Hello!
Thank you very much for all the wonderful reviews! Sorry for the wait, but here's the must-awaited final chapter. I hope it lives up to everything you wanted. Enjoy! xx
Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series, nor its characters, nor do I own the Grammy awards (obviously).
1.
She said yes.
The same three words filled with absolute joy and still a hint of disbelief chorused in Percy's head in an endless loop.
Even after she had kissed him and he slipped the ring on her finger; even after she had praised his choice of ring and they had walked across the soft sand of the beach, watching the dancing colours of the sunset over the sparkling water; even after he had chased her over the sand into the water, only to catch her around the waist and drag them both, laughing, into the water where they had shared a perfect, blissful underwater kiss; even after they had dried off and lay on their backs in the sand, staring up at the slowly emerging stars.
Annabeth's hand was clutched in his as they stared up at the twinkling specs in a mesmerised, peaceful silence.
After what could have been seconds, or an eternity, Percy heard an absolutely odd sentence slip from Annabeth's lips in a hushed, trembling whisper: "Bob says hello."
In confusion and concern at both her words and tone, Percy looked over at her, and saw a glistening tear slip down her creamy cheek. In the silver moonlight, the tear appeared to glow and shine like a precious gem.
Over their time together, they had found out much about the other, each knowing the other almost like the back of their hand. However, as with everything, there were still hidden details, repressed memories, small secrets that they didn't yet know.
Percy was not one to pry, but seeing her face awash in the silver moonlight, tear tracks lighting her complexion, he could not help but wonder what caused her such anguish.
"Who's Bob?" He questioned quietly, watching for a reaction, checking he wasn't overstepping the boundaries.
"He is – was – a kind old man I used to know." She answered after a moment of consideration.
"He was my neighbour who had severe Alzheimers, so he couldn't leave the house for fear of never returning. When I was young, I used to go visit him and spend time with him to alleviate his loneliness. All he had apart from me was his cat, called Small Bob." At this, she let out a small, shaky laugh, and Percy smiled at the sound.
"We lived in a big city, so you could never see the stars, but he used to tell me that before his disease, he had loved looking at the stars. He would forget me frequently, but then I'd remind him every time. Eventually, the only things that seemed to stick with him were me, his cat and the stars. He helped me with many an issue back then, and I remember being there when he finally passed away. His last words to me were Say hello to the stars for me. So, here I am, saying hello."
As she finished telling her story, Percy himself felt his eyes clouding with hot tears.
"I'm sorry." He said lamely, unsure what to say.
"It's alright. It was a long time ago." She replied, squeezing his hand as emphasis.
"Since you've told me a special memory, I'll tell you one too." Percy declared.
"Okay."
"Years ago, I knew this girl, Zoe. She was odd, old fashioned and kinda annoying, but over time, we became good friends. Now, her situation at home wasn't great; I was vaguely aware of this, but never thought too much of it. Zoe, like Bob, had a fascination with the stars and the moon. She always used to talk about this one Greek goddess, Artemis, and how much she respected her values and what she stood for. I didn't really get it, but went along with it because it made her happy.
Over time, I saw her less and less, and I thought there might be something up with her and her father. Her sister had run away, and her father was terribly abusive towards her. Of course, I only found this out later. One of the last times I saw her, she told me that her greatest wish was to be made into a constellation after her death, like Artemis had done with Orion. Afterwards, she'd laughed it off, but I should have picked up the signs.
Only a week after that, I found out that she had died. Her abusive father, Atlas, had gone one step too far and Zoe hadn't been able to recover from her injuries.
So now, whenever I see the stars, I always like to think that her wish was granted, and that she's somewhere up there in the stars, watching over us."
Throughout his story, Annabeth had said nothing, and as he finished, she simply squeezed his hand. Percy looked over to see fresh tear tracks marking her cheeks.
Over the course of the night, the two laid in the sand, telling each other story after story from their memory, setting themselves completely bare to the other.
Eventually, just before the break of dawn, the two fell asleep on the coarse sand, cradled in one another's arms.
2.
The announcement of their engagement to their friends had gone down a treat. The pair had been congratulated in only more extravagant manners over the course of the day.
First Frank and Hazel, now dating, had presented them with a delectable cake in celebration; then, Nico, Will, Piper and Jason had thrown them a party; then Leo and Reyna had paraded in with large portfolios filled with plans and designs than both horrified and amazed Annabeth. Finally, Grover had bounded in, practically screaming as he hugged them and shouted "I knew it! From the very beginning I knew this would happen!" and promptly began calling to arrange venues and catering.
