It's Percy's birthday, so I thought I'd post this stupid little one-shot that I wrote awhile ago. Please enjoy, and don't judge cause it's not really to be taken seriously. I will be writing another installment in my Epilogue series that'll be about Percabeth and hopefully, like, 20 chapters. Review and let me know if you want that one!
Please don't forget to favorite, follow, and review! Enjoy...
I never expected to be a high school drop-out.
I'm not exactly a dropout, but I ditched my last year of high school. See, my name is Annabeth Chase, and I'm a demigod. After the war with Gaia, there were still tons of monsters to be rounded up, but Percy and I were exempt from the duty of finding them. That meant that we had to stay at Camp, bored, and stir-crazy, until the remaining monsters were found.
Now, I love Percy, but he's kind of crazy, and assuming that his dad and my mom could EVER get along is just pure insanity. Our parents hate each other, and I thought that we'd kind of accepted that. But no, he wants to throw me a seventeenth birthday party that'll double as our parents getting to really know each other.
"Perc-y! no offense, but I don't think that'll end well," I tell him, running my hands through his hair. I'm sitting in his lap, in his bed. we were kissing happily until I got up to go to the bathroom and he had to bring this up. "our parents might, like, legitimately try to kill each other."
"So we'll ask them very nicely not to," he reminds me, his lips in my hair. "let's not focus on them right now. it's just us."
So we stay there, just us, kissing for another ten minutes before I bring up the subject again. "Percy, your mom is going to be here in an hour, and we haven't even set up a table or chairs or anything…"
"we'll worry about that later," he whispers, pulling my lips back onto his.
"Percy I don't want your mom to find me here, making out with you. keep your hormones in check until later." I scowl at his smirk. "I mean it."
He sets up chairs and a table with plates and utensils, and I go into the bathroom to change into a dress. Twenty minutes later, his parents (all three of them) are sitting around the folding table in the middle of the room, and my mom is fashionably late. My dad was, of course, absent, because you can't travel from California to New York just because your daughter wants you to meet her boyfriend's parents.
"She said she'd be here," I say nervously, thinking about how my mother did NOT say that she'd be here. she's probably not here because we're in the Poseidon cabin, sitting with Poseidon, and she's probably pissed that I almost tricked her into coming to see her sworn enemy.
Then, a miracle happens. It literally looks like a miracle, with all of the sparkles as my mother, Athena, glitters into existence in her chair at the table. "So sorry I'm late."
"Well, you were probably stuck in Athens. Did anybody hear the story of how she stole it from me?" Poseidon says, and Percy cringes.
"I didn't steal anything. The people simply liked me better," my mother says happily.
I clear my throat nervously. "Let's eat! Percy and I had some food sent over from the dining hall, but we thought that it would be more peaceful for of dinner to be just us."
"Well, I don't see how anything could be peaceful with him around causing storms," my mother spits out angrily.
"Mom!" I splutter, glancing around frantically for someone who can defuse the tension.
"I'm leaving if she stays," Poseidon says, standing up so fast he knocks over his chair.
"No, Dad, look, we can all get along-" Percy says, but Poseidon and Athena are both already shimmering out of the cabin. "Great, well…"
"Let's eat," I sigh, sitting down at the table.
Percy and I eat dinner with Paul and Sally, which is fun, but there's still the overhanging anger that our parents fighting brought.
After Percy's parents head back to the city, and Percy and I head to the beach.
"I'm sorry about that," Percy says, reaching out for my hand as we walk along the water's edge.
"I wasn't your fault. I can't believe that my mom couldn't just be civil." I only bring up my mom, because I don't want to start a fight with Percy by acknowledging the fact that his dad was kind of a dick. "let's not think about them right now. this is kind of romantic, with the moon, and the water, and us…alone."
"Yeah." He turns to face me and kisses me. "Let's sit down over there."
We do sit down, and keep clinging to each other's hands. It's not like we've never been alone together, but the only other time it's ever been like this is that night in the stables. Then, we were too worried about Nico being kidnapped, and Rome, and my quest to really appreciate it. Now, we're alone, in the dark, and we don't have anything to worry about.
"We should do this more often. Not worry about quests, or dying…" I trail off as he kisses me again. "let's just stay here forever, just us."
"Yeah."
We kiss again, and I end up on my back in the sand, laughing.
