Hey my fantastic readers! Thank you all for supporting me; go check out the AUTHOR'S NOTE at the end of the epilogue; this is going to be long but not THAT long as the last chapter, and thank you for all of your endless support. This is going to be a really cute chapter so hope you like it! Anyways, please review...and lastly, enjoy the chapter!
Percy POV: (One Year Later...)
"You sure you won't feed them junk food?" I said sternly to Thalia and Nico. It was our Anniversary, January 30. This is our wedding anniversary, and I can hear Annabeth dressing up. I smiled, knowing that my white t-shirt with her favorite necktie strapped onto the collar. My buttoned down shirt was tucked in under my pants as I put over my suit. She loves this outfit.
"You look the best in this outfit," she said kissing me. "You look so hot like this! Gosh, when can my husband get any better looking?"
I smiled at that comment, until I realized Thalia and Nico were looking at me.
"Yes for the hundredth time Percy!" Nico mumbled obviously irritated.
"Good. Annabeth and I will come back two hours later. We're going to celebrate our anniversary, and if it gets wrecked because of you guys..."
"It's alright," Thalia soothed. "We'll take care of them. We're just going to eat the soup Annabeth made. All Nico and I are going to do is play with them, put them into bed, and just play for a while. That's all."
"Okay," I said, and I finally looked at the clock.
"What's taking her so long?" I mumbled, and walked up the stairs. Annabeth was wearing a white blouse with black skinny jeans. She wore white sandals and her hair was tied up in a black rubber band. She applied red lip gloss that just totally made her look hot, and I can see she polished our wedding ring.
"Ready?" I asked midway from the stairs. Annabeth was walking down till she actually looked up, seeing me on the stairs.
"Percy!" she said as she was walking down the stairs tills her heels tripped on the tip and she fell forward. I quickly caught her; our eyes meeting as our noses touched each other's.
I smiled softly as she stared at me for a moment. Her eyes never seemed to leave my gaze.
"Thanks..." she whispered, and I nodded. She kissed me, and I felt that this was one of the romantic anniversaries ever. She looked so pretty; and the anniversary started out really nice by a longing of a sweet kiss. I hadn't kissed a long kiss for a while. Gosh, she's so hard to flirt with sometimes! She's always busy cooking, working...and just...working on scrapbooks...and taking care of the children...
My heart fluttered.
I felt so glad; I kissed her back. She slid off my ring and a weird feeling of kissing her harder flooded past me.
Keep calm, I said in my brain. Don't be a coward trying to steal a kiss from Annabeth. Just go and have a nice date with her. Buy her dinner. Make her happy. Call her pretty. And save the rough kiss for later.
But Annabeth kissed me harder.
I slowed it down, knowing that the kiss should be saved for later. But my demon instincts just wanted to kiss rough. I just really missed a kiss. It seemed so weird how Annabeth's acting like this. But...but maybe she's acting like this because she just loves me and really missed my kisses too! Or maybe she just thought that it would be nice for a happy anniversary treat! Or...gosh, I'm overthinking. I've never overthought some kind of kiss tactic Annabeth was doing. I am OVERTHINKING! But why? Maybe...maybe I just think her actions or strange. Or maybe, it's because she-
Annabeth pulled away, her face hurt.
"Let's go," she said. "Help me up."
Gosh, that made me feel bad. Overthinking does make you bottled up. I blushed as I carried her. She soon landed on the same staircase I was.
I put my hands next to hers, and for a moment her eyes didn't seem to appreciate it. But later, her eyes softened, kissed my cheeks, and together we walked together for another year of a romantic anniversary.
Annabeth POV:
Percy led me towards the forest...which was kind of new. He would always roam around in the village. And actually...we've hardly went to the forest this year. We were too busy taking care of Calypso and Percy Jr., it was so hard to keep track. I bet my fighting skills plummeted. As I finally eased my mind smelling the foresty damp air, thoughts came in.
Okay, I basically made the move. Do you know how much courage it took just to slip off that ring in his finger and make him kiss me? I basically started the rough kisses. And besides that one night last year, I seriously never gave in. Not even a long slow kiss. It was a quick peck and adios amigos! And now, I thought how I made a fool out of myself. It really made me feel embarrassed.
