***This story is set the day after the Battle of Manhattan ends, when everyone returns to camp in The Last Olympian. As always, the characters don't belong to me, I'm just borrowing them for a bit. Thanks for reading!***
August 19th:
The morning after the Battle of Manhattan ended, everyone slept in. When Annabeth blearily dragged herself to the dining pavilion, it was nearly noon, but only a few other campers were awake. Based on the plates, there was a weird sort of brunch theme happening. Annabeth shrugged, grabbed a bagel and an apple, dropped a pastry and some grapes in the fire with a few thankful thoughts directed towards Athena, then sat down at the Athena table. It was empty except for Malcolm, who still looked half asleep, though he shot her a tired smile, which she returned. After the past several days, everyone was completely wiped out. Annabeth's eyes drifted to the Poseidon table, but it was still empty. No surprise; Percy liked to sleep in even when he hadn't just spent the past few days leading an army. Remembering the night before in the dining pavilion, though, not to mention the air bubble at the bottom of the lake, Annabeth couldn't hold back a smile.
"Gross," Malcolm said with a yawn.
"Oh shut up," Annabeth retorted, even as her cheeks heated up. "I didn't even say anything."
"Didn't have to." He grinned when Annabeth stuck her tongue out at him.
After she ate, Annabeth debated for a few minutes whether or not to go knock on the door of Cabin Three and wake Percy up. She'd done it before, frequently. A week ago she wouldn't even have hesitated. But she felt nervous about seeing him this morning. A good kind of nervous, but still. Kissing him last night had been awesome. Finally, her brain, and maybe her heart, had sighed. And then, once they'd come back up from under the lake, and their friends wandered away after some merciless teasing, Percy reached for her hand, catching Annabeth by surprise in the best way. Looking down at the lakeshore, he said, "So I guess this means—um, I mean, are we—uh…" He ran his free hand through his hair, then raised his head to meet her eyes. Annabeth was biting her lip, waiting for him to finish the sentence, but also trying to look encouraging. Percy took a deep breath, then said, very fast, "Do you want to be my girlfriend?"
Annabeth stopped biting her lip as her smile broke through, and she nodded. A look of vast relief washed over Percy's face, even while he said, as if to clarify, "Like, you want to go out…with me?"
Annabeth laughed then, throwing her arms around his neck. "Yeah, Seaweed Brain. I want to go out with you."
"Cool." Percy sounded both stunned and happy, and a little thrill went through Annabeth as his arms came up around her. "Awesome."
Under the comforting semi-privacy of darkness, and with no other demigods around, Annabeth kissed Percy again. He returned it, a little uncertainly at first, but then with more enthusiasm, and it felt like the start of something good.
Remembering it now, Annabeth felt a little giddy. They were going out. Percy was her boyfriend. The thought didn't really compute yet. But, she figured, that also totally entitled her to go wake him up, the way she usually would anyway. So, ignoring her nerves, and the stares and snickers of some of the other campers, she marched across the lawn to Cabin Three. Taking a deep breath, she raised her fist and knocked on the door.
There were some rustling noises and a thump from inside, then the door flew open to reveal…Tyson.
"Annabeth!" The Cyclops grabbed her in a fierce hug. "Good morning, Annabeth!"
"Oof. Hi, Tyson." Annabeth patted his arm. "How are you?"
"I am good." He released her, beaming. "Do you want to see Percy?"
"Oh, um, sure." Annabeth really wished she could stop turning red today. "I mean, if he's awake."
"He is still sleeping, but I will wake him up." Before Annabeth had a chance to protest, Tyson turned and yelled into the cabin, "Brother! Wake up! It is Annabeth!"
"Huh? What?" Percy raised his head groggily. His eyes widened as he saw Annabeth standing with Tyson in the doorway, and he scrambled up, but got tangled in his blankets and pretty much fell out of bed. Tyson quickly turned a laugh into a very fake cough, while Annabeth fought to keep the smile off her face. Percy's face was bright red as he stood up and slowly walked over to the door. "Uh, hey, Annabeth."
"Hi," she said.
Tyson cleared his throat. "I will, uh, go to breakfast." He scooted quickly out the door, heading for the dining pavilion.
They stood there awkwardly for a couple moments, then Annabeth said, "I was just wondering if you'd want to take a walk with me? Like on the beach?"