"you're going to mess up my hair!" I say, pretending that my ponytail took forever to do.
"Sorry," he replies, smiling, but he doesn't look very sorry. "Can I kiss you again?"
"Maybe.…Yes," I murmur, pulling him down on top of me.
After ten, twenty, thirty minutes, we just lay next to each other, looking at the stars.
"Percy?" I whisper, rolling toward him. "Let's go swimming."
"I don't feel like going to get my bathing suit," he replies, pressing his lips to my forehead.
"so we'll swim without bathing suits," I answer flirtatiously.
"Really?"
For a second, I see a hormone-crazed, teenage boy, but then he's back to Percy, and we're kissing and sliding out of our clothes.
"No peeking!" I implore, turning my back on him as we wade into the water. "Oh, it's warm!"
"yeah, water powers are kind of helpful sometimes," he whispers, wrapping his arms around my waist as I lean against him. He laughs as he tells me, "I never thought I'd be skinny dipping with you. I never thought I'd be dating you. never thought I'd be holding your naked body to me, kissing you, touching you."
He is kissing my neck, and his hands are on my stomach, crawling up to my breasts.
"Percy…" I admonish, crossing my arms over my chest. I turn back around. "I'm not ready for that yet."
"Does the fact that I love you make any difference?" he asks, looking slightly abashed.
"A little bit," I respond softly, leaning back into him. I decide to be ready.
I wake up in the morning laying across Percy's chest. It would be nice and peaceful except for the fact that Clarisse is staring at us and I'm naked.
I scream, Percy screams, Clarisse screams, and Chiron comes galloping.
"what is going on here?" he asks sternly, averting his eyes politely as I slide my shirt back on.
"I know what it looks like," I begin, "but we were just swimming last night."
I do know what it looks like. Two teenagers, boyfriend and girlfriend, found naked and wrapped around each other. It doesn't look very proper or smart, and we're going to get in big trouble.
You'd think the fact that we've saved everyone's asses twice would count for something, but it apparently doesn't because Chiron sits us down for a little talk.
"Chiron, I swear, we weren't doing anything bad," Percy says, his face white.
"And I might believe you. if this wasn't a repeated transgression." He glares at us disapprovingly.
"Coach Hedge told you about that?" I ask nervously and he nods. I squeeze Percy's hand to tell him not to talk and then I try to sweettalk us out of trouble. "See, Chiron, our parents had a fight last night, and we were upset about it, so we went down to the beach. We did go skinny dipping, but it was dark, and we didn't do anything."
"you guys do know that you could get sick, or pregnant, or-"
For the next forty seven minutes, I'm told the consequences of a 'crime' I haven't committed. When the lecture finally ends, Percy and I go off to our separate cabins, blushing like crazy.
Later, Percy invites me over 'just to talk'. I wonder for a second if he's going to dump me, but he said so many things last night that were just so sweet and genuine that I can't imagine him ending it.
"what's up?"
"I just thought we should talk," he says, and we sit cross legged facing each other on his bed. "So, we have now been through hell together yet again."
"yeah. That was so embarrassing. I mean, it's not even like we're going to have sex any time soon," I laugh.
"We're not?" Percy asks uncertainly.
"Why would you think-?" I splutter, wondering how he could possibly think that. "We've only just started actually dating. Did you think we'd just have sex? Just like that?"
"I mean, I thought we'd work up to it, but yeah. We love each other, so why not?" he takes my hand in his. "Don't you love me?"
"of course, but that's not how you show love," I argue, pulling away from him and standing up.
"C'mon Beth, why do you care so much?" he asks, turning my shoulders to face him. He wipes my tears off gently.
"because you're my first boyfriend, and I get that you've done this before, but I haven't and I kind of thought we'd go slowly." I sniffle pitifully. "I've never had to think about this kind of stuff or worry about it."
"it's all new to me, too." He pulls me into a hug.
"Really?"
"I promise. I swear on the river Styx."
"Alright." I take a deep breath. "I just assumed that you and Rachel maybe, I mean, since you guys were sort of dating."
"no. I've always loved you. you should know that," he scolds and I laugh a little. "I love you, I swear, and if going slowly is what it takes to be with you, that's what'll happen."
"Really?"
"Really," he replies firmly.
"thank you."
