She Knew
She knew…that it was ridiculous. He was ridiculous. With his shaggy black bangs and bright eyes, and that trademark confused expression. If he, ignorant son of Poseidon, was the kid of the prophecy after all, she was in some deep dung. But she couldn't fight the inkling that it really was meant to be.
She knew...when he retrieved her from the Sirens, and held her in his arms, that all she needed was him. Because in that moment, even if she had just gone through the most traumatic experience in all 13 years of her life, she felt content in the arms of her best friend, and there was nowhere she'd rather be.
She knew…that this was the most spectacular part of their friendship. As cliché and un-Annabeth like as it sounded, he had, in fact, held up the world for her, in a way. He had fought a titan, Journeyed hundreds of miles, and fought immortal skeleton armies for her. Even if it was also for Lady Artemis and camp half blood, she knew, deep inside, he had mostly done it for her.
She knew… that he was coming back. Despite everything that Chiron and the campers told her, she knew. She sat on the beach for hours and hours on end, drinking in its essence. His essence. How his eyes seemed to contain the depths of the entire ocean. She reveled in the silent glory of the sea, the waves tickling her toes, and the breeze that smelled suspiciously like her clothes these days. She almost smiled.
She knew…that something was fishy. Maybe it was that he didn't even wince when she punched him in the gut by "accident", or how he didn't notice when Nico hit him with the back of his sword. After she took the knife for him, she was surprised at how fast he told her about his Achilles heel with no hesitation at all. To her, this was his way of telling her that he trusted her with his life, no matter what. And that was just about as deep as it got. When she kissed him, she didn't ever regret it. It was a thought worthy of Aphrodite and a plan worthy of Athena. The perfect combination, once you added those sparkling green eyes and the soft black hair. She prided herself on being a daughter of Athena, and she knew that life wasn't easy, and she would be stupid not to expect something bad to happen soon. But for now, all she needed was him.