The waves were so… calming.
They seemed exhilarated as they swept ashore, their foamy caps lightly brushing his feet before retreating back into the water.
Percy closed his eyes, taking in the smell of the salty sea air...
...yep, he was definitely a Poseidon kid.
But who could blame him? It was a rare event to have some free time at Camp Half-Blood. Whether it was strawberry picking or a somewhat life threatening game of Capture the Flag, there always seemed to be something going on.
Luckily, he'd been given some leniency, what with just having return from an… adventure to the Bermuda Triangle.
He shuddered as That Memory hit him, reminding him of sharp aches in his bones.
Bones...
His bones were crumpling, squashing into each other and then melting into the next. He was compacting.
Something sprouted from his skin, Percy glanced into the mirror to discover, in horror, that it was fur.
And then he was shrinking, his clothes were suddenly too big to fit him, and She was laughing, telling him this was his true form, picking him up, and he was yelling, screaming, and there was nothing he could-
"-cy! Gods, Percy, answer me!" Annabeth was shaking his shoulders. Her face was seemingly frustrated at the lack of a response, but her eyes showed concern.
Percy looked up at her, realizing he wasn't back at C.C.'s Spa and Resort. Circe, C. C., was gone.
"Sorry, got lost in thought." He told her, rubbing the back of his neck.
She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "Whatever you say, Seaweed Brain."
He shrugged and looked back out at the sea, the flashback from earlier still haunting the edges of his thoughts.
Annabeth took a seat next to him. "Something's bothering you."
Percy bit back a smile. That was like her, statements instead of questions.
"Just wishing I got a better spa experience." He said, after a while.
"Oh? A fan of mud baths, Kelp Head?"
"Yeah." He grinned.
Annabeth's face became solemn. "But seriously Percy, I'm sorry about that. It must've been awful, being forced to conform into a creature you didn't want to be."
He gave a slight nod in agreement before facing towards the sea again. Her words were comforting, like always, but it was… a difficult topic. "Nice sunset," he commented.
Annabeth looked up. "Camp always has the best view."
They both spent some time staring off into the skies' fading pinks, purples, and blues, admiring how the colors blended into each other while softly outlining the sun's descent.
In a subconscious decision, Annabeth rested her head on Percy's shoulder, the action unknown to her as the view enraptured her focus.
Percy didn't notice either, but, not too far away, a dolphin peeked its head out of the water and giggled in excitement, jumping underwater to spread the word.
Shortly thereafter, a musically inclined lobster heard word, and rushed off of his "homey" rock to make preparations.
Percussion… ah! The turtles! Thank Hermes for that idea.
[Strings!] He called, looking around. The reeds smiled back, bending forward to let him know they were ready.
Winds… would be harder, but he was pretty sure Zephyrus still owed him a favor, if the beckoning breeze was any clue.
And unlike his great-great-great-grandfather, the first Serenader, his voice wouldn't hit all the low notes, so he gathered his typical chorus. Words.
3, he mouthed. 2… 1…
There you see her…
Sitting there across the way…
He hasn't noticed yet, the lobster mused.
She don't got a lot to say, but there's something about her…
The boy's head lurched up, startling the girl and causing her to lift her head off of his shoulder. He mumbled an excuse.
Sebastian the VI signaled for the orchestra to stop, and waited until the soon-to-be couple relaxed back into their original position.
And you don't know why
But you're dying to try
The boy, careful not to disturb the girl's embrace again, searched the ocean for any sign of the music he was hearing.
As the song was only beginning, the lobster's orchestra was still safely hidden from sight.
Sebastian grinned, and signaled for emphasis.
You wanna kiss the girl.
The boy's cheeks reddened, a sure sign to continue.
Yes, you want her
Look at her you know you do
Sebastian smiled, seeing the boy look over at the girl with admiration.
Penelope giggled as she appeared, "Percy's a smitten one, isn't he?"
He nodded. [Only two books in and they're already at the end of Cupid's arrow.]
Possible she wants you too
There is one way to ask her
The bo- Percy seemed to have heard his last comment, as his blush darkened and his eyes widened in confusion, probably at the lobster's use of the term books.
"He can hear us." Penelope reminded him with a hiss.
Sebastian smiled in response. Best to keep those secrets hidden, he reminded himself.
It don't take a word
Not a single word
Go on and
Kiss the girl
Not that most would listen to the lyrics, disregarding a few, braver souls, but it did seem to encourage them for the future.
Sing with me now
He swore he heard Percy start to hum along.
