Hi! I really love Percabeth, and before I even knew what I was doing at my laptop, I had created this story. I really hope you enjoy it, please review and tell me if you like it/what I could do better.
"You're crazy!" She grinned at me, but before I could drink in her smile, she slapped me in the head with the architecture book she was holding.
"Aw, Come on!" I complained, smiling like crazy. "You know it's true. Water naiads can like, drown you! A wood nymph can do what? Make leaves fall on top of you?" I questioned her expectantly. As always, she had something witty to say.
"Wood Nymphs are a lot more vicious than that, I'll have you know. Have you ever gotten into a fight with one of them? One time, for the whole day, I was cursed to eat nothing but basil. Basil! I'd say that's a lot worse than drowning." She stared me down, and I knew she had won the argument, but we both knew that didn't matter.
"Fine, fine, you win!" I surrendered. "And now you've made me hungry for a cheeseburger." My stomach grumbled in sympathy.
"That's more like it!" She said, her gray eyes sparkling in the sunlight. "And what's my reward?" She asked innocently.
I gave a theatrical sigh, just for her best interest. Then I leaned in and gave her a passionate kiss, and the world drained away except for the feel of my lips on hers. I don't know how long we stayed like that, just enjoying each other's presence, but it seemed like forever. Nobody was around in the Big House. I was happy to stay there forever, safe as long as Annabeth was next to me. But she pulled away.
"How's that for a reward?" I asked her playfully. She pushed me, but I knew she was happy. Her eyes were downright shimmering.
"Fine." She said, her lips threatening to break out into a smile.
"Let's go get that cheese burger."
She left the room, leaving me with no choice but to chase after her. I could feel myself grinning stupidly as I struggled to fall into stride next to her.
When we got to lunch, Chiron was leading a discussion at the Head Table. I slipped into my seat at the Poseidon table, trying to remain unnoticed, and Annabeth turned to sit next to me. Technically, two children of different godly parents weren't supposed to sit together, but sometimes it gets a little lonely...besides, the feel of Annabeth's hand in mine during meals was a pretty welcome benefit if it meant bending the rules a bit. I tuned in to what Chiron was saying just as he finished his speech "...need to figure out a plan. Any volunteers?" I didn't see a lot of people in the crowd come forward. Chiron's request was probably too dangerous, and after the huge war we just fought, there was no surprise at the lack of raised hands. To my surprise, I saw Annabeth lift her arm out of the corner of my eye. I leaned in to whisper next to her.
"Um…" I questioned, "what exactly did you just volunteer for?"
"No idea," she responded. Her eyes glittered mischievously.
Gods, I loved that girl.
Chiron's eyes scanned the dining pavilion. His gaze landed on Annabeth. He nodded his approval.
"Annabeth has bravely volunteered," he observed. "It is she who shall lead the plans for the quest, and she who shall choose her companions.
That got a couple of groans from the crowd.
"Aw, come on!" One kid complained, apparently now wanting to join the quest. "We know she's just gonna pick Percy!"
"Yeah!" Another kid chimed in. "And how do we know that they'll actually do the assignment?"
Scattered snickers ran throughout the crowd.
"Silence!" Chiron commanded. "It is up to Annabeth to decide. She may choose Percy and one other, but only if she chooses. The quest only really requires two."
I looked up at her, wondering what she'd do. No doubt it would be the right thing. She was gorgeous, standing there with her blonde hair reflecting the light of the sun, and her face lit up at the opportunity for imposing her wisdom upon others. Oh, sorry, did I say imposing? I meant, uh, teaching. Yeah. Teaching. I turned my attention back to her.
"I choose Percy." She said, squeezing my hand before she dropped it in order to stand up at the table.
A couple more snickers. My cheeks turned bright red.
"Alright, then." Chiron concluded. "The choice has been made. The Dining Pavilion is dismissed." At that, a bunch of kids turned to go, heading towards their daily activities: archery, Pegasus riding, climbing a wall that threatened to pour molten lava down your back...you know, typical demigod stuff. I was about to leave with Annabeth, when Chiron stopped us.
"Percy, Annabeth," He said. We walked over to where he was standing, or, uh, grazing? I should probably work on the proper horse terms to use that applied to Chiron.
"You do know what you signed up for, right?" He asked skeptically. "I saw you came to dinner a little late." That he said accusingly. Definitely accusingly. Still, I could see the smile in his eyes. I was about to step in, and most likely say something stupid, when Annabeth came to my rescue.
"Of course we know, Chiron! We are, um,..." She trailed off, waiting for our teacher to fill in the blank.
He waited a little longer, stretching the silence a little longer than necessary for the purpose of embarrassing us, before he finished Annabeth's sentence.
"Visiting Hephaestus, to deliver a new prototype war machine to Poseidon in the ocean. We can never be too prepared, after the war."
I thought back to the mass destruction Kronos had caused, reeking havoc on my city. We had lost so many. The price of winning had been incredibly large…. I shook my head. Demigods and gods alike were safe now. I was with Annabeth, and that's all that really mattered to me. I tried to focus on the positive of what Chiron had just said. Poseidon's palace. The idea sent a thrill up my spine.
"Sweet!" I said. It was very rare that I got to see my dad, and even rarer that I got to visit his Palace in the sea. Annabeth didn't look too psyched, though.
"That's what I signed up for?" She complained. "The job of…" She struggled with the words. Finally she said, "...a mailman?"
"Precisely." Chiron responded. I swear he was smiling. "Good luck!" He told us, before galloping away. Annabeth looked after him wistfully, no doubt regretting her decision to volunteer for the quest. I was about to say something, but she grabbed my hand and my brain turned to mush.
"Come on, Seaweed Brain." She said. "We have some planning to do."