***The final, final chapter. Thanks again everyone for reading and reviewing! : ) ***

ANNABETH:

Annabeth couldn't sleep. Again. She hadn't been sleeping that well since the battle; there was simply too much on her mind. Finally, after tossing and turning until well after midnight, Annabeth gave up on sleep. A different idea came to her. As quietly as she could, she got up and threw on shorts and a t-shirt. Out of habit, she tucked the tiny owl milagro that Leo had given her into her pocket. She'd been carrying it around since he gave it to her. She still didn't understand why he'd given her the charm, but she appreciated it. Secretly, given the way everything had worked out, she suspected it did have some protective abilities.

But thinking of Leo made her chest hurt. And tonight, Annabeth needed a break from the grief. Just a small one.

The summer night was warm. Overhead, the sky sparkled with a million stars. Moving almost silently on her bare feet, Annabeth stole through the shadows, making her way towards Cabin Three. Halfway there, she heard the creak of another cabin door opening, so she ducked behind a shrub next to the Demeter cabin.

Jason slipped out of the Zeus cabin. His glasses flashed as he glanced quickly around the yard, checking for patrol harpies, then he headed towards the Aphrodite cabin. Annabeth smiled to herself, remembering what she had told Piper all those months ago. Jason's here now. Who knows? Maybe it'll work out with you guys for real. She was glad things had worked out for the two of them; they were good together. She wondered briefly what Jason was up to, then decided that was his business. She just hoped they didn't have the same final destination in mind. But Jason was a child of the sky; she doubted he'd end up at the beach.

Percy, however, was a son of the sea. And the ocean had always reminded Annabeth of him.

As soon as Jason was past, Annabeth hurried across the lawn and snuck into the Poseidon cabin. Sneaking around after curfew had been much easier when she could still use her hat for invisibility. Briefly, she wondered if maybe this was part of the reason her mother hadn't restored its magic. She leaned against the cabin's door, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness inside. She'd expected to hear Tyson's rumbling snores, then remembered that the big guy had left this morning with the Romans.

"Hey, you."

Annabeth nearly shot out of her skin. The absolute last thing she had expected was to find Percy sitting on his bed, fully dressed. She put a hand over her heart, trying not to go into cardiac arrest. "You scared me."

"You snuck into my cabin in the middle of the night, but I scared you?" Percy smirked. "That's a good one."

"Oh, shut up, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth pushed away from the door and took a step further into the room. "Why are you up?"

"Couldn't sleep. You know, I miss the big guy's snoring." Percy gestured half-heartedly at Tyson's bed, though they both knew that wasn't the real problem. "Why are you awake?"

"Same problem. Couldn't sleep, I mean, not the snoring. There's plenty of that in my cabin." Percy chuckled. Annabeth's pulse was racing again, but for a whole different reason. "I just thought, maybe, we could take a walk."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "You know, the last time you suggested that in the middle of the night, we ended up grounded by a satyr."

"So this time, let's not get caught."

"Good plan." Percy stood and stretched. "Where are we headed?"

"You'll see."

Annabeth led Percy down to the beach. Long Island Sound glimmered under the starlight, waves gently brushing up against the sand. She took a deep breath of the salty air. "Is this a good spot for a walk?"

Percy smiled as he laced his fingers with hers. "Absolutely."

They strolled down the beach, not in any particular hurry, until they were nearly at the camp's boundary. They sat down in the sand, just close enough to the water so that the edges of the surf washed over their bare feet.

"You know, I think this is almost the same spot where I met Hermes, before we went into the Sea of Monsters to rescue Grover," Percy said.

"Gods, that seems like so long ago." Annabeth looked out at the ocean, half expecting to see the Princess Andromeda, but there was no cruise ship on the horizon, only stars. "That was the first time you made an air bubble underwater, wasn't it? In Siren Bay?"

"Yeah." Percy picked up a sea shell and tossed it into the waves. "What did you tell me, by the way?"

"When?"

"In the bubble. You said something, but I had that wax in my ears, so I missed it."

"Oh." Annabeth remembered. Being ripped out of the fantasy the sirens had shown her had been horrible, but Percy had put his arms around her and let her cry and promised to get them safely back to their ship. As miserable as she had felt, she was also incredibly grateful he was there. "I just said thank you. For, you know, rescuing me and being there."

"I'll always be there." Percy grinned. "Just try and get rid of me."

Annabeth traced her finger in the sand. "That reminds me. I don't think I've told you yet."

"Told me what?"

Annabeth met his eyes. Butterflies danced in her stomach. "What you did in Rome, in Arachne's cave, was pretty amazing."

"Easiest decision of my life," Percy said. "I mean, what would you have done, if it was reversed?"

"Oh, I would have let go."

Percy looked as stunned as if she'd slapped him. "Wh-what?"

