The Trouble That Came with the Tide

Annabeth -

The sun had set once more. Today had been... unreal. You'd think that nearly ten years after I was so uncerimoniuosly thrust into the world of the gods, that I would be used to this insanity. But I wasn't. The last few days I fought in a war. My best friend became invinsible, then saved the world, then became a God. I battled a Titan. I took a knife and got poisoned. I watched friends and enemies die. I watched Luke die. He was the hero in the end. The hero he always promised to be. And we beat the Titans. It was over.

"Hey," I said. I slid next to him. Percy looked up to me, his eyes red. A sight I was not used to. He didn't even bother trying to hide his tears. I didn't know that Gods could cry. "Happy Birthday."

"Oh. Right." I slid the blue-frosted cupcake over to him. He smiled wistfully at it, then at me.

"Make a wish," I said. I had plenty of wishes in my head, but who knows what he was thinking. He deliberated for a moment before looking at me carefully and blowing out the candle.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

"Don't just thank me, Tyson helped." He laughed at that. Melodically.

"That explains why it looked like a chocolate brick with extra blue cement."

He cut it in half and slid half over to me. We shared and ate it with ours hands. Which turned out quite messily, seeing as Tyson did not skimp on the icing. And as if he read my mind, with a snap of his fingers he summoned napkins for us. Blue napkins, of course. We shared a silent smile, but I wasn't sure if I could ever get used to that. Him being a God, I mean.

"You saved the world," I said. The night was quiet. Peaceful. I suppose the Gods owed us that much. One quiet night after days of hell.

"We saved the world," Percy corrected. He looked so different now, but that spark of compassion in him was still there. Never fleeting. I thought back to my words choked out between sobs as we fought Kronos. He's right. We saved the world. Him and I and everyone else too.

"And you're a God."

"And you're Head Architect of Olympus."

"And Grover is Lord of the Wild."

"And Tyson is a General of Olympus."

"And Rachel is the Oracle of Delphi."

"Uh huh," Percy said.

"She's sort of like Thalia now, except not immortal," I told him. I could feel my cheeks begin to blush, but perhaps the darkness would disguise that for me.

"Because she helps Apollo like Thalia helps Artemis?" Percy askes.

"Yeah, and the Oracle of Delphi is a maiden. Just like the Hunters of Artemis. So she won't be dating anyone anymore," I said. I was full on blushing now, but thankfully Percy didn't pick up on it.

"You don't sound disappointed," he said with a smile.

"Oh I don't care." I shrugged, but he didn't believe me. "Want to say something to me, Seaweed Brain?" He was grinning now, and so was I.

"You'd probably kick my butt."

"You know I'd kick your butt."

"When I was at the River Styx, Nico said I had to concentrate on one thing that kept me anchored to the world. The one thing that kept me mortal."

"Yeah?" I stared at the horizon. I was still a bit mad he hadn't told me about that little stunt. He could've died. I could've helped him, but he disappeared off with Nico. The same Nico who had wanted to kill us the summer before. The one who almost got Percy locked up in a jail in the Underworld!

"Then up on Olympus when they were making me a god, I was deciding whether or not I wanted to, I was thinking-"

"Oh so you didn't want to?"

"I was pretty torn. I mean it's a big decision and I didn't say yes for the reasons you might think. I just wanted to protect everyone I love."

"Anyone in particular?" I teased. I was holding back my laugh.

"You're laughing at me," he pouted.

"I am not!"

"You are so not making this easy," Percy said.

"I am never, ever going to make things easy for you, Seaweed Brain. Get used to it," I said. That moment. That moment then was the happiest I had been in a long time. But it only got better when I leaned in a kissed him. A crowd with torches emerged and soon enough we kissing underwater in the lake. My craziest day ended no less insane. The night fell and I was kissing a God.

AN: Short chapter, I know. And yes, I know it was mostly original TLO, but it was necessary. Reviews appreciated.