A/N: I'm rereading all the Percy Jackson books before 'The Son of Neptune' comes out and decided I was in the mood to try my hand at some fanfiction. I haven't written first person in quite a while but decided to give it another try, since that's how Riordan wrote the PJ series.

I hope you enjoy!

Hard Fist, Soft Lips

"He-He's right there!" Annabeth said, face blood red, dumbfounded next to my burning burial shroud.

I smiled sheepishly as all attention was shifted to me, all of the campers swarming me and asking all sorts of questions. The Ares campers were cursing, obviously displeased to see me alive, and Chiron came up to me, a relieved smile on his face.

"Well, I don't believe I've ever been happier to see a camper return," he said, the relief evident in his voice. "But you must tell me—"

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" Annabeth interrupted, shoving aside other campers.

I thought she was going to punch me, so I braced myself. Nothing happened after a few seconds and I lowered my guard, thinking I was safe. There were angry tears in Annabeth's eyes as she looked at me, and I gave her an apologetic smile. She opened her mouth to say something, then decided against it, narrowing her eyes. She cocked her fist back and just as I realized what was about to happen it connected with my jaw, making me stumble and fall to the ground as spots danced in my vision.

I could see Annabeth pushing her way out of the crowd, stumbling and tripping as she did so. Pain was still stabbing my face and head unnaturally, and I raised my hand in front of my eyes in slow motion, confused and in shock. I couldn't open my mouth, I felt blood running down my chin. The last thing I saw before blacking out was Annabeth disappearing from my sight.

I woke up groggily, my head throbbing and my jaw painful. There was a glass of nectar on my bedside table…my bedside table in my cabin. I didn't mind much. It was better than the infirmary.

I drained the nectar, which tasted exactly the same as it did the first time I had drank it. My jaw instantly felt better, my headache evaporated. I sighed in relief and climbed out of bed, throwing on some of my camp clothes. I quickly brushed my teeth and rolled some deodorant on before exiting my cabin to be greeted by the feeling of the hot sun pounding me from straight overhead.

I took a walk around camp, wanting to catch up with friends while simultaneously working out the aches in my joints. Of course, the first person I spotted was Annabeth, who was pushing an annoying strand of hair out of her eyes as she swept the sidewalk.

"How's your face?" asked a sickly sweet voice from my right.

I sighed, eyeing Annabeth as she struggled to sweep up a leaf that seemed to want to stick to the ground. "It doesn't hurt, Silena," I said to acknowledge that I knew it was her. I didn't feel like looking away from Annabeth at the moment.

Silena seemed to ponder his question for a moment, then asked, "Then what does hurt?"

That earned a glance out of me, a sideways glance out of the corner of my eye. I felt myself withdraw, closing up with the feelings I held and shielding them from everyone. "Nothing hurts," I said quietly, though it sounded a tad defensive.

"Are you sure?" asked Silena in an annoyingly smug fashion. "I can tell when two people have kissed, you know. I know she kissed you."

I turned away from her, walking towards the beach. Silena quickly caught up, falling in step beside me. "So?" I asked.

"I know you liked it," she said, causing my face to heat up.

"What does this have to do with me being in pain?" I snapped, though I wasn't annoyed at Silena.

"Does your heart hurt?" she asked me seriously.

"I said nothing hurts," I said, my annoyed voice giving away the truth. Silena had nailed it right on the head.

Silena frowned at me, then condescendingly said, "Men," before turning around and heading back towards the cabins. I looked out over the water, part of me wishing I had just stayed with Calypso. This definitely wasn't the sort of welcome I had been expecting. Well, everybody had delivered well on the welcome back except for the one who mattered most… the only one who really mattered at all.

I sat down on the sand and continued to gaze at the top of the water. The small waves pushed the water to tickle the bottom of my feet, threatening to pull off my flip-flops. I laid back and looked up at the clouds drifting the borders of camp, wishing I could float around so carefree. It must be a good life to not have to worry about all the drama I get involved in. I wanted to talk to Annabeth so badly it hurt. This all would've been much easier if Grover was around, too.

I walked back up towards the cabins, feeling restless. I felt horribly guilty for putting Annabeth through all that stress. I deserved the punch and much more. I would take much more if it meant she would forgive me.

She was done sweeping and was now spraying the sidewalk down with a hose, going the length in terms of making the front of Athena cabin look nice. I watched her silhouette in the setting sun for a few minutes before plucking up the courage to speak to her, my heart rate increasing as I approached her.

I stood next to her for a moment until she noticed me, her grip on the hose tightening visibly the giveaway. "You throw one heck of a punch," I said light-heartedly.

