AN: I thought this drabble would be appropriate for publishing today. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!
-dmac
Then
Annabeth
I wiggled my toes nervously in the warm sand. Why was I so nervous? It was stupid. There was nothing to be nervous about.
"Sweetheart, there's nothing to be nervous about," my father reiterated my thought.
I finally hooked my arm with his, "You're absolutely right. Let's do this."
"Attagirl," he smiled.
There was no music, only the sound of the waves hitting the shore. The attire was casual: shorts or rolled up khakis, white polos, sundresses, and bare feet. Even my dress was simple, a calf-length, flowing, white halter. The crowd was small, only our closest friends and family, and they all stood when my father and I came into view. When he and I reached the sandy aisle between the two groups of smiling faces, I looked all the way to the end. Maybe I was making sure he was still there, that he hadn't wigged out, and sure enough, he was there, smiling like the Seaweed Brain he is.
As my father walked me down that aisle and I looked down at the man I was about to marry, a flood of memories washed over me. I remembered the very first day I met him. I wasn't exactly nice to him. It's hard to believe how far we've come since that day. It's hard to believe that only a few short years after the day I rudely told him he drooled in his sleep, we'd take thirty minutes to share an underwater kiss. And I hadn't told him yet, but I thought I loved him then.
I remembered him taking me to Central Park a year ago. We had a picnic under a towering Maple tree that few people knew used to be the titan Hyperion. It was a Saturday, and college had just let out for the summer. The park was full of people having picnics, walking their dogs, and playing with their kids, but he didn't care. He got down on one knee in front of everybody and asked me to marry him. I'm not easily surprised or impressed, but that day he accomplished both. He managed to catch me off guard and ask the question without messing it up, and once again, I thought I loved him then.
Now he's my whole life, my whole world. I never thought I'd feel that way about anyone. I'm strong, I'm smart, and I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, but I'm also a woman with wants and needs. I want a career and a successful future, but I also want a husband and a family, and I know I can have both with Percy. It blows my mind how I feel about him. I don't know what I'd do without him. I love him. Against all logic, against all odds, I love him.
Someday, I can just see him with a baby in his arms. I can see him asleep in his recliner when what's left of his hair is gray. But I can't see us ever not being together. I can't see me ever loving him more than I do right now, but I've thought that before, too.
When we reached the end of the aisle, my dad kissed my cheek and gave me over to Percy. When he took my hands in his own, he still had that goofy smile on his face. "You look beautiful," he said softly.
"You clean-up pretty good, yourself," I winked.
He took a deep breath and gripped my hands a little tighter, "Are you ready for this?"
I stared into his green eyes and thought about how I'd look back on this moment one day, how this would be another one of those memories where I'd look back and think: and I thought I loved him then.
"I'm ready."