A/N: Hey guys! Part 2 of this AU, hope you like it!
When Annabeth had given him a pass and told him he's free to visit anytime, he had nervously accepted it and never thought that he'd actually ever use it.
But since he's gotten an impromptu day off, he musters up some courage and desperately tries not to look as lost as he feels as he approaches the row of buildings. But he's a New Yorker through and through and has perfected the careless indifference that comes with occasionally getting lost on confusing NY streets.
He walks up to the gate and casually waves his pass at the guards, apparently doing such a good job at looking like he belongs that after a quick check, they let him go wordlessly.
He breathes a sigh of relief, even though everything he's doing is completely legal and his girlfriend is the main star of the film.
Holy shit, The Annabeth Chase is his girlfriend. You'd think after so many months he'd be used to it, but it's a freakout he has twice a week, usually while he's doing something especially mundane, like making coffee.
Except he's not making coffee and this is not the time to freak out, so he quells his emotions as he slips into the background of set 8, where the highly anticipated Mark Of Athena starring Annabeth Chase is being filmed.
Dressed in an unassuming jeans and t-shirt, he blends in with the crew in the back and follows everyone's line of sight to the front where a hall is made up with a giant Athena statue hovering over the scene.
And right there, in the middle, is his girlfriend. Cut up, beaten in, holding a dagger and glaring furiously at someone blocked by cameras.
He can't even begin to care about what's going on in the scene, doesn't even hear the lines she's delivering, because all he can focus on is just how stunning she looks.
Her clothes are ripped and her hair is a mess, but there's a thunderstorm raging in her eyes, her expression set so fiercely he can see the determination and tiredness rolling off of her.
She looks like she could go on forever.
He can't tear his eyes away and he doesn't even realize they've ended the take until Annabeth relaxes, turning towards the director, eyes sweeping the room and landing on him.
"Percy?" she gasps, running up to him so easily that he has to remember that the cuts on her legs are fake.
He can tell he's surprised her and her hand goes up to fix her hair before pausing a moment (probably remembering she shouldn't mess with her look) and dropping to the side.
"I didn't expect you to be here today," she continues, looking a little nervous.
Immediately, Percy's face falls. He knew he shouldn't have taken her up on her offer, now she looks uncomfortable.
"I can leave," he replies quickly, backing into the darkness a little more.
"No, no!" Annabeth reaches a hand out to stop him, her fingers wrapping around his wrist. "I didn't mean it like that, it's just...today is this big fight scene and I look extra…" she trails off.
"Beautiful?" he supplies.
He's managed to surprise Annabeth Chase twice in the span of two minutes. It's a new personal record.
She laughs quietly, the traces of nervousness gone as she offers him a smile. "You're sweet."
He shakes his head. "No, Annabeth, I mean you…" he flounders for a moment, trying to find the words. "You look, I mean you always look stunning no matter what, but right there in that scene, you looked ethereal. Like you were meant to fight wars and win. You look...undefeatable."
Annabeth's mouth actually opens at the words, and she just stands there staring at him for long enough that he's afraid he's done something wrong.
"Annabe—"
Her lips press against his before he can even finish the word and finally he has himself an armful of Annabeth pressed up against him, arms coming to wrap around his neck. She kisses him hard, like she really did just get back from fighting a war, like it's been years.
(In Percy's head, it has been.)
They pull away slowly, smiling at each other, and he wants so badly to tangle his fingers in her hair and cup her face, but the cuts remind him that he shouldn't. The last thing he wants is to be kicked off set by the makeup team.
"You're something else, Percy Jackson," she tells him, untangling herself from his embrace and taking a step back.
"I hope that's a good thing," he jokes, suddenly all too aware that there are quite a few people looking at them now.
Annabeth grabs his hand, intertwining their fingers. "The best. Now come on, you're just in time for lunch."
-.-
He drives her to his place once she's done, after spending the remaining time on set keeping out of everyone's way and talking with Jason once he finally arrives.
Annabeth claims that she loves his place, though he's not sure why. It's a small, slightly cramped one bedroom apartment and it's probably the size of her whole kitchen.
As soon as she's through the door, she drops her bag unceremoniously on the ground and Percy stares at the name brand, thinking that it's probably the nicest thing to have ever touched the floor.
When he looks back up, his girlfriend has stripped off her hoodie, and though he's seen her without a shirt before, he can't help but choke at the sight. She grabs a shirt he had discarded earlier in the morning that's laying on the back of the couch (so what if he struggled to figure out which shirt to wear to her set) and pulls it over her head, encompassing her slightly smaller frame in the fabric.
Along with all the other things Percy will never get used to, it's the sight of Annabeth in his clothing. He tries to remember how air works.
"Percyyy," she whines after noticing him just standing there. She waves him over to the couch where she's plopped down and he hastens to follow suit.
She leans into his chest as he wraps an arm around her and he can feel her nose against his neck where she's buried her head in.
"Mmm, I could get used to this after a long day of filming," she says, against his shoulder and god so could he.
"Me too."
They sit in silence as Percy flicks through the TV.
"Did you mean it?"
He stops on a rerun of Jeopardy and looks down to meet blonde waves resting on his shoulder. "Mean what?"
Annabeth lifts her head to meet his eyes. "What you said, on set."
"Of course I did."
"How are you even real," she mutters, more to herself but he hears it.
He grins, pressing a quick kiss to her lips. "Like that."
She shakes her head at him, bringing their intertwined hands up to her face. Leaning her cheek against it, she sighs softly. "You could fight a war and win it too."
Laughing, he pulls her closer. "Only if I have you by my side."
And maybe there's a world out there where they did. Either way, all that really matters, he thinks, is that she's here with him.
Whether it's fighting a war or watching Jeopardy, this is how it should be. Percy and Annabeth, side by side.
A/N: This was the second part to the series, a prompt request from Tumblr actually! My tumblr, for anyone interested, is forevfangirlwrites!
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