After Percy got caught up with everything, Sally called for Will. Will came in and hugged us both then listed our injuries and how we were going to fix them.

"Lots of pain medication," He said. "Lots and lots and lots and lots and-"

"Okay, we get it." Percy held up his hand. "How long do we need to be in here?"

"There's not much we can do but put some cast on broken bones-"

"We have broken bones?!" Percy asked.

"-because the body needs to heal itself, so we're looking at maybe at least one to two weeks in the hospital wing then another week rest in your rooms."

"Aw, come on!" I slapped my pillow annoyed. "That's terrible."

"Yes!" Percy slapped his pillow mimicking me. "No going to boring meetings and doing boring paper work for three weeks! That sucks!"

I stuck out my tongue at Percy, over the moon to finally be laughing and smiling with each other.

The door opened and two maids brought in two large silver platters filled to the top with food. Both Percy and I's stomachs grumbled loudly and we both eyed the food. The maids placed them in front of us and we wasted no time in digging into the delicious, mouth watering vegetables. The feeling of satisfying my hunger was so blissful, I almost fainted when I took my first bite of that carrot.

"From now on, you both will be eating food high in nutrition. You both need to gain some weight and get back to being healthy so your body can heal."

"Thanks, Will." Percy's and I's thank you's were muffled as we ate our food.

Will left and then our parents came back in. They let us eat in silence for a while then broke it.

"So, you guys going to tell us what happen?" Dad asked, the three of them pulled up some chairs at the bottom of our beds.

"Sorry, that's not going to happen until we're here." Leo's voice filled the room.

I smiled and looked over at the door, glad to see all of our friends standing there. Everyone rushed over, giving hugs and high fives to Percy and I.

"Bro, I'm so happy you're alive." Jason patted Percy on the back.

"Bro, me too."

"Oh Annabeth!" Hazel jumped on top of me, squeezing me.

"Hey Hazel, how are you?"

"How are you?!" Thalia slapped me in the shoulder lightly. "How are you?!"

"Don't yell at her Thalia!" Piper sat down next to me, giving me a side hug. "She's just gotten back!"

Travis, Connor, Grover and Juniper got everyone chairs, all of our friends and family's faces eager to hear what happened.

"Wait." Percy held up his hand. "What about Tyson, Zoe and the boys?"

"They're sleeping, honey." Sally smiled. "They can talk to you later, and hearing about your injuries, I don't think your story will be suitable for younger ears."

Percy and I told the story of our last couple of days.

As it got to the part where we found out Kronos was alive, the adults seemed to get more and more stressed.

"Kronos, as in late king Kronos?" Paul asked not quite believing us.

Percy nodded. "Yep. As in my grandfather."

Sally buried her face in her hands. "Holy Poseidon's underpants. What happened next?"

We continued telling the story but when we recounted our pain brought Kronos' ways of torture, I started to shake uncontrollably. I tried my best to hide it, but Percy noticed my distress and welcomed me over to sit next to him on his bed. Hearing his heartbeat and feeling his body warmth calm me down slightly, and I gripped his hand until both of our knuckles turned white.

Multiple people cursed about Luke and everyone was shocked to hear about Ethan's tragic death.

"And Mum?" Percy asked, his voice breaking slightly at the word 'mum'. "I have some news about Dad."

"Poseidon?" Sally looked up at her son.

"His men were killed by Kronos, and he proposed a deal to Dad. He wanted the crown back but father denied, so Kronos locked him up in the same cell as ours and left him for dead. Luke said he-said he died of dehydration."

Sally covered her face with her hands and started to cry heavily. We all stayed silent as everyone thought about out experience and how much they all wanted Kronos dead.

"Do you know anything about Bob and Damersen? Is Kronos dead?" I asked hopeful.

Paul shook his head. "We haven't been able to get anyone down there, but we have talked to Luke and he's told us where all possible exits and entry's are. We have guards stationed at all of them."

Sally looked at the clock on the wall and gasped. "My gods, look at the time. You guys should get to bed."

Everyone made their way to Percy and I again for another round of hugs. My dad gave me a kiss on the cheek before leaving, wanting to catch Helen before she went to bed. Paul left afterwards wanting to check to see if any progress was made.

Sally sat down on the edge of the bed, smiling a little crazy at us. She eyed out intertwined hands in between us and her smile brightened.

"Oh gods," Percy groaned, flinging his head back. "Just spit it out, Mum."

"I can't help but notice that when you woke up Percy, you said that Annabeth better not be in love with anyone else." Sally paused for a moment to catch her breath. "Is it true? You're in love?"

I looked over at Percy, a blush creeping up on my checks. He scratched the back of his neck. "Yes?"

Sally squealed and pulled us into another hug. "When? How? Who said it first?"

"It wasn't really that romantic..." Percy avoided eye contact with both of us.

"Don't be silly, Seaweed Brain." I nudged him on the shoulder. "The way you said it was perfect!"

"Wait, he said it first? How did he say it?"

I leaned towards Sally. "He told me I was his other half, like in Greek myth. You know the one about soulmates?" Sally nodded eagerly as Percy groaned again. "He basically told me I was his soulmate and then told me he was in love with me."

"Oh Percy!" Sally cupped Percys red cheek. "That is so adorable." She then turned to me. "Then what did you do?"

"I told him I'm in love him and then we kissed."

Sally sighed, standing at the edge of the bed looking at both of us. "My babies, finally in love. I never thought this day would come."

I smiled at Sally and we hugged again, wishing each other a good night. After she left, Percy glared at me.

"What did I do?"

"Why did you tell her that? How's she's going to tease me about it for the rest of my life!"

"Aw, come on Perce. She was going to find out anyways."

Percy wrapped his arm around my shoulder, and I snuggled closer to him. I brushed my hand through his hair, attempting to tame the jet black knots.

"We're safe."

I nodded against his chest. "We are."

"We're alive."

"We are." I smiled slightly.

"We're in love."

I titled my head up and placed a kiss on his now plump lips. He kissed me back eagerly, the kiss feeling like home and safety. My senses exploded as he rubbed his thumb along my jawline, and the tangled my fingers through his hair.

"We are."

Aw

YOU GUYS ARE CRAZY WITH YOUR COMMENTS! So many notifications *cries silently* (keep them coming!)

Thanks for the support guys, percabeth are finally safe and in love. It's so beautiful.

Love you all

-Squirrel