Disclaimer: I do not own PJO
Chiron supposes he's always known it would come to this.
It was really quite inevitable. Chiron always knew they would end up falling in love, was always anticipating it, but this was the one thing he wasn't ready for. He's not surprised, but couldn't they control themselves a little bit better?
"Annabeth," he sighs, flicking his tail. "You must be sensible about this".
She looks down, her face bright red. Chiron watches as Percy squeezes her hand, also blushing deeply. The centaur opens his mouth to further scold the couple, but before any words can come out, he recalls the first time he saw Annabeth blush. And the first time he saw the two demigods sit so close together. He remembers the process in which they participated in, to get to this moment. So before he speaks, Chiron remembers.
It's dark and cold outside, and rain is thudding on the roof of the Big House, thunder rumbling outside. Chiron peers out the window, only to see that there's no lightning spiking through the black clouds. He remembers Zeus's words quite clearly, as he watches the storm. "My bolt has been stolen. The most plausible suspect is Poseidon's brat, Perseus Jackson. He is my Lightning Thief, Chiron. I will give my brother and his sea spawn until the solstice to return it. If it is not in my hands by then, there will be war".
But Chiron knows it isn't Perseus, preferably known as Percy. He sighs, something he's been doing a lot of recently. Percy Jackson should have arrived at camp hours earlier, accompanied by his protector. But it's well past 11:00, and there's still no sign of him.
The door bangs open, and for a moment he can hear the wind howling outside. But then the door is shut, and a familiar voice calls out to him. Then the owner of the voice, Annabeth Chase, stumbles into the living room, drops of water rolling off of her rain jacket, and her blonde curls a rats nest.
"Chiron," She pants, apparently having run from her cabin. "I had a dream". Seeing his expression, the daughter of Athena continues, "But it's different this time, it's much too vague. I want to know your opinion on what it means".
"Child," Chiron says, glancing at the clock. "It's much too late".
But then she gives him this pleading look, and he can tell she's rattled. So he moves over to fireplace, and tells her to sit. It takes her a moment to speak, and Chiron can tell she's analyzing it one last time in her head, before she says it outloud.
"It started where I was drowning," Annabeth starts, shivering. "But the water was greener than it should be, more vibrant and reckless. It was alive". She pauses. "Then dark, a kind of forbidding darkness, started to close in and suffocate me. I thought it was going to kill me, but before it could, these black stripes started to battle the evil off. It took a moment for me to realize it, but the stripes were eyelashes, Chiron. Which means the green were eyes. I'm willing to bet that the person with those eyes will end up being a savior of some kind, battling away evil".
She trails off for a moment, and starts to pace. Chiron looks away, hoping she doesn't notice how he's paled. He's even more worried now, because he knows the eyes Annabeth has just described. An image of Percy Jackson staring at him defiantly flashes across his vision.
Not five minutes later, when Percy finally thuds onto the Big House's porch, drenched, and with a gash across his forehead, Annabeth finally get's to see her sea green eyes she's been dreaming of.
"He's the one. He must be", She whispers, as she glimpses the green irises for the first time, before Percy falls unconscious. That's when Chiron knows something will happen between the two of them. Whether it be positive or negative, it will be big.
"Silence, Annabeth," Chiron murmurs, watching as Percy's eyes flutter shut. "He's still conscious. Bring him inside".
"His eyes are the ones from my dream!" Annabeth says as she starts to haul the unconscious demigod inside. "And the boy from your house call, right? What's his name?"
"Percy Jackson", He answers.
Chiron would bet his immortality that he saw Annabeth shiver as Percy's name rolls off his tongue. "Percy Jackson," he hears her repeat quietly.
Annabeth is sitting with Chiron on the porch of the Big House when he witnesses her first panic attack caused by something other than a spider. It's after her first quest, and she's telling him everything from her point of view. The centaur can't help but notice that many of the things she tells him are about the little things that Percy Jackson does.
"Obviously Percy was really confused," She tells him, sipping her lemonade. "His eyebrows scrunch together when he doesn't understand something. But you probably know that from teaching him over the school year".
"Yes, I suppose I noticed that," He muses, looking at Annabeth's face. "It's remarkable that you recognize so many of his habits".
Chiron's lips can't help but turn upward at the sight of Annabeth's blush, the first time that he's witnessed it. She opens her mouth to protest, but she's cut off by the emergency horn blaring across camp. She sits up straight, all embarrassment gone.
"Where's Luke?" She asks as she stands up, her eyes wide and calculating.
"Get on my back, Annabeth," Chiron says quickly, not bothering to answer her question. "We must hurry".
They are eight feet away when Chiron can make out the mop of black hair through the crowd. Percy's lying on the ground, the nymphs over him frantically trying to keep him alive. Everyone surrounding the son of Poseidon is panicking, yelling at each other in confusion. He hears Annabeth's breath catch in her throat as she recognizes the injured demigod.
"Oh my gods," She whispers.
She vaults off of Chiron's back before he can skitter to a stop, choosing instead to sprint the rest of the way. "Get away from him!" She shrieks, her voice shrill and panicked.
