He sucks in a lungful of air, but it still tastes like the sewers. "Annabeth, I can summon the ocean." The guilt is laced all through his tone. He doesn't have to disagree with words, the way he speaks does it for him. "I just couldn't focus. Everything felt...sick."

It's not something he would ever share with anyone except her. For all his friendliness and backchat, Percy knows he's supposed to be the hero for other demigods, that he needs to stay strong. Annabeth, who's already seen him at his worst a hundred times over, he doesn't have to hide anything from.