About that kiss

[…] "Destroy with a hero's final breath. That makes sense now. Daedalus died to destroy the Labyrinth. But what was the last –"

"And lose a love to worse than death." Annabeth had tears in her eyes. "That was the last line, Percy. Are you happy now?"

The sun seemed colder than it did a moment ago.

"Oh," I said. "So Luke –"

"Percy, I didn't know who the prophecy was talking about. I-I didn't know if…" She faltered helplessly.

I swallowed and felt my heart suddenly thump a mile a minute. What had she wanted to say? What hadn't she known? I thought back to that moment at Mount St. Helen's and suddenly I had to know. Right, during my time with Calypso on her island I hadn't really thought about that kiss, but to be fair, I hadn't really thought about anything other than the beautiful girl who had been currently with me, and I guess a part of me was still stunned upon her beauty, but now, being far away from the punished young woman, it was a lot easier to think straight.
When Rachel, Annabeth and I had parted before my fight with Kronos, I had thought back to the kiss and even if I'm sure I'd have felt uncomfortable if Annabeth had kissed me again, my heart's reaction would have been the same. I was sure of that.
I still couldn't quite put a finger on what was happening between Annabeth and me lately and I still couldn't quite wrap my mind around those three girls who had been with me over those last few weeks, but I knew one thing: Annabeth was the most important one of them.

"Annabeth? Why did you kiss me?" My heart pounded wildly in my chest. It felt like it was about to break my rib cage. Why was her answer suddenly so important to me? Why did I want her to deny its meaning of good luck so bad?

"Why I- ?," she whispered, tears streaming down her face, "you really are a seaweed brain, Perseus Jackson!" She stomped off and my heart felt like it was breaking, but my body reacted without my permission, quickly running after her and catching her hand.

"Please tell me," I said desperately, swallowing against the lump in my throat. "I just can't get it out of my head and I know you still like Luke, I mean the prophecy – ," I cut myself off, when I realized something. She had said she hadn't known who the oracle had been talking about.
Swallowing again, I took a deep breath, not risking a look into her watery, grey eyes.

"Annabeth, was there somebody else the prophecy could have been talking about, somebody besides Luke?"

I was sure my heart was crushing my chest by now and my hands were so sweaty, I was surprised I hadn't lost my grip on her hand by now.

I was not sure what kind of reaction I was expecting of her? Maybe to hit me or with much luck kiss me again or just shrugging me off and running as far as she could, but she surprised me again by hugging me and pressing her wet face tightly against my neck.

It felt like back then before we went on this quest before Malcolm had interrupted us. Butterflies were doing summersaults in my stomach again as I gently stroked her back. It felt nice, really really nice and I wouldn't have minded if we could have stayed like this forever.

"You," she mumbled in my neck and I had to listen really hard to understand her, "I thought the prophecy might be talking about you."

And lose a love to worse than death.

My eyes widened when I caught on the meaning. I swallowed hard again, couldn't help but tighten my arms around Annabeth.

I knew I had to say something, preferably right now. "I really liked kissing you," I blurted out, "and in the Labyrinth back with Rachel a part of me wanted for you to do that again."

Annabeth went still, pushing away from me. Her eyes were a little puffy, but she didn't look sad anymore. She looked like she wanted to punch me.

"You are an idiot. I'm standing here with you, trying to tell you that…that…and all you can think about is that stupid mortal girl with her stupid –"

As I looked at her with wide eyes I suddenly understood what Rachel had meant when she'd said that boys were blind when I told her I didn't understand why Annabeth was acting like she did around her. I could see it now: Annabeth Chase was jealous.
That was the explanation for pretty much everything between us. Why she had stormed off after she'd guessed where I had been during my absence and what Chiron and Rachel and even Malcolm almost four weeks ago had meant: Annabeth liked me. She really liked me. Enough to hate a mortal girl, to ignore her mother's probable fury about hanging out with a son of Poseidon and to cry over a stupid prophecy that was never quite what you were expecting.

And while Annabeth was still ranting on and on about poor Rachel, my gaze fell on her mouth and I quickly decided I liked it much better if she used it to kiss me.

So I did the only logical thing: I bent forward and kissed her.

I had never kissed a girl, well at least I had never kissed one first (and even then Annabeth was the only one who I'd ever kissed beside my mom), so I didn't quite know what to do, how to move my lips and gods, should I use my tongue?

But then Annabeth broke out of her stupor, wrapped her arms around my neck and worked her lips over mine and it felt nice, really nice. My hands found her hips, gently pulling her closer until she was quite pressed against me and wow, did kissing always feel that amazing?

I felt her fingers playing with my dark hair and then her tongue, oh gods, her tongue, at my lips and I helplessly opened up and let her in.

It was a little bumpy first because Annabeth apparently wasn't much more experienced either, but I really didn't care because when her tongue touched mine I felt like melting into a puddle of jelly.

Somebody clearing their throat behind us broke as quickly apart and we both, beet red, turned around to face Hera.

Gods, this was awkward.

And before the goddess could pull my mind of that mind-blowing kiss I just experienced, I felt Annabeth's hand slip into mine and I thought whatever unpleasant news Hera was going to bring (because really, whenever was a meeting with one of the gods a pleasant one?), it couldn't be that bad because my favorite girl in the whole world was holding my hand.

[…]