Hi, Innoverse here! Here's a little one-shot about Percy talking to Athena about he and Annabeth's relationship. Of course, Percy is terrified. Athena seems to be the only goddess that really scares him.

On a random note; don't you all just love my titles?

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson.

- Spilled Drinks and Incineration: Percy's POV -

Percy bolted upright in his sleeping bag in the middle of the night, heaving and coughing. He reached up and wiped the wetness off his cheeks, and raked his sweaty hair out of his eyes. He'd just had another gruesome nightmare—courtesy of Gaea, of course—and this one featured the many ways that she planned to kill Annabeth in front of him. Percy rubbed his face, trying to get a grip on his erratic heartbeat and panting.

His gaze swung over to the sleeping bag next to him, where Annabeth lay sound asleep, snoring softly and looking peaceful as ever. He reached out and touched one of her blonde curls, calming himself down. She was right there next to him, and she was fine. Everyone else was also curled up in their sleeping bags, resting. It was just a nightmare. Just a nightmare...

He pulled himself up out of his sleeping bag and began to wander towards the kitchen of the Argo II for a glass of water, while plucking uncomfortably at his sweat-soaked cotton t-shirt. He fumbled around the counters looking for a plastic cup, bumping his knee on a handle and cursing softly to himself in Greek. His fingers finally closed around one, and he dragged over to the sink, pulling the lever and filling the cup with ice cold water. He took a small sip, and then pressed the cup to his forehead, feeling the coolness.

The ship was quiet, the only sounds being the thud of the waves hitting the sides of the boat, the creaking of wood as the ship sailing along, the thrumming of the engine, and the soft snores coming from his friends in the sleeping area. So, to say he was surprised would be an understatement when he heard a woman's voice hiss, "Perseus!"

He let out a startled squeak, and accidentally dropped the cup of water on the floor, spilling the contents onto the tiling. He nearly tripped over himself when he turned around, involuntarily reaching for Riptide in his pocket. But when he saw the familiar face looking at him disapprovingly, he stopped dead in his tracks.

It was in fact a woman, with long, dark hair braided down her back. She wore a simple white dress that went down to her ankles, the fabric silky and gauzy, making it look like she was standing in front of a fan even though there was no wind at all. Her face was very familiar to him—the same nose and cheek bones that he saw nearly every day. Her eyes were also the same familiar gray that he loved so much, but they were cold and unwelcoming.

Percy's heart crawled into his throat. "L—lady Athena." He bowed awkwardly and tugged at his t-shirt, trying to compose himself, but that was pretty hard since there was water soaking into his sock and he was only wearing a thin t-shirt and sweatpants in front of the goddess of wisdom.

"Hello, Perseus," she said stiffly. "I wanted to talk to you."

Warnings started blaring in his head. Percy hadn't talked to Annabeth's mother since they were all on Olympus, when Zeus offered him immortality. In other words, they hadn't told her that they were dating yet. He was scared that she figured it out, and was now here to turn him into an owl for going against her wishes of staying away from her daughter.

So—out of absolute fear—all he could do was stare at her. She sighed through her nose, and sat down at one of the chairs around a table they had for meals. She waved to one of the chairs. "Sit," she said, but it sounded more like an order.

He sat down rigidly across from her. She looked him over, her eyes never leaving his body, making him very uncomfortable. He probably didn't look very good right now—his hair was sticking up at crazy angles from sleep, his eyes were a little red, and he was sweaty. He waited patiently for her to say something.

She cocked her head to the side a little. "Aren't you wondering why I'm here?"

"I—I figured you would... um, you would probably tell me," he mumbled.

"True," she said. "I want to talk to you about my daughter."

Percy could only nod. He silently willed Annabeth to get up and come looking for him so he wouldn't have to do this alone, but she didn't come. So, he was stuck, alone, talking to arguably the scariest goddess he'd met about a topic that she disapproved about. Percy wasn't going to live through the night.

"You two are dating, am I correct?" she asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"Yes," he said softly. "We are dating."

She pursed her lips. "How long have you been dating?"

"Since my sixteenth birthday," he murmured. "About... um, ten months. But I was missing most of the time, so..."

"How many months were you actually there?" Percy held up two meager fingers. She frowned. "I see. And, when exactly, were you planning on telling your parents?" In other words, why haven't I been informed of this yet?

Percy panicked. "Um.. I—I don't know... We.. I guess..."

"Form a complete sentence, child," she said, and muttered, "Sea spawn," under her breath.

"We didn't know how to tell you," he tried. "Like... if we'd be bothering you or, or—"

"You were scared to tell me, weren't you?" she interrupted. He felt like he'd been just punched in the gut, but nodded shamefully.

"I—I know you hate me, but I won't hurt Annabeth," he said, standing up nervously. He felt too vulnerable sitting down. His hands were shaking. "I would never do anything to her, and... and..." His voice cracked.

