Permanent
by Eris
There was absolutely everything to panic about. This, this wasn't supposed to happen! Not with him.
Zeus's thunderbolts, what was she going to do?
Making sure that her…companion was still slumbering deeply, Annabeth rolled off the bed carefully and snatched the closest shirt—the one she'd divested from him hours ago—and pulled it on swiftly before scouring the room for her own clothes. Her panties, damaged from being torn off, had landed on his desk after he'd thrown it haphazardly. The black and yellow bra she secretly favored over all the others in her underwear drawer lay forgotten on the floor by his couch. Inches away was the pencil skirt that Rachel had given her on her birthday, and underneath those were the strappy heels that made her legs look like they went on for miles. And slung over the couch was her white blouse that was now missing the lower two buttons.
Damn it. This was her favorite outfit! Now she was going to have to replace them or else Rachel was going to throw a fit—
Why the hell was she thinking these things now? Zeus almighty, what had she done? Annabeth sank into the couch, holding onto her clothes limply as she came to the realization that she—Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, the goddess of Wisdom—was stupid.
How could she do something like this?
"Annabeth."
She didn't jump at the sound of his voice—somewhere in the back of her mind, she had heard him sit up when she picked up her bra—but she did freeze in place, dread welling in her chest. She shouldn't have sat down. She should have slipped out his door, never mind that she was wearing only his shirt.
She should've run.
He padded over and sat on his coffee table, dark eyes searing her grey ones with a deep look. Feeling the urge to speak, she parted her lips to say his name before realizing she didn't know what to say. Her jaw snapped shut and she turned away, her body tensing uncomfortably.
"Annabeth," he said firmly. "Look at me."
Tears stung her eyes. "I can't." The words were out of her mouth before she could censor herself, and her teeth dug into bottom lip to keep quiet. He cursed under his breath, making her guilt grow and the tears slide down her cheeks. She braced her feet firmly on the floor, ready to stand, but his hands clamped onto her wrists.
"No." The dark vehemence in his voice made her stop her burst of panicked struggling. "You don't get to run away from this." A few moments of silence passed before his hands loosened and moved up her arms, situating themselves above her elbows. "I thought I was your best friend, Annabeth."
Horror flew through her. "You are!" she told him, meeting his gaze. She saw hurt and confusion in there and she was so sorry to have put it there. By the gods, she was an awful person. "Gods, I'm so sorry."
"You owe me an explanation." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, hating the sniffle that came with it. She was such a weakling for crying and being a coward and using her best friend like this. What in Hades was wrong with her?
She opened her eyes, but found herself unable to keep her eyes on him. "We broke up," she said, and since she was now staring determinedly at a spot on the wall, she didn't see his reaction to her words. "I was just so tired of…" She looked back at him. "I hated that we weren't the same. I hated that they keep assigning us on different quests that we don't see each other anymore." She raised a hand to wipe away her tears angrily, and he let her do so, though he didn't relinquish his hold on her. "I missed us. But with everything that's been happening lately, we never had time to catch our breaths, let alone get time together."
"So you're choosing to just give up?" he asked in an incredulous voice.
"I'm choosing to have a life!" she corrected, her ire flaring at his tone. "I want to pursue my dreams! I want to build—"
"—something permanent," he finished impassively. He didn't look impressed. "I know."
She shuddered, feeling her heart break. "And what we were doing… That's not something that'll last." She swiped angrily at the tears that kept falling down her cheeks.
"Gods, you're an idiot."
A sardonic laugh escaped her. "Tell me something I don't know."
"Okay," he nodded. "How 'bout this," he began, shifting closer to her. "You, Annabeth Chase, will last." His face was solemn as he continued, "You'll finish rebuilding Olympus, and they'll sing your name forever. You'll build something in the mortal realm, and they'll put you down in the history books. You'll be great," he swore, and she couldn't help but believe him.
How could she not when he exuded such emotion, such certainty?
"But you'll be lonely," he added, and she hated that his words brought almost the same chill as Rachel's prophecies. "You'll be lonely, and you know why?" he asked, and she shook her head tearfully, succumbing to the grief that was already growing inside of her. "Because you stopped building the one thing that'll be permanent in your life."
Breath was stolen from her as she realized he was right. By the gods, what had she done? Things weren't ideal, weren't perfect, but that didn't mean she didn't love him. Because she did love him. With every breath she took and every step she made and every thought she conceived in her head. With everything that she was, Annabeth loved him.
And she had let him go.
In front of her, he shook his head, finally releasing her. He didn't know this, but at his movement, he snapped her out of her thoughts, and her mind was suddenly—blissfully—blank for once in her life.
"Get dressed, Annabeth. Trust me," he said when she opened her mouth to protest. At that, she retreated into the bathroom and slipped on her bra and clasped her heels around her ankles and tucked her shirt into her skirt to hide the missing buttons. When she exited the bathroom, she found that he'd pulled a shirt on and replaced his pajama bottoms with a pair of jeans. He motioned for her to follow him, and she was not entirely surprised when he led her to his car. It took her several minutes to realize where he was taking her, and when she finally figured it out, she froze in her seat.
"No."
"You have to, Annabeth."
"I'm not ready—"
"No one is ever ready," he said as he pulled over. He turned to her, taking her hand into his firmly. "But ready or not, you can do this."
"I can't—"
He put a finger on her lips. "You know I'll drag you up there kicking and screaming if you don't get out yourself." In spite of herself, she smiled weakly, knowing he'd follow through with the promise. He let go of her and made a shooing gesture. "Go on then," he told her. "Go fix your life."
With a watery smile, Annabeth buckled her seatbelt and opened the door, but paused as a thought occurred to her. She turned back to him and leaned over to place a small kiss on his lips, trying to convey her gratitude and appreciation through a simple touch. He blinked back at her, surprised and confused, but in a good way. She whispered her last words before stepping out of the car.
Before she reached the door, it swung open quickly, revealing the haggard form of Percy Jackson. There was relief in his eyes, and then he was crying as Annabeth threw herself into his arms. Patiently, he waited until the reunited couple had retreated into the new Jackson household before driving off, Annabeth's voice still ringing in his ears.
"You're permanent too, Nico."
Author's Note
I wanted to write a smut scene with Nico and Annabeth, but I failed. Lol! Should I add in the smut or not? 'Cause there isn't enough Anico on just yet, and we need this! =))
Love,
~E
Disclaimer: I only wish I thought of a story like Percy Jackson first. I'm completely in love with the Greek myths, so Percy Jackson is so much more my cup of tea than Harry Potter. Sorry J. K. Rowling!