(BTW I'm not paying attention to the time differences between New York and Greece, so just pretend it's the same or something?)

Annabeth's POV

He was slipping. I could tell. He's trying so hard to stay. I need him to stay. I don't know what I would do if he left me. I don't think I could live with myself knowing I let something happen to him or I wasn't there for him; to protect him.

Lying on the bed next to him, clinging to him desperately, with my head on his chest I could here his heartbeat. It was for the most part steady and reassuring. Every once in a while it would skip a beat, or slow down, and my own heart would stop.

Lying there beside him, he held my hand tightly, holding on to life as best he could. Waiting for help to arrive.

Lying here in the cold of night I can feel him shake beside me. Lying here I can hear him scream, groan, moan, whatever sound is forced from his lips. He's in pain and there's nothing I can do.

Well, I wouldn't say nothing. At least I'm here. I would never leave him to face this alone. I'll always be right here.

A pang of guilt ran through me. 'You weren't there for him when he was getting tortured,' my thoughts seemed to say.

'I couldn't have been. Tartarus had me chained to a chair where I was forced to watch,' I tried to defend myself.

'No excuses,' they answered. I figured my mind was right. There was no excuse for something like that.

But no way in hell am I leaving him now.

The seven and some others all stopped by during the day, but it's just me now. Percy can't seem to sleep, nor does he want to try. He's lying awake, staring at the ceiling and I'm just looking into his eyes.

Those eyes, those beautiful sea green eyes, the ones always filled with laughter and mirth. And when they're not, they're filled with love. Love for me. What did I do to deserve that?

Not a damn thing, but he still loves me. And I love him more than anything. More than the world itself. More than I love myself. I love Us. I love how easy we are together, how we're meant to be together.

I just don't want to loose him.

I don't want to loose Us.

Those beautiful sea green eyes.

His lopsided grin that lights up the world.

His soft, wind blown black hair that I love to get my fingers tangled in.

His lips, that taste like sea salt.

How he always smells like the ocean.

How he always know what to do or say to make you smile.

How he acts like a Seaweed Brain but he's actually very intelligent.

How he's always been there for me when I needed him.

How he is undyingly loyal to the ones he loves.

How he loves me.

I don't want to lose him.

I can't lose him.

"Annabeth,"

I looked up. Percy whispered my name again and choked back a sob. "Hey," I whispered. Wiping away the tear that escaped his eye with my thumb. I traced the track it made with my lips and then pressed them to his.

He kissed back for a couple seconds but then pulled away. He wouldn't look at me. "Annabeth..." he was interrupted by another wave of pain. His body tenses and he left out a terse scream. Tears were streaming down his face now.

"Annabeth I'm scared. I don't know how much longer...I don't want to leave you."

Tears of my own slipped silently down my face. "Hey, don't talk like that. You can do this, I know you can. Just hang on until the Avengers get back with the fleece, Alright? Don't leave me. Please, don't leave me."

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Thor's POV

My skin crawled as the ground split open. Many monsters from the pits of hell itself were festering about. I brought out my hammer, ready to bash the son of Tartarus's skull in, when I noticed something that should've been spotted earlier.

Lying near the destroyed alter to Hades, on either side of the wreckage, were two sets of chains. From their position and condition, I determined them to be the exact chains that once held the Doors of Death in place. The very ones that were severed by the demigods that fateful day.

I cleared my throat, hoping the Midgardians would hear me. But alas, there pea-sized brains couldn't pick up such noises or decipher their meanings.

"HEH HEEEEMMMMM!!!!!" I tried again. The hair parted on Jaeden's forehead. "What?" He asked. "I'm not talking to you, Tartarus spawn."

He looked quite grumpy, sometimes like Loki does when I won't share my pop tarts, and crossed his arms.

"THE CHAAAAIIIIIINNNNNSSSSSS," I whispered loudly to my comrades.

"CAN YOU WHISPER ANY LOWDER, DUMBASS?" Tony yelled at me.

"SON OF IRON, DO NOT CHALLENGED ME TO A YELLING CONTEST. YOU WILL LOSE!"

The puny Iron Man came and pushed me in the chest. I did not budge. I shoved him back. He fell over. He got back up. He shoved me again. I took out my hammer.

Just as I was about to knock  his head backwards, Natasha stepped in.

"Idiots! There's a whole bunch of monsters trying to kill us right now, and you're having a cat fight! Seriously?"

I huffed and turned back to the fight. Puny Tony was also doing so. Jaeden was just standing there waiting for us to tire ourselves out. He held the fleece like this was a game of Capture the Flag and he was the guard of his team's flag. That's alright, we've played Capture the Flag before.

I roared and lighting crackled along the surface of Mjolnir. I threw my hammer at a bunch of monsters and turned around to punch some others to death. I held out my hand and Mjolnir punched through monsters to return to my hand.

Then I had an idea. I suddenly remembered I had a piece of Mortal technology lodged in my ear that I could use to communicate with my comrades.

"Heroes, I have had an idea."

From across the room, Tony snorted.

I quickly explained the gist of my plan to the Avengers. Surprisingly, they were all in favor. The goal? Get me to Jaeden. Then we get the fleece and get the Hel out of here.

