"See?" asked the little girl, her short, spiky hair rustling in the wind as she twirled around on her roller-skates. "It's easy! Come on, Annie! You can do it."
She took a seat on the curb, pulling the shiny new skates off her feet and passing them to her friend. The small, blonde-haired girl took the skates nervously, slipping them onto her tiny, delicate feet. She tried to stand up, then sat back down quickly.
"No, Thals. That's okay. I—I'll just watch you."
"No!" insisted the small girl named Thalia, her electric blue eyes flashing with excitement. "I wanna say I taught you how to roller-skate! Please, Annie?"
Thalia looked up at her with adorable, puppy-dog eyes, her bottom lip jutting out in a pout. Annabeth sighed.
"Fine."
She stood up again, wobbling to her feet. As the roller-skates picked up speed, Annabeth flew across the road, her arms flailing. "EEEEEE!" she squealed in excitement, before the skates bumped over a twig, sending Annabeth flying.
She landed a couple of feet away, her knees and hands scraping across the cold gravel. Her lower lip began to tremble as tears filled her starling gray eyes.
Somewhere behind them, a door slammed. Annabeth looked up to see a boy running towards them from Thalia's house. He didn't look more than seven years old, but to five-year-old Annabeth he was a big boy, so much older and cooler than her.
He ran over to them, kneeling beside Annabeth. She reached up a chubby, dimpled hand to wipe some of the tears off her face, and sat up to look at him. His dark hair was tousled and wind-swept. And his eyes, full of concern, were the brightest green she had ever seen.
"Are you okay?" he asked Annabeth.
All of the tears were gone as Annabeth stared up at the boy, utterly fascinated. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out, and her mouth hung open in a tiny, pink 'o'. The boy smiled at her.
"Would you like a Band-aid?" he asked gently.
Still unable to talk, Annabeth nodded vigorously. The boy with the green eyes smiled, leaping to his feet. He ran inside and out of sight. Annabeth leaned in close to Thalia, her mouth still slightly open.
"Who is that?" she whispered loudly.
Thalia giggled. "That's my big brother, Percy Jackson! Well, he's my cousin, but he came to live with us after his parents died in a car crash. I love him a lot. I always wanted a big brother. I mean, I have the gross, drooly thing my parents call Jason, but he doesn't count."
Annabeth nodded, barely listening and still staring after Percy. He had talked to her like they were the same age. And he was a very pretty boy. Annabeth liked him a lot.
Annabeth sat on the swings of her school alone. Thalia was out sick, and she had no one to play with. So she was quietly watching Percy Jackson playing basketball with his friends. Percy Jackson was still the nicest boy she had ever met. But he treated her like a kid, rustling her hair, laughing when she tried to say something serious.
The problem was, Annabeth still felt like a five-year-old whenever Percy Jackson was around. She would stutter and blush whenever he spoke to her. She still gaped at him the way she had when she first set eyes on him four years before. His eyes, she had noticed were lighter than she first thought, swimming with blue, making a sea-green to challenge to ocean.
She watched as he bounced up and down, high-fiving his friend with the curly hair and acne. He caught the basketball, and bounced around, throwing it at his friends. Annabeth thought he was very handsome.
And it seemed she wasn't the only one who thought so. Sixth-grade Percy was very popular. He even had a girlfriend. Well, as much as someone that age could. Sometimes they even hugged. But to Annabeth, it was the end of the world. Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Percy's girlfriend was very pretty. She had long, curly red hair, sparkly eyes of emerald green, lots of freckles and she loved to paint. She seemed nice, but Annabeth hated her. Every time she came over to play with Percy, it seemed Annabeth was also there with Thalia. She always had to find some silly excuse for why she couldn't stay.
The very worst part though, was the fact that once Percy graduated to seventh grade, it would be a full five years once they were in the same school again. Not until Annabeth was a freshman and Percy was a junior in high school.
Annabeth shook herself, realizing that she had been sitting on a perfectly still swing set for the last ten minutes. Pumping her legs, she flew through the air, letting the wind flow through her curly pigtails. For the moment, Percy was forgotten. But she didn't notice how he looked over at her, watching her fly through the air, a small smile just reaching his sea-green eyes.
