This was based off of a chaos fanfic that I read. The idea just popped up into my head while I was reading it. It's still all my writing, though, I promise.

Annabeth was still up and quietly suffering. The Athena cabin was already used to it. Every time for the past five years, the anniversary of Percy's death left Annabeth reeling for weeks.

She looked out of the cabin window to the lifeless beach, murky brown water lapping at the black sand.

'Why did I kiss Nathan?' The event and those following it haunted her every night. 'If I hadn't, maybe Percy wouldn't have...' She bit back a sob.

She glanced back up at the beach... and something strange happened. Suddenly, the the poison black color leeched out of the sand, leaving the beach a gorgeous white, and the once cloudy water cleared up into a sky blue. A breeze moved in, bathing the camp in warm, salty air.

Windswept black hair, a bright mischievous smile, and the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen flashed through her mind.

Percy.

It was easier to ignore the beach and the traps it held when Poseidon left it dead, but when it reverted back to the state it was before he disappeared, a wave of memories crashed down on her.

Every laugh, every smile, every word that he gave her echoed in her mind, each leaving a feeling of being stabbed in the stomach.

If she listened hard enough, she could've sworn she could hear his voice.

Then, as quickly as it appeared, the beach fell dead once again, and Annabeth remembered that Percy wasn't by her side anymore.

Originally published 8/12/16.