"I wanted to walk with you before we head out to dinner," he whispered in my ear. I immediately forgot about my embarrassing incident; only wanting a hug.
He didn't.
Gosh Annabeth I muttered. You're expecting too much! Take things easy and steady! You're being oversensitive. You can't expect kisses and hugs. I can't just be this way. What if Percy just wants a romantic cuddle? Just accept his plans! He'll probably impress you...
Percy POV:
Is Annabeth satisfied of the date? Is she happy? Oh, just please let her happy! I want to make her happy. I want to kiss her so badly. But now...I think she wants some space. Just let her be. Besides...she probably thinks that if I kiss her, she's going to be overwhelmed. She just wants things to go smooth and steady. Trying to just give her a rough kiss would be too much.
Annabeth POV:
I JUST WANT A HUG! CAN'T HE LEAN IN AND ACTUALLY KISS ME? WHAT'S WRONG WITH HIM? THIS DATE IS TURNING OUT HORRIBLE!
Percy POV:
Ooh...this is SO HARD! WHY DOES SHE HAVE TO BE THIS WAY? CAN'T I AT LEAST KISS HER SINCE IT WAS OUR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY?
Annabeth POV:
You're making me upset Percy. Not funny.
Percy POV:
That's it...I thought to myself.
I wrapped my arms around her. Her body tensed from the touch, but soon after a few breaths calmed down.
"Are you cold?" I asked lovingly.
"No," she said, but I can hear a little irritation.
"Annabeth, you alright?" I asked, and she turned away.
"Yeah," she said.
"Annabeth-,"
"What's your date plans?" she asked, and I felt a little angry. She just cut me off when I was trying to comfort her! What's wrong with her? Why is she giving me the cold shoulder? She's already making me really upset from not kissing her; can't she just be kind enough to at least give me a hug? What's her problem? Can't she be nice for once? Like seriously...this date from the time she tripped totally isn't working out.
"It's..." I mumbled.
"Please don't say you didn't plan!" Annabeth said a little irritated.
"A surprise," I said.
"It better be good," she mumbled.
Oh please, I said. Stop complaining. After this romantic walk, we're going out for dinner. I reserved a fancy restaurant where there is delicious food and we don't have to wait because I already made the orders. And after that, I reserved a boat which I will row, and just like a romantic kiss with the glittering night sky and the perfect spark of love, I will kiss you. Then, with the navigation system in my brain that I plotted, we're going to row towards the forest, where our love will spark once you see the tree house on that same tree we met. And then, we're going to have that romantic kiss and I take off my ring and we kiss. Then, I row back and we make sure Thalia and Nico did a great job baby-sitting. Then, we cuddle and sleep. Good doing, huh? So just stop complaining okay?
Annabeth squeezed my hand tightly. "Look...at home...I have something that I've always wanted to give you."
I was silent.
"It's just...something that...you'd probably love."
I smiled.
"Happy Anniversary Seaweed Brain," she said.
"You too," I said, and wrapped my arms around her shoulders closer, making her basically hug me. As I walked, she finally pulled away, and kissed my cheeks.
"Thanks," she said. I smiled and soon we finished the evening walk of our anniversary.
The sun was setting.
Leading her towards the restaurant, we finally entered the door. Opening the door for her, she smiled and soon we walked in.
"We made a reservation at seven," I said to the man that seemed to be on the table.
"It's 6:12, and your reservation is canceled," the man said, his eyes tired.
"Excuse me? I made a reservation!" I basically was about to shout. Annabeth held my hand, squeezing it tightly, trying to calm me down.
"Well, our policy is like this. If you don't arrive ten minutes after the reservation time, we cancel it. We can't just wait for you!"
"This is my wife's anniversary!" I basically boomed.
"Sorry mister," he said. "You just got to wait."
"Actually," I said, staring at the long line. "Give me my money back."
"Mister, let me explain-,"
"Don't call me 'mister'. That's not my name," I spat.