It's weird to be in this new territory with Percy. We're going slowly, but we're still going and it's terrifying to go from kissing to tentative touches whenever we're alone. It also brings a wonderful conversation with my mother.
"you're going to get yourself pregnant."
"what?" I whirl around and see my mother staring at me disapprovingly.
"You've been sleeping with Poseidon's son, and you're going to get yourself pregnant," she repeats.
"Mom, I'm not sleeping with him, and why would you even think that?" I ask, horrified that she's been watching me.
"I heard the way you guys were found a few nights ago. I know it's been two weeks in actuality, but news takes a while to travel from camp to Olympus." She sighs. "now, Annabeth, dear, I understand that you're a teenager, but really? Poseidon's son?"
"he has a name!"
"Percy Jackson? Really?" she sits down on the edge of my bed and I thank every single god that my siblings are out. "it's not wise. You could get pregnant, you could get a disease…"
"don't you think I've already thought of that?" I cross my arms. "I love Percy, and I know that it's a big step, but we're on the road to being ready."
"no, you're not!" my other is shouting now. "you either stop seeing that boy, or you stop praying to me."
"what? Are you telling me you'll disown me?" I gasp.
"yes. He's the son of my sworn enemy, your enemy, and I've let this foolishness go on long enough. It can't continue." She sighs again. "Make your choice."
"you can't ask me to do that," I say, terrified that I have to pick someone to lose. "you can't make me choose between the love of my life and my mother."
"I have to," she tells me sadly.
"I pick Percy. I'll always pick Percy because I love him and he'd never make me make this choice!" I yell at her.
She kisses me on the forehead and then she's gone, possibly forever.
I deal with losing my mother by hanging out with Percy more and that's when we get our great idea.
"Hey! Guys!" I call across the practice arena, forcing Jasper to stop their sparring. "you guys are invited to a sleepover tonight, in Percy's cabin."
"Cool." Piper starts walking toward the water fountain, so I follow her as she splashes water on her face. "I'm surprised you and Percy aren't taking tonight to have sex. Last night alone before you go back to school."
"Piper! Percy and I do not have sex. Ever. And we're not going to any time soon," I splutter, my face so hot you could cook an egg on it. "you don't seriously mean you and Jason have-?"
"why not?" she waves to him before turning back to me. "why haven't you with Percy? He's a teenage boy, I know he's asked, your mom's backed off, and everyone with eyes or ears can tell that you guys are forever."
"but how did you know you were ready?" I ask nervously, playing with the hem of my camp t-shirt. "I mean, sure, we love each other, but things change. Then I'll have given him something I can never take back. What if he dumps me?"
"do you think he will?" she asks, crossing her arms.
"no," I say uncertainly, but I know as well as she does that Percy and I will be together forever.
"then take the plunge, make the choice, and seal the deal," she implores. Then she giggles. "just don't do it tonight while Jace and I are there."
"we won't," I promise hastily.
"also, bring over some clothes later and we'll get ready together."
I invite Hazel, Frank, Nico, Will, Leo, Calypso, Reyna, Grover, Juniper, Tyson, Rachel, and Reyna's boyfriend, Gus. It'll be a good crowd of old and new friends and we'll have fun with the games Perce and I thought up.
We're going to play Mad Libs, watch some movies, eat junk food, and play (duh-duh-duh-duh) truth or dare. Everything is normal sleepover stuff but truth or dare has a twist. All the questions are couple related. That means about relationships, significant others, or sex. All truths must be about relationships, all dares will be, and if you refuse a dare, you have to take off one article of clothing or do something sexual with your significant other in the bathroom. It's going to be a blast.
I throw together an outfit of jeans and a camp t-shirt that piper makes me ditch, and then I feel ridiculous in her booty shorts and low-cut t-shirt. Finally, we fight until we agree on a low-cut grey dress with a white ruffled scarf over top. Sexy, but not too slutty; dressy and fun, but not too attention seeking.
Piper does my hair up in some kind of ginormous bun and smears makeup on me.
"Gods, I never cared about this stuff until Percy. Now, I want to look pretty for him, sexy even," I grumble as she draws eyeliner on my eyelids. "I mean, I should not care what I wear, you know? It's just crazy that love has changed me so much."