"Sure," Percy agreed immediately. "That sounds great. Just, um, give me a minute to, you know...clothes." He glanced down at his bare chest; apparently, he'd slept in only basketball shorts.
Annabeth tried not to follow his gaze, but she was pretty sure she was blushing again, which was stupid; she'd seen Percy shirtless a hundred times. "Yeah, of course. Meet you on the beach?" When he nodded, she turned to walk away, then, feeling brave, she looked back over her shoulder and added, "Oh, and make sure you brush your teeth. Or I'm not kissing you."
His nervous look melted into a grin. "Got it."
Ten minutes later, Annabeth was standing in the surf, letting the waves gently wash over her bare feet, eyes closed, just soaking in the simple warmth of the sun, when Percy walked up and said, "Hey again."
"Hi." Annabeth opened her eyes and her heart leapt. The wind off Long Island Sound was ruffling Percy's dark hair, and the sun made his tan skin glow and his green eyes sparkle. Today, she could admit, at least to herself, just how good he looked. Especially now that neither of them was splattered with blood, mud, and monster dust.
Percy studied her for a moment, then leaned forward and lightly kissed her cheek, making Annabeth's heart leap again. "You okay?"
It was clear from his tone that he was asking about the battle. Annabeth shrugged. "Fine. Tired. You?"
"Same." Percy turned and she walked alongside him as they wandered down the beach. She kind of wanted to take his hand, but they were shoved in his pockets. He kicked at the sand. "Hard to believe it's over, to be honest. That prophecy has been hanging over everything for so long. It feels weird to be, you know, free."
"Yeah." They were quiet for a few moments, then Annabeth ventured, "But it's kind of nice to be free of it, right?"
"Gods, yes." Percy exhaled. He glanced at her, then, to Annabeth's surprise, reached out to take her hand. "Especially since it means, now, we can sort of focus on other things."
"Other things?" Annabeth looked down at the sand, hiding her smile. "Anything in particular?"
"Maybe." He stopped walking. "Do you, um, still want me to be your boyfriend?"
When Annabeth looked up, Percy's nervous but hopeful expression made her heart melt. She squeezed his hand. "I definitely still want you to be my boyfriend."
"Cool." Percy met her eyes, asking a silent question, which she answered with a smile. Then he leaned forward and kissed her. Annabeth felt a jolt of energy shoot from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. She could get used to this feeling. When they started walking down the beach again, still holding hands, they were both grinning.
The rest of the day was a strange mix of happy and sad. Hanging out with Percy was awesome. But now that they were all back at camp, it was painfully clear how many of their friends hadn't come home with them. Especially at dinner, when the tables were far emptier than they'd been the last time they'd all had dinner here. A sad hush fell over the pavilion as the campers shuffled up to scrape their offerings into the fire. Some, like Sherman Yang, had surly expressions on their faces, while others, like Katie Gardner, were blinking back tears. Percy frowned as he muttered, "Poseidon," over the flames. When it was Annabeth's turn, she murmured, "Athena," as she scraped part of her dinner into the fire, but in her head, she was picturing the faces of all the people they'd lost. Her throat felt tight, and her eyes burned as she thought, almost without meaning to, of Luke.
After all the campers were seated again at their parents' tables, Chiron spoke. He was still in his wheelchair, letting his legs heal, but he raised his glass and gestured for them all to do the same. "Now that we've honored the gods, let us also honor our fellow campers who did not return from the city with us. To all those who sacrificed," Chiron stopped to clear his throat, then continued, "who sacrificed so much to allow us to be safely back here today. If you will all stand, and feel free to say the name of someone you wish to honor."
They all rose and raised their glasses to a chorus of names. Annabeth chose, "Silena," but in her head, she also said, Luke, though a part of her felt like a traitor for even thinking it.
The campfire a little bit later started almost as morose as dinner had been, but after a few songs, and some s'mores, the mood improved. Those who had survived the battle were ready to celebrate, at least for a while. Annabeth sat beside Percy, which was nice, and she tried to enjoy herself, but the dark mood from dinner was hard to shake, and she wasn't sure exactly why she was feeling so down. Finally, though, things got a little more raucous, with the Stolls pelting some Ares campers with marshmallows. When it appeared that a full-blown marshmallow fight might break out, Annabeth couldn't take it anymore. She'd been talking to Will Solace, but when he excused himself because he'd been waved over by another Apollo kid, Annabeth took that as an opportunity to sneak away. She looked around for Percy, but he was talking to Grover and Juniper on the other side of the amphitheater. Deciding she could find him later to say good night, Annabeth slipped away.
