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Percy hadn’t felt this funny in a long time.
Oh he knew he was hilarious, but this funny felt something akin to the life at school before camp-half blood, where his classmates would measure the distance they keep from him, when he’d sit alone during lunch because no one wanted to be subjected to stories of weird creatures he’d apparently seen during his trip to the washrooms.
Really, it all started when this new Hermes kid who got here after the summer solstice last year, who he had been helping train when Luke betrayed them, suddenly started ignoring him, and trying to win favor with Thalia.
Thalia who looked at the kid with mild annoyance, running a hand through her dark hair, the kid looked at her with stars in his eyes when all Percy had ever done was try and be there for the kid.
This sucked.
He was a big-three kid too damn.
His gaze shifted to the figure beside Thalia, whose short stature did not deter her from making wildly animated gestures, braids swaying as she caught the daughter of Zeus up with how the camp changed from when she was gone.
Percy’s face visibly softened, he was happy for Annabeth, truly, because she finally got some sort of family with her. Despite his friend only knowing Thalia for two months, he was sure she was infinitely better than Annabeth’s father and the goddess of wisdom.
He’d just be slightly less sour right now if it hadn’t been two days since he woke up in the infirmary, and two days since Annabeth had said a single word to him.
Percy steeled himself, and walked over to them.
Immediately, Thalia’s sharp eyes swiveled over to his approaching figure.
“Percy!” said Annabeth, smiling brightly. Percy remained oblivious to the slightly hostile glare the other presence was giving him when he took sight of Annabeth so giddy.
Percy grinned, “Hi Annabeth,” he nodded towards Thalia who gave him a stiff one back, “Hello, Thalia Grace.”
The sky rumbled, and Percy rolled his eyes at the sound, “When I figure out how to do that with rain, camp is never hearing the end of it.”
Thalia’s lip twitched.
“Can I steal Annabeth for a bit?”
He chanced a glance at her in question, her eyes darted from Percy to Thalia and back in quick succession. She hesitated, “I can call Grover if you want Thalia…”
Thalia smiled at Annabeth fondly, patting her cheek, the only warmth Percy had seen her show the whole day. “I’ll be fine darling, those training dummies look rather interesting.”
“Okay,” replied Annabeth, “I’ll find you later.” She waved towards her retreating figure before turning back to look at him.
“Hey, seaweed brain.”
“Wise girl,” Percy grinned in reply, and that was the most amused he’d been all week.
They fell into step together, with Annabeth catching him up with what the camp had been quietly up to with Chiron back and the tree back to its full glory, and currently Thalia-free.
It felt like seconds, but they were standing infront of Poseidon’s cabin, and Percy glanced around quickly before letting Annabeth in and shutting the door behind him.
“Tantalus is gone you know,” she teased, and Percy unconciously brushed a hand through his curls, “Chiron isn’t gonna ground you for letting me in your cabin.”
“Yeah,” Percy grumbled, “I think he’d already grounded me plenty.”
Annabeth sighed before sitting on his bed, leaning against Percy’s stack of pillows. Yes, he slept with six pillows. He took up the space next to her, finding Tyson’s empty side of the room mildly interesting as he gathered his thoughts.
“Are we friends Annabeth?” Percy asked quietly, blue eyes staring down her form.
Annabeth looked back at him, incredulous, “Of course! Why would you even ask that?”
“Okay,” he replied simply. Logically he knew that it was true, she had stuck by his side the past two years, even if all that came with him was trouble and more near-death experiences than one could count.
“Percy,” he could hear the slight exasperation in her tone, “What's going on with you?”
His leg began bouncing, and his eyes shifted away from hers, preferring to close them shut. Percy felt her braids brush his arm as she came nearer. He didn't know why he suddenly felt conscious, Tyson was gone, and they had Cabin Three’s privacy all to themselves.
“If you knew that,—” he coughed, “that Luke stabbed me through my stomach, and twisted the sword, would you still defend him as adamantly to me?”
Annabeth was speechless.
He shrugged helplessly, refusing to look at her, lest he chickens out from this conversation. Percy could feel her figure still beside him, but he kept his gaze forward.
“It might just be a part of my fatal flaw,” Percy admitted, “and maybe loyalty and feeling too much go hand and hand but…”
“He did that to you?”
Percy nodded, “Yeah, when you asked why there was blood on my shirt, that's what happened.”
“Oh.”
“I’m sorry,” he said suddenly, “That I’ve been awful to you—,”
In his peripheral vision, he saw her furrow her brows in confusion.
