Hide

Disclaimer: Percy Jackson/ The Heroes of Olympus belong to the amazing Rick Riordan. I'm just having fun.

A/N: This fanfic is part of my little project for Percabeth (and Jily) at my fanfic tumblr - Percabeth 100 Prompt Table. You can find more about it at writingonthebox dot tumblr.

Thanks for reading!

Feelings shouldn't be in the equation of their relationship

There was no point to bring on more complicated things for their already complicated situation. They were in the middle of a freaking war, the Titans had been every day stronger and with more alliances that they could cope. They knew they were in disadvantage, that the chances were minimal to not say impossible to win against them. Still… Things needed to be harder to her.

Annabeth has tried the best she could to not let her confusing feelings about her best friend surface, who well… Probably would die before the end of the summer and who hasn't made things easy to her bringing that mortal girl in the middle of all. Not a big deal, really.

So what can you do to not freak out with all this? Hide. Hide everything, swallow it as if your life depends on it. No way she'll let these stupid feelings take control over her and ruin everything. Therefore, she's going to take a long breath, put these thoughts at the back of her mind and face everything. Hide was the wisest decision and she knew it.

Nevertheless, everything went down the hills after Percy told her about his dreams and that mortal girl again.

She screamed. Then everything she'd been hiding went to the surface like a violent tide ready to drag you down. Her perfect state of mind and soul vanished and she showed up to him what she was really thinking and it wasn't pretty. It was ugly and embarrassing and she couldn't stop the tears and sadness take over her. Annabeth failed the first time she needed to hide her feelings about that stupid son of Poseidon.

She was dying in concern about him. It was hard to think that in any moment something bad could happen and his life be taken with no mercy. This was the darkest thought she'd been since she met him, but she'd hidden it very well in the last four years – sometimes she got caught thinking about it, mainly last summer when Percy disappeared for two weeks – though now things were real, the prophecy was almost fulfilled and it scared her to death. However, her jealousy burned in her throat and waves of anger spread through her entire body like a fever.

She hated it, she hated feeling so vulnerable, so opened like that. It felt as if someone had invaded her privacy, yet those stupid feelings weren't going anywhere away from her – it was difficult to hold everything back to the darkest place of her mind and soul. But she did it, she hid again because she needed if she wanted to survive.

Though it almost killed her, literally.

Annabeth didn't know what exactly she was doing when she let that knife stab her. She was perfectly concentrated at the battle in front of her, her mind working like a crazy machine gear, thinking and planning her moves feeling Percy at her back also fighting. Then it happened because she felt again, those feelings free off their prison in her mind and she knew something could go horribly wrong if that knife hits Percy, and then her mind got blank as if someone had shot down her system.

Warm. His hands were warm when he touched her, his face was not hiding any emotional at all. He was worry, sad, angry and everything in between. She knew it was because of her. At the same time, she was trying to comfort him and she was awe how much Percy didn't hide any of his feelings at that quick moment. It needed a lot of strength and confidence to be an open heart. If the roles were reversed, if it was him in that bad state she was, she didn't know how she'd react. Probably worse, because she knew it. She just knew.

She knew also why Percy turned down Zeus offer to be a god later. Annabeth didn't need her prisoner feelings to tell her that. However, for the first time, she didn't try to lock her emotions and pretend that nothing had happened. On the contrary, she let it free.

She set free all those feelings that she'd hidden for so long that she felt relieved to let it go. She finally named her emotions without want to cry with fear to lose it again. She wouldn't no matter what the future could bring to them.

When Annabeth felt those salty lips at her on, those warm hands holding her, his breath and scent intoxicating all her being, she stopped hiding her love because it was a lost battle. Feeling were stronger than her and she never was happier to lose this time.