***This story is set in the fall of Percy and Annabeth's junior year of college. As always, I'm not Rick Riordan, I'm just briefly borrowing the characters.***

"What's up?" Annabeth hit the speaker on her phone and laid it on the table, never taking her eyes off her laptop screen. Luckily, she was in a library study room with the door shut, so she wasn't bothering anyone by talking on speakerphone. However, now wasn't the best time for a conversation.

"Not much." Percy's voice sounded crackly, but she didn't know if it was because his reception was bad or hers was. "Just checking in since I haven't seen you all week. How'd your midterms go?"

"They were fine," Annabeth said shortly, trying to adjust a detail of her design on the screen. Then, grudgingly and a little guiltily, she asked, "How were yours?"

"I think I did okay. Glad it's Friday, though." He paused as if waiting for a response, but when all she did was grunt in acknowledgement, he said, "Anyway, I just ran into Davis, from my marine ecology class last spring, and he's apparently throwing a post-midterms party tomorrow night. You want to go?"

Annabeth sat back in her chair, closing her eyes as the dark pile of work and stress and projects that she'd been holding up all semester teetered on the edge, threatening to engulf her. She gripped the edge of the table, focusing on Percy's voice like it was a lifeline she could use to pull herself to safety. "Percy, I'd love to, but I can't. I have a major design project due on Monday and I haven't been able to work on it all week because I've been studying for midterms. That's what I'm working on right now, actually. I'll probably be in the lab or library all weekend."

She could hear his voice tightening, trying not to sound annoyed, when he said, "And you can't take one night off?"

"No, I really can't." Anger and frustration flashed through her, and the mountain of stress tilted precariously, pressing against her shoulders like the weight of the sky. Fighting it back, she offered, "Maybe—maybe next weekend?"

"Uh-huh."

"What do you want me to say?" she snapped. "I can't go anywhere, I can't do anything this weekend because I have a ton of shit to do—"

"It's fine," Percy interrupted. "Why don't you just let me know when you do have some free time?"

"Percy—"

"It's fine," he said again, though it obviously wasn't. "I'll talk to you later, Annabeth."

He hung up before she could respond. For a few moments she sat there staring at the blank phone screen, debating whether or not to call him back. But since she couldn't decide if she wanted to apologize or yell at him, she figured it was best to do neither right now. Instead, she turned back to her laptop screen, blinking back tears as she dove into her design.

Later, though, back in her tiny, quiet apartment near the UC Berkeley campus, Annabeth did reach out. Lying on top of her covers in the dark, too tired to change out of her jeans and sweatshirt into pajamas, or even to bother crawling under the blankets, she texted him. She didn't have the energy for a conversation, or an argument, so this seemed like the safer option. I'm sorry. I do miss you. I'm just overloaded right now.

The harsh white glow of the LED streetlights outside threw the shadows of her window blinds into sharp relief against the walls and ceiling. She should probably close the blinds. But that would mean getting up.

She did, however, lift her phone up when it buzzed to read Percy's message. I know. I just miss you too. And I know you don't want to hear this, but you can't let your classes or projects or work take over your life.

Annabeth squeezed her eyes shut. Part of her knew he was right. But she didn't know how to do it any other way. She'd always gone all in on things she was passionate about. That was just what she did. Balancing those things she cared about, though, was hard. Not letting herself get so swept up that she ignored everything else around her was hard. And tonight she was too exhausted to solve any of it. So she simply replied, I know that. I'm trying my best.

Fatigue washed over her like a wave. Somewhere in between sending the message and Percy's reply, Annabeth fell fast asleep. So she didn't see what he'd said until the morning, when the open blinds let sunlight pour in way too early. Dreading going back to the library to work, Annabeth delayed the process of getting up slightly by rolling over and reading Percy's text. I know you are. Get some rest. I love you.

A lump of emotions bounced up her throat, but Annabeth swallowed it back. No time for that. Instead, she simply typed back, Took your advice. Fell asleep. Love you, too. Then she hit send and hauled herself out of bed so she could get back to work.

