A/N: This is my first fanfic. It is most definetly a Percabeth story, set when Percy and Annabeth are about 19 (after Mark of Athena and House of Hades) Trust me there is no bad content or anything! I would really appreciate some reviews so I can get better at writing. Pardon me for mistakes if there are any, I'm not perfect. There will be more chapters to come, and don't worry, its not just gonna be lovey-dovey all the time! I won't forget to add some action.
Disclaimer: I am not Rick Riordan. I don't own anything. I am just a small potato.
Chapter 1: No Words
Percy rolled over taking the blankets with him and landing on the carpeted bedroom floor with a resounding thump. He groaned; groping about the nightstand above him until his hand met with the top of his alarm clock. Meekly he pressed down and silenced the beeping that emanated from the mechanism. After his half conscious struggle he let his arm and head flop back down onto the ground. Of course, the snooze button wouldn't last him long so he pushed himself up and shook off his bedding. He made his way groggily towards the bathroom and turned on the tap; splashing his face with water.
Beep, beep, beep. His alarm had begun to ring again with renewed annoyance.
"For God's sake!" He mumbled to himself, walking back into the bedchamber with a dripping face and shutting off the alarm for good.
Half an hour later Percy emerged from his bathroom smelling fresh, with dark shaggy wet hair and a towel wrapped around his waist. Walking up to the door he checked the calendar, just to make sure he had the right day. Monday, June 17th, it read. Feeling reassured, he moved away from the wall and towards his bureau on the side of the room. He pulled open a drawer in the dresser and fished around. He removed a pair of jeans and dropping his towel he put on some boxers and then his pants. Opening another drawer Percy tugged at the corner of an orange tee that was jumbled in messily with the rest of his clothes. He slipped on the Camp Half-Blood shirt and then grabbed an envelope off his desk. Before exiting the bedroom he checked the contents of the envelope. He was apparently satisfied by what he found because he smiled to himself and then he was gone; out the door and on his way to his second home with only a "See you later" to his Mom and Paul.
The train out of Manhattan was barely populated, and Percy sat alone in one of the end cars. He listened to music on his iPod and ran through the words he had so carefully planned to say in his head. Percy liked to wing a lot of things; come up with a strategy in the moment and just hope it worked out. But this was different; he needed to get this right. For all his usual confidence, Percy was scared. He was afraid he would forget what he was going to say, he was afraid he'd sound awkward, and most of all he was afraid he'd be rejected. Fear was not the only thing he felt as he traveled out of the city though. He was also extremely excited, for once in his life he would get to choose the adventure he went on and he would be with the person he cared for most. (Though all the unplanned quests had been with her too)
At one point during the journey, a petite auburn haired girl around Percy's age boarded the train. She was struggling with a huge duffel bag and a heavy-looking suitcase. Percy watched as she stumbled when the train began to move again. He rose from his seat and walked casually over to the burdened girl.
"Need some help?" he asked, taking the suit case out of her hands and easily lifting it into one of the racks above the seats. He held his hand out for the duffel.
"Oh," the girl exclaimed, taken aback. "Thanks," she handed him her hefty bag and then sank down into a seat near his.
After placing the bag next to the suit case Percy returned to his own spot and continued to mull over his approaching scheme. He thought nothing of the occurrence and felt no need to continue the conversation, but the girl thought differently.
"My name's Annie," She stated suddenly.
"Good to meet you, I'm Percy."
"Thank you for helping me with my bags. It can be so tiring to carry them around everywhere."
"My pleasure."
Silence.
"So umm, where are you headed?" She asked timidly.
"I'm going to Long Island," Percy replied politely.
"That's nice. I'm on my way to New Jersey to visit some family. We're having a big family reunion. It'll be nice to see all of them again but it's a bother to travel there." She chattered cheerfully.
"Cool."
"Why is it you're heading to Long Island? Do you have family that lives out there?" She inquired.
"Not exactly," he said. "I'm going to a camp up there." He attempted to explain.
Annie giggled. "No offense but aren't you a little old for summer camp?"
