Underwater

***So, I hadn't checked my Tumblr messages in a long time (I think I may have forgotten it was a feature, oops!), but when I logged back in, one of those messages was a request for the famous underwater kiss from Percy's POV. When I actually sat down to write it, Annabeth started talking, too, so it's from both of their POVs. It's a little sweet, and a little awkward. Classic Percy lol Hope you enjoy! Also, to the anonymous asker, sorry it took so long to respond!***

WHOOSH.

Normally, the cool lake water would have felt like a shock, but since the evening air was still thick with summer humidity, it just felt refreshing. Plus, at the moment, Annabeth was too giddily happy to feel the cold. Percy's hand was still gripping hers, even as they sank into the lake. She had to fight back a grin to keep from accidentally swallowing lake water.

Once they stopped sinking, she automatically kicked upward, but Percy tugged on her hand, pulling her back down. When she looked at him through the murky green water, he gestured towards the bottom of the lake, about fifteen feet down. She frowned, but he gestured again, his expression clearly saying, Trust me. And she did. So she nodded and let him pull her to the bottom of the lake, hoping he would remember that she couldn't breathe underwater (as he'd reminded her before he'd disappeared into New York Harbor just a few days ago).

She shouldn't have worried. Once they were floating a few inches above the lakebed, Percy closed his eyes. Bubbles rushed towards them, some remaining from their initial splash into the water, and formed a much larger bubble, enclosing them in a protected cocoon of oxygen. Annabeth's ears popped as the pressure equalized, and she took a deep breath.

"Nice," she said, looking around the bubble. The memory of Siren Bay flashed through her mind.

Percy grinned. He was still holding her hand. He hadn't willed himself dry, which she appreciated, since she obviously couldn't. Plus, he looked really cute with his dark hair plastered to his forehead, his green eyes reflecting the color of the lake around them. "Well, you know, the whole son of Poseidon thing. It had to be good for something."

"I knew it would pay off eventually," Annabeth said, finally allowing herself to smile.

"Oh yeah?" Percy returned the smile.

"Yeah." Annabeth moved a fraction closer to him. Her lips were still tingling from their kiss in the dining pavilion. She really wanted to kiss him again, but so far she'd been the one making all the moves. This time, she wanted him to make the decision.

Standing only inches away from Annabeth in a not-super-roomy bubble under the lake was making it hard for Percy to think clearly. Especially since she looked so good, even with her hair dripping wet. Her damp orange t-shirt was clinging to her in ways Percy found really distracting. His head was still buzzing from the kiss in the pavilion. He definitely wanted to kiss her again, but he wasn't exactly sure what to do. Why did everything look so easy in movies?

He wondered for a moment, when Annabeth stepped towards him, if she would just solve the problem for him. But when he met her eyes, he saw the message there—Your move, Seaweed Brain—as clearly as if she'd said it. The first two times, she'd kissed him. If this was what he wanted, he needed to step up.

So, taking a cue from slow dancing, Percy put one hand on her waist, the other on her neck, summoned his courage to pull her closer, and kissed her.

Her lips tasted like blue icing. After a moment, Annabeth pressed closer, her arms sliding around him. Percy fought down the urge to smile because he couldn't keep kissing her if he was grinning like a maniac. And he definitely didn't want to stop kissing her yet. Or ever.

And maybe they didn't know exactly what they were doing, but that was okay. They'd figure it out. The prophecy was finished. They had time now.

Annabeth eventually had to pull away to breathe. Her heart was doing a happy gymnastics routine, though, while her brain was saying, Finally!

"Wow," Percy said, looking a little bit like he'd been knocked over the head by a giant's club.

Still feeling giddy, Annabeth laughed. When Percy grinned at her, she thought maybe, just maybe, this could be the start of something really good.

"Come on, Seaweed Brain," she said, taking his hand and feeling another thrill when his fingers wrapped around hers. "Our friends are probably waiting."

Hand in hand, they swam for the surface.

***Thanks for reading! If you want to read a story set immediately post-The Last Olympian, my story August 19th covers that and briefly touches on their possible conversation once they re-surface.

Now, quick announcement: in honor of the Nico/Will book The Sun and the Star coming out May 2nd, the PJO TV show being in production, and, of course, the new Percy, Annabeth, and Grover book The Chalice of the Gods coming out Sept. 26th, I'm going to open up to requests. I've never really done this before, but I think it could be fun. As of right now, I will only be taking requests from now (January) until Dec. 31, 2023. Just a couple of requirements for requests:

Canon-only requests (AU is not my strong suit). College fic and future fic requests are also totally fine—these are fun

Canon-only pairings—for example, Percabeth, Solangelo, Jasper, Caleo, Frazel, etc. However, if there are minor characters who aren't specifically stated to be with someone, we can play with those

Missing moments are probably my favorite, or anything with character backstories that we don't necessarily see in the text (either lead or minor characters)

All series—PJO, HOO, TOA—are fair game

Requests for crossovers with Kane Chronicles or Magnus Chase will be accepted—I like these series, too, lol and the canon crossovers have been fun

I will try my best with all requests, but reserve the right to adapt as needed to make a scene work

If you have questions, send me a message—and please, feel free to start submitting requests! You can send me a message here or on my tumblr at justabooknerdposts

: )