Hey howdy hey. I am very much aware that I have Bubble Baths to update still. That's being worked on. BUT I went on a bit of a spree and started reading a bunch of Roman!Percy AU's, but there's not much. They'll be listed at the bottom. Anyway, here's my AU (if you give up half way through this monstrosity, I do not blame you in the slightest). Apologies if anyone's OOC.
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Annabeth's sitting in the pavilion, sketching a building, when Malcolm comes running in.
"Annabeth! It's urgent!"
"What?"
"Jason. He's gone."
Of course, Annabeth was expected to know where Jason was. Which she didn't. So she started organizing search parties and thinking of all the possible locations he could be in. They started in the camp, then searched the woods. Annabeth asked Rachel and the Hecate kids to see if they could track him down. They found nothing. It didn't help that Mr. D left for Olympus not long after, either. Annabeth knew something was up, but she couldn't put her finger on it. And it drove her crazy.
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It's been a few days since Jason's gone missing. Annabeth's been going crazy to find him because goddammit she needs someone to rely on. Jason was all she had. She's so lost in thought she almost doesn't hear the commotion. There's a bunch of people running towards the border, along with the sounds of howling, yelling, and Peleus roaring over near Thalia's Pine.
Annabeth joins the crowd at the top and she sees him. It's a guy around her age wearing a tattered purple shirt with some design on it. His sword is golden and he wields it like it's a part of him. He's busy yelling at a pack of hellhounds, killing one whenever it gets too close. Grover's behind him, playing frantically on his panpipes, sowing confusion among the monsters or causing the grass to grow around their paws. The guy looks behind him and somehow, he meets Annabeth's eyes. She gasps slightly because he is probably the most attractive guy she's ever seen.
His black hair is matted down with sweat, he's got grime all over his face, but it doesn't take away anything. To make matters worse for Annabeth, his eyes are the brightest green she's ever seen. Then he trips and falls.
Annabeth runs to help him but he's back up on his feet, slashing through the pack all on his own as if nothing had happened, somehow freezing each monster in their tracks, then collapsing after all the monsters are gone. Grover runs over to Peleus to calm him down while Annabeth kneels next to the guy.
"What the fuck was that?" Clarisse asks, walking over to Annabeth. Everyone watches with interest. A new demigod fighting off monsters was pretty normal, but nothing about this guy is normal. For one, he's about ten years older than a demigod should be. As for the other glaring abnormality, he has a weapon already. And he could use it.
Even unconscious, his face was slightly angry, like he was fighting in his dreams. A black symbol is on his forearm, looking like it had been burned in, a trident with six black lines. The design on his shirt is visible, a golden laurel wreath and the letters SPQR. His sword lay next to him. Annabeth recognizes it and draws in a short breath. It's Roman gladius, a word, Amnis, engraved on the blade and a trident etched into the pommel.
"I don't know. But we need to get him to the infirmary."
"He's a Roman son of Neptune," Annabeth says later, standing in Chiron's office. "I am one hundred percent sure of that. His sword has a Latin word meaning ocean current and a trident carved in it, he has another freaking trident on his arm." Chiron strokes his beard, clearly deep in thought. "Chiron, what do you know? He might know where Jason is." The centaur shakes his head.
"I doubt our new arrival knows of Jason's whereabouts. I'm sorry, my dear. Go check on him. I'm trusting you to show him around when he wakes."
Annabeth reluctantly returns to the infirmary. Will Solace looks up when she walks in, nodding in greeting. Annabeth watches Will make some notes, check a few things then leaves. Annabeth stares at him sleeping. There's a wet spot on the pillow next to him. Gross.
He wakes up later, looking as confused as Jimmy the mortal pizza guy. Annabeth hears him sitting up in the bed, turns, and makes eye contact. She freezes for a solid five seconds because, by all the gods on Olympus, his eyes are the absolute greenest green she's ever seen. So of course, the first thing she says is, "You drool when you sleep." He blinks in confusion and passes back out when a pegasus flies by.
Rachel makes fun of her later for it.
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Annabeth gets the chance to properly meet the kid, who's name is Perseus (Annabeth finds it ironic that an apparent Roman demigod has a Greek name), but he goes by Percy, according to Grover. Annabeth's leading him around camp, pointing out all the different things to do. She notices that he has a confused look on his face, like he transferred to a rival school in the middle of the year, a place he recognizes but knows he shouldn't be there. She's struck with that familiarity feeling again, but she can't place it.
"What's wrong?" she asks. Percy looks at her, his eyes filled with moderate terror.
"I'm not supposed to be here." He says it with such conviction that Annabeth believes him.
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Percy has been at the camp for almost a week now and he's doing okay. He doesn't remember much, he only remembers his mom. Annabeth had taken him to the Hypnos cabin and Clovis revealed that Percy's memories weren't wiped or buried, but taken. By a god. Annabeth immediately begins trying to figure out which god it was, but she gets the feeling that the answer won't come for awhile.
The other thing Percy remembers is fighting which he does so easily.
They're in the arena and Annabeth is using every bit of skill she has to stay away and out of reach from Percy's attacks. Each blow is methodical and precise, unlike the wild slashing she's used to from Jason or Clarisse. Whoever trained him knew what they were doing and they did it well. Annabeth suspects it's just muscle memory.
He's relishing the fact that he has her beat, even daring to switch sword hands midfight. Unfortunately, it catches her off guard and she doesn't dodge in time. His blade slashes across her shoulder, opening up a bloody gash. Annabeth hisses in pain and drops her knife, instinctively clamping her hand over it to stem the blood flow. Instantly, Percy is at her side, examining the wound. He grabs a water bottle and pours it over the wound. Annabeth bites her lip in pain as the water seeps into her flesh. Percy puts his hand over the wound and concentrates.
As Annabeth watches, the wound closes. Blood flows back into veins, which seal shut. Skin stitches itself back together. It takes maybe thirty seconds for the wound to be gone completely, with no sign that it had been there. She stares at the spot in amazement and confusion and stands back up, taking her knife and sheathing it.
"How'd you do that?" Annabeth asks. Percy ignores the question and picks up his sword, tapping the pommel as he does so. The weapon shrinks into a golden pen and Annabeth's jaw drops.
"I don't know." Percy says, ignoring the look of amazement on Annabeth's face, sadness lacing his words. "I remember nothing. Except for my mom." Suddenly, Annabeth realizes why he's so familiar. He reminds her of Jason.
They both have that same kind of aura around them, one of power but also reluctance and unsureness. Like they both know that they're powerful enough to wipe out an enemy's entire army, but at the cost of them destroying all their comrades and friends. Which Jason nearly did once.
Annabeth puts her hand on Percy's shoulder.
