The title is based on both the famous quote "The world was collapsing, and the only thing that really mattered to me was that she was alive," (Riordan) and the song "If the World Was Ending" by JP Saxe. The plotline is also based on "If the World Was Ending."

Unedited, but enjoy :)

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Point of view: Alternating third person

Type: Song-fic AU

Main Ship: Percabeth

Word Count: 4496

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Percy Jackson believed hospitals were simultaneously the best and worst places on earth. Large quantities of people were anxiously waiting in the lobby of a hospital each day. Hundreds of thousands of people are born every day; hundreds of thousands of people die every day. People were getting life-changing news, for better or for worse. The least the staff could do was provide comfortable seats.

As Percy waited impatiently in the yellow-walled waiting room of his local hospital, several random thoughts were running through his mind. One was the aforementioned: why were hospital chairs so uncomfortable? A second was of what was going on in a certain doctor's office, behind the heavy metal doors. A third was of a particular blonde he had not seen in months.

Glancing around the room, Percy spotted a young lady with a protruding stomach, cradling it protectively. He also caught eyes with an elderly man clutching the hand of what looked to be his wife. Another middle-aged guy was bouncing a toddler girl on his knee, smiling at her affectionately. What were these people's backstories? Were any of them facing troubles similar to Percy's?

Percy's ADHD drew his attention to a door swinging open. Three ladies stepped out from the small room where patients checked in. Two of them headed towards the intimidating metal doors, whilst the third made her way toward the waiting area, where Percy was.

The bubbly secretary waltzed over to Percy and tapped his shoulder. "Mr. Jackson?" she chirped.

Percy glanced up and made eye contact with the pretty girl. "That's me," he murmured. 

The secretary giggled. "You're with Sally, right?

"Yes. Is her appointment finished?'

With a quick head nod, the flirtatious attitude melted away and a professional mask covered the girl's face. "Yes. She's requested you into the office. Would you like me to accompany you, or do you know the way?"

"Are you good at giving directions?" Percy asked curiously.

The secretary shrugged. "I'll be the first to admit I'm not the best with words."

Percy sighed and stood up. Although the girl was gorgeous, he was in the mood for some time alone with his thoughts. "Then lead the way."

She twirled her chocolate brown hair around her finger. "My name is Cara, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Cara. Shall we get going?"

A red blush flowed up her neck and across her cheeks. She whirled around and began to walk toward the large doors. "Yes, of course. Sally is in room 302, which is on the second floor."

Percy nodded and followed Cara. With one final look around the confining lobby, he rushed after the secretary and into the hallway leading to the check-up rooms.

There was an elevator all the way at the end of the hallway. Percy stared at the floor as the two of them briskly walked over. As Cara babbled mindlessly, Percy shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and thought about what he would face once he walked into the hospital room.

It was relatively a one in a hundred chance. Even then, there were treatments. The survival rate was in the Jacksons' favor. But Percy was extremely nervous.

Cara pressed the elevator arrow pointing upward and clasped her hands behind her back.

If she dies, there is nothing worth living for, he thought to himself.

The elevator's ding shook Percy from his thoughts and he followed the secretary into the small elevator.

As the doors slid shut, he thought of a bittersweet memory attached to elevators. Lots of kissing and touching. Hairpulling. Murmurs of the three scariest words.

Suddenly, the walls felt like they were closing in. Drowning in his thoughts, Percy rubbed his bare left wrist. He wished the elevator traveled faster.

Finally, the time capsule came to a stop and Percy bolted out of the suffocating space.

Cara piped up from behind him, "You're certainly in a hurry."

With a small shrug, the man responded, "I'm anxious."

"I understand. Her room is on the right."

"Thank you very much."

The two of them shared an excruciating smile before parting ways. Percy took five large steps and knocked quietly on the door separating him from his mother and the outcome of her mammogram.

He heard quiet shuffling from inside the room before the door swung open. An older-looking female doctor was revealed, holding a clipboard and wearing a sympathetic smile.

At that moment, Percy lost all hope.

*****

Annabeth Chase hated stereotypes. Every morning for the past two months, she had dressed in a mature, business-like outfit, done subtle makeup, brushed her hair out, and headed to an architecture firm to get interviewed for a position. Nothing about her appearance portrayed a clueless girl except for one minor attribute: her blonde hair.

