Chapter Text
After what seemed like hours? Days? Months? Years? Lifetimes? Percy didn’t seem to care. All that he thought or felt was Annabeth..
Her lips, her soft whimpers as he pulled her closer by the waist, the way his brain seemed to have combusted the moment she had her lips on his again. All the complicated emotions he didn’t exactly understand, the pointless fights they had going on for months on end which for the life of him, he could not remember what they were even about because he was too busy admiring how cute she looked when she was angry-
Anyway…
They finally pulled apart. Just the lips though, their hands were hooked onto each other like they were afraid the other would vanish if they let go. Their breaths were heavy and lips swollen after the electrifying make out session they just had underwater.
Way to begin a relationship! Percy thought. Wait… Is that what this is? A relationship? Percy might have expressed the thought he just had on his face as well because the way Annabeth’s smile faltered into a timid sulk might have broken his heart into more pieces than Kronos had been by the gods.
“I-is everything okay?” Annabeth asked pulling away.
“Oh my god, I’m sorry Annabeth, I promise everything’s fine.. I was just…” Percy struggled for words. Gods I’m bad at this.
“I certainly hope so,” Annabeth spoke, “After the way you had your tounge down my throat a couple moments ago-”
“Woah, Wise girl,” Percy’s eyes widened as he cut her off, “Since when did you speak like that?”
Annabeth’s cheeks turned into a deep shade of red as she blushed.
“I’m sorry.. I’m just too excited and I don’t wanna creep you out or something but I just-”
“Annabeth.. Relax, you are rambling. I swear everything’s okay, I was just thinking.. and you don’t need to shy away from me of all people.”
Annabeth took a deep breath and smiled at him.
“There she is…” Percy grinned before planting a kiss on her nose that made Annabeth giggle. The sight might just have healed every bad wound, every major trauma he has ever had over the years. Annabeth giggling is going to become an addiction.
Percy sighed, laying his head back. The bubble he had formed for the both of them was weirdly comfortable as he stretched his arms before closing his eyes. He felt a weight move as Annabeth curled up next to him, her head over his shoulder. He took the initiative and got his arm around her, pulling her closer.
Butterflies weren’t supposed to be aquatic… his dad must have fathered some of them too because he felt his stomach being attacked by an army of them.
“So..” He cleared his throat.
“So..” Annabeth replied.
“I was thinking...”
“Since when did you start doing that?”
“Since you started becoming a pain in the ass”
“Yikes seaweed brain.. Way to win a girl’s heart.”
“About that… I was wondering if you’d um..” Percy felt his heartbeat go faster by the second and by the looks of it, he wasn’t alone because the air bubble had excellent soundproofing and he could have swore that Annabeth’s heart was racing too.
“I was wondering that you-um.. that we could maybe..” Percy sighed, “I’m sorry.. I have never done this before.”
“It’s okay..” Annabeth squeezed his hand, “you look cute when you’re nervous.”
Percy smiled at her.
“So.. Before we move further and the answer’s gonna be yes by the way, spoilers!” Annabeth chuckled at the way Percy’s little smile turned into a grin at that.
“I wanted to ask..” Annabeth continued, “Were you and um, Rachel ever a thing before she became the oracle?”
Percy’s grin subsided.
“Oh.” Annabeth grabbed his hand before he could answer.
“I swear nothing will change, I like you.. I really, really like you Percy.. I’m only asking because I’m uh..” Annabeth stopped for a moment before continuing, “I’m curious I guess? You know what, you don’t need to answer its okay.”
“We weren’t ever a thing, although our last interaction did confuse me a bit because she ‘dumped’ me in quotations… but I swear Annabeth, we were just friends”
“Alright.. Thanks for telling me, I need to apologize to her for my behavior toward her anyway and make things right.”
“Look at you being all mature.”
Annabeth elbowed him but it had no punch in it as they both started laughing.
“Although..” Percy began, “She did um..”
Annabeth raised her eyebrows, “Spill.”
“Promise you won’t get mad?”
“I’ll try.”
“Good enough.” Percy sighed, “She did kiss me once before I came back to camp.”
“That mongre-”
“Annabeth..”
“Sorry! Sorry..” Annabeth winced, “I’m working on it I swear I just.. ugh, you know how I get sometimes..”
“I do” Percy planted a kiss on her forehead, “You don’t ever have to worry about me leaving Beth.. I’m here to annoy you until my last breath.”
