This one shot is dedicated to all bookworms and fans of Percabeth! Enjoy!
. . . And a happy new year!
"We may sit in our library and yet be in all quarters of the earth."
–John Lubbock
The smell of hot roasting barbecue ribs from a vendor wafted across the chilly air in New York City. The sky was mostly clear; only a few stray clouds drifting lazily across the blue were to be seen. The day was cold, a heavy snow having fallen the night before, and people hurried by, wrapped in fur hats, earmuffs, and thick wool coats, their boots clattering on the icy sidewalks. Yet everyone seemed to have a little smile on their face, as though they couldn't help but submit to the cheeriness of the afternoon. Businessmen with briefcases on their way to work, groups of women clutching fur handbags, teenagers who'd decided to brave the cold, wearing only thin jackets, and children, with their mothers, alike. Especially the children.
Annabeth Chase had her head tilted toward the sky, smiling, enjoying the beauty of the day. She turned her head to see a group of kids shrieking in excitement as they ran through piles of snow in Central Park. Annabeth laughed, and her breath came out in clouds in the frosty air. Still smiling, she turned back to face the length of sidewalk she was walking.
She was wearing a creamy striped sweater, black leggings, and short boots that only came up to her ankles, and a large, sturdy bag made of canvas-like material was tucked determinedly under her arm. She had one destination fixed firmly in her mind.
The library.
"Of course on a day like this you'd drag your pitiful boyfriend along with you to go to the library," Percy grumbled beside her. He was wearing a green hoodie and had his hands jammed in the pockets, and his lower lip stuck out, pouting. He kept his head down and his shoulders hunched, so Annabeth was able to steal a glance at him, and smiled at the sight of his tousled black hair. It looked like he'd just rolled out of bed. Which he had. She'd literally had to drive to his apartment and barge into his bedroom to wake him.
"Ouch, why did I agree to do this again?" he'd asked, on the floor, blinking up at her in sleepiness. He'd rolled off his bed and landed with a hard thump! on the ground after she'd pulled his covers off him.
Annabeth had impatiently reminded him that she'd asked him the week before if he wanted to go the library with her, and he'd agreed. All the while Percy stared up at her, through half-closed eyelids, wearing only the pair of boxers he'd been sleeping in. Which, she had to admit, wasn't the worst circumstance in which to greet your boyfriend.
Now she was forced to remind him yet again. Seaweed Brain.
"Come on, Percy, you're the one who agreed to go with me, if I remember correctly." Annabeth rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, but only because you refused my offer of just the two of us spending a romantic day at the park."
"The park's freezing."
"So?"
"You're only wearing a hoodie."
"So? We could snuggle on the swing set. Why do you have to go to the library today, anyway?"
"I can't help it, a book I put on hold came in!" Annabeth practically sang in excitement. She felt giddy just thinking about it waiting for her on the hold shelf at the library, a receipt with her name typed on it stuck between the pages.
The book was The Evolution of Mara Dyer, the second book in the Mara Dyer Trilogy. Annabeth had finished the first book, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, a week ago, and she'd loved it so much she'd just had to read the next book immediately.
"Couldn't you wait to get it tomorrow?" Percy asked.
Annabeth gasped in shock like he'd just suggested she commit suicide. Of course, Percy was used to this kind of behavior from her about books by now.
Annabeth didn't speak to him for a few minutes and Percy suddenly realized she'd walked ahead of him, so he hurried to catch up.
"Seriously, though, Annabeth," he gasped out. "You read, like, all the time. We can hardly even go on a date without you bringing a book along."
"You have a problem with that?" Annabeth shot him a death glare. "Maybe you should try reading."
Percy shrugged. "I can't, remember? Dyslexia?" He tapped the side of his head and grinned, but there was a hint of pain behind his eyes.
Annabeth immediately felt bad about snapping at him, and reached over to take his hand. She was wearing wool fingerless gloves because she hated her hands being cold. Percy slipped the glove off her hand and stuck it in his pocket, then grasped her fingers again. He instantly warmed her up way more than the glove had.
