janae . bisexual . any pronouns . 8teen . black . | infp 4w5 . 2000s rock lover :) . rachel elizabeth dare enthusiast . lauver of black cats & python belts. future drummer for a shitty indie rock band. âŚ
a love confession like amy and laurieâs from little women with percy and his best friendâs, annabeth chaseâs, sister.
genre; best friends to lovers
warnings; ooc!percy (?)
Percy Jackson had been your best friend since you were fourteen and you had to go with him and the hunters of Artemis on a quest to save Artemis and also your sister, Annabeth.
This was the start of your friendship and you had always thought he was kind of cute, well as cute as a fourteen year old boy going through puberty can be. But the closer you became, the stronger your feelings for him got, but you never said anything because you knew that Annabeth liked him and she was your sister.
Besides, you knew Percy liked Annabeth so he would never return your feelings for him.
Years went by with Percy still being your best friend. During the years, Percy and Annabeth had started dating but they broke up when they realized they were better off as friends. But when that happened, you were already dating someone else, someone who you thought was good enough to make you happy for the rest of your life.
Even though your feelings for him werenât as strong as your feelings for Percy used to be.
Now youâre 25 and your boyfriend proposed to you. And you said yes.
When Percy heard about it, he felt like his world was crumbling down. You, the girl he had a crush on since he was twelve and saw her at Camp Halfblood for the first time was getting married.
For him it has always been you, but when he was seventeen, he decided to be stupid. He thought that you would never return his feelings, so he thought it was best to move on from you and soon he found himself in a relationship with Annabeth, your sister.
It didnât take long for the both of them notice that they never really saw each other in a romantic way and decided to stay friends instead. But when they broke up Annabeth told him that she knew about his feelings for you and that you also return those feelings.
When Percy went to talk to you about it, it was already too late. You were in a relationship with someone else, someone else who was not him.
So when Percy heard about your engagement he knew he had to come and see you, he knew he had to speak now or he would loose his one chance of being with you.
You were at your apartment when he came knocking at your door like a mad man, luckily your fiancĂŠe was not home, he doesnât like Percy very much. When you opened the door Percy was breathing heavily and staring at you with such an intensity in his eyes that you had to look to the ground to regain yourself again.
He still had that effect on you, even eleven years later.
âDonât marry him.â He says.
Your heart drops.
A beat passes.
âWhat?â
Without your invitation he moved past you into your apartment. You couldnât do anything but stare at the place he was just standing at, with your back now facing him.
Percy sighs and even though you canât see it you know exactly the face heâs making right now, he has his eyes squeezed shut and his lips pressed tightly together.
âDonât marry him.â He speaks again.
This time, you close the door and turn around to face him. Your heart beats so fast youâre afraid he can see it.
âWhy?â You ask him, head tilted and eyes squinted so he wouldnât see what he was actually making you feel, like you were fourteen and in love again. But he sees right through you, because he knows you.
He tilts his head, mimicking your expression, you know he has a habit of doing that, âYou know why.â
You shake your head, âNo I donât.â You whisper out. But oh gods you do. You are staring directly into his eyes with such warmth that it makes him feel dizzy.
He stares back. âYes you do.â
You shake your head once more, pressing your lips together, âNo. No. You donât get to do this to me. Not now.â
He takes a step closer, âYes.â
You see his hand reaching out for you but you take a step back.
âNo. Percy, youâre being mean. Stop it.â Your voice is barely a hoarse whisper and you feel the tears welling up in your eyes. You squeeze them shut so he wouldnât see you cry. âYou donât get to say that. Not now. Not when Iâm engaged damn it. Not when Iâm finally happy.â
He brings his hand up to cup your cheek. âYouâre lying and we both know it. I know you. I know you when youâre happy. Do you seriously want to spend the rest of your life with someone that only makes you half as happy as you deserve to be?â
You push his hand away and the tears start falling freely. âItâs better than not being happy at all. Gods. Percy youâre just lonely because youâre not with Annabeth, itâs okay to admit that, you donât want me like that.â
âWhat? No you donât get to say that. Not when Iâve been in love with you since you since we were twelve.â
You looked at him like a wounded animal. âThen why were you in a relationship with my sister? Huh? I always saw the way you looked at her, youâve been in love with her since we were twelve.â
You let out a long sigh, and stare to the ground. "I have been second to Annabeth my whole life, in everything. I will not be second to her in this. And I won't be the person you settle for just because you can not have her.â You lift up your head, meeting his eyes.
