A/N: Here we are, at last. Hope you like it!
Boxes are stacked on every conceivable surface, littering the ground and counters. Annabeth's going through the finishing touches, taping and marking each box with neat handwriting.
The sight of the darkened summer sky is a testament to just how long they've been working, and Percy wants nothing more than his girlfriend in his arms. So the next time she passes by, he does exactly that, pulling her into a hug and burying his face in her hair.
"Percy," she protests lightly, though leaning into him just as much. "I need to finish."
"You can finish later, we're almost done anyway," he mumbles into her hair.
He knows she's tired enough to give in, which just further proves his point that she needs a break.
"It's a bit sad…" she says quietly, turning her head to look at the packed-up apartment. "Like the end of an era."
"Well, more like three years," he replies, laughing when she makes a face at him.
"But, yeah," he adds in a more somber tone, eyes sweeping the room which held so many memories. "Everything ends and it's always sad, but everything begins again too, and that is always happy."
She smiles up at him "Did you just quote Doctor Who to me?"
He shrugs. "Well, around three years ago, I met a girl who told me about an amazing show and she looked so excited that I couldn't say no and it was the best decision of my life."
She smiles warmly and reaches up for a kiss. Their first kiss might have been held in this room, but certainly not their last.
She sighs a little forlornly when they break apart. "So many memories, and the day has come to an end…"
He smiles, grabbing her hand. "We still have tonight."
-.-
Annabeth finds herself being pulled along the stairs with an old blanket in hand. The destination becomes clear five seconds in, when they turn to go up the stairs.
Of all the things that have changed over the years, The Roof™ is not one of them. The vent fans and cracked concrete are the same as they were on the night they had met. Even the brick Percy had brought to prop open the door is still there, and only the dullness of the yellow light shows that time has passed.
The lawn chairs are gone, so old and ratty they hadn't made it through the last winter. So they spread out the old blanket that used to be on the couch and lie close together.
A few stars litter the clear June sky and the summer breeze feels like a hug, but the ocean scent beside her feels like home. It's one of those rare perfect moments and she wishes she could pause time, right here.
Percy points to a star in the sky. "You know what that one is?" he asks.
She shakes her head, growing up in New York meant there were only a handful of stars in the sky at best and half of them were probably planes. So she'd never learned the constellations.
It turns out that neither has Percy, when he grins and tells her it's the "heartbroken queen."
She raises an eyebrow at him. "I might not know all my constellations but I definitely don't recall a 'heartbroken queen' being one of them."
"Oh, trust me, it's a tale as old as time," Percy continues sagely.
"Really? Then please enlighten me," she replies sarcastically, but cuddles in closer because knowing Percy, he'll spin a pretty good yarn. After all, he's officially a published author.
"Well, it starts with a princess who had to wed the prince of a neighboring kingdom to restore the peace…"
"Why is she heartbroken when she ends up with the man she wanted?" she asks breathlessly when he's done with the story.
He shrugs. "It be like that sometimes."
The moment is broken and she swats his arm lightly.
He doesn't even react and just pulls her closer. "Want to hear about that one?" he asks, pointing to another star.
"Sure."
"That's the one about the Lonely Boy, see, he lived in a place where not much ever happened…"
"You know, I think these names are all wrong. They always sound so sad, but they end up happy," she says after he finishes yet another tale.
"That's just life," he replies and she lays her head on his chest.
"Alright then," she says, playing along. "What about that one?" She points to a star directly above them.
"That one," he starts slowly, she can hear his heart thumping, "that one is special.'
"How so?"
"That one is the constellation of the mighty Perseus!"
She laughs and she can feel his heart speed up. "And what's the story of this so-called-mighty Perseus?" she teases.
She can hear the grin in his voice. "The story goes that the great Perseus was born by the ocean on a beautiful summer night. He was blessed with a great mind and good looks and he was as brave and courageous as he was charming."
Rolling her eyes, she makes a face he can't see. "Sounds pretty far-fetched…especially the good-looking part."
She knows he's frowning so she gets up to kiss him lightly on the cheek, turning to face him instead. "Sorry, please continue."
Percy huffs, only slightly consoled, and turns to face her as well. "Well," he starts, "it's said that the great Perseus was undefeated, that all quivered before him."
She shakes her head. "That's unrealistic, there has to be someone who could."
He sits up and she follows his lead. Leaning his head closer to her, he points to the only other star next to "Perseus the Great."
"See that?"
She nods, following his finger. "That," he continues, "is the constellation of the only other person who could ever defeat him."
She's intrigued now. "And who's that?"
Percy stands up quickly, the movement surprising her, and throws his hands up in air dramatically. "The mighty Persues was undefeated, until…" he pauses for dramatic effect, and Annabeth looks at him expectantly.
