Chapter Twenty: Word
Summary: The one word that can change a relationship. Fluff fluff fluff.
Disclaimer: I don't own PJO.

Rays of sunlight warmed Annabeth's skin as she strolled toward her boyfriend's apartment on the Upper East Side, armed with her ever-present laptop bag, a tote stuffed with textbooks and some tasty pastries, and a drink holder containing two drinks: a Starbucks mocha chai latte for her and a blueberry slushie for him. Today was yet another one of Percy and Annabeth's pre-arranged study dates, in which the duo holed up in Percy's apartment to work on their schoolwork together. Of course, oftentimes both of them ended up doing something other than studying, but they both welcomed any excuse to get to see each other. Now that the school year was in full swing, their visits had become few and far between; in fact, Annabeth hadn't seen Percy for almost two weeks. She missed that annoying Seaweed Brain more than she liked to admit. Feeling happy at the notion to finally see him in person again cheered her, and so she'd stopped to grab their favorite drinks and some snacks so they could engage in a small celebration of sorts.

She arrived at his apartment, fumbling for the key Percy's mother had given her (which really wasn't as big of a deal as it seemed, considering the fact that they were demigods and sometimes had to crash at each other's places when it was too risky to venture outdoors). However, she soon found her efforts were unnecessary, for the door swung open, as if someone had been waiting for her. Knowing Percy, he probably had been.

They'd been dating for several months, but Annabeth still had a hard time wrapping her mind around the fact that he really was hers. Every time he gave her that special grin, or hugged her, or spontaneously kissed her in public, it was a little surprise in itself. Her insides always seemed to flutter when she was around him. She supposed that was one of the things about being in love: It never got old. Every day held something different.

Annabeth's thoughts halted with a screech. Wait a minute. In love? Since when had she started thinking like that?

She broke herself out of her reverie long enough to kiss her boyfriend in greeting. "Hey," she murmured.

"Hey," Percy replied, grinning. "It's good to see you."

She returned the smile. "It's good to see you too. Now, are you going to let me in, or just leave me standing out here all day?"

He pretended to be lost in thought. "Hmmmm...why don't you just wait out here while I think about that..."

She nudged him playfully. He winked in response and threw the door wide open for her, giving her a mock salute.

Annabeth set her things down with a contented sigh and looked around. She always loved going to the Jackson-Blofis apartment. Camp Half-Blood was her home, but this place was a close second. It was cozy just like a home should be, interspersed with the smell of fresh-baked cookies (Sally knew that Annabeth loved her cookies, and always made sure to bake some whenever she came over), manuscripts from the book Sally was writing, papers from Paul's English students that were in the midst of being graded, and the signs that a demigod lived here: squares of ambrosia and canteens of nectar, a backpack prepared especially for a quick escape.

Percy was in the kitchen, presumably to fetch the cookies that were waiting for them. Annabeth followed him in, clutching the drink holder and bag of pastries. She set them down on the counter and examined the room as Percy rummaged in the cupboard for a plate. She had been in here many times before, but never had she noticed the unusual plant that sat in the windowsill. The plant was beautiful, with its silvery tendrils curling in every direction, but the scent it gave off made her sad. She had a feeling that she knew where it had come from.

She turned around to see Percy watching her, his body language casual but his gaze careful. She moistened her lips and broke the silence. "This plant...where is it from?"

"Calypso," he replied. His tone turned a little wistful. "She gave it to me right before I left. She asked me to plant a garden in Manhattan for her."

Annabeth tilted her head, trying not to feel hurt. "You still think about her, don't you?"

"Every day," Percy admitted. "I asked the gods to free her after the war, but I don't know if they held up that end of the bargain. I hope they did." He locked eyes with her. "But I made my choice, Annabeth, and I don't regret it."

His intense gaze seemed to communicate something more. Annabeth had a hard time meeting it. She felt flustered. Before they'd started dating, she'd called him a coward out of pure frustration - but who was the coward now?

Annabeth knew she had trust issues. It was hard to let people in, especially when she knew that most would betray or abandon her in the end. But Percy - he had been one of the few who hadn't. He had risked his life for her (and vice versa) dozens of times. He did his best to comfort her when she cried, and always had some witty comment in his arsenal that she couldn't help but smile at. If there was anyone in the world she could let her guard down around, it was him.

She could still feel his green-eyed gaze boring into her skull. Percy had naturally piercing eyes, but there was a meaningful weight to the look he gave her now. She cleared her throat, partially to ease the silence and partially to banish the strange nervous lump that had popped up in her throat. "I, uh, brought pastries. And drinks."

