A/N: Hey guys! Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays! So. . . I know I haven't been on in FOREVER but it's because my computer has been like wacked all year, and today I fixed it! YAY! So, this is a horribly cheesy, disgustingly fluffy oneshot I wrote and although it's insanely cute, it kind of makes me throw up a little. I'm just kidding, I freaking love this stuff.
DISCLAIMER: All rights go to Rick Riordan. I do not own Percy Jackson.
"So Annabeth," Percy started, already wanting to give up and try and convince his mom that he'd tried.
She'd been pestering him for weeks about asking Annabeth to spend Christmas with them, but Percy was terrified she would say no. He knew Annabeth hadn't had a real Christmas since she was really young, but Percy wasn't even positive she wanted one at this point.
This was the second Christmas they'd been dating, but only the first Percy had been around for – since the first one he spent being magically kidnapped by Hera – and he didn't even know what to get her. And if she accepted Sally's invitation, he would have an even shorter amount of time to figure it out. Which was one of the only reasons he didn't want her to say yes.
Annabeth glanced at him; snow stuck to her blonde hair and her eyelashes. They were walking home from picking up groceries for Sally; both of them carried heavy paper bags filled to the brim. She smiled at him, and even though Percy was frozen to the bone, he felt warmth flood through him,
"Yeah?"
Percy's throat suddenly felt very dry. "My mom was wondering. . ."
Annabeth stopped walking, pulling Percy out of the middle of the sidewalk. They stood under an awning, against the brick wall of a house or store. Her hand still rested on his upper arm; her fingers played with the fabric of his jacket.
"Finish your sentences, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth chuckled, pulling him closer to her and wrapping the hand that wasn't holding a grocery bag around his shoulders.
Percy felt his face go red and smiled nervously down at her. "She wanted to know if you would join us for Christmas this year." He stumbled over his own words, watching as Annabeth's smile immediately disappeared and was replaced with her thinking face.
"Oh," she breathed, her lips stuck in an 'O'.
Percy panicked. His heart rate skyrocketed, his palms got clammy. He knew what was going to happen next. . . she was going to find an excuse to get out of it, or maybe she would break up with him. But her arm was still tight around his shoulders, which did little to reassure him.
"It's okay if you don't want to," Percy said swiftly, hating the silence. "I mean, you know how my mom is-"
"No, no, Percy," Annabeth shushed him, moving closer and pulling him into a hug. "I would love to, I mean it. I just. . ."
"What's wrong?" Percy said concernedly.
"Nothing's wrong, Percy. I promise." She added the last part when Percy pulled away a little and looked at her unbelievably.
"Then why are you acting so weird?" Percy demanded.
"I'm not!"
"Then why are you getting so defensive?"
"I'm not!" Annabeth repeated.
They had since unwrapped their arms from each other; both of them taking a step back. Annabeth took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."
"Annabeth," Percy murmured, the snow still coming down around them at a steady pace. He grabbed her waist and approached her again. "You don't have to come."
"I want to," she insisted. "I-" Her face fell again, and she looked out towards the street, grasping for words.
"You can tell me, Annabeth."
"I know."
Percy waited for her to catch her bearings, thinking over the brief argument they'd just had. It had been happening a lot more often since the war, but that was to be expected. Tartarus and the giants had done a number on them, and they weren't going to get better magically overnight. They were both angry, which was understandable. But Percy had no doubt in his mind that they would find a way to make it through it; together, like they did everything.
"I've never had very good Christmas's, I guess," Annabeth finally said. "They were always spent in an empty camp with only Chiron and Mr. D to keep me company."
Percy nodded in understanding. "You don't have to be alone anymore, Annabeth."
Annabeth beamed at him, her pink lips chapped. "I know."
Percy leaned forward to catch her lips in his. The kiss was cold, as the frigid air stung their faces, but kissing Annabeth was always enjoyable for Percy. She smiled against his mouth.
