*Lizzie's POV*

It's official, I am finally done with school, I'm graduating with honors from MIT, with a masters in Mechanical Engineering. And... I am sadder than I have been in several months. And it's all because Jake isn't here. He had always protected me, but he isn't here now.

*****

I was 10 years old, Jake was 15, we were in the forges. I had tripped and knocked some hot metal off the table, Jake grabbed me and pulled me against his chest so I wouldn't fall, and caught the metal.

"Jake!"

"Ow, crap, I forgot that arm could burn.."

He was used to his metal arm, which couldn't burn, and had grabbed the metal with his normal arm. He had a burn for a week, but he had protected me. 

*****

I had curled my hair, I had on a deep green chiffon halter top chiffon dress with creme wedges. I also had my bracelet, the one Jake gave me, I never took it off.

I headed to Kresge Auditorium, where all the closing and award ceremonies are held. I lined up where I was told to last week, and talked to one of my best friends Lauren Marvin, we had dorms together during Freshman and Sophmore year because they sort us by name those first few years. 

*****

I was 11, Jake was 16. It was Campfire, I sat next to Jake like always, but it was cold because Mr. D had let the chill in that October night. I had forgotten my favorite MIT sweatshirt, so I was cold. I shivered, and Jake noticed. 

He set his hand on fire with just a small flame, and I leaned in closer to him. Percy suddenly laughed at something Jason said, and Jake got startled, his body caught, and he tripped, I jumped back, and Leo went in front of me, as Percy and Will, Stevens, not Solace, hosed him down, only after Jake had set an Aphrodite kid's hair on fire, I think his name was Xavier. Jake got up, pulled me along, and we ran to the forges before any aphrodite kids could get revenge, we laughed all night. They got revenge a week later, with lots of pink glitter... But he protected me from that too.

*****

They are starting to call names now, I still have a while for me to go through.

*****

I was 12, Jake was 17, I had ditched training because of a bad headache. Jake eventually found me lying in the strawberry fields. He had asked what I was doing, and I told him I had a cluster headache, he noticed my goosebumps, gave me his sweatshirt,  and went down to the infirmary and got me some Advil. He grabbed lunch when the conch horn sounded and he saw me flinch from the sharp noise. We sat out there for hours. Eventually, Annabeth and Leo had found us, I had fallen asleep my head on his stomach and under his sweatshirt to shield the light. And once again he protected me, this time from my own head.

*****

They called Lauren's name, she accepted her diploma, looking at her family, and at me. They called my name, I shook people's hands, got my diploma, and looked at my family, my Dad, Leo, Annabeth, Malcolm, Percy, Calypso, Frank, Hazel, Jason, Piper, Nico, Will, and even my mom was there. But no Jake, of course 

*****

I was 13, and Jake was 18, it was my birthday. He gave me a new charm this year, like last year, after he gave me the bracelet for my eleventh. I had told him I wanted to go into engineering after he had annoyed me about it for about two hours, and he had given me a silver ruler charm

He also gave me my dagger. It was awesome, I got him to carve my name in it a few years later.

Some Ares kid had tried to take my bracelet from me, and Jake knocked him back and grabbed the bracelet. He had once again, protected me.

*****

I had tears in my eyes, because when I sat down, Jake wasn't on his feet hollering with the rest of them, the way he said he was going to, the way I wished he could right now.

*****

I was 14, Jake was 19, I had stolen some of his welding goggles. I made some flashbangs, with which, I obviously pranked some Ares kids with. I blinded and tripped them, I took off, because after they got their sight back, I knew they would soon follow, I made it passed the arena, with the goggles still on my head, I might add, and Jake was training just then. He saw me, then saw the other two, guessed what happened and chased started after us. It took him two minutes to catch up, he got the Ares kids to stop chasing me, then caught up to me, and grabbed me, took the goggles, and had once again, protected me.

*****

After the ceremony I hugged everybody, we got pictures, that I'm sure I look sad but proud in.

We went to Catalyst for dinner, a really fancy restaurant near MIT.

*****

I was 15, and Jake was 20, we went out to the diner for his birthday, and I gave him a ball-peen hammer and a claw hammer. It had gone down a little like this.

Jake and I had entered a stop and go diner they sit down at the bar and order food Jake gets a hamburger and I got a tuna melt. they are eating when they notice an old lady staring at them, Jake spoke up, noticing it had made me uncomfortable, "What are you looking at?"

He demanded, Jake was like that most of the time, on edge especially when it was me and him hanging out, he still saw me as that little ten year old he had rescued from the woods. The old lady stood and walked over to us, "Sony, you'll need to learn to respect your elders." She hissed at him, the two others in the diner looked at us, no at Jake, the lady turned to the other diner members. "Mind your own business!" She screeched she sounded like an eagle screaming at a predator on one of those nature documentaries that jake and I watch mostly me. The old lady turned back to us and she had whispered, "Demigods are getting weaker nowadays huh?" She said while smiling.

Jake spoke, "Lady I don't know what you are talking about, with that whole demigod crap. Come on Liz let's go."

He put a twenty on the table and we walked out of the diner.

"That was weird." I had stated.

"Keep moving." He said quietly "we gotta move."

I could tell he was tensed up he already had his hand on his gun sword, the old lady came out of the diner.

"Forge spawn. I shall be your death." she hissed. All most like she knew the future.

I drew my dagger and charged much to Jake's dislike. He had given me crap about that latter.

The old lady changed in an instant into a massive griffin with gold feathers and huge claws, it slashed at me, I easily dodged and stabbed its front foot, it screeched in agony and slashed again, this caught me off guard and its talon scraped across my shirt and cut my skin, I dropped my dagger and fell on my knees. I had grabbed my shoulder as it burned. I looked up and saw Jake had managed to jump on it's back he grabbed its neck and began to burn the monster to death in a fashion similar to....the dragon at Florida beach. I recognized that now, though I didn't realize the significance until just now, remembering it. And, once again, he had protected me.

*****

So, yeah, Jake had protected me, a lot, but he's not around to protect me anymore. I have to do that for myself. I set my chin and got on with life. Of course, I still remember him and cry, and laugh, and get mad, but I got over it. I had to do my best to move on, so I did.

{A/N} Oh my gods you guys! 1429 words! Thank you so much to @hephaestus_dam_kid for pushing me over that limit, and for helping me write that! Go check out his books for more Jake and Lizzie content!

thx,

xoxo Annabeth