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Annabeth felt like she couldn’t get any luckier. She was sitting in the passenger seat of Percy’s stepdad's car, newly freed of hoofprints on the roof, driving along the New York coast. Percy was sitting next to her, his hair ruffled by the wind and his green eyes covered by a pair of black sunglasses. With his beach shorts and slightly unbuttoned white shirt, he looked like the God of the sea himself.
With the good looks to match. Annabeth thought to herself.
As if he heard her thought, Percy grinned his signature grin and reached over to grab her hand, not quite taking his eyes off the road. She hid a smile of her own as she turned her gaze to the coastline, to the sea that she knew matched the eyes hidden from her. She couldn’t quite believe they had been allowed to not only leave the Camp Half-Blood perimeters but borrow Paul’s car. Percy had floated the idea of this trip two weeks ago, as a way to celebrate three months together without killing each other or dying through other circumstances (as a demigod that was a real problem.) Sally had been hesitant to let them go alone but Percy had made the excellent point that if he could defend Manhattan from the Lord of Time’s armies, save the world and make the Gods promise child support, he could manage a weekend away with his girlfriend. There wasn’t much Sally could say after that. After swearing up and down that the car would be returned in immaculate condition, they left in the early morning to one of the few parts of Percy’s life that Annabeth hadn’t already seen. They were going to Montauk.
-----
Percy led the way into the well-loved cabin, dropping their bags in the bedroom and opening the windows. Annabeth ran an architect's eye over the small space, noting the wide windows and light interior decoration with appreciation. The room was accented with shades of blue and touches of white, void of the cheesy signs and quotes that too often covered similar beach houses. The windows let in lots of natural light and led to a beautiful view of the ocean, while the inside remained cozy and comfortable.
“I know it's not much…” Percy’s voice came from where he stood in the doorway of the bedroom. He ran his hand through his hair and shifted his feet. Annabeth realized she hadn’t said anything since they walked in and cursed herself silently. He was showing her a piece of his heart, offering it to her gently and hopefully, wanting to share this part of himself that he hadn’t dared show anyone else, and she had been too busy noting the decorations to realize that he was taking her silence for disdain. She crossed the room and slipped her hand into his.
“I love it.” She laid her head on his shoulder and looked toward the ocean. “It feels like home.”
-----
They spent the day in the water. Percy tried to teach her how to surf on the gently rolling waves but he kept getting too excited whenever she managed to stand. The ocean responded to his joy with bigger waves that sent Annabeth flying. He always apologized but she didn’t mind, just sent a splash of water in his direction and hopped back on the board.
They tended to lose time in the water. Maybe it was just Percy making sure she never got too cold or calling interesting sea creatures for her to say hi to. Either way, the sun was high in the sky before either of them ventured back into the cabin for lunch.
She gingerly touched the bright red skin of her shoulder while Percy winced behind her.
“This is why you wear sunscreen, Wise Girl.” She shot him a withering glare.
“I know Seaweed Brain, I just forgot this time.” She studied her reflection in the mirror, noting the red spread across her nose and cheeks. Their eyes met in the mirror. “Aren’t you supposed to protect me at the beach?” She asked with a slight smirk on her face.
“Uh… that is definitely not my domain.” He held his hands up in an impressive imitation of a certain God. “I feel a haiku coming on.”
“Oh no, please don’t —”
“Annabeth’s sunburn,
Is just not my fault at all.
Let’s blame Apollo.”
“An excellent impression I must say but…” she glanced over her shoulder at the bathing suit she left on the window sill. “Maybe you should apologize.” The suit that had been soaking wet a minute ago was now steaming slightly as if left too close to an open fire. Percy followed her gaze and grimaced. He walked over to the door and threw it open, looking up at the sky.
“Sorry Apollo! Didn’t mean to steal your thunder!” He turned to grin at her. “So to speak.” She rolled her eyes affectionately and went to pick up her now dry swimsuit.
“At least when you piss off the Gods, you do it in style.”
He grinned. “Been doing it since I was twelve years old, I wouldn’t want to disappoint now.”
-----
“I have something for you.” Annabeth walked around the fire Percy had started so she could sit at his side. His gorgeous eyes (which Annabeth noticed were only made more striking by a light sunburn) held a glimmer of curiosity as she rummaged through her backpack. That curious light morphed into surprise and joy when she pulled out a bag of blue marshmallows and set them on his lap.
“Wha..how…when…” Words seemed to fail him. She let out a light laugh and reached over to open the bag.
“I asked your mom where I could find them. I wanted to surprise you.” She had even risked using a cell phone to call Sally, not wanting to surprise her with an Iris message.
“You are officially the best girlfriend ever.” He leaned over the bag to gently kiss his thanks before pushing two marshmallows onto the stick she offered him. Some small part of her thrilled at the easy contact between them. It felt like something had shifted after she had taken that knife for him during the battle of Manhattan; any hesitance or worry about their relationship, from either of them, had been wiped away, leaving nothing but ease and natural affection. Maybe that’s just what happens after you save someone's life.
