Chapter Text
METAL CLANGED AS JASON AND PERCY SPARRED ACROSS THE SWORDFIGHTING ARENA. Both boys were beaded with sweat, and Piper and Annabeth were having a great time watching.
“They're never gonna stop,” Piper said, her multicolored eyes on her boyfriend.
“Seeing as that would require one to win over the other, I'd say you're right.” Annabeth agreed.
It wasn't too long ago that Percy could take Jason down fairly quickly in a one-on-one battle– like all the other Romans at Camp Jupiter, Percy's fighting style had surprised and bested him. But after Jason decided to stay at Camp Half-Blood, Percy offered to show him how to fight like a Greek. Now the boys were a perfect match for each other, their spars lasting far longer than any other pair of demigods at camp. While Annabeth was busy hyper-focusing on blueprints, her and her friend's boyfriends were hyper-focused on besting each other. Last time they'd gotten started, she'd left then to check on something in Cabin Six about ten minutes in and came back an hour and a half later to find them still at it. Things like that reminded Annabeth that she and all her friends really were half god, and had a sort of stamina that most mortals could only dream of.
Annabeth and Piper's eyes moved back and forth, following the boys as they swung and dodged. Both were quick and smart, and Annabeth was starting to consider asking Piper to charmspeak them into stopping just so they could rest. Percy was already a heavy sleeper, and Annabeth didn't want him to miss Capture-the-Flag tomorrow because he was sleeping off this fight.
Luckily, she didn't have to ask. Percy tripped on one of his shoelaces that came untied. He caught himself before he fell, but didn't get to reassume a defensive position before Jason got in a disarming strike that knocked Riptide aside. Percy fell back, his dark waves splayed wildly under his head on the ground.
Without losing a second, Jason kneeled over Percy and held his gladius to the former's throat. “Gotcha,” he said, flashing a smile that was somehow sheepish and cocky at the same time. Jason wasn't Annabeth's type at all, but the girl could see why Piper liked him.
“Whatever, Grace. My shoe just came untied, or this would've played out differently.” Percy responded to his friend.
“Sure, Perce. I'm sure Riptide's shoe came untied too, huh?”
“Ha-ha.”
Jason stood and reached out a hand, which Percy quickly took.
“Is Percy okay?” Piper asked suddenly.
Annabeth cracked a smile. “Aside from the fact that he just completely wiped out?” She asked. “Yeah, why?”
“His face is all red. I mean I know our idiots over here just sparred for almost an hour straight, but his face just broke out when he fell. Maybe we should take him to the infirmary?”
Annabeth glanced over at the Big House, which she could see a couple hundred yards away from where they sat, then back at her boyfriend.
Piper was right– Percy's face was flushed and it didn't look like it was from the fight. The bright red color of his cheeks was apparent, even from where Annabeth was sitting. He and Jason exchanged a few words before the blond helped the other boy up and they dusted themselves off.
“Yeah, he's fine,” Annabeth said, her eyes pointed at the pair. Her and Percy had been talking a lot lately, about where they wanted their relationship to go next. They'd be together forever– that much was obvious– but they had to start thinking about adulthood. Wow, adulthood. Annabeth swore her own cheeks were heating up now. Most demigods couldn't dream of hitting 18, and here she and Percy were, about to hit that mark. They were going to college together. After saving the world twice, they had a shot at a normal life. And with the calm of a normal life, came the opportunity to worry about normal things. Like homework, and chores… amongst other things.
“I bet he's just bummed he lost to Jason this time. I'll get one of the Stolls to smuggle in some real Cokes for the campfire tonight, if Percy doesn't sleep through it.” Annabeth said. Percy trotted over, looking frazzled.
“Hey Wise Girl, campfire tonight?” he asked, pulling up the collar of his shirt to wipe his face. Annabeth got the feeling he was doing it to try and hide his flushedness.
Piper frowned, apparently not convinced he was okay, but Annabeth just stood and planted a kiss on Percy's cheek. “See you there, Seaweed Brain.”
