Tell me what you think!-x-
One:
Sleeping Annabeth was beautiful. Even under the worst circumstances. The clench of her jaw, the press of her lips in disapproval, the constant furrow between her two blond eyebrows, all disappeared. Of course, the stunning and fierce gray eyes were lost to a child like calmness, oblivious to my worry. It was easier to stare at her when she was sleeping, without the fear of be smarted off or not-so-playfully slapped. She wouldn't be condescending or blunt or superior, she would just sleep in silence and peace like a princess waiting for a kiss. Most of the time, I would've been more than happy to give it to her, but with her passed out in a infirmary bed, I didn't think it appropriate.
Some kind of Cyclops had caught her outside of Camp Half-Blood's magical boundaries and gotten one too many slashes in for my liking. One was enough but she was lying there with twelve different areas of broken skin. I had counted in my complete panic. Her legs and arms were the worst but there was also a bloody cut on her shoulder that Will had drenched in gauze, not to mention the now strangely crispy looking blood on her temple.
She was still so heart-breakingly pretty that something swelled in my chest that I recognized immediately, possessiveness. It wasn't like I never got jealous but I wasn't exactly opening trusting every demigod or mortal male that spoke, smiled or even looked at her. But once in awhile, protection turned to greed and I felt myself thinking that Annabeth was mine, all mine and only mine, which simply wasn't true. I knew she cared about a lot of other things and people besides me, her father, her dreams and her work, Athena, Thalia, and in spite of everything, Luke.
Even if it was a false idea, I couldn't help looking at her and thinking, Mine. My Annabeth. Please be okay.
Will suggested I go home since Annabeth was probably going to sleep a good long while and be fine in the morning. Despite halfhearted attempts from him and Chiron to get me to go back to my cabin, I refused, pulling up a chair next to the bed and plopping down stubbornly. Everyone cleared out quickly and didn't say anything. Annabeth and I had shared many occasions of seeing each other badly injured and apparently the entire camp was starting to understand and gave us privacy.
It was somewhere near four in the morning and I wished I had the heart to sleep. But if she woke, I was going to be there. I felt all of my muscles go numb, my stomach start to ache for food, thunder pounding my brain and my eyelids starting to sting. But they didn't fall. They were held open. I was going to be so jacked up later.
And then I realized Annabeth was scowling in her sleep, the tell-tale sign of her coming out of slumber. I sat over her, trying with my thumb to smooth the confusion in her brow.
Her eyes snapped opened and she seized my wrist with a tight grip, "Percy." But not like, Oh hello. More along the lines of, What in Hades is wrong with you?
"Hey." I gasped at the sudden adrenaline.
Instantly, she let me go and her eyelids fell tiredly, "I was dreaming." Not like a statement, but a question.
"Yeah." I said, "Do you feel alright?"
Her exhausted silence was her answer and she pulled herself a few inches to one side of the bed, nodding her head but wincing as she pulled up the covers again.
I knew what she wanted without her saying it. I would've checked, so make sure she wasn't uncomfortable, but she was so tired she probably wouldn't even be able to process my words. So I gingerly stood up, stretching the pain out of my back and crawling on the bed beside her.
She curled up next to me on my back like this was a comfort zone we had already accomplished, like we hadn't just started dating three months ago.
I hesitantly reached to the round of her shoulder, rubbing one of the few places that she looked uninjured.
Her eyes were completely closed but she managed to breath on my shoulder, "Just tired." She assured me with the last bits of her consciousness. Even stoned with mortal and divine drugs, she could still read me so easily.
I kissed her hair even though I knew she was already out, "Good night."
And somehow, after that, I fell asleep too.
What felt like seconds later, I was being poked in the cheek, "Hey, wake up."
"What?" I grumbled intelligently.
"It's ten o'clock Percy." Annabeth informed me, sounding surprisingly unfazed.
I rubbed my eyes and started to stretch but then I remembered how low on space we both were, "Um. Hey." I tried not to sound confused or uncomfortable but my voice betrayed me.
To my shock, she beamed, "This is a good way to wake up, isn't it?"
"Yeah. . ." I admitted dreamily, staring at her eyes and lips and temple, wait a second--"No. This is terrible, your wounded. It's awful looking."
Annabeth touched her thumb to just under my eye and smoothed the probably gigantic dark circles, "Don't worry about stuff that's not important."
"Are you high?" I demanded, pulling away, "You're important to me! I won't have you, running around and getting hurt like this! I was worried like crazy Annabeth! What happened? Why did you let him do this?"
She sighed, "I had just stopped a spar with Malcolm, I was tired and I hadn't eaten breakfast, okay? It looks worse than it is, I promise."
I couldn't help the frown that came to my face, "But Will was fixing you up for half an hour. And I stayed up until four in the morning."
"Oh Percy." Annabeth said softly. She held both of my cheeks, "I know you're worried and it's really sweet but I'm going to be fine." She paused to lean forward and kiss me, "Okay?"
I took a deep breath and agreed, "Okay."
"You know, between all of the drugs, I don't think we really snuggled all that much." She wiggled her arms around my torso and gave me a mischievous smile.
"Since when does the daughter of Athena snuggle?" I asked.
"Oh shut up and hold me Seaweed Brain."
But before I had the chance, Will shouted, "Gods Almighty, it doesn't end with you two, does it?"
Both of us froze but I wasn't surprised someone found us. The entire camp was conspiring against us these days and most of the time, they were winning. The Stolls had caught us in our first make out session last month which resulted in punishments and chores and a good talking to. I was still kind of sore at them for it.
"This is an in-fir-mar-y," He snapped, "Not a private bedroom! Percy, out!"
"But--"
"Out!"
I snuck a kiss to Annabeth's cheek and pulled myself up, utterly exhausted, and headed for the door, "I'm sure your dad wouldn't mind a little romance in his house." I reasoned to Will.
Annabeth burst out laughing and Will's jaw dropped as I just grinned at him stupidly.
He shook his head, "You're an idiot."
I beamed at the ceiling in good nature, "Runs in the family, right Lord Dad?"
The earth shook with a bemused laugh and Will sent a couple of fake slaps in my direction, herding me out the door before I could insult anymore divine beings.
