Hi guys... *dodges flying objects of mass destruction* Sorry about the long wait for this chapter. I've been super busy, so I didn't have much time to devote to this story. I'm also working on a full-length novel, so... life can get really crazy. Enjoy this slightly longer-than-usual chapter as a peace offering. I promise to try and update more often from this point onwards.
Sunlight was pouring into the master bedroom when Piper woke up. "JASON. GET UP!" she screamed at her fiancé.
"What is it?" he moaned.
"We have to see if my plan worked!"
Jason flipped onto his belly. "I don't wanna," he whined into his pillow.
"I'll give you a kiss if you get up..." Piper smiled widely. Jason jumped out of bed and pretended to salute.
"General Jason at your service."
"At ease, soldier," Piper laughed as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Here's your prize." She planted a smooch on his lips, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, smiling. A few minutes later, Piper pushed him away. "Now Jason," she said, pointing her finger at him. "Stop distracting me. We have to go see if our hard work paid off."
"I wouldn't really call kissing for ten minutes straight hard work," he said cheekily. Piper slapped him on the head.
"You know what I mean, silly..." she laughed. She turned and headed towards the door. Glancing over her shoulder, she called, "You coming?"
Annabeth sighed in her sleep. She was having the most wonderful dream about watching a movie, and then falling asleep in Percy's arms. Subconsciously, she hugged him closer. Annabeth imagined that he was wrapping her closer to his chest, keeping her safe and secure. "I love you," she mumbled into her pillow. Her pillow sighed and tucked her close under his chin. Percy smiled sleepily, clutching his teddy bear. He dreamt of Annabeth, warm and safe in his arms, softly snoring as Nemo swam off into the sea. "I will love you forever, Annabeth Chase," he sighed into his teddy bear's head.
Annabeth's eyes snapped open. Pillows were not supposed to tell you that they love you. "That's simply not how the natural universe works," she muttered. With a sinking feeling in her gut, her hand slowly traveled to feel her hair. She grimaced at the dampness. Pillows weren't supposed to drool, either. Unless... "No. No. This is not happening." The salty smell of the sea washed over her, and Annabeth pushed herself onto her stomach. Unruly black hair, closed eyes that Annabeth knew were a bright sea green, soft lips that brought forth unbidden memories of how they felt on hers so long ago... and a string of drool on his cheek. Percy. I must have fallen asleep while watching the movie, Annabeth realized. Her eyebrows furrowed together. As she tried to process this, she subconsciously reached out and gently wiped the drool from his cheek, and pushed his hair back from his eyes. A faint smile played upon his lips, and he sighed in his sleep. Annabeth slowly began to register little random details, like how he had wrapped the blanket around her instead of himself. How his arms were wrapped around her protectively: tightly, warmly, but not suffocating. How he had placed himself on the edge of the couch so that she wouldn't fall off. He looks so peaceful when he sleeps, she thought to herself, a small smile on her face. Almost like an innocent child. Percy shifted in his sleep, and his shirt rose up a bit over his stomach. Annabeth raised her eyebrows. Maybe not so much of an innocent child iwth those abs. Not that Annabeth was the type of girl to care about that sort of thing. But even she could appreciate perfect works of nature when she saw them. She yawned, her eyelids drooping. One more minute couldn't hurt, could it?
Piper waved at Jason. "Hurry up!" she hissed at him. "And make sure that you're quiet. We don't want to wake them up!" Jason frowned at her.
"You're the one who's talking and making noise," he whispered.
"Shhh!" Jason rolled his eyes as Piper glared at him scathingly. Sticking her tongue out at Jason, she ran down the hall. Jason shook his head and sprinted after her. Stopping short at the door to the movie room, Piper slowly reached for the door handle. "Turn the hallway light off, Jace. We don't want to wake them up..." Jason reached over Piper's arm and turned the knob to 'off', plunging the hall into darkness.
"You do know that the switch was right next to your hand, right?" Jason's voice said. Piper huffed at him annoyedly.
"I couldn't just let go of the doorknob! What if it squeaked?" Jason shook his head, smiling in the darkness. "Are you laughing at me, Jason?" Piper's voice asked threateningly.
"No," Jason stammered, struggling (and failing) to keep a serious expression on his face. "Let's open this door so we can get this over with!"
"Don't rush me..." Piper said, slowly twisting the handle. The door pushed in silently.
"Uh, honey?"
"What is it, Jason?" Piper hissed.
"It's too dark to see anything because we turned the hall light off." Piper rolled her eyes in the dark.
"Go turn it on then!" Jason stifled a giggle, then reached outside to turn the knob to 'low'. The lights turned on, dimmer than before, but they still illuminated the movie room. Piper gasped, and started whisper squealing, pointing at the figures on the couch excitedly. "Looklooklook! JASON! IT WORKED!"
"Shhh! You don't wake them up..." Jason said, looking at Percy and Annabeth with a bemused expression on his face.
"They look so happy together," Piper cooed. "They're so perfect for each other."
"I wonder how Annabeth's going to kill him when she wakes up," Jason whispered, thinking of the tragic accidents Annabeth was fully capable of causing. Piper's eyebrows furrowed.
