Ok just an idea I have had for a while. My first story, I hope you

enjoy it.

*

When he first saw the sun again, Percy laughed.

He knew the other members of the Argo II must think he had finally gone crazy, but he couldn't help it.

He was just so relieved to be out of Tartarus, out of that... that nightmare , that the only thing he could do while holding Annabeth hands as they came out of the House of Hades was laugh.Annabeth must have felt relieved as well, because she started laughing with him.

He felt her hands leaving his as she fell on her knees and onto the soft green grass, laughing as if she were a mad woman.

Percy felt the rays of sunshine warm his skin, as he followed her , his knees sinking in the soft ground, his hands grasping onto the thick grass as if he had never seen it before.

He briefly met the others gaze, and there he saw a mix of different emotions: amusement , confusion, worry. He could tell that they didn't know what to think about their emotional breakdown.

And he hugged Annabeth as their laughters turned into small hiccups and then desperate sobs.

He didn't even know why he was crying, they were out, they should be throwing a party, but he couldn't stop his shaking shoulders nor could he stop the tears streaming down his cheeks, he couldn't even find it in himself to be embarrassed of crying like a baby in front of his friends, he probably would feel that later, but for now, all he could do was hold Annabeth in his arms, while she did the same, watching her shoulders tremble with the same intensity as his.

*

Hazel was scared.

As she paced through the deck ,

she remembered the first time she had seen Percy, running towards her

carrying an old hippy lady in his arms, hippy lady that had later proved to be Juno , but even then he had exuded such power and confidence, that for a brief moment she had thought he was a god undercover.

Then they left for their quest, and they became closer, she started thinking of Percy as of an older brother, and she had come to love him dearly.

That's why, the mere thought that he went through something so dark and... and scary, so traumatic that it could trigger such a reaction out of him, sent cold shivers running down her back.

Thinking that the same someone that was able to reduce the two bravest people she had ever met to tears, was now plotting against them... well it was not a reassuring tought.

But she couldn't afford to think like that, the quest through her father's temple had been a great success, they had rescued their friends, closed the doors of death, and were one step closer to defying Gaia and the Giants...but the price of that...and once again her thoughts were directed to the two people that were now sleeping , holding hands, in the infirmary.

*

That night, dinner was a quiet affair on the Argo II. Everyone was there except for Percy and Annabeth that were still recovering in the infirmary.

Piper seemed assorted in her thoughts as she shifted bits of food on her plate without eating anything.

Jason instead had a frown displayed on his face as though something was worrying him.

Hazel and Frank had just came down from the deck and had not talked much at all.

Nobody had, the mood was somber and not even Leo was cracking any jokes, too busy tinkering with something in his left hand.

"Should we... talk about what happened today?"

he asked suddendly, not standing the oppressive silence anymore.

"What's there to say? You... you all saw them, when we came out of there, they were so-"

Jason didn't finish the sentence, but there was no need, they all knew what he meant ,they had been so distraught, and their sobs so desperate and heart-wrenching, they all had felt like they were intruding in some private moment, but at the same time, they couldn't stop watching , trying to think of ways to help their friends.

Just then the noise of footsteps from the door, announced the arrival of the two people they had been talking about.

Piper had not had the chance to really look at them during that afternoon, but now that they were there, standing before the table and in front of the bright lights of the dining room ,she had the chance to analyze her two friends and she felt something heavy drop in her stomach as she took in the dark bags under their eyes and their sunken cheeks, or the fact that they were deadly pale and seemed ready to crumble at the first blow of the wind.

"Hey" Annabeth said, her voice raspy, like she had not used it in a hundred years.

"Hey, Annabeth, Percy! How are you? Are you feeling better?" Piper asked trying to sound cheery

"I'm so happy, you came out of the infirmary guys, I hope you feel up to eating something" she continued in the same tone.

"Yeah I'm starving, feel like I've not eaten in centuries"

Percy answered, his grin dissipated the tension and brought conversations back in the room.

Leo was telling the others about Hazel manipulating the mist, effectively creating a maze, when something happened.

Percy's right hand trembled, making him drop his fork and spill his drink.