Normally, they would've taken their time walking together. A stroll with her boyfriend through New York City, undeterred by gods, monsters, and crazy quests? Annabeth would pay for that kind of thing every day. But the frozen air nipped at their faces and under their collars, so they were forced to quicken their steps until they stood at the entrance of the library.
Snow was piled up beside the front steps that led to the library's main doors. Two stone lions, mid-roar, positioned on either side of the doors, had snow on the tops of their heads, and bore snowy backs, like frosting on a cake.
Annabeth sighed in anticipation as she and Percy skipped up the all-too-familiar marble steps. She always felt a rush of excitement when she spotted the library. After she and Percy passed through the doors and out of the cold, Annabeth just had to stop in the long hallway that advertised posters of new books.
"Come on, Annabeth," Percy complained. He stood a ways behind her, jumping from foot to foot, trying to warm up.
Annabeth gazed dreamily at different book covers. A scared girl's face, advertising the horror genre, a couple entwined with each other so tightly they almost looked like a single person (romance, no-brainer), a plain yellow cover, with only the title of the book in bold words adorning it (contemporary).
"In a minute. It's only one book I'm picking up, anyway— Hey, The 5th Wave looks good!" Annabeth pointed out excitedly, and immediately mentally added it to her book list at the back of her head.
"Annabeth, if you don't come with me right now, I swear I'm going to find your damn book myself and check it out under my library card!" Percy threatened.
She was shaken out of her daze, and glared angrily at her boyfriend. "Oh, no, you're not!" she said, and stomped off ahead of him, then threw one last insult over her shoulder. "You don't even have a library card."
She found the hold shelf easily. A few people walked by and picked up books they'd placed on hold. Annabeth went to the C section and ran her finger along receipts poking out of books with names on them, until she found Chase.
She gasped as she slid the thick, dark-blue book from the shelf and nearly squealed as she gazed at the cover picture.
"Oh, good, you found it. Now we can leave," Percy said, coming up beside her.
When he realized she wasn't budging for at least a few minutes, he leaned over to look at the book. "Weird cover," he commented.
"Are you kidding? I love it! And I'm surprised you don't, as it's underwater."
"Oh, that's what it is?" Percy tilted his head for a better view. "And I didn't say I didn't like it, I just said it's weird. And who's that?" He pointed suspiciously at a black-haired man on the cover.
"Noah Shaw," Annabeth said without offering any explanation, though she felt a slight flush rise to her cheeks.
Percy's mouth dropped open and he suddenly looked like he wanted to punch the book.
"Come on, let's go upstairs for a bit," Annabeth said quickly.
"What? I thought you were just getting one book." Percy suddenly looked worried at the possibility that he'd be trapped at the library for the rest of the day.
"I was, but I checked the library's website and another book I've been wanting to get for a while just got returned, so I'm going to check if it's in." Annabeth ran to the library steps that led upstairs, and Percy, grumbling the whole time, followed her.
At the top of the stairs, Annabeth breathed deeply. She could smell all the books in the library, old and new alike, all used. It was a beautiful smell.
She walked over to one of the shelf isles and ran a hand along book spines, taking in the different colors. Some were bound tightly, some cracked lovingly. She glanced at the books on display and found that she'd already read many of them.
Percy finally caught up with her. "Jeez, those stairs could be a training course at Camp Half-Blood!" he panted.
Annabeth ignored him and walked around the shelf to the Contemporary section. Percy hurried after her like an eager puppy.
She bent down and began searching for the author's name, smiling. She loved contemporary books.
Meanwhile, Percy was practically jumping in the air, his ADHD going ballistic, trying to take in all the titles and covers at once. He glanced down the row of books propped up, on display, in the isle behind Annabeth.
"Hey, this looks like us!" Percy said, smirking. He held up a book titled Sweet Evil, the cover picture a blond girl in a long red dress and a dark-haired boy clutching her from behind.
Annabeth rolled your eyes. "You only wish you were Kaidan Rowe." She tapped the cover. "And I would never wear that."
Percy's grin dropped. "How do you know all these fictional dudes' names?"
