The date of this chapter does not matter.

-

Percy Jackson was on his bed, leaned against the headboard as he stared out the windows at his city.

He couldn't help but smile as he heard the shouts and the thrum and the noise of a city seeping into his room from a crack in the window.

Sure, he loved the quietness of the ocean, and the peace of camp later at night, but this, this noise and sound were what he grew up in. Nothing could beat it to him, not even the bottom of the ocean; one of his favourite places to be.

He heard the door open.

He turned to see Annabeth trudge in, rubbing her eyes.

"Hey, you," He said softly.

"Hey," she said. She sat at her desk and pulled out a laptop.

"Take a break, Annabeth," he said, "You look exhausted."

"I'm fine," she protested as she booted the laptop up.

He sighed, smiling slightly. Standing, he moved so he was behind her, where he wrapped his arms around her neck, "Take a break, love."

"Percy," she sighed. One of her hands came to rest on his.

"Yes?" Came his innocent reply. He took her fingers in his, smiling as he kissed her cheek.

"You are going to be the death of me," she said, hanging her head as her cheeks reddened.

"I've heard that before," a smile, a tug of her hand, "Come on Annabeth."

She relented, standing up with him. He leads her to the bed where she collapsed unto the fluffy sheets, her tense muscles finally relaxing.

Percy sat next to her, where he gently took out her ponytail before gently carding his hand through her blonde curls. She sighed a pleasure at the light tugging.

Her breathing slowly evened out, the tension in her face slowly giving way to a peace that she only had when she was asleep. Percy had to smile.

Slowly he picked her up, trying not to jostle her too much. He moved her so she was on his lap, and she curled further into him, a small smile on her face.

Percy hummed as he rubbed her lower back with one hand, carding through her hair with the other. Annabeth made a sound in her sleep. Percy kissed the crown of her head.

"I love you so much," he whispered.

Annabeth just cuddled closer to him.

There was quite knock at the door a few minutes later, and Percy told the person they could come in.

His mother walked in, smiling once she saw Annabeth asleep on her young son. She walked over, kissing both kids on the forehead before she softly spoke.

"Paul wanted me to tell you something he just learned, but you have to keep it a secret, okay?" Percy nodded, smiling.

"Your class will be going to the beach later this year."

Percy's jaw dropped. Slowly, a smile spread across his face and he gave a light, breathless laugh. He looked younger when he laughed, Sally noted with a twinge of sadness.

"Really?" He whispered.

Sally nodded, "It was either that or an amusement park. Paul pressed for the beach, for you."

Percy closed his eyes, smiling at the words.

"I've missed the ocean," he said.

"I know you have, hun. But you'll be there soon enough."

Percy hadn't been to the ocean proper in almost four months. He so rarely had a chance to go in any other large body of water beside the canoe lake or the sound. The sound was a suitable replacement for the ocean, but it wasn't the tried and true open sea that he loved so much.

"What beach?"

"I'm not sure. But It'll be right on the ocean," Sally promised her son.

"I love the ocean," he whispered, sounding like a little kid talking about their favourite toy, not the son of Poseidon talking about the only place he was always a hundred per cent safe.

"I know you do." Sally's voice was gentle and full of love.

Percy opened his eyes, "Tell Paul, thank you. From me."

Sally kissed his forehead again, standing up, "I will."

She gave his shoulder a light squeeze, before exiting the room and softly closing the door.

He sat like that for a time; he didn't know how long. He was roused from a swirl of muddled thoughts by the feeling of Annabeth shifting against him.

"Percy?" she said, blinking as she woke up.

"Hey, pretty," he said softly, giving her a lopsided grin.

"Don't call me that," She protested, not sounding too threatening or mad.

"Okay, whatever you want." He kissed the top of her head again, and his hand found itself on her bareback, her shirt hiked up around it. She hummed at the slow rubbing motions.

"Percy?" she asked.

"Hmmm?"

"Do you ever want the curse back?"

Percy paused for a moment, thinking over the weighted question. "Yes," he said eventually, "I do. I really want it back."

"It felt so safe, you know?" He asked.

Annabeth nodded, "I was thinking, what did you say happened for you to lose it, again? With the river?" Percy explained the story.

She hummed, "Okay, okay. This is wild, but I don't think you fully lost it. I just think it was repressed in away."

Percy shook his head. "Then how'd I manage to break six bones in the last monster attack? How did Cain manage to bruise me and break my nose?"

Annabeth shrugged, "I don't know. I just remember the connection we had, with me being your," she swallowed, "Your Achillies Spot. The sense I had, the awareness I had to who you were. And I don't want to get hopes up, but I feel it coming back."

"Then why's it been gone so long?" He asked, still rubbing her back.

"I don't know," she admitted, "Maybe it was something Hera did, maybe the river diluted it. But you can't fully lose a curse like that, I don't think it makes sense."

"Huh?"

"Percy you know what the Styx does, right?"

"It makes me invulnerable."

"Yes, but how?" Annabeth pressed, sitting up. Percy shrugged. "I've been researching and here what I think. You anchor your soul, your mortality to one spot. Everything else becomes, for lack of a better term, immortal. But that one spot is still mortal. That's why when its hit, you die. All of your mortality, your soul, it's all there."

"But how's it been gone?" Percy asked, brow furrowing.

"I'm gonna take a wild guess, and say it wasn't a river and actually Hera." Percy gave her a look. Annabeth sighed, "Look I don't think a river would be able to do that, not to a son of Poseidon at least."

"Rivers heal you, Percy. They wouldn't take something away that keeps you safe. But Hera was there," she pressed. She could see the dots connecting in Percy's head as his face became dark, "She could have used the river as a guise, a distraction, to hide it was her."

Percy looked at her shaking his head as he smiled, "Your so smart, Chase." His eyes darkened, "But how can we prove it? Prove it's coming back." His voice was laced with desperation. He wanted this back.

"Sit up," Annabeth said suddenly. Percy raised his brows but sat up.

Annabeth's hand slowly came to his back, lifting up his shirt as she touched his back like he had been doing. Her hands were drawn to his lower back, to the small of his back.

Her hands didn't fully press, for fear of doing something. They merely ghosted over the spot where his mortality had been anchored.

His face was soft for a moment, but then his eyes squeezed shut, and he let loose a shaky breath as her hand left the spot.

"What did you feel?" she asked.

"Like I was alive again," he mumbled. "Like a thousand volts of electricity came up my back and made me alive again."

"Do you feel any stronger?"

"I-I don't know," he admitted.

Annabeth gave him a soft and reassuring smile, "We'll try again later. Maybe test to see if it's back, okay?"

"Okay," he said breathlessly.

"Good."

-

I will always say that Percy Jackson losing the curse of Achillies was the stupidest part of HoO. Like it genuinely doesn't make sense. If you want a good review as to why it doesn't make sense, there's a tumble post by emilyvidosa that goes over this well. Just look up "emilyvidosa Tumblr the curse of Achilles" and you'll be good. It's the first result.

God, I love the Grisha Trilogy so much like yall don't even understand. Like I, a person who very much does not like the Darkling was moved by his (SPOILER) death and his funeral. God, I love Leigh Bardugo.