Prompts for this chapter:

-Marry a man who says things like "You are beautiful," "I am proud of you," "You can do it babe," and "No, 4 glasses of wine isn't a lot."

-I swear my boyfriend's chest has magical powers. Like as soon as I rest my head there that's it, all my worries are sucked from my soul and just disappear.

Story inspired by the plot of a fanfiction titled "Learn from Love, Learn from Peace," by Aconite72. Read it. It was good.

Annabeth was furious. She had been staring at this blueprint for two hours already, and was getting absolutely nowhere. He wants a lofted ceiling AND stained glass windows!? Annabeth just couldn't believe that this man was so unwilling to compromise. Annabeth could build him a gorgeous house easily, but the man just kept piling on more and more ridiculous demands. She would pull her hair out, if it weren't already in a sloppy bun on her head.

"Honey, I'm home!"

Annabeth rolled her eyes and took another swig of her wine. Like she wasn't annoyed enough. Her loving husband just had to come home and make things worse. When she didn't answer, he peeked his head into the living room, where he found her on the couch with her blueprints.

"Babe? You okay?"

"I'm fine, Percy. Just aggravated." She tried to find a polite way to tell him to go away. "Can you just leave me to think for a while?"

"Sure thing. I'll start dinner."

"Thank you."

He started to leave, but stopped himself. "Hey, Annabeth?"

"Yea?"

"You look beautiful"

"I look like I was attacked by crows," she deadpanned.

He shrugged. "You're always beautiful. I just thought I'd tell you." With that, he left to cook the aforementioned dinner. She couldn't help but smile as she poured herself another glass of wine.

"Annie, dinner's ready!" she heard Percy call from the kitchen. She took a deep breath. Food. She didn't know what Percy had made, but it smelled good. She picked up her glass of wine, and headed to the kitchen, leaving her blueprints abandoned for the time being.

"Percy, whatever you made smells amazing."

"Thanks. It's your favorite—"

Her eyes lit up. "Chicken Francese!?"

"The one and only!"

"Gods, I love you," she leaned up and kissed his cheek.

"I love you, too," he chuckled, setting two plates of food on the table. "It seemed like you were having a tough time with whatever you're working on, so I wanted to do something special for you. Plus, the chicken was already defrosted."

She rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "I appreciate that. I appreciate this. I know you've had a long day at work too, and I kinda just shut you out back there." She had the decency to look sheepish.

He shrugged as they sat down to eat. "I get it. You've got a tough customer on your hands. But I'm sure you'll figure it out. I have faith in you. You can do it, babe, whatever it is."

She smiled. Percy never pretended to understand the intricacies of her job. But she loved it, and that was enough for him. He knew better than to ask questions, but he always supported her in the moments she needed it. Moments like right now.

"Thanks. I needed to hear that."

"Anytime. Do you want another glass of wine?"

"Yes, please," she answered, sliding her empty wine glass over to him. He filled her glass generously.

After dinner, Annabeth had returned to her place on the couch, her wine glass freshly refilled. Percy left her to work, retreating to their bedroom to shower and watch some TV before bed.

Percy realized it had been several hours since he'd left Annabeth in the living room, and she still hadn't come up to bed. He decided to check on her— he knew that sometimes when she got caught up in her work, her own needs went to the wayside.

He found Annabeth dead asleep, with her head resting on top of her blueprints. Her bun had fallen out and her hair was spread out in a messy halo around her head. Her wine glass lay empty, abandoned, on the edge of the coffee table. He chuckled. Typical Annabeth, choosing to fall asleep over her work rather than come up to bed like a normal person.

Of course, he wasn't going to let her stay there; she'd feel awful in the morning if she stayed that way. He picked her up bridal style and headed to their bedroom. Annabeth stirred. "Percy," she slurred. He smiled. She was definitely a little drunk.

"Yes, love?"

She didn't even open her eyes. "I finished it." She declared, nuzzling her nose into his neck.

"I knew you could do it. I'm so proud of you," he told her, dropping a kiss on her forehead. She sighed and tightened her hold on his neck. Sometimes, she would swear on the River Styx that Percy's chest had magical powers of its own. She says that as soon as her head hits his chest, it's as if all of her worries are sucked from her soul and disappear. He's always laughed away the compliment before, but based on the contented look on her face, he was starting to believe her just a little.

"Percy?"

"Yea?"

"Is four glasses of wine a lot?"

He tried to bite back his laugh. She was four glasses deep, slurring her words, and was passed out on the coffee table when he found her. Is four glasses of wine a lot!?

"No, babe, four glasses of wine isn't a lot."

"Good."

He gently deposited her on the bed, quickly removed her clothes, and had her dressed in one of his old camp tee shirts in under five minutes. Sure she had her own, but she liked his better. Especially to sleep in. He stripped down to his boxers and got under the covers alongside her, where she immediately curled up next to him. He knew she was going to regret the wine in the morning, but for now she was happy, and that was all he could ask for.