Alright, so here is where the "a bunch of wedding slash engagement themed prompts" list starts. I hope you enjoy this chapter! It'll take a while for me to update the next chapter because I'll be volunteering at a camp. Enjoy!

Dedication: to M, because I am dating a giant ball of Cheese. I hope you love this story half as much as I love you.

2. Timing: "this is probably a bad time, but marry me?"

If there was one thing that Percy hadn't quite realised he absolutely hated, it was evil megalomaniacal mortal scientists who got a hold of magic and tried to smash the two together as if thousands of movies hadn't already determined that this was a bad idea.

From what Percy and Annabeth (mostly Annabeth) could figure out between duels, fights to the deaths with monsters and booby traps: they were currently being treated as lab rats by the aforementioned and unfortunately not rhetorical Megalomaniacal Mortal Scientist. They had no memory of signing up for this or of being kidnapped from their apartment, but Annabeth seemed sure that thought they thought they were in the Labyrinth again, this was a laboratory simulation setting.

"Trust me, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said. "I basically grew up in universities when my dad was teaching."

Whatever was going on, Percy was royally pissed about it. They'd been having a good run at home: their apartment had been monster-free for the last five days. Five entire days. The only thing close to a monster sighting had been some other half-blood getting chased down Broadway by a hellhound, but he'd been yelling that he had everything under control so they'd stayed in their lane and things had been great. Percy had thought that the time had finally fucking come. He'd bought everything he needed to make banana stuffed French toast which was the one thing he could cook that didn't come from a bag, a box or a can- also the first thing he made for Annabeth. She said it wasn't a special occasion without it to tease him, but Percy thought he could make her eat those words along with a balanced breakfast by… well, nevermind. They had priorities at the moment.

Like, Dr Megalomaniacal Scientist? Yeah: he'd just decided to unleash a pack of dracanae gladiators on them from secret traps in the floor.

"Okay," Annabeth said. "We're going to have to hope that Plan Omicron is good enough for this one. Do you have any way to draw water out of the air or..?"

"No, sorry."

"No, that's okay. That's why we have Omicron B."

"On your count?" Percy asked.

Annabeth counted down a bit and then boom. Rehearsed movements, formations, strikes and faints erupted. Percy felt like a dancer who was just pulling out a familiar choreography when the music came on. That's how easy and fluid fighting with Annabeth was, and before they knew it boom, band of dracanae dead, Percy and Annabeth both very much alive.

Percy looked up at Annabeth, panting. She was also trying to catch her breath, her hands on her knees. Hair had flopped out of her ponytails to frame her face with whispy curls and she was covered in monster dust, sweat, dirt and blood. Percy was overwhelmed right that second by everything he'd been meaning to say via French toast and cute speeches. This was what he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

"This is probably a bad time," Percy said, "but marry me?"

Annabeth looked at the ring that Percy had just pulled from his pocket half unamused and half shocked. It was pretty.

"Well, I suppose there was never going to be a 'good' time," Annabeth said.

Percy grinned and they fumbled around for a second as he slid the ring on her finger.

"I can't believe you were carrying that around this entire time," Annabeth said.

"Aren't you proud that I didn't drop it?"

"I'm very proud, that would've been sad. It's pretty."

"Thanks. The real plan included stuffed French toast, so I guess you'll get that later? I'm kind of winging it, but I really wanted to marry you too."

"Perfect," Annabeth smiled. She kissed him over the dracanae's body.

"Okay," Percy said. "I think we should run now."

"To be honest we should have been doing that ten minutes ago, but that's okay," Annabeth said, taking his hand and dragging him down the appropriate tunnel.