She was absolutely convinced that the phrase "dumb blonde" was losing her dozens of job opportunities. With a sigh, she clipped her workbag shut and sped down the sidewalk to the local cheap café.

The clang of the doorbell announced her presence and caught the attention of her favorite waitress and best friend, Piper. 

"Hey, Annabeth," she called, tucking a washcloth into her apron. "Can I get you anything? The regular?"

Although her stomach was rumbling, Annabeth shook her head. "Just a water today, Pipes. Thanks, though."

The waitress frowned but zipped off into the kitchen. Annabeth spotted an empty table with two chairs beside a window and made a beeline for it.

Setting down her bag beside her on the floor, she fell into the seat with utmost grace. After drumming her fingers on the table for approximately thirty seconds, Annabeth dug her laptop out from her bag and placed it in front of her.

She booted it up and hooked up to the café's wifi, before loading Google and opening up her email.

Scrolling through several warnings of foreclosure and bills, Annabeth groaned when she could not see any confirmation emails from the architecture offices she had applied at. Frustrated to no end, she slammed the lid of her laptop shut and rested her elbows on the table. Entangling her fingers in her hair, her eyes focused on the empty seat across from her.

Annabeth had not been on a date in six months. Ever since she and her last boyfriend split, she had been extremely focused on finding and holding a job. Annabeth needed a stable source of income, but she refused to settle for a job that did not make her happy. She had always been a stubborn girl. Her father told her that, her mother told her that, and her ex told her that. Of course, that just insinuated more stubbornness.

"Annabeth," Piper's cheery voice sang. "I have a lovely glass of water for you. H20. Aqua. L'eau."

The blonde glanced up at the brunette waitress, who was holding a tall glass of water like an Oscar, sporting a mischievous grin as always.

After placing the drink down with a very unnecessary curtsy, Piper slid into the seat across from Annabeth. "How's it going, chicky?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Not the best. Another day, another unsuccessful job interview, I always say."

"You know what you need?" Piper intervened.

"A job?" Annabeth murmured sardonically.

Piper scoffed. "Well, I've offered you a million, but you refuse them all. What you really need is some fun in your life. You broke up with your ex half a year ago, and we haven't been out partying ever since a few months prior to that."

"Pipes, you know how rough everything has been recently. Going out and partying are the last things on my mind."

"Think about it this way: you go out, you find a rich guy, you get married, and, boom, your problems are solved."

With a small chuckle, the blonde traced the rim of her glass with her index finger. "I wish it were that easy. I need a job."

Piper sighed. "Okay, hear me out. You don't want to work anywhere you don't love, because you think working should be fun. Great, I get it. Do you have fun hanging out with me?"

Annabeth nodded, sipping her water.

"Work here. It'll get you the money to move into a new apartment and pay for groceries, and you will have the time to go for other interviews and have fun. It's a win-win."

Biting her lip, Annabeth contemplated all the pros and cons of working at the café. Tips could pay pretty well, and any money was better than no money. Plus, Annabeth loved Piper.

But as the young woman glanced around the room, memories flooded her mind. Could she handle being reminded of all that had happened there - the good, the bad, and the dirty - every day?

She sighed. "I'll get back to you."

The waitress clapped her hands. "I'm glad I've finally made sense to you. I should get back to work, but I'll talk to you later, okay?"

Annabeth nodded. "Yeah, thank you, Piper."

The brunette stood up and whirled off to the entry door to greet an elderly lady. Annabeth gulped down the rest of her water before gathering her belongings and exiting the building.

As she walked home, she pondered deeply. Her electricity was about to be shut off, and her house was getting ready to be foreclosed, but she refused to give up either. Her house was inherited from her mother; it was her prized possession. But still, there had to be something she could do to save money.

What she needed was an unbiased, knowledgable opinion. Sadly, Piper could not give that to her. Annabeth's best friend had very eccentric views and ideas that were not suited for many adulting problems.

As Annabeth unlocked her front door, she ran through her mental list of people she knew that could give her advice. Her dad was off in England with his wife, so he was not an option. Her mother was dead, which made her an absolute "no." Piper was already marked unsuitable.

There was only one other person Annabeth could think of, and sadly, they fit all the requirements she'd earlier established. Plopping onto her couch, Annabeth dug out her phone and typed in the seven digits she had memorized years ago.

