I climbed into bed that night still in shock, still paralyzed. Although I'd looked him in the eye, although I knew it was what he truly wanted, I wasn't sure if I could actually let him go through with it. Luke? My little boy, a Marine?

As Percy laid down next to me in bed, he looked me right in the eyes, asking if I was okay.

"Gods, no."

Percy just looked at me, studying my face. "You know..." He began, and I was afraid he was going to try and reassure me with some statistic like I would have. "At one point, I wanted to into the military too."

"You..." I just stared, the darkness making Percy's expression unreadable. "You did?"

Percy nodded, just pulling me closer to him. "Annabeth, we got our chance to save the world. We took it, didn't we?" I nodded, my head resting on his chest. "And our parents were worried sick about us-"

I bolted up in bed, looking at the place where his eyes should have been. 

"Percy, that was different. This is real war. This is-"

"The war we fought in is as much as Luke will ever see, I can promise you that." I could hear his heart beating loudly as he breathed deep. "Annabeth, maybe we should just let him be the hero he wants to become."

I closed my eyes then, unable to respond, unable to process, unable to even think about what I'd do if something awful happened to Luke. I couldn't lose them both. I couldn't.

~

I woke up the next morning to raised voices downstairs.

"You're doing WHAT?" Taylor practically screamed. "Luke isn't that just a tad bit rash?"

"Like you not applying anywhere but Julliard wasn't!" He threw back, forcing my eyes open. Taylor had only applied to Julliard?!

"That was COMPLETELY different! That was college applications! This... Luke, I can't let you just put yourself on the line that way!" I walked down the stairs, watching Taylor as she began to cry. 

"Don't cry about this, Taylor," Luke pleaded, his face flushed. I could see him holding back tears too. "I'm doing it, whether you, and anyone for that matter, let me or not."

"You will?" Luke turned to face me. I could hear Percy coming down the stairs, Taylor sobbing on the sofa. 

"Yeah," He said surely. It was quiet, but true. This was what Luke was going to do. 

"Then we should send you off properly, not hold you back." I wrapped him in a hug, looking up into his eyes because he'd passed my height long ago. "I don't want you to go off to war with a single doubt in your mind."

He was quiet for that moment, as was everything else. The world seemed to pause as my words registered in his mind. He was really doing it. He was really going.

~

*5 Months Later*

"Kids, dinner!" I called, tossing the salad once more before putting it on the table. Taylor and Luke were graduating the next day. Luke's flight for Boot Camp left later that day. 

"Coming, Mom!" Taylor shouted from her bedroom. Luke dashed down the stairs, his smile wide. Sophia and Logan were supposed to be arriving late that night, and Lena and Rion were already home. They'd finished up their sophomore year of college, and were looking forward to junior year. 

"Mom, can Nathan stay with us next week? He's visiting his grandparents up in Maine this week, and he's in the area, and I kind of told him he could..."

"Yeah, that's fine!" I said, placing the salad on the table and opening the door for Sophia and Logan. 

"He's staying in the guest room, though, Lena," Percy smirked, sitting next to her. Her face flushed a bright shade of pink. 

"I don't know if he should even stay in the house, Dad..." Luke joked. Lena turned bright red.

"Luke! Stop it! And Dad-" She was cut off by Taylor running down to give Sophia a hug. Instead, she glowered, her green eyes and red face making her look like the epitome of a super villain's Christmas.

Dinner flew by, and I awoke the next morning to Percy's soft voice whispering in my ear. "Annabeth, time to wake up. It's Graduation Day." He kissed me, and I still saw fireworks.

We drove to Brookside, Taylor and Luke both silent in the back seat. I thought about how in just one day, their lives would completely change paths. Luke would be training at Boot Camp, and Taylor would be enjoying her senior trip to England. In the fall, Taylor would go off to college, and Luke could be deployed. I had no idea what the future had in store for him, and while it scared me, I knew he was doing the right thing. As we drove from the graduation to the airport, I realized how much of Luke Castellan I saw in Luke Jackson. They'd both die heroes... I knew that much. I just hoped my Luke wouldn't go so soon. 

Luke grabbed his suitcase from the trunk, and lugged it to the sidewalk. Taylor walked over to him, eyes already wet with tears. "Gods, I'm gonna miss you so much," She said, smiling through her tears. Luke took her into his arms, and they stood there, watching as their lives, which had gone seemingly parallel their entire lives, suddenly completely change course. 

Rion was next. He was a good two inches taller than Luke, but he didn't look much older. As they hugged, I could hear him saying that Luke was so lucky he finally got to be a hero. Lena just wrapped her arms around him and tried to hold her tears back. Sophia and Logan almost seemed parental in their goodbyes. 

But then it was our turn. Percy looked at me, then at Luke, the same way he had back in December. Then he smiled at Luke. "This is big, Kiddo. I know you're gonna do great things, and you're gonna save a lot of lives. You get to be the hero now." 

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hey guys! How's your summer going? Sorry I haven't updated in a little while-- I legit haven't had a second to myself, and I seriously thought I might have a nervous breakdown... I've held it together though! 

So can you believe Luke is going off to Boot Camp? My older cousin actually just finished his training to become an Army Ranger, and while I'm super proud of him, I'm terrified of him being deployed and something happening to him. 

Well... that's all... JUST KIDDING! One of the biggest days of the year is tomorrow-- ANNABETH'S 22ND BIRTHDAY! I've got to tell you, Annabeth has been my role model since I finished the Lightning Thief. Not only is she brave, and smart, and a hero, she's so human. She's so relatable, and I've found growing up with girls like her to guide me makes life a whole lot easier. But tomorrow is especially big... why? Because my story, this story, Annabeth's story... it all started here when she was 22. It's been a roller coaster ride, but she's made it through the ups and downs. I know Annabeth is reading all these on her secret Wattpad account, and I'm sure Percy's making her the best blue birthday cake he is capable of making. Annabeth is my favorite character in the PJO and HOO series, and I have her to thank for... well, to be honest, everything I am today. She taught me that girls can be heroes too, and that knowledge is one of the greatest weapons you can posses. She taught me that fighting for what you believe in, even if huge sacrifice is almost positive, is the only way to get closer to happiness.She taught me that spiders are honestly the creepiest thing on the face of the Earth... and I owe everything to her.

QUESTION OF THE CHAPTER:

What do you have to thank Annabeth for?

XOXOXOXO

~PercyAnnabeth20owl