(A/N This plot was stuck in my head, so why not?

Plot: Perseus Jackson was a wanted man. Killed his girlfriend, they said. Betrayed them all, they said. Percy, living with said 'dead' girlfriend in a cabin in the woods, was oblivious to all of this. Percy and Annabeth just wanted to sleep. And yet, three years later, every Greek and Roman were still looking for Percy's head.

Disclaimer: Don't own Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus or Greek Mythology.)

Depending on who you asked, people would say it started at different times.

Percy would say Tartarus. Athena would say birth. Poseidon would say the explosion of Mt. St. Helens. Zeus would say the day Poseidon noticed that Mortal. Annabeth would say never.

Despite what everybody said, only one of these claims were true. Percy had never gone crazy. He'd never killed Annabeth, despite the body that turned up.

The only one who could tell everybody that Percy was innocent was Lou Ellen. But she remained loyal to her promise.

Truth be told, a lot of shit had gone down that day.

"I… I can't, Percy!" Annabeth exclaimed, tears springing in her eyes. "I can't keep living like this! I can't keep smiling! I can't keep pretending!"

Percy drew her into a hug, tears of his own slipping from his eyes. He tried to remain calm, for Annabeth, but tremors ran through his body - his memories of Tartarus never leaving. "I know, Annabeth," he whispered. Percy kissed her temple. "I know."

They fell asleep together, at four in the morning, for the first time in a long time.

"We should leave," Percy suggested. "Walk away, don't come back."

"We can't," Annabeth said, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. The only touch she was comfortable with was Percy's. "What about the others?"

"They'll deal," Percy shrugged.

"And your mom?" Annabeth asked. She felt him shift against her back.

It took Percy a while to answer. "She'd understand."

Annabeth wondered if she would.

As they were packing their bags, Annabeth realised the many flaws in their plans. "Percy…" she sighed. "We can't do it."

"Why not?" Percy paused.

"Monsters. They'll come for us. My mom will come for us."

Percy sighed. "You're right. I just… wanted to get away."

And then Annabeth caught sight of Lou Ellen outside. "What if… there was a way to convince them there was nothing - nobody - to come after?"

"How?" Percy asked, putting one of his many hoodies down.

"What if there was a way to convince everyone that Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase were dead?"

There was.

"How do I—" Lou Ellen gaped at Annabeth. She lowered her voice to a furious whisper. "I can't just make you and Percy two bodies! I'm not powerful enough!"

"Lou," Annabeth shook her head. "Of course you're powerful enough. Besides, you owe me."

She did owe Annabeth. She had saved her - and her sister's - lives during the Titan War. Lou Ellen looked - actually looked - at Annabeth.

Her eyes were red and puffy, dark bags lying under them. Her hair was tangled and she wore loose fitting close - on purpose. Lou glanced at her bony hands and realised that she wasn't eating. And Percy wasn't much better off, either.

"Fine," Lou said. "But when things go wrong, I'm not risking my neck for you two."

And she didn't.

Lou Ellen conjured up Annabeth's body first. She was smaller, so less concentration was required. It still took an hour.

She then started working on Percy. His arm came first - the one with SPQR on it.

And that was all she'd managed to get finished.

Lou heard voices. "Capture the Flag is gonna be great." Jason Grace.

"I'm going to kick your ass, pretty boy." Clarisse la Rue.

And they were coming her way.

She did as she promised to do and didn't stick her neck out for Annabeth. She left without looking back at Percy's suddenly severed hand and Annabeth's corpse.

"Percy Jackson is a murderer," Jason Grace grimly declared. The Council of Olympians looked at the five members of the Seven, Clarisse la Rue and Chiron in shock.

"My son is not a murderer!" Poseidon boomed.

Chiron shook his head mournfully. "I'm afraid he is, Poseidon." Chiron cleared his throat. "His severed arm was found near the corpse of—"

"No." Athena looked at him, an emotion never before seen on her face as she put it all together. "Don't say it. Don't you dare say my daughter." Chiron looked at her, an understanding emotion filling his bloodshot eyes.

"I'm sorry—"

"NO!" Athena rounded on Poseidon. "Your bastard killed my daughter!"

"Percy would never—" And yet, doubt filled Poseidon's eyes. He knew his children. They were never good. They always changed. "I… I can't believe that he'd—"

"Well, believe it!" Athena snapped. "I am going to hunt him down and tear him limb from limb!"

"Enough, Athena!" Zeus snapped. "Continue, my son."

"We think that they got into a fight, one attacked the other. It might've been self-defense but… anyways, Annabeth must have cut off his arm before she… died."

"This has got to be a joke," Hermes said. All eyes slid to him. "I mean, come on. It's Percy Jackson. Monster-slayer. Savior of Olympus. Defeater of Kronos! You can't seriously think that he just murdered his girlfriend."

"He's right," Aphrodite said. "Their love was epic. He wouldn't kill her. It would make a lovely tragedy, though."

"Yes," Artemis said. "He is the only man I know that deserves praise, not this slander. Show me your evidence."

The Seven exchanged looks of horror before Clarisse walked forwards, brandishing a cloth. She unwrapper it.

And there, clear as day, were the letters SPQR, as well as Poseidon's trident.

That was the day that Percy was declared as a liar. A murderer. As guilty.

"What the fuck did you just say?!" Thalia exclaimed, thunder crackling threateningly. "Annabeth's not dead! And Percy didn't kill her!"

"I'm sorry, Thalia—" Jason reached out to grab her arm.

"No!" Thalia shoved him away. "You're a liar!"

She was the first to recognise the truth, in her denial, whether she knew it or not.

Nico was soul searching. Literally.

Ever since Annabeth was declared as dead, he'd done it every day. His dad couldn't find her and she didn't seem to be a wandering soul.

And yet he found nothing.

Nico continued to search.

Athena was pissed off. Everybody knew this. 'Natural' disasters and the mysterious disappearances of raven haired, green eyed males tipped them off to this.

So they searched along with her. Everybody feared the goddess. Everybody hated this murderer known as Perseus Jackson.

And so the manhunt began.

"I'm not having nightmares anymore," Annabeth said. Percy smiled, drawing her into an embrace.

"Good. That's good." He sighed, kissing her neck as they swayed to a music nobody else heard. "I suppose you want to go back, then…"

Annabeth pondered this. "No… I'd rather stay with you."

And so they stayed.

(Chapter one, finished! The rest are definitely going to be longer, but this was more of a prologue than anything. Hope you enjoyed it! Leave a review!)