Disclaimer: Percy Jackson & The Olympians belongs to Rick Riordan

Hey remember that one scene in The Mark of Athena? You know the one. The one with Percy and Annabeth. Yeah, that one. Well this is about that.

Percy wasn't sure how he felt about a flying boat.

On the one hand, he hated flying. He belonged on the ground, or underwater, or pretty much anywhere but way up in the sky. Zeus certainly didn't like him too much, and all it would take was one stray lightning bolt to put an end to that upstart Percy Jackson.

On the other hand, he loved boats. And this was one heck of a boat. Due to Leo's insane engineering, he couldn't control it like he could with normal boats, but just knowing that it was a boat made him feel safe.

But that dichotomy was nothing to how he was feeling lying on a blanket in the stable next to Annabeth.

On the one hand, he had missed her so much it hurt and being this near to her was like waking up from a long sleep full of nightmares.

On the other hand, he was completely terrified of her.

He was sitting propped up on one arm and she had snuggled up so close to him she was practically in his lap. His hand was running idly through her hair, gods he loved her hair, while she chatted away about what he had missed at Camp Half-Blood.

She clearly didn't realize how difficult it was for him to concentrate on what she was saying.

Every time he inhaled, his head was filled with her scent. That delicious, incredible Annabeth scent that he had missed so much in their time apart. Her hair was like silk between his fingers, her voice a soothing purr that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, and one of her hands was on his chest, so warm and solid and real, tapping her index finger in time with his rapidly beating heart.

She glanced up at him and met his eyes for a moment. Her eyes shone like silver in the glow of the city lights below them, and she smiled fondly before casting her eyes back down. She was still talking, but at this point Percy was beyond help.

The worst part, or the best part, he couldn't decide, was that they were alone. Completely alone for the first time in he didn't know how long. And she smelled so good, and she looked so beautiful, and it was hard to keep himself from doing something really stupid.

For all he had been dreaming about them building a life together in New Rome, the idea still terrified him. He was sixteen years old, but he knew he loved her more than anything in the world.

Sixteen-year-olds weren't supposed to think like that.

He was ready to be with her for the rest of his life, and at the same time he wanted to run and hide. His feelings for her were so much more than he was equipped to handle. It had almost been easier to imagine them having kids and growing old together when they were apart.

But now she was here. They were together in the bottom of a boat, watching the world float by below them. And now his heart was beating so fast he felt like it would shoot out of his chest like a cartoon.

"Percy?"

He swallowed hard and looked at her. She was staring at him, one eyebrow arched suspiciously. He knew he was blushing hard, and knowing that just made it worse.

"Uh… yeah?" he replied at length.

Annabeth frowned a bit and sat up. He missed her warmth immediately, but at the same time he was a bit relieved to have the space to think.

This was really confusing.

"You haven't heard a word I've said in the past ten minutes, have you?" she said quietly, a knowing smile on her lips and a playfully accusatory tone in her voice. He just stared at her stupidly for a while. Gods almighty, her freaking gorgeous princess hair and her stormcloud-colored eyes and the smell of her shampoo and her skin and everything was just too much for him to handle. He groaned and dropped his face into his hands.

"Gods, I'm a mess," he muttered, embarrassed. To his surprise, Annabeth let out a small laugh. He glared at her through parted fingers. "Oh, so my discomfort is funny to you?"

She laughed again, a bit louder this time, and the sound made him weak. She gave his shoulder a playful punch.

"You can be such a drama queen," she said fondly. "Here I am, trying to have some alone time with you, and you freak out."

"I'm not freaking out," Percy shot back. She just gave him a look. He sighed heavily. "Okay fine, I'm freaking out." He looked at her cautiously, and she just gave him a small, encouraging smile. "It's been so long since we've been together like this. We've both… grown, since then. For those months we were apart, you were the only reason I kept going."

This last statement brought a slightly puzzled look to her face. He stared at his hands, trying to put what he was thinking and feeling into words. It was difficult.

"You were the only thing I remembered when I woke up," he began slowly. "I knew my name, but besides that, all I could think of was you. I could see your face, and I could hear your voice, and I could feel your presence out there somewhere, and everything I did, everything I went through, I did so I could get back to you."

He couldn't bring himself to look at her yet, so he forged on.

"It's just… it's hard to explain. Saying I missed you is just… not enough. You were all I had in the entire world, and you weren't even there. And now… now you're here."

He paused for a long time to collect his thoughts. He hadn't noticed Annabeth scooting closer to him, but all of a sudden she was slipping her hand into his. He finally looked up at her and, to his shock, saw that she had tears in her eyes.

"Oh man, are you crying?" he asked in a panic. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

He stopped when she laughed again. She swiped the tears away with her free hand and smiled at him.

"Shut up for a second, Seaweed Brain," she said in a slightly wavery voice. "I need to apologize to you."

"Apologize?" Percy blurted, forgetting he was supposed to be shutting up. "For what?"

She squeezed his hand, staring at their interlaced fingers. "I was so caught up in trying to find you," she began thoughtfully. "I didn't ever consider that you were trying to find me." Percy frowned a bit, confused, but she continued. "Even after we figured out that you and Jason had been switched and your memories had been taken, it never occurred to me that you would…" she halted, unsure of what to say. "I mean I didn't think I could be so important that…" She stopped again. She finally met his eyes, and there was so much emotion in her expression that Percy couldn't quite sort it all out. "Was it really just me?"

Percy grinned at her. "Yeah, just you," he replied warmly. Suddenly, he didn't feel so terrified. "I don't want to freak you out or anything," he began in an exaggerated fashion, to which she just blushed and punched him again. "But you got me through. The thought that I could get back to you made everything okay."

Annabeth stared at him for a while, biting her lip. Finally, she sighed contentedly. "I love you," she said quietly, smiling at him with so much warmth and adoration that it made Percy blush again. But he managed to keep his cool enough to squeeze her hand and lean his forehead against hers.

"I love you too, Wise Girl."

They didn't do much more talking that night. Mostly they just made out for a while and then fell asleep. And even when Frank found them the next morning in what seemed to be a rather compromising position, Percy couldn't care less. He didn't mind that they were flying through the air, and he didn't mind Coach Hedge shouting at them. He didn't mind the daunting task before them, and he certainly didn't mind being so close to her anymore.

He was with Annabeth again. And as long as he never lost her again, everything was going to be okay.