She bats the nymphs away as she reaches Percy, dropping to her knees in front of him. Annabeth rolls the son of Poseidon over, and for a moment, Chiron himself stops breathing. Percy's hand is torn open, covered in a sickly purple and green ooze.
Annabeth is practically in tears now, the centaur can see her blinking madly. She presses her fingers against Percy's wrist. "He's not breathing. Chiron, he's not breathing".
No time is wasted in getting Percy to the Big House as fast as possible.
It's an hour or so later, when Percy opens his eyes. Annabeth is the first thing he sees.
Chiron can practically see relief fill Annabeth's gray irises. She's dabbing the son of Poseidon's forehead with a wet rag, just like she's been doing for the last hour. At one point, Chiron thinks he saw the daughter of Athena wipe away some drool.
Green locks on gray.
The centaur can't help but smile as Percy's says to Annabeth, "Here we are again".
Chiron can see a faint blush on Annabeth's cheeks, even as she scolds him.
He's packing his bags when he makes her promise to keep the son of Poseidon safe. Swear on the River Styx, Chiron pleads her. Annabeth's hand twitches towards Percy's, such a small movement that the centaur almost misses it. But it is quite hard to miss once the two demigods fingers brush.
On the Styx, the trainer emphasizes.
Annabeth nods.
Chiron is only a few feet ahead of Annabeth and the newly revived Thalia Grace; it isn't that hard to overhear their hushed conversation.
"Who's this Percy Jackson kid?" Thalia is asking. Although he was the one to carry the daughter of Zeus to the infirmary, Thalia hasn't seen the son of Poseidon since then.
"He's the only demigod child of Poseidon", Annabeth answers back, pride prominent in her tone.
"Is he your boyfriend or something?"
Annabeth's cheeks flame up in a fire engine red. Since Percy came to camp, Chiron has gotten used to Annabeth blushing. The daughter of Athena is quick to deny such a relationship with Percy though. Almost immediately, her voice comes out insistent and defensive.
"Of course not!" She exclaims. "He's just my friend." At the end of her statement, however, Annabeth's voice is uneven.
By the look on Percy's face, Chiron can tell he's found out about Annabeth and the Hunters. Grover must have shown the son of Poseidon the brochure, Chiron thinks, and it's obvious that the discovery wasn't taken well.
Despite his worry for Annabeth, Chiron can't help but chuckle and shake his head as Percy glares at a group of passing Hunters. He's seen that expression on the demigods face many times before, though most of the time it was pointed at a mortal called Nancy Bobofit. The trainer thinks of it as Percy's deluxe I-will-rip-off-all-of-your-limbs glare.
Chiron trots over to Percy. "What do you think of the Hunters, my boy?"
He doesn't think Percy realizes who he's talking to. He's muttering: "Sticks up their asses, stuck up little snobs, who do they think they are, just to come here and-" Percy looks up, and stops abruptly. He swallows, and blushes. "Sorry, sir. I'm sure they're very decent".
Percy flashes Chiron an obviously fake smile.
The Hunters leave the next morning for their quest. Chiron isn't surprised to see that Percy is missing. Dionysus is gone as well.
When Annabeth, Percy, and Grover finally arrive back at camp, Chiron is relieved. The last time the three campers came back from a quest together, Percy and Annabeth stood half a foot away from each other. Now though, their shoulders are firmly pressing against one another, their fingers brushing. Chiron is not the only one who notices it too, he can Grover smirking when his best friends are not looking.
"Are you feeling alright?" Chiron asks.
Annabeth gives him a grim smile. Grover nods hesitantly. Percy looks at him with a sort of defeat, telling him "Bianca and Zoë are dead". The daughter of Athena hooks pinkies with him, offering silent support.
"It as the prophecy said," Chiron sighs. "You, however, must be the one to tell Nico".
Eventually Percy nods, but he still looks lost. Grover looks sympathetic. Annabeth is only looking at Percy. "You'll be fine," She whispers to him.
"Chiron?"
"Yes, Annabeth?"
"I was wondering if I could go into the city this weekend".
"What for?"
"Well...there's a new movie in theaters, and Percy and I wanted to go and see it. I'll have my dagger and Percy will have Riptide. We'll be totally fine".
"I would expect you to be, such skilled hero's such as yourself and Percy will be able to handle a couple of hours in the city. And the two of you deserve a break. Of course you may go".
"Thanks, Chiron".
"Make sure your back from your date at a reasonable hour though".
"Chiron! It's not a date!"
"Will anyone else be accompanying you to the movies?"
"...No. But it's not a date. It's just Percy".
"Of course, my dear. Have fun".
"We will".
"Chiron?"
It is not unreasonably late to be Iris-messaging someone, but nevertheless, Chiron is surprised to see a shimmering image of Percy Jackson when he lifts his head. "Hello, Percy. How was your birthday?"
The demigod bites his lip, and shrugs. "It was fine". But Percy has never been one to beat around the bush, so he continues after a moments pause. "How's Annabeth?"