Annabeth turned back around, grinning, and said, "It's called being a bookworm, Percy."
She reached down and selected a book. "Yes, this it!" she cried excitedly, pulling it out.
"What?" Percy asked, sounding bored.
"The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I don't know why I haven't read it before. My siblings all recommended it to me. It's supposed to be amazing." She clutched it to her chest.
"Uh, why are you acting like it's the best thing in the world when you haven't even read it yet?" Percy asked, looking seriously freaked out.
"Oh, Percy, I just get this feeling around books; you wouldn't understand . . ."
But he had already moved on to pick up another book on display and was examining it.
"Now this, this is definitely us"—Percy held up the book, the cover a green theme of two lovers embracing, titled Obsidian—"when you're at my apartment."
"Percy!" Annabeth scolded, ignoring his comment. "Put those down. He was still holding Sweet Evil, as well. "You're in the romance section!"
Percy didn't like it when Annabeth yelled at him. And he certainly didn't like the idea of his manliness being threatened by girly romance novels, so he whirled around to set the books back in their places, and accidentally elbowed a bookend, causing a whole row of books to fall off the shelf, one by one, like dominos, each one upset by its neighbor. After the shelf was emptied, a pile of book covers of couples kissing, making out, or simply a girl's face gazing lustfully into the distance, was heaped on the floor.
They both stood still, silent, staring at the pile.
"Whoops," Percy mumbled.
"Shit, Percy," Annabeth exclaimed softly.
She squatted and hurriedly began picking up books, but just then a librarian came around the corner and stared at them from the end of the isle.
She had short gray hair, a large, round figure, and wore a dark-purple shirt and skirt, which matched her eyeshadow. Her mouth was painted a deep red.
Her lips formed a thin line as she took in the situation, her eyes glancing over the books heaped on the floor, some of them having fallen open, laying on their splayed, bent pages. Her face began to turn slightly purple. Annabeth noticed her name tag read Matilda.
"We're so sorry, ma'am!" Annabeth apologized, rising to her feet.
"It was an accident," Percy offered.
Matilda tried to control herself. "I'll send a volunteer to clean this mess up."
"Don't bother, I can do it," Percy offered helpfully, not seeming to notice Matilda's pointed glare at him. He bent down and started to gather up the books, but when he tried to put them back on the shelf, he just ended up knocking another row of books onto the floor.
"Um . . ." he said, looking at the now-larger pile on the floor.
"Silence in the library!" Matilda whisper-screamed. She stepped toward Annabeth. "May I see your library card, miss?"
"Uh." Annabeth fumbled for it in her pocket.
"May I see your library card, sir?" Matilda asked Percy, ignoring Annabeth.
"I don't have one with me." Percy tried for an apologetic smile.
"You . . . don't . . . have . . ." Matilda gasped, her face growing darker every second, "a library card?"
Percy hesitated, not sure what to make of her behavior. He glanced at Annabeth.
"Get out!" Matilda suddenly screamed. She flew at them, waving her arms. "Out! Now! No one enters this building without a library card!"
Annabeth and Percy tripped over each other and the pile of books on the floor in their haste to retreat. Once they were safely out of the isle, they ran for the stairs, and someone called after them, "Slow down, please!"
They paid the warning no heed, the fanatic screechings from the crazed Matilda setting their hearts pounding, and hurried all the way downstairs until they reached the checkout counter. Luckily, there was no line. Annabeth dashed to the first open spot and slammed her books on the counter. She brought her library card out of her pocket and thrust it at the librarian behind the desk.
Annabeth was panting, but the librarian didn't seem to notice. She gave Annabeth a smile and swiped her card.
Annabeth glanced over her shoulder. Percy was standing behind her, also out of breath. There was no sign of Matilda on the stairs. Annabeth held to the slight hope that they might have a chance of escaping, due to the librarian's unfortunate overweight figure. While Matilda was surely slow and huffing while running, Annabeth and Percy were both lithe and fast.
"You're Annabeth Chase?" the librarian behind the counter asked.