"Sit down," she said quietly. "You act as if I'm going to hurt you. I just want to talk, that's all."

He sat down again, nodding a little. "I... I'm sorry."

"You don't have anything to apologize for," she said. There was a moment of silence.

"I really do love your daughter," he said softly.

Athena raised her eyebrows. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," he said without hesitation. "I'd never do anything to her. I mean, ever. Not if I can help it. Which I can. So I won't, and I... I'm not my father."

That last statement seemed to catch Athena by surprise. "What do you mean?"

"I mean... I guess Poseidon kind of had the reputation of a player in the old stories," he said meekly. "And that you hate him because he was disrespectful to you, but I'm not him. I... I don't think I've disrespected you. I've tried not to." He said that last sentence very quietly.

"You haven't disrespected me," she said. "Perhaps you are... right. It is a little rash to judge you based upon your father."

Percy looked up. "So you're not going incinerate me for dating Annabeth?"

"Of course not," she said. "I've seen you happy you make her."

He blushed. "She... she makes me happy, too."

Athena stood, and Percy cold have almost sworn she was smiling a teensy, tiny little bit. "Besides, I'm smart enough to know that I couldn't keep you two apart if I tried. It's a wiser option just to embrace her choices."

"Thank you," Percy murmured. "For, you know, not hating me... as much."

"As long as you keep her happy, and you never hurt her, I won't hate you," she said. Then, she leaned down in my face. "But if you ever do anything to her... let's just say I'll make a formidable enemy."

Percy gulped. "Yes ma'am."

Athena smiled. "I'm glad we understand each other. Goodbye, Percy Jackson."

She disappeared in a puff of gray smoke, leaving Percy alone in the dining room. He heaved a sigh of relief, glad that Athena had granted him permission to date her. Now, he didn't have to live in fear of owls anymore. There was a good reason that he had never taken Annabeth on a date anywhere near a forest.

Suddenly, he heard quiet footsteps on the flooring, a soft pat pat pat. The light flicked on, and standing in the doorway was a sleepy Annabeth. Her hair was spilling out of a messy bun, and her clothes were rumpled from sleep. She yawned, and then looked at Percy and the spilled cup of water quizzically, frowning a little. Perfect timing, he thought grimly.

"What are you doing?" she asked groggily.

"Just... getting a glass of water," he muttered. He wasn't sure if he wanted to tell her about her mother, yet.

She pursed her lips. "Did you have nightmare? You look... well, you look like a ghost."

"Yeah," he muttered, getting up out of his chair. He commanded the water back to the sink and picked up the cup. "I dropped the cup when your mother decided to pay me a visit."

Annabeth's eyes widened and she rushed over, giving him a hug. "She... she didn't hurt you, did she?"

He shook his head. "She... she just asked me about us. And eventually told me that she was fine with it as long as I didn't screw up."

Annabeth breathed a sigh of relief, and gave him a little squeeze. "That's good. I don't know what I'd do if I woke up in the morning to see an owl with your eyes sitting on the dining table."

Percy smiled, and then gently broke away from the hug. They both wandered back to the sleeping area, and Percy slipped into his sleeping bag. He was about to close his eyes and fall asleep again when he felt Annabeth climb in next him. He just sighed happily and curled into her, burying his nose in her hair. She smiled into his chest.

"I could get used to this," he whispered.

I'd originally been going to end it a sentence after Annabeth asked him why he was up, but I just had to include the comment about the owl with his eyes. So, therefore cheesy ending. But I still like it.

I hope you enjoyed reading this! Thanks, and reviews are appreciated. :)

Also, one last thing. I want to do a 'dedicated reviewer' list, because a ton of you guys are all over my stories, and I want you to know that I do read each and every one of your awesome comments, even though I don't have time to PM everyone. So, here it is:

WisestOwl—You're, like, everywhere on my stories. I appreciate that. :D

Rylee Wyatt—Thanks for all the positive-ness. I like reading your reviews!

AthenasOwl11—Thanks for those PM's you sent a while ago, pretty much made my day. You're awesome!

Retrobution—You were my first review, like, ever! And you're still here, giving advice and kind words. Thanks! I like quite a few of your stories, by the way...

Fly (Guest)—I'm so glad I'm your favorite author! Warms my heart. :)

FireyShadows—I think you've favorited over half of my stories! Haha.

Vyvyvavoom—Even if I can't pronounce your pen name, thanks for the reviews!

IamNyssaDaughterofHephaestus —I've seen you a lot, too! Thanks!

PiperGrace—I've seen your reviews a lot, too!

I've probably forgotten a lot of people who've reviewed multiple times, but that doesn't mean I don't care about you. It just means I'm too lazy to look at all my reviews! I really do appreciate the reviews, it makes me happy that since I took the time to write you the story, you took the time to tell me that you liked it. I really do read them all, so feel free to ask questions if you want. I'll do my best to respond. ;)

Happy... uh, reading? Haha...