"Maybe you should stick to writing, acting is not your forte," she teases, sitting up. There's a reason she was the Youtuber in the household.
Percy rolls his eyes and continues on as if she's said nothing. "Until he met a woman who brought him to his knees."
And he drops to his knees right in front of her and takes her hands in his. His face is so close and she can see the curve of the soft smile on his lips in the bright moonlight.
"And her name was Annabeth Chase," he whispers, leaning in even closer to kiss her softly on the lips.
It's almost a feather-like touch but her heart is pounding when he pulls away. He's looking at her with all the love in the world and she's brought back to the first time she met him, right there on the roof.
He continues his story quietly, "She was the most beautiful woman in the world. Even the stars that make her constellation don't do her justice. She was quick both with her mind and tongue and always kept Perseus on his feet. She was, in essence, the most amazing woman in the world."
His words float around her and wrap around her, much like he did. She's frozen in his spell, caught in the sound of his voice and the look in his eyes that told her this was special.
He lets go of her hands and reaches into his pocket. "And Perseus fell in love, so in love that he could not imagine life without her. So he asked her one question, with four little words."
She can't bring herself to move when he reveals a tiny black box.
"Will you marry me?"
The ring sparkles in the moonlight as the band glints off the dull yellow lightbulb that had illuminated the face of her future husband all those years ago. Tears threaten to fall down her face because this moment feels like a story, one she had never dreamed of.
She nods, unable to trust her voice and he slips it onto her finger. The weight feels grounding. Like a tether she didn't know she needed.
She pulls him in for a kiss that says all the words she can't and they break apart with dumb smiles on their faces.
"So what did you think of my story?" he asks with a slight smirk.
She wants to roll her eyes sarcastically, but her heart is too elated to let her do so. Instead, she just grins back. "It was amazing." She intertwines her fingers in his, the ring pressing against their skin. "Still not sure on the charming and good-looking part though."
Percy shakes his head, smile not leaving his face either. "You're unbelievable."
"Don't I have to be? To make the great Perseus fall to his knees?"
She's just teasing him but when he responds his tone is serious. "Oh, you're better than unbelievable. Annabeth, you're the best story I've ever had the fortune of witnessing."
And she kisses him because how else does she respond to that? The ring glints again as she reaches up to tangle her fingers in his hair and she knows it's going to be impossible to hide it from her viewers in her next video. Not that she wants to. Percy is the story she'd scream from this rooftop.
They settle back, content with just cuddling and laying close to each other, watching the night sky. The adrenaline hasn't worn off and she feels warm, content, and complete.
Percy breaks the silence. "You know what else the great Perseus was good at?" His tone says it all, but she responds anyway.
"What?" His shit-eating grin widens.
He leans close to her ear and whispers the rest.
They're the only ones on the roof, but she still can't stop the blush from appearing on her cheeks. She shoves him lightly but she can't deny how her heart has sped up and how her body is already inching closer to him, not wanting any distance.
"You're lucky I'm tired, because if I was fully awake, I would have already shoved you off this roof." It's a very not convincing threat and Percy smirks.
"You wouldn't do that to your fiancé." If the look on his face wasn't enough, her heart rushes at the words.
"Oh yeah?" She needs to hold her own though, so she rolls over, straddling him.
He grins, sitting up to match her and when they're only inches away he brings her in for another kiss which she happily indulges in.
Above them, the sky changes, clouds passing over the constellations of Perseus the Great and Annabeth Chase, but they're too wrapped up in each other to notice. The morning will bring an empty apartment and even emptier roof, but they have now, this moment to enjoy it.
And so on the old rooftop with its cracked concrete and loud vent fans, where a story began washed in the yellow light from the door, a chapter now ends.
But really, if you think about it, under the light of the moon and stars and planes and whatever else you could find in the slightly polluted sky of New York, on this same old rooftop, a new story for the young couple begins.
A/N: (If you want to read the story of the Heartbroken Queen, go to How We Could Have Met 2 and look for the chapter A Rose By Any Other Name. If you want to read the story of the Lonely Boy, go to How We Could Have Met 2 and look for the chapter room for one more troubled soul and if you want to read the original Rooftop Stories, also go to How We Could Have Met 2)
I have so much to say about this story and I'm going to say it all in the next chapter which is just going to be a huge authors note with some behind the scenes for this book.
But since I know most of you won't want to read that, I will just say, from the bottom of my heart, thank you so so so much for sticking with this story. I hope that you all have enjoyed the ride as much as I have and thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts and being here.
Your reviews have changed the way I see this book and it's so special that the first book I wrote got this reception, it was so much more than what I could have ever hoped for so thank you so so so much!
I'll ask you one last time, Please Review! I'd love to hear your thoughts!
See ya in the next adventure! :)