Yes, this is the same "The Yes Mission" and this is the same author. I reposted this because I deleted my previous account (blame the issues with the real world), and I didn't want this story just lying in my desktop because this is one of my favorites.
This is an AU, so there are no demigods or monsters or tin can-eating satyrs. Some of the characters will also be OOC. I'm planning to make this a two-shot, but possibly longer if you guys are interested.
This chapter's pretty long, so brace yourselves.
I don't own the PJO and the HoO series. All belongs to Rick Riordan.
Annabeth Chase liked to read.
Yes, people of her generation thought that was weird, but she really, really, really liked to read, and all sorts of literature, too: schoolbooks, magazines, newspapers, and even those self-help novels that no one paid attention to (unless absolutely necessary, of course).
But on top of all those, Annabeth particularly had two favorites.
First, her architecture books, which she forced her confused father to buy despite the fact that she was only in her third year of high school. Annabeth really wanted to become an architect, and while she couldn't really understand some terms written in her books, she liked flipping through the pages and looking at pictures of buildings she would like to outshine when she grew up.
Her second favorite, and Annabeth's deepest, darkest secret, was… romance novels.
Really, her aura didn't scream, "I read romance novels and I actually love them!" She was depicted as the smartest girl in her year (which she was), and people would think she didn't have time for activities requiring a social life. Her nose was always buried under her books, but what her peers didn't know was that fifty percent of the time, these books would be the ones involving relationships and love.
This obsession of hers sparked a problem in Annabeth's life.
She was a pretty girl, with her intelligent gray eyes and blonde princess-like hair, and boys asked her out all the time. But she doesn't have a love life. She doesn't have a boyfriend, or even a measly crush on any of the boys in her year.
The confusing part was that she actually wanted that. That, as in, a boyfriend, or a crush, or someone in her life she could treat her as such.
The problem? Romance novels, in a way, ruined her perception of her love.
The stories she has read gave her high expectations of her own love life and high standards for her future boyfriend.
It wasn't her fault, really. All the boys in her novels were perfect, nearly literally. And the "boy-meets-girl" moments were practically to die for.
So I guess you could say, that Annabeth Chase, when it comes to boys, is extremely picky.
"So…" Thalia Grace, one of Annabeth's few friends, grinned at her one day at lunch. "I heard Luke asked you out earlier."
"Uh, sure," Annabeth replied distractedly, her eyes on a Biology book in front her.
"Well?"
"So, mitosis actually produces only two identical—"
"Annabeth!" Thalia rolled her eyes, grabbing the book from Annabeth and slamming it shut. "This is big news. Luke Castellan is one of the hottest boys in our year, and he asked you out! What did you say?"
Annabeth huffed, pissed that Thalia grabbed the book in the middle of her reading. "Do you really have to ask?"
"You said, 'no'?"
"Do you even know me?"
Thalia couldn't help it: she groaned and banged her head on Annabeth's Biology book. She muttered something like, "You are hopeless."
Annabeth couldn't help smiling slightly. "Yeah, I am." She lifted Thalia's head from her book, slowly dragging it out of her reach.
"That's it," Thalia decided, lifting her head up to look at Annabeth squarely in the eyes. "I'm confiscating all your lovey-dovey novels."
Gray eyes turned into slits. "You wouldn't."
"I'll break into your house, grab them from your secret bookcase, and make a run for it."
"You try reading them, Thalia, and you tell me if you don't want your guy to be perfect." She stuck her tongue out, silently wishing the threat was only bogus. "I just want to wait for the right guy."
"You haven't even tried!" Thalia cried. "You haven't said 'yes' to any date, for the most inane reasons—"
"Oh, and I don't have a secret bookcase."
"—either his nose is too big, or you think blue eyes are too Californian for you—"
"I never said that."
"You look at those who ask you out with disdain, Annabeth." Thalia rolled her eyes. "You know what? I'm going to hold onto my threat. I'll keep your collection for the whole summer, starting next week when school goes out."
"You know you won't be able to monitor me," Annabeth said smugly. "I'll be in Montauk with dad the whole summer. How do you know—"
"Your dad will keep an eye on you. I'll just have to talk to Mr. Chase about this."
"And what am I supposed to do the whole summer?"
"Annabeth, you're going to be at the beach. There's plenty of stuff to do, and plenty of cute boys, too…"
Annabeth groaned.
