a.n. a brief continuation of Annabeth Wins a Bet, because this whole premise is too much fun. p.s. i usually post my writing on tumblr before i put it here, you can follow me at bananannabeth
Annabeth was exhausted. Between school work, researching the Norse deities, helping Jason with designing all the new cabins at Camp Half Blood and the new temples at Camp Jupiter, checking in on her friends and spending time with Percy, she barely had time to catch her breath. So when the opportunity to get to sleep while her watch still said PM rather than AM came up, she was so grateful she almost burst into tears.
Percy met her at the entrance to the New York Public Library, catching her notebook when she fumbled it while going through the door.
"Gods, you look exhausted," he said, which was great for her self esteem.
"I am," she said, stifling a yawn. "I just want to lie down and nap for a few months."
"We can do that." He looped an arm around her waist and she sagged into him, wishing that they didn't have so far to go before they were home. "We could build a blanket fort and lock ourselves in my room and no one would be able to find us."
"Because that's definitely not the first place they'd look."
"Mom would cover for us. How's the research going, anyway?"
Annabeth launched into an explanation of what she'd learned so far: about how Frey was destined to die during Ragnarok, the history of the Sword of Summer, about all the awful things Loki had done (though she had a grudging admiration for his way with words, she had to admit), about the nine worlds and how they were connected by Yggdrasil.
She went into more detail than Magnus had when he'd first told them about all of it, and Percy's eyes glazed over, but she kept talking anyway, because spelling it all out like this helped solidify the information in her memory. Plus she was scared that if she stopped talking she'd pass out then and there.
By the time they reached Sally and Paul's apartment Percy was yawning almost as bad as her.
"Would you stop that?" he said, swatting her arm as she yawned again. "You know it's contagious."
"I can't help it!"
Sally and Paul were already in bed. Sally had left them a note on the bench promising blue pancakes when they woke up and wishing them a good night's sleep.
"Let's go to sleep right now so we can wake up and eat pancakes sooner," Percy said, grasping her hand and dragging her into his room.
"It doesn't work like that."
"You know what I mean."
While Percy got changed she collapsed face first on his bed. She didn't even try to catch a glimpse of his bare back, or make any comment about his patterned boxers. She just closed her eyes and was already drifting off when Percy jumped over the top of her, landing with his legs dangling across her back.
"Hey, sleeping beauty, you need to move."
"Noooo," she groaned into his blankets.
"You need to get changed, and you need to move over so we can both fit." Percy kissed her shoulder and a small electrical pulse raced along her nerves.
"I don't want to." Her voice was low and muffled, but Percy was still kissing up and down her shoulder, so there was no way he could have missed it.
"Annabeth." His tone was all serious warning, but it was undermined by the fact that he was now rubbing slow circles across her back with the flat of his hand.
She was caught in a strange state - her body was hyper aware of every touch, craving more, wanting to get closer to Percy; but her brain couldn't focus. She was drowsy and half-asleep, which was probably not the best time to be horny, because while she wanted to roll over and ravish her boyfriend she couldn't muster the energy to do anything other than lay completely still.
Percy heaved a huge, dramatic sigh, and then his weight shifted off her. For a second she wondered where he'd gone, and then she felt her shoes being tugged off her feet.
"You have to sit up. Just for a second."
He pulled at her waist and she complied. She sat up, still hunched over, and he helped slide her t-shirt over her head, and then gently nudged her up into a standing position so he could help her out of her pants. Strangely, it seemed like a really gentlemanly thing to do. Her toes got caught while she was stepping out of them and she pitched forward, reflexes far slower than normal.
She landed on top of Percy, flattening him against the mattress, and her lips met his as though they were magnetised. His hands were still on her waist, and she felt his fingers press a little harder into the bare flesh there as she shifted up to properly straddle him.
"I thought you were tired," he murmured against her lips.
She didn't answer. She rolled her hips against his, making him groan. His grip on her tightened and before she could react he'd flipped them over. She was lying on her back, head on his soft pillow, Percy's weight resting comfortably on top of her. He trailed his lips down her jawline, her neck, across her clavicle. She tugged on his hair, scratched lightly at his back, and kept her eyes shut.
"Percy," she murmured, not sure what she wanted to say next.
As he went to unclasp her bra, her arms went slack where they were draped over his shoulders. As soon as he moved they fell back to the mattress, landing with a soft thud. Her head had rolled to one side, and Annabeth was breathing the soft, content breaths of someone who had just fallen asleep mid-foreplay.