Percy seemed surprised by her sudden amusement but he defended himself. "No, you see I work there as a counselor with my girlfriend."
The smile on her lips faded. "Oh, you have a girlfriend. What's her name?"
Too late had Percy realized why she had started to talk with him in the first place. "Her name's Annabeth."
"What a lovely name," she said without her previous joyousness. "Well, I should be doing some work. It was nice meeting you."
"Uh you too."
Annie didn't talk to him again. She busied herself with schoolwork and was silent when Percy got off the train. He stepped onto the platform and looked around, shifting the backpack strap on his shoulder.
The little harbor was full of people who were coming and going, and no one seemed to notice the boy in the orange shirt as he made his way down the dock towards a little old rowboat. Percy began to uncover the vessel he had so long ago designated for the short journey to the secret harbor of his magical camp. Once the moorings of the boat had been discarded, Percy stepped in and sat at the prow. Without a stroke of the ores or the ignition of a motor, the boat began to move, as if on its own accord. Soon enough Percy was sailing speedily away from the shore; anticipation bubbling up inside him.
By the time Percy reached the hidden bay of Camp Halfblood, he could barely contain himself. He forced himself to act cool though as he made his way up the hill from the shore, catching a glimpse of the Big House and the cabins over the rise. By the time he reached the first row of cabins, Percy had already seen and greeted a number his old friends who had come to camp early. They were bustling around, preparing the various cabins and activities for the influx of new demigods that would soon be arriving at Camp Halfblood. Ever since the God's had agreed to claim all of their children, the camp had been getting more and more kids every year. Cabins had to be expanded, or new ones had to be built for the minor Gods and Goddesses that had gone unaccounted for in the past.
Percy then began his search for Annabeth. He checked her cabin. Her laptop sat on her bed, around it papers and diagrams were sprawled about messily, but otherwise the cabin was empty. Then he went to the Big House, but he didn't find her there either. He went up to the mess hall next. There were a few other campers having a late lunch who greeted him, and some cleaning harpies, but no Annabeth. Percy even went down to the sparring ring but it was completely deserted.
He was making his way back up to the cabins feeling very confused and a bit let down when he spotted her. A swish of curly blond hair passed by a cabin obstructing his view. He began to run. Just as he reached the top she appeared on the other side of the cabin. She apparently had seen him too because she now grinned in his direction. He came upon her full speed, lifting her up in his arms and spinning her around. He then set her down, looking at her with a stupid crooked smirk on his face.
"I was just looking for you," she said, her stormy eyes alight with the joy of seeing him for the first time since Christmas break.
"Really? I've been doing the same thing for the past half hour."
"You were looking for yourself? Have you found you yet?" She asked teasingly.
He rolled his sea green eyes, though he couldn't help but continue to smile. "You know what I mean Wise Girl."
She laughed, then broke away from his embrace but took his hand and started to lead him back towards the rest of the cabins. "I have something to tell you." she said excitedly.
"What a coincidence," he remarked. "I myself has some news to tell you."
"What is it?" She asked quizzically, eying him as if she were trying to figure out what he would tell her before he said it.
"No, no, you first." He needed the moment to be right before he said his piece.
"Ok." She turned to him and bit her lip, but her smile did not fade. "Chiron asked me to help him run the camp this summer!" She breathed out excitedly. Her beautiful grey eyes full of anticipation.
"Oh, Gods Annabeth that's fantastic!" He said, feeling genuinely happy for her but also quite a bit discouraged by this unexpected announcement. "I always knew Chiron thought you were very responsible, and I think he views your opinion highly. D-did you accept?" Percy managed to ask.
"Of course I did!" she exclaimed, not registering the oddity of the question. "It's going to be great! I'll get to organize camp activities, pick prizes for capture the flag and the chariot races, help manage the strawberry business, and get the new campers settled in! I mean, this is like a dream come true!" She probably could have gone on, but at that moment she seemed to remember that Percy had wanted to tell her something too. "Now what was it you were going to tell me?" Annabeth asked, forcing herself to calm down.