"You'll get your memories back," She says. He meets her gaze, eyes still filled with worry, wondering how this girl he just met could possibly help him. "I promise."
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A friendship takes root in a place it shouldn't. Annabeth finds it ironic how a Roman son of Neptune and a Greek daughter of Athena are somehow friends. Every facet of logic, every single formula, Hades, even the history says that they should be tearing each other apart. And yet Annabeth would trust Percy with her life.
They talk more about his mom and even from the very limited way she's described, Annabeth is sure his mom isn't mortal. She learns that Percy loves chocolate chip cookies that are always blue, apparently. In the span of a thirty minute conversation, this strange boy goes from Perseus, the mysterious Roman son of Neptune, to Percy, just another demigod.
Annabeth reciprocates this trust he puts in her, telling him about Jason, Thalia, and Luke. She tells him about how she ran away from home, finding a new family in Luke and the Graces and how their little family slowly fell apart, from Thalia joining Artemis' Hunt, how Luke betrayed the camp and then died, and finally, how Jason went missing. She even tells him about the Mark and how she's fated to go on a solo quest no child of Athena ever returns from in one piece.
As more time passes, Annabeth notices little things that have rubbed off on both of them. She starts becoming even more precise with her fighting while Percy starts to fight more instinctively. Annabeth starts to subconsciously rub the back of her neck whenever she gets embarrassed and Percy starts fiddling with his hair when he's bored (which is a lot more common than Annabeth thought).
Annabeth tells Percy the story behind all the camp beads. He laughs at the centaur and the prom dress. Even though he doesn't remember what his past is, he promises to tell her everything when he remembers it.
One of the younger campers asks if they're dating once. They both adamantly deny it, though Annabeth can't help but think what it'd be like with Percy.
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They're dueling again and Percy has the upper hand. Again. Annabeth's getting frustrated, so in desperation, she flicks sand up and into Percy's face. He squawks like a bird and stumbles back, allowing Annabeth to tackle him and put her knife at his throat.
"I win."
"Only because you cheated!" He says, trying to get sand out of his eyes.
"She always cheats, newbie. Get used to it." They look to the entrance of the arena to see Clarisse and the Ares cabin walking in. Annabeth helps Percy up and gives him a water bottle, which he splashes in his eyes, then wills the water out with the sand in it.
"Word around camp says you're quite the fighter, Jackson," Clarisse sizes him up. "You don't look like much, so I'm not sure what the fuss is." Percy shrugs.
"I may surprise you," he says nonchalantly. Clarisse narrows her eyes and spins her spear around, the electric blade humming through the air. Without warning she lunges at Percy with a snarl. Percy dodges quickly as Clarisse swings her spear at him again.
Clarisse seemed to have forgotten that Percy was, at his core, a Roman. And Annabeth had read plenty of history books to know what Roman fighting was like. Even so, it was scary to watch. Clarisse was wild and unpredictable, but each blow was heavy hitting and fast. Percy kept the same style as he had with Annabeth, but he was faster. With each attack Clarisse makes, Percy quickly counters and parries until eventually, the daughter of Ares is disarmed and on her back.
Annabeth is surprised. The only other person who could take on Clarisse was Jason and that was mostly because the electric spear didn't affect him.
"This isn't over, punk," Clarisse says angrily. "I'll pulverize you later." Percy smirks.
"Can't wait for it."
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Percy leaves for a quest a few weeks after the arena incident with two new arrivals to rescue Hera (Annabeth would be fine if the goddess stayed captured), leaving behind Annabeth who's worrying a lot more than she should be. He'd been officially claimed by Poseidon (or Neptune, if he's truly a Roman demigod), which meant he had an even bigger target on his back. Annabeth practically forced Piper, one of the new demigods and her new friend, to keep Percy safe.
"Promise me on the River Styx," Annabeth says. Piper slings an arm around her.
"Don't worry, Chase. I'll keep your boyfriend safe."
"He's not my boyfriend." Annabeth grumbles. Piper just laughs.
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While the quest is gone, Annabeth spends more time trying to track down Jason. She asks Nico if he's felt anything, because surely he has to be attuned to that. Nico shakes his head.
"I can't even sense his life force."
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It's dinnertime and Annabeth is sullenly picking through a bowl of macaroni when people gasp. She looks up and sees what the commotion is about.
Leo, Piper, and Percy are standing on the Aphrodite table (Piper's foot is in Drew's pizza and Annabeth has to hold in her laughter).
"Hi," says Leo and Annabeth smiles at him.
Later, the questers and counselors are gathered in the Big House for a war council. Leo and Piper relay much of the quest's events while Percy stays uncharacteristically quiet, interjecting only to tell certain details. Annabeth catches his eye. She gives a thumbs up and raises an eyebrow in question, but Percy shakes his head, giving a thumbs down.
The council ends with three details; the Prophecy of Seven has begun (confirmed by Rachel), Percy is in fact a Roman demigod (he accurately describes the Roman camp and a godsdamned city), and Leo must build a warship to help the Seven on their quest (he excitedly shows a drawing he made when he was five). Will Solace raises the million drachma question.
"Who's gonna go?" he asks.
"Me, Leo, and Percy, obviously," Piper says. "And if this Jason guy is at the Roman camp, he probably has two buddies too."
"If I know Reyna and the legion, they wouldn't risk sending more than necessary," Percy says. The slightest hint of jealousy starts tugging at Annabeth's gut.
"I'll go," Annabeth says. Everyone stares at her. "Jason's my friend. Besides, the quest is gonna need someone responsible." She locks eyes with Percy again. There's no way I'm letting you go without me. He smiles and Annabeth softens.
She visits Percy outside his cabin after the meeting
"Why'd you give the thumbs down?" she asked.
"I got all my memories back."
"Which god took them?"
"Juno."
"Of course she did." Annabeth mutters.
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The shipbuilding begins a few days later and the whole camp is pitching in to help. Half of Cabins Six and Nine, along with a few campers from the Hecate and Aphrodite cabins put their heads together to design a magical warship. The other half of Six and Nine worked with Percy to build a dry dock. The Ares and Nike kids help with "moral" support, the Dionysus and Demeter cabins hand out drinks and snacks, and the rest of the camp are pitching in where needed, from getting materials, to providing manpower.
It's the sixth day of the ship's construction and things are going smoothly, with minimal injuries. The hull is almost complete, along with the bottom-most deck, which houses the engine room and storage areas. Leo's plans had included a pegasus stable, but Percy advised against it, saying wild pegasi are free spirited.
Annabeth and Percy are sitting on the scaffolding around the ship, watching the camp relax before getting back to work.
