If Percy Jackson said 'yes'

Those Dam Goodbyes

I held my breath as I was thrown about in the current.  I couldn't help but be reminded of my strange bath in the river Styx, except this time, there was nothing to keep me bound to mortality.  I could feel energy surging through my body like the pool was actually liquid adrenalin, and I was drowning in it.  I was being tossed and thrown around in circles under the surface that wouldn't let me come up for air.  I fought against myself, but soon the burning sensation in my lungs was too great and I sucked in a big gulp of whatever this stuff was.  I felt like there was a bit of oxygen bubbles in it, and this was the only way I could possibly survive.  I took more huge gulps, still trying to push my way to the surface.  Finally my head broke the surface and the pool seemed to spit me out.  I landed flat on my back, coughing up the whatever-it-was and rolling over to spit it out.  I rolled back on to my back to see Apollo standing over me smiling like a mad man.  He just stood there staring at me and grinning so long it creeped me out.
   "What?"  I couldn't help asking as I pushed myself up to a sitting position.  Apollo's smile grew, if that was even possible, and it was only then that I realized he was in his divine form.  The one that disintegrates mortals upon sight.  I huffed out a laugh and stood up carefully.  How embarrassing would it be if I fell on my butt.  My dam butt.  I held back a laugh that would have come out as a sob if I let it escape.  Dam, I missed Zoe.  This time I smiled despite myself.
   "What?"  It was Apollo's turn to be confused.  I smiled wider, and so did he, and I said,
   "The dam gift shop."  And started laughing like crazy.  He laughed too, but I think it was because I looked so ridiculous, not because he got the joke.  I walked down a corridor with him, trying to ignore my shimmering skin as my laughter faded.  He stopped me at the end of the tunnel and turned to me,
   "You probably want to say goodbye, huh?"  I didn't answer but he could read my face.  "I won't tell anyone, lets just go quick."  He grabbed me by the shoulder and I found myself at the top of Half-Blood Hill, right by Thalia's tree and a startled, sleepy dragon.  Behind me, Apollo said, "After you."  And we started walking down.  I noticed he was in his mortal form, and I figured I was too.  That sounded weird in my head.
   Soon, we found ourselves at the Athena cabin.  Apollo opened the door and motioned for me to go in.  I couldn't help but think how glad I was that he was helping me instead of anyone else.  We had a history, and he wasn't exactly the scariest god in the world.
   I slowly crept inside and heard soft weeping coming from under the covers of the bed I know as Annabeth's.  There was no one else in the room so I made my way over to it carefully.  I rested my hand on the sobbing lump of girlfriend I had tossed heartlessly away and stroked back and forth.
   "Go away.  I only want Percy."  She mumbled through the layers of blankets and her tears.
   "Well good, because it's me."  I said moving the blankets away from her face.  Her scared grey eyes rested on me and she brushed a piece of beautiful blonde hair out of her face.  She shuddered and I was glad I wasn't smiling.
   "How could you, Seaweed Brain?"  The use of the nickname made it hurt even more.  I wanted to apologize but I knew no amount of 'I'm Sorry' s could make up for what I had done.  
   Faster than lightning she hopped out from under the covers with her Celestial Bronze dagger in hand, swiping at my arms and face.  What ever I just took a bath in must have washed away the blessing of Achilles, because the dagger pierced my skin in every place it touched.  She thrust it one last time into my left shoulder and yanked it out, its shiny surface coated in golden ichor.  I realized it was covering my body, oozing from all the scratches and stabs Annabeth hit.  But the one place she had hurt the most wasn't bleeding.  It was safe inside my body, beating in it's slow drumming rhythms.  It really shouldn't be.
   As much as I was in pain, I still loved Annabeth, and I needed to do one more thing before I left her.
   "Those dam goodbyes."  I whispered and pulled her against me in a close hug.  She dropped her dagger and grabbed my scratched up face and whispered back,
   "Those dam I love you's."  And pressed me into the best kiss in the entire world, and nothing else mattered except the lessening space between our bodies and my lips on hers.

And it was pretty much the best good bye kiss ever...