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Mount Olympus was noisy. There was a party, yes, right after the Olympians decided to let Percy live. Annabeth didn’t want to think about that, because after all Percy did for Olympus, the gods still had the nerve to argue over whether he should live or not. After everything that happened in Mount Othrys, she didn’t want to think about the Titans or the Olympians, or the prophecy — which was pretty hard because right now she was in Olympus watching the younger demigods, satyrs and gods dance and sing along to the tunes of the nine muses.
Apollo had tended to her wounds, well the physical ones; she didn’t know if there would be a cure for all the emotional bruises she learnt to hide well. Aphrodite had helped Annabeth with her attire. She definitely needed a new one. Not because she wanted to dress up for the party, but because her sweatshirt was torn near the sleeves and her jeans had seen better days. She didn’t want to give anyone a shock, with the way she looked. So, Aphrodite gave her a cotton blue dress. She did try to get a little overboard, by trying to convince Annabeth to wear a gown, glass shoes, and a tiara, and go all Cinderella, but Annabeth insisted that the blue dress was enough. It was a simple sea-blue cotton dress with thin straps that fell just below her knees.
“Sea blue looks so good on you.” The goddess had winked at her. However, Aphrodite frowned in disapproval when Annabeth wore her blue jacket on top of the dress and zipped it up a little, but Annabeth didn't care. She conveyed her gratitude to the goddess and left as soon as possible. She was smart enough to know that Aphrodite, being interested in her life, was not going to do her any good.
She spotted Thalia talking to Grover. Her sister was now a hunter, and Annabeth was so happy for her. She was definitely going to miss Thalia, but she was glad to know that she got to choose her own path, especially after being used as a weapon and not having any control over her life for so long. She wanted to go to them, but before she could take another step, she was welcomed by a new face. Judging from his looks, he was around her age, or slightly older —a minor god, though she didn’t know who it was. He was wearing a casual outfit, and a laurel wreath sat on his head. His smile was bright and vibrant.
“Can I have the dance?” He asked, extending his hand.
Oh, right. Dance. Annabeth thought. She really wasn’t in the mood for a dance, but he looked really friendly, a couple minutes wouldn’t hurt, would it?
“Sure.” Annabeth took his hands, and they started to dance. Or at least move?
He was talkative, but Annabeth didn’t mind. She was glad that something was distracting her from thinking about the events that had happened, even if the conversation was about his current favorite songs on Spotify. Annabeth just nodded along and danced with him, she wasn’t even sure if she was listening to him anymore. The music was getting louder. The song genre was whatever you want it to be, whether classical music which the gods prefer, or pop or hip hop the younger demigods preferred. She kept nodding until her eyes spotted someone, and Annabeth’s vision tunneled.
Percy.
Percy Jackson.
His eyes met hers. He was standing a little far away, near a table which had drinks placed in the most mesmerizing way, but Percy was still drawing all her attention. His blue eyes were shining, as he started to walk towards her. In no time he was near her, and she didn’t even know when she had stopped dancing with the minor god. She had no idea when the god left, not like she could care.
“Hey” Percy was standing right in front of her.
“Hey.” Annabeth replied.
Something has changed between them. She could tell. It took time for them to look away from each other. They were able to communicate without even saying anything. Being next to him made everything even more colorful. Now, her mind wasn’t nudging her anymore about going home, back to camp.
“How are you feeling?” Percy’s eyes scanned her, which filled her heart with warmth.
“Better, Apollo helped.”
“Yeah, that dude helped me too. Even told me that I could ride his sun chariot if I want.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, also he might’ve noticed my archery skills I guess, because he told me he could teach me archery. But me and archery, we are like Hera and Zeus, I don’t think it’ll ever work out.”
Annabeth laughed. He knows that laugh, he didn’t get to see it often. But he had memorized it. Especially in the past week, when she wasn’t with him, he replayed her laugh in his head several times. He told himself he’d find her, he told himself, he’d make her laugh again. And he did it. It felt like a victory, and that made him smile. A genuine one.
“Where were you anyway?” Annabeth questioned him.
“I was talking to my dad, and your mom.”
That made Annabeth’s eyes slightly widen, but soon she furrowed her eyebrows.