The whole affair had been rather amusing at first, but after a few weeks of tedious planning and arrangement, Annabeth had had just about enough of the whole wedding.
"Percy!" She shouted from her study.
"What's up?"
"This stupid wedding!" She yelled in frustration, "Why can't we just get officiated and be done with it? Screw the whole ceremony."
"Annabeth." Percy said, walking into the room where she was currently having a breakdown, "Eat this, then we'll talk."
He shoved a plate of blue pancakes in her face, slathered in butter and drowning in maple syrup.
"Pancakes? At two in the morning?" She asked shrewdly.
Percy shrugged, his green eyes twinkling with some hidden mischief and lips turned up in a tiny smirk, "Why not?"
"I suppose I have no answer to that," Annabeth conceded, "But, if these are like last time, then-"
"They're not. Trust me, I've tested them this time." He gave her a sheepish grin as she reminisced the horrors of the last time Percy had made pancakes.
Still eyeing the stack with suspicion, she grudgingly took the plate and finally, bracing herself, she took a bite.
It was good. Not the best, but good.
She proceeded to tell him so, which seemed to satisfy him as she wolfed down the rest of the stack, not having realised her ravenous state.
When she had devoured the whole plate of blue food, Percy took it from her and set it on the desk, addressing her calmly, "So, what's this about calling off our wedding, Wise Girl?"
"It's not that I want to call off the wedding exactly, but, ugh, there's just so much planning and so many things to do, with so little time. I have a mountain of work to do on a big new project for work too, and I just don't know how I can manage this. It's just too frustrating." She confessed, her head in her hands.
For a while, Percy seemed deep in thought, pondering a solution. "How about this," He began, "You get on with your big work project, and I'll do all the wedding stuff. I know you want everything to be perfect, but you're putting too much on yourself, and working yourself into the ground. Just let me do this, you won't even have to think about it, and I'll sort it all. We're just back from tour, so the band's not got too much work at the moment, so I've got the time. Do you trust me to do it?"
Annabeth considered the offer. While it would certainly remove a great weight from her shoulders, it would also mean leaving all the organisation and planning of one of the most important days of her life to Percy. The issue wasn't that she didn't think Percy could handle it, it was that she felt that she could handle it better. However, she also knew, that if she continued trying to do everything all herself, she'd break.
After a long, silent, pause of hesitation, in which she stared into Percy's eyes that silently appealed to her to concede, Annabeth released a long sigh and said, "Fine. I'll give you the basic foundations of the plans, and from there, I leave the rest to you. I don't want to hear anything about your plans until the dress, cake and then the day itself. I'm putting all my trust in you, so don't mess this up."
With that final statement, she gave him a withering look, daring him to do otherwise, and presenting to him the terrifying alternative. With some amusement, she could see him falter slightly under her gaze.
It was good to know she still had some force of intimidation.
After their engagement, Percy had watched as Annabeth grew more and more stressed, tired and frustrated. It was like watching an elastic being stretched, and he knew that soon, it would be stretched to its limit and snap.
It pained him to watch as she worked herself up and overloaded herself with work, and Percy knew he had to do something before she snapped.
Annabeth, being the perfectionist she was – which was something Percy loved about her, but he knew that it was also her weakness – wanted to take control of everything: her own work, their wedding plans, and he knew that it would just be too much.
The wedding planning especially seemed to be affecting her. Because she was somewhat out of her comfort zone with all of it, he noticed she was finding it difficult to handle.
Every one of their friends had offered their services to help for the wedding. Grover offered to call in favours from famous connections in the industry. Piper said her mother could provide the dress and decorations, being a famous designer. Jason offered his father's company's venues. Leo had presented his technical know-how for the effects. Hazel and Frank had offered catering, and Nico and Will had said they could take care of guest lists.
Despite all of this, Annabeth had declined their offers, stubbornly stating that she wanted to sort it out herself. Percy understood that accepting their help would be a big blow to her pride, but now that he saw the state she was in, he had to do something.
"Percy!" He heard her shout from her study.
It was the middle of the night, and he had been awake working on a new song in their studio, and now he was making pancakes. Blue pancakes.
"What's up?" He called back, worrying at the stress in her voice.
"This stupid wedding! Why can't we just get officiated and be done with it? Screw the whole ceremony!" She yelled.
Now Percy could hear that she was close to snapping. He knew he had to put the plan he had slowly been formulating into action.
Piling some pancakes onto a plate and adding butter and maple syrup, he approached Annabeth's study, where he could tell by the stacks of papers strewn everywhere and her hunched posture that she was in the middle of a breakdown.