"We should go tell your mom," She said.
"Tell her what?" Percy asked offhandedly, only thinking about kissing Annabeth again.
She stopped him with a hand on his chest, smirking. "That I'm coming to Christmas, Seaweed Brain."
"Oh, right," Percy muttered.
Annabeth grabbed his hand in hers and dragged him down the sidewalk towards his moms apartment. Both of them were smiling through the snow.
Xxxxxx
Percy woke to the smell of pancakes and sugary syrup. He rolled over in bed and squinted through the late morning light streaming through his window to grab his phone off of his side-table. It was the first thing he did every morning, just in case Annabeth had called him in the middle of the night (she tended to do that when she had a particularly bad nightmare, not that Percy minded).
He hated being away from her though, hated having to sleep on his own. But she'd wanted things to go back to normal, so she'd gone back to living at camp, while Percy had taken back his old room at his parents' apartment.
There was only one text from Annabeth, asking to meet for dinner later that night, and could he pick her up form camp? He shot of a quick 'sure, see you soon' and then forced himself to get out of bed.
He padded out to the kitchen, where his parents were making breakfast together. Sally was laughing, her eyes sparkling as Paul tried to flip the pancake in mid-air. Percy loved seeing his mother so happy. She deserved it.
"There he is!" Paul laughed.
"Did you sleep well?" Sally asked, setting a plate of pancakes in front of him as he sat down at the counter.
Percy wanted to ask if she was joking. Since when did he ever sleep well? With the continuous nightmares, it was normal for him to not get any more than three hours of sleep a night – five when Annabeth was with him.
But because he didn't want his mother to worry, he nodded as he took a bite of the warm, fluffy pancakes. But still,, Sally eyed him worriedly. She opened her mouth to say something, but Percy beat her to it.
"I need your help," he said in between a mouthful of pancake. If there was any way to distract Sally Jackson-Blofis, it was by admitting that you needed motherly advice; worked every time. She nodded excitedly and sat across from Percy.
"What is it, honey?" She asked eagerly.
Percy smiled halfheartedly. "I don't have any idea of what to get Annabeth for Christmas," he admitted. "And now that she'd gonna be here, I have less time to figure it out that I was hoping for. Any ideas?"
"Books?" Sally immediately suggested.
Percy sneered. "Too basic, mom. I need something creative."
"Hmm. . . a new knife?"
"She has plenty of knives."
Percy thought it was amusing how they were discussing buying his girlfriend a knife for Christmas.
"You know her better than I do, sweetie," Sally said, ruffling his hair. "What do you think she'd like?"
"Something sentimental," Percy spoke without thinking. Something that reminds her of how much they'd been through together; about how he was her permanent. He thought the last part to himself, mulling over what he could get her.
"And?" Sally prompted.
Percy shrugged. "Nothing."
"You'll think of something eventually," Sally told him. "Now eat up before it gets cold."
xxxxxx
"I got you something," Annabeth said shyly as she slumped into Paul's Prius where Percy had parked it at the bottom of Half-Blood hill. She was dressed casually, in jeans and a sweater, her hair was pulled up in a ponytail. Her cheeks were tinged pink from the cold outside air. She held out a box for Percy to take.
"Annabeth," Percy argued. "Christmas is in a week. And I didn't get you anything-"
"I know, I know," Annabeth blushed. "But I found this and I. . . I couldn't wait."
Percy sighed deeply before taking the thin box from her hands. "This doesn't mean you win, you got that?"
Annabeth laughed heartily. "I always win, Jackson."
Percy smiled softly and opened the box gingerly. Laying on the colored paper on the bottom of the box was a single framed picture. He was in it, and figured he looked around twelve or thirteen. He was in camp clothes, with sweat on his brow and Riptide hanging limp in his hand. Annabeth was in it too – looking the same as him. Their arms were slung around each others shoulders and they were both smiling.