"We mustn't let that happen now, can we..." she mused. Jason snorted.
"Mustn't? Is Piper McLean turning into a proper lady? Or an Annabeth clone?" Piper rolled her eyes at him.
"Jason, this is serious!" she whined.
"You're starting to sound like your mother..." Jason noted, raising an eyebrow. "I think your inner love guru is showing." Piper gasped.
"Gods, no! This is terrible. Sorry... I guess my mom sort of rubbed off on me last time she came to visit. I'm going to act more rational about this now... forgive me?"
"There's nothing to forgive," Jason smiled. He cupped her chin in his hand, and leaned in for a sweet kiss. "You're always perfect to me." Piper wrapped her arms around Jason's neck, and pulled him into a hug.
"Even when I'm annoying?" she mumbled into his shirt.
"Especially when you're being annoying."
"Promise?"
"Promise." Jason said, planting a kiss on the top of her head. Piper smiled.
"We're so lucky to have found eachoth-"
"Cooooooooooooooooooooooooooooookieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees..." mumbled the couch. "Bluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuue cooooooooooooooooooooooookieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees..." Jason and Piper broke apart, staring at the couch in surprise.
"Way for Percy to ruin a moment..." Jason groaned, glaring at the couch accusingly. Percy's sleeping form snored, and Piper giggled.
"Cookies?" she asked, glancing at Jason. "He's dreaming about cookies?"
"He's Percy. With him, everything's either about blue cookies, the ocean, or Annabeth." Piper shrugged.
"That's kind of adorable." Jason wrinkled his nose at her playfully. She rolled her eyes at him, and amended,"But not nearly as adorable as you." Percy snored once more, and Jason and Piper turned to look at the couch.
"So, how exactly do you propose we deal with this... situation?" Jason asked. "We can't just leave them, can we?"
"Maybe we can leave them for a little longer. Let the dream last a few moments more..."
"Want to help me get some breakfast started? I'm starving. Maybe we can make some eggs as cheesy as what you just said!" Piper promptly whacked Jason on the head lovingly.
"Eggs sound great." She eyed the door cautiously, then turned to Jason. "Race you!" she squealed, and sprinted out the door. Jason closed the door behind him, then started chasing after her, muttering about the injustices of head starts.
Percy's eyes fluttered open. He blinked twice, looking at the faux-star covered ceiling above him. This isn't my room, he thought to himself. He started to raise his arm to rub his eyes when his hand met a long tendril of hair. Gently, Percy raised the lock of hair up to the semi-light of the dim stars. Blonde? The movie room. Finding Nemo. The seagulls. Random facts about the Sydney Opera house. "Annabeth..." he breathed. Percy slowly sat up, instinctively using his hand to support Annabeth's head. His eyebrows shot up as she sighed in his sleep and wrapped her arms tightly around his torso. "I wish I could wake up like this every day..." Percy softly pushed Annabeth's hair away from her face, caressing her cheek as he did so. She shivered slightly. Percy's eyes widened. The blanket must not be warm enough! he thought to himself. Percy shook his head. I can't let her freeze to death! "I should probably take you to your bedroom," he sighed resignedly, gazing at her closed eyes. "No matter how much I wish we could stay like this." Percy moved Annabeth's arms to his neck, so she wouldn't be uncomfortable. He then scooped Annabeth into his arms, bridal style, and lovingly draped the blanket over her.
Percy somehow managed to open the door to the movie room, and emerged into the semi-dark hallway. "I should be quiet so I don't wake Piper and Jason up," he muttered to himself. Walking as quietly as he could while holding a human being, Percy began to make his way to Annabeth's room. The door was already open when they arrived, so Percy just flicked the light switch on with his elbow. Percy laid Annabeth gently down on her couch-bed, and tucked the blanket up under her neck. He looked around the room, searching for a thicker blanket. His eyes landed on a shaggy white blanket that was sitting on the armchair. He grabbed that and laid it over Annabeth as well. She looks so peaceful when she sleeps, Percy thought to himself. Like she doesn't have to worry about anything anymore. I wish that I could help make that happen in real life. Even if she doesn't love me, I still want her to be the happiest she can ever be. Maybe she'll at least let me be her friend, someday. He sighed. Before leaving the room, Percy kissed Annabeth's forehead softly. "I will always love you, Annabeth Chase. Even if you don't love me." He gently brushed a stray curl from her cheek, smiled at her sleeping form, and went to turn off the light. With one final glance back at the couch, he closed the door behind him. Percy's stomach growled loudly. "Maybe I should go make breakfast."
Piper and Jason were locked in a passionate embrace against the kitchen counter when Percy stumbled sleepily into the kitchen. "Uhhh..." Percy stammered, turning red. "I'll.. I'll just leave..." He gesticulated at the door feebly. Piper and Jason blushed furiously, pulling away from each other.
"Percy!" Piper squeaked. "Um... we didn't see you there?"
"I kind of figured that bit out..." Percy was intently scrutinizing the ceiling. Piper jumped down from the counter, and rearranged her short lacy nightgown.
