Nobody's Sidekick

[halpertjames-deactivated2016100]

[achcse]

@demigod-jacksonn

Her eyes were a gray shade matching that of an unwashed pearl still blanketed within the mouth of an oyster. She looks at herself in the mirror, primping her hair and trying to build up her nerve. She definitely wasn't insanely nervous, it was Percy, after all, but it was her first date, so she was exactly calm and collected. She knew it wasn't a big deal, they had decided to stay in anyway. The skyline was almost always gray and dreary here, and today was no exception. Perfect weather for dinner and a movie in the comforts of their 'own' house.

She wasn't glamorous by any means, but she didn't dress down in her usual plain shirt and jeans. She was wearing one of the nicer blouses that he helped her pick out and when she was satisfied enough with her appearance (she actually ran a comb through her curls), she left the bathroom and headed to the kitchen to meet him. She spots him sitting on the nearby bar stool, so she treks over to him. Her hands slide over his shoulder blades and she ducks her head down slightly to kiss his upper cheek as a greeting.

[tarjeimoe]

[sugaontherim]

[achcse]

demigod-jacksonn:

Oh, great. If Annabeth hadn’t started giggling at his expense, Percy might have worried she was actually offended. He adjusts the clothes he’d holding from one arm to the other, looking at her as if to say ‘okay, I’ll just wait until you’re done’–but it’s different, her laughing at him. She doesn’t do it to make him feel bad, or stupid, like other people in the past had done. Other people also didn’t approach and make him feel his heart speed up. Other people definitely couldn’t make him feel the way she did while giving him a chaste kiss on the lips. 

He smiles as she lets go and moves along, his expression a dictionary definition illustration of ‘heart eyes’ as he watches her movements. The clothes she sorts through seem more fancy, in velvets and silks and sequins. “A date?” He repeats. He’s never really had one of those. Once, his mother had thought his and Annabeth’s plans to see a movie together had been of that nature, and he’d denied it. Sally Jackson would be totally dignified to say ‘I told you so’ right about now. “Not worried about fighting in a dress?” He teases. 

They call it falling for a reason, she figures. There’s no safety net down below now that they've taken this leap. It’s like she is training her heart in the art of letting go. Yeah, he knows her better than anyone else but theres still a side to her that no one has seen before. He's the first. There’s a beauty in the risk. This is the biggest gamble she can take, but she knows the grand prize is too beautiful to miss.

"--- Yes, a date. To have a girlfriend, you have to take them on dates, or so I'm told." She's never been on a date. She's almost nervous, but then she remembers it's him and that he's most likely ten times more nervous than she is. "--- Who said I was wearing a dress?" She asks in a playful tone and then holds the dress up against him in turn. "--- I was just thinking about how lovely this color is on you. You should wear this for our date. You'll steal the show."

[demidorks]

I can forget many things in this life, but I will never forget the fact that Annabeth Chase and Piper McLean steal each other’s food.

[i-shipp-percabeth]

[burdge]

haha oh man, seeing these two drawings side by side struck a chord in me. 

Percy and Annabeth… still basically the same, despite everything. :3

[achcse]

demigod-jacksonn:

Even though she hits him on the arm, Percy grins, shrugging his shoulders. He detected a hint of a blush on her face as well, and he can’t deny that it feels good to watch her get a little flustered. Gods knew she was good at it when the roles were reversed. He thinks of leaning down toward her when her words cut him off and he returns to clothes shopping. Right. The task. 

She has a disapproving expression, as best as he describe it, and allows her to take the shirt away from him by the hanger. Percy had assumed it was a plain orange t-shirt, so when he sees glitter, he pauses. It’s followed by a glance around them and a sigh–reading English sucks (especially in public), but he refocuses and looks at the lettering. Annabeth reads it aloud first, and his eyes widen. “I didn’t know it said that! Or–or anything! I didn’t know it had words on it.” He swears, hands emphatically up on either side of his head for a few moments.

Well, his flirting game was definitely left in the dust. How was he supposed to channel that confidence after this bride-to-be t-shirt debacle? 

