Percy woke to the sounds of a distant summer storm, his arm wrapped around Annabeth who's back was pressed against his chest. The rain was falling gently on the beach house roof, the noise splashing on the small deck leading out to the sand. The storm brought a blanket of cool air through the island, the ocean sounding more clear than ever. He dug his face into the back of her hair, thinking about the night before. Annabeth laughed quietly and tightened his arm around her waist. Neither of them spoke for a while, unwilling to break the moment.

"Do we have to get up?" Percy mumbled into Annabeth's hair. He heard her laugh again, causing his hear to skip a beat.

"Only if a sea monster shows up." She turned to face him. "Or any other monster determined to ruin things for us as usual." Percy wrinkled his nose.

"Sea monsters don't like the rain."

"Oh? Why?"

"Don't know. Made it up." He admitted. Annabeth laughed and moved to rest her head on his chest, pushing him onto his back in the process. She wrapped her arm around his waist as she did the first night they were together in this room. The thought brought Percy back to moments before the mission. "How're you feeling?"

"Fine, I guess. Why?"

"I didn't know if it would hurt... doing what we did, because of your injuries."

"I don't really feel them anymore. Sometimes it's a bit sore but that's it." Percy mumbled "that's good", partially to himself. Suddenly he was feeling very awkward. He knew he shouldn't, the girl in his arms was a girl he would die for and would, as proven, die for him. There wasn't anything to hide between them. They'd be together for the rest of their lives and they knew it. Now, he only had questions that he wanted to ask from the mission but didn't know how to bring it up. As he thought how to approach it, he lazily traced his fingers up and down Annabeth's spine, almost lulling her back to sleep.

"Annabeth?"

"Mm?" She mumbled in her half asleep stupor. Hearing her voice made him lose his nerve.

"...you're naked." He wasn't sure why he stated that instead of the question he actually wanted to ask. When he felt Annabeth stop breathing, Percy couldn't help but smile. She lifted herself off his chest to look at him. Annabeth looked confused but was smiling all the same.

"Does this bother you?" His smile widened.

"It bothers me that you're not naked more often." Annabeth laughed and turned to lay on her back, pulling the sheets up towards her collarbones.

"I know it's you and everything, but I'm still pretty embarrassed to be naked in front of you. Silly, huh?" Annabeth was turning red as she spoke. Percy turned onto his side and rested his head in his hand.

"Yep." Annabeth shot a joking glare in his direction making Percy just smile lopsidedly. "I really could just spend all day looking at you." Annabeth turned even more red and tried her best not to smile like an idiot. "No, seriously. When we get a house together, I'm banning clothes altogether. If I see you with a single article of clothing I'm going to rip them off and-" Laughing, Annabeth lunged at Percy, her hands covering his mouth.

"Okay, okay, okay! I got it!" She said, still laughing along with Percy. Her golden hair had a silver hint to it from the stormy weather outside. She removed her hands from over his mouth and laid on her side, head in hand. A few strands had found its way loose from the night so Percy tucked them behind her ear. Percy really could look at her for the rest of his life and not be bored.

"So," she continued, "what were you really going to say?" Annabeth brushed the hair off of Percy's head as his face grew hot.

"I- what? How'd you know?"

"I know you. Now, what is it?" Percy swallowed dryly.

"You're scrambling my brain, being naked and all." Annabeth's eyes lowered into a glare.

"Would it help if I were dressed in a potato sack?"

"No... I'd probably still be picturing you naked." Annabeth slapped Percy's shoulder.

"Percy! If you don't get this question out then I'm going to with hold all physical contact with me for a month." Percy's face contorted into fake horror.

"You wouldn't! You'd hate it as much as I would."

"No I wouldn't... Yeah, okay. Well, then, I'd tell my mother you're being a jerk." Percy's false horror was replaced with actual horror.

"Oh, gods. Please don't. I'm pretty sure I only just got her to the 'don't kill on site' mode." Percy swallowed dryly again and looked away from his girlfriend in an attempt to gain some courage. Maybe if he wasn't looking at her, his brain would work. "What Hypnos showed you..." he paused to see if there were any objections.

When there weren't, he continued. "Is that really what you want?" Silence. It was taking Annabeth so long to answer, he was forced to look at her. Her brows were slightly pushed together as if thinking hard, face slightly red.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you want that? A family? With me?"

"Well, eventually yeah. I mean, I'd like to finish college first but I- ... Why are you smiling?"

"Because you want to start a family with me." Percy was smiling like an idiot and there was nothing he could do to help it. It made Annabeth chuckle.

"Of course I do. I thought that would be obvious by now."

"It's still nice to hear."

"Although..." Percy's smile started dropping as Annabeth gave him a hard look. It was the same look that she took when studying. "If you don't actually look like that in the future, I'll be really disappointed."