“Did she give you a hard time? Percy whatever she said, don’t let it get to you.”
That made Percy smile softly. She cared for him. Of course, she always did, but right now everything made him feel good. Actually, more than good.
“Yeah. I thought the same thing. Don't you want to know? What she said?”
Percy asked, he was little surprised, Annabeth’s first question wasn't that. She shook her head in response.
“I think I’ll only get mad, Percy. Especially after how they wanted to vote about keeping you....”
Annabeth didn’t finish the sentence, she looked away biting her lips, as if she was stopping herself from saying something about the gods. Honestly, he wouldn’t blame her even if she did. But his gaze fell on her lips as she bit them, and he fought the urge to free them with his fingers. He totally shook his thoughts away. It was almost as if Aphrodite was whispering in his ears.
“I really want to go back to camp.”
Percy nodded. But the his eyes shined, and his smile grew.
“But I owe you a dance.”
Percy’s eyes never left her. He could see a small smile slowly appearing on her lips.
When Percy extended his hand, Annabeth took it immediately. They walked to the center of the dance floor. This time he took the lead. He gently guided her hands to his shoulders, then slid his own to her waist.
“So, this time, I didn’t have to take your hands and wrap it around me. Good improvement.” Annabeth smiled. Her tone was slightly mischievous. He liked that.
“You see, I learn quickly.”
“uhuh”
They started to dance slowly. They were looking at each other from time to time and then looking around. Maybe Percy looked like he was still having some thoughts about the earlier discussions with the Olympians. So, Annabeth broke his thoughts.
“You’re still thinking about what the gods said.”
Percy looked at her a little surprised.
“How’d you know?”
“Because I know you.” Annabeth said, almost immediately that made him feel things he couldn’t put into words. She continued.
“The gods, they don’t know you, Percy. The Olympians are all about pride and glory. They only care about what is the best for them. Anything they don’t understand, which is precisely being human and making human choices, they see it as a threat.”
Percy just kept staring at her in awe, taking in every word she was saying. Listening to her talk felt as comforting as sleeping beneath a warm blanket on a rainy day.
“You’re not going to cause any destruction, Percy. You're the kind of hero they’ve never seen. Kind, selfless, and brave. I know you, and I trust you. And I know it for a fact, that you will save the world along with your friends.”
Percy was getting lost. He was getting lost in her big brown eyes. Her unwavering trust in him, was doing something to his body and mind. Her soft touch was comforting, and her mere presence was grounding him. He doesn’t know how Annabeth does that, but with her by his side, everything felt less scary.
His eyes scanned her face and settled on her hair, on the grey streak. Which reminded him of the burden she carried. Which made him angry all over again, that he regretted that it wasn’t him who kicked Luke off the cliff. He gently raised one of his hand and tucked a strand of her grey hair behind her ear, before slowly cupping her face.
“I’m sorry.”
Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows.
“I should’ve come sooner. I should’ve been more careful, maybe if I was more careful you wouldn’t have fallen—”
But before he could finish his sentence, Annabeth pressed a finger on his lips, stopping him from speaking.
“Boon” she shushed him. He stopped speaking and his lips fell still beneath her index finger.
“It’s not your fault. You came for me. You saved me. That's all that matters.”
Her hand slipped away from his lips and gently caressed his cheek, for a moment, before her fingers brushed the grey streak in his hair. There was pain in her eyes.
“You carried it too. The sky.”
Annabeth’s hand slowly traced his face, and he closed his eyes, savoring her touch. He opened them when her hand slowly settled on his shoulder once again. They were still swaying to the music. But their eyes never left each other.
“Let’s forget that, Percy. I know it’s hard, but for now at least, let’s not think about it.”
He nodded. Because now she was with him, he got her that’s all that matters.
They moved in slow circles. Some soft music playing in the background.
“So, Thalia became a hunter. How’d you feel about it?”
“Well, I am happy for her. Even if I don’t get to see her often.”
Percy nodded again.
“And you? You didn’t want to, you know become a hunter?”
He saw her slightly panic, very slight, that if he hadn’t paid close attention, he would’ve missed it. She was trying to come up with the right words to say, he found that cute.
“Grover showed me the pamphlet you were carrying. You know the hunters one. So...”