Annabeth closed her locker door with a bang, and locked the lock, turning it exactly to 0 as she did every time. She glanced around one last time, then did a double take, jumping back. Percy Jackson was leaning slouched against the locker next to hers. Annabeth felt her cheeks turn red. She tried not to notice how perfectly his shirt clung to his chest, so muscled from all of the swimming he did. She tried not to notice the way his raven hair was as perfectly tousled as always, or the way his sea-green eyes twinkled mischievously as he smirked at her.
"Um," she said, "Thalia already left, she had…"
"Oh, I wasn't looking for Thalia," he grinned.
"Well, I haven't seen Piper either if that…"
"Don't be stupid, you wise-girl. I know where both Piper and Thalia's lockers are. I was looking for you."
"You were?" asked Annabeth a bit too eagerly. She cleared her throat. "I mean… okay. Um, how come?"
Percy suddenly pushed off the locker, standing up straight, and bringing a hand to the back of his head the way Annabeth had noticed he did when he was nervous. She felt a fleeting twitch of excitement in her stomach. Clutching her textbooks tightly, she stared up at Percy with round, grey eyes.
Percy seemed a lot less cool than he had a moment ago. He suddenly looked like a nervous school boy. "Well, um, I'm not sure if you know this, but senior prom is coming up, and, um…I, um…would you…I mean…that is…doyouwannagowithme?"
"Pardon?" asked Annabeth, partly confused, party hardly daring to believe the words she thought she'd heard.
"Do you…do you wanna go to the prom with me?" Percy recoiled slightly after he said it, nervously.
"Really? B-but I'm a sophomore and you're a senior!" she stammered.
Percy still looked slightly nervous. "I know that! So is that a no, or…?"
"Of course not!" said Annabeth hurriedly. "I would love to come…it's just…are you…what about Rachel?"
"Rachel?" asked Percy, confused. Then understanding set in, and with a slight smirk, he leaned in close to Annabeth. "Let's just say that Rachel and I are an 'on again, off again' couple. And we've been 'off again' for years now."
Annabeth shivered. She could feel Percy's breath brushing her hair. It smelled like the sea. Percy was leaning in so close to her. His smile was infectious. His breath was intoxicating.
Feeling as though she was blushing to her very core, Annabeth answered quietly. He was so close she didn't need to speak louder. "Alright."
Percy grinned, pulling back. Annabeth felt the connection between them break. Percy turned to leave. "So, I'll pick you up at seven on prom night. Be ready."
As Percy left, Annabeth leaned back against the locker, her knees weak. Percy Jackson wanted to go to the prom. With her.
She snapped out of her shock, and took off at a run. The prom was two weeks away. And she only had a million things to do.
Annabeth sat quietly in the corner of the dimly lit room, her legs crossed. She'd come to the prom with Percy Jackson. And he hadn't asked her to dance once. She sat as well hidden as she possible could, leaning back in her chair, watching the spiraling, rainbow disco lights glide across the ceiling. A loud, upbeat song with an annoyingly loud base-line pulsed in the background. Annabeth could see Percy off on the dance floor, dancing vigorously with his twelfth-grade friends.
She tried very hard not to feel hurt. But for a moment, she'd thought that maybe, just maybe, Percy Jackson had liked her as more than his little sister's best friend. Cleary she'd been wrong.
As the song ended, the teenagers cheered, jumping up and down. There was a silent moment between songs, as friends laughed and talked. Then a new song started, with a soft intro, slow and sweet.
Percy was walking towards her, smiling. Probably done with dancing, thought Annabeth. Come to sit with me for the slow song.
But, grinning his sheepish half-grin, Percy approached her, holding out his hand. "Want to dance?"
And feeling once more like the fumbling, stuttering five-year-old, Annabeth stood. The grin wouldn't fade from her face, and she was suddenly all too aware of her revealing, soft blue dress, the awkward heels she could barely walk in.
She smiled softly as Percy led her through the crowd of happy couples. Once they reached a free spot of floor, they stared at each other a moment, a few feet apart. Then Percy pulled her into her arms.
Annabeth felt at home. Percy's arms were soft and warm. She could feel his breath like the sea flitting through her hair. The ballad that played overhead was soft and lovely. A male voice, soft, low, pure, sweet, sang words simple, yet beautiful. The music sank into Annabeth's bones. She could feel her eyelashes flitting closed as she swayed back and forth in Percy's arms.