It hit him like a bag of bricks. How long he'd been with Annabeth. I mean, he'd known it before but, seeing it in the form of a five-year-old picture made his heart beat faster. He chewed his lip and swallowed hard.
"Oh my gods," he chuckled to himself, feeling Annabeth's arm on his shoulder. "Wow."
"I know." He could hear the smile in Annabeth's voice.
Percy ran his thumb over the edge of the frame.
"Baby, are you crying?" Annabeth asked, still smiling.
Percy hadn't even realized that tears had started at the corner of his eyes. He glanced up at his best friend. "Have I told you lately that I love you?"
Annabeth, still smiling, whispered, "Not that I can remember."
Percy leaned over the console in-between the two seats. He kissed her slowly. "I love you," he murmured against her lips.
Annabeth giggled. "I was just thinking about when we go off to college in New Rome, and you know. . . what'll happen after. . . maybe. And I just – I thought it would be a good reminder." Her eyes. glittered.
Percy kissed her again, trying to tell her how much he utterly adored her without speaking.
"I love you," he told her again, and he was pretty sure he knew what Annabeth was getting for Christmas. He just hoped she wanted it as much as he wanted her to have it.
"I love you too, Seaweed Brain."
xxxxx
"So mom," Percy started conversationally as he entered the living room after spending the day with Annabeth. "I think I have an idea of what to get Annabeth for Christmas, but I want your opinion."
Sally looked up from where she was typing furiously at her laptop. She'd been hard at work on her novel ever since Percy'd gotten home from the war – since she hadn't been able to concentrate on anything; she'd been so worried.
"Sure, honey," She smiled hr signature smile that always made Percy's heart melt; even if he was in the midst of a panic attack and Annabeth was nowhere to be found.
Percy sat on the couch next to his mother and slung his arm around her shoulders. He smiled at her calculating face.
"This gift must be special if you're smiling like that," she commented. "What are you thinking?"
Percy told her, smiling the entire time.
Sometimes it was hard to find happiness in every day life; it seemed like Tartarus had sucked all the light out of him. But every once in a while, there was a spark of joy that could be found in the smallest of things. His mom's homemade chocolate-chip cookies; the smell of Annabeth's lemon shampoo; getting an A on his English paper. And when he was sucked back into the dark spiral of depression that sometimes left him without sleep for days at a time, he looked for those small moments. Because, like his mother always said, life isn't measured in the number of breaths you take, but in the moments that take your breath away.
"What do you think?" He asked wearily, hoping for a good answer.
Sally's face lit up like the Christmas tree that stood in the corner of the room. "I think that would be perfect, Percy."
"You think she'll want it? Because you know how she is with dependency and stuff-"
Sally put a hand over Percy's leg to stop his rambling. "I think, with everything that has happened, she'll appreciate it."
"I hope you're right."
Sally chuckled. "Women are always right, Percy. Now, you want to help you ole' mom with dinner?"
Percy grinned. "Of course."
He spent the rest of the evening engraving everything that was said between them into his mind; either for a rainy day, or a day when his eyes wouldn't stop raining; there really was no difference.
After dinner, he called Grover and asked him to join him at the jewelry store – he wanted a second opinion, and he didn't want to mess this gift up.
Grover helped him find the perfect one, smiling and patting Percy on the back once he did. Percy dropped him back off at Camp and drove home, the sadness in him slowly dissolving into giddiness.
Xxxxx
"Merry Christmas," Sally Jackson-Blofis whispered to the two teenagers sleeping on her living room couch. It was only seven in the morning, and she knew they wouldn't be awake for a few more hours, but she wanted to busy herself with a morning of baking after hearing each of them wake up from nightmares multiple times throughout the night.
Since the beginning of August, when Percy had come home from the war, she'd been physically unable to stop from worrying about him. She knew that more often then not he didn't sleep at night, even if he was good at hiding it during the day. But she also knew that the only thing that would help him was time, and maybe Annabeth's company. It was for that reason that she didn't demand he saw a therapist at once; no doctor would understand what he'd been through. At times, she barely understood.