"I got it! Let's create the 'Yes Mission!'"
Several other heads in the cafeteria turned to look at their table. Annabeth had to glare at Thalia to keep her voice down.
"Oh, this is perfect," Thalia mused. "The 'Yes Mission.' You'll have to say 'yes' to the boys who will ask you out this summer, unless of course, one grabs your attention on the first date and then you can stop saying 'yes' to the others."
She snorted. "Not possible."
"We'll just have to try this out." Thalia grinned, quite proud of her idea. "And you have to promise me you'll do it."
Another thing about Annabeth: she liked to keep promises, and Thalia knew that.
"For me?" she added. She might've thrown in a pout, too.
"…You'll keep my novels in perfect condition the whole summer?"
Thalia already knew she won. "Yes, of course."
"And you will not show them to anyone else?"
"It'll kill you. Of course not."
"And we're only going to do this once?"
"Is that a yes, Annabeth?"
Annabeth slumped down lower in her seat. Thalia let out a victorious, "YES!" just as the bell for the next period rang.
Unlike the initial excitement she felt for this trip prior to the stupid "Yes Mission", Annabeth was now dreading Montauk.
Her dad, Frederick Chase, purchased a beach house for them for every summer, and she was ecstatic the first time her father told her about it. She imagined going into a new bookstore, with all the new books she could read (since, of course, she practically visited every single bookstore in San Francisco, and she would have to wait for months before new novels could arrive). Then she'd lock herself in her room and read the entire day.
Yes, the plan was weird, but only Annabeth liked books more than the beach.
Her dad wasn't helpful either. The only thing Thalia told him was the part where she wasn't allowed to bring or to buy any books. "You have a lot of those now, anyway," he had agreed.
"Here we are," her dad announced before stopping the car and getting out. "Wow, this place is a beauty."
Annabeth went outside to stare at the house before them. As a future architect, she approved at the building they were going to stay at for every summer. The house was elevated, with small stairs leading up to the front porch, where a table and two reclining chairs stood. The house was white with a yellow roof, and it practically glowed under the sun. It stood next to several other houses with the same design.
"You're going to have fun here, Annabeth," her dad encouraged her, standing beside her to wrap his arm around her shoulders. "I think what Thalia suggested was a good idea."
"You don't know the half of it," she complained in her head before following her dad inside the house.
Her summer home consisted of a living room, a small kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom. She chose the room that had the view of the ocean, which didn't really look bad, until she saw all the other kids "socializing" outside.
"You should try strolling outside," her dad suggested.
She turned to him and smiled slightly, not wanting her dad to think that she was already having a miserable time just by being there. "I'll try doing that tomorrow. I think I'll unpack and catch up on some rest."
And she did just that.
The next day, by 10am, she was already up and ready to explore the place. Her hair was tied up in a neat ponytail, with a few wisps of curls on the sides of her face. She wore a plain white shirt and simple denim shorts. She didn't want to be dressed up in a bikini right away, and she obviously didn't want any boys approaching her because she'd have no choice but to say, 'yes' if they asked her out.
She put on her black slippers on and decided to start with the boardwalk.
She spent a good hour walking around the area. Several families decided to choose today to look around, so Annabeth had to bump into several other people – from kids who were demanding for ice cream to young couples sharing cotton candy.
She steered clear of the bookstore, because, otherwise, that wouldn't end well.
Finally, she ended up on the beach. There were several teenagers, she noticed, most of them about her age. Everyone seemed to be belonging into his or her own sort of group. Must be the regulars, Annabeth thought. Guys were surfing, girls in skimpy bikinis who weren't flirting with the life guards were playing volleyball…
Wait, volleyball?
It took Annabeth two seconds to realize that a ball was approaching her way, and a guy yelling, "Look out!" was tackling her onto the ground.
Wisps of sand danced around her eyes before she finally coughed, struggling to get up. The guy who tackled her was already standing up, throwing the offending volleyball into another direction. "You should be careful with this thing!" he yelled as he performed a serve.
"Oh, sorry," the guy said as he turned around to face Annabeth, whose butt was still on the sand. He held out his hand, but she brushed it off and stood for herself.
"You know, you could've dodged," he told her, grinning, not at all offended that she refused to take his hand. "The ball was practically in front of you."
