Memories
A knock on the door startled Annabeth out of her brooding thoughts. "Coming!" The small screen in front of the door showed her friends Piper and Hazel standing on the front steps. "Hey guys," she greeted them as she opened the door to invite them in. Hazel smiled and gave her a small wave while Piper beamed at her and said "Sup," before pushing inside. She had a large pink messenger bag on her hip and carried a bottle of wine. Annabeth stood back and let Hazel through. They followed Piper down the hallway to the kitchen. "You haven't re-decorated yet," Piper observed, turning to Annabeth with a raised eyebrow. "I haven't really had time yet," Annabeth said with a shrug. "We can help you if you want," Hazel offered. Piper rolled her eyes. "She means we can stand around and watch you. Gods know we'd get out head bitten off if we touched anything." Annabeth smiled weakly. She knew, as well as all of her friends, that her controlling tendencies sometimes got out of hand. But the others didn't understand design and architecture like she did. To them, a house was a house, a wall was a wall, a kitchen counter was a kitchen counter. They didn't see the art of it and gods strike her down if she let them mess up what she had going. As Hazel and Piper talked and settled themselves down at the breakfast bar, Annabeth got out the wine glasses and some snacks. "So what's the plan?" Piper asked. "You're the one who came here unannounced," Annabeth pointed out. "True," Piper smirked. She set down her bag on the counter. "We have DVDs, popcorn, Xbox games, some random make-up mum gave me, and a few arts and craft thingies, so you can choose." Hazel slid a wine glass to Annabeth and she gratefully took a sip. "I honestly don't mind what we do," she insisted. Piper groaned. "Well it's your day, so I'm not going to take over," she said, looking pointedly at Hazel who shrugged. "Surely there must be something you want to do?" Hazel asked Annabeth. Annabeth tapped her fingers on the counter, thinking. They could go to a museum, but she would feel too guilty dragging them along to somewhere they don't want to go, no matter how many times they swore they didn't mind. They could train, but they do that anyway, and they wouldn't let her. She went through this same routine every year. She knew they would want her to do something relaxing. They told her she deserved a break from working too hard. They didn't know she had no other choice. There was no other way to distract herself from her memories and dark thoughts. If she didn't keep busy, she would surely slip away into her own terrible mind, sinking into a deep pit that she couldn't escape from, likening the feeling to that of Tartarus. The horrors she had seen were imprinted in her mind, taking over her dreams, and seeping into reality until every figure was a monster and every loud noise was the booming of Tartarus's voice. She tried hard to stay optimistic. She told herself it made her stronger. A survivor. A warm hand touched her arm making her shiver, fear coursing through her body in the form of prickling heat and adrenaline. She could just hear the blood rushing in her ears over the sound of her loud heartbeat. White spots invaded her vision of the Plegathon carving its path under the stalagmites and jutting rock. Her name echoed in her ears, drowning out the sound of her blood pumping. She squeezed her eyes shut and focused on the familiar voice. It came again and she used the voice like a lifeline, letting it pull her out of the blinding scene of the literal place of nightmares. As she focused on the voice telling her "I'm here, I'm right here," she became aware of a new scene. The feeling of soft leather under her thighs, the rough carpet under her feet, the metallic taste in her mouth, the sweet smell of strawberry wine. "Come back to us Annabeth," the soft voice said. The flow of the fire river had disappeared and her heartbeat faded into the background. She opened her eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the light of the room. A face framed by dark frizzy hair came into view. The face let out a sigh of relief and leaned back. "Happy birthday to me, right?" Annabeth joked breathily. Hazel cracked a smile. "You gave us heart attacks," Piper said, her face still set in a concerned frown. "Sorry," Annabeth sighed. "How about we go out?" Hazel suggested cheerily. She took Annabeth's hand and pulled her up from the couch. She took the wine glass from the coffee table and pressed into Annabeth's hand. Annabeth's hand shook as she brought it up to her mouth and drank it all in one gulp. "There's this really neat ice-cream place near Camp Jupiter. Frank says everyone goes there for the wiffy, but the ice-cream is amazing." Piper snorted, her face red as she struggled to keep herself from bursting into laughter. Annabeth looked at her with her mouth pressed into a hard line to stop her smirk. One glance at each other and they both burst out, tears rolling down their cheeks. "The-the wiffy!" Piper stuttered in between shots of laughter. "Oh Hazel!" Annabeth laughed, "How long has it been since you got here?" Her words died out as she doubled over, clutching at her sides. A very confused Hazel watched and waited as the girls straightened themselves out and cooled down. "To be fair, the camps don't allow us to use technology," Annabeth reasoned with Piper. Piper just gave her a quick smirk. "Ice-cream then?" Hazel said uncertainly. Piper and Annabeth grinned. "Ice-cream," they said in unison.