"Well-,"
"I would like to refund!" I said, and soon I got all the bills given back to me. I grabbed Annabeth's wrist and we walked out of restaurant, with stares of other people. I didn't care. This anniversary is turning out as the worst! This was supposed to be romantic! This was supposed to be nice and perfect! And because of that stupid restaurant, and just the fact that I am making Annabeth starved...I just wish I just hid behind a bush or something!
"Percy-,"
"I'm sorry," I said. "I'll buy a meal; but let's do my surprise first."
"Okay," Annabeth nodded, and kissed my cheeks. I wrapped my arms around her, and we walked towards the rental boats area.
...
"NO MORE BOATS? ARE YOU SERIOUS? I reserved a boat! Why isn't there any in stock?" I shouted at the clerk.
"Well...we had to cancel it," he said.
"Why...because of time?" I said full of mock and sarcasm.
"Well, your boat got used and basically is in repair," he said.
"Then you could've replaced another boat!"
"Well, you wanted that boat so..."
"Mail back my money-,"
"Percy," Annabeth whispered in my ear, squeezing my hand. "It's fine. Let's go."
I huffed as we left the rental boats area. I was angry. Why isn't anything turning out right? What kind of restaurant says that a reservation is canceled at 10 minutes? What kind of boating rental shop be that ignorant to think that I want a specific boat? It got on my nerves so much. I could hear Annabeth's stomach grumble, and that moment I felt so guilty.
"Annabeth...I'm really sorry. I know you hate me for making everything wrong. I just...I just wanted this anniversary to be happy, and after all this hard work and..." I felt like crying. Annabeth only stared at my eyes.
"I know you're hungry. I know you wanted that romantic boat ride," I whimpered.
"Percy-,"
"But it all crumpled! It's all my fault. I'm a horrible husband. I should've made back up plans. I should've been more loving and showed more feelings."
Annabeth stared at me, and I looked away.
"Stop staring," I said. "It's really making me feel bad."
"Percy," Annabeth said. "I really don't mind."
"No, you do mind."
"We can eat a hamburger across the street-,"
"NO!" I shouted, and tears really fell. "I screwed this whole anniversary! Did you know how hard it was for me to plan this all? I was going to-,"
"I don't care," she said. "I really don't care what you think. Because I think this anniversary was the best."
"Excuse me?"
"Look," Annabeth said. "The fact that you were trying already makes my day. Okay...I will admit I was mad at you a little while because I was embarrassed that when I made the first move, you didn't respond."
"Wait...what?" I said, confused.
"But things are resolving. We work as a team."
"No no no," I said. I seriously didn't care about anything. The only thing I really care right now is how I made her mad. "How did I embarrass you?"
"Dang it...should've never told," Annabeth mumbled.
"Tell me," I said. "What have I done wrong?"
Annabeth POV:
I am stupid! SO STUPID! Annabeth Chase, how stupid can you be? I stared at Percy who didn't even walk; he was just staring at me, waiting for an answer.
"You...didn't change Percy Jr.'s diaper!" I lied, and his face softened.
"Annabeth...usually, you lie so well but this time you aren't. What's wrong?" he asked, and I shook my head.
"I'M SERIOUS!" I shouted, and his eyes widened quickly. "Don't think it in the wrong way...should we just go home for today?"
Percy's eyes darkened. "If you want..."
"I don't really care," I said. "I am fine either way."
"Let's just go home," he said.
"No," I declined, and he stared at me.
Stupid me! He answered my question; why I am being so stupid?
"So...what I was meaning..." I said, making a complete fool out of myself. "I was just wondering...if we...can eat at the hamburger shop...maybe get a to-go...before we go home..."
Percy's eyes brightened. "I'd love that very much."
Hand in hand, we walked together towards the hamburger shop. Once we went inside, we went in line, which went very quickly. We ordered our meals as a to-go, and finally we took out package and walked out. Smelling the scent of French-fries, Percy held my hand.
"Before we go," he said. "I wanted to show you some place..."
"Let's go," I said, smiling. He smiled softly, and together we walked.
"So..." I said while walking. "Where are we going?"