She fought the urge to roll her eyes. "You couldn't have saved me then," she retorted sarcastically, not meeting his eyes. She was busy dusting off the sand from her shorts.
He only laughed. "True. I haven't seen you around here before. Are you new here?"
"Do you live in Montauk?" she asked instead.
He shook his head. "No, but we come here every summer. I'm Percy."
Annabeth finally looked up to see that he had held his hand out for a handshake. For the first time, she studied his face and was surprised to see how handsome he was. He had dark, messy hair and sea-green eyes that reminded her vaguely of the ocean. He was only wearing his shorts, and Annabeth noticed that he was a bit fit and muscular.
A small blush tinge her cheeks, but she thought nothing of it. If she was like her old self, she'll find a flaw in him somehow.
He was still holding out his hand, so Annabeth took it and gave it a firm shake. "Nice to meet you, Percy. Now if you'll excuse me…" She tried walking past him but he held out his arm for her to stop.
"Hey, I just saved your life." He looked at her pointedly, with a hint of mischievousness in his eyes. "I think I deserve a reward, even just the name of the prettiest girl I've ever seen."
Annabeth rolled her eyes. Ugh, it wasn't even noon yet and a guy was already hitting on her.
"Oh, her?" She decided to play with him a little, pointing to a random girl who was playing volleyball. "Sorry, I don't know her name."
"Very funny," he replied, his eyes squinting. Annabeth thought she'd never seen eyes like his before. No, they shouldn't remind her of the ocean; seaweed on the other hand…
"Look, I've got to go, Percy," she tried to say politely. "There's still too much to see, and I don't want to hold you back… or something. Have a nice day."
Except Percy would have none of it. "So you are new here," he declared, following her as she walked away.
"I thought that was obvious."
"Sorry, I'm not exactly wise."
She fought the urge to say, "Seaweed Brain."
"Would you like me to show you around?" he offered. "I'm pretty familiar around this place, and I know the best spots to hang-out."
She paused, and then suddenly an image of Thalia popped into her brain, reminding her of the "Yes Mission."
She groaned inwardly. Technically, he wasn't asking her out on a date, but Thalia said that she should agree to any guy who wants to hang-out with her (creepy weirdoes excluded).
Oh, and what the hell, it's a free tour.
"In one condition, though," she told him.
"Oh?"
She hated looking at his chest and taut muscles. "Put on a shirt, Percy."
After a few minutes of walking, Annabeth finally relented and told him her name. He only grinned at her in response.
It was indeed a fact that Percy knew the place well. He said that for the past summers since he was ten years old, the year when his mom married a man named Paul Blofis, his stepdad would take them to the beach for two whole months.
She was staring at a bookstore in front of the store (where, according to Percy, the best surfboards could be found), when he tapped lightly on her shoulder.
"Hey, Annabeth, you still there?"
"Hmm?" She mumbled, snapping back into reality.
He followed her line of gaze. "Do you want to go in there?" He said, pointing to a small shop named, 'Half-Blood Library.'
"I shouldn't."
He only looked at her weirdly before dragging her into the store.
Inside, Annabeth was tempted to go near the section that was labeled, "Romance." For two reasons, she didn't want to: a.) her promise to Thalia, and b.) Percy would probably make fun of her if she started looking through the love stories.
Like what the rest of the world thought, she didn't look like the type to be reading romance novels, so she'd let Percy think just that.
In the middle of the store stood a round table where the latest novels were displayed. She stared stupidly at them before Percy walked up behind her.
"Well? What are you waiting for? Look around," he encouraged.
"Um, I'm sort of banned from reading books this summer."
"Let me guess: you read too much that you actually got banned from doing it?"
"Something like that."
He looked amused, then said, "Well, okay then, Wise Girl. Come on, you help me out instead." He took her into the corner, in front of the section, "Mythology."
She ignored what he called her.
"There are a lot of types of mythology here," he said, already scanning through the titles. "Roman, Egyptian, etcetera. You can try helping me look for Greek."
"You read mythology?" She didn't know why that surprised her. "Huh. Not such a Seaweed Brain after all."
"What?"
She ignored him, choosing to look for his books instead.
It was already nearing the evening, and the sunset was making itself known in the sky. Percy took Annabeth to the boardwalk she first went to, the one near her home, and they were both leaning into one of the railings, staring at the view before them.