"I wonder what the gods think of this," Percy says. Annabeth takes a bite out of her sandwich and considers as Percy continues. "Like, are they proud of us? You've met your mom right?"
"Yeah, a few times."
"Has she ever been proud of you?" Percy asks quietly. Annabeth recalls something that Percy had told her after regaining his memories on the quest. He'd told her that the Roman gods rarely visited their children. The only times they did was during times of great importance.
"She was," Annabeth admitted. They were quiet for a moment, letting the sounds of the camp fill the silence between them. Annabeth sensed that Percy didn't have much to say, so she started talking. "After the Titan War, me, Jason, Grover, and Thalia were in the throne room and all the gods were there. It was… intimidating. They gave us our rewards, yadda yadda, lots of pomp and circumstance." Percy snorted softly. Annabeth continued. "Athena pulled me aside and told me how proud she was. That I gave all children of Athena a good name. And that was it. But it made me so happy, y'know, to be noticed like that." Percy was still quiet.
"At Camp Jupiter, they have a hill with shrines and temples for all the major gods and goddesses. Even so, the gods don't show up a lot. Hardly ever, in fact. A god visiting is usually seen as a bad omen, so they usually talk to us in dreams. Anyway, Neptune has a temple there, if you could call it that. It's like a little toolshed with a rusty trident duct taped to the front. The Romans aren't too fond of Neptune. They respect him, sure, but he scares them. Probably because of how he didn't take the side of Troy during the Trojan War. But that fearful respect gets shunted onto me. I didn't have a lot of friends there. Hazel was my friend. So was Reyna, and Bobby, and Larry." Percy looks sidelong at Annabeth. "We're the same." Annabeth tilts her head.
"How are we the same?"
"Respected but feared. We're at the top because we're scary."
"I'm not scary…"
"Oh c'mon, the first time I saw you, I wasn't sure if you were gonna kill me or the hellhounds. It's the eyes. They ruin the blonde. In a good way." Percy says matter-of-factly. "Think about it, Wise Girl." Annabeth raises an eyebrow.
"Wise Girl?" she asks. Percy blinks.
"Uh, yeah? You're smart and you're the daughter of Athena. Wise. Girl."
"Okay, well, uh, you're… a Seaweed Brain!" Percy laughs and stands up.
"What kinda nickname is that?" Annabeth turns red with embarrassment.
"It's the best I could come up with, okay?" Percy continues snickering.
"Okay, okay. Let's get back to work."
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The first time Percy asks about Jason, Annabeth is helping Nyssa design the ballistae for the Argo. Nyssa heads off with the design and Annabeth tracks down Percy. She can't find him anywhere, so she heads to the lake. Sure enough, there's a spot of bright orange, so she takes a seat on the dock and throws four rocks in. Percy immediately resurfaces and Annabeth still can't get over the fact that he's completely dry.
"Who's Jason Grace, exactly?" The question is sudden and it catches Annabeth a little off guard.
"He was the best of us, our leader."
Percy thinks for a moment before asking, "Were you two a thing?" Annabeth was expecting the question, so it's not a surprise.
"No. People shipped us like crazy, gods, you should have seen what the Aphrodite cabin did. Even my mother tried to get us together. But we wouldn't have worked out. He was like my little brother, especially since he's younger than me by a year. But I do care about him, especially since he became a sort of leader being the son of Zeus." Percy nods and the subject is dropped. Then they start talking about waffles and pancakes.
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After six months of sweat, tears, and a little bit of blood, the Argo II is finally complete. The white sails flutter in the wind, the oars are still, and Festus' metal head gleams in the sunlight as the four questers board the ship. Gleeson Hedge is the assigned chaperone of the quest, though Annabeth isn't sure if the satyr will be chaperoning the group or if the group will be chaperoning the satyr.
"Good luck and may the gods be with you," Chiron says. "We will await your return." Annabeth, Leo, and Piper wave goodbye to their siblings. Percy nods to Chiron in farewell. Leo scampers to the helm.
"Let 'er rip!" he yells. His siblings untie the mooring lines and the Argo II lifts into the sky. Annabeth looks over the railing at Camp Half-Blood, painfully aware that she might never see it again, as the ship clears the trees and begins sailing west.
They've been sailing for just over six hours and are starting to pass over the Appalachian Mountains. It's nighttime, but everyone is still awake, except for Hedge. Leo and Piper are at the helm, talking about Disney movies (Annabeth disagrees with both of them, because Pixar is the far superior studio). Their conversation drifts up to where Annabeth and Percy are sitting in the crow's nest.
"Percy?" Annabeth asks. "Are you scared?" In the dim light of the moon, Percy's eyes are the color of tree foliage.
"Of what?"
"Of seeing your friends again." Percy doesn't answer for a moment and stares at the sky. Annabeth watches as the stars move across his eyes.
"A bit," he admits, shifting his gaze to Annabeth. "I have changed, I will admit that. But it's pointless to worry. Romans don't worry. We don't get our prophecies days before they happen." A lopsided grin splits his face and something melts inside Annabeth a bit. She scoots closer to him and rests her head on his shoulder.
"I'm scared. A lot," she whispers. "I've planned for every possibility, but so much can go wrong. What if a god messes with us? What if Jason doesn't have all his memories back?" Her voice cracks. "I lost so many friends in the Titan War, Percy. I'm not ready for it to happen again, against a bigger threat. We're going up against the oldest goddess in creation. Not even Zeus can stop her."
"Zeus is a lil' bitch." Percy says adamantly. Annabeth waits for a lightning bolt to vaporize them. Nothing happens except for a distant thunderclap. "We'll be fine, Wise Girl. I've got your back."
It's so close to what Luke said ten years ago, Annabeth's heart twists.
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"So, what's up with you and Percy?" Piper asks the next day. "I saw you two gettin' cozy up in the crows nest." Her tone is singsongy, almost teasing. Annabeth scowls as she recounts bunches of rope for the sixth time that day.
"There's nothing between me and Percy. We're friends. That's it." Annabeth says, but Piper snorts.
"Friends who cuddle in the crow's nest thirty feet above the nearest people, you mean." Annabeth glares at the other girl, who simply grins.
A few hours later, it finally happens.
"Camp ho!" Hedge shouts from the top of the mast. Annabeth paces the deck, palming the hilt of her dagger. Piper's muttering beneath her breath.
"We come in peace. Lower your weapons, we want to talk." The charmspeak isn't even directed at her, but Annabeth resists the urge to wax philosophical with Piper. She looks over at Leo, who's fiddling furiously with the controls of the ship, guiding it towards the massive field to the north of the camp and city.
