Authors Note: I always love to read about how other characters perceive Percy and Annabeth but its very rare to actually find fics that show this without it coming off a jealousy from Jason or just poor writing. I'm by no means a professional writer but I wanted to give it a go myself on the chance that there are other people out there like me that adore this trope. Please feel free to offer any advice but please be nice, as I said I am not a professional and just doing this for my own enjoyment.
Each fic is inspired by one of my drawings that I've done which you can see on my Deviantart profile - Rosetree13 to give you a sense of what the other characters are seeing.
It had been 3 years since the Seven had defeated Gaia. There had been lingering turmoil following the defeat with monsters and turned demigods alike still reeling from their defeat and hoping to get revenge. It had meant the heroes had not been able to rest for many months, doing all they could to create peace. Eventually, the battles and quests had become less and less until they could finally say the enemy had gone. Of course there were still monsters to fight, the life of a demigod was never truly peaceful, but the looming threat of an ending world was gone.
In this time, the demigods made sure to live their life so they would have no regrets. Percy, having been the one to finally defeat Gaia himself, struggled the most with returning to normal life. Since the age of twelve, all he'd known was prophecies that had dictated what his future would be and now that he was finally free of this, what was he to do with his life? He'd eventually realised that his future had been next to him the whole time and asked Annabeth to be his wife.
They got married practically in secret, a small, intimate ceremony with only their closest family and friends. Poseidon and Athena had placed aside their differences to show up as a sign of their support to the marriage and to the complete surprise of everyone, Hera had also shown to bestow her blessing of a long and healthy matrimony on the couple as the Goddess of Marriage. She would say this was as an apology for her part in Percy's disappearance but in reality, it was a show of respect for their incredible achievements throughout both wars.
They'd enjoyed the past two years of marital bliss, travelling around the world to places they'd never before been able to go and live the life that two normal young adults should have been able to. Now, they were back at Camp Half-Blood as bridesmaid and groomsman for Leo and Calypso's wedding, which was a much larger affair than their own.
The Parthenon at Camp Half Blood could only be described as spectacular. Beautiful marble columns towering 20 foot tall surrounding the vast gilded walls inside. A vision of opulence with 10 foot gold tributes to the Gods standing watchful over the mingling crowd inside. A soft light flowed through the open windows bathing the occupants, adding to the peace and serenity felt by all. There was a collective cheer as the happy couple came up the entrance stairs, their entwined hands held high above them and laughing in joy at the fact they were now married. The cheers lulled as everyone resumed their conversations, drinks flowing and happiness reigning.
Annabeth had taken herself to the side of the room in a quieter corner to observe the crowd while waiting for Percy to come back with their drinks. She wore a long, dusky pink, satin dress that hugged close to her body around her midline and softly flowed outwards to the ground. The lower neckline and thin straps revealed her tan chest and arms, proudly displaying the scars from battles long gone. She'd straightened her hair and had it pulled back into a low bun at the base of her neck, locks on either side of her middle parting falling to frame her face. She held a small bouquet of soft pink roses in her right hand and gold jewellery, including her engagement and wedding rings, perfecting the elegant look. At 21, Annabeth had lost any sense of a baby face and now could only be described as beautiful and regal. Her sharp cheekbones and piercing grey eyes complimented her full lips and glossy, blonde hair. She looked every bit the half God she was and many would immediately assume she was a daughter of Aphrodite if not for her incredible wit and unmatched knowledge.
Unbeknownst to her, all around the room, people were trying to keep themselves from staring. There was an aura about her that was so completely enticing that it was difficult not to. Reyna found herself, not for the first time, admiring not only Annabeth's beauty but thinking back to the impact she'd had on nearly everyone in the room. Her retrieval of the Athena Parthenos changed the tide of the Giant War and gave them the chance to win where they would have otherwise been destroyed. Reyna's respect was difficult to earn yet Annabeth had it unwaveringly.
Piper was in a similar situation but instead, was reflecting on the incredible friendship she'd found with Annabeth. When she'd first met Annabeth that day in the Grand Canyon, her immediate thought was of a cold, bossy and irritable girl yet as she came to learn of Percy's disappearance being the cause of her terrible attitude, she'd felt sympathy for her. She'd started to spend time with Annabeth, most of the time in silence, realising she just needed someone to fill even a portion of the giant hole left in Percy's wake and they'd come to grow close. Annabeth had appreciated the sentiment and slowly started to tell Piper about their adventures while listening to Piper in her worries, subconsciously becoming each other's confidant. Piper came to see a kindness and warmth in Annabeth that only magnified tenfold once she'd been reunited with Percy, reaffirming her belief that Annabeth was her closest friend and feeling forever grateful for their unshakable bond.
Even Leo, on his own wedding day was not immune. As a master engineer, he had the highest respect for designers of all kinds yet Annabeth took this appreciation to a new level with her work as Olympus's Architect. He took another glance around the Parthenon and couldn't help but marvel at Annabeth's vision and the way she'd brought it to life, and at only 16 years old as well! He'd never met anyone else in his life as capable and determined to exceed all of their goals, he knew he wasn't the only one. He could see the positive effect she had on everyone around her, inspiring and encouraging, it was like a drug that gave people the confidence they needed to reach their own ambitions. It was that captivating effect that gave him the courage he needed to finally ask Calypso to be his wife.
