Chapter 10: Beauty within Imperfection
"And life makes love look hard. The stakes are high, the water's rough; but this love is ours."
-Taylor Swift, Ours
AN: Hey guys! Um, yeah I know, I know. I'm a horrible person. I'm really, really sorry that I wasn't able to update. Honestly, you'd think I'd have sometime to post this during a whole month but honestly guys, trust me, you wouldn't want to be in my shoes now. Well, you didn't come here to see me rant so I proudly, and finally present; chapterrrrrrr 10!
P.S. Shout out to my fav. people, for the people who followed, favorited and reviewed this story from the beginning; this one is for you guys.
-06-17-17—8-32-
In the end, they winded up at Central Park.
There wasn't a lot of people, (considering it was already around 11PM when their dinner ended) and they weren't in the mood to go home yet, so Percy and Annabeth took a walk in the park. (Quite literally.)
The air was cool and crisp, tinged with the smell of the earth. Annabeth mentally thought how rapidly the seasons were changing; how the summer was quickly turning to fall. Time moved so fast and yet; the banks of the lake seemed to be another world where time seemed to slow down; like it was just there for them both.
She watched a leaf being blown away at her spot by Percy's side. It did a few somersaults in the air and landed in his unruly, windswept hair low over his closed eyes. She rolled over, meaning to brush it aside, when she suddenly found herself combing his hair, making him open his gorgeous eyes and revealing his luminescent smile at her.
She stopped suddenly conscious of what she was doing. Yet her hand refused to move from his hair.
"Why did you stop?"
She stuck her tongue out at him. "You drool when you sleep."
He actually looked perplexed at her statement. "What?"
She laughed and smoothed down the curves of his brow. "You look cute when you're worried."
He turned over and brushed a stray curl from her face. "And you look adorable when you blush."
Speak of the devil and they shall appear. She thought as the blood rushed to her face. She ducked her head.
"Gods above, I love you when you do that."
She froze. She looked at him. His sea-green eyes were so tantalizingly close.
"What?" she whispered.
He lifted a hand and cradled her cheek with long, slender fingers. "Perhaps I didn't say it properly."
Percy took a deep breath.
"I love you."
Annabeth couldn't say anything at all. It seemed that stars weren't just capable of falling from the sky.
It seemed that they were capable of falling in love too.
His words seemed to allievate and aggravete her thoughts s.
"Maybe I came from the sky, but it was nothing when I saw a whole world in your eyes."
Ba-bump. Ba-bump.
Could you love me even when I'm hollow inside?
"Maybe I decided to plunge into darkness, because I found a blinding light."
Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump.
Could you ever love my darkness inside?
"Maybe you deserve a whole universe and I'm just a star."
Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump.
Have you ever thought that I needed only one star in my empty sky?
"Maybe I fell for you beyond all hope and reason because all the stars in the sky don't compare to the way your eyes shine at me."
Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump.
Have you ever thought that looking at a shining object too much can make you blind?
His words had never before felt so genuine.
Before she knew it, her heart changed its answer.
Her heart chose the right answer.
He just needed to ask the right question
"I feel like a part of my soul has loved you since the beginning of everything."
Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump.
And mine will love you for the rest of eternity.
Annabeth wondered if her heart was about to burst out of her ribcage, considering it was beating a hundred mile per hour. Percy's gaze turned shyly at her.
"All that's left to ask, I suppose, is whether you feel the same with me." He stretched out his hand.
She yanked at his shirt and pulled him closer towards her.
"Just kiss me, Seaweed Brain."
He laughed lightly. "I'll take that as a yes."
He pressed his lips against hers.
It was possible to bring the whole galaxy down to earth after all.
Piper was the first one to find out.
Hazel realized it a split-second after Piper did.
That morning was just simply full of surprises.
For one, Annabeth was humming cheerfully inside the kitchen while making waffles. She was already dressed up.
Piper walked into the kitchen, grabbing a plate. She glanced at Annabeth and did a double-take.
For some reason, Annabeth was now a morning person. And she was humming.
When Hazel walked in, her reaction was the exact same one plastered on Piper's face. The look of incomprehension and total confusion.
"'Morning!" Annabeth chirped as she served the breakfast on the table.
Her cousins just glanced at her wordlessly.
A knock resonated from the door. Piper jumped up. She needed to clear her head. Maybe I'm still dreaming she thought. "I'll get it."
She opened the door and found Percy leaning against the other side. He smiled at her and peered over her head. "Hi Piper. Is Annabeth there?"
"I'll get her for you." She smirked. It suddenly made sense that Annabeth was all dolled up. Her cousin was never going to hear the end of this.
"Hey Annie!" she singsonged as she waltzed into the kitchen. "Your boyfriend's here!"
Annabeth looked up. "Percy's here already? Tell him I'll be out in a minute." The blonde rushed to the bathroom to brush her teeth.
"Yes and he's—" Piper reeled.
Hazel dropped her fork.
The two stared at each other. Their thought were going down the same winding road, beginning with Wait, WHAT? And ending with Boyfriend?!
"Bye guys! See you later!" Annabeth rushed out the door. Her cousins scrambled to the living room just in time to see their dear cousin peck Percy on the cheek and said boyfriend slinging his arm around her shoulders.
By the time Percy and Annabeth were about to drive off the driveway, they could still see the silhouettes of her cousins jumping up and down the walls, their faint shrieks of excitement still within earshot. Annabeth received a message a few minutes later.
You're going to do a lot of explaining when you get back Annie.
Thalia was the first one to find out.
Nico realized it a split-second after Thalia did.
Their morning was full of surprises too.
Thalia woke up to the smell of pancakes.
She figured that breakfast was ready, so it was a good time to wake up.
Her glorious path towards a bountiful breakfast was blocked however, by her cousin.
"What in Zeus' name are you standing in the middle of the hallway for?"
Her cousin looked like he was staring into the depths of Tartarus. Thalia's annoyance disappeared.
"Nico? Nico, what happened?"
Nico shook his head. "I'm dreaming. That's what."
Thalia fumed. "You're not making any sense!" She sidestepped him and turned to look at what Nico was staring at.
Thalia decided that Nico was right. She was dreaming. That was the only logical explanation.
Percy had cooked breakfast. Blue Pancakes to be exact. Wearing an apron. Early in the morning. On a weekend.
"Hey guys." He greeted them. "Have some. I'm already done; I'm going out."
They stared wordlessly at him as he walked down the stairs to the floor below whistling to himself.
Percy's cousins sprinted on top of the stairs just in time to see their Annabeth peck their dear cousin on the cheek and said cousin slinging his arm around her shoulders.
Kelp head has got a lot of explaining to do. Thalia thought.
Percy and Annabeth didn't seem to mind their cousins' reactions at all.
AN: So guys what do you think? They finally got together. We would've exploded from the tension if they didn't wouldn't we? Oh and I'll try to post as soon as possible again, so don't worry because now at least you guys know that it could take a month at most. HAHAHHA. I'll see you guys soon! Don't forget to review, favorite, or follow! See ya!
P.S. Because I didn't update for a long time, I'll give you guys a hint about the next chapter. The unseen is bad and the seen from above is different from the unseen underneath. It's cryptic I know. But in TIME you'll see what I mean. *Wink*