Then she directs her attention to Percy, who's standing on the bow. A purple cape flutters behind him, courtesy of the Aphrodite cabin. It was Percy's idea to make himself noticeable, on the idea that the Romans might wait to shoot if they saw him on the ship with a praetor cloak. His old shirt had also been repaired by the Aphrodite kids, which he wore now. His gladius was nowhere to be seen, but Annabeth knew it was resting in pen form in his pocket. The wind tossed his black hair around, letting his green eyes gleam in the sun.
Annabeth has to admit, he looks like a leader, like a god.
Below them, horns start to sound and Percy turns back to Annabeth.
"Ready?" he asks, smiling reassuringly.
"Truthfully, no."
"Don't stress yourself out. We'll be fine."
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Surprisingly, he was right.
The mission had gone well. The Argo II touched down in the Field of Mars, where most of the legion had assembled and was waiting for the questers. Annabeth scanned the crowd for Jason and… bingo. But when Annabeth saw him, her chest tightened. Across Jason's back was a purple cape.
The ship landed and Percy was the first one off. The crowd murmured, clearly surprised by the fact that one of their leaders had suddenly shown up, after almost a year of being missing, on a Greek ship with Greek crewmates. A girl with jet black hair and a matching cape greeted them. Annabeth remembered her name was Reyna. Annabeth was second off and met Jason's eyes. He smiled at her and Annabeth grinned back. Leo almost ruined it by hitting on Reyna, which Piper had to charmspeak him out of.
After a rather boring Senate meeting, during which the final members were confirmed, a young daughter of Pluto named Hazel Levesque, a son of Mars named Frank Zhang, and of course, Jason, the questers were invited to a farewell feast in the forum. At the conclusion of the feast, everyone headed to the Argo II where Reyna gave a short speech, wishing the quest luck and the favor of the gods.
A few hours later, Jason is standing next to Annabeth at the railing, watching the deserts of Utah go by.
"I don't like that Percy guy," Jason says. "Something seems… off about him." Annabeth frowns.
"What do you mean?"
"I just… I don't know, 'Beth. He rubs me the wrong way," Jason shrugs. "Glad you found me though." He walks away, leaving Annabeth behind to watch the desert.
Later, Percy tells her the same thing.
"No offense, but Jason's kind of a dick." Annabeth frowns.
"What do you mean?"
"I was talking to Leo about having to sail on the water and he overheard it and said 'Despite being a Roman demigod, you're not very Roman.' Like what the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Annabeth just shrugs. She should have seen this coming.
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The quest stops briefly in Kansas because apparently Piper had a vision of Dionysus (or Bacchus) offering them help. Piper decides to go and asks Hazel to go with her.
No sooner do the two calmest, most level headed people on the quest leave, then Percy and Jason are immediately at each other's throats.
"Sending two isn't a good idea," Jason says. "Too much can go wrong. I should go with them." Annabeth's half-tempted to agree, but Percy yells from the helm..
"Of course the son of Zeus wants to go with the beautiful daughter of Aphrodite." The tension on the deck skyrockets as Jason turns agonizingly slowly towards Percy. Annabeth looks up from the ballista she's checking while Frank sets down the rope he's coiling. Leo adamantly ignores the confrontation.
"Actually, no. Three's the best number for a quest," Jason narrows his eyes at Percy. "Or are you oh-so-honorable that you'd rather hide behind your wall of shields."
"Jason…" Annabeth warns, but he's clearly ignoring her. Percy tightens his grip on the railing, his knuckles turning white.
"If you had any honor," Percy spits the word like it was the last one he'd use when talking to Jason. "Then you would be in the middle of the fight, hearing your comrades, your friends dying around you."
"Oh, believe me, Fish Face, I have."
"And yet your ego is still as big as the throne your daddy sits on."
"I don't believe Poseidon is the king." Percy slowly walks down the stairs and stops within an arms reach from Jason.
"That's Neptune to you, graecus," he hisses. Black storm clouds begin to slowly gather overhead, thunder grumbling, as the two regard each other.
"You wanna do this now?" Jason asks. Percy narrows his eyes and flicks his eyes briefly to Annabeth. Annabeth tries to plead with him through.
" No," he decides and Annabeth lets out a sigh of relief. "I won't waste my time with a child." He starts to walk back up to Leo, clearly done. Jason regards the other demigod.
"I guess all of Neptune's bastards are cowards then," he says. Percy freezes. Annabeth draws in a short breath. Frank looks about ready to leap over the railing. Percy turns around.
"I changed my mind." Percy pulls out Amnis and clicks it open. "I'm going to pulverize you." Jason gives a short laugh, flips his coin, and in a flash of bronze light, his sword is in hand.
"Guys, now is not the time!" Annabeth yells, but she knows there's no stopping this. Jason yells and charges Percy, who sidesteps and delivers a stinging blow with the flat of his blade. Jason stumbles, but recovers. When Annabeth sees the xiphos start to spark in Jason's hand, she knows things are about to get much worse.
A bolt of lighting streaks down from the clouds above, ricocheting off Jason's sword and slamming into Percy, throwing him against the mast. As Percy's stunned, Jason leaps towards him, using the winds to boost his speed and distance. Percy manages to roll away and the blade digs into the mast. Jason whirls around, but Percy catches the blade on his hilt and pushes back. A jet of water materializes and throws Jason to the deck. He gets up, sparks sizzling across his skin, a furious look in his eyes.
"Let's keep this fair. No powers." He says. Percy shrugs and settles into a fighting stance..
"I don't need water to kick your ass." They charge each other and their first clash makes the deck shake.
The duel is scary to watch, as both demigods move almost too fast to keep track. Metal rings on metal as the two heroes duel back and forth, neither able to gain the upper hand. They've both picked up on different moves from the different camps to the point where their style is essentially the same, a mix of Greek and Roman fighting.
Just as Annabeth is about to do something probably drastic, Hedge finally stomps up to the deck, probably awoken up from his nap, and blows his whistle. The shrill sound is enough to halt the fighters and they look at the satyr, who is bright red and about to blow. Later that night, Percy and Jason are sullenly picking splinters out of their arms from the planks Hedge made them do.
The next day, Annabeth sits the two down in the common area for a nice little chat.
"Whatever is going on between you two needs to stop," she orders, leaving no room for argument. "I will admit, it's not entirely your fault, since your parents are rivals and there's the whole…" she flicks her hands back and forth between them. "Rome versus Greece thing. But you both are better than this. Overcome it. Gaea's counting on us not being able to work together."
She watches the two as they regard each other until finally, Percy offers his hand. Jason stares at it, then at Percy. He takes it and Annabeth sighs with relief.
