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Percy woke up, happy to just enjoy another day of peace and quiet. Even though it was school today, the fact that it was monster free gave him so much free time. He stretched, yawned, and rolled out of bed.
“Percy! Breakfast!” Sally yelled from the kitchen.
Rubbing his tired eyes, he stumbled toward the door, where his breakfast awaited him. The smell of pancakes drifted down the hallway, warm and sweet, and Percy’s stomach growled loud enough to echo.
“Coming!” he called back, voice still scratchy with sleep.
He shuffled into the kitchen, hair sticking up in about twelve different directions. Sally smiled at him over the stove, flipping a pancake with practiced ease.
“You look like you fought a wind god in your sleep,” she said.
Percy dropped into his chair with a groan. “I’m conserving energy.”
“For what?” Sally asked, amused.
“Surviving math class.”
She laughed, sliding a plate in front of him.
Percy dug in happily, savouring the taste of his favourite breakfast.
For the first time in a while, he was actually excited to go to school. Because, afterwards, he and Annabeth were going on a date.
And the sooner school was done, the sooner the hang out was.
He could already picture it. They’d grab coffee (they needed it after a long day of school), maybe walk along the pier, maybe just sit somewhere quiet and talk. Honestly, Percy didn’t care what they did.
Sally glanced over her shoulder at him, smiling softly. “You’re in a good mood today.”
Percy shrugged, trying (and failing) to look casual. “Just… y’know. Good day.”
“Mhm,” Sally said, clearly unconvinced but amused. “Well, I’m glad. You deserve a calm week.”
Percy grinned around a mouthful of pancake. Nothing could ruin this day.
Which, in hindsight, was probably the moment the universe wrote that down and said, bet.
The bell was ringing, and Percy was free at last. He ran to the front gates, which was their allocated meeting spot.
A grin tugged at his mouth as nervous anticipation settled in his chest. In only a matter of minutes, he’d see Annabeth again.
He could hardly wait.
He bounced on the balls of his feet, too full of energy to stand still. His eyes flicked to the clock mounted above the entrance doors.
3:30 p.m.
Percy frowned and checked again, just to be sure.
Annabeth was late. And she was never, ever late.
A flutter of unease stirred in his stomach, tightening like a knot. His forehead creased as he scanned the crowd, searching for a familiar blonde head.
After what seemed to be ages but in reality, was only five minutes, Annabeth did show up.
Her face was covered in scratches and dirt, and there was a concerning large tear in her orange shirt, as though a massive claw had ripped through it.
“Annabeth!” Percy pulled her into a fierce hug before leaning back to look her over, anxiety written all over his face. “Where were you? I was two seconds from sending word to camp for a search party.”
Annabeth laughed. “Right. I’m sure everyone would love to drop their break just to track down a girl who was ten minutes late,” she said, her voice dripping sarcasm.
Percy didn’t answer. His eyes were locked on the gash in her shirt.
Annabeth waved a hand dismissively. “Just a monster I ran into on the way here. It missed me.”
Percy looked sceptically at the shirt but then changed the subject.
“Missed you, huh? Looks like it tried pretty hard.”
Annabeth rolled her eyes. “Really Percy, I’m fine.”
Maybe she was. Maybe she wasn’t. Percy wasn’t convinced, but he forced himself to relax as they started walking toward the street.
He glanced over to see Annabeth wearing a look of worry on her face.
“You sure you’re okay?” he asked quietly.
Annabeth nudged him with her shoulder and smiled. “I’m positive. Now come on - we’ve got a date to get to.”
Percy tried to smile back, but the knot in his stomach didn’t ease.
He pushed the thought aside. Today was supposed to be perfect.
And it was going to be.
Many coffees and conversations later, they decided the best way to end the day was by watching the sun sink over the ocean. They wandered down to the beach, the sand still warm beneath their feet.
They dropped onto the sand side by side, fingers intertwining. The sky was painted in streaks of orange and pink, the waves rolling in with a soft, steady rhythm.
