No more keepin' score now
I just keep you warm (keep you warm)
No more tug of war
Now I just know there's more (know there's more)
No more keepin' score now
I just keep you warm (keep you warm)
And my waves meet your shore
And for the second night in a row, Percy awoke to a knock at his cabin door.
The gentle sway of Argo II (and a full day of fighting Romans in Charleston) meant Percy was out the moment his head hit the pillow, but years of being night watch on quests had made him a light sleeper.
In the darkness, he saw the silhouette of his girlfriend slip into the berth. It was actually more jarring to watch Annabeth sneak into his bed. Last summer — after they'd first gotten together — Percy had grown accustomed to Cabin 3's door opening with a phantom and Annabeth appearing already curled up in his bunk, tossing her Yankee cap onto his nightstand.
"Getting caught this morning wasn't enough for you?" Percy mumbled as Annabeth peeled back his covers and clambered onto the twin mattress.
His arms immediately slotted around her wait as she tucked the blanket back around them. "Obviously not."
Percy sighed, burying his face in her curls. The scent of lemon, cotton and sunshine and the sound of waves crashing against the hull of the Argo II threatening to pull him back to sleep.
"Percy?" A whisper in the dark.
"Hmm."
Annabeth shifted, rolling onto her other side so they were face-to-face.
Percy's eyes cracked open, "What is it?" He brushed a strand out of her face. "Do you want to talk about today?" Scenes of Octavian and Aphrodite and skeleton warriors flashed in his mind.
She pursed her lips, "No, no, nothing. It's nothing. Go back to sleep."
Percy, with sleep still clouding his mind, squeezed her tighter, "Goodnight."
Annabeth tucked her head into the crook of his neck. He felt their breathing sync. After a moment, he felt her shoulders shaking.
"'Annabeth? Are you– are you crying?" Percy tried to sit up, but Annabeth gripped the front of his shirt.
"No, no, I'm sorry," she sniffled, face buried in his chest, her voice muffled. "It's nothing, it's stupid."
"Hey," Percy propped himself up on his elbow, gently prying her hands from her face, "what is it?" He could count on one hand how many times he'd seen Annabeth cry.
"You saved me today," Annabeth said after a moment, not meeting his eyes. Her voice sounded so incredibly small for the Annabeth he knew.
"You saved me a million times today."
"No, it's—" she huffed, rolling onto her back. "You were there exactly when I needed you. You always are."
Percy thought back to the panic he felt when he saw her knife in the river and how he waterboarded Octavian on the dock.
"When I was taken, back that winter we met Nico, I wasn't even scared. Because I knew you'd come find me. We were only thirteen, but I knew." She reached over and tugged his gray streak of hair — gained when he held the sky for her.
"I feel like I failed you."
"But you found me. We're here together now."
"It took me six months, six months." Annabeth turned back over, burying face in his chest once more.
"Annabeth…" Percy faltered. How could he put into words the gods and forces and literal creators of the world that were at work to keep them apart.
She tilted her head up, meeting his eyes."I need you to know that I didn't stop looking for a second. I didn't forget you for one second. Even when I was helping Jason, Piper, and Leo, it was to find you."
Percy's heart swelled. It felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest with how much he loved her. How much he'd missed her. "I know, gods 'beth, I know that." He cupped her cheek, "Even when I didn't even know my own name, I still knew you loved me."
When they'd first reunited back in New Rome — when she'd had a million questions about his memory loss (and a million more death threats for Hera) — he'd tried to explain how he remembered her. But he'd yet to find the words to explain how it was her face, her existence that kept him going when he was at his darkest moments of not knowing himself.
"Even if it took you years to get to me, I still wouldn't doubt you."
"Hera's lucky it didn't take me years, or else I would've—"
Percy covered her mouth, "Don't bring them into this. Not tonight." He chuckled, his arms circled around her again. The moment was light again, but their words of love, their promises still hung in the air., "Let's just sleep."
Annabeth sighed, her legs entangling with his, "I probably should go back to my room or Hedge will have my head."
Percy rested his chin on top of her head, "You probably should."
Neither of them moved. He'd hold the sky to take the weight from her again and again.
A/N: i could not stop thinking about these two while trying to go to sleep, so I kept them up to~ been awhile since I've read MoA so the plot references are probably not correct & after re-reading the stable chapter, Percy is OOC lol (I will update the wedding date soon!)