*****

Who would have thought that twenty-two-year-old Percy Jackson would be sleeping over at his mom's on a Friday night? Certainly not him, but when you get world-shattering news, almost anyone would run to their mother for comfort. Sadly, in his case, his mother was the one with bad news.

After stepping into the doctor's office earlier in the day, Doctor Jones explained all of the symptoms Sally was sporting and showed off the mammogram symptoms. The second that the doctor confirmed Percy's worst fears, tears began streaming down his face. That led to Sally beginning to cry. Doctor Jones continued explaining what the problem was and how they planned to treat it, but Percy's mind was reeling.

Breast cancer. His mother had breast cancer.

After the appointment had ended and the Jacksons had slightly controlled their emotions, the pair left the office and went out to grab dinner. Never had Percy ever had such an awkwardly quiet meal with his mother.

Once they had finish eating and Percy paid the bill, they drove to Sally's apartment and settled in for the night. Percy hugged his mom before retiring to his childhood bedroom for the night, relying on Paul, his stepfather, to keep his mother company.

Percy kicked off his shoes and glanced at himself in the mirror above his dresser. He had large circles under his green eyes, chapped lips, and his black hair was a wreck from his nervous tendency of running his hands through it. He sighed, looking down at the contents of his dresser. He was surprised when he spotted his watch that he thought he had lost months ago. Without thinking, Percy slipped it on to his left wrist before stumbling over to his bed and falling backward onto it.

He lay in silence for almost an hour, but his thoughts were so loud. All he could think of were negative outcomes. Sally barely had the money to pay for her bills, so how was she supposed to pay for cancer treatment? Percy would contribute every cent he owned if he could, but he knew his mother wouldn't allow it. She was the most humble, selfless woman alive. She would always do whatever she could to help others, even when she was lying in her death bed.

Percy only knew one other lady like that. He wished that he could talk to her about what was going on, but he burned that bridge half a year ago.

"I don't want to be tied down," he mocked himself. "I want to test things out, get to know other people. God, what an idiot!"

The only thing Percy appreciated about his past-self that let the love of his life run away was that he didn't rid her from his memory completely. He could still envision her long tendrils of golden hair, her grey eyes that were wise beyond her years, her tall and slender frame, the way her voice sounded when they first woke up in the morning.

Suddenly, Percy felt his phone buzzing in his back pocket. He quickly dug it out, thinking it might be a call from someone at the hospital. There was no contact name, but Percy recognized the seven digits. Without a thought, he answered the call and held his cell to his ear.

"Hello?" he murmured.

"Hi."

Percy felt chills go down his back. He knew that voice well and missed it so much more than he would ever admit.

"Annabeth," he practically whispered, "how are you?"

She softly chuckled, and the young man shut his eyes blissfully. "Um, not the best. It's been a tough few months."

"Yeah, same here. It's really good to hear from you, though. Want to tell me what's been going on, or..."

Annabeth cleared her throat. "Actually, that's kind of why I called. I need your opinion on something. Do you mind?"

Percy sat up, with his legs straight and his back supported by the pillows. "Go for it."

"Well, I lost my job about three months after we, er, split. There was no reason other than the fact that they were overstaffed and I wasn't giving them as much as they knew I could be. I've been looking for a job ever since, but my lack of positive experience and stubbornness prevented me from getting one. I'm still jobless, and my bills are really stacking up. The bank is trying to take my house, and I can't let that happen. I - I don't know what to do, Perce."

Percy's heart broke at the watery sound of her voice. She sounded broken, beaten, and bruised. It truly hurt him to know that the girl he had loved was struggling.

"I am so sorry to hear that, Annabeth. You've been job searching for months and no one has accepted you?"

She hummed affirmatively. "Yeah, none of the firms I've looked at are seeking kids fresh out of college, plus the fact that I was let go for not giving enough effort really dampens the deal."

Percy winced. Even though she hadn't come out and said it, it was clear that Annabeth was fired because of her distraction from the breakup. He felt guilty, but swallowed down his emotions and offered up the best advice he could.

"Have you looked anywhere beside long-term jobs? Part-time jobs are always options."

Annabeth sighed. "Piper offered me a job at the café, but I don't want to settle for anything that I won't love."

"I think you should take that, or something similar. Any job is better than no job, and you seem to really need something," he said, hoping he was not overstepping his boundaries.

"You're right," she admitted. "I think I just needed someone to tell me that. So thank you."

