I Like-Like You
Percy walked into the Athena cabin, stirring Annabeth out of her thoughts. He brushed his hair out of his face, running his hand through his hair. "Annabeth… you've been lost in thought all day. Are you mad at me?"
She looked up and sighed, closing her book. "No, I'm not mad at you. I've just been researching some stuff, as usual."
"Are you sure? Do you need help?" He sounded a bit concerned for her well-being. Well, she had been inside all day.
"I'm sure." She chuckled. "I'm also pretty sure that you wouldn't understand half of this, Seaweed Brain."
"Okay, rude." He laughed with her, sitting down next to her. "But since I'm bored, what are you reading about?"
"Buildings, like this one." Annabeth pointed to various buildings, explaining their origins. She watched as Percy's eyes half glazed over; she could tell he was still listening to her slightly.
He interrupted her, saying, "Okay, so buildings aren't fun." He laughed, gazing into her eyes. "How about I take you for a picnic on the beach? That's fun."
She smiled at him. "That sounds nice," she complied. "But buildings are not boring!"
He pouted. "They are for me." He grabbed her hand, saying, "Come on, I already have it set up!" He pulled her towards the door eagerly, ignoring the staring eyes of her cabin mates.
"So you had this planned?" She laughed slightly.
Percy smiled at her earnestly. "Well, if I could tear you out of your mood." He stopped walking, kissing her on the head and breathing in the smell of her hair. "You study too much. You need to have fun every once in a while."
"When I'm studying buildings, it's fun," Annabeth argued.
He pouted again. "Yeah, but not for me."
They arrived at the beach, and Annabeth stared at the scene, happiness filling her expression. There was your average picnic blanket and basket. There were sandwiches (obviously made by Piper), potato chips, fruit salad, and Coke. A few candles danced in the late summer breeze.
Percy squeezed her hand. "Here we are."
"This looks nice," she said, smiling and looking up at Percy.
"I'm glad you could come. It wouldn't be fun if it was just me." He kissed her gently, savoring every moment. "Man, it's starting to take effort to yank you away from your 'research', and it is summer! I miss you, Annie." He kissed her again. "Why do I have to share you with your books, again?"
She blushed slightly and kissed his cheek. "I want to know how to protect us in any circumstance. Also, you know I want to be an architect, and college is in fall."
Percy leaned in, whispering, "I will always be here for you, no matter how much you're studying. Remember, I swore it on the Styx." He wrapped his arm around Annabeth, sipping his drink. "I love you."
"And I will always be here for you, no matter how badly you mess up." She leaned back into him, sighing with pleasure. "I love you, too."
"I appreciate the confidence boost," he murmured into her ear. He chuckled, but it was short-lived.
The camp alarm went off, signaling the arrival of a monster at the border. Percy checked his watch, stiffening; his hand automatically went to his pocket in which Riptide was kept. His other hand went to rub soothing circles on Annabeth's back.
"It's okay; it's only 7:00. We're not on shift. We'll go help if the second alarm goes off."
Annabeth nodded, but she still grabbed her Yankees cap from her pocket.
Percy failed to notice, grabbing her a sandwich. "Eat, in case it does go off." He went to grab one for himself, and on second thought, grabbed two.
Annabeth took a small, nervous bite, and Percy groaned.
"Annabeth," he whined. "I didn't bring you here to be tense. Eat."
"Do you want me to shove it all in my mouth at once?" Annabeth asked, taking another bite and poking his nose.
"Nope," he said, hugging her to him gently. "I want you to not be so tense."
Annabeth ruffled his hair, not actually messing it up because it was already messed up. "I'm not tense! I'm just… on guard."
"Isn't that pretty much the same thing?" By this time, Percy's sandwiches are both gone, and he busied himself by kissing Annabeth when she wasn't eating. "Being 'on guard' all the time isn't good for you. Maybe I'll have to take you for a swim to help you have fun." He grinned mischievously, tightening his grip on her so she couldn't run away.
"No! Percy!" She struggled, laughing.
"Oh, yes." He laughed, standing up and throwing her over his shoulder. He ran towards the water, saying, "This'll teach you to loosen up." He jumped in, running and swimming until they are underwater, a little bubble around them filled with oxygen.
"No!" she shouted, kicking and hitting his back.
Percy laughed, waiting until the bubble touched the sea floor before gently setting her down across from him. "Wise Girl, the sea background suits you."
"Oh, no, it does not! Percy, our parents hate each other! I. Don't. Like. Water." Annabeth couldn't help but laugh slightly.
"But-but," Percy said, stuttering on purpose to make her laugh. He pouted. "But you like me."
"Yes, I like you. In fact, I love you. But if we're going to act like third graders I guess I can only say that I like-like you, Percy."
"I like-like you too, Wise Girl," he said, laughing gently. "I actually like-like you a lot." Percy got down on one knee, pulling a simple but beautiful ring out of the pocket of his jeans. "Annabeth, I know we're only twenty, but you mean the world to me. You are my world. I definitely would not be living right now without you. I want to be with you forever." He smiled. "So maybe, if the feeling is mutual, would you want to marry me? In, like, a year or two?" His nervousness was evident through his earnest smile.
Annabeth smiled broadly, her eyes lighting up. "Oh my gods. Of course! Yes, I would love to! Yes… I love you so much."
"I prayed to all the gods that you would say yes," Percy said, his face lighting up. He slipped the ring on her finger, kissing her passionately. So passionately, in fact, that the bubble quickly rose to the surface and popped. That resulted in Percy spontaneously saving them while still kissing Annabeth. He saved them by creating a water tornado underneath them that still rose, carrying them far above sea level.
Annabeth broke away, looking around nervously. "Yeah, I'm happy, too, Percy, but we're pretty high up."
Percy kissed her again in response, silently guiding the water to drop them on the shore. A crowd that Percy had planned is standing there, cheering. The alarm was fake; an excuse to get Annabeth tense so that Percy could take her underwater long enough for the crowd to form.
Annabeth blushed, turning to hide her face. "Percy, did you literally get all of these people to come here for this?"
Percy grinned. "Gods, I thought you would be more excited, Wise Girl. You're not the only smarty-pants." He winked, kissing her again. The crowd cheered louder.
Annabeth didn't break away this time, but playfully hit him on the shoulder.
"I love you, Annabeth. And I will never, ever, leave you. Ever."
That was really super fun to come up with. FLUFF! That's so satisfying. Please leave a review telling me if you liked it! Next one to come sometime soon!