No one makes her laugh like he does. Maybe that's why she's so taken to him, he's one of the only people that can make her feel light and airy. He doesn't even try most of the time, like now. She's softly giggling at his blundering, and she puts the shirt back on the rack. There. Serves him right for trying to embarrass Annabeth Chase, thank you very much. "--- Sure you didn't," she remarks and a smile is still very present. She feels a little bad for him, not much, so she hooks her finger in the collar of his shirt to pull him down a little bit closer to her and gives him a tiny peck.

Once she's done, she lets go of his shirt and the easy going, somewhat snide grin returns to her face. She browsed through some dressier items, presses a few against herself which give her an idea. She turns to him, dress in hand and her smirky grin is there. "--- Let's have a date," she says. "--- We can cook something and actually find a movie that won't bore us out of our minds."

[achcse]

stcrgazinq:

He wasn’t expecting a warm welcome. He wasn’t expecting her to drop everything both figuratively and literally and be greet him. He was, however, at least expecting her to not move away from him. He can’t complain though, the last time they saw each other was when he was dying. He doesn’t even want to think about their last conversation, they’re not at that point yet. He slowly reaches for her arm once more, really just asking permission at this point. ❝ Same reason you’re here, I’m guessing. ❞ He takes a pause. ❝ You’re looking really well. ❞

"--- Don't touch me," she says, venom in her voice. She had adjusted to her life without him, and now, she's staring at him, one of the hardest things she's ever had to have given up. She moves away from his touch once more. She doesn't have her knife on her, ironically, the one he gave her, she had been going without it lately. Stupid. She kicks herself mentally for her mistake. "--- Yeah. I look well. I'm not fighting a war that you started anymore." Whatever part of her that had forgiven the man really needed him to stay in the ground for it to hold.

[achcse]

demigod-jacksonn:

He can’t hide the amusement at her reaction, grinning as she gives him a look. “I wasn’t really imagining it like battle armor.” Percy replies, leaving it up to her to fill in the blanks of what he might have been imagining it as. Taking a step around her, he turns back a moment later and reaches for the skirt’s hanger, his hand brushing her hip as he takes the garment back and returns it to a rack. Maybe he was being a little too forward, but he kind of wanted to see how long it would take for Annabeth to blush–or punch him. It was either of those outcomes, really. 

“Okay, so skirts are out. Not practical.” He teases, before picking up an orange t-shirt that seems familiar–like the Camp Half Blood shirts. “I think you already have this.” He jokes, but doesn’t see that the shirt has glitter letters on the front, nor does he see what they spell out.  

This is definitely a change of tune. The charming look in his eye, his suggestive and flirty words, and touching her hip. Her easily astray mind wonders what he could have been imagining it as, and it's enough to make her cheeks turn a little rosy. Not for long though, because she quickly extends to arm to punch him. "--- Focus to the task on hand."

And then she's looking at this orange shirt. Her eyes catch on the glitter and she makes the same face she did when he pulled out the skirt. It only takes her a second to read the writing - one of the few perks of being a child of Athena - her dyslexia didn't hinder her as much as it did other demigods. She holds it up against her for him to get a better look. "--- Bride to be?" She smirks,. "--- Do you have something you want to tell me, Seaweed Brain? Are you proposing to me with this shirt?"

[outgoingballerina]

Percabeth through the years

[achcse]

demigod-jacksonn:

Okay, so maybe he would have to work more on his charm, Percy thought as Annabeth responded. Challenge accepted. Catching up so he was standing beside her, he smiled down at her and leaned closer to speak. “Okay, Wise Girl.” He said, before standing up straight again and heading with her to the womens’ section. 

Watching as Annabeth picked out a shirt, he was pretty sure she could wear anything and look great. Well–except for a really crazy looking jacket nearby that he was pretty sure would serve a great purpose on the front of a shield to terrify adversaries. Hearing her question, he turned to look at her and felt a small smile pull at his lips. “I do like blue.” Percy says, “But, I have bad taste, so…” He glances around, and picks up a black denim skirt nearby. He can’t deny that he thinks she’d look really, really good in it. Stepping forward, he holds it near her hip, seeing that the hem would reach about mid-thigh. “Black and blue match, right?” 

