At first this was just one story, but I'm bored so I've decided to turn this into a collection of short stories. Yay!

This first story takes place after the Titan War (The Last Olympian) but before the "Heroes of Olympus" series. This is just a cute somewhat bittersweet story (considering events of "Heroes of Olympus" that I had to get out of my head. Percy just wants a day to spend with his girlfriend, but his dreams are warning him of something...something bad.

Enjoy! :)

Always

Percy had a bad dream, big surprise. He had been standing above a dark chasm that led to nothing. He knew the pit led straight to Tarturas. Kronos was down there still, but this wasn't right...Kronos had been defeated, and shouldn't reform until at least a thousand years from now. But there was no chilling presence, and Percy felt like Kronos had nothing to do with this dream...but if it wasn't Kronos, why was he dreaming about this pit it the underworld?

"Percy," a voice called. He knew the voice was friendly, but it still sent a chill up Percy's spine. He turned away from the pit to look at Nico Di Angelo and immediately wished he hadn't. After the Titan War, Nico had been staying with his father Hades in the underworld, and it was showing. The guy was looking more like a corpse than the last time Percy had seen him. His face was gaunt like a skeleton's, and his skin was a sickly white shade. Percy tried to say something, but he couldn't talk.

"Percy, listen to me," Nico sounded desperate, his eyes darting around like a cornered animal, " I haven't got much time. Something..." He took a shaky breath, "Something bad is happening. REALLY bad. You need to tell Chiron before you forget-"

Suddenly, his dream changed. Percy didn't even have time to wonder why he would 'forget' to tell Chiron. But this shift not like a normal shift. It was like static cutting in, like something else had forced its way in.

"Too soon," a voice mused, old and ancient, it sounded like it had existed since the Dawn of Time...no, before then...older than Kronos, and WAY more dangerous, "Be patient, young demigod, we will meet in time."

Percy wondered why the voice thought he was eager, just hearing the androgynous drawl of the voice was more than enough for him. He'd had a few blissfully monster-free months with his girlfriend, Annabeth, and he was determined to keep it that way for as long as possible. Sure, there was the occasional rouge harpy, or roaming Cyclops, but he could deal with that. He was in no rush to enter another war.

Percy jumped awake when his mom, Sally, called his name. He sat in his bed, rubbing his eyes. His mom was standing in the doorway, her eyebrows arched with worry.

"Percy?" His mom asked, concerned, "You okay? You were moaning in your sleep."

"I'm fine," Percy lied instinctively. She didn't look convinced. "Really, I am...what time is it?"

"It's almost noon," his mom said, walking over to open his curtains, he blinked as the sunlight hit him, "Annabeth is waiting for you downstairs."

That woke Percy up. "What?" He asked, "Why didn't you wake me up sooner?"

His mom frowned and said, "You looked so cute, I just couldn't."

"Mom," Percy groaned. But he wasn't as irritated as he pretended to be. He was too excited to see Annabeth." How long has she been waiting?" Percy asked.

"Um..." His mom said guiltily, "A few minutes?"

"How long?" Percy asked again, suddenly mortified.

"Half an hour maybe?" His mom said uncertainly.

"HALF AN HOUR?"

"Oh, please," his mother chided, "It's not like you're the only person in this house. We had some nice conversations while you were asleep."

Percy stared at her.

His mom rolled her eyes and said, "Yes, Percy, I'm just the kind of mom who would show her all your baby pictures and home videos." Percy calmed down for a minute, but then she added, "Well, maybe I did show her ONE baby picture, but-"

"Mom," he interrupted, "Privacy."

"Right, right," she said, "I'll let you change now." She left the room.

Percy grabbed a simple blue tee shirt advertising his favorite band, some jeans, and his sneakers. Camp wouldn't start for another few months, but he and Annabeth had been visiting each other all school year, taking turns on which house/apartment they visited. Percy had visited Annabeth two weeks ago, so it was her turn now. He knew it was dangerous for demigods to use cell phones, but still he wished that she'd called first. After he dressed, he brushed his teeth and raked over his matt of hair. He wasn't too concerned about how he looked, though; Annabeth didn't care about things like that. She loved him for who he was.

Percy walked into the living room and found Annabeth talking with his mom.

"Do you want some more cookies?" his mom asked, like the perfect mother she was. The cookies were blue, of course.

"No thanks, Ms. Jackson," Annabeth said. Then she saw Percy. Annabeth's eyes got brighter, and she gave him a hug, "How's it going, Seaweed Brain?"

He hugged her back, one hand grabbing a cookie and stuffing it into his mouth, "I'd say pretty good right now," he answered between bites. She laughed and said, "Well, come on, let's go."

"Go where?" he asked.

"It's a surprise," she replied.

Percy looked at his mom and she nodded encouragingly, "Don't let me stop you," she said, "Go out and have fun."

"Thanks, Mom," Percy said, following Annabeth out the door.

"Oh!" Sally called after them, "Don't forget to call if you need anything!"

"Mmm-kay," Percy mumbled, taking Annabeth's hand.

"I'll look after him, Ms. Jackson," Annabeth called back.

That seemed to reassure his mother, but Percy remembered that the last time Annabeth had said something like that she'd been kidnapped and forced to hold the weight of the sky by Luke and some titan-dude named after a map, Atlas. That was seriously scary. He gripped her hand tighter, but she didn't seem to notice.

No, Percy told himself, Don't do this to yourself now. You're on a date with you're mega-hot girlfriend and your mom just made you cookies. Nothing bad is going to happen.

Then he remembered the dream, and the gravelly voice that seemed to come from the Earth. Nico had been trying to warn him…He was tempted to tell Annabeth about it, but she looked so happy as they strolled down the city street that he didn't want to ruin it. He knew saying the wrong thing at the wrong time could completely set her off.

Later, he practically pleaded to the gods, I just want one amazing day to spend with Annabeth.

Annabeth took him to Central Park. He'd been there dozens of times, but he could see why Annabeth wanted to go today. There was this old guy talking about the structure of skyscrapers and the building of the Empire State, yada yada yada. Boring to Percy, but the way Annabeth brightened when anyone even mentioned architecture was worth it. She'd been redesigning Olympus after it was completely trashed in the Titan War. She wouldn't let him see it yet, not until it was done. He gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"What was that for?" She asked.

"Because you're beautiful when you're thinking," Percy said.

"I'm always thinking," Annabeth responded.

"Well, you're always beautiful," he told her. And he meant it.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow, "You're rather coquettish today, Seaweed Brain."

"Call me a romantic," Percy said, although he had no idea what 'coquettish' meant. He hoped it was good.

Annabeth laughed, "I love you," she told him, "You better know that."

"Duly noted," Percy said, "And you better know I'll always love you."

Annabeth smiled coyly, "Might want to know what you're getting yourself into, Seaweed Brain. Always is a long time."

Percy smiled and said, "Good. Because that's how long I intend on being with you."

He'd tell her about the dream later, he thought as he wrapped his arms around her. Maybe not at all. Right now, all that mattered was that he and Annabeth were together. And they were going to stay that way.