Chapter Text
Percy had finally confronted Annabeth after the Battle of the Labyrinth.
He wasn’t really sure what he was expecting, so many confused feelings and the emotional turmoil running through his head between his best friend, Rachel, Calypso, and Luke. Everything just seemed to be so raw and fragile inside of him.
It made him mad, though, so much so that he was tired of waiting and finally just pulled Annabeth behind his cabin during the campfire singalongs with the Apollo kids.
“What is it, Percy?” she asked, looking at him as though he had her to eat a bucket full of slime just by following him.
“I can’t take this anymore,” he told her, watching as her stormy gray eyes examined him—probably trying to decide if he was even worth her time. “I just… can’t.”
“Can’t take what, Seaweed Brain?” she asked him slowly, her face hardening as if what he was saying was already making her angry.
“You kissed me,” he blurted out, half cursing his mouth-to-brain filter. “In Mount Saint Helens—you kissed me.”
She just seemed to stare at him, eyes frozen and her lips pressed thinly together at her mouth.
“Well, it’s just…” he tried to amend himself before she would leave him, “I mean, right now it kinda feels like you hate me—but I don’t want that cause we’re supposed to be best friends and everything…” he shook his at his own attempts of a civilized conversation. Gods, what was he even doing?
She dug her nails into her hands as she watched him, a frown seeming to pull at the corner of her mouth.
“It’s not that I didn’t like it,” he told her quickly. “I mean, the kiss was totally…well, I mean it really has nothing to do with the kiss in the end, though.” he was sure his face was bright red right now. “I’m just really kind of confused right now and I’m not sure if you hate me…or—”
She cut him off before he could finish his horrible rant—which was probably a good thing if he was being completely honest—by leaning towards him and pressing her lips to his.
Percy’s brain immediately short-circuited. He wasn’t even sure if he was standing up or if he could even move because what. She was kissing him.
And, yeah, he totally liked it.
Her hands had cupped his jawline when she had first pulled him into her, but once he began to kiss her back, they moved to his shoulders and down his back.
He moved his hands around her neck, feeling her soft, beautiful princess curls as their kiss deepened. It was like she had opened up some door inside of him that he hadn’t even known existed, releasing something that could never be returned.
When they finally parted from one another, Percy was gasping for breath.
“I’m guessing this means you don’t hate me then?” he asked her.
She smiled at him softly, though her gray eyes seemed stormier, “No, Seaweed Brain, I don’t hate you.”
She kissed him again three days later after they had gotten themselves locked into a very heated sparring match. She had pulled him into the armory, cheeks heated and her shirt still sticking to her skin from sweat, and pushed him against the wall as he enthusiastically wrapped his arms around her neck.
They only broke apart when they heard someone walking up to the weapon’s shed outside, and Percy had watched as Annabeth quickly scuttled away from him, leaving him as she snuck outside without another word.
They didn’t stop kissing after that, either.
Throughout the rest of the summer, they would sneak in hidden moments with each other like the ones before, whether it was in the middle of the woods during capture the flag or if they were in the Big House washing the camp’s dishes.
The truth was, though… Percy wasn’t really sure what any of the kissing actually meant.
Other than the short, secret hidden moments of passion, nothing between them had changed. She still argued with and made fun of him, and she would still continue to barely look at him without a pissed-off look on her face whenever he brought up names like Luke or Rachel.
They never talked about what was going on between each other, either. Or if it was even a secret. Many times over, they had slipped into a closet in the Big House and left a minute later without sharing any words with the other person.
Percy was afraid to even say anything, though. It was almost as if asking her what exactly was going on would be taboo, and if he said it, she would just go back to seeming to be angry at him for all hours of the day without any small bouts of time where she would kiss him.
And he liked the kissing quite a bit, actually.
The first time they had sex was the day of Beckendorf’s death.
Percy had just finished reading the Great Prophecy during the counselor's meeting. He was probably going to get his soul reaped or something. They had watched Silena sob and listened to Clarisse rage. Typhon was nearing Olympus, and Kronos most certainly had something planned for them. Everything was hopeless.
He followed her to the lake after the campfire while everyone else was in bed. She sat on the dock with her feet tip-toeing the water, sending delicate ripples across the glassy lake.
