A/N: Hey guys! Back for the first update in February! Here ya go!
Fear drives him.
When there could be a monster at every corner or death at your doorstep, and evil looming over disguised as rhyming sentences, fear is a constant. Fear is a familiarity.
Fear keeps him alert, ready to strike. Fear keeps him on his toes.
Fear of monsters and drying, and of course the fear of what would happen if he lost, if he failed. It drives him, prevents him from giving up.
But this kind of fear, he's never felt before.
Sure, fear of losing a loved one, like his mom, or fear of falling, off a cliff, those he knows.
But fear of falling in love.
That one's new.
But there it is, that familiar swell through his body, of nervousness, a chill that renders him anxious and afraid. He's felt it before, but never like this, never when he looked at her.
Annabeth has always been…intense, but he was never truly afraid. She's his best friend, the one who's been there through everything, by his side. She's his calm.
Or rather she was.
Because now he feels like he might be falling in love with that soft smile and bright eyes, and this person who just knows so much about him, who's seen it all with him.
And the thought terrifies him
He walks towards the lake and wonders why.
He's come toe to toe with fears bigger and badder so why this. Why is this so…
Why is he holding himself back from returning the smile or staring into those eyes like they make up his world. (They kinda do)
His eyebrows furrow as he sits on the dock and lets his feet dangle in the water.
He needs to figure this out, things are changing between them and there's a twinge of hurt in those grey eyes every time he looks away that hurts him more than any monster scratch and it's affecting their—
And there it is.
Percy learned a few years ago when he was on top of a burning gateway arch that he wasn't afraid of heights, or even falling all that much. He was afraid at what would happen when he reached the bottom.
And he realizes then that maybe he's not afraid of falling in love, but rather the heartbreak.
The heartbreak if things changed between them, if Annabeth decided she didn't want him…could he live with the Annabeth shaped hole in his heart that could come from this?
The water sloshes against his ankles, as if sensing his agitation.
But…
But things were already changing, and maybe if he didn't take his chance Annabeth would leave…could he live with the heartbreak of seeing her with someone else?
There's a crunching of leaves and a figure sits down next to him. He's staring at the water but his peripherals catch a hint of gold and a lemony scent overtakes his senses and he doesn't need to turn to know who it is.
His heart beats faster and the fear is back, but this time it's mixed with the same kind of adrenaline that comes right before he kills the monster or escapes death.
"Hey," she says softly, the smile is small.
The thought of losing that smile scares him more than the heartbreak.
With a smile of his own he slowly puts his hand above hers where it's resting on the wood. "Hey."
The look of surprise and joy on her face makes him forget all of his fears.
And with his heart thumping fast, he leans in for a kiss that makes him forget everything but her.
A/N: So what did you think? I did promise more Percabeth in this chapter so here you go. Inspired off the idea of being afraid to fall in love and I thought but why fear falling in love and I realized it's not the love part, well it might be for some people, but for more it's what comes with it, the inherent fear of losing that love. But sometimes you need to take chances, you need to try, and even if it doesn't work, even if you hurt, it's okay.
So yeah, thought I'd share this little drabble before Valentine's day as a motivator and message! Hope you liked it!
Please Review! I'd love to hear your thoughts!
And as always, thanks for reading!
See ya! :)