Annabeth ignored me, actually seeming to focus harder on her cleaning, using it as an excuse to not speak to me. I made an annoyed sound in the back of my throat and used my powers to make the water scrub the dirt out of the ground until it was as clean as the day it dried. All it earned me was a withering glare from piercing grey eyes. Her bangs hung over her face in a disorderly fashion, only adding to the effect.

I spread my hands out defensively. "Look, Annabeth," I said, "I'm sorry. I—"

She lunged forward and wrenched my hand behind my back, finding it easy as I put up no resistance. "You're not sorry," she hissed in my ear.

She kicked the back of my knees and pinned me on the ground, straddling my back with my arm still behind me. She pulled up on it painfully, though I didn't let it show. I just laid there, letting her know that I was truly sorry for what I had done by showing her she was right. "Tell me where you were," she said.

I closed my eyes and said, "You already know where I was."

I felt a hot tear hit my neck as she said in my ear, "Calypso." It wasn't a question.

I nodded and resisted the urge to cry out in pain as she pulled up on my arm so hard my shoulder popped out of its socket. Annabeth gasped in shock—she obviously hadn't meant to take it quite that far. I continued to lay still, the pain already fading due to its lack of movement. Or maybe because of shock.

"Percy," said Annabeth. "I…I…"

I turned my head to face her nonchalantly as she looked at my arm in horror, then looked at her hands with the same expression on her face. She tripped and fell on her butt as she backed away before scrambling to get up, running into the Athena cabin and slamming the door.

I wondered if she was crying. Maybe she was laughing.

I just laid there, my face on the itchy grass and my arm laying at its unnatural angle. I didn't really feel motivated to move, let alone do anything. So I sighed and waited, wishing I had worn a jacket as the sun set and the moon rose.

I was just wondering when curfew would be rolling around when an open palm thrust against my shoulder, painfully popping it back in place. I groaned and stood up, coming face to chest with Chiron. He looked at me with sad eyes and asked, "Annabeth?"

I quickly shook my head and said, "No, why would you think that? I…uh…uh…was running and tripped and fell."

Chiron studied me carefully and said, "Most people put their hands in front of them when they fall. Your arm was behind your back."

Percy shrugged, wincing as pain shot through his collarbone. "Well, they say if you put your hands out you have a good chance of breaking your wrist. I like to let myself fall face-first to avoid that."

Chiron sighed and said, "Well…at least your lying skills have increased from when you first came here."

"Thank you, Chiron," I said cheekily, hoping to get Annabeth off the hook.

"Come, Percy," he said after a moment, sensing that I just wanted him to drop it. "I must speak with you."

We walked to my cabin, where he had to duck to get in. Once I had sat down on my bed, I asked, "What is it?"

"Annabeth wants to continue with her quest," he said.

"That's great!" I said enthusiastically. "When do we leave?"

"That's the other thing I was going to mention," Chiron replied, swishing his tail nervously. "She's going back in without you."

I blinked. "Wh-what did you just say?"

Chiron sighed. "Annabeth wants to go back in without you," he said, obviously disappointed in her choice.

I jumped up on me feet and yelled, "Wait! She can't do that!"

"She's quest leader," said Chiron. "She's entitled to do whatever she wants when it comes to the quest."

I kicked my desk chair over and yelled, my throat burning, "I'm not talking about the damn quest! We're a team! We…we always do everything together," I finished softly, a lump in my throat.

"She told me you two kissed," said Chiron.

I could feel my face burning. "Why would she tell you that?" I asked, though not in an angry tone of voice.

"I wouldn't let her leave without you," he explained. "Then she told me what had happened between you two. I know you were with Calypso, Percy. That's the only possible explanation."

"So?" I asked, my stomach churning with guilt. "I came back!"

"I've already told you she's overprotective of her friends," said Chiron. "You throw love into that and the fact that it took you over two weeks to come back…it'll be better if Annabeth can go through this quest without her love issues interfering."

"But I came back," I said lamely.

"The knowledge that you were almost tempted enough to stay with Calypso despite the kiss she had given you," said Chiron, "has made her depressed and completely lose confidence in herself."

"But I chose her!" I said, my anger mounting again.

"She doesn't see it that way," said Chiron. "Love does the strangest things to people."

"What else can she possibly think?" I cried.

"She thinks you came back because you felt that you had to, not because you wanted to," said Chiron.

I sighed in defeat, flopping back on his bed. "Great," I said sarcastically. "This is just fantastic."

"What are you going to do?" Chiron asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked, looking at him in confusion.

"The camp shop accidentally packed an extra bag and I think the harpy in charge of the area between your cabin and the forest is off-duty for tonight only," said Chiron. "I don't know why I just told you that, and I don't know why I'm telling you now that Annabeth went back into the Labyrinth as soon as I brought you back here."