"What song is this?" she murmured.
Percy's voice nearly faded into the song, so low and sweet. "I think it's called 'Can't Help Falling in Love with You'. It's an Elvis song."
Annabeth looked up at Percy. His sea-green eyes were tender and loving. He was smiling down at her as she had never seen him smile before.
Her eyes travelled to his lips. She had imagined them so many times before. She watched as they came closer to her. And involuntarily, her lips reached up to meet them
His lips were like nothing she had ever imagined. They were soft and warm, tasted slightly of the sea. So close, his breath was more intoxicating than ever. As he finally pulled away, Annabeth's head was spinning. Her first kiss. It had been better than all of her dreams put together.
Annabeth buried her face in Percy's jacket to hide her grin; the few tears of joy that had leaked out. The lights of the disco-ball were like stars. They swayed back and forth as the song sang to them.
'Like a river flows,
Surely to the sea,
Darling so it goes,
Some things are meant to be…'
She had imagined it for so long. The dreams of it had put her to sleep for years. She had imagined it all. And it couldn't have been more perfect. The small, globe-shaped string lights were strung across the trees that were so green with the summer heat. Stars twinkled in the heavens above, more brightly, it seemed, than ever before. The aisle was a carpet of soft white, set so gently over the grass as green as emeralds, strewn with rose petals of the palest pink. The happy faces of friends surrounded her.
Yet the dress was the most perfect of all. Whiter than snow, soft and flowy. It brushed across the ground as she walked down the aisle. The veil was held to her golden curls by a wreath of soft white roses.
Her face looked more beautiful than she knew. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyelashes were dark, her lips so soft, pink and kissable. And her smile was so beautiful. A smile of nothing but happiness. A smile of dreams come true.
He was there, at the end of the aisle, his hair still windswept, his eyes still brighter than the sea. Soon she would be in his arms. Forever.
She had reached the end of the aisle.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today…"
The man spoke of their love and devotion. Annabeth only half listened. She was gazing into the face of the man she had loved for years. She knew that their love could never be broken. It was too pure, too sweet, too true. The gentle smile he wore showed he knew it too. They were meant to be.
"I do."
The words tasted sweet in her mouth. She did. She really did. She loved him more than words, more than life.
And his lips were on hers, so tender, like she was a china doll, like she might break at the lightest touch. Her arms found their way around his neck, and the world disappeared.
When she came back to earth, her friends were cheering. She was laughing, her hand tight on the man's that was now hers forever. Her love. Her always. Her husband.
When the dancing began, it was excited. The songs were happy, upbeat, all songs that Annabeth adored. She danced with everyone. Her friends, her parents, people she barely knew. Finally, the final song of the night came on, quiet and sweet. Annabeth froze.
She turned to look at Percy, her eyes round. He was coming through the crowd towards her. And again she was the five-year old, blushing, drifting towards him.
"You picked this song?" she whispered into his arms when they met.
"Of course. Isn't it our song?"
Elvis's soft baritone filled the air, with the song Annabeth had come to love so much. She buried her head in Percy's chest, unable to hold the tears of joy in.
'Wise men say
That only fools rush in
But I can't help falling in love with you'
Annabeth was flying. Everything around her was gone. She was alone with Percy, as they glided across the floor, each footfall perfect, the light of the night glowing around them. Annabeth had the vague idea that others were joining in, dancing beside them. She didn't know. She didn't care. The arms that surrounded her belonged to her now. The smile she could feel against her hair was now hers too. And as the very last verse of the song began, so loving, soft and sweet, Percy joined in, his cool breath like the sea air tickling her neck, sending shivers down her spine. Annabeth felt herself melt into his arms as his low, sweet tenor, meant only for her, filled her ears.
'Take my hand
Take my whole life too
For I can't help falling in love with you'
-l-
I can't help falling in love with you.
A/N: So I heard this song recently, recognized it, fell in love with it. Then, the other day when I was walking to school, I though how perfect would this be for Percabeth? So, I really hope you enjoyed it. I hope it put a smile on your face. I'd really love if you reviewed, tell me what you thought! And if you liked it, you should go check out my current story, Childhood. If you don't know the song, go listen to it now. :)