Percy threw his arms around her. They kissed, and for a moment nothing else mattered. An asteroid could have hit the planet and wiped out all life, and Annabeth wouldn't have cared.

At least he had Annabeth. They would find a way out of Tartarus. They had to. He didn't think much of fates and prophecies, but he did believe in one thing: Annabeth and he were supposed to be together. They hadn't survived so much just to get killed now.

So what if they were in Tartarus? So what if they stood a slim chance of surviving? He was so glad that they were together he had the ridiculous urge to smile.

Annabeth pressed her lips to Percy's ear. "I love you". She wasn't sure he could hear her -but if they were going to die she wanted those to be her last words.

That was one of the many reasons she loved him, even if he was an Olympian-sized pain in the podex

Without you, I doubt Percy could find a way out of a paper bag.'
'True', Annabeth agreed.
'Hey!' Percy complained.