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she wasn’t sure why the thought came to mind. it was never something she’d worried about. and yet, annabeth found herself asking anyways.
“do you think we’ll ever break up?”
percy’s fingers froze in the middle of typing on his laptop keyboard. he hesitated a second before looking over her. they sat on opposite sides of the couch with annabeth’s legs stretching the length of the cushions, her feet resting against percy’s thigh. he studied her for a minute.
“what?”
annabeth shrugged, averting her eyes shyly. “i don’t know,” she said quietly. “i was just thinking about, like… piper and jason. they broke up. and i know they’re different than we are but… i don’t know. the thought just came to mind.”
when percy was silent for far too long, she looked up at him. he was staring at her with an unreadable expression. he looked like he was contemplating something and suddenly annabeth was filled with panic. she bit her lip.
and then, “no.”
percy said it with confidence. with certainty. that, at least, made annabeth feel a little better. but then he simply turned away and kept typing, as if she’d never said anything. as if he hadn’t just looked like he was contemplating something after she said that.
“you don’t?” she asked. “like, you think there’s no chance of it?”
percy didn’t respond for a second as he continued typing. then he shut his laptop and placed it on the coffee table. he beckoned for her to come closer, so annabeth crawled across the couch until she was next to him. she threw her legs over his, and his arm wrapped around her waist.
“i mean, unless this is you breaking up with me,” he said, leaning his head back against the cushions and looking at her, “but if that’s not the case, then no. we won’t.”
annabeth studied him for a second and if she hadn’t been paying attention, she would’ve missed the way he tensed the tiniest bit.
“that’s not what this is, right?” he asked quietly. guilt clouded her mind as she realized she hadn’t reassured percy that she definitely wasn’t breaking up with him.
“no,” she said quickly, lifting a hand to cup his jaw. “sorry. i should’ve said that sooner. no, i’m not breaking up with you.”
percy relaxed. his hand that wasn’t around her waist came up to rest on her knee. “why are you thinking about this?” he asked quietly. “do you think we will?”
instinctively, annabeth shook her head. “no. i was just thinking about how piper and jason seemed so… good together. and they broke up. and i don’t want that to happen to us.”
percy gave her a soft smile. annabeth could see the love in his eyes and she realized she was stupid for even asking when she had known the answer all along.
“they were good together,” he said softly. “but we got about four years of friendship on them. and the way they met… it was forced. you and i didn’t make the choice to meet, obviously, but we had no obligation to work together. we chose to. and despite how much you hated me, you made the choice to keep me around. i could go on and on about everything we’ve chosen to do for each other.”
annabeth smiled softly as he spoke. he idly drew patterns on her leg with his finger and she wondered if he even knew he was doing it. percy stopped talking for a second and she could see the hesitation on his face. “what?” she asked quietly.
he shrugged. “just thinking about the choices i’ve made because of you,” he said quietly.
“like?”
percy bit his lip and smiled softly. “sneaking on that quest to save you, refusing immortality,” he hesitated again before softly adding, “falling into tartarus. those are the big things though. ”
annabeth tensed and he squeezed her knee. she still blamed herself for him falling into tartarus. she knew she’d have done the same for him and she knew it had been his choice, but if she had freed herself from that web when she had the chance…
“do you regret any of them?” she blurted out, immediately cursing herself after she spoke them. she knew his answer.
“no,” he replied. “i don’t regret any choice i’ve made because of you. well, actually i regret trying olives on pizza. but aside from that, i’d make those choices again. in a heartbeat.”
annabeth bit her lip and leaned forward and kissed him softly.
“olives are good,” is the first thing she said when she pulled back, making him laugh. looking at him, she thought about every choice she’d ever made with him in mind. “i don’t regret anything i’ve ever done because of you either,” she said softly.
percy smiled, kissing her again once. when he pulled away, he leaned back and stretched his arms up casually. he chuckled.
“also, sorry but do you really think i would ever be able to find someone else? like first of all, you’re already way out of my league. anyone else would be a downgrade,” he said, making annabeth laugh. “and second of all, you literally kept me alive in the river styx and you were the only thing i remembered when hera stole my memories. like no i’d never even be able to come close to forming a bond with someone else like that.
“if we did break up, it would suck for just about any girl i ever come across because it’d be like, yeah you’re cool and all but my ex and i literally walked through hell together so what can you really offer me? you know, like no one would be able to measure up so it’d be pretty stupid of me to ever let you go.”
annabeth laughed again, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. “it’d be just as bad for me. like, my ex turned down immortality and fell into hell for me, you can’t top that, sorry. plus, everyone else would be a downgrade from you, too.”
percy threw his head back with laughter and it made annabeth’s heart soar. gods, she loved him. she pulled him into another kiss. when she leaned back, he gave her that lopsided grin she’s loved for years and he looked at her with so much adoration in his eyes.
“so, yeah,” she whispered, “it’d be pretty stupid of me to let you go too.”