A/N: So this is a one-shot, unless I decide to continue it. I don't know yet. Anyways, I really love seeing Percy and Annabeth through other character's eyes so this was my attempt at it. I also don't think there are enough of these fics out there, so please feel free to take my idea and improve upon it.
"Over there is the archery range," Piper told the boy, "where you'll practice shooting a bow, obviously." The boy glanced at it quickly, then quickly returned his brown-eyed stare back to Piper. And this is exactly why I don't give male campers tours. Where is Jason when I need him? Piper grumbles to herself. This had been going on for nearly half an hour. She would show him part of camp, he would stare at her. She would tell him about the history of the gods, he would stare at her. Not only was it annoying, it was getting weird. She had to be at least two years older than him.
"So, we, like, live here and try and kill each other every day?" The boy asks. He wasn't bad looking, Piper supposed, though he certainly had nothing on Jason.
She thinks about his question for a moment. "Basically."
"Cool." He shrugs, not looking particularly surprised.
"Come on. We just have the sword fighting arena and we're done." She sighs at the thought of ditching the kid and finding Jason or Leo or Frank or Percy or Hazel… yeah, pretty much anyone who wasn't this guy.
Upon reaching the sword fighting arena, she was pleased to find the kid's eyes were no longer attempting to make eye contact with her. They were looking at something in the arena. Curiously searching for what had made this annoying boy stop checking her out, she groaned as her eyes found Annabeth fighting with both Travis and Connor Stoll. Her tank top was soaked in sweat, her hair hastily pulled up into a messy ponytail, her gray eyes flashing. Though neither Stoll brother had the sword-fighting capabilities of Percy or Jason, Annabeth was managing to keep busy with her celestial bronze blade catching the light dramatically.
"Who," the boy beside me whispered, "is that?"
"That, Agnes, is –"
"It's Aaron."
"Whatever. Those are the Stoll brothers, Travis and-"
"I meant the girl." Piper, annoyed at being interrupted a second time, was growing more and more aware of the dagger bound to her waist. It was itching to be used.
"Her name is Annabeth. Daughter of Athena, a Savior of Olympus, survivor of Tartarus, and slayer of annoying teenage boys." Piper rolls her eyes at the end, her mind wandering to Jason. Last she'd seen him he was talking to Chiron. A slight movement in her peripheral vision caught her attention; Percy was lounging across the arena from them, watching the fight.
"Sounds like she's been through a lot. I think I'll go introduce myself." Aaron hadn't looked up at Piper since they had entered the sword fighting arena, though he was now making his way around the sword racks, towards the fighting trio.
"Did I mention she's engaged?" Piper called out, hoping to stop him. It worked, he paused for a moment and turned back to her questioningly. She felt Percy's sea green eyes on her as she faced the younger boy. It was true, Annabeth and Percy had gotten engaged after the giant war. They hadn't planned a wedding yet, it was more to prove to the world that they were together forever and for younger teenage boys to take a hint.
"No, I don't think you said that." Aaron was looking back and forth between the two girls almost comically.
With a groan, Piper braced herself for the story of the two demigods who had fought -quite literally- to Hell and back for each other. "Come here, Aaron. I have a story to tell you." She muttered, exiting the arena with him on her heels.
They found Jason on the beach a few minutes later.
"Hey Sparky." She greeted him happily, using the nickname Thalia had come up with for her little brother.
"Hey there Pipes. Who's this?" His eyes traveled over Aaron, automatically judging the potential enemy, looking for assets, unconsciously pinpointing weaknesses. That was the Roman in him.
"This is Aaron. He was, um, interested in Annabeth."
"Ah. He makes what, five this week?"
"At least." Piper rolls her eyes again, sitting down beside Jason on the sand. "Sit down, Aaron." He did, somewhat hesitantly, all the while glaring daggers at Jason. It may have had something to do with his arm draped easily over Piper's shoulders.
"It all started with a twelve year old boy who drooled in his sleep." Piper began. She and Jason proceeded to tell the new boy everything Percy and Annabeth had done together, from defeating Kronos to falling to Tartarus. It took a while, long enough for the sun to begin to set on the camp, but they finally ended with Percy proposing to Annabeth after finally putting Gaea back to sleep, hopefully for good.
"So that, Aaron, is why you should not, under any circumstances, get between Percy and Annabeth with anything other than fleeing on your mind." Piper finished slowly. "Those two are Aphrodite's greatest love story, I would highly recommend you do not meddle between them. After they fell, they were never quite right again. They never will be. They can't live without each other."
"In fact, Aaron, if I were you, I wouldn't go hitting on any of the pretty girls around here unless you know for a fact that they are single." Jason's words seemed harmless but Aaron could hear the subtle threat in there. Piper was taken, back off. "There are some pretty scary angry boyfriends around this place. The people here depend on each other to survive. Wait to find a girl you are willing to die for, then you'll know what we're talking about."
It was after dinner that night when the campers were gathered at the campfire for sing along that Aaron saw Percy and Annabeth again. It was only from a distance, but it was close enough. He could see what Piper and Jason had told him about the pair, how neither was whole without the other beside them. They didn't speak, or even move really, but all the words they weren't saying were loud and clear to everyone else.
They held hands, and stood close enough for their shoulders to touch, but otherwise remained silent. Annabeth shifted her weight slightly, Percy moved with her like a reflex.
When time came to go to bed, he wasn't surprised when Annabeth walked past the Athena cabin without a second glance. He didn't think twice about her entering the Poseidon cabin. It was simply meant to be.