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Percy and Jason slowly but surely overcome their differences, even working together a few times to ease up a storm the Argo was caught in. The crew also begins to get closer, learning more about each other. There's still the Greek and Roman rivalry undermining their friendships, but it pokes through in small, harmless moments, like Leo teasing Frank more than he does the rest of the crew, Percy and Jason making small, harmless remarks at each other, Annabeth and Frank debating over the best kind of tactics. They don't mesh perfectly, but they're all close enough that not much would drive them apart.
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They've finally reached the Atlantic, after making a quick stop in Charleston to check on an Imperial Gold weapons cache for Camp Jupiter (Annabeth also had to privately get a map for her Mark quest and got distracted by Aphrodite who just had to make things harder for her). They've been sailing for about three hours now and it's been pretty relaxed.
Annabeth and Percy are below deck in the storage sorting medical supplies in comfortable silence. Annabeth's deep in thought about the quest when she hears Percy sniffle. She looks over at him and sees a stray tear work it's way down his face.
"Percy? What's wrong?" she asks gently, rubbing her friend's back. Percy wipes the tear away and gives her a smile, but it's unstable and fades.
"I miss my mom. I haven't… I haven't seen her since before I was taken to Camp Half-Blood." He hangs his head. "I called her from the camp phone, but…" he draws a shaky breath. "I just want to see her." Annabeth steps in and wraps her arms around him, holding him close. She feels him return the embrace. They stay like that for a few moments in the dark, comforted.
"You'll see her again, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth says. "I swear on the Styx."
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The quest reaches the entrance to the Mediterranean without much hassle a few days later. There were only two major attacks, one being a skolopendra, the other being a brief attack by Chrysaor, Percy's half-brother on the Greek side (Annabeth wondered if that made them quarter-brothers).
The crew gathers on the deck beneath the bright June sun. Percy and Annabeth had been sparring when Leo stopped the ship and Annabeth subconsciously worries if she smells bad because Percy has this weird scent of sea salt, sand, and sweat that is somehow intoxicating.
"Well, here we are," Frank says morosely.. "Welcome the Ancient Lands."
"I don't know why you cupcakes are so bummed out!" Hedge yells excitedly. "Monsters here are stronger, which means better fights! I'm pumped!" Percy rolls his eyes at the statement, to which Annabeth snickers.
"Coach, you have a wooden club." Jason points out.
"So?"
"That's, uh, not the most effective weapon." Percy says. Hedge glares at the demigod.
"Not effective, huh? We'll see about that when I take down a Cyclops!"
The first fight they get into, Hedge gets brained by a Cyclops.
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Annabeth watches as cars plunge into the darkness. She hears Percy yelling her name.
"I'm here!" she shouts elatedly, tears flowing down her cheeks freely. As soon as the Argo stops and lowers the rope ladder, Percy's sprinting to her, pulling her into a fierce hug.
"Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit. I'm so glad you're safe, Annabeth," he says. Annabeth just sobs with relief and leans into him. She's safe, Percy's safe. Everything is going to be fine.
Of course, she had to jinx it just by thinking that. The Fates do love screwing with her.
A sudden tug around her ankle sends spears of pain through her leg and yanks her to the ground, dragging her backwards.
"Her ankle!" Hazel screams. "Cut it!" Annabeth tries to think through the fog of pain. Cut her ankle?
Percy grabs her hand and tries pulling back, but it barely slows Annabeth. Her legs slip over the ledge, then her waist. She looks down and sees a single strand of spider silk the width of a pencil wrapped around her ankle. Desperately, she tries to kick it off and succeeds. But it's too late. Most of her body weight is over the edge. Percy goes with her, but manages to get out Current and stab it into the rock.. Above them, their friends are desperately trying to get down from the ship to help. Nico's face pokes over.
"Frank's on his way! Just… keep holding on!"
"Nico, no!" Percy yells. "Eripus. You know what you hafta do." If possible, Nico pales even more, but he nods grimly. Percy looks down at Annabeth, his expression resolute.
"There's no way I'm letting you go without me."
Percy taps the pommel with his thumb and the sword shrinks. As they plummet into Tartarus, he pulls Annabeth close. The wind whistles in their ears, the circle of light from the cavern above gets smaller and smaller until eventually, there's nothing left. Annabeth doesn't know how long they'll fall for or what's at the bottom. She doesn't know if their friends got out okay. The only thing she's sure of is Percy holding her tight.
"I'm sorry, Wise Girl," Percy says in her ear, his voice breaking from guilt. "You don't deserve this." Annabeth takes her hand from it's spot on Percy's back and wipes away a tear, resting her forehead against his.
"It's not your fault, Seaweed Brain."
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The shrine of Hermes is a welcome sight. The marble glows slightly bronze in the darkness of the Pit. Bob leads the way, watching for any threats. Holding each other up, the two demigods limp into the meager shelter it provides. They collapse, exhausted, in pain, and slowly dying from the toxicity of the hellish environment. Percy has it worse than Annabeth, he had to control the River Cocytus to break their fall and it drained him. A small flash of golden light briefly illuminates the black soil around the shrine. Curious, Annabeth stands and sees food. A platter of brisket, a packet of peanut M&Ms, and more. Annabeth grabs it all and hands some to Percy. He blinks in confusion at the food.
"Where…" Annabeth shrugs, too busy shoveling food into her mouth. It tastes familiar and the origin of the food quickly dawns on Annabeth.
"My gods, this is from… this is from camp!" she says excitedly. Percy and Bob look at her in confusion. "It's the offerings the campers burn! They're eating right now! Bob, let me borrow your notepad." Bob hands Annabeth the notepad. The front pages are covered in Greek words, lists of what needs to be cleaned, fixed, or needed supplies. Annabeth turns to a blank page and snaps her fingers.
"Percy. Pen." Percy hands over Current. She clicks it and, of course, it transforms into a gladius. Annabeth recalls how Percy taps the pommel to turn it back into a pen, so on a whim, she taps the pommel twice. It shrinks back into pen form, but now the tip is exposed. Quickly, Annabeth writes out a message, the gold ink glittering in the darkness.
"I need a fire," she says. Percy turns out his pockets, revealing nothing. Bob's spearhead juts out of the end of his broom and he slashes it across the marble floor, creating a silvery fire. Annabeth folds up the paper, writes "To: Rachel, Love, Annabeth", and tosses it into the flames. The paper burns up, the ashes floating impossibly high upwards until they're out of sight, hopefully going to camp.
Annabeth falls asleep that night, hugging Percy, his breath warm on her neck, a glimmer of hope shining in both of them.
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The difference of the air quality between the mortal world and Tartarus is almost painful. What's equally painful is the fact that Bob and Damasen were left behind. She's standing at the bow of the Argo, watching the countryside of Greece go by, Percy at her side.