"What? I'm not hunky enough for you right now?!" Percy said, pushing himself from the bed.

"Hunky?! Hunky?! Who says 'hunky'?!" Annabeth said laughingly, shielding herself from Percy's tickling attacks. As her laughing died down, Percy leaned in to kiss her deeply. Annabeth pulled back after a moment, smiling. "We really should get clothes on." Percy groaned and dropped his head to her shoulder. "Okay, okay. How about you head to the water and take a look around while I shower. When I'm done, I'll join you in the water, okay?"

"You're going to shower?" Percy questioned as he picked up his head.

"Yes?"

"Without me?"

"Percy!" She pushed him up and stood next to the bed, laughing. "You, behave yourself. Now get going." As Annabeth walked to the bathroom, Percy couldn't help but watch her go. The sight of Annabeth naked was something he would never get used to.

Percy

Once Percy had managed to actually get himself to the water, he did look for the sea monster but turned up nothing. He had asked several sea creatures if they had seen or heard anything but no one had seemed to even know something was happening. Just as Percy was getting frustrated, Poseidon arrived.

"Hello son."

"Hey dad. What's going on?"

"Just checking on your mission status is all. What's the progress?"

"I haven't found anything. I keep asking around but no one's even heard a whisper of a sea monster going around." Percy looked around, as if searching for more clues.

"That's probably because there is none." Percy's head snapped towards his father who was grinning triumphantly.

"What?"

"I figured you and Annabeth needed some time to talk about things you found out about on your mission but really the only way you two will ever get a moments peace would be if you were sent away."

"I - uh. Ye... yeah..." Percy didn't know what to say. All he knew was that if his father really knew what they were doing there, he would have added a chauffeur. Or twelve.

"Well, I better get back to the kingdom. Lots to do, lots to look after."

"Right."

"Have a good time on vacation, son." Percy nodded numbly.

"Thanks for all the help, dad." Poseidon smiled.

"Just have fun." As he turned to return to the ocean, he paused and looked back. "Just... not too much fun. Athena would kill me if you got her pregnant." Blood rushed to Percy's face as his stomach dropped. His father's wink didn't help the situation.

Percy

Percy returned to the house to find Annabeth had still not exited the shower which was unusual. When there was a mission, when she showered, if she showered, she took as little time as possible. He didn't hear the water running so she was probably getting dressed.

Curious and a little worried, Percy knocked on the bathroom door. "Annabeth? You alright in there?" There was a pause. "Annabeth? You in there?" Percy slowly opened the door and peaked his head in. To his confusion and excitement, he found her taking a bath and reading a book.

"What's up, Percy?" She turned away from her book to look at him. "Something wrong?"

"I- uh. N... no... why are you taking a bath?" Percy said awkwardly from the doorway.

"I haven't taken a nice bath since before the mission. I thought it was about time."

"But we have a mission..." He wasn't sure why he was arguing with her. She was naked. Again. He shouldn't be complaining. Her hair was up in a loose bun, revealing her slender neck and beautiful collar bones. The steam from the tub filled the air and made the room comfortably warm.

"Well, have you found any sea monsters then?"

"No?"

"Then we're okay." She responded as she turned back to her book.

"I did find my dad though. Also, the rain finally stopped."

"Oh? And what did he say?" Annabeth didn't look up from her book.

"He said there aren't wasn't any sea monsters. He made it up." Annabeth lifted her head to look at him but didn't look surprised. "Why aren't you surprised?"

"I knew the second we got here." Percy sighed and walked into the room, closing the door behind him. Of course she knew. He went to go sit on the closed toilet next
to the tub. "It was too coincidental. This house? Right after we just finished a mission?"

"How'd you know to bring a book then?"

"I didn't. I always have this with me. It's for class. I'm getting a head start on next year's classes." Percy laughed aloud.

"I forgot. I'm with someone that enjoys studying." Annabeth looked back to her book indignantly.

"If you don't like it then you can leave and find more fun things to do."

"Nah. I enjoy the view." The realization that she was naked seemed to dawn on Annabeth. She shrunk into the tub a little but with no place to go, all she could do was
blush.

"Why are you embarrassed?" Percy asked, laughing.

"Because I'm naked!"

"I've seen you naked before, Annabeth."

"Not like this!"

"...Do you look any different now than before?"

"That's not the point!"

"How is that not the point?!" Percy was laughing again.

"I- augh. Percy could you just get out? I want to get back to studying."

"You can study just fine with me here."

"You'll get bored."

"I really doubt that." Annabeth just gave him a stern look and he knew she wasn't ordering him, but asking. "Alright, alright. I'll go... swim or something..." Percy reluctantly turned to leave and walked towards the ocean again.