Chapter 2: The Lake

Annabeth POV

For most demigods, it was common to have bad dreams; but it was almost unheard of to have good dreams.

The vision was hazy, but she could make out two silhouettes: herself and Percy. They were at the camp lake, sitting down on the grass with their palms pressed into the ground. The water was shimmering in the sunlight before them. She could smell the forest around her, and hear herself laughing at one of Percy's jokes.

I felt a warm feeling pulse throughout my body. I wanted that dream to be real. I wanted it to be my future.

My emotions swelled, and the dream collapsed. I immediately woke up, but instead of feeling stressed or tired, I felt… good. It was rare for demigods to get a good night's sleep.

I got dressed and headed out to the tables for breakfast, hoping to get a chance to sit with Percy. I didn't know what I was going to do when I saw him. There was no clever way around the truth. What would I tell him? How would he react? Would he even feel the same way?

I anxiously looked around but couldn't seem to find him. It was unlike him to miss breakfast. After all, scrambled eggs were his favorite. Although, she didn't approve of the fact that he occasionally liked to put syrup on them.

Percy POV

I was trying to sleep, but I couldn't stop thinking about Annabeth. After our quest to find the Golden Fleece, I realized that I liked her. In the end I decided to forget about it. She had too much on her plate to have to worry about someone like me.

Yet, I couldn't bring myself to stop thinking about her. I tried, but I honestly couldn't imagine my life without Annabeth in it..

That night I slept like a rock. As I drifted to sleep, I dreamt of Annabeth. We were sitting by the water, talking and generally having a good time. I could always be myself around her. I felt my muscles relax, and smiled a genuine smile. I looked up at Annabeth's face, distorted in dream form. As more and more feelings rose in my chest, I closed my eyes in the dream, and woke up, feeling the best I had in ages.

Instead of grabbing breakfast like I usually did, I decided to take a walk down to the lake. Being by the water always helped me calm down. Besides, It would help take my mind off of Annabeth.

The lake was beautiful in the morning sun. Orange light caressed the water, and colored the sky with a pink glow. The water naiads surfaced, giggling and pointing at him as he looked out across the water. He was pretty much used to them by now.

I decided there was no harm in a quick swim; after all, I could keep myself dry whenever I wanted.

I waded into the lake, and dived down. I always loved how everything sounded underwater. It was peaceful. No cars, no planes; just silence, and the water around you. I saw a school of fish swim by. I tried to see if I could understand them, but all they were saying was, "Swim. Eat. Swim. Eat. Shark?" on repeat, like a broken robot.

I stopped in my tracks for a moment and closed my eyes. I focused on the water around me. Suddenly, my ears popped, and new sounds came rushing through my ears. The wind, the rustling of the trees, and even the fish as they swam past me. I didn't fully understand it, but all I knew was that I could hear things happen through the water, as if I was still on land. It was a new trick I'd picked up after Luke hadfirst betrayed me. Since then, I made sure I was always on my toes when I was alone.

I suddenly heard the sound of faint footsteps coming from the edge of the riverbed. I surfaced, wary of a potential monster attack. I looked behind me, and I was surprised to see Annabeth standing there, watching me swim.

Annabeth POV

I kept looking for Percy, trying to think of where he might be. He wasn't at his Cabin, so I decided my best bet would be the lake. The lake ran throughout most of the camp, but there was a small secluded pool in the forest that almost nobody knew about, not even Chiron. It was also technically within the camp's borders, so they were still safe from monsters. Percy and I often took walks down there together when they wanted to be alone and talk.

Her hypothesis was proven correct when she saw someone poke their head out of the water, and they were still dry. She couldn't help but look at him; years of training had hardened his physical body. His skin glistened in the water, which darkened his already black hair. Focus Annabeth, she told herself.

Percy turned around and saw me. He waved at me and yelled, "Hey! Wanna go for a Swim?"

I quickly averted my eyes to the floor, pretending not to hear him. I gritted my teeth. I was annoyed at myself. Why am I acting like this? I've faced bloodthirsty monsters, immortal titans, and all powerful gods. Feelings shouldn't be a problem!

I took a deep breath, then looked back up at Percy. I felt exposed. They often swam together, especially after a long day at camp. It gave them a chance to talk about things without having to worry about any campers eavesdropping on them. He'd helped her through a lot of her problems like that. Maybe going for a swim would help her get over herself. Besides, it's not like I have anything better to do, she thought.

"Sure, why not?" I put more confidence into my voice. "I'll be right back. Let me grab my swimsuit."