Chiron is aware of the "small misunderstanding" (as Annabeth put it) that happened at the end of the summer session. The details of this "miscommunication" (Percy's words, not his) are not privy to him though. He's not sure anyone at camp knows what was said during what has become known as "Percabeth's Ultimate Lovers Spat" (Selina's choice of words, along with the rest of the Aphrodite cabin) but the centaur knows that it is no small matter if he, against his will really, is playing the part of a messenger between the two best friends.
Chiron closes his book, and focuses on Percy. "She is doing fine, and is still very much enthralled with Daedalus' laptop".
Percy seems distracted, and runs a hand through his ebony hair. "A- alright. Just, um, just tell her I say 'hi', please? She won't answer any of my calls".
"Just give her some time, Percy. Luke's…. transformation, for lack of a better word, has been quite a shock".
The demigod scowles and opens his mouth, a retort no doubt on the tip of his tongue, but then Sally's voice floats into the room. "Percy! Rachel's here!"
Percy's eyes light up, and his scowl disappears as he calls back to his mother, "Okay! Tell her not get paint in the fishbowl!" He turns back to Chiron. "I have to go. But thanks Chiron".
The centaur smiles, his hand reaching up to disconnect the Iris-message. "Have a good day, Percy".
"You too".
As the mist evaporates, Chiron see's an energetic red-head bounce into Percy's room, paint all over her clothes. Lovers spat, indeed, he thinks.
Annabeth is standing in front of him, a mighty scowl adorning her face. "Where's Percy? We need to go over battle plans".
Chiron closes his book. He hasn't gotten very far into it. He keeps getting interrupted. "I believe he is at the beach with his mother and his mortal friend Rachel".
Annabeth let's out a huff, and her scowl deepens. "Of course he is".
"Besides, Annabeth, Charles Beckendorf will be going to get him in just a couple hours for that mission we discussed".
"Right. Fine, then."
Chiron smiles sadly, recognizing the jealousy on her face. "Do not worry child, Percy will be back in a couple of hours, and I doubt he will have enough time to see Rachel Dare again for sometime. We will all be quite busy".
Annabeth blushes fire engine red and looks away. She mumbles: "I don't care if he's with Rachel or not, Seaweed Brain has just been really absent when the camp needs him the most".
Chiron can read inbetween the lines: Annabeth is 'camp', Percy is abandoning her, and she needs him. It was very simple, and he tried his best to comfort her.
"Well, as soon as the mission is over, you- excuse me,- camp can have Percy all to itself".
Annabeth looks up at him. "Yeah,". She's still scowling, but Chiron figures that scowl will stay on her face until Rachel Elizabeth Dare is dead. "Just tell him to come find me when he gets back, okay?"
"Of course, my dear".
The camp has been recovering from the Battle of Manhattan nicely, Chiron thinks. The summer session will have to go longer than usual, but he thinks the surviving demigods could use the extra time at camp. It has only been a couple days since Percy's birthday, yet in all that time, the trainer had been in the infirmary with the recovering campers. He thinks it's high time to go and visit the son of Poseidon.
He finds Percy in the strawberry fields. The centaur is not surprised to see Annabeth there with him, laughing as he makes weird faces.
"Seaweed Brain!", she calls as she throws a strawberry at him, smiling, "Stop fooling around, and help me pick the strawberries!"
Percy tugs the basket of berries out of Annabeth's hand. He whines: "But berry picking can be so boring, Annabeth".
She rolls her eyes and steps to pick the basket back up, but her companion catches her hand and intertwines their fingers, wrapping his other arm around her waist. Both demigods are smiling and have a faint blush across their cheeks. Chiron doesn't know what to think because he's fairly certain they don't usually act like this, but then Percy says something and everything falls into place.
"Are you sure you don't want to fool around?" Percy asks.
Annabeth laughs and murmurs, "Well, I suppose we could use a break", and as she leans in for a kiss, Chiron smiles and turns away.
He can talk to Percy later.
"Alright," Chiron tries for a stern expression, looking at both Annabeth and Percy. "You can get off with a warning, but please don't ever get caught in one anothers cabin alone again."
Annabeth lets out a sigh of relief, and Percy smiles at him gratefully. "Thank you Chiron," Percy says, at the same time Annabeth exclaims "Of course not".
Chiron waves his hand towards the door. "Go and make sure Clarisse isn't being too hard on the new campers, will you?"
Annabeth and Percy nod, and step towards the door. Chiron calls out one last request before the couple leaves: "One more thing. I never want to hear of something like this again".
So the two demigods nod with a hint of shame on their features, and shuffle out of the Big House. As the door swings shut behind them, Chiron hears Percy say: "You know, he said not to get caught", and Annabeth shoves him but laughs a little, and Chiron can see that's she still beat red.
Then the centaur shakes his head and turns back to his book, his mind still full of Percy and Annabeth.
A/N: What did you think? This is probably the longest one shot I've written, and I'd love to hear what you guys are thinking. Please tell me in a review!
-bluelightningbug