The First Full Night

Disclaimer: I don't own the PJO books or movie. :(

Author's Note: This is movieverse. I wouldn't usually write something like this, but I couldn't help it. The ending of the movie practically screamed for this. And they didn't get to fit the famed line into the movie, so I had to put it in somewhere.

Yes, I am still working on Son of Poseidon. It'll be posted soon, hopefully.


Annabeth cupped my cheek, and stared into my eyes. I swear to the gods she was about to kiss me. And I really freakin' wanted her to. But then she pulled some fancy maneuver and all of a sudden she had my sword, and her sword was pointed at my throat. I swallowed, and I'm pretty sure I fell just a little bit more in love with her.

I know, sappy. But the scary thing was, I didn't really care.

She smirked. "First rule of battle strategy: Never, ever, let your opponent distract you."

She tossed me my sword, and we sparred for a solid half hour, before we took a break. I couldn't help but stare at her a little bit as she gulped down the water. We sat, looking out at the water. I spent most of that time looking at her, and every once in a while her eyes would flicker over to me, and we'd stare into each other's eyes for a few seconds, before one of us broke the contact. I frowned inwardly. In normal life, a girl like Annabeth wouldn't even spare me a passing glance. She was leagues above me--something I hadn't quite yet realized when I'd first arrived. But now I knew, and despite all of the signs, I was sure that she was just being friendly. There was no way she liked me too. I'd never had a girlfriend before, though Grover had occasionally coerced me into flirting with women, I wasn't really good at it.

I sighed, and stood up, offering my hand to her. She seemed startled, but then she smirked and slapped my hand away, pushing herself up as well. "How chivalrous of you, valiant knight. However, as I thoroughly trounced you in our fight, it should be me offering you a hand."

I snorted and turned around, waving my hand above my head as a goodbye. "See you later."

I walked back to my boat, and brooded for a while. I really needed to talk to Grover, but he was off with Mr. Bru--I mean Chiron. How the hell was I supposed to do this. Sure, we got along pretty easily, but I'd never be able to hold too long of a conversation with her if she kept looking as pretty as she did.

I was sitting on the dock, my legs dangling off the edge, when grover found me. He sat down next to me and patted my shoulder. I looked at him. "Hey G-Man."

"Sup Perce?"

I sighed. "I'm not sure what to do about Annabeth."

"Ah, girl troubles. Well, did she say anything to you?"

"I'm just kind of confused. She said that she had strong feelings for me, but she wasn't sure if they were positive or negative. And she seems to like me, but she's so many leagues above me that we don't even compare. I mean, even you thought that at first."

Grover looked slightly ashamed, but he shook it off and rolled his eyes at me, exasperated. "Percy, Annabeth definitely likes you. Trust me, if Annabeth had decided that she had strong negative feelings for you, you would know." I nodded my head. It made sense. I thanked him and gave him a guy hug, before standing up and walking towards my boat. "I think I'm gonna go for a swim. Clear my head a bit."

Grover nodded, and I went and got a towel and changed into swim trunks. I went back outside and stripped off my shirt, dropped the towel onto the edge of the dock, and dove in. It was an interesting experience, swimming in a natural body of water. I could feel the vibrations of the water against the fish, letting me know exactly where they were, like bat sonar. The plant life in the water was very colorful as well. I could hold my breath for long periods of time underwater, but when I actually breathed it, it was exhilarating. I could feel my throat filtering the water, and I could taste the crispness of the fresh water. The water was cold as well, keeping my senses on high alert. My mind felt clearer than it had ever been, and I felt like I could swim here forever. Maybe. I'd probably have preferred it if I could share it with Annabeth.

I sighed and swam back up to the surface, surprised to see the water glittering in shades of pink and purple. I hadn't realized that I had been swimming for that long, but it made sense that I had lost track of time. I surfaced at the dock and pulled myself up onto the edge. I toweled myself mostly dry and pulled on my shirt.

I went back to my boat to shower and change, and then I went to dinner. My stomach was growling obnoxiously, and I recalled that I hadn't eaten since breakfast. When I got to the dining pavilion, I got a ton of food, then sacrificed some choice portions of my meal. I hungrily stuffed my food down my throat, eager to finish so that I could find Annabeth and talk with her.

