Hey this is jm here. as u can tell, this is my first story, so go easy on me guys.
Disclaimer: this stuff all belongs to rick riordan and hyperion books
Annabeth wasn't afraid of heights. She enjoyed them and hoped to construct giant monuments and buildings as an architect. It was her dream. Still, if there was one thing Annabeth disliked, it was jumping from a high place. The sensation of falling unnerved her and it felt like being on a roller coaster. It amazed Annabeth how these feelings could apply to life. At one point, she had enjoyed the feeling of falling, falling for Luke. Her feelings for him wavered up and down like a bungee cord for a while before she realized that that wasn't really falling in love. When she fell, there was no sensation of falling. It was missing. They never jumped into a relationship and they were like brother and sister.
Annabeth had seen love though. She'd seen it in her father's eyes and her step-mother's eyes and even in her mother's eyes. Even Thalia had once been in love with Luke. She wasn't stupid either, she knew love hurt. The pain was evident when Thalia joined the Hunters after giving up hope on Luke. It was evident in the eyes of Percy's mom when she stared out at the water. Annabeth didn't want that. She didn't want to get hurt. She was Wise Girl, after all. She could find a way to become immune to love before it was too late. But with Percy, she didn't have time to prepare her walls and facades. She didn't have time to stop herself. She didn't have time to realize she was jumping.
This time though, that falling sensation was very much there. The feeling wasn't as uncomfortable as she thought it would be. When the incident with Calypso and the whole Rachel thing came up, Annabeth felt as if someone had yanked her back. It hurt more than she's willing to admit and the whiplash stung for a long time. Once more, she closed up and tried to appear invincible, tried to appear like an impenetrable barrier. She saw how she pushed him away after the Battle of the Labyrinth and how he got closer to Rachel. For once, Annabeth had no game plan and she was on the brink of losing hope.
Then the battle in New York City began. Everyone was running to fight and she and Percy had each other's backs. Rachel didn't matter at that moment and it was just them like it should be. Two partners, two friends, two maybe-more-then-friends. When Ethan lunged at Percy, she didn't think, but just had a crazy instinct to protect him. To protect the one she loved. Realizing she loved him was like an epiphany and it opened her eyes to his love for her. That stupid Seaweed Brain had it just as bad as she did. When he held her hand as her wound was cleaned, Annabeth fought the urge to kiss him. To kiss him like she did on Mt. St. Helen's when things were pretty bad, but not even close to what was happening now.
On Mount Olympus, Annabeth fought. She fought to find Luke who was deep inside Kronos and she fought to save the life of an insufferable boy. An insufferable boy she loved and it was so worth it. When Luke asked if she loved him, Annabeth didn't lie. She let down her walls and told the truth. She knew their parents were enemies, but she could care less. When this battle was all over, he wouldn't know what hit him. And honestly, she didn't know what hit her. The excitement of victory and the praise from her mother made her feel like she was floating on clouds, but the talk of Percy becoming a god brought her back to earth. He turned to look at her and knew he saw the look of fear on her face. For a moment, she thought he'd accept it, but then his answer made her swell with pride.
Later when he was at her side, she smirked at his slightly singed appearance. Having a god as a mother was really amusing at times, but she bit back her bantering. After racing back to camp and Rachel becoming the Oracle, things finally settled down. The happiest day that summer was when she and Percy finally got together. Some people would look on at the event and frown at how it all went down. Annabeth smiled instead because it was so them. The teasing and laughing and arguing was who they were. She couldn't imagine it happening any other way. That night as she lay in her bed, Annabeth couldn't stop grinning. Jumping wasn't so bad after all, especially when you had someone to fall with you.