First Percy Jackson fanfiction, so don't be too harsh! I do have some experience in the writing field, but not much. Please, review as much as possible to help me succeed!

This is assuming the Heroes of Olympus never happened (which, honestly, I wish was the case). I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.


Chapter One

Annabeth walks along the shore, gazing out at the turmoil of currents smashing against the sand. It's cold and well past tourist season, so the shells littering the beige beach are rare and beautiful. Occasionally, Annabeth steps on one and the sharp points poke deep into her bare feet. The cool, damp sand quickly soothes the temporal pain. The terrain shifts underneath her feet, sculpting to the shape of her sole.

Annabeth's eyes sweep over the sea to her left. It's choppy today, the greyish green waters stirred with the storms that'd passed through yesterday. Wistfully, she searches for a head of dark hair peaking over one of the frothy white crests. She finds nothing. Nothing, of course, but a large, hair spider crawling across the dunes towards her.

Looking back, Annabeth admits that it wasn't that large or ferocious. It wasn't even all that close, just about a yard away from her ankle. But it was certainly hairy, and certainly heading in her direction on slow, creepy legs.

Annabeth screams and lurches backwards, straight into something lean and strong. That thing goes oof with surprise and holds her with long, gangly arms packed with muscles. Recognizing the sweet salty smell of the ocean on the thing's shirt, Annabeth wraps her arms around Percy and hides her face away from the spider.

Annabeth hears the sound of pressurized water smashing against the sand, and what she swears is an arachnid's cry of pain. Percy's firm arms close tighter around her, and he clutches Annabeth to his body. Laying her head against his collar bone, Annabeth allows her breath to swirl up to his neck.

Annabeth feels Percy lightly brush a strand of hair out of her face. "Sorry I'm late."

She hugs a bit closer to him, opening her eyes just enough to see his sea green eyes. "Did you kill it? Where is the spider?"

"Over there, over there, and little bit over there." Annabeth feels him pointing with one hand, and can detect the hint of amusement in his voice. Cheeks warming, she realizes what she's doing: clutching her boyfriend like a raft in a flood because of a tiny spider. That's so… stereotypical.

Annabeth lurches back from his arms, blushing madly. Glaring at Percy threateningly, she asserts, "I can kick your butt."

He shrugs, moderately unperturbed. One of those black eyebrows rise. "You could kick it," agrees Percy mischievously, "except I think there are much more interesting things you could be doing with my butt."

Annabeth rolls her eyes and elbows the Son of the Sea God playfully, but she still feels sheepishly embarrassed. "Sorry I went so… girly."

Percy's smile is a bit like the ocean: mysterious and deep. "Don't worry. I kinda liked it."

"Of course you did," laughs Annabeth, but she can feel her cheeks burning again. "A girl pressed up against you isn't something that happens every day."

"Especially a girl like you," Percy compliments sincerely. "Anytime you see a spider, give me a call. I'll come as quick as I can. Your wish is my command." He pauses. "What movie is that from?"

"Lots of movies," answers Annabeth, leaning down to catch his hand in hers. Percy smiles and rubs his thumb over the back of her palm. "Pick one, Seaweed Brain."

"Possibly one that involves kissing?" he suggests, those beautiful sea green eyes lighting up with hope. Those wonderful eyes… Annabeth isn't ashamed to say that, since meeting Percy, that particular shade of green had become her favorite color.

Leaning forward and balancing on her toes, she cranes up and smashes their lips together in a passionate kiss. Percy's hand wraps around her waist, and her hands run through his silky black hair. The sensual kiss is flavored with their compassion for one another. His salty lips move against hers, and his love mixes with hers until Annabeth doesn't ever want to stop.

But, then again, everyone needs oxygen.

At the same moment, they burst apart. Percy's eyes are unreadable pools of emotion as he gasps, his windblown hair even more disheveled than before. Annabeth smiles at him, and his face splits into an answering grin.

"Okay," he laughs breathily, "that was great. Now I really wish I could've spent spring break with you."

Annabeth curls her hand around Percy's muscled neck, stroking it in a way she knows he likes. "It's not your fault Poseidon lost his trident, or that he wanted his bravest son to go and retrieve it."

The smile that breaks over Percy's face makes Annabeth's heart sing. Her stomach becomes fluttery underneath his tender eyes. "D'aww, don't exaggerate," he mumbles bashfully, but Annabeth knows that, from the look in his eyes and the lack of conviction Percy speaks with, his mind is far off.