"Well..." Percy took her hand again (for in her outburst, Annabeth had let go and began to gesture wildly) and he began to lead her towards the center of the cabins where Hestia's fire was. He had only told one person about his plan. He hadn't even talked to his mother about it yet! When he had relayed the plan, Grover had reassured him that it was just the kind of thing Annabeth was bound to love, and she was sure to say yes. But what if Grover was wrong? With this new engagement that seemed to interest her so much he didn't know which Annabeth would choose. No, he thought determinedly, I can't back down now. He sat her down on one of the benches near the brazier and turned to face her, still holding her hand tightly. Sitting here, looking at her gorgeous face, his brain just melted into mush, and he had trouble formulating his thoughts. "... Umm so you know how a couple years back you were gonna take that trip with your dad over the summer... but then a little problem arose, and our quest kind of got in the way?" He began awkwardly.
"Yeah..." She said looking at him oddly, but listening attentively.
"And I know you've always dreamed of visiting the Parthenon and seeing all the other architecture and stuff..." With each word he grew more and more confident in himself. "And the Gods know that after all we've been through, we deserve to go on an expedition that doesn't include inevitable danger." She looked at him inquisitively. Percy took a deep breath and looked directly into her eyes as he continued to speak. "So, I wanted to know if you would be interested in spending the summer with me in Greece." Her eyes widened and she brought her free hand up to cover her mouth. Percy immediately took this as a bad sign and tried desperately to explain. "I-I rented a little cottage on one of the greek islands, we can visit Athens, and all the other places in Greece! We won't have to worry about going on quests and stuff. I even got tickets for the boat ride there!" At this her already wide eyes opened further, so that she looked like Athena's signature owl. Percy panicked and silently cursed himself for being an idiot. "Don't worry, we wouldn't leave until next weekend, so you have time to think about it-and you don't have to come, really! I won't be hurt or anything," he lied, " I know how much the camp management job means to you, and... and i just want you to be happy so-"
Before he could say another word in his defense, Annabeth rushed forward and pulled him into a tight hug. This time it was his turn to be surprised. For a couple of seconds he just sat there, stunned by her sudden embrace, his arms still outstretched. Then he relaxed and let his arms wrap around her, encircling her body with his and reveling in their closeness.
"Of course I want to come with you Percy." Annabeth whispered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Percy felt like jumping up and cheering, he was so happy. "I love you Annabeth." He murmured into her hair. He breathed in deeply. She smelled softly of green apples.
Finally, Annabeth let go of him. She placed her hand on the side of his face and said, "Where in Olympus did you get the money to pay for a trip like this?"
He unconsciously reached a hand up to the back of his head and ran his fingers through his black hair nervously. "Well, you see ever since I was 15, I started saving up money from weekend jobs and stuff. I thought maybe one day I'd have enough to pitch in and buy my Mom and I a real house; something more than that dumpy old appartement. But since her first book got published an became a big hit, she doesn't need my help to pay for it. I didn't really know what to do with all the money I had... then I thought of you." He finished awkwardly. Looking back up at her with a hesitant half-smile.
Annabeth's eyes glittered as if she were about to start crying. "Gods... Percy that is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me... I mean, this is your life savings we're talking about! I couldn't ask for anything more. I can't even put into words how much this means to me," she said whole-heartedly.
Percy's crooked grin had returned to his face. "I thought you were supposed to be the one who was good with words," he joked. She swatted his arm playfully, but then leaned in and kissed him tenderly on the cheek. He hated to ruin the moment but there was still one question nagging at his mind. "What will you say to Chiron?"
Annabeth tipped her head to one side and thought for a moment. "I'll just tell him that I'm about to go on the most amazing and wonderful journey ever, with the most amazing and wonderful boy ever; and although I would love to help out, I'll have to decline his offer to be camp manager."
Percy shook his head in disbelief. "How is it you can be so perfect?" He asked honestly.
She laughed in response and turned towards the Big House. "C'mon Seaweed Brain, you get to come with me to talk to Chiron and Mr. D." Percy groaned but followed as she led him away. He may have sounded bummed, but from in front, she could not see that a smile was still frozen on his face.