"Annabeth." He said softly, offering her the plate, "Eat this, then we'll talk."
She stared at him blankly, her slate grey eyes darkened and stormy with stress and fatigue.
"Pancakes? At two in the morning?" She questioned accusatorily.
Percy found some amusement in the fact that she no longer questioned the addition of blue colouring to their food, and shrugged, uttering, "Why not?"
She considered this for a moment, and Percy observed as her face scrunched up cutely as she admitted defeat, saying, "I suppose I have no answer to that."
Then, as an afterthought, she added with her face growing shrewdly suspicious, "But if these are like last time-"
Percy shuddered as horrific images of the last time he'd made pancakes resurfaced, and assured her, "They're not, trust me. I've tested them this time." He gave her a sheepish grin as he offered the plate to her once more.
Grudgingly, she took it, and finally she took a bite.
After chewing thoughtfully, she told him that it was good. Not the best, but good.
Percy was happy with that, and watched contentedly as she scarfed down the remainder of the stack.
When she had finished, he took the plate from her and set it down on the desk, addressing the problem at hand.
"So, what's this about calling off our wedding, Wise Girl?"
Shifting her head into her hands, Annabeth answered tiredly, "It's not that I want to call off the wedding exactly, but, ugh, there's just so much planning and so many things to do, with so little time. I have a mountain of work to do on a big new project for work too, and I just don't know how I can manage this. It's just too frustrating."
Percy fully understood her predicament, and knew that this was the time to bring up the idea he had been nursing for a little while.
"How about this," He attempted, "You get on with your big work project, and I'll do all the wedding stuff. I know you want everything to be perfect, but you're putting too much on yourself, and working yourself into the ground. Just let me do this, you won't even have to think about it, and I'll sort it all. We're just back from tour, so the band's not got too much work at the moment, so I've got the time. Do you trust me to do it?"
Imploringly Percy watched as she considered his proposition, through her stormy eyes, he could almost see the cogs turning in her head underneath those beautiful golden princess curls.
Finally, Annabeth looked up at his eyes, and he could tell she was hesitating, but then she let out a long sigh, and conceded: "Fine. I'll give you the basic foundations of the plans, and from there, I leave the rest to you. I don't want to hear anything about your plans until the dress, cake and then the day itself. I'm putting all my trust in you, so don't mess this up."
With the last words, she gave him a threatening glare, daring him to do what she had just warned against, letting him know what she would do to him if he did. Percy instinctively shrank away a little.
Sometimes Annabeth terrified him, and he knew that she could beat him up in a heartbeat, but he loved that about her.
3.
At first, Annabeth had been incredibly reluctant to let Percy take control of their wedding, and was constantly wracked with worry that somehow, something would go wrong and everything would turn out to be a disaster. However, as time progressed, no one had yet come to her begging for help, and Percy hadn't mentioned anything that would hint that things weren't going smoothly.
It had been incredibly sweet of Percy to do everything, so Annabeth thought that it couldn't hurt to just this once, sit back and be grateful for the alleviated pressure.
Her curiosity though was though the roof, because she had so far been told nothing, and she could see as she came and went about the house, Percy and their various friends having secret, whispered meetings that became silent as soon as she was spotted.
Despite this, Annabeth was happy, and more relaxed than she had been in a long while.
Unfortunately, about three months after the engagement, four months' time from the wedding, she found an article in one of the big tabloid magazines, headlined: Miss Number One Fan to become Mrs Number One Fan!
Somewhat confused by the headline, but seeing a large image of Percy's face on the cover below it, she had picked it up and read through the article.
It contained detailed speculation as to who the mysterious Miss Number One Fan could be, still unknown after all these years, as well as a few blurry photos of her and Percy together. Then it moved on to discuss Percy's recent activities and how they were suspiciously centred around wedding planning. The article was sure that Percy was getting married, and it was adamant about finding out to whom the marriage would be.
Sighing, she realised that this complicated things somewhat, because while they tried to keep a low profile, every so often, they were caught by the paparazzi, and although Annabeth didn't think they knew where they lived, there was always the possibility, and the last thing she wanted was their wedding being interrupted and plastered all over the tabloids.
She decided that she would have to discuss the issue with Percy – perhaps that evening – and try to find some sort of solution.
Percy had spent the past few months preparing avidly for the wedding.
Everything their friends had offered, he decided to accept, because it would only make it easier, and it wouldn't hurt to do so. He had found the perfect places and people through Grover, he had arranged the food with Hazel and Frank, he had asked Piper and her mom to work out everyone's outfits, Jason had helped find a venue and an officiator, Nico and Will were sorting out the guests and the invitations, Leo had been preparing some sort of crazy system that he said would be totally amazing, Reyna had found staff to work the night, and Rachel was doing the decorating.
