I'm walking through a cookie land, my head swirls then the Goddess of Love swirls through a cloud of heart shaped smoke. She opens her mouth.

'Ask her, go on!' She smiles.

I sit up in bed, sweating and shaking. Since Gaea was defeated I've just been permanently worried. Sleepless nights and in a daze. Leo didn't come back. No one knows where he is, but I refuse to admit he is dead. Leo Valdez is not dead, I repeat NOT DEAD.

Shoving back the covers, I grip Riptide from my pocket and shuffle out of bed. I could put on clothes but Pajama bottoms are comfy, plus no one is around at nine o clock on a sunday in the morning. Silently, I walk out of the door and head around the back of the Poseidon cabin. It's been a while. I walk through the gap in the trees, and make my way down to the beautiful lake by which I used to sit all the time. The turqouise water glitters in the pink dawn.

'Hey Dad.' I crouch down and put my hand on the water. My misty thoughts seep away, leaving me. My head is clear for the first time in months. 'So um.' I'm at a loss for words. 'It's been a while huh?'

A sharp, bitter laugh creeps into my mouth.

'Percy.'

The middle of the lake whirls, froathy white foam splashes up. It turns from a turquoise to a deep blue and up from the middle rises a figure. Ginger haired, pink flowery shorts and a green polo shirt. I watch, bewildered as the water calms and he strides over, tiny fish darting around the ripples where he walks. It is my dad, Poseidon. King of the Sea.

'Percy!' He embraces me tightly, and for a moment, I am afraid to let go. That I will just shatter into a thousand pieces. But he does, and I remain intact. 'It's been so long. Tell me everything.'

And I do. I tell him the whole story. Everything from mine and Annabeth's relationship to Leo not coming back. And when it's all out, it's like a shipreck has been dislodged from my stomach.

'And Annabeth?' He's not prying, just being a Dad. It comforts me, somehow.

'We're doing well. Really good actually.'

'Have you told her any of this?' He surveys me, green eyes twinkling yet serious.

'Dad,' I blank his question. 'I'm going to ask Annabeth to marry me.'

The shock I was expecting doesn't come. Dad grins at me, shaking water out of his hair. Myself? I feel relieved, it is good to finally say those words.

'I know.' He laughs. 'Aphrodite told me.'

'Dammit Aphrodite!' I curse, rolling my eyes.

Suddenly a cloud of smoke swirls around the rocks next to me. A stunning woman who is pale with curly brown hair and blue orbs for eyes melts into reality. She grins down at me.

'You called?' Winking at me, she turns to Poseidon. 'And by the way, don't forget about the rule.'

He breathes in sharply, wincing.

'Yeahhhh, Percy?'

'Yeah?' My heart sinks. 'What?'

'Um,' Poseidon looks loftily at Aphrodite. 'You tell him.'

'Chicken-'

'Hey-'

'Anyway,' she turns to me. 'What your Dad didn't tell you is the golden rule.' She wiggles her eyebrows at me. It just makes me laugh.

'What's the golden rule?'

She gasps, her hands over her heart in mock horror.

'But that's like the, golden rule!' She whips her head round to glare at Poseidon. 'Terrible father! How could you not tell him?'

'Well it's not like I had to do it is it?'

She rolls her eyes.

'You have to ask the girls parents.'

My heart drops. Fear rises in my chest. I mean, I'd not thought about asking Annabeth's parents. I mean, her Dad. I'd met him a couple of times but I'd no idea what he'd think. As as for her...

'I suppose her Dad might say yes but-'

'Not her Dad Percy,' Dad rolls his eyes. 'Athena, you've got to ask Athena.'

Aphrodite giggles and I glare at her.

'Sorry,' she mutters. 'Anywho, I've got to go and warn Athena. Maybe talk you up a bit.'

'No!' My voice cuts sharply through. 'I mean, don't tell her. She can't know, or she'll automatically refuse.'

She looks at my dad and sighs.

'Huh. Fine!' She waves at us both before clicking, making smoke swirls curl up from her feet. 'Tell me how it went okay Poseidon!' She is engulfed by the smoke and disappears.

'Well son,' Poseidon claps me on the back. 'Come and meet me down here tonight okay? Afterwards.'

'Don't remind me,' I groan, massaging my temples. 'Bye dad!'

He waves, then dives into the water and merges into a fish and splashes away. I swallow down the temptation to laugh, along with the feeling of rising vomit in my stomach.

I stand up, and clench and release my fists into balls and relaxing them. Breathing in, I head up to my cabin and pull on some inky jeans and my orange camp half blood t-shirt. Ruffling my hands through my hair I take a deep breath, then pull on some red sneakers and stand up straight. I'm so nervous my hands are sweating like crazy, I wipe them on my jeans. Then, I take a deep breath and walk outside, I know what I have to do.

The taxi ride to the empire state building is a long time, but I barely notice it. Instead of taking a ride with the fates, I take a normal taxi. I'm scared that they would've spend the whole time giggling and telling me what Annabeth would say. The thought alone makes me really nervous. The taxi driver seems quite sleepily. Normally, I would be worried but honestly, I can't focus my brain on anything else.

After about four and a half hours it's about one sometime when I reach the empire state building. I can barely concentrate as I punch the button onto the golden keypad. In no time I'm zooming up towards Olympus.

Everything is a daze as I step out and before I know it, I'm leaning on the marble columns of the palace of Olympus. A young woman with her ginger hair tied back into a messy bun offers me a cocktail glass filled with a green liquid. I don't even cre what it is, I just drink it, before stumbling into the palace.

Inside, it is cooler, further away from the burning sun and I am so glad. However, now that I'm not moving, my legs are weak at the knees, I have to lean against a pillar.

'Percy Jackson.'

There she is. The woman who has been plaguing my head for weeks as I've battled over the question. She leans casually against the pillar I am also leaning against. Unlike before, she is normal sized, but she somehow looks younger than when I last saw her. With a Greek chitton, sandals and hair tied back in plaits which are wound around her head and decorated with gold leaves, she looks so much like Annabeth when we first met. MY heart catches in my throat as I remember.

'I've been expecting you.' She smirks at me, knowing at how nervous I am. She always knows that I am scared of her.

'How?' I already know the answers.

'Your father and Aphrodite.' She narrows her eyes. 'Although they wouldn't tell me what it was about.'

I resist the urge to laugh, as I know it will not work well in my favour.

'Well?' She looks expectantly at me. 'It's no big secret I'm not the biggest fan of you, let's get this over with. Shall we take a walk?' She gestures to a single door I hadn't noticed before.

'Of course,' I swallow, as we proceed outside.

The bubbling fountains, green vines and purple flowers do calm my nerves a little, although the mere expression on Athena's face is enough to send me running. But I won't, I can't because of Annabeth. Everything I've done since Leo disappeared is for her. I became depressed. Just lost the will to do everything. And now I think about how everthing I will do in the future will be for her. I turn to Athena.

'Athena?'

'Yes?' She's narrowed her eyes but she doesn't look angry. Yet.

'I'd like permission to marry your daughter.'

AUTHORS NOTE

Hello my lovelies! Enjoy this new Percabeth proposal! Depending on the response I get I may or may not write the wedding. I dunno really...