It was Percy who broke the silence. "You know, my ego would be really deflated if you told me that you didn't enjoy yourself today."
She hated to admit it, but she did. "You kinda wasted a whole day with me," she said instead.
"You have a knack for avoiding statements and questions," he noticed, but shrugged. "But, you know, I enjoyed myself, so I wouldn't really say I wasted this day."
"Do you do this often? Show random tourists around?"
He shook his head. "No, not really. If you're going to be here for the whole summer, you might as well be familiar with the place."
"And it's not because you think I'm the prettiest girl you've ever seen?" she teased him, remembering his words earlier.
"And that too."
That shouldn't have made her blush, but goddamnit.
"You know, you found out a lot about me today," he said. "I read Greek mythology, I have a stepdad, I've been here for the past seven summers… I know little about you, Annabeth Chase. Maybe we should hang-out again tomorrow."
"You want to waste another day with me?"
He gave her look. "Definitely not wasting," he corrected her. "Besides, have you tried surfing? Or playing volleyball? I could introduce you to the others if you'd like."
She nodded nonchalantly, because why not? She was here to enjoy, anyway. "Just as long you won't bore me to death, Seaweed Brain," she joked.
"Trust me, Wise Girl. You won't be bored around me."
She only knew him for less than twenty-four hours, but somehow she believed him.
That night, Thalia called. Annabeth was a tired mess as she laid down on her bed, listening to Thalia speak about her day. She could only mumble tired responses as she was already in the brink of falling asleep.
"Sounds like somebody enjoyed her first day in Montauk," Thalia giggled over the phone. "Well? How's the mission going?"
Annabeth didn't answer, instead her thoughts drifted back to a certain green-eyed Seaweed Brain.
She realized that this was the first time she thought about a boy who wasn't in any of her novels.
"Oh my god," Thalia muttered over the silence. "You met someone, didn't you? Wow, and it hasn't even been three days! Good job, Annabeth!"
"What are you talking about?" she deflected her, although a blush was already starting to form.
"Oh, I knew that silence, Annabeth Chase. You were daydreaming about someone, weren't you? And it's not someone from your lame, old love novels since your dad said he already checked up on the stuff you purchased today and none of them are actually books—"
"—Thalia!—"
"So spill! Is he hot? Ooh, my mission worked, didn't it? I told you! You just needed to give guys a chance!"
"Did you have coffee or something? You're hyper as hell."
"This, Annabeth. The fact that you have someone in your life now makes me hyper."
"I just met him today, Thals, get a grip."
Wrong move. She didn't even realize she said that.
"So there is a someone!"
She turned off her phone before Thalia started laughing once more.
Percy decided the next day that buying Annabeth a surfboard was a good idea.
They met on the boardwalk in the morning, with Percy showing her his blue board. He declared that today he was going to teach her how to surf.
Her face was pale as he dragged her to the store.
Finally, she decided on a green one, and Percy led her to the beach where a bunch of other teenagers were once again hanging out.
They spent the whole day in the beach. Much to Annabeth's surprise, she actually enjoyed surfboarding, even though she lost her balance more times than she could count. She especially liked it (though she didn't know why) when she would try to balance on the board, and Percy would stand in front of her, his hands holding hers as she tried to stand.
The other kids noticed the new girl, too. One time a girl with fiery red hair approached her and asked who she was to Percy Jackson. Annabeth only shrugged and said that he was showing her around.
The girl apparently didn't like her answer. She kicked the ground in front of Annabeth, leaving her in a haze of sand, before approaching the other girls, who in turn glared at her after that particular conversation.
I guess you could say that Annabeth didn't have much friends after that, which was fine with her.
Percy, on the other hand, had a lot of friends. There are times when random people would wave at him, and even those from the food stalls knew who he was. What Annabeth didn't understand was why he spent so much time around her when he had other people to entertain.
When she accidentally asked him this, while they were at the boardwalk eating burgers for lunch, he only shrugged and said, "Maybe I like hanging out with you."
The subject was easily dropped after that.
By the end of the week Annabeth was forming a nice tan, making her glow under the sunlight, and it wasn't only Percy who noticed. Several guys would approach Percy to ask who she was, but he would wave them off. Annabeth momentarily forgot about the "Yes Mission", simply because no one asked her out.
