Annabeth's POV

I had asked Percy to go out and get me few things so I could finish dinner. He had been gone now for about an hour or so, maybe longer, and I was starting to get worried. I was sure he didn't get in an accident, he was a great driver and never hit anything. I then started to think that he had gotten in a fight with someone, he had done that before and I had to come and bale him out of jail.

Oh, he thought he was real funny then, holding his nose as he talked to me on the phone to change his voice. He made it sound from the conversation that he had gotten hurt or beat up but when I asked him if he was alright, he removed his hand and said "Yeah Wise Girl, I'm fine but you should see the other guy". No doubt he was smiling on the other end of the line.

I kept thinking about my Seaweed Brain as I watched TV. Everything was pretty much at a standstill without the things I asked Percy to fetch. I got up from the couch to get a glass of water from the kitchen. I poured from the filter into a glass and replaced the jug in the fridge. I turned around and looked at the rest of the kitchen, leaning up against the counter. I sipped at the clear liquid and felt the coolness of each drink run down my throat; ah, refreshing. I was going to kill Percy when he got home, making me worry like this.

I was about ready to call him and give him a piece of my mind when I heard the front door open and then quickly close again. I crept up to the corner and peeked around it. There sitting on the floor, sniffing at the couch was a small dog.

It looked like a German Shepherd with a black back and brown sides. Only its left ear had perked up, the right was still limp. It was wearing a red collar and was dragging around a simple, red leash. I stepped out from the corner and the dog walked clumsily over to me and started to sniff at my shoes and my legs. He couldn't have been more than a month or two old; still a puppy. I deduced it was a boy because he lifted his leg to pee on my shoe.

"Hey!" I yelled at the dog.

He just looked at me and tilted his head.

I noticed that there was a note tied to his collar. I leaned down and tore the note from the red nylon. I unfolded it and read Percy's handwriting. Hey, Wise Girl! I know your birthday isn't for another week but I saw this little guy and thought of you. So, happy early birthday! -Percy

I looked at the front door and saw that Percy was looking through the glass at the top of the door. When he saw me looking, he opened the door and slowly walked in, like he thought that I might throw something at him or something.

"You bought me a puppy?" I asked, probably scowling in confusion.

"Yeah. What do you think?" he asked in return.

"He peed on my shoe," I told him.

"Yeah. I saw that," he said laughing but was soon silenced by the icy stare I was giving him. "I'll clean it up."

He walked into the kitchen and grabbed some paper towels. I knelt down next to the dog and started taking my shoes off. The dog just sat next to me patiently and I rubbed his small head.

"You gotta learn not to pee on my shoes or else we aren't going to get along very well," I told the dog in my best baby-talking voice, pronouncing my R's and L's like W's.

The dog responded by licking my hand which made me laugh.

Percy walked back in with the paper towels and before he dabbed up the urine on the carpet and my shoes, he gently rubbed the puppy's nose in it. This confused me and I called him out on it.

"What was that for?" I asked him.

"It's tough love. You can't just tell him no, he won't understand you. Rubbing his nose in it tells him that he shouldn't do that or else he'll get his nose rubbed in it again," he explained.

He finished dabbing up the stuff on the carpet with the paper towels and stood up. He looked at me and smiled. I slapped him across the face, not hard but enough to really make a sound.

"What was that for?" he asked with a shocked look on his face, the grin now mine.

"It's tough love," I repeated. "You can't just tell him no, he won't understand you. Slapping him across the face tells him that he should talk to his wife before going out and buying a puppy or else he'll get slapped again."

I had to stand on my toes to give him a peck on the same cheek that I slapped and then briefly kissed him on the lips. I smiled which made him smile back.

"I love you, Seaweed Brain," I told him. "Thank you for the birthday gift."

"Love you, too and you're welcome," he said trying to kiss me again but I stopped him by putting my finger to his lips.

"Did you get the groceries?" I asked him.

"Yeah, they're in the car," he said, turning around and racing back out the front door.

A second later I heard his car's engine start up and tires squeal as Percy backed out of the driveway. He didn't get groceries. He forgot all about them when he saw the puppy and lied to me to avoid getting the what-for. I wasn't mad at him. At least he remembered my birthday. I just laughed to myself and started to play with my new puppy for the next twenty minutes as I waited for Percy to get back.

Author'sNote:Hope you enjoyed the story. No trickery like my last Percabeth fanfic (Percabeth Lemon it's called, if you want to read it). Comment or review, please!