Percy took a beat before adding, “Meet me at my cabin fifteen minutes before?”
Annabeth knit her brows, not out of confusion, but concern. Her eyes flitted past Percy's shoulder to Jason, who was wiping off with a towel and staring at Riptide still on the floor, and back to Percy. “Sure,” she smiled, and squeezed his hand before walking away and leaving him to Piper, who she wasn't sure wouldn't ask him how many fingers she had up.
Annabeth stared dead ahead as her feet sunk into the supple dirt path toward the camp commons, gears turning in her mind. Percy was an amazing guy; he had proved that pretty much every second since arriving at camp five years ago. She couldn't imagine her life without him, and despite how calculating and cold other people perceived her to be, Percy saw the part of her buried a little deeper. The part that was vulnerable, and scared.
She remembered the night they spent a few days ago, laying on a canoe they’d “borrowed” and taken offshore where Chiron and Mr. D couldn't enforce the “no two campers can be alone” rule and the cleaning harpies couldn't enforce the curfew. They'd been laying on their backs under the stars, Percy pointing out constellations and the old stories behind them. They'd already covered seven, and Annabeth had only had to correct him on the details twice. She could’ve done that forever, but Percy had had something to tell her.
- ••
“Annabeth,” he started, already a little shake in his voice.
She turned her eyes toward him, caught off guard by the shape his mouth was twisted into. She propped herself up one elbow and faced him, immediately attentive. “What's up?”
Percy fidgeted with his camp necklace. “Never mind,” he said quickly. “It's stupid.”
Annabeth sat up fully and fixed her eyes on her boyfriend. “Tell me,” she said plainly. Her heart was beating. It made her anxious that there was something he didn't think he could tell her.
He sat up too, more slowly and set his eyes on his knees. Almost two whole minutes passed before he simply said, “I love you.”
Annabeth felt sick. Why did that sound like it was prefacing bad news?
“You're… you're everything to me, Annabeth,” Percy said, looking up at her. “Ever since I met you… I mean, I didn't realize at the time but I think part of me knew I liked you. A subconscious part. And I've been thinking about that a lot lately.”
Percy kept fidgeting with his necklace. Part of Annabeth's brain distantly thought about the time Percy had been fidgeting with Riptide without thinking about it and accidentally opened the pen. Piper had teased him relentlessly after that for the new bangs he'd ended up giving himself.
Now though, Percy was fidgeting with his camp necklace. It was a lot lighter than Annabeth's, with no college ring or coral pendant, and his long, thin fingers spun an orange bead with a tiny golden sheepskin painted on. The summer they'd visited the Bermuda triangle. Annabeth had thought she'd lost Percy then, after he'd spent a week of mortal time stuck on Ogygia. She remembered how jealous and scared she'd been. So afraid of losing another person she cared about.
“You changed my life,” Percy continued softly, snapping Annabeth out of her memories. “When we finally got together I thought, ‘This is way too good to be true.’ But it's not. Every day I wake up and you're still… you.”
Annabeth's heart fluttered. She might have been a seasoned soldier and head counselor of Cabin Six, but she was also a teenage girl, and she loved her boyfriend. She leaned forward and kissed him, their lips fitting together perfectly like puzzle pieces.
“Whatever it is, Percy, you can tell me.”
He took a shaky breath. As a son of Poseidon, Percy could breathe under water, but right now it seemed like he'd traded that ability for the ability to breathe air.
“I always thought… I mean… You're the love of my life, Annabeth.” He took another breath, and the words started pouring out. “I always thought girls like you deserved the best kind of relationships. You're smart, and beautiful, and a great friend, and a genius, and…” Percy stopped himself. “What I mean is that you're great. And I've been thinking about us, and how our life is going to be from now on.”
Annabeth felt all the tension leave her body. Of course. Percy must have been talking about their upcoming move to New Rome for college. He was just anxious about moving across the country, about starting one last new school, and probably about being so far from Sally too.