Annabeth thinks about what's happened since she's met Percy. They defied all logic and somehow became best friends. He fell into Tartarus for her, to keep her safe. When Percy was laid low by all the curses the arai leveled at him, Annabeth reciprocated his protectiveness and forced Bob to take him to a safe place, which turned out to be Damasen, a peaceful giant cast into Tartarus for his unwillingness to fight. Then, after Percy was healed, they stormed the Doors of Death together at the heart of Tartarus. It was there that she realized exactly how connected they were. They fought side by side, back to back, like a well-oiled machine. Like they'd known each other for years.
When they finally reached the Doors, Percy insisted that Annabeth go alone. His expression was grim, but Annabeth refused, not unless he went.
"Annabeth, you go. You hold the crew together better than I do. I'll hold the button." Annabeth shakes her head.
"Perseus Jackson, I am not leaving you. Either you go or I stay here with you." Bob cuts in, saying he'd hold the button down. Annabeth accepts that, but she can tell Percy doesn't want to leave Bob. The Titan has to resort to pushing Percy into the Doors, Percy yelling through tears as Annabeth holds him back.
Then Damasen provided a much needed distraction while Bob held the button, his adopted spartoi saber tooth tiger Small Bob protecting him. Then the doors slid shut and they'd held the doors shut, as Percy cursed every deity he could as tears of pure rage streamed down his cheeks.
They went through literal hell together. And it strengthened their bond.
"Do you ever wanna just… run away?" Percy asks quietly, half to himself.
"What do you mean?" Annabeth replies.
"Like, what if we just left. Packed our bags and dipped. What if we turned our backs on all this. No quests, no gods, no monsters, no bullshit." Percy explains. Annabeth doesn't miss how he says "we", as if they're one, connected. Pure affection wells in Annabeth's chest.
"Truthfully, yeah. I have. But it doesn't make sense. We're demigods. Monsters would still come after us, the gods would know where we are."
"Not in Alaska they wouldn't. Not a lot of monsters there either."
"Seaweed Brain, are you seriously suggesting we move to Alaska?" Annabeth asks. Percy shrugs.
"Maybe I am."
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They end up in each other's rooms at night. The first time it happened, Annabeth had a particularly nasty nightmare where Percy was killed while they were fighting in front of the Doors. It was so real, the sound of flesh tearing and bones breaking, Percy's dying cry, his blood splattering across the ground and onto Annabeth, the sound of Current falling to the ground. Annabeth woke in a cold sweat and all but ran into Percy's room, making sure he was still there and alive. So to alleviate the nightmares, they start sleeping in each other's rooms. No one on the ship questions it.
One night, they're lying awake in Annabeth's room, unable to sleep. Percy's head is on Annabeth's legs and she's absently rubbing his shoulders as he tosses a stress ball back and forth. Percy suddenly shifts so his back is to Annabeth, so she stops. Percy's hand grabs hers and places it on the small of his back. Annabeth smiles lightly.
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When that sword went through Percy's side, Annabeth lost it. She went absolutely feral on that ghoul, decapitating him and stabbing him through every fatal point she could think of. Then she ran over to Percy, who was on his stomach, the stab wound strangely purple and smoking. Thankfully, Piper charmspoke her to calm down, and Annabeth had enough sense to quickly teach Piper Morse code to reflect sunlight off Percy's sword in a message for help.
After getting back to the Argo, she sprinted down to the infirmary, where Hazel and Frank were attempting to treat the wound. Hazel gently but firmly told her to go away, because watching wasn't helping.
So Annabeth paces around Percy's room, biting her fingernail and staring at the ground or nothing in particular. She does that for a while until Piper walks by and sees her.
"Hey," her friend says. Annabeth stops walking and looks up.
"Hi."
"You're worried."
"No shit, Piper. My best friend was just fucking stabbed. Of course I'm worried."
"Still. The level of concern you have for him kinda suggests something else."
"What, that I have a crush on him?" Annabeth snapped. Piper raised an eyebrow, as if she was asking Annabeth 'Do you?' "I'm allowed to be concerned for my friends." Piper just gives her a look, like she doesn't believe her. Annabeth doesn't quite believe herself either.
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Percy stays in the infirmary for a few days and Annabeth checks on him every day, always staying with him through the night. Eventually, Hazel lets him leave, but gives him strict orders to not do anything that would aggravate the wound. Percy salutes her and immediately asks Annabeth to spar.
"Jackson!" Hazel yells in exasperation as Percy quickly runs back to his room, Annabeth behind him, laughing her head off.
They laid next to each other in silence, facing the ceiling, comfortable in each other's presence.
"You're an idiot, you know," Annabeth says, breaking the silence. She hears Percy snort softly.
"Yeah, but I'm your idiot." Annabeth rolls her eyes.
"You could have died, Seaweed Brain."
"But I didn't."
"But you could have."
"And yet I'm alive." Annabeth turns over to face him and rests her hand over the bandages wrapped around his midsection, unable to tear her gaze from the bloody patch the size of her fist. Hazel told Annabeth about how Imperial Gold works, how a wound like that is a slow and painful death as the magic eats away at Percy's very soul. It was a wonder he wasn't screaming in pain.
"Hey, Annabeth, listen," he says. "I'll be fine. When I was thirteen, both my legs got cut off." Annabeth blinks, then lightly hits his shoulder.
"Shut it."
"I gotcha for a second there." He starts laughing, but it quickly devolves into a hacking cough. It goes away after a bit, but Percy still looks like shit. Annabeth gently pulls Percy in and he hugs her, burying his face in her shoulder.
"I'm scared, Wise Girl."
"I am too, Percy."
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Percy's wound somehow goes away after an encounter with his Greek half-sister Kymopoleia, where he and Jason had convinced her to stop a storm whacking them around. Polybotes showed up, incapacitated Jason, and challenged Percy to a duel, which he managed to win by assuring the goddess that all gods would be properly honored with shrines, sacrifices, and action figures. Annabeth still isn't sure how that happened, but she's grateful nonetheless.
The Argo's now anchored at Delos, where Leo, Piper, and Jason went to meet Apollo and Artemis for any information. Hazel and Frank are below deck, doing something, while Percy and Annabeth are above deck, sparring.
Annabeth's slowly getting used to using her new sword from Damasen. It's light, but still heavier than her old dagger. They trade blows, Percy's clearly holding back otherwise this would have ended about ten minutes ago. Annabeth feints left, then goes for a stab. Percy reacts quickly, sidestepping and grabbing her arm. They're stuck for a moment when Annabeth does something neither of them see coming.
She kisses Percy.