The weekend was miserable. Annabeth spent the entire time bouncing between the library and computer lab, staring at screens until her eyes were blurry. The only small break was a meeting she had with her group for another class about the project and presentation they would be turning in on Friday. By Sunday afternoon, she was ready to just give up, lay her head down on the computer keyboard, and cry. Instead, she texted Percy, asking how the party had been last night.

It was pretty fun, he replied a few minutes later. How's working on your projects going?

Not fun at all. I kind of hate them right now. But I have my design presentation tomorrow, so it'll be over soon. And my group presentation is pretty much ready for Friday, we don't have much left to do. Want to maybe go out to dinner on Tuesday?

Together?

She rolled her eyes. Obviously.

Sounds great!

With a small smile, Annabeth set the phone back down and somehow dredged up the speck of energy she needed to finish her design.

By the time she finally tumbled into bed that night, it was well after midnight, but Annabeth couldn't sleep. Her mind was racing, going over details for her presentation in the morning, then jumping to how she was going to help finalize their group project at the meeting tomorrow afternoon. She forced herself to take several deep breaths, but it didn't help much. She still felt like she was running from an avalanche and she was about to be swept away. After a lot of tossing and turning, and only a couple hours of very fitful sleep, her alarm went off and she made herself get up and get back to work.

Fortunately, her design presentation went pretty well. She skipped lunch to work on a small assignment for the one class she was still taking at New Rome University this semester. As a junior architecture major, most of her classes were now focused on design at UC Berkeley, but she still had a few classes to finish at New Rome University, too. Tomorrow she would run from a morning class in New Rome to an afternoon class at Berkeley. She kind of hated Tuesdays right now. But at least there was dinner tomorrow with Percy to look forward to. After submitting the assignment for her New Rome class online, she hurriedly packed up her stuff and rushed to her group meeting to finalize the project and presentation there. This semester was seriously kicking her butt, but there was nothing she could do except press forward.

Except the next morning, Annabeth didn't want to get out of bed. And not for a good reason, like when she woke up to her boyfriend's lips brushing her skin. Today, she was alone in her own bed, and she couldn't get up. The sun was streaming through her window, she was pretty sure she'd already overslept for her 9 a.m. class, and she couldn't make herself even sit up. It felt as if there was a weight inside her chest, holding her down, as if the mountain of stress had finally broken free and crushed her. Strangely, she couldn't find it in herself to care that she'd almost definitely overslept. Without even bothering to check the time on her phone, she rolled over, pulled the blankets up to her chin, and went back to sleep.

Several hours later, judging by the way the sunlight had shifted, Annabeth woke up again. The weight in her chest had dissolved, but it had left a hollow, numb feeling in its place, as if the avalanche had swept everything away. Her phone was ringing, which was probably what had woken her up, but she didn't even reach for it. It was probably just one of her classmates about the group project. She'd check it later. After the phone went quiet, Annabeth continued to lay there for several minutes, staring into space. Eventually, however, she did manage to sit up, swing her legs out of bed, and stand.

According to the clock on the microwave in the kitchen, it was nearly three in the afternoon. Annabeth blinked at it. She was pretty sure the last time she'd slept this late was several years ago, after the war with Gaea ended. That also meant she'd missed both of her classes today. Again though, strangely, she wasn't bothered about it. She just made herself a bowl of cereal and sat down on the couch. After staring into space vacantly for a few minutes while she ate, she turned on the TV. She was still sitting there a couple hours later when Percy walked through the door.

Because most of her classes were at UC Berkeley now that she was a junior, Annabeth's apartment was near the campus. Percy was still living in New Rome and attending the university there, but he had a key to her apartment. So she wasn't surprised when he came in. She was surprised by his agitated, almost panicked expression when he burst through the door. It melted into relief, though, when he saw her on the couch. "Oh, thank the gods. You're okay."

"Yeah." Annabeth frowned. "Why?"

Irritation seeped into the relief on Percy's face. "Because you haven't answered your phone since last night. You never just don't answer your phone. Even when you're working on a project, you respond when I text you. I thought something was seriously wrong."

