A/N yoooo I know this isn't another chapter for my other story but I started wondering about Percy's developing feelings for Annabeth and I came up with this and got some help from my best friend during Language Arts lol. So enjoy and please review! Love y'all.
"You drool when you sleep." That was the first thing she had ever said to him…well when he was actually conscious. She was pretty with her princess curls and grey eyes but then again she was super annoying. He was pretty sure she was in love with Luke anyway so he had nothing to worry about, he would never love this girl…how could he? Know-it-all. Know-it-all. Know-it-all. They were barely even friends not to mention the whole parent rivalry thing. But after the quest he thought she was okay, I mean when you're 12 years old and go through a life or death situation with a girl you're kind of obligated to be friends with her.
He kept a picture of her in his binder partly because she was his best friend now and partly because that picture gave him good luck. Throughout the school year they kept in touch, iris messaging and emailing pictures together. She became less annoying every time they talked and every now and then they would call each other those cute lil nicknames that Percy truly thought was just a best friend thing but everyone saw how they were just flirting each, even at a young age. The sirens. Screaming. Wailing. Crying. She's hugging him. Keep her safe. Keep her safe. Keep her safe. It can't get closer than your best friend seeing you as a guinea pig. She saved him and he would forever be thankful. He loves her…in a best friend way of course.
He's holding her waist and swaying. He's the same height as her now and looks more mature, well in his opinion. Girls stare at him all the time now and he's so very confused that he needs answers ASAP. Nico's a cool kid and his sister seems pretty nice too. Falling. Annabeth's falling. Where is she? She's lost. Find her. Find her. Find her. Why would Bianca want to leave her brother like that? What is this kid going to do without her? He has two people to look out for now. He's not picked for the quest and it's over, he won't find her, he'll never find her. But a hunter becomes sick and he's back on board. He'll find her. Darkness. She's holding a…cave? She's struggling. She looks so tired. Save her. Save her. Save her. He takes his strength and carries it throughout the quest. He loses Bianca who he was supposed to protect but a part of him doesn't care, he just wants his best friend back. Aphrodite looks like Annabeth for a moment and he thinks he's going to lose it. Why would Annabeth even think about joining the hunters? He laughs for the first time in what feels like forever. The dam this, the dam that. Red. Her hair and her freckles and she's pretty and she kinda makes him feel normal for a minute until he's running again and he remembers that he isn't at the Hoover Dam for a vacation. He's holding the world. It hurts so bad that he thinks he may die in a second but he reminds himself whom he's holding the world for and snaps back to the warrior he is. Her hair is a mess, so are her clothes and her eyes are drooping but he still thinks she's as beautiful as ever. They're standing in front of the gods and he needs to stop her. He can't lose her again. He's going to be in hell if she does. He tries to speak but the words jumble in his brain and he's stuck between telling her that she can't leave because she's his best friend and confessing that he may or may not like her more than a friend. He sticks with the best friend thing because he's unsure of how he actually feels. She still loves Luke and he can't compete with him. So he's stuck for a while, but he's slow dancing with her and they're having the best time so he's satisfied enough.
It is not a date. I mean sure she's coming all the way from California to see him and he's going to put some effort into what he looks like and they're going to be alone but psh, he's more than sure this is not a date. There's something with those cheerleaders but he doesn't elaborate the situation. Oh my gods he cannot believe that Rachel Elizabeth freaking Dare is going to the same school as him. She's cute and has a fun personality that kind of matches his but she isn't as kickass as a certain blonde. Speaking of a certain blonde, she's here and she looks more gorgeous than he remembers and a little…jealous…weird. Even after a year he still doesn't know how he feels about her. Every now and then he'll hear a camper of the other gender talking about how funny or smart or beautiful or how hot she is and he can't help but cringe at the thought of Annabeth dating someone. For a second he believes that he actually likes her but then thinks harder and convinces himself that it's just those stupid best friend instincts of his kicking in. They're back at camp and Rachel is gone but camp is certainly more interesting then Rachel Dare…maybe. New people are running camp and it's strange but not as strange as the time he and Annabeth fell into a hole while playing a game that Quintus made them do. When she grabs his hand his heart jumps out of his chest and Irish jigs all over cold rock floor. They tell Chiron and the others but all they do is look at them funny, even after Percy presses on that they just fell into a hole. Percy looks confused on the outside but he knows what they're thinking, and the very thought of him and Annabeth kissing in the middle of the woods sends a chill down his back yet he pushes it aside. They're on a death quest and that last line of the prophecy that she won't tell him irritates him so much that he feels like yelling at the world. They're in big trouble now. Creatures that look like ugly dog seals. Everywhere. Protect Annabeth. Run. Run. Run. Why isn't she runni-kissing? She's kissing him. WHAT IS HAPPENING? He looks at her funny when she pulls away feeling warmth in his heart that he doesn't have time to elaborate on. He's fighting and then everything's black. He's dead oh my gods he's so not getting out of this one. No he's not dead, just super tired and weak. Where is he? Ooh she's pretty. He learns later that the pretty blonde girl's name is Calypso and he finds out her story. He has to go back and he sees her. She looks tired and worn but he's seen her look worse than she does now. Is that…his shroud? He's in big trouble. She's gonna kill him and he knows it from that one look she gives him. But she hugs him and he's a little bit taller than her now. They're back on the quest when they see him. Luke? His eyes look gold. She's in love with him. She always has and always will be. But he throws his feelings out the door and fights Luke…no Kronos. The war's begun. No time for all these weird feelings he holds for his best friend.