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Will's POV

"C'mon Will! Isn't there anything you can do?" Piper asked. She's been pestering me nonstop all day. My face burned red and it's not just from the heat of the camp fire.

"Piper, I told you. There is NOTHING I can do. We just have to wait for the fleece."

"What if he can't 'wait for the fleece'?" She mocked, using air quotes. Her eyes started to get misty. "What if he can't wait?"

I opened my mouth to speak and then closed it again. I really didn't know what to say. "He'll be fine, I promise you that. I-" I swallowed hard, knowing I was probably making a horrible mistake. "I promise on the River Styx."

Piper's mouth hung open. "You're not supposed to say that." "You wanted reassurance didn't you?" "A simple 'it'll be okay' would've done just fine. What if he's not? What'll happen to you?"

"Oh, you care about me now?" "What the hell! Of course I care about you! What's your problem?"

I looked down, tears filling my eyes. Don't blink or they'll spill.

Piper looked down. "Look, Will, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

I just nodded, unable to form words around the lump in my throat. "I- I just..." I cleared my throat and tried again. "I feel so helpless. This is...different for me. Usually, there's something I could've done but didn't, but now there's nothing I can do and I hate it. You're right Piper. I should be able to help somehow."

Piper nodded and wiped her nose on the back of her hand nervously. She leaned over and gave me a hug. I took a deep breath of her rose smelling hair.

"BOO!!!!!"

"Ah!" I screamed. Nico held out his arms menacingly, scowling like a cute baby kitten. Where'd he come from? "Nico!" I yelled, swatting his arm. He scrunched up his nose in the cutest way physically possible and turned to Piper.

"Now don't you be stealin' my man!"

I face palmed. "Come here Neeks," I sighed. He wiggles over and plopped down on my lap. He stuck his tongue out at Piper who gasped. "Nico! Be nice."

He turned around and put his hands on my shoulders. "I am not nice. I am DEATH!" I giggled. "Sure. You're a fluffy ball of death kitten. We both know this."

He grunted and changed his position so he was curled up on my lap with his head on my shoulder. Piper patted my head and walked away. In the light of the fire, Nico soon fell asleep. We sat that way for awhile, me listening to the adorable puff of his breathing.

I eventually got up and carried him to the Hades cabin. Stumbling in, I laid him in his new and improved bed that didn't look like a coffin.

Leaning over to set him down, I fell face first on the bed. "Ugh," I groaned. I just decided to crawl the rest of the way on the bed. There was no way I was going to make it all the way to the Apollo cabin.

I burrowed under the covers and pulled Nico in top of me. He sighed in content and snuggled into me. I smiled and kissed his forehead. My own eyelids slipped closed and I entered a blissful sleep, the first one in a long time.

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Thor's POV

"Hey dumbass!" Natasha taunted, shooting her guns at Jaeden. He just held up the fleece, which deflected all the bullets.

Tony shot at him and Cap threw his shield. Clint fired arrows and Sam bullets. Wanda used her powers and Bruce kind of just stood there.

Meanwhile, I snuck around them, trying to get to Jaeden. I just couldn't get this Midgardian song out of my head. How did it go again?

Thunder!

"Nanananaanana," I hummed.

Thunder!

"Nanananaanana,"

Thunder!

Ohhh yeah I was really getting into it.

"I was caught! In he middle of a railroad track! Thunder!"

"I looked round! And I knew there was no turning back! Thunder!"

"Shut! The fuck UP!!!!!" Tony screamed at me through the communication device. "Do you remember the plan? You're supposed to SNEAK up on Jaeden! SNEAK, Thunderbutt!"

"Sneak, Thunderbutt," I mocked, "fine, Son of Iron, spoilsport. I will sneak."

"It's a little late for that," Steve cut in. Ugh, can't they just let me have my fun? I spun my hammer around and used the momentum to propel myself behind Jaeden.

I roared and threw my hammer as far as it could go in the direction I just came from. Jaeden laughed. "You missed."

"I wasn't aiming for you," I placed my hand at the back of his neck and held him in place. He thrashed and screamed. "What are you doing?" He asked.

"I've used this trick on my brotha Loki. My hamma will always return to my hand. Not even your head will stop it's path. Give me the Golden Fleece. Now!"

Jaeden squirmed in my grip and laughed uneasily. "Your efforts are laughable and pathetic. My father will hear about this!"

Everyone stood watching and listening. All the monsters in the chamber were gone now. Everyone could here Mjolnir crashing through walls and rock to reach my hand.

The Avengers all stepped to one side or the other as my hammer broke through the last wall and entered the chamber we were in. Jaeden squeezed his eyes closed and held his breath.

I growled. The plan wasn't working. He was going to kill himself.

The hammer made contact and burst through Jaeden and into my hand. Jaeden exploded into golden dust and disappeared. The Golden Fleece glittered on the ground in front of me. I went to pick it up and my eyes caught sight of the chains that once held the Doors of Death.

"Oh no, now's not the time for this," I warned.

We were all hit with the full force of the final memory the House of Hades holds.

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Hello, people! Tell me how the story's going so far! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it! Remember to vote and comment and have a great day! Love you demigods!