âPlease, y/n.â He pleads. âIâm in love with you, not with her. You wonât be second to her, because youâve always come first for me.â
âStop it. I won't. I can't do it, Percy. Not when Iâve spent almost my entire life loving you.â You turn around and open the door and mention for him to leave.
To your surprise he does without saying anything.
But when heâs out of the door, he turns to look you in the eyes one last time before heâs gone.
Youâre dressed in all black and standing in front your fathers grave when Annabeth comes to stand next to you. Itâs true, youâve never had that much of a close relationship like the Stoll brothers for example, but you loved her dearly.
But even though, youâre only one year younger than her you canât help but feel as though she is centuries older than you.
She has always been so much wiser than you, and thatâs mostly because Athena is her mother and not yours, but she always knew things and she knew how to keep her emotions in check.
When you were younger, you were secretly jealous of her friendship with Percy and Grover. The three of them seemed so happy with each other, but you didnât dare to talk to the three of them because you thought they didnât want you in their group.
So you chose to watch them from afar.
And then your sister went missing and it felt like your whole world was caving in. So you went on a quest to save her and thatâs when you really got to know Percy, and he became your best friend.
When Annabeth returned home, you two became a whole lot closer and soon you found yourself in their friend group.
âIâm going to miss him.â Annabethâs voice pulls you out of your thoughts. Her voice is firm, yet gentle, like an older sisters voice is supposed to be and you want to cuddle into her and make her read her favorite book to you just like she did when you were kids.
Your lips tremble and your hand reaches for hers, âYeah, me too.â
All of the sudden, Annabeth turns around to face you and she asks, âWhy did you turn down Percy?â
âWhat?â You ask flabbergasted. âHow do you know about that?â
She looks you in the eyes, âHe told me. So why did you turn him down? I know about your feelings for him, and I know how he feels about you.â
âI was engaged Annabeth. Besides, he only wants me, because he canât have you. And Iâm not gonna go and play second choice just because heâs lonely.â You tell her, and try to avoid your gaze because you know, the second she looks you in the eyes itâs like she can see right through you.
âThatâs not true.â She says.
âWhat?â
âThatâs not true. Y/n, that boy has been in love with you since he saw you at Camp Halfblood for the first time. Itâs always been you, and Iâm not mad about that. Me and him were only together because we had been confused because of the war and all itâs losses.â She says that with so much honesty it makes you almost dizzy. âHe loves you. And youâd be an idiot to turn him down when I know you feel the same. If you didnât, you wouldnât have blown off your engagement.â
She leaves before you can say anything.
But youâre not alone for long, because Percy fills in the space where Annabeth was just standing.
You donât look at him.
âI came as soon as I heard. I know I didnât know your father very well, but I didnât want you to be alone.â He says and you can feel his gaze burning into you.
âIâm not alone, I have Annabeth.â But you knew you also needed Percy, he was still your best friend after all.
Then itâs silent.
âHeâs never gonna see me get married one day. Heâll never get to meet his grandchildren.â You manage to get out because suddenly your eyes were filled with tears again. âIâm gonna miss him so much.â
Without saying anything, he pulls you into a hug. And you let him. He smells like the ocean and also mint, he smells like home.
You pull away and he wipes the tears off your cheeks and with his hands.
You take a deep breath and say, âIâm not marrying him.â
He looks down at you, âYeah, I heard about that.â
"And you donât have to say anything or do anything. It just didn't feel right. We don't need to say anything.â You say before he can he can say anything.
But Percy interrupts you by putting his hands on your cheeks, pulling your face to his and laying his lips on yours.
You feel warm and fuzzy inside and it makes you feel like youâre thirteen with a crush again. The kiss is gentle, and you know he puts all his love and adoration for you into it and you return it with just as much love and emotion.
When you pull away for air, youâre both smiling from ear to ear.
âGods, I love you so much.â He says before pulling you into another kiss. This time, itâs messy and full of smiles you can both barely contain but you wouldnât have it any other way.
note: guys this wasnt supposed to be my first work here but it came to me the easiest đđ song title is bike dream by rostum đthis isnt like the meaning of the song tho dw
content: leo valdez x reader, jason x reader; dating hcs
LEO VALDEZ
loves affectionately and openly
he'll peck your lips in front of everyone without a care in the world, as if after he's had a taste of your touch, he can't go a second without it (he'd probably make out with you if you let him)
he follows you everywhere, even trying to go with you while you shower (he'll never go inside the actual shower unless you want to)
"leo, as much as i love you, no. not today at least!"