Annabeth sighs and rolls her eyes, returning to just holding his hand, and begins to walk over the damp sand once again. Percy obliges without comment, eagerly letting her take the lead. Sometimes, it's hard to believe that this sweet, submissive guy was the one who lead the battle against the titans in Manhattan. At first glance, Percy's just a normal dude.

But then you take a second glance.

And everything changes.

Although he's got a killer smile and the best kissing abilities of any guy, period, Percy has a definite dark side. She's seen it before: the angry scowl he wears as he uses Anaklusmos as he battles monsters. Annabeth likes to believe she's helped him in containing the sea's mighty temper that occasionally rises in her boyfriend, but, sometimes, nothing can really hold back that wild part of him.

Most of the time, though, he's as always: joking, laughing, and giving her those adorable cow-eyes (or maybe sea cow-eyes?). Today, Percy seems totally fine. Confident, in control, and very much in love.

Throughout careful studying from the time Annabeth had first met Percy as a twelve-year-old goofball, she'd been analyzing his boyfriend-material without even realizing it; female hormones to pick out the best male to reproduce with and protect her children from threats. It's really quite unavoidable. And Annabeth's convinced that she couldn't have chosen a better man.

Smiling to herself, Annabeth leans her head up against Percy's shoulder, enjoying his warmth on the chilly day. Percy glances down at her and smiles affectionately. He drops her hand and instead rings his arm around her shoulder.

"I missed you," he whispers in Annabeth's ear, sending shivers down her spine. "I don't want to leave you again."

Annabeth gazes up at Percy's beautiful sea green eyes with more adoration than she'd care to admit. "Hopefully, you won't have to."

"Hope is not something I want to lean on solely," Percy sighs, and silently, Annabeth agrees. Hope has this funny way of evaporating when it's the only thing to trust in. For a demigod, it's not a clever idea to rely on hope alone.

Annabeth cocks her head. She purses her lips, knowing full well it's time to change the subject. "You look like you'd found something you wanted to show me earlier, and you hinted at it in the IM. What did you find? If it's skimpily clad mermaids, I think I'll skip."

Percy laughs merrily. "I'm dumb, but not stupid. They'd be canned tuna by the time you were finished with 'em. No, we're not going anywhere near the mermaids."

"So, you admit there are mermaids," challenges Annabeth, cocking an eyebrow. She tenses, freezing in the wet sand and making a Mission Impossible pose. "The hunt is on."

Percy laughs even harder, and Annabeth's heart leaps with pleasure. "There are such things as mermaids, but they scare me. Picture Ariel with shark teeth and glow stick eyes. Not fun."

Annabeth grimaces. "You just ruined my childhood."

Percy smiles, but it quickly falters. "We're way off topic, and the tides are changing quickly. Come on." Gently, he tugs Annabeth's hand towards the frothing waves. "It's underneath the water. I'll take you there."

Annabeth's legs lock, but not out of fear of the choppy water. She turns to Percy's confused face and glares at him. "Are you crazy? This may be April, but this January weather."

With a relieved smile, Percy shakes his head. "Don't worry. I'll protect you from the cold as long as we're underwater. You won't feel a thing."

Annabeth glares at him a second longer. Even in his grungy flannel shirt and jeans, Percy could've been the god he'd given up. Those sea green eyes beckon her away into the water, like a kelpie from those silly myths. An ocean breeze ruffles his hair, and Annabeth isn't sure Tartarus could keep her away from him. Annabeth shrugs off her coat, revealing her Camp Half-Blood shirt underneath, and allows Percy to pull her to the waves.

Giving Percy one last testy I-will-kill-you-if-this-goes-wrong glance, Annabeth inches closer to the foamy waters as it gently brushes against the smooth sand. Percy already stands ankle deep, smiling at her invitingly from the water. Cautious, Annabeth lets the next oncoming waves tickle her toes. Remarkably, it doesn't feel freezing; just a bit cool, like you want the ocean to be.

Annabeth grins, and takes off through the shallow water. She collides into Percy and wraps him in a warm hug. His arms fold around her like steel doors. Annabeth nuzzles his chest, humming to herself. Swirling through her hair, Percy's breath smells awful, like he hadn't brushed his teeth in days.

Before she can stop herself, Annabeth's right hand twists around to touch the small of his back. Instantly, Percy stiffens in her arms, and his breath jars with pain. Oh, gods, she hadn't hurt him, had she? Retracting quickly, Annabeth looks up at Percy, an apology already on her lips.

