Disclaimer: I own nothing Percy Jackson.

Author's Note: Just a fluffy little oneshot inspired by an OTP prompt on Tumblr. (Also, I'm bending the rules of canon to have Annabeth's birthday be around the time she and Percy are still attending Camp Half-Blood. If that is incorrect, I'm sorry, but I really wanted a lake-related scene with this, so... yeah... ^^") Enjoy!

How to Surprise a Daughter of Athena

"Percy, honestly, what kind of money did you spend on me?"

"Nothing more than what my Wise-Girl deserves."

"Yeah, but..." Annabeth faltered, staring at the gigantic wrapped box before her. "Don't you think this is a bit much?"

Percy laughed and sipped his blue Coke. It was Annabeth's 18th birthday and the two of them were celebrating by the lake at Camp Half-Blood. Most of the campers' festivities had died down by now, and it was just the two lovebirds alone, as Apollo drove the sun into the most beautiful sunset (Percy mentally thanked the sun god for the great backdrop).

Annabeth nearly swayed with how overwhelmingly large Percy's birthday gift was to her. It was a square box that stood just below her chin and was wider than her arm-span. He can't be serious!

"Percy..."

"Babe, are you going to unwrap your gift or not?"

Annabeth sighed and tore timidly at a corner. Nothing jumped out, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Bracing herself, she ripped open the whole side of the square facing her. It was a plain cardboard box. She continued unwrapping until she reached the flaps to the box to see -

Annabeth glared at her boyfriend, who looked far too pleased with himself.

"Perseus Jackson, you did NOT pull a 'wrap tons of boxes together till you get to the real present' deal, did you?!"

"I don't know, baby, you'll just have to keep unwrapping and find out."

And so, in wake of that impudent response, Annabeth tore at her buried birthday gift with a vengeance. She unwrapped every single layer, tore open each box, growled in frustration, then began again. The original box was so big, she didn't bother trying to remove each of the other boxes, so ended up leaning against one side's flaps, reaching and reaching as the boxes increasingly shrunk...

"FINALLY!" Annabeth suddenly shouted in triumph, scrambling upright, holding a tiny box in her hands. She stumbled away from the layered boxed-gift and marched up to her now laughing boyfriend, and presented it to him. "This had better be the last one, Percy Jackson!"

"Open it, then, and find out," Percy said, still laughing.

Annabeth rolled her eyes and unwrapped the tiny cardboard box to find... a small, velvet box. She glanced quizzically at Percy, then opened it. And gasped.

Inside the little box, on a velvet cushion, sat the most intricately detailed ring she had ever seen. The band had flowers and vines, twisting and turning all around, and instead of a diamond there was a big and beautiful pearl. And then she noticed, carved inside the band read "αγαπημένη μοu."

My Beloved.

"Will you," Percy's voice said below her, startling Annabeth to look down and see her boyfriend on one knee, and speaking in a dramatically serious voice, "Annabeth Chase, take this Seaweed Brain, Percy Jackson, to be your lawfully wedded husband, and hopefully not cause either of our godly parents to strike us down where we stand?"

"P-Percy, y-you IDIOT!" Annabeth launched herself at her boyfriend, rolling them over on the sand, till they were nearly touching the lake's edge. The whole time they were kissing, but weren't even aware. Breathless, they finally parted lips, with Annabeth straddling Percy's waist, glaring down at him. "Of COURSE I'll marry you! Who do you think I am?"

"I think you're the most beautiful, wonderful person in the world," Percy said, laughing and spitting out sand. "And I wish you had rolled us further into the lake so we could be a bit more dignified about this."

"Dignified? Says the guy who proposes by wrapping the ring in a bazillion boxes for his very annoyed girlfriend to unwrap?"

"Hey, just giving you a friendly reminder that I'll always be around to drive you insane."

"Your proposal doesn't need to remind me of anything," Annabeth scoffed. She grinned and kissed him passionately. "But I accept." And she rolled them into the lake.

Needless to say, putting on an engagement ring while making out with her Seaweed Brain of a fiancé, right after he created an air bubble to fit their heads and torsos, was the best birthday gift ever.

AN: I used Google Translate for "my beloved" in Greek. Apologies if the internet lied to me.

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