Calypso herself had at one time despised Annabeth without having ever known her. As far as she was concerned, all Annabeth had ever done to her was take away another of her chances at love, Percy. She'd always done her best not to get too hopeful when a broken hero had landed on her island in Ogygia yet Percy had ignited something in her that none of the last had. She'd fallen into the twisted trap set for her by the God's and had her heart broken once again when he'd chosen his duty to the war, and her. Calypso had tried to understand but she couldn't help to grow bitter at her loneliness as the years went on so one particularly painful night had cursed Annabeth to the same fate.
It wasn't until years later, after Leo had brought her to the mortal world following Gaia's defeat that she was reminded of the curse she'd placed in an act of anger. Percy and Annabeth had, after months of recovery from the mental trauma, finally felt comfortable in telling everyone about their time in Tartarus. Calypso remembered the haunted looks on their faces and they sat side by side, hands clasped, and the heart wrenching sorrow that radiated off them as they told their story. She'd known before then that Percy had made the right choice in coming back to Annabeth but their resolute integrity to keep each other safe in the most torturous place known to man only reconfirmed this for her.
As Annabeth spoke of the Arai, Calypso knew exactly what was coming. Annabeth described the terrible loneliness that had overcome her, convinced that Percy had left her, and Calypso had cringed just waiting for the moment that Annabeth turned on her, but it had never come. She'd looked up from the table to see grey eyes looking at her with nothing but understanding and empathy. Annabeth had reached across and tentatively captured Calypso's fingers with her own to give them a brief squeeze and offered a small smile. No words were spoken but Calypso knew she was forgiven. She was blown away by the compassion of not only offering her forgiveness but also the subtlety of the action, she'd spared Calypso judgement from the remaining demigods by keeping her name out of the story. They'd shared a deeper understanding of one another after this point, both had gone through heartbreak and anguish and instead of falling, used it as a foundation for a firm friendship.
Despite her imposing frame and mean face, anyone who knew Clarisse knew she had a soft spot for Annabeth. A most unlikely friendship from two undoubtedly stubborn and proud characters. Clarisse watched as Annabeth stood off to the side yet still seemed to command the room with her presence. While Annabeth had clear scars, Clarisse grudgingly admitted, she'd have a lot more if she wasn't such an impressive fighter. There was only one person that could consistently beat Annabeth in a fight and that was Percy, purely based on the fact he was completely unpredictable in his nature which made him an unstoppable force. Even Clarisse, for all of her prowess, was hard pressed to beat Annabeth. Her agility and immensely quick thinking allowed her to analyse her opponent and take them down before they'd even realise what had happened. More than once, Clarisse had needed to force herself back into battle instead of stopping to watch in awe at Annabeth fighting. However quick lethal Annabeth may be, there was one definitive turning point that earnt her Clarisse's respect, holding up the Sky at only 13 years old, The burden of which, a streak of grey hair was still and would forever be present, matched Percy's almost as a symbol of their collective power . A testament of their strength which was something truly admired by the daughter of Ares.
Taking the drinks from the spirit with a smile of thanks, Percy turned and started to make his way back across the hall when halfway there, his legs stopped moving on their own accord and his mouth went bone dry. The group of people who had been blocking his view had shifted to reveal Annabeth, half perched on one of the stands holding a bust of some minor Goddess. Her left hand was lifted to her chest, lightly running her fingers across her collar bone as she looked down to the roses held by her right hip. A streak of golden light, as if coming directly from the heavens, washed over her. She completely took Percy's breath away, an image of ethereal beauty and he'd swear for years to come that he'd never before seen anything so magnificent.
Taking a gulp, he forced himself to start walking again while asking himself how on earth, he of all people, managed to get so lucky that she would want to be with him for the rest of their lives. He thought back to the first time he ever saw her, even then thinking that she looked like a princess, and realised she had now grown to look like a queen. While her beauty was incredible, it was her devotion to good; her kindness; her generosity and her loyalty that made her truly enchanting. He saw it in the way the campers looked to her for guidance even when she'd been away; the way her presence lights up an entire room with her warmth but mostly in the way she made him feel as if he was at home even when they were halfway across the world.
Hazel watched as Percy closed the last bit of distance between himself and Annabeth, placed their drinks down and in one fluid motion, held her face in his hands to bring her forward and kiss her. It was a sweet, intimate kiss and Hazel felt herself blushing at the act yet she couldn't take her eyes away from them. As they pulled away, Hazel knew they couldn't see anything else in the room but each other, staring into one another's eyes and speaking some unspoken language. Their smiles turned to giggles which turned to full blown laughs with Percy shaking his head and Annabeth clutching her belly as if it ached from laughing too much. Their laughing eventually calmed and Annabeth leaned up to place one last kiss on Percy's lips before grabbing his hand and pulling him out towards the dancefloor, grinning over her shoulder at him as he followed, star struck. She doubted she'd ever in her life see two people in love the way Annabeth and Percy were again, so completely and utterly devoted.