"Oh. I just never checked it today. It's still in my room." A tiny spark of guilt for making him worry flickered through the numb emptiness. "Sorry."

A crease appeared between Percy's eyebrows. In a gentler voice, he asked, "Are you okay?"

Annabeth shrugged. "I don't know. I just feel weird."

"Like sick?"

She shook her head. "More like…drained. Empty. It's hard to explain." She shook her head again. "Maybe I'm just tired."

"Maybe." Percy sat down beside her on the couch and put his hand on her forehead like he was checking her temperature. The back of his hand brushed her cheek when he drew it away. "I mean you have been doing, what, sixteen hour days? You probably are exhausted."

"Possibly." She leaned against Percy. He sank back against the couch, letting her collapse into his side. She closed her eyes as exhaustion washed over her. He was probably right. She'd been working like crazy all semester, not just last week. Upper-level architecture students were expected to spend significant amounts of time doing hands-on design work in the lab. Annabeth knew she'd been wearing herself down, but she was also determined to continue doing well. Even if that meant sacrificing things like sleep and spending more time with her boyfriend. She realized as she felt Percy's chest rise and fall beneath her cheek that they hadn't actually seen each other since the previous weekend. Another spark of guilt, mingled with something else, cut through the still numb sensation inside her.

"Hey." She patted Percy's leg. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too." He kissed her forehead. "I know our schedules have been busy, but—"

"But we need to make time for each other," Annabeth finished. Her arm felt heavy as she gestured between them. "Because this is important, too."

"It is," Percy agreed. He gave her a quick kiss on the lips, which sent the usual little sizzle down Annabeth's spine. It also reminded her that she hadn't brushed her teeth today. However, she couldn't summon the energy to get up, so she simply tucked herself back against Percy's side as he asked, "Are you seriously watching this?"

It was one of those real housewives of wherever type of shows. "Oh gods no. I wasn't even paying attention to what was on. You can change it." As the women on screen began screaming at each other, Annabeth pressed a hand to her temple. "Please change it."

Percy flipped to a random sitcom. "Better?"

"Much."

They didn't talk a lot during the episode, just enjoying being together after so much time apart. But when the commercials came on at the end of the show, Percy asked, "So did you not go to class today?"

"Um, no. I actually missed both. I kind of overslept. Then I went back to sleep. I just woke up about three."

"Seriously?" Percy looked concerned again. "And you're sure you're not sick?"

"I don't think so. I mean, nothing hurts. I'm not nauseous. I don't have a fever. I just…couldn't get out of bed. Like I have no energy."

"Huh." Percy's expression became a little more clinical. Last year, he'd changed his major from marine biology to psychology, with an eye towards doing social work and counseling, so he could "help kids like us," as he'd put it. Now, he asked, "How are you doing, babe? Really?"

"I'm fine." Annabeth pushed away from him and crossed her arms, sinking back into the couch. "It's just been extra stressful with midterms and everything. I just needed some rest."

Percy nodded, but he still looked thoughtful. "Have you been sleeping okay?"

"I mean, it's been kind of all over the place, but that's normal."

"Have you been eating?"

"Usually."

"Uh-huh." His look was a little too knowing. Abruptly, he stood, then held out his hands to help pull Annabeth to her feet. "Alright, you are going to go take a shower. Trust me, you'll feel better. While you do that, I'm going to order food. You're going to eat it. And drink at least two glasses of water. Okay?"

"Yes, sir." Annabeth gave him a grudging smile and Percy laughed.

"Cute. Go shower. What do you want to eat?"

"Don't care," Annabeth called over her shoulder as she walked into the bathroom.

Just getting up and into the shower took more energy than it should have, but Percy was right. She did feel better afterwards. Especially when she walked out in clean pajamas, after brushing her teeth, and found that he'd ordered takeout from her favorite Thai food place. Even better, if that was possible, he'd put in one of her favorite movies, an older comedy that had been one of their go-to movies for hanging out since high school.

"You're the best." She kissed his cheek as they sat down on the couch with their food.

