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Percy doesn’t think twice.
He just hears the words “I’m scared” and gets started on the blanket fort.
Poseidon’s cabin has a lot of bunkbeds for a cabin almost completely devoid of people, so it isn’t that hard to transform his bottom bunk into a fort with the right number of pillows and blankets.
He and Annabeth make quick work of a fort, draping blankets from all four directions. The light from his lamp produces a faint light from the outside. He takes the pillows from every other bed to make sure Annabeth can curl up wherever she wants while still being comfortable. She chooses his chest.
At least for a few minutes.
Then she rolls over, away from him. Her arms are wrapped around her torso in a weak attempt at self-comfort, and Percy can see the tremors in her hands. He glances back at his nightstand, but ultimately thinks better of it. Whatever Annabeth is going through, Cubey isn’t going to help.
He rolls over with her, slipping his hand in hers. Her fingers curl around his, but she doesn’t hold his hand back. He squeezes tight enough for both of them.
“Stop squirming.” Annabeth pouts. “You’re heavy.”
Percy’s face heats up. He doesn’t mean to squirm, but he can’t help it. Especially when Annabeth is giving off such I’m anxious vibes. But it wouldn’t do either of them any good to admit that. No, he has to play it off. Maybe if he jokes enough, he can finally get Annabeth to smile again.
“I thought you wanted to cuddle, Annabeth.” Just to rile her up, Percy makes a big deal of squirming, essentially pinning her into the bed.
“Stoooop,” she whines. She awkwardly reaches behind her and pushes against his stomach. “Get off me, Seaweed Brain!”
“Seaweed Brain?” Percy echoes. “Who’s that? My name is Percy!” His fingers dig into her sides, and she shrieks with laughter.
“Stop!” She’s finally able to move her knee right and knock him back.
He rolls into a pillow, which barely stops him from faceplanting off the bed, before jumping on her again.
She’s giggling as she tries to bat him back, but her reflexes are always the tiniest bit slower when she’s small, and she ends up getting pinned underneath him still.
She looks so cute like this, cheeks flushed from laughter, gray eyes shining, and her blonde hair spread out in a halo around her.
Percy’s heart swells. “There’s my girl.”
To his shock and horror, Annabeth’s eyes fill with tears. With a sob, she flings her arms around his neck, yanking him into a tight hug.
“Annabeth.” He worms his hands under her shoulders to hug her back to the best of his ability. Her body shakes, wracked with powerful sobs.
Percy holds her tight, not daring to move until she’s gone still. Her hands go lax, but they rest pleadingly on his shoulders. Even in the dim lighting, her eyes are notably red.
“Do you wanna talk about it?”
Annabeth nods once, twice, and takes in a shallow breath. “I had the dream again.” Her voice quivers as she speaks.
The dream.
She doesn’t need to say anything more than that. Percy knows exactly what she’s talking about. The one she doesn’t share with other people. People at camp expect her, even encourage her, to talk about what happened on her quests. The meaner side of Percy thinks they’re just being nosy, but his better side, the side he got from his mom, knows they’re just concerned.
However, they aren’t as keen to hear her talk about her stepmom. How it felt to grow up alone in your own house. How it felt to have no other options but to run away at seven years old. How it felt to be tailed by monsters that wanted you dead, and to then watch one of your only friends actually die. Everyone kind of expects her to be over that, to not still have nightmares about it. And even if they were supportive, Annabeth is too proud to try.
“I’d like to see the cyclops that thinks he can get through me, because that’s what he’ll have to do if he wants to come near you or any of our friends. You’ve seen what I can do.”
“You mean trip over your own feet?”
Percy puts a hand over his chest, feigning hurt. “Ouch.” He sits back, giving Annabeth the chance to sit up if she wants.
Annabeth giggles wetly.
“But you do know I’ll protect you no matter what, right?”
“Yeah.” She slowly pulls herself upright and reaches behind Percy’s pillow for Mrs. Waterson, a stuffed penguin about the size of her palm that hangs on a keychain. It’s the most she’d let Percy buy for her, and even then, she won’t let herself hold onto it while big. Percy’s been punched in the arm more than once for clipping it to her keys before they go out together.
“Yeah.” He sits crisscross and jiggles his leg. “I feel like this isn’t helping.”
She shrugs and picks at Mrs. Waterson’s synthetic fur.
“Is there anything else you need? Like…” Percy trails off and gestures vaguely around him. He hopes that vagueness translates the way he wants it to, so that it says I care for you a lot and want to do whatever I can so I really hope you don’t feel uncomfortable voicing your needs around me.
Annabeth shakes her head. “I think I’ll be okay.” A tiny smile creeps across her face. “Besides, I don’t want you squirming all over me again.”
Percy grins. “Yeah, I wouldn’t know what to do with someone as awesome as me that close either.” Regardless, he scoots closer, closing some of the space between them. He’s still a good, squirm-able distance away from her when he extends his arm and rests a comforting hand on her knee.
He likes to think that’s what helps her fall asleep.