"Love does that," she agrees, selecting one of a dozen lip glosses to apply to my lips. "I mean, before Jason, I was so reckless, mostly because I wanted attention. Now, he makes me think things through, and he tells me that he loves me. I really need that, even if I didn't realize."
I slide out of the makeup chair a new person, both physically and mentally.
Everyone starts showing up around seven with snacks and movies and pajamas. Soon, teenagers are sprawled everywhere with movies playing and lots of laughter. At about nine, everyone's there and I command order.
"alright, sit in a circle next to your significant other," I command, and Hazel and Frank, Leo and Calypso, Reyna and Gus, Grover and Juniper, Nico and Will, and Rachel and Tyson lounge against pillows in a sort-of circle. "We're going to play…truth or dare!"
It's fearless, but still scary as hell, even though we've all fought monsters, and several people are giggling nervously. You could end up spilling your secrets, your partner's secrets too, and in front of all your friends.
"who wants to go first?"
"I'll go," piper says, turning to Hazel. "Hazel, who was your first kiss?"
"Sammy. Well, Frank really, cause Sammy kissed me on the cheek," she explains. Then she squeezes Frank's hand. "Frank's the only one I want to count."
I smile at how happy they are. They don't have to worry about stuff like whether or not to have sex. No offense to Hazel, but she'd probably die all over again at the very suggestion.
I'm brave and tough, and it isn't even a big deal, but it is. For Percy and me, this is such a huge step, and I don't know if I'll ever feel one hundred percent ready. There are times that I've really, really, REALLY loved him, but it's more than that. I was almost sure before my talk with my mother, but now I fully realize how so many things could go wrong and that's so scary.
I listen to Reyna answer Hazel's question about first crushes, and then things start to get interesting.
"Nico, have you ever had a crush on anyone here?"
Nico blushes and stutters his way through his confession about Percy. Then he asks Leo what the stupidest thing he'd ever done on a dare was.
"I kissed Piper. Gods, that lightning bolt hit me so hard, I was still smoking for a week," he laughs, and that cracks everyone else up as well. "Rachel, have you ever been skinny dipping?"
As Rachel answers, I glance at Percy to my left. I wonder if he's reliving that night just like I am.
"Meet me out back in two minutes," he whispers into my ear, getting up and going to the bathroom.
I slip out the front door and bump into Percy outside.
"Why are we here?" I ask, taking a step toward him. "Don't you want to be spilling details about our sex life?"
"I'd rather be creating details to spill," he whispers back.
Twenty minutes later, we go back inside and only when I'm in the light and all of my friends' knowing smiles do I realize that my shirt is on inside out.
Piper asks me about it later. "So…did you and Percy-?"
"No! Stop asking," I snap back. Then I pull her into the corner, away from listening ears, and tell her, "We almost did though. Third."
"Well, you missed Rach telling about that time she went skinny dipping with Percy." She giggles at my horrified expression.
"But he told me I was the only one he ever-" I realize what I've said too late.
"You guys went skinny dipping? Gods, our friendship is over. You tell me nothing," she whines and we laugh some more.
The morning after our sleepover, Percy helps me pack up my stuff and I take one of the camp vans to school.
Once I get to school, I IM Percy and we relive our goodbye. We kissed a lot and he gave me a necklace shaped like a heart with a picture of us inside. I cried and I even heard Percy sniffle once or twice.
I go to sleep in my dorm and I wake up in the camp infirmary.
"Where am I?" I ask, waking up Percy, who's sleeping and holding my hand. "Percy?"
"Annabeth! How do you feel?" he presses his palm to my forehead, then busies himself sponging off my face and neck with a damp cloth. "Do you feel all right? Do you need anything?"
"I feel awful, and my mouth tastes like old socks, and I want some pizza or French fries. Or a milk shake." He stands up to get me what I asked for, but I grab his arm and make him stay with me. "Don't leave me. My chest hurts."
"Yeah. Will!" he shouts into the next room and I cringe at the loud noise. Will Solace comes running in with Nico and they both look terrified until I smile weakly. "She's up, but she's in pain."
"Let me get some ambrosia," Nico volunteers, zipping off to get it.
"What happened?" I ask slowly and Percy brings my hand to his lips.
"A hydra attacked you last week. It got you while you were sleeping and your roommate found you in the morning. We brought you here and you've been on ambrosia and nectar ever since." Percy brushes my hair off of my forehead. "They thought you were gonna die."
