Annabeth woke up to the smell of a damp, musty cave. She rubbed her eyes as she sat up. She ran her fingers through her tangled mess of curls. Sometimes she wondered why she even bothered, but that morning she realized she was doing it to have some semblance of her life before this whole affair.

Annabeth and Percy had been living in the cave for three cycles of the moon. They had stumbled upon it while hiding from bandits. Percy had begged to fight them and though Annabeth itched to take her anger out of the outlaws, she convinced him to hide instead. They had found this cave and since then, moved in.

       The cave was a strategic place to settle. It provided them shelter from the cold and rain, as well as the heat. The entrance was obscured by ferns and bracken and there was an escape route they could crawl out of if needed. Though it wasn't the same as living in a house, it provided more shelter than sleeping out in the open. Whenever the sky split open and headed out rain, Annabeth felt grateful for the hidden cavern. Other times, she felt constrained in the cave. It was shelter — yes, but she missed soft beds and comforting presence of others.

     Percy woke up while Annabeth was lost in thought. His movement startled her from her thoughts. Percy's hair was as wild and there was a look in his eyes — one like a wolf who knew was close to death — that worried Annabeth. He looked more like an outlaw than a king. With a heavy heart, Annabeth realized that was the truth; they were now outlaws.

       "Ready to go hunting?" Percy asked.

        Annabeth nodded. They alternated between hunting and gathering edible things like berries and fungi. They would dry out whatever they didn't eat that day. As they left the cave, Annabeth checked on the clay pots she had left out to catch rain. They were full. Annabeth had spent one afternoon making clay pots when Percy was racked with a vicious fever. He had gotten over the sickness, but it had worried Annabeth.

       The moon was visible, though dimmer with the brightness of the sun. It was nearly full — a waning moon. Annabeth realized with a start that she had not had her monthly cycle for three moons now. Had the harshness of life out here robbed her of her fertility?

The shuffling of leaves alerted Annabeth to the presence of a squirrel. The bushy-tailed rodent was rummaging through the leaf litter for its breakfast. Percy and Annabeth exchanged glances and then split into two. Percy approached the squirrel from the right side, while Annabeth crept up on its left side.

The squirrel must have sensed their movement for it raised its head before bolting up a tree. Percy turned to face his wife. "I was hoping for roasted squirrel tonight," he joked.

"It's fine," Annabeth said. "Let's gather some berries and check the stream for fish. We're bound to find something."

They headed off together in the forest, not knowing that two would soon become three.