Percy gave a heavy sigh. Annabeth lowered her laptop screen and looked over at her boyfriend. "What is it?" she asked. He rolled over on to his side and gazed at her. His eyes unmeasurable amounts of pain and love. "It's been four years," he said slowly. Annabeth snapped the lid down and placed it on her bedside table, careful not to knock down the photo frame or lamp. "Yes," Annabeth agreed. "I still get nightmares." Percy's voice was quiet and hesitant. "Me too," Annabeth whispered. "Do you think we should do something about it?" Percy asked. Annabeth frowned at him. "Like what?" Percy closed his eyes and took a moment to answer. "Never mind. It was a stupid idea," he said, shaking his head. Annabeth was filled with curiosity. "Tell me," she insisted. He opened his eyes, training his sea-green eyes on hers. "When the others went to save Hera," he began, saying the goddess's name with a hardness that spelled resentment, "Piper was given something by Aphrodite that took away Piper's father's memories." Annabeth's stomach felt hollow with shock. "You want to take away the memories?" she asked, her voice barely audible. Panic flared in Percy's eyes and he quickly shook his head. "Don't worry about it, it was just a passing thought, I didn't actually think - I mean it's not like-just forget I said anything," he stammered out. His face was a flaming red and her buried his face in his pillow. The silence stretched on as Annabeth waged a furious war in her head. Knowing that she had survived what not many made her feel strong, an equal to the most impressive of gods. But just the mention of that wretched place struck fear into her heart and made her shiver. Remembering, and still living her life made her a survivor. To forget in an attempt to improve her life, to help her adjust would be cowardly. She refused to be labelled a coward. But was her pride worth the endless nightmares, the visions in the middle of the day, the fear, the paranoia? "Percy…"
The heat hung lazily in the kitchen as Annabeth spread out the masses of blueprints and designs on the dining table. While the main rooms in Olympus had been built, a lot was still in need of recovery, even after all these years. After all, Rome wasn't built in a day. Annabeth smiled at the ironic saying and got up to pour herself a drink. She dropped a few ice cubes into a tall glass and was pouring juice from a jug when she felt strong arms wrap around her waist. The smell of the sea broke through the stench of sweat and heat. "Hello beautiful," a low voice whispered softly into her ear. His hot breath fanned the back of her neck, making her shiver. "You're home early," she commented, pretending the closeness didn't affect her at all. "Leo got sick, Jason and Piper's babysitter called with an emergency, and Frank was worried about Hazel being by herself in the arcade," he explained. "Is it bad to say I'm glad?" Annabeth joked. "Not at all," Percy murmured, nuzzling into the crook of her neck. Annabeth breathed him in and leaned back. He tugged gently at her ear with his teeth, smiling at the small moan Annabeth let out. His mouth travelled down her neck, leaving a trail of small kisses. His fingers played with her hair as he sucked on her neck with his teeth leaving a small love bite, hearing Annabeth's breathing quicken. He reached up to her ponytail and pulled out her hair tie while his kisses slowly made their way down her jaw to her mouth. She turned her head, trying to capture his mouth with hers but he gently turned her face away, paying attention to her sensitive neck, taking pleasure at the flush of colour creeping to her face. His teeth grazed the base of her throat and felt her shiver in his arms. He kept his teeth to her skin as he slowly went back up to her neck. She started to tremble slightly as he left another love bite, harder than before, and a lot bigger. His fingers slipped under the hemline of her shirt and his sweaty palms skimmed over her stomach. He heard her breath hitch and he tugged at the bottom of her bra. He watched her face as she let her eyes drift closed and her lips parted slightly. His touch was feather-light as he wandered back down to the hemline. His fingers played with the band of her denim shorts. She made a tiny circle with her hips, grinding into