I grinned at him and said, "Will you excuse me, Chiron? I think I left something at the shop earlier."

"Certainly, Percy," said Chiron. "Just make sure you don't do anything reckless like go into the labyrinth after her!" I heard him call to my retreating back.

I quickly scooped up the extra bag and ran all the way to Zeus's Fist, not giving my decision a second thought. I pulled out my flashlight and shined it along the walls, trying to think which way Annabeth would've gone. The left looked older than the right, so I went left, sticking to Annabeth's previous thinking.

I noticed 'X's etched into the wall every once in a while and I grinned. She was marking her trail. I jogged along the path quickly, knowing I would catch back up to her soon enough. I just followed her path, whistling a merry tune. I would catch up to her and make her forgive me this time.

About 40 minutes into the trip I came across an X that I had seen earlier. I knew it was the same one because one of the legs was unnaturally long and there was a tiny tendril of ivy snaking its way down next to it.

"Wait a second," I muttered to myself, confusion seeping into my bones. Now I didn't even know which way camp was.

I looked around, hyperventilation starting to set on. I walked slowly this time, keeping my gaze away from the 'X's and focusing on which portions of the labyrinth seemed older. After about ten minutes of doing this a scream split the air.

"Annabeth," I breathed, tearing off in the direction, my feet somehow avoiding all of the obstacles.

She screamed again and I homed in on the direction, yelling, "Annabeth!" as I sped through the maze.

I saw a big opening in front of me and uncapped Riptide, rolling into the vast room. I saw Annabeth, face pale and knife gripped weakly in her hand, petrified in fear as a giant, hairy, ugly spider advanced on her. She dropped her knife and flattened herself against the wall as it got closer, using its front legs to reach for her.

I roared and charged at the beast, almost stopping as it quickly turned to face me. Its fangs were out, pale green venom dripping off the teeth and burning holes in the ground. It lunged for me as I approached and I slid on the ground, everything seemingly going in slow-motion. I swung with all my might as I passed under the hairy arachnid, slicing open its stomach and making it screech as it burst into dust.

I wiped the sweat off my forehead with one arm as I capped Riptide, turning to face Annabeth, who seemed to have recovered. She was sheathing her knife and giving me that one look that all women had…that one look that made all men feel about two feet tall. "I never asked for your help," she said condescendingly.

But I wasn't going to back down this time. I crossed my arms in front of my chest and asked, "We're really going to regress to this? We're going to have to start all over again from before our first Capture the Flag match together?" Annabeth turned her nose up at me, but I knew she just did it to hide the tears that were undoubtedly collecting in her eyes. "Everything we've been through together, gone? Because I made a stupid mistake?"

"You admit it," she suddenly snarled fiercely, her usually smiling face scrunched up in jealousy. It was not a becoming look for her. "You would've rather stayed with her."

That did it. I snapped. "With the way you're acting I wish I HAD!" I screamed in her face.

"Fine!" she yelled back, her tears spilling over. "Go back to her then! Leave me alone!"

"I can't!" I cried. "I can never go back! You know how it goes!"

"Then go back to camp!" she yelled, her face as red as a tomato. "I mean it when I say leave me alone!"

"I can't go back to camp either!" I said angrily.

"Why?" she screamed, not backing down.

"Because I don't know how! We're in the stupid Labyrinth!" We were face to face now, noses almost touching.

"You should've thought of that before you acted like an idiot again!" she yelled. "You always make the same mistakes! I'm sick and tired of saving your butt when you recklessly charge into everything!"

I looked down at her shoulder, her words digging deep. I quietly replied, "Yeah, well…I'm sick and tired of being your friend." It was the first thing that came to mind and I instantly regretted saying it. "A-Annabeth, I—"

But it was too late, she had pushed me back and went sprinting into one of the many pathways leading out of the room. I set off after her, my harsh breathing and pounding feet the only sound in my ears as I followed the faint beam of her flashlight. Even though I was tired and beat up, I pushed my body as hard as I could, not wanting it to end like this. You never knew what your last words could be to someone when you were a demigod.

I finally caught up to her and tackled her, pinning her to the ground. She fought hard, squirming and kicking, but I was just too big for her. She finally resorted to begging, "Percy, get off." I didn't move.
"Percy, please get off." She turned her face to the side, doing her best to hide the tears rolling down her cheeks, "Percy…please…please!"

"Can we calm down and pretend like the last conversation didn't happen?" I asked, not budging until she nodded her head, almost in relief it looked like.