Percy let out a content sigh. “This is perfect.”
Annabeth leaned her head lightly against his shoulder. “Yeah. It really is.”
For a while, they didn’t talk. They just breathed in the salty air, listened to the ocean, and let the world slow down around them. Percy felt the last of the day’s tension melt away, replaced by something warm and peaceful.
Suddenly, a loud crunch echoed in the sand behind them.
Fear crept through Percy’s body as he slowly turned around.
A tall, hunched shadow loomed just beyond the dunes. Its outline flickered in the fading light, claws glinting in the sunset light as it stepped forward.
Annabeth shot upright. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Not again!”
Percy barely had time to react before the monster lunged. He shoved Annabeth out of the way, sand spraying beneath them as the creature’s arm swung down.
Sharp pain exploded across Percy’s side.
He stumbled back, hand flying to his ribs. His fingers brushed something warm and wet, and his breath hitched. The creature hadn’t gotten him cleanly. The strike had only grazed him, but it still burned like fire. This must be the monster that had attacked Annabeth earlier!
Annabeth’s eyes widened. “Percy!”
“I’m fine,” he lied through clenched teeth, already pulling Riptide from his pocket.
The monster snarled, sand shifting under its feet as it prepared to strike again.
Percy tightened his grip on the pen turned sword, ignoring the throbbing pain in his side.
So much for a perfect day.
The monster lunged again, claws just barely missing his him. Percy dodged, gritting his teeth as the pain flared.
Annabeth ran up to support him, dagger drawn, fire blazing in her grey eyes. “You shouldn’t have pushed me out of the way!”
“Yeah, well,” Percy winced as he shifted his stance, “I wasn’t really thinking.”
“You never are.”
Despite the situation, Percy almost burst into laughter.
The monster snarled, pacing in a slow circle around them, claws dragging through the sand. Its gaze flicked between them, calculating, waiting for an opening.
Percy tightened his grip on Riptide. His side throbbed with every breath, but he forced himself to stay upright. He wasn’t about to let this thing ruin their day any more than it already had.
“On three?” Annabeth whispered.
Percy nodded. “One…”
The creature tensed.
“Two…”
Percy’s heart hammered.
“Three.”
Percy waved his sword above his head, tearing the monster’s gaze to him. He ran forward with a slight limp, right into the monster’s clutches.
“Hey!” Percy yelled. “Aren’t so tough, are you, big guy?!”
The creature snarled, its attention snapping fully to him. Exactly what he wanted, and exactly what Annabeth hated.
“Percy!” she hissed, but he was already committed.
The monster lunged, claws slicing through the air where Percy had been a heartbeat earlier. He crouched under the swing, pain flaring in his side as he twisted, but he forced himself to ignore it. He had to keep the thing focused on him, give Annabeth the opening she needed.
“Come on!” Percy taunted, breathless. “You missed me the first time, try again!”
Annabeth groaned. “Why is your strategy always ‘make it angrier’?”
“Because it works!”
Mostly.
The creature roared and lunged. Percy dodged, but the movement sent a sharp pulse of pain through his side. He grit his teeth and kept going. He just had to hold out long enough for Annabeth to strike.
Through the haze creeping into his vision, he watched her duck under what would’ve been a fatal swipe and as she drove her dagger straight into the monster’s gut. It dissolved into ash with a hiss.
The world tilted.
Everything went fuzzy, the edges of his vision blurring as if he were slipping underwater. Sounds dulled, distant and warped. He could see Annabeth’s mouth moving, maybe saying his name, maybe something else entirely. But the words didn’t reach him.
His knees buckled. The sand rushed up to meet him.
And then everything went dark.
It seemed that as soon as he closed his eyes, he opened them again. His head was throbbing, the world sounded like he was in a giant bubble and his side was aching, but he was alive.
He let out a relieved laugh as he opened his eyes.
Then he realised why everything sounded so weird.