By the time she'd eaten, and drank several glasses of water at Percy's insistence, Annabeth was starting to feel almost like herself again. Her energy level was still low, but she felt refreshed.

When the movie ended, Percy took her hand. "I think we need to talk."

Annabeth stiffened, immediately wary. "About what?"

Percy took a deep breath. "Try not to be mad. But I'm worried about you."

"I told you, I'm just worn out from mid—"

"It's not just midterms. You've been telling me almost since the beginning of the semester that you're drained and stressed, you've been kind of snappy for over a month, and I know you forget to eat and don't sleep well."

Annabeth felt herself getting defensive. She wanted to deny it, to tell him he was wrong and argue that he'd been busy and tired, too, this semester. As college juniors, it felt like their workload had almost doubled. But the biting comments died in her throat. Partly because she had no energy for an argument. But also because she knew he was right. So instead of snappy, it came out as tired when she said, "What's your point?"

"I think you're dealing with burnout," Percy said matter-of-factly.

"Burnout?"

"Yeah. I was worried about you, I mean even before today, so, believe it or not, I actually did some research over the last couple weeks." He laid out some of the symptoms, like lack of energy or motivation, trouble concentrating, insomnia, loss of appetite, and increased irritability, among other things. Annabeth had to admit that a lot of it sounded like what she'd been dealing with recently. "Apparently it happens to a lot of college students. Especially upper-level architecture students. And high-achieving students with ADHD. Any of that sound familiar?" He quirked an eyebrow and Annabeth felt a tiny bubble of laughter rise in her chest.

"Okay, I hear you," she admitted. "But I can't exactly stop going to class. Especially since I skipped today."

"Yeah, I know. We can't really breathe 'til the end of the semester. But we can take some breaks. Like this weekend."

"Oh yeah?" Annabeth managed a smile. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

Percy let go of her hand so he could put his arm around her shoulders. "I was thinking we take the entire weekend off from homework. Yes, I know it'll be tough," he gently poked her in the side when she opened her mouth to protest, "but the world won't end if we take two days off from school. And if it does, well, I mean, we know how to handle that." When Annabeth actually laughed, Percy kissed her cheek. "I figured we can hang out, watch movies, eat junk food, and just, you know, relax."

"That does sound like your perfect weekend." She poked him in the chest. "What about me?"

"Fine." He sighed exaggeratedly. "We can throw in a couple documentaries. And I happen to know that you love pizza almost as much as I do."

"No one loves pizza as much as you do, Seaweed Brain." And then, just because today she really needed to hear what she knew he'd say, she added teasingly, "I think you might even love pizza more than you love me."

"No way. I always love you most." He gave her a squeeze and kissed her forehead. "Pizza is great, though. Remember that time I got a free year's supply for helping write that Greek myths book?" His eyes got a little dreamy and Annabeth laughed again.

"You're ridiculous. But I think taking the weekend off to relax sounds like a great idea." She tilted her head up to kiss his lips. "And I always love you most, too."

Getting through the rest of the week was rough. Annabeth still felt numb, like her energy was being sapped. Some days, it felt like the hopeless cold of the Cocytus was running through her veins, draining her. But she felt slightly better when she made herself take time to rest in the evenings. And after a weekend spent primarily lying on the couch with Percy, eating junk food and watching movies, she felt almost back to normal.

The next week was a little easier. Annabeth knew this wasn't a problem she could fix overnight. But she could make small changes, like getting enough sleep and taking the occasional night off from homework, to make sure she didn't have a complete breakdown.

College was hard, but Annabeth was determined to succeed. Especially since she had Percy's support. They had faced worse than this and survived. They would survive this tough semester, too.

So, I fell into an internet article wormhole and stumbled on an article talking about burnout in college students, and how it really does affect a higher percentage of students in high-pressure majors, like architecture, and students with ADHD. Which made me think of what might happen with Annabeth in college. So I wrote this. And it's yet another "C" title because apparently that's my favorite. As always, thank you for reading! And thanks so much for everyone who takes the time to leave comments—I seriously appreciate each one. If you want to chat more, I'm on Tumblr at justabooknerdposts.