"Well," he whispered, carefully shifting his weight and dropping down next to her. "I guess you really were that tired."
Annabeth didn't respond, unless you count a very attractive snore.
Her body responded before her brain. She was bolt upright, eyes wide and arms flung out in a defensive position before she registered that there was no immediate threat. Percy was sitting up right behind her, hair sticking up at odd angles and a trail of drool on his chin. He wiped it away and glared at the foot of his bed.
"What in Hades is that noise?"
"It's my phone," Annabeth mumbled. Her mind was slowly whirring into motion.
With some effort she managed to extricate herself from Percy's grip, untangling their legs and sliding out of his loose embrace to retrieve her phone from her bag. She'd dumped it at the end of the bed when they'd first got here and promptly forgotten about it. She hadn't ever dreamt that someone would call and wake her up at -
"Three AM. It's three in the morning, Annabeth, can you please make it stop." Percy threw himself back, draping an arm over his eyes.
Annabeth squinted at the bright screen before answering. "Magnus?"
"Annabeth! Hey!" Magnus's voice was startlingly loud in the quiet of Percy's bedroom. She flinched away from the phone.
"What's wrong? Are you okay? Do you need my help?" Her words kind of slurred together, so it sounded like one big, almost incoherent question rather than three separate ones.
"Oh," Magnus winced. "Shit, I'm sorry. I didn't realise the time. I've woken you up, haven't I?"
"Yes," Percy said loudly.
Magnus inhaled. "Are you sleeping with Percy?"
"Yes," Annabeth answered, and then quickly amended, "No! I mean, we were sleeping, actual sleeping, not -"
"Okay, that's more than enough information for your cousin, thanks." He laughed, and while the sound normally made Annabeth smile, at that particular moment it made her want to strangle him.
"Magnus. Why are you calling me at three in the morning for something that's not an emergency?"
"It's not an emergency, per se, but I just remembered something really important."
Annabeth dragged a hand down her face. "Yeah?"
"Yeah! Okay, so you know how there's all different types of gods out there, different pantheons, from different moments of human history -"
She swatted Percy's hand away from where it was tracing teasing circles against her hip and playing with the waist of her underwear. "Yes, Magnus, what's your point?"
"Have you wondered if there's a God, capital G?"
Annabeth blinked in the darkness. "Uh. Yeah, I mean, I've considered it."
"Is your cousin having a delayed existential crisis?" Percy asked.
She shushed him and spoke into the phone. "Why? Have you -"
"I haven't discovered God, no," Magnus said flatly. "But I can tell you that his son, Jesus, owes Thor a fight."
"What?"
Percy finally moved his arm from his face. "Thor and Jesus are gonna fight?"
It sounded vaguely familiar, like Annabeth had read about it somewhere, but her sleep deprived brain couldn't access the information. "How do you know this?"
"One of the first things I learned, back when this whole thing started. Can't believe I'd forgotten it until now. Apparently Thor challenged Jesus to a fight way back when, and he chickened out and still hasn't shown up! Thor hasn't forgotten though."
It was interesting, it really was, but Annabeth was just too tired to give this news the reception it deserved. She yawned. "That's great, Magnus. Thor and Jesus fight. Sounds cool."
"Uh, yeah. I'm gonna let you go back to sleep now. Sorry again."
"Please call me at a normal hour next time, you butt. Unless it's an actual emergency."
"Actual emergency. Got it. Say sorry to Percy for me."
"You're not forgiven!" Percy said.
Magnus laughed. "Sleep together safely, you two!"
He hung up before Annabeth could respond.
She scowled at the screen before switching the phone off and throwing it back into her bag. She fell bonelessly back beside Percy, staring up at his ceiling. She hadn't thought it possible, but she felt even more tired than she had before, and yet sleep now seemed out her reach.
She couldn't stop thinking about the never ending list of deities that supposedly actually existed. An image of Jesus and Thor in a boxing ring, the Olympian gods gathered around the edge and cheering them on, came unbidden into her mind.
She shuddered, and Percy wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. She curled into his chest, breathed in his scent, and timed her breaths to his heartbeat. He was silent, seemingly lost in thought. She felt bad for waking him up, and hoped that he was drifting off.
Annabeth started to doze, the comfort of Percy's embrace and her overwhelming exhaustion beating out her shock.
Until Percy spoke, voice reverberating beneath her. "So. Thor and Jesus. Who do you think would win?"