"i'll just sit on the toilet seat, i swear! and i can talk about all my cool inventions!"
(maybe you'll change your mind?)
has to have a hand on you at all times
even a pinky will do for him
he loves holding pinkies actually, he thinks its so cute
will make you pinky promise not to snitch on him when he blurts out a new prank idea in the works
loves overexaggerating gentlemanly acts?? for the sillies
like he'll bow down to a 90 degree angle and swoop an arm out while the other kisses your hand
opens the car door for you like an escort
"for you, milady!" and does a cheeky little wink as he bows
he loves it when you play along like a rich noble from the 1800s
showers you with the metal work he does
he'll make you cute little rings and necklaces if you like jewelry
or metal flowers that'll never wilt
or something more practical, like a switchblade if you like those
either wakes up at 5am or sleeps in until noon there is no in between
or maybe he stays up until 5am because one time you caught him slipping out of bed to finish up the gift he was making you
"leo? what are you doing up?" you rub your eyes sleepily as you catch him at his desk, the lamp you gifted him glowing dimly
he startles and shoves (gently) the scraps of metal you see behind his arm
he grins sheepishly and rests his hand on his fist, positioning himself so you wouldn't see what he was making
"uh.. nothing! just finishing something!" he doesn't lie per se, but he'd rather not tell you the whole truth just yet (he loves how your face lights up when he presents another gift to you)
being the half-asleep mess you are, you didn't notice much
"alright.. just go to sleep soon, okay?" you yawn and turn back around to head back to bed.
"will do!" he whisper-shouts after you and sighs to himself in relief once you leave. close call!
you find a warm blanket preventing you from getting up the next morning, which just happened to be leo, his arms wrapped around your waist as if you were a pillow
a few more hours of sleep can't hurt, right?
JASON GRACE
he's a bit shy to love
doesn't really do pda, but he'll hold your hand lotsss
if you guys started dating but didn't announce it, no one would catch on until they see you and jason holding hands (that took a lot of courage on his end btw)
after that he was a bit more open about it
i feel like he's kind of awkward at first
he tried to sneak up behind you one time and hug you but you turned around too soon and accidentally rammed your head into his chin
he tried to play it off because he's too cool to be embarrassed (his face was bright red)
can and will pick you up
it all started when you guys were running from monsters but your leg was injured so you couldn't move that fast and he literally just swooped you up bridal style and RAN
ran like the wind, even (haha guys pls laugh)
literally sprinting even as he carries a whole person like you were nothing
you fell in love (again)
he found out you like it when he does that so he'll do it randomly
"so then i said-" you were cut off with a yelp as jason picked you up off the bed and carried you in his arms, swinging you gently with a smile on his face
you pause in your storytelling, blinking at him as you grow increasingly flustered
he merely nods at you, saying, "keep going, i'm listening."
OH MY GOODNESS
tried to do reps with you after but you kept laughing
acts of service is so him
when you complain about it being too hot, he'll send a cool breeze your way
if you ask him if he did that, he'll play dumb
it was sweltering outside, the summer heat even worse as the both of you hiked up a trail
"gods, it's so hot!" you complained, taking a long swig of your water
jason hummed his agreement, and shortly after you felt a weird breeze out of nowhere
you pause, eyeing the demigod in front of you
"jason?"
"yeah?"
"did you do that?" you prod at his back teasingly, the smile evident in your voice
The day had been long and fraught with challenges that seemed to stretch the limits of your patience and strength. As a daughter of Demeter, you found solace in the natural world, the whisper of the wind through the trees, and the soft murmur of the earth beneath your feet. But today, the world seemed a little heavier, the shadows a bit darker, especially for Percy.
You noticed it the moment he trudged into the common area, his shoulders hunched and his eyes shadowed with the remnants of a battle only he could see. Nightmares, you knew. The kind that clung to him, remnants of battles fought and friends lost. It pained you to see him like this, the vibrant, brave Percy Jackson reduced to a shadow of himself by the memories that haunted him.
Without a word, you slipped away to the one place you knew you could make a difference: the kitchen. Cooking had always been your way of nurturing, of healing. There was magic in it, the simple, profound magic of caring for someone through the act of making them a meal.
Tonight, you decided on something special, Percy's favorite: blue chocolate chip pancakes. It was a simple enough dish, but you poured every ounce of your love and care into it, mixing the batter with a touch of your Demeter-given magic to soothe and comfort.
