Promises
Aww! :D I'm really happy with how this turned out; I hope you all enjoy it! It's very "Family themed." I might make a three shot if you like it, but the only way I can know is if you review! I believe in happy endings, so here one is! Annabeth's POV
Disclaimer: Don't own PJO, or Disney!
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Promises. Sometimes we can't always keep them. Like a couple of years ago I promised I wouldn't fall for Perseus Jackson, at least until he fulfilled the prophesy. But it wasn't to be; I couldn't help myself. So when I kissed him for the first official time, I never regretted it, and now, he's standing by me, as the surviving campers pay their last respects to those who gave their souls to ensure that Kronos didn't win the final Titan war of this millennium. There were at least twenty shrouds in total, and one from each god. But the one I stood over was the most important of all to me; he was a childhood friend of mine. Luke. I used to think so highly of him, even to the extent that I loved him... As a brother. And in his final breaths not purged by evil, he had apologized for everything wrong he had done: Abandoned me, tried to kill Percy, Poisoned Thalia's tree, and disappointed his father. Straight after that Thalia went to LA to try and bargain with Hades to bring him back, but I highly doubted that would be the case with all the trouble he had caused.
Trouble.
If it wasn't for Kronos, he'd still be alive, and-and-
That's when I cracked. I sobbed into Percy's chest as he held me protectively and stood back as Chiron lit the shrouds. All through the process I watched as some of my dearest friends were reverently paid their last respects as Percy told me it would be okay and they would all go to Elysium.
"Are-you sure?" I sniffed.
"Positive," He put on a brave smile, but I could tell he was just as crushed. Tyson wasn't dead, but nectar and ambrosia didn't seem to be bringing him out of his dormant state. A handful of my brothers and sisters were in amongst them, even some of the new campers, ones that had been brought into the war unprepared, not knowing what to expect.
When I finally cast my gaze upwards to Percy, he was fingering his Camp half-blood necklace, and looking thoughtfully across the azure sky that hung over our heads. Seeing it these days, after all the darkness that had followed in the war was gratifying. There was hope, like the last thing that came out of Pandora's Box. I had hope for the future, and to my relief, so did Percy. He had done what he was born to do, he had fulfilled the prophecy. As much as I liked to see him using his brain, and looking beyond his years with knowledge as he did then, I interrupted his thoughts with a question I felt obliged to know.
"What will you do now?" I rubbed his shoulder. Surprisingly he knew what I was talking about and gave me a small grin of satisfaction.
"I'm going to stay with you, and help fend off any left over monsters that may come back from Tartarus. And most importantly-"He took my hands in his. "I'm going to marry you." I looked downwards with a tiny gasp-he didn't have a ring, and he wasn't on his knee. His voice did not even quiver when he stated those simple, but complicated little words to me. That was one thing I'd learnt from Percy; I could know everything about him, and still not understand him. He was like the ocean: never restrained, sometimes quiet, sometimes fierce, but always endless. And I could always see all the aspects of the sea in his eyes.
"W-what?"
"Not now; we're still too young. But some day in the near future, I'll be your husband. I'll be around long enough for that ."
"Seaweed brain." He turned to look at me. "You didn't have to tell me that." He raised an eyebrow. "I knew it from the first moment you-"This time, he kissed me. By now, the campers had all turned to look at us, publicizing our love for each other in one kiss
"-Looked at me." I finished with a grin.
"Is that a yes?"
"Hm....Lemme think seaweed brain, your water-logged brain is starting to affect me-OF COURSE I WILL!!!!" I embraced his tightly; I actually think he might have turned blue for a split second before I released him. From behind me, I suddenly felt a strong presence, one so overpowering I released Percy and turned to see what it was. In front of the remaining members of the camp, stood the twelve Olympians. They each wore proud, valiant smiles on their faces, as they came towards us all: Nymphs, Satyrs, Demigods, and Huntresses: the whole family of magical beings. And then Zeus spoke.
"You all have done more than a service to the gods, particularly you, Perseus Jackson, and so-" I had feared this: the moment Percy would become a minor god, or something out of my league that would split us apart for good. In my little fantasies I had shamefully dreamed of as a fourteen year old girl, I had wished he's boldly say "No" because he wanted to stay with me, like in the Disney Hercules movie with. But, maybe, even if I didn't want him to go, he would enjoy it more. Sure, we'd probably never see each other again, but he would be a legend, and knowing he was happy, no matter how miserable I would be for the rest of my life, made me feel better."-we would like to celebrate by inviting everybody to a celebration on Olympus! A party to last until the morning!" I gasped again, and looked at him; he wore the largest grin I've ever seen on his face as he took a step forward and pulled me along with him. Then he called all of our close friends over. He patted Grover on the shoulder, and then I gave him another huge hug and a kiss on the cheek, regardless of our parents, and all gods present. I could practically feel the burning glares from Athena and Hera, but I chose to ignore them, because without them, I had found happiness.
"Let's all go," I smiled. "We deserve it."
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Most people made it to Olympus on Pegasi, (A/N plural?) Especially the couples, thanks to Percy. I gripped onto him tightly from behind and rested my shoulder on his head as Blackjack smoothly ascended into the skies. I smiled, knowing that Percy and Blackjack were having some kind of engaging conversation. My future fiancé (well, as of now he is my fiancé) seemed to be telling Blackjack something, because if a Pegasus could smirk the way Percy was beaming at that moment, I'm sure he was right then. Maybe he was telling him of our (sort of) engagement, that notion made me even more cheerful. When I took my head off of Percy's shoulder and the pressure of the wind in my hair had slowed down to a halt, we were there. And by the looks of it, the party was already in full bloom. Several other campers were just behind us and also demounting their Pegasi, Charles and Silena walked in, hands linked, Grover and Juniper (the gods had made it so she could temporarily leave her tree) sauntered through the gates, and Clarisse and Chris careened through the entrance also. Lastly, Percy and I strode in to be greeted by plenty of cheers and pats on the back along with other acts of friendliness. They even wanted Percy to do a speech, but being the modest boy he was, he quietly declined and made his way out of the spotlight.
Eventually, the gods came to dance among us, making us feel like a giant family with no worries, because for now, we all had no trouble. Sure, there would still be monsters attacking us at any opportunity they got, but for the rest of our lifetime at least, Kronos wouldn't be back, until the future generation of demigods took our places to defend mankind. We'd done our job, now we could carry on with our lives as maybe not so monster attracting demigods. There was still one thing that bothered me though, and I didn't feel much like dancing anymore. I found a quiet secluded area just beyond the gates of Olympus to muse about what Percy had so boldly stated earlier that day. Of course I wanted to marry him, but he was right: We were still too young. Would we have an official engagement? When and where would we tell people? I imagined a tiny family with a young girl and boy, one with jet black hair and my storm grey eyes, the other with golden blond hair and his sea green eyes. For now, they would just be a fantasy, but I would have those perfect children someday. Percy emerged from the gates and beckoned me back, telling me Thalia had just arrived and Grover and the others had some news that I might enjoy. I stood up, and stored my little dream at the back of my head. I was sixteen, I wasn't ready yet. But someday I would be. Someday....
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Is it good? Remember! I need critique and to know whether I should do a three shot!