Not entirely sure on the canon timeline for this, but that's not a strong suit in the PJO world anyway, so roll with me. It's pretty close!

"It won't happen again. Not this year." Sally's voice shook. She took a rattling breath. "It can't."

"Yeah," Annabeth agreed miserably, even though she couldn't quite bring herself to believe it. "It'll be fine." The calendar weighed a million pounds in her hand. She finally had an answer as to why she'd felt on edge all day. Her nightmare from earlier in the week came rushing back to her, the crushing loneliness in her chest now explained, even as a half-asleep Percy took her hand. The snowmen donning the freshly-turned December display seemed to smile cruelly up at her. "He'll be fine." Annabeth's chest was a ping ball machine, her heart bouncing around wildly. "We'll be fine." Slipping from her clammy hands, the calendar landed on the kitchen floor with a loud smack. Sally flinched, but Annabeth barely even noticed. Her thoughts were slipping away to last December when her whole world fell apart. When she woke up the morning of December 12th, filled with dread. When she ran to the Poseidon cabin, knowing something was wrong, and finding an empty bed.

"Everything alright?" Paul's voice pulled her back to the present as he walked into the room. "What was that noise?"

"Um," Annabeth mumbled, trying to regain her composure, "sorry, I just dropped this." She knelt to pick up the horrible reminder, fully intending to stand back up, but her body betrayed her. She ended up on her knees, palms flat to the floor, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "I'm sorry," she muttered again, but she wasn't sure what the apology was for. Dropping the calendar? Sulking on the ground? Or possibly for letting Percy slip through her fingers a year ago, for not finding him in time to celebrate Christmas with his family?

"Honey, it's okay," Sally promised, letting herself sink to the ground as well, albeit a bit awkwardly due to her pregnant belly. "Gods, honey, it's okay, don't apologize."

Paul also joined the sniffling pile, tucking the two of them in his arms. Annabeth knew he now understood without an explanation; they had spent plenty of evenings together like this a year ago.  She tried to focus on Sally and Paul's warm embrace, not on her rising panic. The tell-tale symptoms of an episode were starting to close in on her, and that was the last thing Annabeth needed to bring on Percy's poor parents right now. They were probably dealing with their own emotions as the anniversary of their son's disappearance drew painfully close. So, Annabeth attempted to take deep breaths and slow her racing heart, ignoring the crushing sensation on her lungs, willing feeling to flood back into her fingers. Paul noticed her discomfort and gently rubbed her back. Annabeth appreciated the gesture endlessly, but she knew only one person would be able to successfully help her calm down.

"When - when will he be home?" She asked weakly.

Sally answered while absently running a hand across her stomach, "Soon. Practice ended a few minutes ago." Annabeth vaguely wondered if the baby was squirming around and kicking, sensing its mother's year-old despair.

"May I?" Annabeth hovered her hand over the baby bump. Sally nodded emphatically, pressing Annabeth's palm to a certain spot. She instantly felt tiny kicks, and the sensation soothed her. She recalled the first time Percy felt his little sister kick and the absolute joy and love that lit up his face. The endearing thought distracted her enough to allow her vision to clear and her body to feel more grounded. Now, only if she could recover enough that Percy would never know anything happened.

———

Percy knew something happened. The whole day had been weird enough. He felt the need to look over his shoulder every time he sat down in school, and it hadn't helped that Annabeth appeared as paranoid as he felt. The way her eyes repeatedly scanned the cafeteria, like she was searching for someone, made him nervous. Then, he couldn't shake the uneasiness that resided in his stomach all of basketball practice. A sense of dread began to creep up to his throat on the way home. All of this was only confirmed when he walked into his apartment and it took approximately three seconds to see that something was off with his parents. His mom greeted him instantly, a forced smile on her face and a tense look in her eye.

"What's wrong?" he demanded, but Sally quickly wrapped him in her embrace. She held onto him like if she let go, he'd float away. Typically he enjoyed this type of affection from his mother, but at the moment all it did was worry him further. "What's wrong?" he asked again, his voice breaking off.

"Nothing, dear. Just pregnancy emotions."

"Then why does Paul look like he's seen a ghost? And where's Annabeth?" Percy was seriously starting to freak out. The dread was going to close off his airway any minute now.

"I'm perfectly fine, son, and so is your mom and Annabeth." Paul sent him a comforting look from across the room, but Percy wasn't convinced. "She's just in her room."

Nodding gratefully to his step-dad and untangling himself from his mom, Percy dashed to what used to be the guest bedroom, now housing his girlfriend for the school year. Usually just thinking about that filled him with warmth, but he was too freaked out right now to appreciate his living arrangement. On the way out of the kitchen, his eye caught on the calendar hanging on the wall, the fresh wintery image alerting him to the date. December 1st. For a reason Percy couldn't place, that thought sent a spark of fear through him. Maybe that's what was wrong... was today important? He'd ask Annabeth.