What she didn't know was that Percy was scaring the poor boys away.
The first time she wore a bikini in front of Percy, he could've sworn that his eyes jumped right out of their sockets.
She claimed that most of her shorts were at the laundry, and that she didn't have anything else to wear.
Not that he minded, of course.
Along with the rest of the teenage male population.
What drove Percy wild was the fact that the two-piece was blue, his all time favorite color, and Annabeth actually had her hair down today.
Yep, prettiest girl he has ever seen, all right.
They were sitting on a blanket on the beach, tired from all the surfing. Percy tried not to glare at those who glanced at her way longer than necessary.
"So…" he asked curiously, staring at one group of boys, who were whispering and wearing mischievous grins on their faces. "What happens if one guy asks you out here?"
She only scowled.
"What?"
"Don't laugh, okay?" she warned, her face a cross between embarrassment and annoyance. "Remember when I said I was banned from reading?"
"The perks of being a Wise Girl."
"Oh, shut up," she had to laugh. "Anyway, I kinda have… this, uh, thing for reading… romance novels."
"Really? You?"
She studied his face, looking for any signs of laughter. "It's weird, I know, and apparently my friend, Thalia, thought I was reading way too much that my perception of love and guys is practically distorted into this perfect fairytale."
"Including your perception of me?" he joked.
She ignored him. "And, well, she and and my dad thought it was a good idea to stop me from reading those books during the summer."
"That doesn't sound so bad." He smiled crookedly. "You're having fun with me. At least, I hope you are. You're doing great so far."
"But that's not all." She grimaced. "Thalia thinks that dating is one of the other activities I should engage in while I'm here, and thus, she created the 'Yes Mission.' I'm supposed to say 'yes' to every guy who asks me out on a date."
"Sounds scary."
"Tell me about it."
"So, will you go on a date with me?"
"What?"
"Wait, what was the point of asking, anyway? You're supposed to agree." His grin grew wider, making his teeth gleam in the sun. "What time shall I pick you up tonight?"
"I, uh," This was the first time she was at a loss for words. "I mean, tonight? Already?"
"Sure. It'll be just like hanging out with me in the mornings, only better."
"I don't know what to wear," was all she could say.
He snorted. "Psh, Annabeth. You'll look good in anything. And speaking of looking good…" Percy thankfully already had his back turned, so he couldn't see the way her face was burning up. He fumbled through his bag, before he produced a dark T-shirt and handed it to her. "Here, you should wear this."
"Because…?"
"Just do it," he said, glancing around the beach again, particularly at the group of guys who were checking her out. He glared at them behind her back.
She rolled her eyes but put the shirt on anyway. "This is Posiedon's trident, right?" she observed the print. "Hey, I'm learning my mythology!"
"You should be honored," he told her, eyeing the shirt on her appreciatively. "That's my favorite shirt right there."
She didn't know what to make of it, so she only smiled. "Thanks, I guess."
"Wear casual tonight," was the last thing he said, before he laid back down on the beach towel, shutting his eyes from the sun.
If he only knew how nervous she felt.
All around them shops were beginning to close, but Percy just kept leading Annabeth to a familiar path. Finally, they stopped in front of a store that brought back memories of the first time she met Percy.
"Half-Blood Library?" she nodded slowly, trying to comprehend what they were about to do. "But why-?"
He pushed the door open, the little bell chiming as they entered. "Hey, Mr. Brunner!" he said to a middle-aged man who was standing behind the counter.
The one named Mr. Brunner smiled warmly. "Hello, Percy," he said before fixing his gaze on the blonde next to him. "Ah, and you must be Annabeth. Percy mentioned you an awful lot this afternoon."
Percy grinned sheepishly. "Thanks for doing this for me, Mr. Brunner."
The old man rolled his eyes before stepping out of the counter, grabbing a messenger bag and making his way to the door. "Just make sure the place won't look like Zeus released a thousand thunderstorms when I get back in the morning."
"Sure thing, Mr. Brunner." Percy and Annabeth both waved before he stepped outside to leave them alone for the night.
"He's a mythology buff, too." Percy shrugged before taking one of Annabeth's hands and leading her to one of the corners of the room.
What she didn't notice before was how some of the shelves were moved out of the way, leaving a big space in the said corner. Two small beanbags were placed beside a stack of books and a small picnic basket. Annabeth couldn't help wondering what was in store for them.