Tears trailed down her cheeks, leaving glistening patterns for the moon to dance on. She didn’t look at him as he sat next to her, only intensely staring at the water.
“We’ll be okay,” he spoke softly. His hand nearly brushed against hers on the deck before he thought better of it. Percy wasn’t even sure he believed the words coming out of his own mouth, but he didn’t really know what else he could say.
She turned her gaze on him, lifting her hand to face. He sat there, mesmerized, as she traced her fingers across his lips to his cheekbones and jawline. Her eyes roved, absorbing every detail down to his dimples like he was some architecture book she was studying.
By the time she pressed her lips gently against his, Percy was positive his brain was probably more gush than thoughts. They had never kissed like that before— so delicately and caressingly, without the usual passion and roughness.
She cried softly into his ear as they held each other, their limbs becoming more and more tangled together with each passing second. He spoke her name like she was the only goddess he knew, breathing into her sweet, strawberry-scented hair.
I love you, he wanted to say when they lay together on the dock afterwards. Their legs were sprawled across the wooden boards while they stared at the stars sparkling so innocently above them. He closed his mouth, though, too scared of ruining the small smile on her face and the glow in her stormy eyes.
The moment ended just as soon as he began to enjoy it. She put her clothes back on and snuck back towards her cabin without looking back. Because that’s all it was. A moment.
Annabeth avoided him like the plague after that. Even during the battle in New York, she only spoke to him when strictly necessary.
Had she gotten all she wanted from him?
Percy felt ready to collapse, shouldering the lives of so many demigods and mortals alike. It was worse than carrying the weight of the sky, which, trust him, he knew how that felt. Everyone was looking at him for answers, and meanwhile, the Great Prophecy swung like a knife dangling above his head. It became harder and harder not to feel hopeless, and Percy, more often than not, had to stomp thoughts of surrender out of his head.
Grover tried to help share his burden a bit, playing tunes on his flute to help Percy fall asleep, but Percy still couldn’t help but yearn for Annabeth’s presence. Her stubborn eyes and sureness as she made battle plans by his side soothed him more than any hug or word of encouragement ever could.
But every time she saw him begin to approach her, she’d turn away and find something to busy herself with. The unspoken words were clear, but heartbreaking: he needed her, but she did not need him.
When she walked up to Percy after all the chaos of the war was over, she was carrying a blue cupcake in her hands and smiling. She looked so beautiful, her hair pulled back messily, loose strands framing her face. Her gray eyes practically sparkled when he met her gaze, and he could tell she was happier than she had been in a long time.
Annabeth lifted the cupcake, offering it to him. “Happy Birthday, Seaweed Brain.”
Percy went to take the cupcake from her before hesitating, his hand paused midair. A huge part of him wanted to accept whatever apology it was that she was offering. He wanted to smile with Annabeth while they shared his cupcake and then kiss her until he couldn’t breathe.
But another part of him knew that he would never be able to forget the last week. They had been through so much together, ever since they were twelve and on their first quest. He had fought for her when she had been kidnapped and held her as she had cried at the bottom of the sea after the sirens. He had thought Annabeth had been for him, too. She had held his hand as they first entered the Underworld. She hugged him in relief when he returned from Calypso’s Island. They had been there for each other so many times before, but yet during the most trying times in Percy’s life, she had abandoned him.
She was here now, in front of him, when he was finally starting to breathe, but where was she when he had needed her? Is this what she did now? Left when times were hard, only to come back to him when they could enjoy themselves?
Percy knew he loved Annabeth Chase with every aching bone in his body. His love for her saved him while he was drowning in the River Styx. His love for her is what stopped him from accepting Zeus’s gift of godhood. He loved her before he even knew what love really was, and even now, the sight of her face was enough to make his heart skip a beat.
But this love he had for her? He wasn’t sure he was ready to share it.
His hand dropped to his side.
She stared at him, the cupcake sitting forgotten in her hands.
“I can’t keep doing this, Wise Girl,” he breathed softly. “I’m sorry.”
He stepped around her calmly, making his way towards his cabin, ready for a nice, long nap. A part of him couldn’t help but be proud that he was walking away from her for once. Another part of him already regretted not kissing her first.