"Wise Girl," he choked from the doorway of her bedroom. She was perched on the edge of the bed, looking like she was prepared to run at a moment's notice. Her head turned sharply in his direction, relief running across her beautiful features at the sight of him. But he didn't miss the way her eyes seemed distant, how she wrung her hands together aggressively, and  the slight shake of her frame. "I've got you," he promised as he crossed to her immediately and gathered her up in his arms. "I've got you."

Annabeth expelled one long, shaky breath before relaxing into him. Percy shifted them far enough inland on the bed that they weren't in danger of falling off, also not failing to notice his girlfriend's concerningly quick heartbeat against his own chest. He continued to whisper comforting phrases in her ear, running his hands along her body, until the jack-hammer disappeared from her ribs. Her death grip on his forearms slackened considerably, and her head lolled onto his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Percy asked gently.

"Mhm."

"Did you have a panic attack?"

"Almost." Annabeth breathed deeply through her nose, tickling his neck. "But I pretty much had it under control. And then you showed up. So I'm okay."

He hummed happily, glad that things hadn't escalated too greatly. Annabeth had panicky moments more often than he did, but usually tamer. It scared him more than he cared to admit when he started to lose his grip on reality. "What happened?"

Percy could have sworn she flinched, but attempted to cover it up by nuzzling his collarbone. "Oh, you know how it is. I had a nightmare not that long ago, and I've been a little bit shaken ever since. And then some flashbacks today... it finally just caught up to me, I guess." Her voice led him to believe she was holding something back, but he didn't want to push her. His own unease was ebbing away while holding Annabeth and hearing her voice.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he mumbled into her hair, pressing a kiss there.

"Just hold me," she replied, and Percy was ready to comply. But there was something he needed before they hunkered down.

"Annabeth, is there something special about today? December 1st?"

She hesitated. "Not that I know of."

"Are you sure? Because my parents seemed upset, too. And I've kind of had just a weird feeling all day." Annabeth had conveniently turned away from him moments ago, laying her back to his chest. Percy was pretty confident that if he could see her face, he'd know she was keeping something from him.

"Oh, well," she sighed, "that's probably because I had a bit of a meltdown in front of them. They were pretty concerned - I felt bad, so I came in here. And you probably felt weird because I felt weird, and you always seem to be so damn in tune with me." She reached her hand up to ruffle his hair fondly, then lightly dragged her fingers along his jaw. He leaned into her touch. "But are your parents okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, they're fine." Why did Percy's girlfriend have to be such a convincing liar? He almost believed her. He'd let it go, for now at least. "Don't worry about it, Wise Girl." He squeezed her tight. "Just get some rest. I'll be right here, so no more nightmares." If only it were that simple.

Annabeth finally turned her head to look back at him, and he saw nothing but warmth in her eyes. "I love you, Seaweed Brain." Percy knew that, at least, was only the truth.

— — —

If her nightmares didn't quit soon, Annabeth was going to give up on the notion of sleep altogether. Every single time she closed her eyes, she was greeted by a familiar scene, one where she was painfully and hopelessly alone. Some nights she saw the Grand Canyon from the view of a chariot, knowing that she was about to find the boy with one shoe but not her Percy. Other nights she relived the moment she knocked on the door of the very apartment she now lived in, about to break the horrible news to Percy's poor mother. And yet the worst nights were when she felt herself traveling towards a vacant cabin, already knowing in her heart that she won't find Percy there - or anywhere, for that matter. Each time she woke up with the same pain and exhaustion of the countless days she spent searching for her boyfriend. So yeah, Annabeth was starting to think that no sleep at all would be healthier for her than what she was getting.

Unable to bear the cold loneliness of her bed any longer, she made her way to the kitchen. She squelched the urge to stop by Percy's room and check that he was still there. Because of course he was still there - it was only December 9th. Three days before he disappeared, the calendar reminded her. She glared at the stupid snowmen while she filled a cup with water at the sink. If this was her house, that thing would be long gone - she couldn't believe Sally hadn't gotten rid of it. But maybe Percy's mom left it there to track down the days, to be prepared for the dreaded one. Annabeth couldn't blame her for that. At least the calendar held one positive reminder: tomorrow was the last day of school before winter break. Annabeth knew she'd breathe a bit easier when Percy could remain glued to her side all day long. No classes to separate them meant no goddesses to whisk him away. Or, at least, that's what she was telling herself.

Distracted by her thoughts, Annabeth choked a little on her water. She barely sputtered, just sloshing a bit to the floor as well. She cursed under her breath, but before she even grabbed a towel, she felt a hand on her back. She jumped as the hand spun her around. Sea green eyes met her own.