"Um, yes, Annabeth Chase," Annabeth confirmed, glancing over her shoulder, sweat beginning to break out at her brow.
"Hmm. My, you've certainly read a lot last summer, haven't you?" the librarian asked, scrolling through Annabeth's account on the computer.
"Yes, yes I have," Annabeth almost shouted. "Can you please just check out the books?"
The librarian looked startled, then quickly took Annabeth's books and slid them over the scanner, muttering under her breath about "rude teenagers these days," and "just trying to be friendly."
Percy was a nervous wreck behind her, his eyes fixed on the stairs, his hands and feet jumping
"That your boyfriend there? He's a bit of a twitchy one," the librarian commented. "But I bet you keep him under control," she teased.
"Mm-hmm," Annabeth answered, lunging for her books and putting them in her bag on her arm, then grabbing Percy's sleeve. They practically ran out the automatic library doors, and when Annabeth glanced over her shoulder she could've sworn she saw Matilda coming after them, puffing, her face as purple as her clothes. Then the doors slid closed behind them.
They hurried as fast as they could manage without getting any suspicious looks (all right, they got a lot of suspicious looks), past the roaring lions, down the marble steps, then flew down the sidewalk, passing up all the people.
"Whew," Percy said when they were safely down the sidewalk and had slowed to a trot. "Give me a monster to fight any day over an angry librarian."
"They're not usually so . . . aggressive," Annabeth offered halfheartedly. The exhilaration of the incident began to fade, and suddenly she started laughing.
Percy glanced over at her. "What's so funny?"
Annabeth shook her head, still grinning. "None of this would've happened if you hadn't come with me. Typical, huh?"
Percy shrugged. "Um, so you've got your books. Where to now?"
"Coffee shop," Annabeth answered instantly. Just imagining sipping a hot drink and flipping pages of a book made her walk faster.
"Now that I won't argue with," Percy said happily.
"Let's take the metro; it'll be faster and will guarantee our safety from Matilda." Annabeth pointed as a car pulled, roaring, into a station in front of them.
They hurried toward the station. One arm wrapped around her book bag, Annabeth took Percy's hand with her other and squeezed his fingers. He squeezed back.
They sat together on the metro, and Percy leaned his head on Annabeth's shoulder while she read the first chapter of The Book Thief. When they reached their stopping point, they quickly exited the locomotive, then hurried down the slick sidewalks until they came to the cozy café with the best coffee in New York on the corner of the street. The tops of Annabeth's boots had become powdered with snow.
The little bell above the door jingled as they walked in. A young woman behind the counter immediately smiled and clasped her hands together as she waited for them to look over the menus and decide what they wanted to order.
While Annabeth ordered their lattes—a caramel frappuccino for herself, and a chocolate–peppermint mocha for Percy—Percy wandered over to the end of the counter to inspect a gingerbread house on display, along with the sign, Please take a piece! He broke two pieces of gingerbread off the roof and selected a candy cane, then rushed back to Annabeth's side and whipped out his wallet to pay before she could even begin to fumble for change in her pockets. Annabeth had to grudgingly admit that Percy had his moments.
They sat at a two-seating table in the corner by a window. At first, they just held their drinks to warm their hands, and Percy handed her a piece of gingerbread and broke the candy cane in two for them to munch on. Then Annabeth gradually began to take sips of her frappuccino. It instantly heated her body and coated her tongue in caramel. She stared into Percy's eyes across the table as she drank. He stared back at her.
"You do realize you haven't even touched your books since we came in here?" Percy said.
"Well, thank you for reminding me while I was trying to enjoy some nice quiet time with my boyfriend." But Annabeth smiled at him. Then she set down her drink and reached her arm across the table, but instead of picking up one of the books she'd neatly stacked at the end of the table, she grasped Percy's hand.
"You know I always love you, right?" she said.
"You know this candy cane is so good?" He grinned and gave the end of his broken piece a small lick, which made Annabeth shiver and turned her insides into snow on a hot day—which is to say, she melted.
She shook her head while smiling. "You're impossible."
Still grinning, he reached across the table and took her hand. "I know. But you love me for it."