Annabeth sighed contentedly as she leaned against the refreshingly cold shower wall, watching through half-lidded eyes as all the grime, blood and monster dust swirled in puddles slowly before being sucked away by the drain.
For a moment she did nothing else than feel the pounding of the small droplets of water on her back with closed eyes. Her tense muscles relaxed somewhat.
Annabeth leaned away from the wall and turned her face towards the water. An unpleasant sound escaped her lips as the water washed over the cut on her forehead, although it was nothing compared to the hiss she emitted once the deep gash in her back was washed clean.
She washed her hair, which had passed from looking blond to brown, gray and red and was now coming back to its usual color.
Reluctantly, she wrapped herself in a towel and stepped out of the shower once the water had turned cold.
She looked around her room. Everything was pretty much how she had left it, except that her laptop was not there, as it had not survived the fall. Annabeth grimaced mentally at the memory.
She rummaged in her drawer for some clean clothes and put them on. She made the mistake of shifting her weight to her bad ankle and made a face. She needed to take care of that, soon, so she limped through the Argo II and headed for the infirmary.
Annabeth held her breath and a smile at the sight before her.
Percy was there, sitting on the bed, shirtless, clumsily trying to bandage his torso. If the pout on his lips were to mean anything, Annabeth guessed he was having a hard time playing nurse.
"Seaweed Brain," Annabeth teased, although gently.
Percy's shoulders tensed slightly at the sound of the voice, but immediately relaxed once he realized it was Annabeth's and not some unknown monster's.
"Wise Girl." He stood up quickly, impatiently, wincing when his broken ribs and deep gashes were put into use. He enveloped Annabeth in a clumsy hug and she held him gingerly, incredibly and ridiculously aware of the fact that he was shirtless.
Annabeth pulled away and kissed his cheek and then lips.
"Tired of playing nurse?" Annabeth provoked. She then laughed at Percy's scowl.
Annabeth headed towards the bed, grabbing the white gauze and the scissors on her way. Percy sat next to her as she wordlessly set to work.
Slowly but surely, Annabeth bandaged her boyfriend's damaged torso. They were unusually quiet, just because they had a lot on their minds.
When Annabeth finished, she took proper care of her ankle, too. All the while Percy watched her quietly.
"What?" she asked finally, brushing a wet strand of hair behind her ear.
For all response, Percy pulled her to him and placed his cold nose against the back of her ear.
Annabeth's breath caught in her throat as he planted a kiss there. His lips were hot against her flushed skin.
Amazing how some things never change, Annabeth mused as she breathed in and relaxed against Percy.
"I'm still not sure, you know." Annabeth's voice broke the silence.
"Not sure of what?" Percy asked nervously.
Annabeth fingered a loose piece of gauze that had gone loose as she sat up straight, then stood up and held her hand out. Percy took it. "Not sure where to go now."
"Are you talking about the Camps?"
Annabeth nodded, "Camp Half-Blood is... my home, I guess. But Camp Jupiter seems somewhat safer for-" Annabeth seemed suddenly nervous. "For a future," she said meaningfully, hoping Percy knew what she meant.
He did.
"Oh." A blush made its way to his face at the same time as a smile did. "Wait, you mean- you-"
Annabeth chuckled at his expression, which was between happiness and nervousness. She turned to face him and leaned close. "I told you I wanted to build something permanent, didn't I?" she murmured against his lips.
Percy laced his fingers through hers and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before meeting her lips. "I think we're off to a good start."