All was well, and Percy was feeling confident that Annabeth would like the final prodeuct of his and their friends' collective efforsts.
That night, when Annabeth returned to the house, at dinner, she addressed Percy. He thought that she seemed to be unusually serious, and worried that something had happened to her at work. And so, when she pulled out a tabloid magazine, slamming it onto the table with a stony fierceness, he was somewhat taken aback.
"What's this, Wise Girl?"
"Read it." She ordered.
Slightly intimidated by her irritation, he took the magazine and read the headline: Miss Number One Fan to become Mrs Number One Fan!
Flipping through to the article itself, he skimmed the contents, and saw photos of him and Annabeth, but she was still unidentified, then it mentioned his recent wedding related activities, and was sure he was marrying said number one fan.
"Oh." Was all he said to her, understanding the implications of such an article.
Percy knew that any minute now, the press would start pursuing him and then Annabeth relentlessly, and would likely ruin their upcoming wedding as well.
"So, what are we going to do about it?" She enquired curtly.
"I could do an interview?" He suggested, "I'd explain that we are getting married and that we want our lives to stay private."
"Do you think that'll work?" She pressed, her brow furrowed in concentrated worry.
"It's our best shot."
"Okay, but you're going to do it soon then, and you'll go into it with an elaborate plan."
"Yes sir!" Percy joked, saluting her in reply to her commanding words.
Breaking out into a smile, she swatted him playfully, "Oh, be quiet, Seaweed Brain."
At the interview Percy was sweating in anxiety. He and Annabeth had rehearsed what he would say a million times, but he was still nervous. This interview could make or break their plans for the wedding and their privacy for the rest of their lives.
"So, Percy, your career with The Olympians has been going great, I'd imagine you're on top of the world – especially with your world tour you did a few months ago and the new music you've been releasing recently. But, let's get down to the real question of interest. Your mysterious Miss Number One Fan, your companion from the beginning, and I must say, one of your best songs too… the news has been spreading that you're soon getting married, and to none other than the famous subject of your songs. Can you tell us, what's the truth behind this rumour? And more importantly, what is the identity of your mystery girl?"
"Well, you see, the first question, I can give you the answer to. The answer is that it is true. Miss Number One Fan and I are getting married soon, after a few years of dating. I cannot, however, reveal her identity. She has her own life, and would prefer to remain out of the spotlight. The two of us want a peaceful life, so we respectfully ask that all fans and media refrain from trying to get information on us, and please, above all, don't come anywhere near our wedding. I've put a lot of effort into it, I don't want it ruined."
Percy hoped that that had sounded natural and convincing enough. Annabeth had dictated the majority of it to him, except the final part, which he had accidentally let slip out. He hoped Annabeth wouldn't mind too much that he'd deviated from the script.
By some miracle, the appeal at the interview seemed to have worked, and they hadn't been bothered in the slightest by the media. Out of pure distrust, Annabeth still kept on her toes, being extra careful about covering her face when she and Percy went out, and warning Percy to be discreet in his wedding planning activities.
Despite this, things appeared to be going smoothly, and only two weeks before the wedding, Annabeth was with Piper, trying on her dress.
"You look beautiful." Piper said, wiping away a tear as Annabeth emerged from the dressing room in her gown.
"Thanks. Your mother did a great job. The dress is perfect." She remarked, turning to observe her reflection in the mirror.
The dress was a long, white Greek-style one, made from a light, silky material that flowed down with some folds as part of the fabric was draped in a loop back up to the delicate crystal encrusted strip that encircled her waist. The dress only wrapped over one shoulder, and from that one shoulder a cape-like train fell delicately to her feet.
"It's wonderful. I'll take it."
One week before the wedding, Percy and Annabeth visited Hazel's café to choose their wedding cake.
They spent a fun afternoon tasting slice after slice of cake – which Percy had insisted must be blue – until finally settling on a flavour combination both loved. They had also decided that the cake should be somewhat ocean themed, with silver accents to the blue. Annabeth had also requested that somewhere on it, an owl should be shown.
Unfortunately – or some would say fortunately, as looking back on it, it had made a wonderful memory – the afternoon had ended in a disastrous debacle.
Just as they were tasting their final piece of cake, and had made their decision, Annabeth noticed a small spider land on the cake on the table before her. Her immense phobia immediately upping her adrenaline, with a shriek, she grabbed the nearest thing to her, which happened to be a chair, and smashed the cake with it.