Percy silences whatever she'd been about to say with a tender gaze. His hands slide up from around Annabeth's waist until they rest on the sides of her arms.

It's a quiet sort of moment, and Annabeth knows better than to interrupt it. The waves lap around her feet, and the wind plays with her hair, but Annabeth only focuses on Percy's warm eyes.

Annabeth knows far too well not to place all her trust in a guy, of course, but Percy's the one she'd want watching her back. She'd fought with him millions of times. She knows how he operates, how he thinks, how he views the world. And if this, whatever it is, is exciting him, then he must think that she'll love it.

"C'mon," he says eventually, tearing his gaze from Annabeth's eyes. Percy takes her hand encouragingly, and smiles at her. "Let's go on an adventure!"


Cato watches the pair disappear into the water with a frown. Still frowning, he backs away, vanishing into the high stalks littering the dunes. High above, the clouds knit apart and allow a beam of sunlight to flow over his pale skin. Cato smiles, and sifts through the sand like he'd never been there at all.


It's wonderful exploring the ocean alone, but it's even better with Annabeth.

She swims alongside me with that slow human paddle, her eyes wide from inside the head-bubble I'd made for her. We stay close to the surface, never venturing further than thirty feet or so, because of the water pressure. I constantly have to worry about keeping her bubble of oxygen replenished; it would be too much to dive down to those depths and have to worry about pressure.

Honestly, there's plenty of fantastic sights here, even if we can't see the bottom. Silver fish flash like thousands of quarters in their agile dance through the water. The sunlight filters in through the somewhat murky water with a picturesqueness that would be perfect for whoever makes post cards. The shafts of sunlight fade around Annabeth, and the ripples of light twist all over her back.

Annabeth seems to be enjoying it, which is good. I'd been a bit worried she'd get bored. But those intense grey eyes flick everywhere and take everything in, like two searchlights in the ocean light. Every time she catches me staring at her, she grins and I look away, blushing. Can you blush underwater? I see no reason why it's not possible.

A hippocampus darts through the water towards me. I can sense it coming, even before I see it. Its rainbow scales glint in the light as it darts forward, fish tail flicking in the water. Annabeth's eyes widen. With a watery bugle, the fish-pony pulls into a stop twenty yards away, pawing at the water.

I frown. Now, normally, I can detect the thoughts of hippocampus and other horselike or fishy animals, thanks to my godly Pop. But I can't hear anything that this one's trying to say, no matter how hard it's trying. It rears in the water, those flying hooves leaving trails of bubbles. But I can't hear a word. With a snort of defeat, it zips off, like it'd never been there in the first place.

"What did it want?" asks Annabeth, her voice watery through both the bubble and the… well, water between us.

I will the water to bring me a bit closer, and, with an alteration of currents, it does. "I dunno," I answer truthfully. "He seemed a bit confused. Maybe he wanted directions to some hippocampi night club."

Annabeth shoots me a glance like, "you're so weird". From inside the air bubble ringing her golden hair, she looks a bit like an aquatic astronaut. I grin back at her.

"Come on," I laugh, grabbing her hand. "We're really close. I think you're going to like what you find."


The still beauty is unequivocal. Inside of her bubble, Annabeth's jaw drops. Percy stares at her anxiously, those green eyes searching for her approval.

It's a majestic sunken ship, a Spanish galleon by the looks of it. And it's been here for hundreds of years, untouched by civilization in any way. The way the sunlight frames the rotting mast is beautiful in a sad sort of way. Seaweed grows over the once-majestic deck. Algae coats the old wood, covering it in mossy green. A massive crack splits through the center of the hull, where it rests on a rocky deathbed. But that's not the real reason it touches Annabeth's heart.

The architecture. He must've seen the architecture, and immediately thought of her.

And though it may be ancient, it's brilliant design, better than Annabeth had seen in a long time from that era. The curves in the wooden boards framing the old doorways and the smooth handrails for the captain all scream designs at Annabeth. She longs for her laptop as she paddles closer to the mermaid figurehead to admire the exuberant décor flowering over the ship. It must've been a fine thing, when it was still painted. Now it sits at the bottom of an ocean floor, completely abandoned and forgotten.

Percy hovers next to her, swimming like one of those mermaids they'd joked around about earlier. His black hair undulates in the water. "You like it?" he questions sheepishly, his voice bubbled by the water's density.