As soon as she left the range of the firelight, she pulled her Yankees cap out of her pocket and put it on. It wasn't exactly because she was trying to hide, she just really didn't want to be stopped or bothered right now, because it became clear the farther she walked away from the campfire that she was going to cry. The tears burned her eyes and she had barely passed the lava wall before they spilled down her cheeks. By the time she reached the beach, one area of camp where she knew she was unlikely to be disturbed, sobs hitched her chest. About halfway between the grass and the water, Annabeth dropped down into the sand, pulled her knees to her chest, and sobbed. The past few days, really the past few months, had been so stressful and overwhelming and exhausting and she just couldn't take it anymore. Annabeth cried until her eyes were sore. Finally, her sobs subsided, leaving her feeling completely drained. She had no energy left to move, to drag herself back to the campfire or even to her cabin. So she simply sat there, invisible, letting the quiet rush of the waves sink into her skin. There was something comforting about the steady consistency of the surf.
She took off her cap when she heard a well-known voice calling her name. Her own voice sounded croaky when she called out, "Here!"
A few moments later, Percy dropped with a quiet flump into the sand beside her. "Back at the beach?"
"It's quiet."
"Yeah."
So were they for a minute. Percy leaned back on his hands, staring out at the dark ocean. Annabeth tried to surreptitiously wipe the tears off her cheeks, but she thought he might have noticed. Her suspicions were confirmed when Percy said, "So, I'm guessing you're not fine."
Annabeth sniffed, not sure why tears were pooling again. Angrily, she swiped the back of her hand over her eyes. "No. And yes. I don't know. It's just been a really long week. A long summer."
"That," Percy said, turning to face her full-on, "is the understatement of the century."
Annabeth gave a weak laugh at that, even as tears dripped down her cheeks. "I guess what Chiron said at dinner really hit me. And seeing everybody around the campfire, and thinking about everyone who's not there…" Her voice trailed off.
"I know what you mean." Percy scooped up a handful of sand, then let it trickle out through his fist. "I keep waiting for Michael Yew to run his mouth, or I'm looking around for Beckendorf and Silena, or…" he gulped, then said, "Yeah, it's hard."
They fell silent again, simply watching the waves, but it was an easy silence. There was something comforting in sitting beside someone who shared the same grief. Instinctively, Annabeth reached for Percy's hand. His palm was warm and his fingers were solid as they curled around hers. He kept holding her hand even as he asked, "What about Luke?"
"What about him?" Two days ago, that question would have come out snappy. Now, it was just tired.
"He died a hero. I mean, don't get me wrong, he did some horrible stuff, but he made the right choice in the end. You helped him do that." Percy squeezed her hand, then took a deep breath and said, "I know he was important to you. And I think it's okay to mourn for him, too. For who he used to be."
Annabeth didn't think she could put into words how much she appreciated hearing that, especially since she knew what it must have taken for Percy to say it. His words were the final force that burst the dam in her chest. She hadn't thought she had any tears left to cry, but apparently she was wrong. It had just been so painful for so long. And now the questions and the indecision and the hope that Luke, the real Luke, would come back were over. It was done. It was finally done.
Annabeth huddled over her knees again, sobbing into her folded arms. But this time, she wasn't alone. Percy scooted closer, putting an arm around her shoulders, his warmth reassuring. It didn't take Annabeth quite as long to run out of tears this time. She took several deep, shaky breaths, trying to get a grip, then using the hem of her t-shirt to dab at her eyes. Even on quests, she didn't think she'd ever felt this completely and utterly exhausted. Taking a small risk, she leaned her head on Percy's shoulder. He didn't seem to mind. "Thanks, Percy."
"For what?" he asked.
"Just being here."
He didn't say anything, just tightened his arm around her shoulders. Annabeth was content to sit there, bare feet buried in the soft, cool sand, her boyfriend's arm around her shoulders. A tiny thrilled tremor ran through her as that thought crossed her mind. My boyfriend.
