Now and Forever

Annabeth flipped the switch off on her alarm clock and swung her legs over the edge of the bed onto the rough wood floor. Rubbing her eyes, she walked across the ground and over to the second twin bed that lay in the small cabin. She looked down at it to see the small wool blanket pulled down halfway and the pillow squished in a heap at the head of the bed. Guessing that Percy was already down at the mess hall for breakfast, she made her way over to the three drawer dresser at the foot of her bed. She pulled out a pair of dark wash jeans and her orange camp t-shirt. Pulling off her dark gray nightshirt, she slipped on her jeans and tee. Grabbing her brown boots from the foot of her bed, she pulled them on and then made her way out the door and towards the mess hall. As she made her way down the field towards the dining pavilion, she looked around at the other cabins smiling quietly to herself as groups of campers flooded out, most still dressed in their pajamas. Following a herd of campers towards breakfast, she soon spotted Percy sitting at table three, laughing at whatever funny joke Tyson had just made. As soon as he looked away from his brother he spotted Annabeth making her way towards the hall. He quickly made an excuse and then got up from the table and ran over to her. The moment he was within inches of her, he picked her up off the ground and spun her around, provoking a laugh from her, causing all the campers to look in their direction. Some had huge smiles on their faces while others just looked plain disgusted. Percy set Annabeth down and then took her hand in his dragging her over to where Tyson sat.

"Annabeth! You're awake!" Tyson exclaimed loudly as Annabeth took a seat next to Percy. Annabeth gave Tyson a small smile and then leaned over, placing a small kiss on Percy's lips. Percy slipped his hands around Annabeth, placing them on her lower back, pulling her in closer. After what seemed like forever, Annabeth pulled away and got up to get food before it was all gone. As soon as she left, another figure filled her spot, Grover; Percy's guardian and one of his closest friends.

"Hey, Perce, you gonna eat that?" He asked pointing to the soda can at the edge of the table. Percy shook his head and handed it over to Grover who crushed it up and shoved it inside his mouth. After a few minutes of chewing, he took off his baseball cap and layed it down on the table, scratching at the small horns that poked out from beneath his mess of curly hair. He then turned to face Percy, "So man, what time do you guys gotta leave?" Percy looked over to Annabeth and then back to Grover, "Well, Annabeth wants to be at the apartment by noon, so we need to leave in about an hour."

"Which means, you need to go shower and get dressed." Annabeth set down her plate next to Percy and then slipped into the spot beside him. Percy let out a long sigh, placed a small peck on Annabeth's lips and then got up and made his way out of the dining hall towards the showers, leaving Annabeth, Grover and Tyson to eat in peace.

After grabbing their bags, suitcases and jackets from their cabin, they made their way over to Percy's dark orange truck that sat outside the Big House. They threw their stuff in the back and then climbed inside. They waved to their friends as they drove up the hill and over the magical border towards their new life together in the city.

* 3 weeks later

"Perseus Jackson, if we are not out this door in the next ten minutes, you will be outside tonight!" Annabeth shouted from her spot by the front door to their apartment. It was the first day of their senior year and they only had 20 minutes to get to the school before their first class starts. Annabeth checked her watch again when Percy emerged from the bathroom. He wore a light gray v-neck and black jeans along with a pair of old black boots. His brown leather, beaded necklace hung from his neck while his dark brown rucksack hung clutched in his hand. He gave Annabeth a huge grin before making his way over and interlocking his fingers with hers.

"Ready?" Annabeth took a deep breath, nodded and then led Percy out the door.

* Millennium High School 8:40 AM

Percy and Annabeth quickly made their way down the school hallway towards their first class. They rounded the corner and flew through the last door on the right. They froze in the doorway as they noticed all the students staring in awe at them. Annabeth looked around at all the students, some who seemed genuinely shocked while others looked like they were trying hard not to laugh at the furious look on the professors face.

"May I help you?" Percy walked up to the teacher and handed her a sheet of paper which he had printed off the previous night. Annabeth noticed as the professor turned a slightly pale color before handing the sheet back to Percy. He thanked her, took Annabeth's hand in his own and led her to the back of the room where two desks sat empty. Sliding in, Annabeth leaned over to Percy. "What was on the paper you gave her, she looked absolutely terrified." Percy just gave her a smile before whispering something in her ear, causing her to blush uncontrollably. He leaned back and squeezed tightly to Annabeth's hand. Annabeth looked over at her boyfriend in complete awe. How had she gotten so lucky? They didn't need Chiron to protect them anymore or Grover to travel with them. They didn't need to always be looking over their shoulders, afraid of what was gonna pop out next. They didn't need anything, not anymore. They had each other. They would go to the depths of Tartarus and defy the Gods if it meant they could be together. And they were, for Now and Forever.