"So... what are you doing here, Perce?" Jason said, pulling his shirt back on in an attempt to regain some of his dignity.
"I was sort of hoping for some breakfast," Percy said to the ceiling. Piper sighed.
"You can look at us now, you know."
"You know, you have a really nice ceiling in here. Have you ever noticed that before?" Percy deadpanned, taking a few steps backwards towards the door. "It's quite a lovely ceiling. It has... paint on it and everything." Piper and Jason rolled their eyes in unison.
"I'll get a robe if it'll make you feel more comfortable, Perce. We can help you make some breakfast. You said you were hungry, right?" Percy nodded infinitesimally, keeping firm eye contact with the ceiling.
"I was going to make blue pancakes..."
Piper laughed. "Of course you want them to be know what? That sounds delicious. I'm just going to go get a robe, okay? You and Jason can start with the pancakes."
"Sounds good to me!" Jason said cheerfully, apparently recovering from his embarrassment.
A few seconds later, Percy whispered, "Is she gone yet?" Jason started cracking up.
"You should have seen your face! Oh my gosh, it was perfect! THAT WAS HYSTERICAL!"
Percy glared at his friend. "It was not. And I think that I speak for the entire household when I say that we would all appreciate if you kept your public displays of affection OFF OF THE KITCHEN COUNTER!"
Jason plopped himself down at one of the barstools as Percy started to rummage through the cabinets. "You mean you and Annabeth when you say we," he smirked.
Percy ignored his comment. "Where's the blue food coloring? I can't find the blue food coloring."
"Speaking of Annabeth, what exactly happened last night after you kicked us out?" Jason wiggled his eyebrows at Percy.
"This is a crisis! I CAN'T FIND THE BLUE FOOD COLORING!"
Placing his elbows on the table, Jason rested his chin on his hands, grinning. "You know I'm just going to jump to the worst conclusion if you don't tell me what happened."
"Okay, I found the food coloring. Crisis averted..."
"At least tell me what base you got to."
Percy whipped around to look at his friend, looking scandalized. "I would never do such a thing! Women are supposed to be treated with respect!"
Jason leaned back, putting his hands up. "Chill! Piper just wanted me to ask you to make sure that you were a true gentleman or something like that. Something about idiots and making up conquests..."
Percy huffed. "When have I ever done anything that could give that impression?"
Jason rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Uh, Piper has mentioned something about breaking Annabeth's heart, hasn't she?"
"But I didn't mean to! I don't even know what I did!"
"Piper said you were being insensitive and insulting or something."
Percy sighed, and pulled a bowl out of the cabinet. "I'm not good enough for Annabeth," he whispered to himself. "That's the problem."
Jason raised an eyebrow, and cupped his hand to his ear jokingly. "Would you like to share your thoughts with the class, Mr. Jackson?"
"I'm not good enough for her!" Percy burst out. "I fell in love with Annabeth Chase the first day I ever saw her. We were only four, but I knew that she was the most beautiful girl in the universe. When we were sixteen, all I could think of was how beautiful Annabeth would look walking down that aisle, wedding bells ringing in the rafters to announce her arrival. Then later, when I kissed her..." Percy trailed off, staring out the window wistfully. "It felt so right, so perfect. And I realized that she was perfect. Too perfect for me. Too perfect for anyone. So... I pulled away. Tried to pretend it didn't matter... tried to hide my embarrassment... tried to brush the moment off. I should never have been so impulsive. She deserves so much better... but I don't know how to break away. I tried running to Florida, pretending that the only reason was that I wanted to study marine biology. You know how Calypso and I tried to be together for a bit? I broke it off almost immediately. I couldn't do it." Percy lifted himself up onto the counter "All I want is to make sure that Annabeth is happy. And I know that I have to leave her alone if I really care about her happiness, but... Jason, I can't! I've tried. I've tried so hard to forget her. But I can't forget. And I'm not sure I want to. And I don't know what to do." He put his head into his hands. "I just... I love her, Jason." he breathed.
Piper stood at the door, frozen in her fuzzy sweatpants and an old Hello Kitty tank top. Percy lifted his head up to see her standing at the door. His eyes widened. "Piper!? Uh... how long have you been standing there?"
Piper smiled, tears in the corners of her eyes. "Long enough, Perce. There's only one thing I can say. You and Annabeth are perfect for each other, and you two will be happy together if it's the last thing I do."
Jason smiled at his fiancée and then at Percy. "I'm going to help however I can, too."
Percy's brow furrowed. "But... I'm no good for her! I always mess everything up. She'll never be happy with m-"
"Shut up, Percy. Stop being such a nimbus. Annabeth loves you. She's just afraid of letting herself become too attached to someone who might not reciprocate her love."
"Reciprocate?"
Jason sighed. "In this case it means to do or have the same thing. Basically, she's worried that you won't love her as much as she loves you."
Piper walked over too where Jason was sitting and sat next to him. "I think that you are actually the only person that is capable of making her truly happy."
Percy's eyes hardened in determination, like a little kid about to tie his shoes by himself for the first time. "So, Beauty Queen. If I really should try to win her trust, what do I have to do?"