"I'm ok," I assure him, smiling again even though I'm in so much pain. Once Nico brings me ambrosia and he and Will leave, Percy tells me something very unexpected.
"Your mom came to see you."
"What?" I seems so unlikely, like maybe he's joking, or lying to make me feel better.
"Yeah. A few times, actually. We even talked a little and she's actually pretty cool. I could endure being around her for you." He kisses my hand again. "Beth, she loves you and I think you should give her another try."
"Really?"
"Really."
"Then I will. For you."
He stays with me for a little bit longer but then I ask him to go and get my book. I get another visitor.
"Aphrodite? What are you doing here?" I ask curiously, because the slender, beautiful woman standing before me could only be Aphrodite.
"I've come to help you with your choice," she says simply.
"What choice?" it's like she read my thoughts. Which she probably did.
"Your choice about whether or not to sleep with Percy." She folds her hands, smiling serenely. "Your mother wanted to come talk to you, but she'll sway your thinking. You have to make this choice all on your own."
"Then why are you here?" my mind is reeling. It is a thought I'm reconsidering, but it's such a tough choice.
"I'm just here to do what your mother simply couldn't. I'm here to tell you that no matter what choice you make, she'll love you. And whatever choice you make, it'll be right one for you." Her dress glitters like she's going to disappear, but I call her back before she can leave.
"This is not just my choice. What about Percy? Whatever choice I make is going to affect him too so he should be a part of this."
"Percy is not in this decision. You made your choice before and he agreed to that. if you make a new choice now, he'll be more than happy to go along with that," she informs me.
"Oh." She leaves, but I keep thinking about what she said. Percy will be happy if I change my choice, but will I? I have to do this because I want to, not because my boyfriend asks.
For the first time in my life, I really understand that I could die at any moment. I almost did die. Don't I want this if that hydra, or any other monster really, kills Percy or I tomorrow?
But there's also practicality to think of. Percy and I could break up, and I'd wish I'd saved myself. Or I could end up pregnant and we'd have a baby. Also the fact that we aren't married and should therefore feel very bad for our scandalous actions.
The choice has already been made, not by my head, but by my heart.
When Percy comes back, I tell him.
I don't need or ask for perfection, but Percy makes sure I have it.
Flowers, lights, music. We ditch the wine, because Mr. D would kill us, but, then again, we're breaking rules anyways.
Percy asks me a million times if I'm really sure and every time, I am.
When I fall asleep in Percy's arms that night, I'm happy.
For the next two weeks, Percy and I spend most of our time in his cabin, having sex, watching movies, eating junk food. Then I get a letter from my mother.
Dear Annabeth,
I'll be in camp to visit you at three o'clock precisely on November 21. I would rather meet in my cabin, but if you request my presence in the Poseidon cabin, I'll meet you there.
Sincerely,
Mother
I wear jeans and a camp t-shirt with my good attitude.
"Annabeth. It's nice to see you," my mother says, hugging me stiffly when I meet her in the Athena cabin. "I thought we should talk."
"Yes." I'm expecting a lecture, because I have now officially fucked her greatest enemy's son, but I get something much better.
"I wanted to let you know that I've decided that Percy is a very nice boy and I support you two in anything you decide to do. Also, I've had a pointed conversation with Poseidon and we'll be civil to each other at the wedding next month."
"Wedding?" I question, still overjoyed with everything else she said.
"My daughter is not having a baby unwed!"
"Your daughter is not having a baby at all!" I exclaim, shocked beyond measure.
"I forgot you didn't know. Now you do.," she says with a shrug. Then she hugs me again. "Now, the hardest thing in your life will be telling Percy."
I kiss Percy goodbye as he heads to the Senate meeting, which I'm blissfully exempt from until my kids are in school.
For now, I have a full hour to myself, seeing as Casey and Echo are sleeping. It's rare to have any quiet time with a two year old and a three-month-old.
Acacia Thalia, or Casey, was born seven months after Percy and I got married and she's been the greatest thing that's happened to us.
Echo Piper was born just after Percy and I bought this house in New Rome, and she made our family complete.
Percy and I couldn't be happier and our life is nice and quiet without monsters. Even our parents get along. All is well.
-What'd you think? Let me know!