"I thought you could use a little rebelling tonight," Percy said once they were both seated right next to each other in each of their beanbags. "So, here. I asked Mr. Brunner which types of books were, you know, a hit to the teenagers around here."
Except the books weren't just any books; they were romance novels.
She grinned. Of course. Percy thinks of everything.
She scanned through the titles of the books as Percy opened the lid of the picnic basket. There were some she recognized and some she has read before in the past, and then there were those that she probably hasn't seen before because of her being MIA from bookstores.
"My mom helped with making these," he was saying, gesturing to the basket in front of them and lifting the contents outside. "You'll have to excuse us. I really meant it when I said my favorite color is the color blue."
"I've never seen blue food before," she laughed, taking one of the blue cookies he handed her.
"Great. I would've hated the asshole who showed them to you first, anyway."
Being with Percy with his silly blue food in the corner of a dimly-lit stores was already starting to take its toll on Annabeth.
For the first time in her life, she didn't want to read.
"Okay, my turn," he said. "Favorite color?"
The last time she played twenty questions was years ago when she first met Thalia. She forgot how much she enjoyed the game, even if it made her feel like she was back in middle school again.
She unconsciously looked at his eyes. "Green," she answered automatically. "Most annoying person in Montauk?"
He snorted. "Easy. Rachel Dare." He rolled his eyes. Annabeth vaguely remembered the redhead who approached her during her first week in Montauk. "Favorite book you've read so far?"
She looked down at the stack of books next to her, remembering momentarily why Percy brought her here in the first place.
He didn't mind, though. He'd rather have her talking to him than reading. Not that he minded watching her, though.
"It's hard to say," she felt awkward saying. Nobody really knew about her love for romance novels, aside from Thalia and her dad. "I've read far too much that every single one has left a different impression on me."
He eyes softened, as if he understood what she was saying. "You really don't look like the type to read love stories, you know. But it's cool. It makes you different from all other smart girls I know back in school, the ones who claim they have no time for friends and other activities and such. You're the awesome type of Wise Girl."
They talked more after that. She told him of her dreams to become an architect and her weird moments with Thalia back at home. He told her of his mom, and how he used to have a stepdad he called "Smelly Gabe" before his mom met Paul Blofis (whom he secretly calls Blowfish). They exchanged first impressions ("I thought you were a princess who was incapable of dodging anything even volleyballs two centimeters away from you"; "I thought your head was full of kelp."), and she admitted how she never really had a friend aside from Thalia.
They didn't even realize they were inching closer to each other, to the point where she was already leaning on his side, her head nearly resting itself on his shoulder.
Percy shook his head disbelievingly. "No first kiss. Ever. Really."
"I think you haven't been listening. Ruined perception of love, remember?"
"Thalia is right. We should really try burning those novels of yours," he teased her, earning him a playful punch on the shoulder. "Seriously, though. Really? Never? That's kind of hard to believe."
"I'll find it hard to believe if you've never had one. Who was yours?"
He rolled his eyes, even though she couldn't see him do it in the dark. "Someone named Calypso in the sixth grade. I don't know. I think I only started liking her because people were teasing us together."
There was a comfortable silence between them after that. Annabeth checked her watch subtly to find out that it was already nine. It had already been two hours since their date started.
"Hey, Annabeth?" he murmured, breaking the silence.
"Yes, Percy?"
"Would you explain the mechanics of the 'Yes Mission' again?"
Her brow scrunched up in confusion. "Why?"
"Just do it."
"I already told you. I'm supposed to say 'yes' to any guy who asks me out."
"If someone else asked you out, would you agree to go out with them?"
She didn't have to think about it. "Of course not."
"Wouldn't that be breaking the rules of the mission?"
You'll have to say 'yes' to the boys who will ask you out this summer, unless of course, one grabs your attention on the first date and then you can stop saying 'yes' to the others, she remembered Thalia saying. "No."
"Oh. Well, does the mission only entitle to dates?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
He turned on his side from where he was slouching and leaning onto her a few minutes ago, gazing at her with only the eyes of a Seaweed Brain could pull off.
She tried remembering little passages from her books where the guy would face the girl and look her in the eyes. Their hearts would start hammering instead their chests, and their hands would start to clam up in anticipation.
