Finals are tough. Here's some percabeth fluff to lighten your day :)

Takes place night of Percy's sixteenth birthday. This story was inspired by the song Fields of Gold by Sting but isn't a songfic.

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians and none of the characters crafted so beautifully by Rick Riodan.

The date of our story was August 18th, 2006. (1) The luminescent full moon settled snugly into its jealous sky as twilight quietly approached Long Island Sound. A large bonfire shone defiantly against the darkness and the crowd around it sang jubilantly. Their faces were covered with scars from a dark past, but they held themselves with the confidence and pride of great victors. Let us enter the world of a certain Annabeth Chase who is among this euphoric crowd. The girl's hair hung dripping down her back, her clothing was sticky and sopping wet, and a myriad of bandages lay soggily on her forearms.

Despite the discomfort we would assume the girl may be experiencing, Annabeth was convinced that she was the happiest girl on Earth. Actually, she amended, all Earth and Olympus. For the hands that lay intertwined with hers belonged to none other than Percy Jackson.

She sighed contentedly and gave it a small squeeze, just to remind herself that this was real. That he was real. And the double squeeze that her boyfriend's hand returned reassured her of the fact. Annabeth drew a stray wet lock back behind her ear and readjusted her wet shirt. Percy turned to her, raising an eyebrow.

"You do know that I can dry you off, right?"

"Yes, Seaweed Brain, but like I have told you a million times, I'm hot as it is and the water is cooling me off," her warm breath whispered in his ear. Percy smiled and lifted his hands up in a gesture of defeat.

"Have it your way. You still look cold to me, though," he said softly, wrapping his arm around her to draw her close to his warm body.

She leaned on his shoulder, loving the way her head fit perfectly into the crook of his neck. It was a shame, really, that they hadn't gotten together up until now, she thought- and I'm sure we could all agree. The few moments they had spent together as a couple were bliss, and Annabeth could only wonder what it could have been like to have this kind of relationship with Percy during the trying experiences they'd had before.

"It's because of the experiences and conflicts we've gone through that we're even together in the first place," Percy told her once she repeated the thought aloud to him. "Think about it- if we hadn't been assigned the quest to retrieve Zeus's master bolt, how would we have gotten to know each other?"

"I'm sure one way or another-"

"Are you sure?" His green eyes bore into her gray.

"I don't know," she whispered. "It's just that I wish this," she snuggled closer into him, "could have happened sooner."

He smiled. "Well don't miss it Annabeth, it's happening now."

She looked up at him, and with wonder realized the kelp-headed boy actually said something that made perfect sense. You might want to record this, reader, it might be the first time in history it occurred.

"What?" he asked, contemplating the reasons why she wore such a peculiar face.

"Percy, you know that actually was a smart thing to say."

"Hey, you sound surprised!"

She just shook her head and kissed him lightly, savoring every second her lips brushed against his. It didn't matter what had or hadn't happened in the past, it what was happening now. He was happening- and she'd make every moment a lifetime. Let's pan out to watch the bonfire and the singing crowd from afar. I think we'd all agree they wouldn't forget about the fight with Kronos, the trials they'd all been through to reach this point, or even that moon hanging in its jealous sky. But we all know the moment that counts is the one that's happening at that right then and there.

As for the footnote-

(1) I didn't know the year the story took place so I just assigned one.

I thought it was a little cheesy and a little cliché. But what did you think? Reviews are my world.