"Of course," Percy croaked.

There was a pause where the two of them sat in silence, just listening to each other's breathing.

"Want to know something crazy?" Percy blurted.

He could hear the smile in Annabeth's voice as she spoke. "What?"

"I'm back at my mom's place."

"Really?" she asked. "You're living there?'

Percy sighed. "Not permanently. I'm just trying to help her and Paul out for the time being."

He heard rustling and a small cough. "Is everything alright?"

Percy shut his eyes and familiar grey ones materialized behind his lids. "No, not really. At my mom's annual check-up, she mentioned a few symptoms that worried the doctors. They sent her in for a mammogram, and it came back positive for stage three breast cancer."

Annabeth gasped. "You're kidding."

He shook his head. "I really wish I was. I don't know how we're going to make it through, Annabeth. I'm scared," he admitted.

"That's so awful. I can't believe I'm over here blabbing about not wanting a quote en quote useless job when you're dealing with that serious of an illness in the family. Do you need anything?"

"I don't think so. Talking to you has been nice, though. It helped," Percy told her.

Annabeth sniffed. "Yeah, it helped me too. But seriously, Perce, if you need anything, anything at all, let me know."

"Okay," he said, opening his eyes and glancing around his old room. "This place is bringing back quite the memories."

"Like what?" she asked curiously.

"Our first date, our first movie night, our first kiss. A lot happened here before I moved out."

"It was a good couple of years. I'm glad our relationship wasn't a waste," Annabeth said, yawning.

"Yeah, me too," Percy agreed. "Hey, I know this is going to sound crazy, but would you be interested in meeting up someday?"

The line was silent, and Percy was seriously worried that he'd misread Annabeth's emotions and messed up. His thoughts were quickly put back in their place once she spoke.

"Do you want to come over?"

Percy could not stop the giddy grin from overtaking his face. "Do you want me to come over?"

She scoffed. "You really think I would have invited you if I didn't want you over?"

He laughed. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

With that, he clicked the red button ending the call. He got off of his old bed and straightened out the covers a bit. He padded down the hallway to his mother's and Paul's room. Poking his head inside, he saw them both fast asleep, even though it was barely eight o'clock.

Percy texted his mom, saying that he went to a friend's house and not to worry. After slipping his phone back into his jeans pocket, he walked down the hallway toward the door. He slid on his battered black Vans, threw his keys in his pocket, and stepped out of the apartment.

He quietly shut the door before walking around the corner to the stairs and rushing down them. After dismissing the wink of the elderly doorman, Augustus, Percy ran outside and hopped into his truck.

He turned his keys in the ignition and smiled at the familiar roar of the engine. He began the short drive to Annabeth's house, enjoy the peace that ensued a late-night drive with soft music.

Ten minutes later, Percy pulled into Annabeth's driveway. The house was as beautiful and magnificent as he remembered, reminding him why she was so reluctant to let it go.

He yanked the keys out and opened the door, stepping down. As he walked up the pathway leading to the front door, he felt his nerves building. He had not seen Annabeth in real life since they walked away from each other after their night in the Mariott Hotel.

Annabeth invited me here, he assured himself. She wants to see me.

Percy sucked in a breath and rapped his knuckles against the wooden door. Less than thirty seconds later, it swung open. Annabeth stood there, in dark grey sweatpants, a big navy tee-shirt, with her blonde hair down, her face bare, and her eyes bright.

"Hey."

*****

It had been ten minutes since Percy had arrived at Annabeth's door, and she was still in shock. The two of them were sitting on her plush couch, facing each other. They were making idle chatter, mentioning what they had been up to and how things had been going, but mostly they were just staring at each other. Annabeth could not believe that she was living in reality.

" - and while Grover was passed out in my back seat and Nico was drunker than I've ever seen him, I was going 60 in a 40 trying to make it back to Juniper's place before she woke up for work."

Annabeth laughed. "Man, that's crazy. I don't have any stories anywhere near that intense. I mean, this is the most spontaneous thing I've done since...well, since we broke up, if I'm being honest."

"I guess you always have been a planner, so that makes sense." Percy bit his lip, and Annabeth had to fight to bring her eyes back up to his when he carried on. "We should go do something."

She raised her eyebrows. "Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know. There has to be some sort of party tonight, or we could head to a club. I need a beer, that's all I know."

