Candy Hearts and Valentines-

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO, or any of the amazing characters, because they all belong to Rick Riordan, who is obviously NOT ME, since I'm a girl.

A.N.: I just decided to write a cute, maybe a little bit sappy, Valentine's Day one-shot, since I couldn't help but participate. This is between the Lost Hero and Son of Neptune, when Percy is still missing.

Annabeth PoV

It was Valentine's Day.

And I was cardless, with no chocolates or roses, (not that I was a chocolate and roses kind of girl), not even a single candy kiss.

My boyfriend was still missing, somewhere on the other side of the country at the Roman camp, or Camp Jupiter, as Jason called it.

To say the least, I was a little bit sad.

Okay, a lot.

It was hard to see Piper get a box of chocolates and a sweet kiss from Jason, hard to watch Katie find a bouquet of roses on the Demeter Cabin's doorstep from a secret admirer (also known as Travis Stoll, but she doesn't seem to realize it). It was difficult to see Juniper and Grover go off to spend a day together, even hard to see Clarisse get a present from Chris and blushing furiously before pulling into a headlock of tough love.

Everything hurt.

I tried to imagine what Percy would've gotten me, had he been here. Probably something cute and sweet, like the little candy hearts or a bracelet. Maybe something his mom had helped him pick out, because he was Seaweed Brain. He would've blushed self consciously in his adorable way as he handed it to me, and I would've opened it and melted inside before throwing my arms around his and giving him a kiss. He would help fasten the bracelet around my wrist and we would share the cheesy candy hearts, reading them to one another as we took a walk on the beach, hand in hand, kissing once every few minutes.

Maybe it was stereotypical and corny. But to me, it would've been perfect.

And to be honest, I'm a perfectionist. And anything would've been better getting that sick, bubbly feeling in the pit of my stomach every time I thought of him somewhere in San Francisco, with no memory. What if he didn't remember me? What if, when we finally made an appearance at Camp Jupiter, he was with someone else? Among other thoughts that I should've have been thinking on a day like February fourteenth.

I walked along the beach, hands in my jean pockets, my feet bare on the cold sand as I stared out to sea. The sky was foggy and mist shrouded the Long Island Sound. I fingered my camp necklace nervously, twirling the simple silver ring around my thumb. A Christmas present from Percy, one that had come wrapped in a cute velvet box. It was one of those moments I would never forget. It was preserved carefully, closed up in a little mental velvet box, full of other moments spent with him, stuffed to the back of my brain. A box I took out way too often as I lay awake at night, suffering from insomnia in my bunk as I stared at the ceiling.

I'll see you soon, Percy, I thought, taking another glance at the salty ocean, letting the icy water lap gently at my toes. And I will never let you go again.

I just need to get it out. Awwwww… Percabeth is just my favorite pairing, and nothing will ever change that. I just wanted to capture how she might've felt while Percy was missing, since there was never anything from her perspective during that time period. Valentine's Day must've been terrible… Anyways, thanks so much for reading, reviews and constructive criticism are ALWAYS appreciated! Thanks again!

-NotsoSugarQueen