"Gods, don't scare me like that," Percy whispered close to her mouth, cupping her face in his hands and leaning his forehead against her own.

"I could say the same thing to you, Perseus!" Annabeth scowled, but she couldn't deny that a surge of relief ran through her at his presence. "And what do you mean? I didn't do anything."

"You choked. On your drink." He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Very quietly."

"Please, Annabeth." He rolled his beautiful eyes playfully. "There's two things in this world that I'm hyper aware of: you and water. You best believe I'll know if -"

She cut him off with a kiss, his statement bringing a blush to her cheeks. She was sure he could feel the heat under his hands. "That's sweet, and I'm sorry to wake you, but I'm okay."

"Hm." Percy leaned down again, pulling her into him, kissing her like he never wanted to stop. Annabeth relished in the comfort of their proximity, knowing that he was here and he was safe and he was in her arms. If only they could stay this way for, oh, the next four days or so. Maybe she could tie them together three-legged-race style. Perhaps handcuff them together and lose the key. Or possibly -

Percy pulled away from her. "You're awfully distracted." He tapped the side of her head. "What's going on up there? Anything I should know about?"

"Nope," Annabeth replied automatically. "Just thinking."

He obviously didn't believe her from the way his eyes searched her face. She averted her own gaze, knowing it would only further his suspicions, but unable to look at him when she felt so guilty. Of course he knew something was wrong, and of course he wanted to know what it was. She felt terrible for keeping it locked away from him, but at the same time... if the thought wasn't already in his head about disappearing, then why put it there? Annabeth didn't want him to worry - she'd keep him safe this year, even though she couldn't last.

Percy tried a different approach. "Why are you awake? You haven't been sleeping much."

"I've just... I've just been having really bad nightmares." Not a lie, and the more she talked, the less he could ask questions. "I keep dreaming that I'm all alone." Not a lie. "And I keep losing -" her voice caught "- I keep losing everything that's important to me and I can't do anything about it and I'm just so fucking helpless and - and -" And now she was crying. Fantastic. Her controlled confession had very quickly become an uncontrolled breakdown. But, on the bright side, it seemed to get Percy off her case.

"Hey," he hushed her gently, "you're not alone, okay? You're never alone. I'm right here."

Annabeth would pray to every single god in the universe for that to remain true.

"Maybe a change of pace would help," Percy continued as her tears dried up. "What do you think about heading to camp when we get out of school?"

"No!" she yelped, way too loudly for the middle of the night, but Annabeth didn't care. No way in Hades would she let him set foot in Camp Halfblood, where it'd be so easy for some vengeful deity to sweep him away. "We can't go this weekend. We just can't, Percy."

"Why not?" Her poor boyfriend looked so confused, and maybe a bit hurt. Oh, gods. Her brain scrambled for a suitable answer. Luckily for Annabeth, he was acting clingy and needy in way that only happens when he's tired or she's been crying (check and check), which resulted in his hands sliding across her stomach. It sparked an idea in her head for an excuse - not a good one, certainly not her best work, but an excuse nonetheless.

"What if we leave and your mom goes into labor and we're not here for her?"

Percy's eyebrow raised. "Labor? She's barely six months pregnant, Annabeth. I think she'll be okay."

Yeah, okay, so she didn't think that one all the way through. "Well, still. We can't just up and leave on her like that, with no warning."

"I really think it will be fine, Wise Girl." He ran his fingers through her hair. "It's not like we'd leave without letting her know."

"Leave without letting who know what?" a voice asked.

Gods bless Sally Jackson; she'd surely help Annabeth keep Percy away from camp.

Percy turned around, pulling Annabeth to his side. "Without telling you, Mom. We're thinking about driving out to Long Island for a bit, if that's okay with you."

No, no, no, Annabeth screamed with her eyes, hoping Sally understood.

"No, actually, that's not okay with me." Once again, gods bless Sally Jackson.

Percy's jaw dropped open. He looked back and forth between his mother and his girlfriend. "What? Why not? We'll be back in plenty of time for Christmas!"

"Well, that's great and all, honey, but it hardly matters if Annabeth isn't around to help me get your Christmas gift this weekend." Sally sounded very convincing, and Annabeth knew that Percy - the world's biggest mama's boy - would never be able to go against that excuse. And she was right: he blushed furiously and backed down. Except it wasn't a perfect excuse, because if Annabeth was supposed to be getting his gift, then she'd have to leave his side. And if he started thinking too hard about gifts...

"Oh, well, some other time, I guess." Percy shuffled his feet. "But really, you guys don't need to make a big deal out of my gift. Like, at all. I don't need anything. Especially because last year you got me..." but his voice trailed off.

Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no. There was no last year, and Percy had just cracked the case. Annabeth braced herself for impact, but Percy and Sally both seemed at a loss for words. She wanted to mitigate the situation, to think of something, anything, that would put them all at ease. But her mind was turning up maddeningly blank. All she could think about was the pit in her stomach and the way Percy's hand turned clammy in her own.

"Right, right," he said finally, clearing his throat. "No camp. And no Christmas shopping, unless I get to go, too. It'll all be fine."

"It will all be fine," Sally echoed. And that was that. Percy quickly changed the subject, asking his mom why she was up. She mentioned something about heartburn and little feet poking her ribs, but Annabeth's hearing was going foggy and her vision blurred. Was she holding her breath? Why wasn't she breathing? Why couldn't feel Percy's grip anymore? Where was Percy? She thought he was right next to her, but now she couldn't find him and she had sneaking suspicion that she was wandering towards the edge of a cliff, even though she was completely blind and Percy had left her all alone, and why would he do that? Why would he leave her? Why —

"Annabeth!" His voice cut sharply through her haze. She wasn't in Tartarus; she was in the kitchen. Percy didn't leave her; in fact, he was standing right in front of her, holding her shoulders so tightly that it almost hurt. "Annabeth, are you with me?" She nodded weakly, her lungs inflating for what felt like the first time in days. She reached up to grasp his arms, finally coming back to reality, noticing that it was just the two of them now. How long was she out? "Gods," he said exasperatedly, "you need..." Sanity? "Sleep," he decided.

She knew that sleep only meant nightmares, but she didn't have any better ideas, and apparently she was going to start getting nightmares even when she was awake, too. "Okay," she relented. "Walk me to bed?"

"Of course."

Once inside the solitude of her room, Percy's solid facade started to crack. She noticed the way his shoulders hitched up and the downturn of his lips, how he always did when he was nervous. Annabeth remembered how it took her years to figure out that those were signs of anxiety in Percy, not anger. She almost wished he was mad instead. Her heart clenched at his fear.

"I won't let anything happen to you, I promise," she said, but her voice cracked at the end. "I've already been thinking about all the ways to tether us together." The corners of his mouth turned up slightly and she sighed.

"At least you'll know where to find me this time." He meant it as a joke, she knew, but it was poorly delivered and received. He grimaced. She wiped tears from her eyes.

"Just don't go all the way to Alaska when I tell you to stay put."

Percy managed a laugh. "Okay, Wise Girl, I will admit that one was on me." He pulled her into a tight embrace, burying his face in her shoulder. Annabeth could feel his tears. She pressed kisses to his hairline, his cheekbone, his jaw, his neck, anywhere she could reach. She rubbed his back soothingly, and it made her feel better to comfort him. She only hoped it made him feel better, too.

"I didn't mean to ever abandon you, you know that, right?" he mumbled into her shirt.

"Of course I do. It wasn't your fault."

"Yeah, but still. We've never really talked about it, Annabeth. I'm sorry I was gone for so long." His unnecessary apology caused the lump in her throat to swell, and she tried to reassure him, but he kept pressing on. "I'm sorry for anytime I ever disappeared. Last year. In Tartarus. Back in the Labyrinth, after the volcano. The summer before the war. I'm so sorry." He punctuated his point with a kiss to her collarbone, and she took a shaky, watery breath.

It seemed like everyone in Annabeth's life left her at one point or another. She'd spent most of her years feeling abandoned. But Percy came back to her, again and again. He chose her over and over, and she couldn't ask for anything more. She told him so, and added, "And this includes tonight, right? That you won't leave me?"

"Hm?"

"Like, for instance, if you didn't go back to your own room just this once..." She could feel his smile against her skin. His parents had never explicitly told them that they couldn't sleep in the same bed, but Percy and Annabeth had decided to err on the side of caution and taken the rule as implied. Most of the time, anyway.

"Well, if it's just this once." He picked her up around the middle, his face still pressed against her, but she knew he was smirking. She couldn't help but giggle at her ridiculously lovable boyfriend. They laid down, Annabeth cradling his head to her chest and Percy's body piled on top of hers. The weight and pressure and warmth of Percy comforted Annabeth endlessly, but it also made her want to break some more unspoken rules. She went to pull him up for a kiss, but he was still sniffling, she noticed, so she pushed her thoughts aside and stroked his hair soothingly instead. She wiped stray tears from under his eyes, and he nuzzled her gently.

"I'm sorry, too," she whispered, barely audible. "I'm sorry I let you get away. And that I never found you sooner."

"Not your fault," he repeated. She supposed he was right. If they both held onto all of the guilt from their past, they'd never be able to truly move forward. They were together now, and that's all that mattered. As long as they were together.

I had originally planned for this to go all the way up through the disappearance anniversary, but it started to get kind of long... I'll continue it on if there's any reader interest! If not, that's the story!