The first that registers into his mind is that she makes him feel normal. They're at the normal beach. On a normal day. Sitting in a normal car. But as soon as the normalcy of the scene set in, it got a whole lot not normal. Blackjack was on his car and what the hades was Beckendorf doing…oh wait they have certain hero deeds to attend to. So he's off on his way and saying goodbye when Rachel kisses him. It came out of nowhere and Percy has no idea how he didn't register that they were kissing when the actual kiss was initiated. Beckendorf makes a comment about Annabeth and his heart somehow lifts up so high that he can't help but smile. There she is. She looks much older but her eyes are timeless. Beckendorf doesn't make it and something in him breaks when he sees Silena's expression. They're discussing battle plans and Percy stands across from Annabeth. He's a good inch or two taller than her, he notices as he, for the lack of better words, checks her out. She was always cute but every time he looks at her he can't but melt…she was turning seriously gorgeous, like goddess gorgeous. When they tell him to read the Great Prophecy he can barely contain how nervous he is. Wow this is it. It's really him. They are actually going to war. He's in the River Styx and he's pretty sure this is like the 10th near death experience he's gone through. But she's there and she pulls him out of it and he's okay, he's going to live to fight with his best friend one more time. Time stops. The war's begun and Percy finds all the strength in him to fight for the gods. Maybe if he does this one more time he'll finally get some rest next year. So he rallies all the campers and hunters and creates the game plan. Here we go. All he wanted was for a kiss for some small fragment of good luck but, you win some you lose some. The knife came out of nowhere. So did Annabeth. What did she do? What did she do? What did she do? He hesitates for a second when he realizes what she's trying to say. I love you. He wants to actually say it verbally with words and everything but he stops himself from interrupting the healers and waits nervously pacing through the hallways of the hotel room. He wants to cry but he finds himself empty and invulnerable instead and then they call him and he sees her. He's seen so many times before and she's thought she was pretty countless times but right now in the moment when he's kneeling next to her with his scrunched up eyebrows and her smile radiating off of him he knows he's never looked at a girl quite like this. He shows her his weak spot and he knows that this is some kind of act that shows that he loves her. And then they're back at battle in a flash and he stands before them. Kronos. The blade. Luke. He's still there. Fighting. Kronos is gone and the person who lay in front of them is Luke. Luke asks Annabeth if she ever loved him and Percy retracts from his strong feelings for her. Annabeth. Annabeth. Annabeth. It's all he thinks nowadays. His mind feels like running away from his head and he knows that if she says that she still loves Luke he's going to die inside. She says no and he lets out a breath. And all of the sudden they're in front of the gods and he knows what he wants. He doesn't want to live forever. He doesn't want to go from girl to girl. He doesn't want to control the world. Why would he want all of that when his world is standing right next to him. Annabeth looks at him for a moment then smiles and he almost kisses her right there but they still haven't actually discussed their feelings for each other so he shoves the moment away. They're sitting at the dock and he feels as good as new. Rachel's the oracle and Percy buries the feelings of normalcy. Who was he kidding? He would never, as long as he lived, would get a normal life. He tries to tell her how he feels but she's making it really hard and he's pretty sure that he hears snickering behind them. She laughs at him and in smite of himself he feels a grin creep on his face. Yup she's never ever going to make it easier for him. And then they're kissing and all the feelings he's pushed aside become stronger and he knows for sure that he loves her…but he's sure as hades he's not going to tell her now and risk this relationship. The moment flees as they are lifted up and he makes the hasty decision to grab her hand. They're laughing and then they hit the water. He kisses her this time and she almost dies from the lack of air but he's not that dumb. They're safe in their own little bubble (literally) and he's never going to forget this moment.
He hurts. That tends to happen when you get yourself kidnapped and thrown across the country to only find that you don't remember anyone but your girlfriend and then she judo flips you because she feels like it. She was literally his lifeline and Hera may take away something so vulnerable like memories but his love for that girl is unbreakable. Throughout a very very very long meeting with both Greek and Roman demigods Annabeth teases him, biting her lip every now and then or inching her foot up his leg or even a hand on the thigh. Things that made him lose concentration on what the meeting actually about. To hades with drakon, this girl was going to be the cause of his death. He can't help but admire how calm and collected she looks in a situation like this. They're on the Argo II now and he finds himself in Annabeth's cabin on her bed. She talking about how much she loved New Rome's architecture and Percy sits across from her, staring at her in awe. He can't himself but fall in love with her all over again just by watching her inner nerd creep out. And then something unexpected happens. He says it. Out loud.
"I love you." He smiles and then actually comprehends what he just said as she stares at him with wide eyes. "I-I I'm-" His brain is screaming at him. STUPID. STUPID. STUPID. She kisses him before anything else can go wrong but she pulls away too soon and he fells like the world just flipped on its axel.
"I love you too, ya dork." She smiles so wide and he thinks he going to cry with how much relief is flowing through his body. He laughs and then they're kissing again and the stars that shine through the window bounce off of her skin and she truly looks like a goddess. He's never going to get used to her being his and he's okay with it. He realizes then that they were always meant to be together. He always will and is hers and she will and is his. He didn't realize that he was falling in love with her…it just happened. And he can't help but smile at the very thought of how much he loves her unconditionally.