Annabeth scoffed. "I have a six-pack in the fridge, we don't need to go out for alcohol. Plus I am in no mood to get dressed or party."

"You're right. Besides, I am a very happy man right now, here alone with you."

Fighting back a blush, the blonde stood up and sped over to her kitchen. She heard Percy following behind her. She swung open her fridge door and bent down to take inventory.

"I have a few beers, a half a bottle of vodka, and a bottle of red wine." When she had not heard a response for an awkwardly long amount of time, she glanced up at Percy. "What do you want?" she reiterated.

Percy cleared his throat, and his cheeks flushed red. "Oh, take it all out."

With a small laugh, Annabeth balanced the box of beers and the two bottles in her hands and stood up. She placed them all on her counter and pulled out a drawer where she kept her bottle openers and corkscrews, as well as many other things. As she dug around, looking for the items, she called, "Mind grabbing a few glasses?"

He nodded and reached into the cupboard above her head. All thoughts dissipated from Annabeth's head at their nearness. His raised arm exposed his midriff and it was all the girl could do to not audibly gasp. He certainly had kept up with his workout routine over the past few months.

Annabeth blinked before returning her focus to the task at hand. She pulled out the two tools she required and slammed the drawer shut with her hip.

After popping open the wine bottle and the cap of a beer, she turned to Percy, who had placed two wine glasses and two normal glasses on the counter. Her eyes traced down his arm to his wrist, where a watch was located. She narrowed her eyes, recognizing the leather band and white watch face with Roman numerals signifying each hour.

"You still wear your watch?" Annabeth could not help but ask.

Confused, Percy glanced down at his wrist, before looking over at Annabeth sheepishly. "I found it at my mom's place. I think I left it there when I went over after we first broke up. I put it on without really thinking about it, I guess."

Annabeth smiled, happy that he had kept the gift. She passed him the beer she had opened and poured two glasses of wine. They each grabbed their respective glasses and headed back to the living room.

Twenty minutes or so later, they were several glasses in and well passed tipsy.

Percy kicked his legs up onto the coffee table and swung his right arm across Annabeth's shoulders. "I missed this," he announced, smiling.

Annabeth giggled and snuggled into his side. "Me too. I missed you. You smell good and are good at cuddling."

With a hearty chuckle, he took another swig of his current drink, a bizarre mixture of the vodka and a few juices. "I love cuddling with you."

She looked up at him with large eyes. "I love you."

Percy coughed, spluttering up his beverage. He sat up and put his drink on the table, still choking.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" she exclaimed.

He nodded, although his face was growing redder by the second. Annabeth began giggling at his expression before her own face fell into a pout.

"I shouldn't have said that. I really, really should not have said that."

Percy cleared his throat. "Yeah, maybe not. But it's okay. You obviously didn't mean it. I mean, look at us. We're drunk."

Annabeth smiled sheepishly. "Oh, right. I didn't mean it."

He looked down at the blonde. She was no longer tucked into his side, having sprung away during his cough attack. Her hair was a wreck, all tangled and falling into her eyes. Normally bright and clear, her grey eyes were a little cloudy and bloodshot. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips were pink and puffy.

"You look beautiful, Annabeth."

She grinned. "Thank you. You too."

He laughed. "Thanks. Seriously, though, you're gorgeous. Your boyfriend is a really lucky guy."

"I don't have a boyfriend," Annabeth told him, frowning. "I haven't even been on a date since we split up."

"Who's shirt are you wearing, then?" he asked her.

She blushed. "Uh, definitely not yours. I definitely didn't keep it because it was soft and smelled like you and reminded me of you."

"Annabeth," he whispered.

"Percy," she mocked, brushing a piece of her hair behind her ear.

Without thinking, he surged forward and encased her in a hug. "You're absolutely precious. Don't let anyone bring you down."

She laughed. "Too late. How many jobs have turned me away, practically stomping on me and laughing at me? Seventeen zillion? Sounds about right."

"Everything is going to work out," Percy assured, brushing her hair down. "Things are going to be fine."

The two past lovers stayed there, in each other's arms, remembering everything they had been through and thinking about what was to come. 

"I never should have walked away from you," Percy mumbled into her hair.

"At least you walked back," Annabeth responded softly.

She pulled back from him and smiled. "This may not go anywhere, and that's okay, but I'm really glad I got to spend the evening with you, Perce."

"Me too, Annabeth, me too."