Night Sky Comforts
by SnowFlower Frost
Summary: They love each other, they're meant to be. A kiss under the stars confirms that, but then he disappears the next morning. Percabeth. One-Shot. Set before the Lost Hero and after the Last Olympian.
Word Count: 1,445
Annabeth stared up at the stars glinting high above her, reminiscing on the past and dreaming about the future. Her new future- she was the architect of Olympus- Olympus, home of the gods!- and she had a boyfriend.
This was a big thing for Annabeth Chase. Why? One, she had never had one before, and two? She blushed a little, refusing to admit the truth: She, Annabeth Chase, Daughter of Athena, the Wisdom Goddess, Enemy of Poseidon, was in love with Percy Jackson, Son of Poseidon, God of the Seas and Enemy of Athena.
They weren't exactly in a good position... But after that kiss in the lake? She was prepared to believe anything was possible. After all, if Percy can beat Kronos, King of the Titans, if Katie Gardener and Travis Stoll can finally admit they like each other- despite numerous protests to the contrary-, Percy can have blue food, Nico can give up mythomagic, then why can't she and Percy be together, regardless of what their parents think?
It was their life, and they could live it however they wanted. After all, it had only been two months, one week, and three days exactly- she had been counting- since Percy had finally defeated the Titan Lord. They were bound to come around. Eventually... Or maybe never at all.
She jumped and was startled out of her dark thoughts when she felt a hand on her shoulder, "What's up, Wise Girl?"
Annabeth stifled a laugh, elbowing Percy in the gut, "Way to go, Seeweed Brain."
In hindsight, that wasn't a good idea, now her elbow smarted and Percy probably hadn't even felt the slightest discomfort.
Percy doubled over, clutching his stomach as if in pain, stammering theatrically, "Oh... Wise Girl... You sure do pack a punch."
Annabeth grinned slightly, "Oh, suck it up, you big baby." She said playfully, leaning into Percy's embrace, his arm wrapped around her shoulders, as he dropped to the sandy ground beside her.
She rested her head on his shoulder, curling her feet into the sand. She used to hate the beach, but ever since she met Percy, her Seaweed Brain, she thought fondly, she loved the once alien place. The crash of the waves was strangely comforting, as they repeated over and over, never once quite the same, but all with the same idea.
Against her will, she felt her eyes begin to droop closed while Percy pulled her closer, and she sighed softly, it had been a rather long day. Prying open her eyes, she smiled up at Percy, taking comfort in his beautiful, unique, caring, kind green eyes- the green of the sea.
"Percy?" She asked contentedly, forgetting all about the dagger she kept on her person constantly, about Luke, about everything but the here and now, which was a very rare thing for her.
Percy nodded, "Yes, Wise Girl?" He asked, his trademark messy black hair tumbling around his face in a rather attractive way.
Annabeth mumbled sleepily, "I love you, Seaweed Brain."
Percy's face lit up like a kid's on Christmas, "Annabeth..." He hesitated, staring directly into her eyes.
She suddenly felt a flash of fear, did he not love her back? Oh, why had she been so stupid, so unwise?
But then he continued, and her fears were dismissed as he said in a soul baring, truthful tone, "I love you too."
Annabeth internally laughed at herself for being so silly, of course he loved her back- just like she loved him. She had started to fall that first day, as he had collapsed on the porch- that day she had met him, and she had just known that he was her ticket, he was her way to the mortal world. Unlike the others, whom she had just hoped were her ticket, she had known. But he was always much, much more then just a ticket.
When, she wondered, had she hit the ground? When had she known that he was the one, that he was her soul mate? Her grey eyes sparkled like rainbows reflecting off of empty rain clouds as she thought immediately, Mount St. Helens . She flinched when she remembered those terrible weeks she had thought he was dead.
But the worst part? That was when she began to realize she was falling. When she found herself worrying about him more then close friends do. She had been confused and nervous, and absolutely terrified that her mother would incinerate her, or, more likely, and far worse, Percy.
After they had been sitting in companionable silence for a while, she asked, "When did you first start falling?" She wondered if he would understand.
Surprisingly, he did, "The first day I met you." He smiled, "I remember seeing your beautiful princess curls," Here, he reached out and tugged one gently, laughing at her fake exclamation of outrage, and continued, "And I remember thinking how lucky I was."
"What about you?" Percy asked, smiling at her, "When did you start falling?"
Annabeth offered him a tentative smile, "The same, Seaweed Brain."
He reached out and grabbed her hand, holding it tightly to his chest as he leapt to his feet, "I have something to show you." He flashed her a grin, "Please come!"
She sighed, standing up, "It's not one of the Stolls's pranks again, is it?"
Percy shook his head, "I promise, Wise Girl. Don't you trust me?"
Annabeth nodded, smiling at him, "Lead the way."
He dashed off into the forest, pausing when she called softly, "Percy, it's almost curfew. Do you really want to get caught by the Harpies? Again?"
He shook his head, "It won't take long."
Percy continued to hold her hand tightly and pull her along, smiling as she went with little to no reluctance.
"I guess." She murmured, frowning when he stopped some three minutes later near Zeus's Fist.
Annabeth's tone was sceptical, "Uh, Seaweed Brain? This is Zeus's Fist."
He laughed, "I know. And we're climbing, so get moving!"
She shrugged doubtfully, before letting herself be obediently pulled up the slope behind him- if he was this excited, it had to be good.
Percy grinned as they emerged on top, and he sat down, his legs hanging over the side of Zeus's Fist. Really, he thought, why do they call it that?
Annabeth tucked herself close to him, sighing contentedly as he once again wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "So what did you want to show me?"
He gestured to the way they looked down on everything around for miles- the forest, the shore, the camp, "Look."
"Oh." She breathed, her eyes drinking in the startling beauty around her, "Oh."
In all her nine years at Camp Half-Blood, not once had she thought to climb to the top and just look out. But, she decided, it was well worth the wait.
"I know." He replied, joining her in gazing out at the stunning view before them, "I know."
A sparkle caught her eye and she smiled, staring up at the sky- it had to be a sign from the gods.
"Seaweed Brain." Annabeth said, "Look."
She pointed with a trembling finger- overcome with so many emotions- to the single shooting star travelling across the sky.
"Wise Girl." He smiled, leaning forward.
She did too, and their lips met. They both agreed that it was just as good as all the previous times, if not better, as they kissed under the stars.
Annabeth took comfort in the embrace of her boyfriend, the press of his lips against hers. She knew somehow that they had gotten through the worst, that they would have forever together. Kronos was defeated, Camp was saved. They loved each other. She was confident they would always stand side by side, never to be parted.
Together forever. She was sure of it.
But she was wrong. Her Seaweed Brain disappeared the next morning without a trace- no note, no signs of a struggle, no nothing. And for every night without fail, until she found him, her Percy, her Seaweed Brain, she snuck out to Zeus's Fist late at night and thought of him, her Percy.
It was two months, one week, and four days exactly after the Second Titan War, and Percy Jackson, Hero of Olympus, Leader of Camp Half-Blood, Child of the Prophecy, and, most importantly, her soul mate, was gone.
But what kept her awake at night, tossing and turning in her bed next to all her siblings? The fear that he would never, ever come back.
A/N: Hi, guys! This is my first time writing for the Percy Jackson Fandom in a long time, glad I got my inspiration for this fandom back! This was written for the Cup of Tea #3 Challenge, and I hope you enjoyed it! This fic is set after The Last Olympian, and just before The Lost Hero! Please review and tell me what you think! If enough people like it, I may write a companion piece or something similar!
Kisses,
Snow