He's so distracted that he lets go of her arm, which Annabeth takes advantage of, sweeping his legs out, knocking him down and holding her sword at Percy's throat.
"I win,"
"Only because you distracted me," Percy grumbles, taking Annabeth's hand and standing up. Annabeth smirks.
"Let's go again."
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In the days after Annabeth kissed Percy, they start becoming more intimate. It's nothing major, mostly lingering touches. Sometimes Annabeth will take Percy's hand beneath the mess hall table whenever they're having a meeting or Percy will rub her back with his hand. Most of the time, they'll end up in each other's arms at night. No matter what it is, it's something Annabeth can tell they're both grateful for.
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They're beneath the Parthenon, listening to the low rumble of the monster army above milling around. Piper's gone ahead to scout it out, leaving Percy and Annabeth behind. Annabeth's looking around and sees three massive lines on the wall. She inhales sharply, realizing where exactly they were.
"The trident…" she whispers, running her hand along the scarred rock. Percy looks up from where he was sitting.
"What?"
"These marks. They're where Poseidon created the salt water spring for the people of Athens." Percy stands and walks over and touches the wall.
"So this is where it started,"
"The rivalry,"
"Yeah." They're silent until Percy breaks it.
"Fuck the rivalry." He presses a soft kiss to her forehead.
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Annabeth's faced Titans, she's been in the presence of Tartarus and a monster army so huge, it outnumbered her and Percy at least fifty to one. Annabeth's seen the full Olympian Council on Mount Olympus. But she's never felt so tiny.
All the giants, except for Mimas and Polybotes, are standing over the Seven, each one easily thirty feet tall. Porphyrion looms over all of them.
"You demigods are tenacious, I'll give you that," he says, the bass of his voice making Annabeth's eyes vibrate. "But you are foolish. The gods have locked themselves in Olympus. Your friends are doomed. You cannot possibly win now." The other giants jeer and laugh. Percy's grip tightens on his sword, as if he's contemplating rushing the giants. Suddenly, a bright light nearly blinds them. Annabeth looks up and a sight she never thought she'd see in her life is there.
There's a ring of gods around them, the Olympians along with many more minor gods, all armed for war.
Zeus is in a gold and bronze chariot, master bolt in hand and humming with energy, the four gods of the wind in horse form, straining to be freed. Poseidon is riding a green and blue chariot, two hippocampi leading it, his trident glowing blue. Ares is impatiently trotting around on a skeletal horse that breathes fire, a sword and spear in his hand. And her mother, Athena, standing there, gripping Aegis and her spear.
The gods charge.
Zeus casts a lightning bolt that Annabeth is sure would have woken up mortals on the other side of the world. The Seven yell wildly and charge the giants, the gods supporting them.
Athena grows to Enceladus' height as Annabeth charges the giant, dodging the massive weapons. As Annabeth watches, her mother drives her spear through Enceladus' gut, ichor gushing out. Despite the fact that Enceladus can now be beaten, they're at a disadvantage, as Athena has to watch out for Annabeth, who's much smaller than either of the twenty foot fighters. A lone dagger catches Annabeth's eye and she scoops it up, charging the giant and using it to climb his leg along with her sword. Once on Enceladus' shoulder, she starts hacking away at his neck and head. The cuts are small, but they're closing slower and slower.
"Get off!" Athena yells to Annabeth, who obeys, falling to the ground, rolling to absorb the impact. When she turns back, she watches as Athena fires a blast of godly energy, knocking Enceladus into a pillar, then stabbing her spear through his chest to finish him off. His body dissolves into a pile of ash.
Athena looks over at Annabeth and nods in acknowledgement and Annabeth's heart sings.
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Eventually, the giants are all defeated, along with all the monsters. The Seven gather in the center of the Parthenon, facing the twelve Olympians.
"You've done well, heroes," Zeus says.
"Yes, you've all exceeded my expectations," Hera says, beaming like she didn't kidnap two linchpins of the camps. Zeus is about to say something but Percy cuts in.
"Spare us the monologues, we need to get to Camp Half-Blood," he snaps. "Gaea's there, not here. And it'd be nice if you guys went there too." Annabeth holds her breath. Was he trying to get smited? Then she hears laughter. When she turns around, she sees Hermes and Poseidon doubled over with glee, while Hades grins.
"He got you there, Dad!" Hermes says through his mirth. Poseidon beams at his son.
"You've got your mother's spirit, I'll give you that, my boy."
"He speaks the truth," Hades says, still smiling.
"Indeed he does. Our presence would be enough to cause Gaea to hesitate," Athena speaks up. Zeus is clearly not happy at the interruptions.
"We cannot assist. I am sorry heroes, but that is the law," he says gruffly. Annabeth's heart falls. "But I can transport you there much quicker than you could sail there. Good luck." Zeus waves his hand. The Parthenon dissolves and when Annabeth can see again, she's with the other Seven, the Argo above them, in the common area at Camp. Then she hears the sounds of yelling and weapons clashing. The battle had already begun on Half-Blood Hill.
"For Olympus!" Percy yells and he charges. Frank transforms into a dragon and flies Leo up to the Argo as the others follow suit. Annabeth catches up to Percy.
"See you in a bit," she says and he smirks.
"Always."
The battle is a blur. All Annabeth remembers is destroying monster after monster, sometimes reuniting with someone from camp. At one point she's back to back with the Stoll brothers, who drag her into an argument about Ho-Hos and Twinkies. Finally, she links up with Percy. They're back to back yet again, their blades rising and falling on autopilot, and she feels unstoppable. Until a shockwave throws them down and Gaea rises in all her muddy glory.
FOOLISH HEROES. I AM THE EARTH. YOU CANNOT STOP ME.
"Shut up!" Percy yells and a tidal wave of water from the creek washes over the goddess, but she simply reforms.
PERSEUS JACKSON, SON OF NEPTUNE. I OFFERED YOU A CHOICE AND YOU TURNED IT DOWN. I OFFER YOU THE SAME CHOICE. THE GIRL YOU LOVE WILL BE SPARED.
Annabeth's breath hitches as Gaea's words tumble around in her head. She offered for Percy to join her? And she'd spare the girl he loved? Unbridled jealousy rises in Annabeth's gut. Of course he had feelings for someone, she was a fool for thinking it was her.
Any more thoughts are wiped away when there's a brief sight of bronze, the swoop of wings, and Gaea's gone. Looking up, she sees Festus, born anew, flying higher and higher, Leo on his back. And Annabeth understands the line.
To storm or fire, the world must fall.
Annabeth had been so worried about the storm part being Percy, she never considered the fire part.
When the clouds light up with orange and green light, she sinks to her knees as Piper lets out a scream of anguish.