"It's kind of...how should I say...a memory..."
"Wait..." I said, panicking a little. "It's not your parents-,"
"Relax," he said. "It isn't. You're still nervous?"
"No," I said. "But remember when we woke up, your parents caught us and we screamed? Remember how embarrassed we were?"
"But now we're husband and wife," Percy said gently. Wow...never seen him be so gentle and calm.
"But...still...what if something embarrassing happens again?" I questioned.
"Well, that's not our destination so calm down," he said, kissing my cheeks. The feeling of his sort of chapped lips felt tingly on my skin, but I didn't mind. Percy's lips were always a little chapped.
"We're going into the forest," I said, smiling. "What, are you going to set up an underwater kiss?"
"Well..." he said. "Good idea, but not exactly."
"Then where?" I whined, and Percy smiled.
"You remind me of Lucy when you whine," he said. "And no. I told you. It's a surprise."
"Right," I said, and together we walked. It felt a little spooky in a way when we walked together alone in the forest. I just kind of felt a little insecure. I cuddled close to Percy, leaning closer. He accepted by hugging me. We walked, and the cold breeze swept against my body. I loved that feeling. The damp air totally made the place seem wonderful.
Everything seemed wonderful till we saw two eyes.
"Oh no," I whispered.
"Lupa?" Percy said.
"The wolf..." I said.
"No no no...easy Lupa, easy..." Percy said, but Lupa came closer as we backed away.
"Percy...RUN!" I said, but he wouldn't budge. He just backed away slowly as the wolf came closer.
"Easy Lupa...easy," he said, and finally the wolf pounced. Percy pushed me off the side with the hamburgers and fought the wolf. I cried as I heard Percy's shrill scream of pure pain. Tears welled up my eyes immediately. Right now, I am being the outlier of seeing Percy's death.
"GO AWAY!" I shouted, and Lupa stopped. Lupa walked closer towards me. Oops. That was a mistake. As I backed away, and idea lit up from me.
"Who's a good girl?" I said, and Lupa ignored.
"Want a treat?" I asked, my voice trembling. "Here you go!" I said, and threw our ordered hamburgers far out. Lupa ran towards the hamburgers and disappeared. I quickly saw Percy who was spewing out blood in his mouth.
"Percy," I said, beginning to cry. Percy just grasped on my blouse sleeve, which soon got damp from the mixture of sweat and blood. I screeched, and I hunched Percy over my back.
"Please live," I said as Percy coughed out more blood. It was a very intense fight. And he did that to protect me.
"Percy," I said, crying.
"T...T...Treehouse..." he said. My eyes glittered and my heart knew the direction of where the treehouse was. I used all my energy to just walk towards the treehouse. I can feel blood get soaked on my shirt, and I just cried. Now how do I bring him up?
Then, I saw that basket. That huge basket.
I placed Percy on that basket, and went up the ladder. Percy was smart. I saw the rope, and using all my strength I hauled him up on the window, where I dragged him in. It was dark, and the moonlight was the only light source in the room.
"Live," I cried as Percy's hands came towards mine.
"Sorry for a horrible anniversary," Percy said.
"Shut up Seaweed Brain," I cried and my hands trembled as I touched his face. Trying to focus so I can heal him, he only grasped my hand which was stained with blood.
"Where are you bleeding?" I said.
"Back...ankle...shoulder...lip..."
I started from his back, knowing that he was mostly injured there. I slipped off his shirt, and he winced when I rolled him over. He was breathing heavily, and when I touched his face, I felt tears.
"This is going to hurt," I said. "Just...think of Lucy and Percy Jr., okay? Don't think about the pain, okay?"
Percy replied with a groan.
"Here I go," I said, but Percy's hands stopped me.
"I really don't want to-,"
"YOU WANT TO DIE?" I basically shrieked at him. He quickly shut his mouth as I closed my eyes, though the tears kept falling. I quickly wiped them away, and thought how Percy's life was at risk. Stupid Lupa-
I have to do this.