Percy POV

I smiled when I saw her. We would usually come out to swim and talk about random life stuff, like my family, her family, whether we would try to go home for the year, camp gossip (which was usually just a result of the Aphrodite kids' shenanigans). You know, stuff like that.

I had already forgotten about how I felt earlier, so I called out to her and asked if she wanted to come join me.

She paused for a moment before finally accepting the offer, and ran off to get changed. Before I could tell her that I could just keep her dry, she was already out of earshot. She was definitely acting strange. Then again, I couldn't blame her after what had happened.

While I waited, I laid down on my back, letting the water lift me up. I was about to launch myself into the air when I saw Annabeth out of the corner of my eye.

She was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, made out of water-proof fabric. She had also put her hair in a bun, which made her look taller than she already was. He had forgotten how much time had gone by since they first met. Four long years. They'd grown so much since then. They were both 15 now, with Annabeth's 16th birthday coming up in a couple months.

"Looking good, Annabeth. Although, I could've just kept you dry, y'know. One of the perks of being me."

She smirked. "Last time I let you do that, you lost your concentration, and I had to walk back to camp soaking wet," She gestured to her entire body, "so no, I'm not exactly interested in getting hypothermia today, thank you very much."

"Oh, I didn't lose concentration," I retorted, with a sly smile.

Annabeth opened her mouth in shock, then smiled in defeat. "You're such a seaweed brain, you know that?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? What are you gonna do about it?"

It was a childish thing to say, but regardless, a serious look appeared on her face. I immediately knew I had made a mistake.

She exclaimed, "This!"

Annabeth POV

I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. For some reason I just wanted Percy's attention, even if it meant making a complete fool of myself. It was like I had turned into a completely different person.

I got a running start, and jumped off the side of the riverbank. I landed in the water with a massive ker-chunk! shocking Percy into losing his concentration. It was much colder than I had anticipated, but then again, I hadn't really been thinking to begin with. I swam to the surface and ended up right next to Percy, who was completely drenched.

His confusion quickly turned to laughter. Percy willed himself dry, and hit me back with a wall of water, making a shoving motion with his hands. I closed my eyes in anticipation, shielding my face with my arms as the water slammed into me. I felt like a child playing in the ocean again. It was one of the only places where my dad actually looked happy when he was watching me play.

"Looks like somebody's feeling a little better." Percy smiled at me. He then paused for a moment, and looked around. He took a deep breath, and shook his head lightly.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, scrunching my eyebrows.

"No, nothing's wrong. It's just that everything is so… calm." Percy said, a hint of nostalgia in his voice. "It feels weird. Usually, I'm trying not to get my hair singed off by the lava wall right about now."

He was right. Even now, I still felt tense. They were both so used to their adrenaline filled quests that it was almost impossible for them to relax. On top of it, they were now old enough that Chiron wasn't always there to hover over them. They could do what they wanted, when they wanted. It was freeing, but also terrifying at the same time.

"Yeah, I noticed that too," I replied, "I don't think I saw a single camper at breakfast today. They're all out living their own lives. Lucky them."

Percy's eyes looked down. She knew what was bothering him. They didn't talk about it often, but sometimes it couldn't be helped.

"Ever since I heard that prophecy, I can't stop thinking about what it means, or what might happen to me, or… well, my friends. Grover, You. The camp." He glanced up at me when he mentioned my name, but quickly looked back towards the ground. I wonder…

"If I fail," he continued, "I let everyone down. But I don't even know what or who I'm supposed to be fighting. Everyone just gets to go off and live their lives, while I'm stuck here training all year-round. I hardly even get to see my own mother anymore." There was a hint of anger in his voice now, but I couldn't blame him. The life of a demigod was cruel, especially for someone as powerful as him.

Once again, I didn't know what to do. This was not a feeling I wanted to get used to. I drifted over to him, and gave him a hug. We would work this out, just like everything else.

"We'll work it out, I promise." I put my head on his shoulder and let his body weight hold me. My heart started to race. I'm here for you.

Percy POV

I hated being a demigod. Sometimes I wished I could just live a normal life with a normal job, even if it was something boring like bricklaying or something. If it meant I could see my mom everyday, anything would be worth it.

Then again, if I wasn't a demigod I never would've known who my dad was, and I never would've been able to save my mom from that jerkface Gabe. Then I realized I never would've met Grover, or… Annabeth. She was the best thing (besides my mom) that had ever happened to me. I thought to myself, Was it really worth keeping all my feelings bottled up? I might not even survive next year to tell her. What do I have to lose?