“That was known way before now, but I’ll take the thanks.” She grinned at the look Percy threw her and turned to roast a marshmallow of her own.
She tried to breathe in, to absorb this rare moment of peace with the warmth of the fire in front of her and of the boy sitting next to her. The life they led was rarely peaceful, it always felt like something worse was right around the corner. So these rare moments, they meant a lot to both of them.
“I think I did something wrong.” She looked up from her brooding at the fire to see Percy with blue marshmallow smeared all over his face. He looked like a toddler after an ice cream cone. Unexpected laughter erupted from her at the sight, and he offered her a reluctant grin.
“Percy, did any actually make it into your mouth?” She asked between peals of laughter.
“Some did!” He defended. “Less than I had initially hoped, but some did.” She grinned at him and reached over to wipe some of the mess with her fingers.
“You know it might be faster if you just dunked yourself in the ocean and let yourself get wet for a change. But,” she leaned over further, “then no one would get to enjoy it.” She followed her fingers with kisses across his cheek, tasting the sugary marshmallow on her tongue. He grinned and chased her with kisses of his own, so they ended up with equal amounts of marshmallow on each of their faces, sharing sugar-sweet kisses until most of it was gone.
“If my face is stained blue I’m blaming you, Seaweed Brain.”
“The marshmallows were your idea, Wise Girl”
She stuck out her tongue at him. Percy chose to not point out that it was blue.
-----
“Do you remember the first time we met?” The question was whispered into the dark of the room, the words coming easier when faces were hidden.
“How could I forget?” A flash of white teeth. He reached out and curled a strand of her hair around his finger. “I thought you were a princess.” His hand withdrew. “I had just learned my best friend was a satyr, lost my mom, and fought a mythical beast, and I still managed to think you were pretty before I passed out.” He chuckled gently. “I guess I had it bad for you from the beginning.” Annabeth was glad the darkness hid some of the blush creeping over her cheeks, although she probably could have blamed it on the sun.
“You still drool in your sleep,” she responded, grinning wickedly. Percy mock gasped into the sea air.
“Was this whole conversation a trap for that witty line?” He asked, a dramatic hand on his chest. “Was my whole speech for nothing?” She reached over and poked him in the side, effectively drawing a laugh. She was laughing too, at the memories of how young they were, of how her twelve-year-old self thought that she needed to get under his skin. She had thought he was pretty too, but never in a million years would have admitted it.
Her poking hand lingered at his side as their laughter echoed through the empty cabin. Comfortable silence took its place as drowsiness overtook them.
Annabeth never could sleep close to someone. She had slept with a weighted blanket for years (it had been the best at keeping the spiders out when they had come) but after what happened on that mountain, what had earned her her white strip of hair, she couldn’t stand the weight. Even Percy’s arms around her had her waking up gasping for air, shoulders and spine aching with phantom pain. Percy knew that and kept his distance whenever they slept in the same bed. But as they lay facing each other, giggles fading into silence, she wished she hadn’t drawn that line in the sand.
She reached out her hand and curled it around his. A silent request. “I just want to know you’re here,” she answered the question that hadn’t been asked. “Sometimes I’m scared that if I close my eyes when I open them again you’ll be gone, and these happy days, this happy feeling,” she pressed her free hand to her chest, “gone with you.” Percy squeezed her hand under the sheet. Maybe not quite understanding what she meant, but understanding what she needed. When Annabeth woke the next morning she was facing the other way, having tossed in her sleep. The last thing she remembered from the night before was the gentle weight of his hand in hers, and the remnants of their laughter aching in her cheeks.
-----
She had rolled over that morning to an empty bed, the coolness in the spot next to her letting her know that Percy had been gone for a few hours at least. A note fluttered in the breeze, trapped under a small conch shell.
B back soon. Blackjack came, smth abt a ichicentar in troble. <3 u
She took a minute to unscramble the message, between his shorthand and her dyslexia it wasn’t the easiest task but she got the gist. Ichicentar, she thought with a smile. Ichthyocentaurs were half-human with the forelegs of a horse and a fish's tail; though she had never met one personally, Chiron had told her about his underwater cousins. Maybe Percy would bring her back a baked good. She leisurely stretched, then got up to change into her swimsuit. With Percy away, it would be a good time for her to practice her surfing, without being knocked off her board.
Thirty minutes later she had gotten a pretty good hang of it, although the prayer she had offered up to Poseidon beforehand may have helped. She could stand steadily and was practicing moving down the face of the wave when Blackjack landed on the beach, Percy sliding off as the pegasus hit the ground. He waved out at Annabeth, a grin on his face before turning to Blackjack. A moment later, the pegasus took off into the sky and Percy was at her side. She would never get used to how fast he could move in the water. She sat astride her board and he leaned his arms against the edge.