Percy's face cleared, the way it always did whenever she brought up food. Typical teenage boy behavior. "Oh, yeah? What do you have there?"

She presented the blueberry slushie to him with a flourish. "Your favorite, of course."

"Awww, you shouldn't have."

"And..." - she peeked inside the pastry bag - "and I have some muffins, chocolate chip and banana nut to be exact. And those cream cheese danishes that you like."

Percy grabbed one of the aforementioned danishes and let out a contented sigh. "Ah, Wise Girl," he murmured between bites of the danish, "how I love you and your slushie-bringing, pastry-bearing ways."

Annabeth laughed at first, winding up to give him a playful punch on the arm, but stopped mid-giggle when she realized the significance of what he had said.

He loves me?

Love. It was funny how one four-letter word could be so powerful. How it could completely change the context of a relationship. That was precisely what Percy had just done - taken their relationship to a new level. And yet there he was, just standing there eating a cream cheese danish like it was no big deal, like he hadn't just told her the three words that any Aphrodite girl longed to hear. Leave it to Percy to drop a bombshell and not even be aware that he had. But she should have known to expect anything different. Being oblivious to everything was exactly what he was notorious for.

She stared up at him, unsure of what to do. How was one supposed to handle a spontaneous, casual declaration of love, especially when the very person who uttered it failed to recognize its significance? Percy was still completely unaware of her inner conflict, calmly taking an enormous slurp of his blueberry slushie. He turned to face her after a beat or two, perhaps wondering why she was being so quiet, and stopped mid-slurp at the expression on her face.

"Uh, Annabeth? Why are you staring at me like that?"

Annabeth was absolutely bemused. "Um. Because."

Percy frowned. Annabeth was rarely at a loss for words. "Because...what?"

"Because... you just told me you loved me."

"I told you I...oh. Oh."

Now it was Percy's turn to look bewildered. Annabeth waited for what was sure to come next: the blushing, the awkward silence, the stumbling over words. Strangely enough, none of that happened.

Instead, Percy shrugged and stuffed more of the cheese danish in his mouth. "Well. Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes. I love you."

"Just like that?" Annabeth winced at her question, but honestly was at a loss as to what else to say. She couldn't believe how nonchalant Percy was being.

He frowned. "Does there have be a big production about it? I love you, and I'm telling you that I do. Just like that."

As his words sunk in, Annabeth tried hard to stifle the cheesy, all-encompassing grin that was threatening to sweep across her features. Her success was minimal. She felt as if her stomach was performing a complicated acrobatic routine and yet at the same time, a warm, blissful feeling was sweeping through her body. In that moment, she had no doubt that love was a force that could be felt physically. This was what it felt like, she realized. To know that you were really, truly loved. Not just by a friend or a family member, but by that special someone. She had found her someone.

He loved her. And suddenly, she realized that she loved him too.

She stepped into his familiar embrace, burying her face in his chest. She didn't really trust herself to meet his gaze just yet. "I love you," she murmured.

Percy, being the oddly omniscient person he was, gently pushed her back so he could get a look at her face, perhaps sensing her uncertainty. He fiddled with a loose strand of her hair. "Wise Girl, you know you don't have to say it back if you're not ready."

Annabeth was often surprised at just how selfless her boyfriend could be. He had just bared his feelings to her (although he had done his best to not make a big deal out of it) and didn't even expect anything in return. He had such an unending capacity for goodness that Annabeth found herself constantly amazed. This goodness, she realized, was one of the qualities she liked best about him.

She looked him straight in the eye. "But I do love you. Just like that."

The smallest and yet warmest of grins graced Percy's face. "Good to know."

A/N: Well, that was really darn fluffy. Sorry. Again. I just can't control myself when it comes to these two. :)

Question time: Has anyone read the transcript/seen the video for the Mark of Athena preview? I have, and I'm kind of freaking out inside. October, come quickly!

Also: What prompt should I use for my next chapter? I have quite a few in mind:

Gone

Home

Feel

Dead

Mind

Hope

Arms

Warm

Cold

Deep

Blue

Cake

Work

Time

Heal

Wait

Stay

Sick

Rest

Kids

Want

Need

Move

Same

Let me know about any other possible prompts you might have! Not quite sure when the next chapter will be up - I have to worry about AP tests and finals, but I will try to have it up ASAP :)

-Alexa

PS: I totally neglected to acknowledge a few chapters ago that this fic has been going on for - gasp! - two years! Thank you all SO MUCH for the reviews and favorites and story alerts and author alerts. I truly appreciate everyone's support and I'm so glad that you guys seem to be enjoying reading this as much as I enjoy writing it. :)