This is something out of Annabeth's wildest fairytales. If you had told Annabeth a month ago that she would be in London, shopping like a normal teen, with a boyfriend, Percy Jackson for that matter, she would have clocked someone in the face. But she's here, and she's embracing what life is giving her right now. Normalcy and a cute boyfriend. Even if said cute boyfriend was holding up a skirt. She makes a face at him, one that's in between 'I'm going to punch you' and 'you should know better than that'. So really, her signature look when it came to him.

"--- I am not wearing a skirt," she says flatly, and the look continues. It would take the most compelling argument in the world to get her into a skirt, cases could be made for a dress. But a skirt? She presses it to her mid thigh. "--- And besides. Imagine trying to fight in a skirt. And there's no way I would let you have all the fun if there was fight. Pick something else you'd like to see me in."

[stcrgazinq-blog]

He had seen her everywhere. Elysium and around town since he’d been back. Shadows and illusions, his reforming mind playing tricks on him and the occasional girl in town that had curly, blonde locks. He’d seen her everyday since he lost her. Sometimes it came in the form of the first day he met her, seven years old, and sometimes it was the sixteen year old crying as he let her down for the last time. But this time, he saw her out, doing normal things, his mind has to take a second look to be make sure his eyes aren’t deceiving him. They weren’t. It was her, alive, and here? His legs are moving faster than his mind. He grabs her shoulder gently. ❝ Annabeth ?? ❞

@achcse

[achcse]

It's rare that Annabeth goes anywhere without Percy these days. It was a combination of that being a safety precaution, and the sheer fact that Annabeth didn't want to be without him. She's out getting a few things they needed for the apartment, shampoos and the like. She feels a pressure on her shoulder, she almost drops what she's holding, ready to defend herself but then she hears that voice and her name. She turns to the source and she still almost drops everything. There he stood before her, Luke, her former crush and childhood friend, her ex family. She moves away from his touch. "--- What, what, are you doing here?"

[achcse]

demigod-jacksonn:

For once, he’s not fretting about being a demigod, or about monsters. Maybe she’s right, and they could relax for a change. Percy knew he would eventually get a bit restless, but that’s exactly when they could both figure out a way back home. With Annabeth’s genius, he was sure they could. Giving himself some credit as well, he could definitely handle things that required a certain level of impulsiveness. He did plenty of things before without too much thinking and it had turned out alright. They were alive, anyway.

“My taste can’t be that bad.” He says a little pointedly, but with good humor. The next moment, he’s practically catching the clothes she pushes into his hands, still smiling from her jab about taste. Percy does catch her use of the word ‘girlfriend’, eyebrows raising before he finds himself grinning. Annabeth had used it, and if she was willing to be with him officially, he wasn’t going to do anything but gladly and happily accept it. “You have to at least let me try to help.” He points out, maybe laying on a little of charm as he does so. 

"--- You are helping already," Annabeth comments. "--- you're carrying the stuff, Seaweed Brain." She momentarily thought about calling him something sweet like 'darling', but her nickname for him does have a sweet meaning to it, it's grown from annoyed to special. She knows he doesn't let anyone else call him that. She almost doesn't notice how he didn't say anything about 'girlfriend', she knows that's how Percy agrees with her. He lets her do the talking.

Boyfriend. If they weren't in public, she would drop everything and kiss him because she's overwhelmingly happy as she walks through the store. She definitely will be when they get back to the apartment - she's almost a little too eager to finish shopping now. She stops when they reach her stuff, her hands are already skimming through the racks and she picks out a blouse that's a shade of blue. She holds it up against herself, and then looks at him. "--- Think I'd look cute in this?"