We stood up and faced each other. She was still crying, her shoulders shaking as she took great, shuddering breaths. Seeing her tears made me want to beat up the person responsible. Then I sighed as I remembered that I was the one responsible.

I put my hands on her shoulders, trying to get her to look me in the eye. "Annabeth, you know you're my best friend in the whole world, right? I wouldn't trade that for anything." She looked up at me, sniffling as her crying died down. "I would give up an eternity with Calypso for just one hour with you. Chiron told me…I…You thought I…Look, I came back because I wanted to, alright?" Annabeth nodded slowly, her shaky breaths making me want to hold her tight and never let go. "I came after you because I wanted to. I…I…why is this so hard?" I asked myself angrily. "My stomach hurts whenever I think of how long I was on Ogygia. I didn't mean to stay that long, but the days kind of just blended together. My stomach hurt when I was there, too. Do you want to know why?" Her grey eyes met mine, asking the silent question. "Because I knew you were worrying about me. Because I knew you missed me. Only because of you." I let out a quiet chuckle. "There's no way in Hades I would've ever chosen to stay there, all because of one reason." I paused, trying to convey my sincerity by meeting her eyes as I said, "You."

She suddenly hugged me hard, almost knocking me over, burying her face in my shoulder. She was crying again as she clung to my shirt desperately, almost as though she was afraid I would disappear. "I missed you, Seaweed Brain," she said thickly, her voice muffled by my shoulder.

I hugged her back just as tightly and replied, "I missed you too, Annabeth."

Annabeth pulled back in confusion. I never called her Annabeth right after she called me Seaweed Brain. It was just tradition that I call her Wise Girl back. As she pulled back her arm bumped my bad shoulder, jostling it and making me wince. "Are you all right?" she asked in concern, pushing me into a sitting position and handing me her canteen.

I took a swig and let out a laugh, saying, "Fine, no thanks to you." Annabeth cast her eyes down to the floor and I quickly said, "I was just kidding. Relax."

My knees were bent up and spread apart, my elbows just about resting on my knees. Annabeth kneeled in between my legs and gently touched my shoulder. "It doesn't matter," she said. "I shouldn't have hurt you like that."

I shrugged, doing my best not to wince as it jostled my shoulder again. "It's alright. I know it was an accident. I could see it in your eyes."

Annabeth looked me in the eyes, gently gnawing her lower lip. "Can you see anything in my eyes now?" she asked.

"I see…sorrow," I said, squinting. "And I see anxiety. And I see love." Her face turned a truly lovely shade of pink. "I see…an impulse."

She came up closer to me so our noses were just barely touching, sending tingles down my spine. "What impulse?" she whispered, her vanilla-scented breath wafting across my face.

I softly said, "I can't tell. All I know is that I want you to give into it for some reason."

"Only if you promise not to disappear for two weeks this time," she said teasingly.

I nodded seriously and let my eyes close as she did the same, her lips coming forward to gently touch mine. I wrapped an arm around her waist as I deepened the kiss, gently teasing her lips with my tongue. She opened her mouth and brought her arms up around my neck as she explored my mouth with her tongue, pressing herself harder against me as I did the same to hers. We broke the kiss to get some air, both of us panting heavily. There was a brilliant blush on Annabeth's cheeks and I knew I looked the same, though I didn't care.

"Now do you see why I wanted to come back?" I asked her. "I love you."

Annabeth's mouth slowly widened into a smile, her lips slightly swollen and red from being kissed so thoroughly. "I love you too, Percy."

I felt myself smile at her, feeling happier than I had in a long while.

"Do you want to rest for a while?" she asked me a little more shyly than normal.

I shrugged again, this time not feeling any pain in my shoulder. "Only if you want to."

Annabeth, blushing like mad, turned around and sat in between my legs, resting her back against my chest.

Great. Now I was blushing, too. I wrapped an arm around her waist nonetheless, grinning as her breathing quickened.

It was very relaxing to just sit in the Labyrinth with my girlfriend in my arms, especially following all of the drama and stress of the past few weeks.

Speaking of girlfriend…"Hey, Annabeth," I said.

"Yeah?" she mumbled, already nodding off.

"Would you like to go out on a date with me when we get back?" I asked.

"What kind of date?" she said quietly, the corners of her lips turned up into a smile.

I scowled. "A romantic date, what do you think?"

"That sounds wonderful," she whispered before falling asleep in my arms, her head resting on my shoulder and her face pointed towards my neck, which her small breaths tickled.

I made sure my grip on her was secure and slowly nodded off myself, both my mind and my body desperately in need of a respite.

And so we fell asleep right in the middle of one of the hallways of Daedalus' Labyrinth, smiles on our faces.

We may have had no clue where we were going, but everything was alright as long as we had each other.