Sha-la-la-la-la-la my oh my
Look like the boy too shy
Ain't gonna kiss the girl
Percy gave a small smile of agreement.
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Ain't that sad
It's such a shame, too bad
You gonna... miss the girl
Sebastian signaled to Penelope, who gave a sharp whistle. Soon, all the nearby fish and other Sea Shippers were gathered, waiting for the right moment.
Musical interlude…
Yep, Percy was definitely bobbing his head in time with the music.
The girl — [Annabell was her name?] he asked Penelope — seemed to notice this, raising an eyebrow. Percy muttered something in reply, probably bashfully, and looked away.
"Annabeth," Penelope whispered in reply.
Now's your moment
Flo- Sitting near a blue lagoon
Percy chuckled.
[I'd like to see you try on-the-spot improvisation,] came Sebastian's muttered response.
Boy you better do it soon
A time will be better
She don't say a word
And she won't say a word
Until you kiss the girl
He snapped his left claw, and the creatures of the sea went out to preform. The dolphins swam in circles, diving in coordinated patterns. The fish synchronized their schools,and the other lobsters clapped their claws in time to the beat.
Percy's eyes widened, and Annabeth appeared shocked at the (seemingly) odd sight.
Sha-la-la-la-la-la don't be scared
We've got the mood prepared
Go on and kiss the girl
He snapped his right claw, and the more, foreign servants of Poseidon swam out. Hippocampi galloped around; some of the friendly merman/mermaids danced along to the beat, and a herd of Poseidon's sacred horses joined the fun.
Annabeth was certainly amused, whispering to Percy while the music continued to play, unknown to her ears.
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Don't stop now
Don't try to hide it how
You wanna kiss the girl
Percy reverted to Blush Mode, aware that only he could hear the… musical encouragement.
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Float along
And listen to the song
The song say kiss the girl
One of the horses walked onto shore, neighing something to Percy that made him turn cherry red. Annabeth, noticing this, tilted her head.
Percy responded with, what was sure to be, a lame excuse — courtesy of his father's talent in the area.
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Music play
Do what the music say
You wanna kiss the girl
"They're holding hands!" Penelope squealed cheerfully— an major accomplishment to the musical crew.
[PERCABETH!] the younger fish in the chorus cheered. Sebastian quieted then down quickly, nudging them to remind them of the last verse — the poor boy was scarlet faced by now.
You've got to kiss the girl
Why don't you kiss the girl
You gotta kiss the girl
Harmonizing with Penelope, Sebastian VI added the finishing touch.
Go on and kiss the girl… sooooonnn
With consent!
And then, silence…
… disregarding the squeals from the Sea Shippers when Percy gave Annabeth a kiss on the cheek.
And so, three books later, when Clarisse flips over Percy and Annabeth's canoe after seeing Annabeth kiss him, Percy remembers the voice of a certain arthropod's encouragement and takes charge of the second kiss.
The Best Underwater Kiss of All Time™ to be exact.
And, while he may not have noticed their spot behind the reeds, Sebastian VI and Penelope watched on, quietly humming Sha-la-la-la-la-la.
Later that fall, Sebastian VI became the first of the Serenaders to be offered a place at the famous underwater university Jeweliard, courtesy of a anonymous request from a "higher up".
All credit for the song "Kiss the Girl" goes to Disney, especially Samuel E. Wright. It is NOT my own song, though I did make some changes to fit the scenario better.
I had fun doing my own take on this, not sure if it's been done before. It probably has; if you guys have read one before or write your own, feel free to send it to me! (with credit to the original author)
Pinterest post that inspired me: "No but consider this: pre- Last Olympian Percabeth chilling on the beach and the sea critters put on a rendition of 'Kiss the Girl' and of course Annabeth doesn't really notice what's going on but Percy understands sea critter lingo and is just blushing furiously."
/tf3ucawnyb2w37
Since lobsters don't communicate via the use of sound, I put Sebastian's words in brackets, square ones to be precise, to show when he was talking versus when he was thinking.
With Penelope, since dolphins can communicate with squeaks, squeals, and a variety of other noises, her words are in quotation marks like typical speaking lines.
For those who have subscribed to my content,
I know this is not one of the usual fandoms I focus on, it is another one of my favorites that you may or may not recognize. Most of my favorite books are Rick Riordan's work, :).
Don't worry, I'm still working on the Miraculous Ladybug fandom as well, I just might do some more from this fandom.
Solangelo's next on my radar.
Hope you all enjoyed, comments and constructive advice are appreciated!
-PunnyPrincess