Percy, however, didn’t mention anything else, like his whole conversation with Aphrodite, or that she looked like Annabeth.
“Ahhh... that” Annabeth started.
“I just don’t know Percy. I can’t say I wasn’t curious, but I wasn’t hundred percent sure either. I considered it and then I realized I didn’t want it.”
“Immortality? Is there a reason?”
He wanted to know the reason.
“Well, yeah of course. There are many reasons.”
“And they are?”
Percy had a smile on his face, one that didn’t plan on leaving soon. Seeing her big eyes sway side to side, he could tell she was thinking so hard to come up with another answer. Percy gently squeezed her waist to bring her back to reality. That seemed to work because she looked up at him, immediately.
“Wise girl?”
“huh?”
“The reasons.”
Percy reminded her. He was almost whispering.
“Yeah, the reasons. Well for the starters, I can’t leave camp. You know my cabin?”
“Your cabin? Yeah, right, your cabin, what about it?”
He played along.
“Well, seaweed brain, I am the cabin counselor. I can’t just leave just like that. What will I tell Bronte, especially when I was taken and they’re all worried? And my brother Malcolm? He’ll go into a shock.”
“Right.”
They kept moving along to the rhythm. They didn’t pay much attention to the music, but they didn’t stop dancing either.
“And Grover? He's at camp, and he’ll be sad if I just left like that. And Clarisse? You know how mad Clarisse gets when she hears I am not going to be in her training sessions anymore?”
“Yeah yeah, of course. Clarisse, training sessions. That sounds so important.”
Percy was still playing along, trying not to grin.
“And uh Silena? She’s not a big fan of the hunters. And, Chiron, he will be devastated and —”
She stopped and looked at Percy, he was pretty sure, she was blushing a little.
“And you. What will you do without me?”
“Right,” his expression was a little serious, “What will I do without you?”
Annabeth looked at him, her eyes held the same intensity. Then, she quickly broke eye contact.
“You know for future quests. We can’t have you turn into a guinea pig again.”
She smirked a little. Percy grinned.
“Yeah, we can’t have that.” He said. His eyes never left hers.
“I like your dress. Blue suits you.”
He didn’t know where he got courage. Maybe it was because he had almost lost her, and he didn’t want to hold back. Or maybe because Athena said something about not being happy about their friendship, and he wanted to prove to her that he doesn't care about her opinions. Or maybe because, just because it felt right.
“Thanks. Aphrodite helped. With the dress.”
“Oh.” That was all Percy could say. Because his conversation with Aphrodite was proof, that she was indeed interested in whatever was going on between him and Annabeth.
Suddenly he stopped dancing and stood still, and so did Annabeth. He stopped because of the song. It was the same song that played in Westover Hall. He looked at Annabeth, it looked like she was thinking about something too. Everyone hears what the song they want to hear, what they prefer. There was no way she was hearing the same song as him. Or was it?
Georgia, wrap me up in all your,
“What do you hear?” Percy asked, a little desperation in his tone. She was closer to him. She looked up at him.
I want you in my arms
“The one that played in the Westover Hall.” She replied. And Percy let out a huge sigh, like her answer had filled his lungs with fresh air.
Oh, let me hold ya.
I’ll never let you go again,
“Me too.” Percy whispered.
He pulled her closer by the waist, as her hands wrapped around his neck. He didn’t care about anything else, except her. He wouldn’t let her go again. Never. He silently made a promise to himself.
Like I did
Oh. I used to say
Percy leaned in until their foreheads touched. Annabeth didn’t pull away. Instead, she closed her eyes, he did the same. Together they continued to sway, drifting with the melody.
“I would never fall in love, again until I found her”
I said, “I would never fall, unless it’s you, I fall into.”
He opened his eyes, their foreheads still resting together. Slowly, Annabeth opened hers and smiled. Percy mirrored her smile. Then she giggled softly, and that drew a laugh from from him as well.
I was lost within the darkness, but then I found her.
He didn’t care if Zeus was still shooting daggers at him. He didn’t care if Athena was annoyed with their bond, and he didn’t care if Aphrodite was throwing knowing glances his way. All that mattered to him was that Annabeth was alive. And she was here. With him.
I found you.