A friend, I thought to myself. I felt her head on my shoulder, and I raised my hands up in an attempt to avoid touching her by accident. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a new realization hit me in the face, like a wall of water. What if she likes me too? My heart started to pound. I'd never stopped to think about whether or not she might feel the same way.

"Annabeth, I… I need to tell you something."

She broke away from him, and put her hands on his shoulders. "What is it?" she asked tentatively.

"I've been wanting to tell you for a while, but… I didn't know how to say it." I was having trouble speaking. My breathing turned shallow and my palms started to sweat. I've never been this nervous before, I thought, not even before a battle.

"When... it comes to people like us, there's no telling whether or not we're gonna survive another day. We… we have to live every minute of life-our life, to the fullest. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is-"

Annabeth drifted closer, and shushed me. "Percy, I think I know. And… I feel the same way."

I stared at her for a moment, scrunching my face. It took me a moment to process what I had just heard. She knew I liked her? Had she known the whole time? So many thoughts were swirling in my head, I could hardly begin to speak. I probably looked like an idiot, floating in the water, a blank look on my face.

"How- When-"

Annabeth giggled. "You're so oblivious, you know that? Adorable, but oblivious."

My whole world imploded in on itself. This whole time, she'd known I liked her, but did nothing about it. Maybe she was just afraid, I thought. After all, so was I. I didn't want to lose her. My chest rose when I realized... that must mean that she also didn't want to lose me.

"So… you knew? The whole time?" My voice was hoarse with embarrassment.

Annabeth just smiled, like she knew this day was coming. "Well… to be honest, I didn't," She admitted, "but after seeing you last night, I knew something had changed. I felt… a different connection between us. Even an Ares kid could've seen it."

Annabeth POV

For the first time in my life, I had absolutely no idea what I was talking about.

The tension in the air, our bodies pressed up against each other in the lake; I was waiting for Percy to say something. Percy started to speak, and I knew what was about to happen. I let my emotions take the wheel. I put my finger on his lips, shushing him. This is it, she thought, There's no going back now.

I brushed his hair away from his forehead with my hand.

"Percy, I know how you feel. And… I feel the same way."

My heart was racing. I prayed I had assumed correctly, and that I hadn't just made the biggest mistake of my life. I remembered our time together; how he'd saved her from the Sirens, how he held the sky up for me on Mount Othrys, and how I was able to confide my most personal problems in him. She guffawed. Of course this would happen at the lake. It was the same one where they had practically built their relationship. Last year, they had come here to talk after their quest for the Golden Fleece. They eventually started talking about their family, which was a touchy subject for her. He got her to break down her walls, and open up about her relationship with her dad. He was the one who inspired her to rekindle their relationship. Everyone deserves another chance, he told me, except Gabe. He can go bathe in the river Styx for all I care.

She wanted to laugh and cry at the memory. It wasn't just that he was kind and strong; He was loyal, and always knew when she needed him, even if all he had to do was listen to her vent. He cared, she trusted him; and that was more than anyone else in her life.

I could see the gears shift in Percy's head. I covered my mouth, trying to suppress a laugh. He's such a seaweed brain, I thought.

While he was still dazed, I tried to find a reason to regret my impulsiveness, but I couldn't. It just felt right. The weight on my shoulders suddenly lessened. I realized that I had liked Percy for a long time; much longer than just today. Or maybe I had always liked him, and just never realized it until now. Regardless, it had weighed on me.

I looked at him, his face still baffled. He was so cute when he was confused. Yet, a question lingered in the back of my mind. What happens next? She quickly found the answer to that question, but pushed the thought out of her mind. It wasn't time for that yet, she told herself.

"So, what happens now?" She asked softly, gazing into his sea-green eyes. She chuckled. Her mother would definitely not approve. But she didn't care.

"I-I don't know," Percy stammered, still trying to come to terms with what just happened, "I-I didn't know you…"

I giggled. He just couldn't get over himself. I felt girly. Was this what it was like being an Aphrodite kid?

"Well, I for one would like to not be wet. So maybe… you wanna grab some lunch with me?"

It took a moment, but Percy snapped back to reality.

"Yes!" he said, a little too quick, "I… I'd love that."

I decided I wasn't done with him yet. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and looked him in the eye. He flinched slightly at my touch.

"Percy, it's ok. You don't have to hide from me anymore." After a few seconds, his body relaxed, and his face softened.

"Annabeth…" He spoke, in an almost whisper-like tone. The confusion on his face was now gone, replaced with a new look of affection.

We observed each other for a moment, and I embraced him again; except this time, he returned the hug; and there was love.