Annabeth smiled at him, leaning in for a small kiss.
“Good, cause I’m about to be super clingy from now on, prepare to have me around like.. all the time.”
Percy scoffed, “Threatening me with a good time, wise girl?”
Annabeth giggled before shoving her face into his chest as he put his arms around her tightly.
A beat passed and suddenly, Annabeth started crying.
“Annabeth? Hey..” Percy moved his hands toward both the sides of her cheeks, so that he could see her face as he wiped the tears away, “What is it? Please don’t cry..”
There are few things that truly hurt Percy to his core but for some reason, seeing Annabeth cry brought another level of pain whenever it happened and it had just gotten worse with time. When he saw and felt her bringing him back to life in the River Styx… Everything became clear.
She wasn’t just a potential girlfriend or anything else to him, she meant more than anything he could possibly describe, his tether to life itself, His wise girl.
Before he knew, he felt tears of his own tumble down as Annabeth’s eyes widened. She quickly wiped them off.
“No bab- Percy, please don’t cry.. Its ok, I swear” Annabeth said between sobs, “I just.. I can’t believe this is real, its hard.. I convinced myself to stray away from you as much as possible so that it won’t hurt so bad when you-” Annabeth stopped herself.
“No.. I won’t allow it to pester me further, this is the happiest moment of my life and I’ll not ruin it with my stupid insecurities.” Annabeth kissed the last tears of percy’s away.
“Nothing that hurts you is stupid Annabeth..” Percy forced a smile, “you’re right. This is the happiest moment of my life as well but I need you to promise me something..”
“Anything.”
“You’ll tell me all that’s going inside that brain of yours, everything that bothers you.. I want to help but I can’t do that if you don’t tell me.”
Annabeth looked down for a moment before deciding to meet his eyes.
“I will If you promise that as well.”
“I trust you more than myself Beth’,” Percy placed his forehead on hers, “From this day onwards, my mess is yours and yours is mine.”
Annabeth closed her eyes as he kissed the corner of her mouth.
“By the way..”
“mhm?”
“Did you almost call me ‘baby’ just now?”
Annabeth groaned.
“Forget it seaweed brain, we are breaking up.”
Percy pouted, “But for that, we are going to have to patch up first..”
“I hate you..”
Percy laughed and pulled her closer, he could feel her countenance change into a smile.
“So, that means you wanna be my…”
“Yes, seaweed brain. Now pull us up before they think we did more than just kissing here.”
Percy turned red. Annabeth smirked.
“Relax Percy, we don’t need to do anything you’re not comfortable with,” Annabeth explained, “Besides, I don’t think I’m ready for all that either.”
Percy sighed of relief and then looked at her. Her lips were still swollen and her eyes a little red due to the crying, but they were just as beautiful as ever. Her necklace were the cherry on top of her overall prettiness that made her neck look divine. He found his eyes move further down until they reached… oh.. nope, too soon to be doing that.
Annabeth had already noticed this though, she didn’t say anything cause frankly, she wanted him to look at her like she’s someone he wants. She bit her lip before he stopped staring at her, ever the gentleman, my seaweed brain.. Mine.
“So..” Percy began as Annabeth licked her lips as her eyes gazed at his, “Shit, Annabeth I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stare at your-”
Annabeth’s lips were on his before he could finish. This time, the passion was brazing with want and need. They found themselves clinging to each other as the steam they had built for the past year melted with soft whimpers and shaky laughs.
Annabeth found herself moving away from his mouth and latching her lips on his neck as Percy sighed closing his eyes.
She is going to ruin me. And I am going to let her.
Meanwhile…
“So… You think they are ever going to come back up?” Connor Stoll asked his pack of friends who were all getting a little impatient.
“Whose idea was it to let the Son of Poseidon into a dam river with the girl he had basically been eye-effing the whole summer?” Travis asked annoyedly.
“Don’t put that image into my head…” Clarrise groaned.
“Guys, chill they are just kissing.. albeit a bit aggressively.” Grover offered.
“How would you know goat boy?”
“Empathy link. Remember?” He pointed toward his head.
“That tell you he doing it or not too?”
“No. Just when the emotions run high and right now, they are pretty dam high.”
“Aren’t they always high when he’s around her?” Connor asked.
“Well yeah but..”
“I mean if something like aggressive kissing can make you feel it then you surely will when they.. you know?”
Grover’s eyes widened at that.
“…Huh”
“Guess you are in for a crazy weekend, goat boy”