I closed my eyes, concentrating on the wound. Touching the top of the wound, I closed my eyes. Feeling the magic begin, I only thought of healing him. My hands felt like someone was pricking them. There. That's how it felt. You might had thought that healing him felt amazing, but it felt like someone was pinching and pricking them. You know when you accidentally prick yourself from a needle when you sew? Yeah, I had to bear through that. But at the same time, my mind seemed to clear and was only focused on the pain and his life. Confidence struck towards me, and that pure feeling that I can't explain because I just felt so refreshed flooded past me. I can hear Percy scream, and my mind was about to focus on Percy. But I had to think more on the wound.
"Just...stay patient," I whispered, and sadly those were the only words I could ever say to him for now. As the fingertips of my hands traveled down to his back, I heard a huge scream. Feeling the blood, I felt like screaming and backing away. I don't know why...maybe it was because that day, when Dad died, blood was stained on my hands when I ran my fingers through his cheek. I guess that feeling was horrible. As I opened my eyes trying to focus on the wound, I can see his back glowing from my touch. He was crying, wincing, and biting his lip from screaming. He rolled his hands into a fist, and I just kept concentrating. This job required full concentration. As I finally sealed the wound into soft skin, the pain on my fingertips faded. Percy couldn't flex them though like he would because he had more wounds such as the shoulder. I flipped him so his back was on the ground, and his eyes were red when they saw me in the moonlight.
"I wish I can take off my ring..." he said. "It would make the pain decrease a little. But the veins..."
"It's your choice," I said.
"You're going to shriek when you see veins pop out of my back. Don't even look. I just wished..."
"It's your choice," I repeated. "Do what's best for you."
"You won't judge-,"
"I won't," I said, and Percy slipped off his ring. Veins popped out as Percy's form changed. He was a full demon; his eyes glowing, veins popping out, sharpened claws, and messy hair. I hugged him, and he winced from how I accidentally hugged him which involved the shoulders.
"I'm so sorry-,"
"It's okay," he said, but I knew he wasn't okay. He was fine with me, but I made his pain on his shoulder worse. Seriously Annabeth? Did you seriously have to hug him at that time? Why couldn't you be more...how should I say...aware?
"Let's get going. You ready?"
Percy nodded, and I touched his wound on his shoulder. Though it was only two inches, I could sense that the wolf deeply cut into his shoulder. Again, I felt the prickle of my fingertips heal Percy as he groaned and yelled out in pain. After a few minutes of torture, it healed. That was...very deep. No joke. The way it lasted for a few minutes in only a two inch bite meant that was really severe.
Percy flexed his shoulders.
"Good as new," he smiled.
"Any lights..."
"Of course," he said, and closed his eyes. Instantly, a water droplet formed, but it was glowing yellow. It wasn't green light...but it was beautiful. I had to admit that.
Then, it became brighter.
And brighter.
And brighter until finally Percy made it float above us, and instantly memories flooded through my brain. The moment I was invited eating chicken with Percy...I remembered the fact that the lights were so beautiful, not too dim...nor to bright. I smiled, and Percy soon fell down.
"Sorry about everything," he said, while I gently placed his foot on my lap so I can work on his ankle.
"Shut up Seaweed Brain," I muttered.
"But-,"
'You saved my life. I'm sorry I acted really stupid. I should've thought ahead before leaving you."
"Annabeth GAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed because I touched his wound, closing my eyes.
"It's alright," I said softly. "Everything will be-,"
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" he said, and after a few seconds, everything ended.
He finally stretched and stared at me.
"Everything is fine-,"
"Once we go home, you're on full inspection for health," I warned.
"Oh no," he grinned, knowing how much he loved the way I'd make soup but he hated the fact of herbs.
"No soup," I said.
"WHAT?"
"And more herbs," I said.
"NOOOOOOO!"
"Just joking. But you have to swallow the herb tea!" I said, and he smiled.
"Okay," he mumbled, smiling. I hugged him, and I can hear his heart beating.
"I all forgot...anything else? I think I was missing something..."
"Ow," he said. "My lips hurt."
"Right," I said.
"You know Annabeth," he said. "I wanted to experiment."
"Yes," I said.
"I was just wondering what if you kissed me and a magical happening would work?"