“Percy, you don't have to worry,” Annabeth reassured him. “It'll be fine. I mean, you saved the world twice. And NRU is not like mortal school. They can't possibly expel you, and besides, Camp Jupiter is protected, even better than here, though I hate to admit it-”
“Annabeth, it’s not about college.” Percy said sharply, and she stopped. It was rare that he took that tone. He sounded scared. She looked up at him with concern.
“I…” he started again. “I think…” It was like he physically couldn't get the words out. Fifteen seconds passed before Percy blurted, “I think I like a guy.”
Annabeth froze as her brain tried to process. I think I like a guy. Percy kept talking.
“I ignored it for a long time,” he said quickly. “I don't think I even realized how I felt until recently. But it's true. Apollo, Beckendorf.” Percy hesitated. “It wasn’t even something I thought about. I mean, I’m a guy. So I always thought girls were the only option. To be honest, I never really felt strongly about anyone until I met you. And now… I love you. I don’t want to lose you. But I don’t want to lie to you either. I don’t know what to do with these feelings. I keep trying to ignore them, but they’re not going away. And after everything that’s happened in my life, this is somehow the scariest. There’s no monster to fight this time. Just me.”
Annabeth looked up at her boyfriend. His sea green eyes were troubled, his lips pulling down at the corners. Other people were generally scared of Percy; he had one of the meanest resting faces she’d ever seen, even if he was only thinking about his favorite basketball team or what would be for dinner. But now he only looked scared, and sad. It was probably the closest Annabeth had ever seen him to tears.
She wrapped her hands around his neck. She was still struggling to really grasp what he said, and what it meant for their relationship. Her brain wanted to go a million miles a minute but right now, she was ready to use a very powerful lesson she’d gotten from a very smart friend over the summer. Don’t think. Just feel.
“Hey,” she said, barely above a whisper. “If you have confusing feelings that’s okay. We are seventeen, right? Isn’t this the kind of stuff we’re supposed to be worried about? I…” She hesitated. What could she say to him? It was true, they were still just teenagers. Being heroes didn’t change that. Feelings could get confusing.
A few years ago, hell even just one year ago, Annabeth would have freaked out. She had secretly had a crush on Percy since he first got to camp, and as they got closer she’d grown so scared of losing him. To Kronos, to Rachel. But Percy had stayed by her side through it all, even following her into Tartarus. Whatever he had felt for others over the years clearly hadn’t trumped their bond. Annabeth knew; she could trust him. And she had to make sure he could trust her.
Eventually Annabeth just pulled Percy in for a hug. They sat there holding each other for a second before she felt her boyfriend take a shuddering breath and relax into her arms. She let him rest there for a while before gently pulling away and placing a gentle hand on his tan cheek. “I love you, Percy. No matter what. I’m glad you told me.”
Percy squeezed Annabeth’s hand and gave a weak smile. “Thanks, Annabeth. I love you too.”
- ••
Annabeth’s mind snapped back to the present. What Percy had told her that night, she'd selfishly believed wouldn't really come up again. But that wasn't true. He'd come to her again not even a full week later, and admitted that the reason he even brought it up was that the person he had those feelings for was none other than Jason Grace.. He'd been distraught, seemingly sure Annabeth would curse him for being disloyal. But she didn't, because she knew Percy. He was one of the most honorable people she'd ever met. She didn’t necessarily like the situation, but she hadn’t yet found a puzzle she couldn’t find the solution to.
Nonetheless, Annabeth had been shocked; for a while it seemed like Percy and Jason had had somewhat of a rivalry. Jason was a praetor of New Rome, and while Camp Half-Blood didn't really do teenage elected officials, Percy was usually the one leading them into battle. They'd had a tense relationship in the beginning, Greek and Roman ways of thinking and acting, clashing as the sea and sky often did. But they eventually became friends as they faced months of battles together on the Argo II.
Now? The sword match Annabeth had just watched… it was apparent. Despite what Piper thought, Percy didn't have a concussion. He had a crush.