A/N: Hey guys! Back with a rare cannonverse chapter! Hope you like it!
It starts with a giant green trident hovering decidedly over his head.
She's not the only one staring. The entire camp is enraptured as the green mist dissolves into thin air after a few moments.
He changes that day. In her eyes he's not just a scrawny kid, but the one she's suspected him to be. In the eyes of the camp, well she's not sure if it's in a good way or a bad way, too caught up in her own perception.
They build a repertoire.
Sneaking off on quests becomes a habit so it's not a surprise everyone's talking about them. Him.
The son of Poseidon that can't keep out of trouble.
He's taller. It's the first thing she notices when she sees him again. Taller, more defined, a far cry from the kid that had stumbled on the porch steps three years ago.
And he's got a phone number scribbled on his arms in black permanent marker.
She's not the only one who's noticed.
The thing is, she knows. She knows the prophecy, knows there's no hope, even if he manages to make it out alive. But something about him always draws her in, like a ship on water.
She almost jumps in.
Because sometimes, sometimes he looks at her with those sinking sea-green eyes and tosses a smile that makes her face flush and her mind slip away to dream of wandering the coast by his side.
But then it fades into the grey of her own eyes in the reflection.
Because she doesn't like that.
Doesn't like the flushed face or wandering thoughts, and abruptly turns away from the mirror.
The son of Poseidon that beat the titans.
As if he needed any more attention. She scoffs as some girls walk up to him by the archery range. Of course they want to talk to him. Everyone does nowadays.
Walking past the scene, she keeps her gaze in front of her, giving a wide berth to avoid any contact since it's become a bit too commonplace to brush shoulders lately.
She ignores the tug in her heart. She needs to stop. Stop dreaming about walking by his side. Her mind is her own enemy now, turning him into a fantasy, a folklore, that she knows she could never have.
Percy, she decides, kicking the small stones in the sand, is like…a gold rush.
Everyone after him, everyone wanting to be with him, a gleaming, twinkling piece of gold that she doesn't like.
And yet, inadvertently she's found herself by the ocean again. The cool inviting water, too similar to his eyes, too tempting.
"Hey."
Even his voice sends a shiver though her body, but she doesn't turn around as he plops down next to her on the dock, his shoulder brushing hers.
"What's up?" He asks when she doesn't answer.
"Nothing."
"Annabeth." Even without looking she knows there's a frown on that beautiful face. Another pang running through her heart, she doesn't respond.
"Hey, come on, what's going on? You can tell me." He's still pushing and it's making her illogically mad. Mad because even know she wants to lean into it.
But she can't. She could never.
Standing up, she stays silent and he follows suit.
"Annabeth—"
"What do you want, Percy?" It's the first time she turns to actually look at him, and it's…stunning.
The setting sun has bathed him in golden light, his eyes sinking into her soul, his hair perfectly tousled like dominoes falling into place.
She doesn't like the poetic language that seems to follow all her thoughts about him either.
It actually hurts to look at him.
"Why are you pulling away from me?"
She doesn't like a gold rush.
She walks away.
-.-
Dinner is a quiet affair. She's not calling Percy out on his bullshit and even he's quiet, talking only to Grover now and again. She keeps her head down and focuses on her food but doesn't miss the way he glances over at her every few minutes.
The forest Is the opposite of the ocean, so that's where she wanders. No destination in mind but away, away from him.
"Do I get a kiss for good luck?" He'd teased at the brink of a battle. She wonders what would have happened if she'd given in.
Her mind has already failed at not thinking about him, a notion that's made its way to her feet because she finds herself stopped in front of yet another body of water.
The lake is glistening under the rich moonlight as she slumps down on a secluded picnic table.
Loud giggles carry through the air, all too reminiscent of the girls who's been talking to Percy, just add to her heavy heart.
It could never be.
Closing her eyes, she replays in slow motion the way he's looked at her earlier. Gold with a rose blush on his cheeks and a smile that makes her think there's not a purer love out there.
Sighing, she lets it fade into the grey mess in her mind, a tear slipping down her cheek.
It's unfair, she thinks. She's knows him since he was a scrawny kid, she's saved his life, she's bee there though the sneaking off on quests.
He wasn't always a gold rush.
She's seen the darkness, worry, fear. She's felt the falling that felt like flying until the crush of the realization that it doesn't matter.
Because now everyone wants him.
Another tear rolls down her cheek and she feels a warmth brush it away gently.
A touch so familiar, she doesn't even need to open her eyes.
A hand comes to cup her face as another tangles itself into her fingers on her lap. He doesn't say anything, and she doesn't dare open her eyes in case the dream disappears.
"What's it like?" He whispers into the quiet night. Her heart is beating too fast.
The hand on her cheek brushes some of her hair away.
"To be this beautiful?"
And her eyes are fluttering wide open because she just can't stop herself anymore.
It's dark but those sea-green eyes, still burned in her memory, sink her more.
"Annabeth—"
Leaning forward, she meets his lips before he can say another word. He responds right away, pulling her closer, kissing her harder, like his life depends on it.
She knows then. Knows in the way he cups her face like he's carrying the world in his fingertips, knows in the way he wraps an arm around her body like a shield, knows that this moment is immortal.
He might be a gleaming, twinkling piece of gold that everyone wants.
But he's hers.
His lips have calmed her mind, his eyes have sunk her heart like those ships on waters that are so inviting.
She jumps in.
A/N: Obviously based off of Taylor Swift's gold rush (at this rate I'll make it through her whole album lol) Also I kept it in canon but slightly divergent with a different way for the lake kiss to happen :)
A few people on tumblr had actually requested this as well, but I had plans to write this for a while. As soon as I heard the song, I thought it was perfect for Semantics of Love. Because sometimes it's hard to jump into love because of things like insecurities. But you should try nonetheless because you never know what will happen, especially if that person cares enough to show you you're beyond whatever insecurity you have.
It feels so good writing for this series, it's been a hot minute and that's because last week's update went to my tumblr and ao3 and I released my how to handle fame series on my profile here :) But back on schedule now!
Please Review! I'd love to hear your thoughts!
And as always, thanks for reading!
See ya! :)