"Please Percy," I said. "That's only in fairy tales."
"But what if that happens? Look, maybe it could be like this. If you win the bet, then when I feel better, I have to help you on scrapbooking." Percy mumbled.
"YAY!" I said, kissing his cheeks.
"BUT!" he said. "If I win, you have to kiss me long every single hour just for one day!"
"What?" I said, and he laughed.
"Oh come on, I know you love kisses," he said, and I blushed.
"Shut up," I muttered, and he laughed.
"Anyways, ready?"
"Ready," I said, and I was about to lean till Percy stopped me.
"Just a minute," he said, and slid on his ring. "Forgot that."
"Percy, it's alright. I kissed you plenty of times in monster form. You can't just-,"
"This is our anniversary Annabeth. I at least want to look good when we kiss," he said.
I laughed, and then he cupped my cheeks and leaned in for a kiss. When he did, we both felt our upper and lower lip pinch. We tried to break away but it seemed attached. We decided to not let that happen, and so we kissed. Then, this force pulled us apart as I got knocked over, my back slamming against the ground.
"Ow," I said.
"Wise Girl, you alright?" he said, and helped me up. I nodded, and I gasped when I stared at his lips.
"Did you win the bet?" Percy's worried expression said. He seemed to really want to win.
I shook my head.
Percy POV:
YES! I WON THE DEAL! NOW I CAN KISS HER LONG FOR AT LEAST ONE DAY! THIS IS RARE! GOSH...I SHOULD REALLY LOOK AT THE MIRROR OR SOMETHING. YAY!
"YAY!" I shouted, and slammed my mouth onto hers. She giggled and smiled when I kissed her, and finally when I pulled away, she smiled.
"That happy?"
"Well...we both won, right? I get kisses, and you don't need to be shy anymore."
"Excuse me-,"
"You always are," I said. "And..."
"Yes..."
"Happy anniversary Annabeth."
"Right," she said. "I forgot to tell you our gift."
"What is it?"
"It's this," I said, and I rummaged through my pockets. It was a mirror.
"I like this," I said, though it wasn't what I really expected truthfully.
"Silly, it has meaning," I said. "Because you might think this as a boring mirror, but you look at your reflection when you look at yourself ugly. But here," Annabeth said, snatching the mirror away from my hands and flipping it. "Has our wedding picture. The kiss. This means that when you look at yourself ugly, I'm there. Of course I'll be by your side if you cry by blaming or hating yourself for being a demon. But before you ever come towards me, just look at this mirror, and think yourself handsome. If you look at yourself ugly, stare at the picture. How happy we are. And how I don't care, nor the world. How everybody accepts you, including me. And so will Lucy and Percy Jr. Okay?"
I nodded, and hugged her. She hugged me back, and finally when we pulled away, I held the back of her head and kissed her. I felt a smile on her lips, and so was I. It was pretty much mutual.
"This is a really sweet gift..." I whispered when we pulled away...sort of...
"You first thought it boring," she said, and I laughed.
"Sorry! I didn't get to know the meaning, nor see the back!" I objected.
"This is the best anniversary in the world," Annabeth said, and I nodded.
"We're going to live a happy life, right?" I said, hugging her, and she replied.
"Of course."
"And you're going to be by my side always, right?"
"Always."
This is the end! Please review on the epilogue; hope you liked it! I know it got a little dramatic but I realized that the dramatic parts are also part of love, so I added cute and dramatic scenes in one chapter. I know this was a long chapter (totally aware of that), but I hope you liked it! I worked super hard on it; and without you guys...gosh, I feel like crying...without you guys, this story could've never been made. Thank you so much readers. You guys really made my day, and by the help of my sister who helped me create this plot, as well as discussed scenes and will help me write the next story, I really hope I impress you. Please review...gosh, I am crying! Really! Anyways, please review, GO CHECK OUT THE AUTHOR'S NOTE...and I'll see you at the next story! Oh, go check out my profile for the release date of my new story! Anyways, bye! And please review! And LOOK AT THE AUTHOR'S NOTE! THANK YOU AND PLEASE REVIEW!