When I finished eating, I scanned around for Annabeth, and spotted her sitting on a bench in the firelight, reading a book whose title I couldn't quite make out. The book was thick, though. I smoothed back my hair and plastered a smile on my face to hide my nerves. I took a few deep breaths, and then strode over to her, sitting next to her on the bench.

"Hey, Annabeth." She looked up from her book, eyes wide for a second, then normal again.

"Hello, Percy." Damn her for looking so beautiful.

"Um, so, could we, like, talk... in private?" She seemed amused by my awkwardness, if the way her eyes were dancing were any indication, but she was nibbling on the inside corner of her lip (pretty hard to notice, but I was paying extra attention) which was a nervous habit of hers. She nodded though. Good, she was going to hear me out.

We walked through the woods in silence, and sat cross-legged on the docks. The visible presence of water calmed me down a bit. "So," I said in a hopefully confident voice, "have you, um," DAMNIT! I fucking stuttered. Great, she probably thought that I was an awkward little boy, "decided yet?" I cleared my throat.

She looked confused. "Decided what?" Oh gods. Had she forgotten what she said? Was I imagining it? Of course I had imagined that she liked me. It had been too good to be true. I guess my emotions (mainly mortification) had played upon my face, as her eyes suddenly shone with understanding. I sighed in relief. Okay, so I hadn't imagined that she could have liked me. But now the nerves were back. Damn.

She smirked slightly, her eyes dancing (off the record, I freaking adore her eyes. They are the prettiest shade of blue I've ever seen, and they. Freaking. GLOW. How the hell did she do that?) with an emotion I couldn't discern. "Oh. That."

"Yeah," I coughed. Gods, could this be more awkward? "That."

"I did tell you that you'd be the first to know."

"Well, yeah. But I kinda thought that maybe you were dropping hints earlier, and..."

She laughed. I was entranced. It was something a bit deeper than an airy giggle, and it carried a smug tone. Maybe a bit of condescension. And some kind of superior amusement, like an adult watching a toddler do something interesting.

But beyond that, I was surprised to actually hear a bit of panic. Huh, maybe she was as nervous as me.

"Did you?" I gulped. Holy-freaking-crap. Did she have to do that... thing with her voice? It was really making it difficult for me to think.

"Um, yeah." Great job Percy. Just fantastic. Really, way to wow her with your verbal skills. I'm such an idiot.

She looked at me like she was going to laugh at me. She was so going to reject me. Way to blow your chances with the best catch in camp, percy. Brilliant. But then she did something that caught me totally off guard.

She kissed me.

I tried to think of something, anything. It didn't work. I didn't know my name. I didn't know where I was. Nothing in the universe existed, mattered, except for the fact that Annabeth was kissing me, her lips were soft, and her hair smelled like lemon soap. Somehow, it was the most intoxicating thing I'd ever smelled.

I kissed back, after my brain caught up with me. She made a small sound of satisfaction, as if she'd been waiting to be proved right, and she had. Her hands were splayed on the ground behind her, but her shoulder was twisted towards me, my right thigh pressed against her left. I twisted, facing her more fully, and cupped the back of her head, pulling her in to kiss her more fiercely.

I nibbled on her bottom lip, and she opened her mouth. Kissing Annabeth like this kind of reminded the part of my mind that wasn't dazed of sword fighting with her. She just wouldn't let me win, and she fought back intensely. I let out a soft groan, and it seemed to knock her out of some sort of stupor, as her eyes snapped open.

She pulled back, and I pouted slightly. She smiled. "I told you that you'd be the first to know."

"Well, that was certainly very... informative."

We sat, holding hands, for a while, sending each other shy smiles and lustful glances. Okay, maybe the lustful glances were mainly on my part, but she definitely had something intense shining in her eyes when she stared at me.

Eventually, she glanced at her watch and her eyes widened. I guessed that it was getting late. She stood up and offered me a hand. I playfully swatted at it this time, and stood up. We stared into each others eyes for a moment, and then she spun around walking back towards the tents. I couldn't resist staring at her walk away, she was just so toned and well-proportioned. She was like a warrior princess, glowing in the moonlight. I guess she felt my eyes on her back (or rather, backside) because she stopped suddenly, a few feet away, and spun around, smirking, with her eyes glinting mischievously.

"You might want to wipe the drool off your chin."