There were moments over the past few weeks where Percy would stand in proximity to her, such as their first day in the boardwalk and the times where he would teach her how to balance on a surfboard.
Except somehow this was different. His face oh, so close and his eyes were shining even brighter in the dimly-lit room and the smile he was giving was driving her nuts and-
She had to remind herself to breathe.
"What I'm saying is, if I asked you permission to kiss you, would you still be obliged to say 'yes'?"
She could've sworn her heart stopped beating.
No, this wasn't like those moments in her romance novels. She hadn't realized before (because she didn't have anyone to ever feel like this), but Thalia was right. Her romance novels were crap, in a sense. She would never be able to have instants exactly like those written in books.
What she was feeling right now for Percy was much, much better.
"I would've said 'yes' anyway, Seaweed Brain."
He grinned, and in the middle of the Half-Blood Library, he leaned down and planted his lips on hers.
They were aware that they had a few weeks left.
Annabeth and her dad were the ones leaving first, with Percy and his family leaving a week after their departure.
They wasted no time, of course. They've already exchanged phone numbers and emails, and in the act of giving each other something to remember the other by, she gave him her green surfboard, and he gave her two more of his favorite shirts since he noticed that she loved wearing his Poseidon one.
She meant it as joke, but when she gave him one of her novels (that she brought secretly into the trip and had forgotten about during the entire summer), he swore that he'll try to read it in the next school year and tell her what he thought of it the next time they were in Montauk.
It meant a lot to her more than it should have.
She met his mother and his stepdad, and he met her father who thanked him for making her enjoy her stay in Montauk.
The other kids noticed the difference between how they used to hangout with each other. He would unknowingly hold her hand and brush her hair out of her face. She would wear shirts that had the name, "Jackson" written on the back, so the shirts were definitely not hers.
They kissed a lot, too, and of course that wouldn't go unnoticed.
On her last night in Montauk, they were both curled up in Annabeth's bed, flipping through the pages of one of Percy's mythology books even though they weren't really paying attention. Her head was nuzzled between his neck and shoulder and both of his arms were around her.
Identical sad looks were written on their faces.
"Promise me you won't forget me," she suddenly blurted out amidst the silence.
He smiled slightly. "Ha, even if you made me I couldn't do such a thing."
"It's just that," she muttered, nuzzling into his chest, hiding her face away from his. "One whole year. That's… that's a really long time, Percy."
"I know. I promise to read that book you gave me."
"Careful. It might ruin your perception of love, too," she joked.
"Don't worry. It won't." He turned her around so that she was facing him. He started out giving her a kiss on the cheek, before he moved down to capture her lips in his. "I love you, Wise Girl," he murmured in between kisses.
She was right. This was way better than any of her romance novels.
"I love you, too, Seaweed Brain."
Annabeth's dad was already loading up things into the back of her car. There really was no rush, so he let her daughter take her time to say goodbye to the boy who made her summer perfect. He smiled at them, because despite seeing his little girl with someone else, he was really glad that she was happy.
She was hugging Percy, tighter than she thought possible, and he was murmuring something in her ear. She couldn't really hear him; she was burying her face onto his chest and was trying to stop the tears from flowing.
"Hey, Annabeth?"
"Yeah?"
"Do me a favor and try not to implement the 'Yes Mission' while I'm gone, okay?"
Despite the sadness of the situation, she laughed. "Seaweed Brain. Of course not."
"Just checking," he chuckled. He lifted her face from his chest and cupped her cheek. "I really am going to miss you, Wise Girl. I love you."
"I love you," she emphasized, meaning every word she said.
He gave her a parting kiss before he led her to her car.
Inside, as the view of Montauk was already fading which distance that his father drove, Annabeth couldn't help thinking which of all the stories she would share with Thalia first.
And while she hated to admit it, she was right about the "Yes Mission," and she never would have met Percy if she stayed inside her room all day reading.
Her dad looked at her from the rear-view mirror. He smiled solemnly. "Enjoyed your summer?"
"Fairly obvious, dad."
"Good to know."
Her phone buzzed, signaling a text. She grinned when she discovered it was from Percy.
Love you, Wise Girl. Until next summer. :)
Until next summer indeed.
Got any questions about this story or why I chose to repost this? I'm more likely to answer on my Tumblr account: whayjhey. The link is also on my profile.
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! :)
-YJ