He was underwater.
Startled, he accidentally took in a deep breath... before remembering he could breathe underwater. Perks of being the son of the sea god. A few seconds later, the panic faded and a wave of calm washed over him. Being underwater, in his home, made him feel safer. He could already feel his wound healing and his vision sharpening.
A school of fish drifted past on his left, and an eel floated lazily on his right. Percy reached out and nudged the sea creature, waking it from its daze. The eel blinked, spotted the smaller fish, and darted after them.
He looked up toward the sky and saw the sun shining brightly through the darkness of the sea. He swam upward and squinted his eyes as he reached the surface.
The first thing he saw was Annabeth, standing on the shore about fifteen meters away, her arms crossed in anger. His expression turned apologetic as he swam toward her.
The moment he got close enough, she seemed to forget her rage. She wrapped him in a bone crushing hug, completely forgetting about his sensitive side. Percy didn’t care. The faint ache of his wound was nothing compared to the comfort of her arms around him.
“You are a stupid, self-sacrificing idiot.”
Percy smiled and pulled away from the hug. He was surprised to see tear stains on her cheeks.
Guilt twisted in his stomach. He could picture it now. Him unconscious and bleeding in the sand, Annabeth dragging him into the water to save him.
“I’m sorry,” he said, the apology written clearly in his eyes. Annabeth looked almost startled by how sincere it was.
“Well, don’t do anything like that again, Seaweed Brain.” She lifted his shirt and nodded, satisfied to see the deadly wound reduced to a small cut.
“You know I can’t promise that…” Percy rubbed the back of his neck, sheepish.
Annabeth huffed, but the corner of her mouth twitched like she was fighting a smile. “One day, Percy, you’re going to give me a heart attack.”
Percy shrugged helplessly. “At least I’d be there to save you from it.”
“That’s not how heart attacks work.”
“Still counts.”
Annabeth rolled her eyes, but she didn’t let go of his arm as they started walking along the shoreline. The waves lapped gently at their ankles, cool and familiar. Percy felt the ocean tug at him, soothing the last of the ache in his side.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The sun had dipped lower, painting the sky in soft purples and fading gold. It should have been peaceful. It almost was.
Annabeth finally broke the silence. “You scared me.”
Percy looked down at her, surprised by how small her voice sounded. “I didn’t mean to.”
“I know.” She kicked at the sand. “But seeing you on the ground like that… I thought-” She stopped herself, jaw tightening.
Percy nudged her gently with his shoulder. “Don't worry. Next time, I'll try to not be a self-sacrificing idiot.”
She gave him a look that said she didn’t believe him for a second, but she squeezed his hand anyway.
They walked a little farther, the ocean breeze brushing past them. Percy glanced at her, taking in the dried dirt on her face, the tear in her shirt, the exhaustion she was trying so hard to hide.
“You okay?” he asked softly.
Annabeth let out a breath. “I will be. Now that you’re not dying.”
Percy grinned. “See? Perfect date.”
She snorted. “Only you would call getting mauled by a monster ‘perfect.’”
“Well, the sunset was nice.”
Annabeth bumped his shoulder again. “Yeah. It was.”
They reached the edge of the sand, where the pier awaited them. The wooden boards were warm beneath their feet. Percy leaned against the railing, watching the waves roll in and out. Annabeth stood beside him, close enough that their arms brushed.
For the first time since this morning, Percy felt the tension fully leave his body. He inhaled the salty air, letting it settle in his chest.
“Tomorrow,” Annabeth said quietly, “we’re doing something normal.”
Percy laughed. “Define normal.”
“No monsters. No near death experiences. Just… us.”
Percy pretended to think about it. “I guess I can manage that.”
“You’d better.”
She rested her head on his shoulder, and Percy let his eyes drift shut for a moment, listening to the steady rhythm of the waves.
Maybe the day hadn’t gone the way he planned.
But standing there with Annabeth, alive and safe, he figured it turned out pretty good anyway.