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"I do not approve of your friendship with my daughter. I do not think it wise for either of you."
How could something so simple get serious? I thought I owed her a dance. That was what I said. And then I didn't let myself think about how crazy I got, how I didn't care about anything else except for getting her back. Oh sure, I could make dam jokes and laugh, but I couldn't focus on Bianca sacrificing herself because if I did I wouldn't have let her get inside of Talos in the first place.
But it was how - how Annabeth was the only person I remembered. She anchored me to my mortal life. She protected me, has helped me so many times, and I'll always be there for her. I'll always want to know how she is, and I'll come back for her if she tries to live at her dad's again for some reason and it sucks. I'll get her to put down Daedalus's laptop so she doesn't get a headache from staring at it for too long.
Sure it took me way too long to register the way she felt- the way she feels about me, but she's so smart, I didn't think... I mean, what I've got going for me is that we've been friends for years. I'm pretty sure. (Not pretty sure that we're friends, I KNOW we are, but I'm pretty sure that's why she likes me, because I've been there for her. With her.)
I mean, I guess -
When she told me to come with her on the Argo II, I was just so glad she was there. That we were together. I pretty much just kept my arm around her the entire time.
"You're brave," she told me. "Yeah, the bravest person I've ever met, but-"
"Also the most annoying?" I asked. She rolled her eyes.
"Look, you had just Tom Sawyered your way back from - from wherever you were after Mount St Helens erupted when I said that, and-"
"I wasn't going to stay there, Annabeth," I said.
She'd raised her eyebrows and looked at me. "What?"
"On Calypso's island. I mean. C'mon, you knew about it, or you at least guessed. But the... Point is, Hephaestus came and talked to me. After the eruption - I didn't even know I'd caused it. Guess I blew my brain away a little bit." I scratched my hair. "But... I knew I couldn't stay. I didn't - Calypso was nice, but she was... She didn't argue with me. Not really. She didn't challenge me, or help. It was like - she thought if she took care of me, if she cared, I would stay. It was like the magic of Ogygyia was the option to escape. And it sucked that she had to be stuck there, but I ...I was never interested in that. Or in her. Like I wasn't into Rachel either. She was my friend." I feel myself getting red with shame about all that. "I wasn't trying to do anything, like- I didn't even realize she LIKED me."
Annabeth shook her head. "This explains so much," she sighed. "Percy, I know you're not dumb. I've always said you just never could take a hint. This proves it."
"Yeah, you're right, like always," I said. She stuck her tongue out. Normally I'd laugh, but this time I don't. "But what made you think, 'okay this guy isn't dumb but he's also someone I actively want to be with'? Because I really don't get it, Annabeth."
She stopped sticking out her tongue, the expression of silliness fading from her face. Instead she started staring at me. "... Seriously? You're serious," she stops, and gets this soft sort of look in her eyes. "Oh, Percy."
"Look, don't make fun of me," I grumbled. "I know I'm funny, but-"
"That's not it. I mean, yeah, you are actually funny," she seemed like she couldn't believe she was admitting that, and I started to smile. "Shut up! But that's not it, you're - super brave, and kind. And you - you care. You always care, even if your eyes start glazing over when I'm talking to you about architecture."
"Oh yeah, that's because it's absolutely riveting," I say. She makes a face at me and I laugh.
"But seriously. You want me to be loved. I can't exactly explain, but. With Thalia and Luke...they took care of me, but I can also take care of you. We're equals."
"Well I mean-"
"Like in a fight, or if we're together on a quest, we can figure out what the other is doing and what we can do."
"Yeah, I mean you have to tell me stuff but then-"
"You have incredible battle sense, Percy, don't talk badly about yourself. You love your mom, and Estelle, and Paul - honestly you love and take care of so many people, it - kind of inspires me. I cut people off for things and you still care."
"Well I mean. If someone really screwed up I wouldn't forgive them."
"I know," she gets serious. "Like - Luke. But even with him, you...you were willing to learn about his childhood, what it was like -"
"Yeah, because Nico took me shadow travelling and I didn't know how to get out of that."
"Come on, you also chose the prophecy so it would be about you, that way Nico didn't have to suffer anymore! That's what you said," her eyes are glittering now, and I realize she's tearing up a little.
"Ah, geez, Annabeth -"
She shakes her head at me and hugs me. I automatically hug her back, hanging on tight.
"You also give some of the best hugs," she says, her voice muffled a little against my shoulder. She sniffs and lifts her face, turning and pressing, holding lips to my cheek in a lingering kiss.
"... second only to Tyson's," I say, clearing my throat.
She looks at me and sighs a little. "Sure, second to Tyson's."
She looks like she's studying me and thinking hard. I just have to tell her "you know your mom said to me she didn't approve of our friendship, right?"
That snaps her into sharpness immediately. "What! When? Gods, that's so ridiculous..."
"When we went to Olympus for the Council of the Gods," I say. "And Thalia joined the Hunters," I swallow hard as I think about that. "Y'know I was worried - I actually thought - maybe you were thinking of joining them."
"What? Me? Percy..." Her voice softens. "Wow. You really were oblivious, Seaweed Brain."
"Hey, I just thought I was gonna lose it when you fell off the cliff- and then I knew you hadn't died but I kept seeing you in pain in my nightmares, and then I get you back just to have you maybe join the Hunters of Artemis -"
I remember my words falling all over each other. How panicked I had felt.
"Annabeth. Don't."
She frowned at me. "What?"
"Listen, don't - I don't want you to -"
"Percy," she said. "You look like you're going to be sick."
But that's how I felt.
And now...now "I wouldn't have," Annabeth says. "I just had their brochure because it's given to female demigods around the age they're eligible to join. I'm not even that good with a bow," she points out to me, and something about that gets me laughing.
"What?"
"Ah, nothing. I just remember how the first time I tried archery one of my arrows got tangled up in Chiron's tail."
She stares and then she bursts out laughing too. "Oh my gods, that's terrible - he was probably so relieved when you were Claimed!"
"Hey, not as relieved as I was to never pick up a bow again." She's still laughing, and buries herself against me. I hold her and think, with all her reasons, I'm still really lucky. So I decide to tell her. "I'm lucky, Annabeth," I say.
She kisses me before saying softly "I feel the same way, you know."
I hug her, holding on, pressing close.
"I do now."