“I’ve been awful to you, I’ve been dumping a lot of stuff on you. I know it’s been a lot dealing with Luke and then now Thalia being back I know it must hurt to lose one for the other and not have your two best friends together,—” Percy continued to ramble, finally mustering up the courage to look at Annabeth, “I’m not really good at this.”
“What are you trying to say?”
Percy saw her brown eyes shining, and for a moment too long he felt his voice choke up. He rubbed the blonde curls at the back of his head in embarrassment, “I just— It kind of hurts that you find ways to defend Luke when he’s hurt m– us, so many times and nearly killed us all. Logically I know you’d never side with him, but I guess it hurts all the same when I remember how you always butt heads with me.”
He didn't realize a few stray tears made it past his eyelashes, “And now Thalia’s back and I know she means the world to you.”
“Percy…”
“I know it's stupid,” he interrupted, “They were your first friends, but Annabeth, you and Grover were mine and my chest feels funny at the thought of losing you. I’ve lost you guys physically already, but this is different I guess.” He unconsciously rubbed his chest with his palm.
“You, of all people, are not getting rid of me Seaweed Brain,” said Annabeth, grabbing his shoulders to angle his body towards her.
“I know,” he whispered, smiling slightly at the nickname, “It's just me being silly Annabeth, but now that you told me yourself we’re still friends, that’s good enough for me.”
Percy smiled weakly at her, but Annabeth wasn’t convinced. His face morphed into one of panic when she began to stand, hooking her leg across his lap so she was straddling him. Percy suddenly felt like he was about to have a heart attack.
His arms circled around her instinctively when he felt her arms wrapped around his neck. Annabeth’s braids fell like a waterfall around them, and Percy was momentarily transported to the last time she’d hug him, and was slightly dismayed to remember it had been two years too long.
Annabeth pressed her cheek on his shoulder, breath fanning his exposed neck. Percy prayed to the gods she wouldn't be able to feel the goosebumps that rose on his nape.
“I’m sorry too Percy,” she began, and squeezed him when she felt protests start escaping him.
“But—,” he shook his head, hair gently grazing her face.
“Let me finish, you impatient little thing,” Annabeth scolded gently, “Never apologize for being who you are.”
Percy let his cheek rest on top of her forehead ever so slowly. He felt, rather than saw, a small smile growing on her lips.
“You know my mother and father,” mumbled Annabeth, pursing her lips, “I haven’t exactly got the best examples growing up...until I met Thalia and Luke.”
Percy nodded. He knew that.
“A part of me is insistent that Luke can change because I saw him at his worst, and my brain knows that—,” she lowered her voice to merely a whisper, “He took advantage of how vulnerable Luke could be.”
His thumbs gently caressed the dips of her hips under her jacket and over her shirt, humming to let her know he was listening.
“But I saw it,” Percy felt her gulp in a breath when she spoke, “The Luke I know is still in there somewhere, when I said Thalia could be alive, and when I got hurt.”
Percy’s grip tightened momentarily on her waist at the reminder, pressing her further into him. He ignored the buzzing sensation he felt under his skin.
Annabeth laughed quietly, “I’m fine now Percy.”
“Which I’m eternally thankful for.”
“But Thalia,” she began again, “You don’t have to be so scared of her—,”
Despite his restraint, Percy snorted, “Tell her to not hate me so much then. Took one good look at me and decided I was her mortal enemy.”
He heard Annabeth let out a laugh, “What you get for staring her down even when I hugged her.”
“She’s never gonna like me, is she?” sighed Percy. Snuggling himself towards Annabeth ever so slightly, and unaware.
“Thalia is,” Annabeth pursed her lips, her tone tiredly fond, “She doesn’t even like a lot of other things to tell you the truth so it's nothing personal.”
Percy nodded in their embrace.
“Besides, you have one thing in common.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, you both adore me anyway,” Annabeth said proudly, “So that means you’re technically best friends in my book.”
Percy leaned backwards so he could look back at Annabeth’s eyes, twinkling mischievously, and completely unaware of feelings that took his internal state by force. It was like a dragon had woken up from slumber, jostled, but not annoyed or angry. He’d better get that feeling checked before he left camp for school.
“That’ll do for now, then,” he smiled warmly at her, “You’ll write me letters and send me photos and iris call me?”
She stood from her place on his lap and lightly ruffled his disheveled hair, “Call reinforcements if I don’t. You’re my best friend.”
—————————
Except reinforcements really were called— just by Grover, and Percy, Thalia, and Annabeth were currently on their way to a fancy, military private school.