him. The friction caused him to harden and with deep regret he let her go. She let out a small sound of disappointment but he took her hand and gently led her to their bedroom. Annabeth grabbed the front of his short and pulled him into the bedroom. She pressed her lips onto his and slammed the door closed with her free hand, then used it to get a grip in his black hair. She bit his lower lip and his mouth opened in surprise. She slipped her tongue inside and explored every inch. Her tongue ran over his teeth and suddenly he was pushing back. Their tongues clashed and met in a perfect moment of harmony. She groaned deeply into his mouth and used her grip on his shirt to pull him onto the bed. His hands caught his fall, placed on either side of Annabeth's head. For the longest second of their lives, their mouths parted from each other. Percy lowered himself to meet her lips for a second time. Annabeth pulled herself further up on the bed and Percy followed. His lips found her neck and he sucked hard. Annabeth gasped and her hands flew to his belt to swiftly undo it. She threw it to the side and clawed his top off. She missed the pressure of his lips on her neck instantly, and snaked her hand around his, leading him back to her. Instead of her neck, his mouth met hers and it got immensely better. His lips never lifted from hers as he pulled his jeans and boxers. The sudden realisation that he was naked while she was fully clothed made him growl. Annabeth shivered at the sound and let him pull her shirt off like an expert. She wiggled her hips to help him when he turned to her shorts, while reaching behind her back to unclip her bra. When she was completely accessible to him, his tongue worked from the base of her throat downwards, sometimes pausing to leave a mark. She writhed underneath him as he caught her nipple in his teeth and tugged, sucking on her breast. She moaned his name and he smirked. He slowed at her pelvis and let his teeth gently graze against her skin. Her hips bucked, trying to get closer to his mouth and he let out a chuckle. In a swift movement, his tongue slipped inside her and she stifled a scream. Her fingers wrapped tightly in his hair and she couldn't stop herself from pulling at it with each stroke of his tongue. She tasted sweet, and Percy briefly wondered if there was anything in this world that tasted as good as she did. He let out a gentle moan of her name. He removed his tongue from her and his mouth was suddenly on hers. She felt his fingers digging into her thighs painfully, but good at the same time. Without warning, she felt his fingers slide smoothly inside her. She gave a light scream and arched her back, her hips circling into his fingers as he added another and curled them. He twisted and played, sliding them in and out, curling them in her. She felt the familiar burning sensation in the bottom of her stomach. "I'm close," she gasped into his kiss. "I know," he murmured. He swapped his fingers for him, making her scream out in pleasure as he slammed into her. Her fingers left deep scratched on his back as he slammed into her again and again. He grunted with effort while she moaned with ecstasy as the newly-weds consummated their marriage. She painfully held herself back so that they came at the same time and he helped her ride out her orgasm. Time seemed to freeze in that perfect moment of bliss. He pulled out and flipped onto his back by her side. Their heavy breathing filled the air and sweat coated their bodies. "Can you imagine," Annabeth panted, "if we had taken that potion?" She turned to look at Percy and he was pinned by her startlingly beautiful grey eyes. They held pure love, kindness, and joy. The pain and fear had receded and he could barely see it. He smiled at her, knowing nothing would be the same if they had. They wouldn't have grown stronger as individuals, but more importantly, their bond wouldn't have gotten stronger had they not worked together to help each other recover from the traumatic memories. "I love you Wise Girl," he whispered. "I love you too Seaweed Brain," she whispered back. She moved closer and snuggled into his chest and together they let themselves drift off into the depths of nightmare-free sleep, the rays of the dying sun casting over them like a golden blessing.