Chapter Text
● ● ●
It was a beautiful evening. The moon’s shine was being reflected upon the water’s surface, the stars were forming constellations and telling stories through them, and the campers were singing songs around the fire. It was the calm before the storm.
Only one week left until the great prophecy would be fulfilled. It was a scary time, so everyone was trying to enjoy these calm moments as much as they could.
But sitting at the dock near the lake, all alone, was Percy, who had returned to camp and finally got to read the full prophecy. The prophecy, that foretold his death. He didn’t know what to think, or how to process this. He knew he could die during the battle, but being told that he would die in a week on his 16th birthday, was a completely different thing.
He sat at the dock looking at the water, when he heard footsteps behind him. “Hi.” Annabeth said quietly.
Percy didn’t need to look to know who it was. “Hi.”
“Can I sit here?” She asked.
“Yeah, sure.”
She sat next to him, leaving some space between them. They were quiet for a moment, just enjoying each other's company, thinking about what might happen in the following days.
“You knew?” Percy whispered, but it was so quiet, Annabeth had no problem hearing him.
She sighed “Yeah,” she read the prophecy when she was very young, way before he even arrived to camp. But she only started to realise the weight of it after the winter solstice. “Sorry that I didn’t tell you. I couldn’t–”
“Don’t apologise, I get it,” he interrupted. After a moment he buried his face in his hands “I feel like an idiot. I should have spent more time at camp with everyone. Instead I barely showed up here.”
“You couldn’t have known. You’re here now. That’s what matters.” Annabeth said. She too wished he spent more time here, but saying that would only make them both feel worse.
They sat in silence again. They could faintly hear the other campers singing around the campfire. It was nice being here again, together.
“Percy,” Annabeth took a deep breath, “since last summer, it has been so awkward between us. Since Mt St. Helens… I-I’m sorry if I made it weird, I don’t know why I did it. Everything was happening so quickly and I thought you were gonna die and I just–”
“Annabeth,” Percy interrupted again, “It’s okay. I’m also sorry, I should have said something. But eh…” he thought for a moment, not quite sure how to say what was on his mind. “It got me thinking, I guess, and I, em… I realised some things about myself. It’s just that,... I don’t think I really want that kind of relationship, a romantic one, like ever,” a beat passed. “I know it sounds weird, everyone–”
“No, it’s not weird,” Annabeth said quickly. “I get it. Actually, I’m also not interested in having a romantic relationship ever.”
Percy looked at her, surprised. “Really? I thought…”
She huffed out a laugh, “I know, I know, I was still figuring it out back then. I thought I liked you, but I realised that what I felt was just friendship,” an embarrassed smile made its way onto her features.
“Oh,” was all Percy could say. That was not what he expected her to say. Especially after his conversation with Rachel, he was a bit nervous bringing it up again. But he figured that, despite the awkwardness, this was his best friend and he shouldn’t feel afraid of talking with her about these things.
Once again they sat in silence. But this time, it was more comfortable. Not that it wasn’t comfortable before, but the awkwardness between them was now completely gone.
After another moment, Annabeth spoke, this time more confidently. “Did you know there is a term for that? When someone doesn’t feel romantic love? Aromanticism. And there's also asexuality, but that one’s a bit different."
“Hm…” Percy wondered, “I didn’t know that. I didn’t think there would be names for it.”
“There are, because there’s many people that feel the same way,” she said.
He smiled. It was nice to hear there were more people like him. His mom pretty much already told him that, but hearing someone say they feel the same way was even better.
They sat at the dock for a while longer, before getting up to go to their cabins. These next few days were going to be busy, so they wanted to get some sleep while they could.
● Percy ●
Percy didn’t mind water, obviously. He’s the son of Poseidon. So he had no idea that bathing in a river could be this painful. He wasn’t expecting a spa, this was the river Styx after all, but this pain was unlike any he had ever experienced.
He couldn't think straight, he couldn’t think at all. He was dying.
Nico told him to think of something that keeps him mortal. An anchor. He thought about his mother, his friends, but nothing helped. He was drowning.
But then Percy saw a glimpse of something above him. A hand reaching out for him. He heard her calling his name. Annabeth. That’s right, he fell into a lake. She was reaching out to pull him up. He could see her above the water, wearing the camp’s orange t-shirt, her invisibility cap, which he didn’t know was possible, and her blond hair looking like a halo with the sun shining behind her.
Percy reached for her hand and she pulled him out of the water. But once he was out, she wasn’t there. Right, it wasn’t real, he was in the river Styx, not the lake at camp. But it felt so real, Percy was looking around if she was there somehow.
She got him out of the river. Or, a vision of her. She was his anchor, he realised. The one thing keeping him mortal. What would he do without her?
● ● ●
The war was over, and Percy was alive.
He was alive.
It felt surreal.
He was sitting in the pavilion at the Poseidon table. Everyone else has already left, so it was just him watching moonlight. It was peaceful.
"Hey," Annabeth slid next to him on the bench. "Happy birthday," she was holding a huge misshapen cupcake with blue icing.
Percy stared at her. "What?"
"It's August 18th," she said. "Your birthday, right?" he was stunned. It hadn't even occurred to him, but she was right. He turned sixteen that morning. "Make a wish."
He thought for a second, then blew out the candle. They cut it in half and shared, eating with their fingers while they watched the ocean. Crickets and monsters were making noise in the woods, but otherwise it was quiet.
“I was thinking,” Percy said after a while, ”how we talked about the relationship stuff… em, what was the word.”
“You mean aromantic?” She supplied.
“Yeah, that. Have you ever wondered, in the future, if everyone’s in a relationship, obviously prioritising that relationship, what happens to people like us?” He didn’t want to be so negative at that moment, but he didn’t know how else to start.
Annabeth thought for a moment. “I guess I haven’t thought about it that much, since I didn’t think I would survive for that long. But with the war being over, maybe there are better days coming for us demigods.”
When Percy was done eating, he brushed the cake off his hands. "When I was at the River Styx, turning invulnerable . . . Nico said I had to concentrate on the one thing that kept me anchored to the world, that made me want to stay mortal."
Annabeth kept her eyes on the horizon. "Yeah?"
“I was drowning. I was in so much pain, it was unreal. Until…” he trailed off.
“Until…?” Annabeth looked at him, smiling.
Percy looked at her too, “until I saw you. Reaching out to pull me out of the water.”
Her eyes widened a little. “Really?”
“Yeah.” he smiled too. “What we talked about, you are my best friend. Well, maybe even more than a best friend.”
“An ultra mega best friend?”
“Yes, exactly,” he laughed.
“Yeah, we’re a duo, Seaweed Brain. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.” She poked him to the side with her elbow.
He huffed out a laugh, “wouldn't dream of it, Wise Girl.”