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It’s been a few days since Percy and Annabeth became a couple and ignoring the slews of campers poking fun at the delay in their relationship status was easier said than done. Everywhere the two went, together or separately, they were constantly bombarded with comments.
“Finally!”
“When’s the wedding?”
“Connor still owes me 10 drachmas...”
But the one that stood out the most to Annabeth was a comment made by none other than Malcolm, her half-brother. “I wonder if you’re what he thought of to bear the curse of Achilles?”
Annabeth was stunned by the comment. Percy had briefly mentioned this during his awkward confession to her, but she realized that he never actually explained what happened during his bath in the Styx. Once she began thinking about it though, it was all she could fixate on.
Did he mean that she was just something he thought of? Or was he just saying it because she was his motivation to get through it? She couldn’t figure it out, and it was weighing on her.
Apparently, it was noticeable that something was on her mind when Percy greeted her early the next morning, because the first thing he said to her was, “You’ve got that look on your face. What’s up?”
Annabeth huffed, “Good morning to you too.”
Percy laughed and placed a kiss on the cheek. “I know we only became official a few days ago, but you’ve been my best friend since we were twelve. I know that look and it means you’ve got something on your mind.”
Annabeth rolled her eyes in response, but internally she was smiling. She knew that she meant a lot to Percy, as he does for her, but little reminders to confirm what she has already known for a long time still get to her- she loves Percy, and he loves her.
When she didn’t immediately spill the beans, Percy dragged Annabeth into a tight embrace and began peppering her face with kisses, causing her to laugh and try to push him away. “Stop, you know that tickles!”
“I’ll stop once you tell me what’s going on,” Percy laughed, continuing his actions.
“Fine, but we’ll need to go somewhere more private. This camp already knows too much about our personal lives, and they don’t need to hear this too,” Annabeth said, causing Percy to smirk in response.
“I can make something private happen,” He said, and without another word he picked her up, shifting her so he was holding her bridal style.
“Seaweed Brain! Put me down right now, I’m more than capable of walking,” Annabeth yelled, protesting the carry. She has a reputation around the camp, and she’s not about to look weak now that she’s dating Percy.
“Fine, we’ll compromise. Get on my back,” Percy said, helping Annabeth switch positions so he could give her a piggy-back ride.
Annabeth grumbled, “That’s barely a compromise,” but she thought the gesture was sweet. She and Percy never had too much physical contact when they were just friends, but now that they’re dating, she was shocked at just how quickly Percy has shifted to constantly needing to touch her. From holding her hand, to kissing her whenever he had the chance, to pulling her into his side when they’re at the campfire, the change is noticeable.
And as much as Annabeth would vehemently deny it to anybody besides Percy, she can’t get enough of his shift in behavior.
Percy brought them down to the canoe lake, not stopping his walk once they reached the water. One perk of dating the son of Poseidon- the water was a perfect place to not get interrupted by anybody. As soon as their heads were both under the water, Percy formed an air bubble around the two of them and brought them deeper, further away from the surface.
“Okay, Wise Girl. What’s going on?” Percy questioned, his bright green eyes staring directly into her gray ones. She could get lost in his eyes all day, but she realized that she finally had to confess what had been eating away at her.
“Fine. It’s a bit silly, but Malcolm mentioned something that I just can’t shake. I don’t want to pressure you into telling me anything, but…” Annabeth started, struggling to put into words what she wanted to know. How do you just tell somebody that you want to know what made them stay grounded to the mortal world?
Percy took her hands, kissing the backs of them. “Annabeth, there’s nothing I wouldn’t tell you. Whatever you want to know about me, I’ll tell you.”
“...What happened when you went into the Styx?” Annabeth whispered, avoiding eye contact. This lasted for all of a second when Percy gently guided her face so she could look him in the eye, his green eyes shining with evident emotion from what she asked.
“I caused this, didn’t I? I was the one who mentioned it the other night,” He said, smiling slightly. Annabeth didn’t answer, but she knew he wasn’t really looking for one. He moved his hand to her hair so he could twirl a piece in the front, another habit that’s started in the past few days. She didn’t understand his obsession with her hair, but she liked it nonetheless.
“Well, I guess we’re in a fitting place, considering what I saw happened in the canoe lake,” Percy started saying, pausing to look up to the surface. “I was drowning for the first time in my life, and I started to forget who I was. I saw my mom’s face, then Tyson’s, then Grover’s, but I was having a hard time processing anything. It was so painful, I thought I was going to die.”
Annabeth stared in shock. “Why didn’t you tell me you couldn’t breathe in the Styx? That’s a huge thing to hold back!”
“I didn’t want to worry you, not with everything else we were dealing with last week. Anyways, that feeling didn’t last forever, because I suddenly could hear a voice,” Percy responded, smiling at the memory.
“It was your voice. At first, I didn’t recognize it, and all I heard was, ‘The cord- remember your lifeline, dummy!’ I started getting tugged back to the surface, and that’s when I became more aware of what was going on,” Percy continued, his smile growing brighter the longer he told the story.
Annabeth’s jaw dropped. “You- you thought of-” She stuttered, but Percy shushed her by swooping in for a kiss.
“Let me finish, Wise Girl. Suddenly I pictured that I was in the canoe lake, and you were in a boat above me. You were reaching your hand out to help me back into the boat, and you said that I wasn’t going to get away from you that easily. You told me to take your hand, and when I did I was suddenly out of the river and invincible. Defeated Hades’ whole army, but that’s a story for another day,” Percy said, smiling shyly but happily at the memory.
“You’re telling me that I’m your mortal point? I’m the one keeping you grounded?” Annabeth gaped, eyes beginning to well up with tears. She’s not normally an emotional person, but she can’t help it if her unbelievable boyfriend confesses that she’s the reason why he didn’t die in the River Styx.
Percy grinned. “Isn’t it obvious, Beth? Who else would I think of? You’re my person, and you’ve been my person for a really long time. We were both too stubborn to admit it sooner, but now that we’re openly inviting this in…I can’t think of a time since I’ve known you that I haven’t been in love with you.”
Annabeth laughed, but it sounded a little strangled from how choked up she was getting. “You’re such a dork, Seaweed Brain,” was all she could manage to get out before Percy kissed her again. She sighed against his lips, giddily thinking of everything he just told her. How could she have ever doubted his connection to her?
When they pulled away, Annabeth had tears streaming down her face. “I love you so much, Percy. I can’t believe how long I’ve waited to say it, but I’ve loved you just as long. You’re my person too.”
Percy smirked, but his usual troublemaker expression was more endearing than ever. “I wish we could spend the day down here, but I know people are going to come looking for us soon. We should probably get back up before anybody suspects anything,” He said, grabbing her waist before using the water to propel them back to the surface.
Despite their efforts to be discreet on their way back from the lake, one of the first things they were greeted with when they walked back into camp holding hands was a loud wolf whistle from none other than Connor Stoll. He laughed at their expressions, yelling, “Maybe if you guys didn't sneak off every other minute to make out, we wouldn't need to keep poking fun at you!”
Annabeth and Percy laughed too, mostly out of embarrassment. But when Annabeth went to let go of Percy’s hand so they could go their separate ways, Percy spun them and grabbed her waist, pulling her close and kissing her. Annabeth felt her cheeks heat up from how intimate this felt despite being around their friends, but she found herself kissing him back just as eagerly.
The two broke apart and grinned at each other. “We don’t care what you think, we’re in love,” Percy yelled back to Connor, who was still standing there with their fellow campers, eyebrows raised as high as possible.
Annabeth knew this was what she wanted- to be something permanent with somebody. And finally, she may have it.