As quickly as it had come, the trembling stopped, but the damage was done and he now had a strange look in his eyes, sadness and anger clear in his gaze.

Annabeth was quick to react, she dried the table using some tissues then took his hand, that was trembling again but this time from suppressed anger, in her own and looked at him in the eyes, seeming to have a silent conversation with him.

Piper had for the second time that day the feeling that she was intruding in something personal, and as much as that annoyed her, she couldn't help but wonder if she and Jason would ever reach the same level of intimacy.

Whatever Annabeth saw in his eyes mustn't have convinced her because she quickly got up from her seat, and before anyone could comprend what she was doing, she accomodated herself on top of Percy, circling his neck with her arms and giving a soft kiss on his hair. "It's okay" she whispered in his ear and that seemed to placate the tempest in his eyes, as he took her in his arms and buried his face in her mass of blond curls.

Seeing as Percy and Annabeth weren't the types to be seen exchanging demostration of affect in public, the others were completely thrown off by the sudden gesture, and Hazel started venting her face with her hand, while Frank blushed almost as much as her.

Piper barely suppressed an 'awww' and with horror she blamed it on her mother's sphere of influence.

*

Leo couldn't sleep.

He had seen the terrified faces of his friends as they came out of hell, and he couldn't help but think it was his fault, he knew that opening that damn fortune's cookie to save Frank and Hazel would have heavy consequences, but he had opened it nonetheless, too slow to find the answer on his own, and then, two of the members of their group had paid the price for his stupidity, taking an unexpected trip to the pits of hell.

Guilt was eating him, and that's why he couldn't sleep, preferring to wander around the ship, in search of something that needed to be repaired.

As he was passing near the dining room he heard a scream that had his heart stop for a moment, a terrified scream that freezed the blood in his veins, and told him all he needed to know. Monsters.

He started running towards the rooms ,where the scream had come from, while mentally asking his magic belt to give him the biggest hammer it could produce.

As he arrived to the part of the ship that contained the seven's rooms he saw a crowd of people gathered around Annabeth's door.

They were all sporting a strange mixture of pajamas and armour, weapons in hand, but they stood still, like frozen statues as they looked inside the door.

Curiosity piqued Leo, and he stepped near the door to see what all the commotion was about.

The sight that met him, made him freeze as well.

Inside the room were two people, Annabeth and Percy.

He had his arms around her in support, as she sobbed desperately, clinging into his shirt .

Leo was confused, where was the moster? Had they already killed it?

Then why was she crying?

Then he understood.

There had never been a moster.

It was Annabeth that had screamed, because of a nightmare.

But... but how could a nightmare scare her so badly, that she woke up screaming her head off?

He surely had had his share of nightmares, but even the most horrific ones, the ones that showed him scenes of his mother dying, had never had him waking up in the middle of the night shouting.

'But you have never been to Tartarus'.

A voice in his head whispered making him think.

Could it be that she had been having a nightmare about that place?

Then he heard them speak, and his doubts were answered.

Annabeth was still clinging onto Percy as if her very life depended on it ,and maybe it had, down there, after all they must have watched each other backs all the time to survive.

"Shhh, calm down Wise girl, it's okay, I'm here, we're together and out of that pla-"

"P-percy, Percy... I-"

"Shhh I know, I know and I'm here with you"

"It's that I- I was there and... and t-they were there a-and then I couldn't see anymore, and I woke up, a-and it was so dark, and I c-couldn't see, and I was so alone-"

she started crying again.

"It's okay Wise girl, I'm here now, I'm here and I'm never letting you go again.

We're together and that's all that matters. I love you Annabeth."

he said taking her chin in his hand and looking at her directly in the eyes.

"I love you, Percy" she said back, still looking at him.

Then they slowly closed the distance between them and kissed, a slow, sweet kiss. And the others took that as their cue to leave.

Leo was the last one to leave, being the closest to the door, he took it in his hand, closing it to give them some privacy, his head full of thoughs and guilt clear in his eyes.

As he moved from the door he met Pipers gaze, a look was all it took for Leo to understand that she knew how he was feeling, and she slowly shook her head, as if to say

'Not your fault'.

He didn't believe her, but he really hoped one day he would come to.