Flabbergasted, Percy and Hazel gawped as she did so, confused as to her sudden change of behaviour.
Then, as Annabeth whipped around, frantically asking "Is it dead?" with her eyes wide, Percy burst out laughing, running a hand through his messy black hair.
"What?" Annabeth snapped, glaring at him, "What are you laughing at? There is nothing funny about this situation."
"There was a spider, wasn't there?" Percy asked through gasps of laughter.
"Yes, and I don't understand why you're laughing, because spiders as the spawn of the devil sent to personally torment me, so of course I had to kill it." Annabeth retorted defensively.
"Sure, sure, but look, there'd blue cake everywhere now." Percy gestured to the floor, the table and Annabeth, and just burst into a further bout of cackles.
Hazel just stood, still in shock, looking upon the scene in silence, finally saying, "I'll go get a mop."
4.
The day they had all been waiting in such anticipation for had finally arrived: The day of the wedding.
In the morning, Annabeth had been driven to the venue in a fancy, retro white car, decorated with flowers and ribbons. Now, in a small room with a dressing table fitted with a large mirror, Annabeth's bridesmaids – Piper, Reyna, Hazel and Rachel – were whirling about the room, getting her and themselves into their dresses, all fitting the Greek theme, applying makeup and doing hair.
Piper's mom, Aphrodite was there, and she was currently pinning Annabeth's curls up into an elegant updo, adding silver bands into her hair, complimenting the silver of her owl earrings and the faint silver glitter on her eyes.
After what seemed like hours, the preparations were finished, and Annabeth stood, ready to make her way down the aisle.
As she exited the little dressing room, she felt her stomach filling with butterflies.
This is it. She thought, This is finally it.
Clutching her bouquet of white roses, followed by her bridesmaids, she ventured outside the house, into the sprawling garden laid out with rows of white chairs, leaving an aisle in the middle, with a small podium below an arch of pale blue flowers at the end.
Approaching the beginning of the aisle, Annabeth saw all their family and friends seated. She saw her father, stepmother and stepbrothers, she watched as he wiped a tear from his eye as he saw her; she saw Sally, Percy's mother, already practically bawling, and she smiled as Annabeth remembered her being the most enthusiastic out of everyone upon their engagement.
Beginning her walk down the aisle, the bridal march began to play softly, and Annabeth saw Percy finally turn to face her. As they made eye contact, and she saw the tears building in his eyes as he looked at her with so much love she never could have imagined, she thought she could never be happier.
Percy stood, waiting on the podium, his stomach twisted into a million knots. He had planned everything to perfection, and now all that was needed was the bride to make it all complete.
As the Bridal March began to play softly from Leo's sound system, Grover – the best man – nudged him gently, signalling him to turn around.
The moment Percy laid eyes on Annabeth, looking radiant in her wedding gown, he felt his eyes tearing up, and thought he could never be happier than in that moment when she looked at him with such love in her eyes.
Slowly but surely, she approached, and finally, she reached the podium, and more importantly, she reached him.
"You look amazing." He murmured as she stood before him, ready to say her vows.
"You're not half bad either Seaweed Brain." She returned with a small smirk.
"Are you ready to make your vows?" The officiator asked, interrupting their small moment.
They both nodded.
Percy turned to face Annabeth, taking her hand and looking her straight in those beautiful grey eyes, "From the very beginning you were with me; you were my support, my inspiration, before I even knew you. Then I met you, and you became all those things and more, but most importantly, you became my love. So, like I promised to dedicate that Grammy to you, I now promise to take you, Annabeth Chase, as my lawfully wedded wife, to love and to cherish you in sickness and in health, to have and to hold, for better and for worse, until death do us part."
With tears in her eyes, and a smile on her face, Annabeth stared into Percy's sea green eyes and said, "From the beginning I was with you, I was your number one fan. You helped me through a bad day and comforted me before I even knew you. I got to know you, and I fell in love, and now here I am, still your number one fan, promising to continue being so in taking you, Perseus Jackson, as my lawfully wedded husband, to love and to cherish in sickness and in health, to have and to hold, for better and for worse, until death do us part."
As she finished speaking, from behind, each of the pair was handed a ring, and carefully, they slipped them onto the other's finger.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife!" The officiator announced, "You may kiss the bride."
In an instant, Percy's lips captured Annabeth's in a tender kiss, filled with love and all of their shared memories of happiness, as well as the prospect of their future happiness to come.
Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it.:)
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Thanks for reading and I love you all! :)