Awkwardly, Annabeth throws her arms around him. As soon as her skin connects with Percy, she becomes dry as his special Poseidon magic spreads to her. "Oh, you adorable little Kelp Face."

"I'll take that as a yes," he chuckles, wrapping Annabeth up in a gentle embrace. Annabeth grins against him, relishing the oddity of the moment: underwater, hugging her perfectly dry boyfriend, next to an old shipwreck surprise, all because Percy had been sweet enough to spot this place for her.

When they break apart, Annabeth is not a fan of all her clothes soaking through again. She picks at her soggy orange shirt with dismay, looking down at the waterlogged hem. As Annabeth glances towards the sea floor, something catches her eye, something she probably wasn't meant to see.

A gold glitter shines from the sandy shore directly below her. It's shiny and glinting, peeking out from the ship's shadow like a timid star. Frowning, Annabeth points to the glitter on the ground. Percy's eyebrows pull together, and he frowns as he stares down at the glitter.

Slowly, Percy's face splits into a grin. "Wanna go check it out? I bet there could be gold in a ship like this!"

"Alright," agrees Annabeth, cautious of the mysterious sparkle. She eyes it quizzically. All of her instincts scream danger, and yet… There's one little voice in the back of her mind urging Annabeth to swim down and scoop it up in her hands, to discover whatever that strange glimmer is. "But let's be careful. The last thing we need is a sea serpent."

"Lord, no," agrees Percy. He takes Annabeth's hand, drying her again, and the water shoots them down the last ten feet. Annabeth's ears pop, and her hair swirls in the current. The bubbles form a crown around Percy's head during their descent, and Annabeth can see the kingly part of him in that split second. But then the moment passes as her feet hit the murky bottom.

The sand's different from sand on the beach. Finer. Muddier. It sculpts to her feet more. Curiously, Annabeth wiggles her toes in the sand, watching as the powder mushrooms through the water with fascination. "Amazing," she whispers.

"That it is," laughs Percy, but his eyes are focused on the prize.

The galleon had looked impressive from above, but now, level with the sunken masterpiece, Annabeth can truly respect its former glory. It towers overhead in a patchwork of wood beams and carved furnishing. And, right in the shadow of the ship, the gold thing shines.

It's a sword. A very fine sword, with a black leather hilt (how that's not destroyed by the water, she's not sure) and a spiraling design etched onto the broad of the blade. It's different from Riptide in the likes that it's a bit longer and less leaf-shaped, but in majority, they're alike. Attached to the handle is a small paper parcel, dampened by the prolonged time underwater.

"Should I go grab it?" Percy asks skeptically. "It'd make a good addition to the armory."

Annabeth studies it shrewdly. "Read the note first. That's gotta have some clue as to what it's doing down here."

Percy releases her hand and paddles through the water towards the note, using the currents as accelerators. He pauses above the sword, inspecting with suspiciously, slowly sinking down until his knees hit the sand. Cautiously, Annabeth's boyfriend unties the soggy paper with so carefully you'd think he was playing with dynamite.

He unfurls the now-dry paper and examines it with confused green eyes. Shrugging, Percy turns to her. "This is… confusing."

"C'mhere." Annabeth waves him over impatiently. "Let me take a crack at it."

Percy obeys, darting through the water towards her like a human torpedo. The rush of water as he straightens out next to Annabeth plays with her hair. Holding out the note and grabbing Annabeth's hand in the same motion, he says, "It's weird. Like… like it's from a time traveler."

Annabeth unfurls the crumpled paper and begins to read, her eyebrows shooting up more with every line.

Dear Percabeth,

I see you've found my sword! My swordy-sword! The sword I use for swording! Thank you! I just dropped this, and my girlfriend is being evil. She won't dive down and get it because she's ticked at me. So, I'm waiting at the beach. How do I know that you'll be the ones to find this? It's… complicated, for lack of a better word. I promise I won't use this sword for swording you two on sticks. No, that's not how you spell it… Whatever. I need it back. WE'll be great friends!

Sincerely,

Cato

Son of Kronos

PS: I'm your biggest fan! I even have the limited edition Percabth bobble-head!


I've got a few other fanfictions going on right now, so at the moment, those are in top priority. However, if you review this enough and favorite it enough, this will become my top priority and I'll work on this the most.

Every chapter, I do a poll, just to see what you guys thought of a particular area of the fanfiction. Please answer, it improves my writing!

POLL: Did I capture Percabeth's playful bickering well? I tried my best, but I think it was a little rusty in some areas.

Ciao,

~wolfluvermh