A few hours later, Percy wandered into the kitchen, following the smell of hot chocolate chip cookies. He grabbed one from the pan, not realizing it was fresh out of the oven, and bunt his fingers. Sally chuckled silently.
"That's what you get for sneaking cookies before they've cooled."
Percy shrugged, popping the cookie into his mouth. "I don't even regret it."
Sally smiled and pulled him into a hug. "Merry Christmas, sweetheart."
"Merry Christmas, mom."
"I'm so glad you're home this year." Sally's throat burned, just thinking about the previous year.
"Me too, mama."
Sally's heart warmed at the 'mama' comment. He hadn't called her that since he was a young child. She hugged him tighter.
Part of her longed for the days when her son had been younger. She needn't worry if he was going to be there for the holiday's or not, because he wasn't allowed to answer the door by himself let alone go on dangerous quests. But then she remembered that while Percy had been small, Gabe had plagued her days. Now that she had Paul, she was happier than ever. She just wished her son wasn't gone what seemed like all the time.
"Is Annabeth awake?" she inquired, not yet pulling away from her son.
"Yes I am," Annabeth said from the doorway. "But I didn't want to interupt."
She sauntered into the kitchen as Sally finally released Percy from her embrace and busied herself cracking eggs over the hot skillet. Percy moved to kiss his girlfriend on the cheek before settling in at the kitchen table.
It wasn't long before the four of them were all showered, back in their PJ's, and watching Christmas movies on the old TV from their respective couches. There was a plate filled with a variety of different cookies on the coffee table, and mugs of hot chocolate in every corner. Sally was happy.
Halfway through Miracle on 34th Street, Percy caught his mother's eye and raised his charcoal brows. She swallowed a smile and nodded at Paul before getting up and announcing that they were going to start on dinner. She stood in the hallway, out of sight, and listened in as Percy mumbled something about Annabeth's gift to her.
"I just want you to know," he was saying, his voice uneven and nervous. "If you don't want it, you don't have to keep it and I can get you something else, you know?"
Annabeth snorted. "What makes you think I don't want it?"
Sally didn't hear her son reply, so she imagined he was shaking his head and shrugging.
"Annabeth, I-" Percy paused to take a few deep breaths. Sally thought it was not only utterly painful to hear him stumble over his words, but also inexplicably adorable. "When you gave me that picture the other day. . . I guess it made me realize how long we've. . . I guess, been together, you know? And, and I just. . . remembered when you told me why you wanted to be an architect. Because you want to build something permanent, you know? And, um. . . I know we're only seventeen but I guess, I guess I want to be that for you – I mean, after everything we've been through together, you know, over these past years and. . ." Sally heard a jewelry box pop open. She thought she could hear Annabeth's jaw drop.
"I'm not proposing or anything," Percy said quickly, his voice cracking. Sally choked on her laugh. "It's just, you know, a Promise Ring."
"Oh, Percy," Annabeth breathed.
"I don't want you to feel like you have to fight anything alone, and I know you're independent and everything and I get that, but I-I want you to know that I'll always be there, I guess. I mean-"
Sally couldn't contain her smile as Annabeth stopped Percy's words with a kiss.
"I love you," Annabeth whispered.
Percy laughed nervously. "Does this mean you'll keep the ring?"
Annabeth nudged his shoulder. "Of course I will, Seaweed Brain. What made you think I wouldn't?"
Percy shrugged.
"You really do know me better than anyone, don't you?"
"I love you," Percy said like it was obvious, which it kind of was. He had traveled through the depths of the underworld for her.
"I love you too," Annabeth said, and Sally could hear the smile in her voice.
Believe me, I know. I'm still not even sure if I like the idea of Percy giving Annabeth a promise ring, but I wrote it on a whim and I hope it wasn't too awful.
R&R! Thanks guys!
~ Bookaddict1028