“How’d it go?” She asked him, after discretely scanning him for injuries. A raised eyebrow told her she hadn’t been as nonchalant as she hoped.
“I’m fine. It was an easy job. Some mortal got it in their head to drop anchor in one of their camps and after it got caught on one of their roofs they cut it free and it got all tangled up…” He waved his hand as if the story wasn’t worth retelling. “Anyways, I got the anchor out of the way and promised to replace some of the pearl detailing. Some of the mermen were very upset.” His mouth turned up as he tried to suppress a smile. “I tried to tell them to check out their reflection in something else but they didn’t appreciate that much.” Annabeth rolled her eyes; just like Percy to push their buttons. “But…” He continued. “They asked me if they could give me something in exchange for my help. They offered me baked goods at first but I said no.” He held up his hands to stave off whatever Annabeth was about to say, as she had indeed opened her mouth. “Because I asked for something better.” He gently grabbed her wrist and flipped her palm face up and dropped something into it. Her fingers curved around a piece of red coral about the size of a quarter. The patterns in it were intricate and swirling, beautiful, the red a vibrant color against the golden skin of her hand. It took her a second to notice the hole at the top of it. It looked like…
“It can go on a necklace. If you want it to.” Percy said, almost hesitantly. When she stared at him dumbfounded he gently reached around her neck, untied her camp necklace, and strung on the piece of coral, right next to her father's ring. He held it up to show her. “I asked them to put the hole in it. And…” He hesitated again. “I asked them to add something to it. You know how Riptide always appears in my pocket, so I can’t lose it right?” She nodded. “I asked them to do that for the pendant, so you won’t — can’t lose your necklace.” He rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. “I know I always worry about losing mine, and I don’t want you to lose yours because it has all of the memories, and your father’s ring, and now the pendant which can remind you of me, if you want to keep it of course, and-” Annabeth cut off his rambling with a long, extended kiss. When she finally pulled away Percy had a goofy look on his face and seemed to have forgotten what he had been talking about.
“I love it. It’s perfect, thank you.” She kissed him again and leaned forward so he could tie the necklace around her throat again. “The pendant… it’s beautiful.” Percy’s face pinked slightly, and he looked down at his hands.
“Yeah, well,” He cleared his throat. “It’s from Poseidon’s palace. When I told the icky… ithi,”
“Ichthyocentaurs,” Annabeth said patiently.
“Yeah, them. When I told them about you and asked for help they said that they would bring something as beautiful as the girl I described.” He grinned shyly. “I told them it was impossible but they could try all the same.”
It was Annabeth's turn to blush as she leaned in to kiss him again. And again. And again.
-----
Annabeth collapsed into bed, exhausted after another day of sun and surf. She smiled up at the ceiling, remembering Percy, lips swollen with her thanks.
“What’re you grinning at?” Percy asked from the kitchen. He was still in his swimsuit, a towel thrown over his shoulder and hair messy from the salt. He was making them dinner, which he had decided would be breakfast. Complete with blue pancakes and bacon. He held the bowl of batter in front of him, blue flecks covering his chest from his vigorous whisking. He looked soft. Perfect.
“You.” She answered. A simple answer, but true. His eyes crinkled with his smile. His lips were still pink.
“The first round of pancakes is ready.” He surveyed her sprawled across their bed. “Can you get up or would you prefer me to serve you in bed.”
She reached for him, flapping her fingers in a mock beckon. “In bed please.” She extended her please for several seconds, causing Percy to grin at her.
“Of course, darling.” He answered teasingly, as he brought her a plate. “I hope you enjoy.”
Annabeth smiled up at him through her lashes as he turned back to the stove and responded in an equally teasing tone, “Thank you, my love.”
After he made his portion he sat next to her, stacking their plates on the side table when they were done. They laid next to each other, curled inward like nothing existed but the other. They talked simply, of Camp Half-Blood and what their fellow campers would be doing at the moment. They talked of their favorite colors and why, they talked of things that mattered but didn’t seem to. Of their pets and past and present. Of each other. The light dimmed across the horizon, and shadows filled the small space until Annabeth couldn’t see the green of his eyes but could see when they started to droop. The sun and salt got even to the son of the sea God. Gently, without rustling the sheets, she slid her hand in between them. She almost reached out to touch him, but held back. She remembered their conversation from last night, she didn’t expect him to, not really. It had been late, it hadn’t been important. Not to him at least. She left her hand resting in the no man’s land between them, not wanting to bother him by broaching the gap. Her eyes closed, content to just be close to him. To the boy who had become so much to her.
Gently, almost silently, his hand slid across the sheet into hers. His eyes stayed close, like the action hadn’t altered her foundation, hadn’t warmed her chest and soul to the point of pain.
He remembered.
Such a simple thing, done without prompting. Without asking. Done out of love, out of a desire to be touching. She couldn’t stop smiling. Couldn’t stop being happy.
This is it. This. Forever.
They fell asleep like that, curled in like parentheses, hands tangled between them, slowly creating something permanent.