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Both camps spend a week searching for Leo and Festus, but there's no sign of the dragon or his rider.
Percy causes a hurricane and Annabeth has to calm him down.
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Annabeth wakes up in the middle of the night from a nightmare. She looks at the clock above the doorway. It's two in the morning. As she listens to the quiet sounds of the night, she hears someone walk by outside. Quickly, she throws on a hoodie and shoes and opens the door, hoping it's Percy. She looks around the corner and Percy's frozen still. Annabeth walks up to him.
"What are you doing?" she whispers.
"Nightmare. What are you doing?"
"I woke up from a nightmare and heard you." They're silent before Annabeth speaks up.
"Wanna go to the beach?" Percy nods.
They sit in silence next to each other on the sand, watching the waves. The moonlight reflects off the ocean. Annabeth thinks back to what Gaea said during the battle.
"When… Gaea said she gave you a choice, what was it? Did she try to recruit you?" Percy shakes his head, still staring at the water.
"She told me to stay away. She wanted me to turn my back on the quest. To not get involved."
"And the girl?" Annabeth whispers, a lump growing in her throat. "Who is she? What's she like?" Percy smiles slightly, as if he's going through the memories of whoever this girl is.
"She's amazing. I think I'm in love with her. Whenever I'm around her, I just… feel more like myself than when I'm alone. She makes me braver, stronger, like I could climb a mountain. I would put my life on the line for her." Hearing him talk, Annabeth's spirits fall. This girl sounds perfect. "She's not only awesome, she's beautiful. Whenever Venus visits me in my dreams, I see her face. Her eyes are so… deep. I could get lost in them. Her hair is the softest thing ever and I love playing with it. And when she touches me, even if we hug, it's like an angel." Annabeth can only think of one person who fits his description.
"Is… is it Piper?" she asks softly, hoping he doesn't hear. Percy does something that surprises her. He laughs. A long peal of genuine laughter.
"Gods, no! She's got a thing for Jason. Besides, Piper can't compare to this girl."
"Who is it, Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth asks, starting to get a little angry. Percy's smile is ear to ear.
"It's you, Wise Girl." Annabeth blinks, surprised, and tries to process that.
"What?"
"Annabeth, it's you. Whenever we would spar or cuddle or hug, I would think 'I could get used to this.' I'm not one for soulmates or destiny or fate, but we match. You're like my other half." Annabeth turns away from him and faces the ocean again.
"Can I be honest?"
"Sure." Percy says. Annabeth faces him. He's watching her intently, his eyes green despite the darkness. She recalls how he healed her cut so long ago in the arena, how she trusted him far quicker than she trusts others, how she's thought about them being together for so long. She remembers how they spent the night in the crow's nest, how she didn't want to see him and Jason fight out of fear that it might separate them, how they would comfort each other during the quest. And of course, she remembers how he fell into Tartarus with her, saying the same thing she did at the war council.
There's no way I'm letting you go without me.
It all comes rushing back; the nights they spent together after Tartarus, the time she kissed him during their duel, how they defied the rivalry at the place it started, how they fought back to back against overwhelming odds. How she wants all that, with him, probably forever.
"I'm in love with you." She finally says. He blinks and in that split second, she leans forward and kisses him. It's not quick like the one during the duel, but passionate. All the feelings she's felt towards him, this boy who is completely opposite her in every possible way overtake her in one sweep and for once, Annabeth isn't being logical.
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There's so many dead. More than the Titan War. And it's hard. Nico oversees the funeral rites for both camps. The hardest part is Leo's pyre. A body was never found, which makes it even worse. A bundle of tools and different mechanical bits was wrapped in an orange cloth and doused with hot sauce. The fire burns the brightest for him. No tears are held back for the son of Hephaestus, who rode dragons, cooked tacos, and defeated the Earth Mother.
A few days later, it's time for the Romans to leave. Annabeth is in Percy's cabin, watching him pack up.
"I wish you didn't have to leave," Annabeth says sadly. "I'm going to miss you."
"Actually, that reminds me…" Percy digs into his back pocket and hands Annabeth an object wrapped in tissue paper. She raises an eyebrow. "Open it." he urges and Annabeth does. It's a bit of red coral with flecks of green the exact same shade as Percy's eyes.
"Percy… it's beautiful." Percy wraps her in a hug and kisses her as a conch shell sounds. It's time.
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It's been almost six months since the end of the war. The Hephaestus kids used the original blueprints for the Argo to build a small fleet of six ships. The flagship was named Enfuego, in honor of Leo and his fire abilities. Another was named Festus, for the dragon that was just as much of the crew as the other demigods.
The Enfuego, Festus, and a third ship, the Mamacita, are full of campers heading to Camp Jupiter for an exchange program. Annabeth is of course among them. The ships break through the clouds and start descending on the Field of Mars.
No sooner do the ships land then Annabeth is the first one off. She scans the crowd and sees him push through the crowd. Her vision tunnels and they surge towards each other, embracing tightly and then they're kissing. Annabeth doesn't care that there's a crowd of people around them. An asteroid could hit the planet and Annabeth still wouldn't care
"I missed you, so much." Percy says when they pull apart.
"Me too, Seaweed Brain,"
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It's not long before the Greek campers are packing up to head back to New York. The legionnaires and campers are mingling, saying goodbye to new friends. Annabeth hugs Hazel and Frank and gives Reyna a handshake, promising to stay in touch. She turns around and sees Percy standing behind her with a suitcase.
"Seaweed Brain, what's that for?" Annabeth asks. Percy rubs the back of his neck, like he always does when he's embarrassed.
"I forgot to tell you, but, uh, I'm gonna be staying at Half-Blood. Like, probably forever." Annabeth blinks and turns back to Hazel, Frank, and Reyna.
"But you'll be down a praetor."
"We have elections coming up soon. And I'm fairly sure Frank's got this." Reyna says. The son of Mars blushes at the praise. Annabeth turns back to Percy and smiles, hugging him tightly. He's coming back.
And Annabeth couldn't be happier.
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Again, sorry if anyone's OOC (I felt like Annabeth especially was OOC).
A few notes:
-This was kinda my first time writing a story of this length in anyone's POV that wasn't Percy and it was honestly really fun.
-Leo is truly dead. No physician's cure.
-Whether or not Jason and Piper get together is up to you.
-I spent 3 days writing this and I am immensely happy with it.
-The Roman!Percy stories are:
tabula rasa(Nobody426)
here comes the sun(seaweedbraens)
the Imperator stories(CombatTombat) (if you're going to read any Roman!Percy stories, go check those out because I have not read any more well written stories)
The Smart Match(greenconverses).
Peace, love, and donuts: 8Ball3