When she felt like she could speak steadily again, Annabeth asked, "How are you doing?"
Percy shrugged. "I've been better. Probably been worse, but definitely been better. Truthfully, though, I don't think it's all sunk in yet. It's been such a crazy couple days, I'm still trying to process everything."
"Makes sense. There's been a lot going on the past few days. And yes," she added before he could speak, "I know that's another major understatement."
When Percy laughed lightly, she could feel his breath in her hair. Being this close to him was both familiar and new, and definitely something Annabeth thought she could get used to. Before either of them had a chance to say anything else, the conch horn blew, signaling it was nearly curfew.
"Guess that's our cue," Percy said, without making any actual move to get up.
"Probably." Annabeth also stayed exactly where she was. But when the horn blew a second time, she sighed and pushed herself away from Percy, then climbed to her feet. "Come on, Seaweed Brain. It would be seriously humiliating to get eaten by the harpies after everything we've survived."
Percy snorted a laugh, then took the hand she offered and let her help pull him to his feet. His expression grew thoughtful. "Can I even be eaten by harpies?"
Annabeth's tired brain didn't immediately catch his meaning. "What?"
"You know, since I have the curse of Achilles. Could the harpies actually still eat me or would they just, like, gnaw on my arm and nothing would happen?" He sounded so much like he was asking a genuine question that Annabeth almost believed he wasn't joking.
"I have no idea," she said. "Do you want to try that out?"
Percy made a face. "Not really. With my luck, they'd end up accidentally hitting my Achilles' spot."
"That would be a problem," Annabeth agreed. She stepped forward and put her arms around him, hands loosely held over the secret spot in the small of his back. "I don't want anything to happen to you. Especially since you still owe me one, Jackson."
"Oh yeah." Percy smiled slowly. "Don't worry, I'll get you back one day."
"I know. But hopefully that won't be necessary for a very long time. I'm pretty sure we've earned a break."
"Gods, I hope so."
Annabeth really wanted to kiss him, but before she could, the screech of a harpy broke through the quiet night. With another sigh, she disentangled herself from Percy, then asked, "Race you back to the cabins?"
He grinned. "Sure."
Luckily, they didn't run into any harpies. Plus, Annabeth was pretty sure she won, though that wasn't really important. They stopped outside Cabin Three, which was closer to the beach. Percy shoved his hands in his pockets again. "So, um, see you in the morning?"
"Probably. I mean, I'm not planning on going anywhere," Annabeth said teasingly. "Are you?"
Percy took a hand out of his pocket to run it sheepishly over the back of his neck. "Uh, no." He took a deep breath. "Just trying to figure out how to say good night."
Affection warmed Annabeth's chest. She put her hands lightly on his neck. "I might have an idea."
She kissed him. Percy's hands moved to rest at her waist. His lips were faintly salty, maybe because they'd been sitting by the ocean. Annabeth could have happily lingered in that moment for a long time.
But the harpies screeched again, so she pulled away. Percy's eyes looked a little foggy as he said, "I like your ideas."
"I like you, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth gave him a very quick hug, then turned to head across the grass back to her own cabin, throwing a smile and wave over her shoulder. "Good night."
Percy raised a hand, a faint smile on his face. "Night, Annabeth."
Later, curled up in her bunk and drifting drowsily on the edge of sleep, Annabeth reflected that in spite of the grief and tragedy, she had a lot to be grateful for. Percy, obviously, was at the top of that list, but it was a pretty long list. Maybe she didn't feel a lot of gratitude specifically for the Olympians themselves, but she was glad Olympus had been saved. And she was thankful for her friends and everything they'd all accomplished together. And now, she hoped, they could all enjoy some time to relax and recuperate. The entire camp had earned it. Yes, Annabeth thought as she finally fell asleep, they had all earned a nice, long break.
Outside her window, the camp was quiet. Demigods slept and snored and muttered in their sleep. The harpies fluttered around, patrolling. The moon hung low in the sky above Long Island Sound. A breeze ruffled the water, then made the strawberry fields shiver. For a moment, it almost appeared as if the earth was stirring. Then the wind stilled and everything was peaceful again. High on Half-Blood Hill, Thalia's tree stood sentinel, its magical protection enclosing the sleeping demigods in the valley below.
Camp Half-Blood had survived another summer.