[achcse]

demigod-jacksonn:

He’s not surprised that Annabeth picks up on the discomfort he feels with having things bought for him, and appreciates the way she responds. She knows he wants to show gratitude for this help. The lack of monster attacks combined with a roof over their heads and food in their stomachs really did feel like a huge stroke of good luck. “Especially the one with Ares.” Percy says, not really wary of the god of war cursing him for sounding like he was bragging. It didn’t seem like any of the gods had been able to reach them–or they were too busy, or didn’t feel like it. You could never be entirely sure with them.

Percy’s face flushes when Annabeth mentions Aphrodite. “She’s definitely weirdly interested in my love life.” He admits. “Wait…that sounds weird.” Percy adds, remarking because the idea of a love ‘life’ was odd for anyone whose life consisted of fighting off monsters. Eyebrows raising when she teases him and asks if he’s going to help, Percy shrugs with a half smile. “Okay, okay–I can help. I know what size pants I wear, so…” Picking up a pair of jeans that have the right numbers on them, he looks back at Annabeth. “So I get to help pick out clothes for you?” He asks. 

She's looking at him. She knows better than to linger her gaze, to let himself wander over his features. They were features of a face she’d grown to deeply care for over the course of a whirlwind. Gods, what Annabeth would give to stay like this with him. Normal teenagers. She knows there was more to their story than just words between the lines. But as she is beside him, her eyes catch the hints of scars on his arms and she has a wrenching realization of the way they were. No matter how much she tried, she would not be able to protect them from the dangers of their life. Not that he needs protecting or is asking her, but she wants to be able to protect her significant other.

She decides to stop the conversation of why they're here and other people, it would only pick at scabs and her heart already hurts as she acknowledges the fact that every choice she makes from now on will be more difficult. He is worth it, after all, and the thought of having someone worth it makes her smile at him. "--- Gods no, Percy. I have this thing called taste, something you severely lack." She pulls out a few more things to add to their pile, but then makes a face at him and holds the clothes out for him. "--- Are you really going to make your girlfriend carry this stuff?" She topples it into his arms, not looking to see his face after she had called herself that - she's already walking to the next pile of things. Yeah, she's a risk taker, but she's doesn't particularly like knowing or seeing the consequences of it.

[thetitancurse]

[achcse]

demigod-jacksonn:

Once again, Percy is tempted to kiss her–but they’re in the middle of a store, and he’s not sure that he’s into PDA beyond holding hands. He wonders if Annabeth would tease him about that, before thinking that she definitely would–but it’d be from the heart. “You could always steal mine.” He says, and felt a little weird about her (or her dad, really) footing the bill for this stuff. “Hey, by the way, if your dad ever needed stuff done around your house–like odd jobs, once we get back, I could help out.” He somewhat rambles, wanting to rid himself of this odd guilt. New clothes weren’t a familiar thing for Percy. Most of what he’d grown up wearing was second-hand. 

Then she’s looking through clothes again, and speculating about the reason they’re here. “So this is like a ‘here’s just something for your lost childhoods’ vacation?” Percy asks, thinking it was too good to be true. 

Annabeth doesn't know how she's gone so many years without kissing him, because it's now taking up a big space in her brain right now. He's so humble and kind, he's good for her and his qualities compliment the ones she lacks. Two halves of a whole. She's reminded of the myth ( nothing is in their life is a myth, after all ) about how humans used to have four legs, two sets of eyes, and so on, and Zeus had split them up. They would wander around and look for their other half. And maybe, just maybe, as he's talking about helping her dad, she thinks that she might have found hers. "--- The best way to thank him is telling him about your fights. You know he's a dementedly obsessed battle expert."

She's still rummaging through racks. She occasionally holds up a shirt or something to him to envision it on him before laying it over her arm. "--- Isn't Aphrodite obsessed with you? Maybe she's doing this for you. We just have to wait for your other girlfriends to show up now." She teases, but gives him a glance that says 'choose your next words carefully' before moving to a different assortment of clothes, mostly pants. "--- Are you going to pick out what you like and help me, or are we just going to let me do all the work?"