"Of the ledge, Seaweed Brain. Only the ledge." Annabeth smacked his arm lightly. "After all the trouble I went to searching for your sorry butt for six months, no way am I letting you get away again."

"Oh." Percy's shoulders relaxed and he exhaled. "Okay, good."

She shook her head incredulously. "You can't honestly have believed—"

"Nah, you just caught me off guard."

"Your head really is full of kelp."

"So I've been told." Percy leaned closer and Annabeth's heart began to race. He kissed her. His lips were salty and his hand on her neck was warm. Annabeth felt the fear and the stress and the anger she had been living with for the past months finally melt away. She focused on the waves washing over her feet, the sea breeze blowing her hair, and, most importantly, on Percy beside her. It was a while before they spoke again.

"Do you really mean it?" Percy finally asked as he laced his fingers with hers in the sand. "About New Rome and college and everything else? Because I know when I first brought it up you weren't really—"

Annabeth stopped him with a kiss. "I mean it."

"Okay. Cool." Percy had a ridiculous grin on his face and Annabeth had to laugh.

"A lot has changed since you first brought that up, Seaweed Brain. Now, I'm pretty sure we've earned our happy ending."

"Yeah." Percy's expression turned solemn. "I just wish things could have worked out for everyone."

The crushing weight of Leo's absence hit Annabeth again. "I know."

She leaned her head against Percy's shoulder. They were quiet for a little while, just watching the waves.

"Maybe he found his way back to Calypso," Percy ventured. "Time flows differently there. He could show up in a month thinking it's only been a couple of days."

"Yeah, maybe." Annabeth touched the milagro in her pocket. "I guess there's always hope."

Silence settled around them. The only sound was the rush of the waves. Despite her sadness, for the first time in nearly a year Annabeth felt at peace.

"The Huntress is rising." Percy pointed to a constellation just touching the horizon. He waved. "Hey, Zoe."

"Nice. Do you know any other constellations?"

"A few." Percy looked at her sideways. "This cute girl I know taught them to me. She's pretty smart."

Annabeth hid a smile. "Want to show me some?"

"Sure." Percy laid back on the sand and Annabeth snuggled up next to him. "So, starting from the North Star, right up overhead…"

Percy pointed out the different constellations she had taught him years ago and mentioned the myths they had come from. It was actually impressive how much he remembered. She told him so.

"Like I said, I had a great teacher." Percy kissed her. "Love you, Annabeth."

"Love you, too."

Annabeth knew they should probably go back to their cabins, but she just couldn't bring herself to suggest it. She was warm and comfortable, curled up with Percy. At some point, she must have stopped worrying about going back, because she drifted off to sleep.

A few days later, when Leo Valdez still had not returned, Annabeth made a trip alone through the woods to Bunker Nine. The doors opened with a creak. The place was dark and dusty. It was strange to see it deserted. For months, the bunker had been the center of activity at camp, as they had rushed to build the Argo II. Annabeth half expected Leo to pop up from behind a work bench, welding goggles askew, and offer a random joke.

But he didn't.

Annabeth swallowed hard. She had never been as close to Leo as Piper and Hazel were, but they'd always gotten along. And there was a mutual respect between them, because of their shared interest in the finer points of design and construction. Besides, after everything they'd been through this summer, Leo felt just as much like family as the rest of the crew.

Piper had told Annabeth that she and Jason weren't giving up hope, despite what Nico had said. Logically, Annabeth didn't understand how Leo could possibly be alive. But she had learned to trust Piper's feelings. If her friend believed that Leo would come back, then Annabeth would have bet a million golden drachmas that one day he would come swooping in, probably interrupting something serious, like Frank had said.

She walked up to the main workbench. Tools were still scattered across the top, just the way Leo had left it the day they'd set sail for Camp Jupiter. From her pocket, Annabeth drew the tiny owl milagro Leo had made. She'd threaded a red ribbon through its wings, like a Christmas ornament.

Gently, she hung it on the nail that had once held Leo's crayon drawing of the Argo II. Miracles could happen. They all needed to believe that.

Annabeth looked once more around Bunker Nine. Then she turned and walked back into the woods, closing the doors behind her.

LEO:

As Festus reached his cruising altitude and leveled out, Calypso rested her cheek against Leo's shoulder.

"Thank you," she whispered, "for coming back for me."

Leo couldn't speak around the lump in his throat. He simply squeezed her hand.

Creak. Creak creak creak.

Festus drew Leo's attention to the compass, which had been out of whack ever since he'd woken up. Now, the needle spun wildly once more, then shuddered and became still.

The arrow was pointing north.

Excitement sparked in Leo's chest.

"Good news, Sunshine," he told Calypso. "We are officially back in the real world."

Below them, there was still nothing except blue ocean, but the compass stayed true. Leo began to grin. He didn't know exactly where they were, but now he knew for sure that they would find their way home.

THE END