The comforting scent of chocolate and the warm, inviting aroma of cooked pancakes filled the kitchen, weaving a spell of home and hearth and peace.
When everything was ready, you plated the pancakes, drizzling them with extra chocolate chips and a generous dollop of whipped cream. But the final touch, the one that made them distinctly for Percy, was the food coloring that turned them his favorite shade of blue.
Carrying the plate with care, you found Percy exactly where you'd left him, staring off into nothing, lost in thoughts you wished you could banish for him. You sat beside him, the plate in your hands offering up not just food, but an unspoken promise of comfort and understanding.
"Percy," you said softly, drawing his attention. "I made you something."
He blinked, focusing on you for the first time, and when his eyes landed on the plate of blue pancakes, a small, genuine smile broke through the shadows. "You made these for me?"
"Of course," you replied, your heart warming at the sight of his smile. "I thought they might help, even just a little."
Percy took the plate from you, his smile growing as he took his first bite. "They're perfect" he said after a moment, his voice filled with something like wonder, like maybe he couldn't believe someone would do this just for him.
You watched him eat, saw the tension ease from his shoulders with every bite, and knew that, for now, this was enough. You couldn't fight his battles for him or chase away his nightmares, but you could give him this: a moment of peace, a taste of home, and the knowledge that he wasn't alone.
"Thank you" Percy said when he was done, his eyes meeting yours with a depth of gratitude that left you breathless.
"You're welcome" you replied, reaching out to squeeze his hand.
And in that moment, with the kitchen still warm from cooking and the night's shadows held at bay, you knew that thisâthis simple act of making pancakesâwas its own kind of magic, the kind that healed, that comforted, that said 'I'm here for you' in a way words never could.
percy jackson is a nuisance. a nuisance you have always been fond of, some way, somehow. (5.6k)
contains: percy jackson x daughter of aphrodite! reader. post tlo (spoilers). kind of melancholy but it gets better (kind of). book percy.
kashafâs note: guess whos alive!
TO QUESTION, to ponder, to seek out the gods is sacrilegious. the gods preferred their divinity to be kept strictly within the confines of worship â whether by completing their âmenialâ tasks or by committing sacrifices, they, in their infinite wisdom, are not allowed to be objected to.Â
âso, my momâs a god? of love?âÂ
you sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose, and mentally counted to three. opening your eyes, you make eye contact with the newest addition to camp, and your newest responsibility. bruised and scuffed, the poor kid blinks back at you confusedly as you mull your options. âyes, and no,â you decide.
âour momâs a goddess, and love is just the most common of her jurisdictions.âÂ
the new camper looks around the cabin, taking it in, you follow their gaze, lingering on the painted swans on the wall behind you, and bouncing to the pearls adorning the vanity, littered with various seashell trays holding gold jewelry (the first time you had entered these very walls, your throat had tightened at the pure ostentatiousness of it all).
they glance back at you, confused. you sighed again, âyes, our mom is the goddess of love.â
âoh.â
the candles residing in conches flicker as if waiting to pass judgment, and silence blankets you and the new camper once more (this is potentially your fiftieth time attempting to explain the same concept, yet youâre no better at it than when you first started â shaking and solemn).Â
needless to say, itâs more than just difficult to explain this tacit rule to new campers â after whatever tragic event transpired for them to realize that the greek gods of myth and legend indeed exist, they simply donât have the mental capacity to learn the unspoken rules of the whole being a demigod thing.
you could be warmer, somehow, you suppose, with your mother being the goddess of love and all â in all honesty, youâre still not sure how you became the aphrodite cabin counselor, over selina (the entirety of camp half-bloodâs favorite daughter of aphrodite) but the counselorship would have ended up in your hands anyway, after everything (the sight of her once-beautiful face as she coughed up blood in clarisseâs lap swims across your memories).Â
you pinched the bridge of your nose again, sighing as the candles snuffed out all at once of their own accord (judgment has been passed), âtake the empty bed in the corner, we get up at like the ass crack of dawn so you might wanna catch up on your sleep.â
you watched the kid sit on the bed (looking every bit out of place as you did when you first arrived amidst the sheer indulgence the cabin is), and you canât help but feel a pang in your chest as the child (the entire camp is full of children, but the vast majority of you have never gotten the chance to be the children that you are) stared wide-eyed at posters of movie stars, like tristan mclean, adorning the walls.
with one last glance and forlorn smile at the kid, you walked out of your cabin, your expression hardening at the sight of other campers. the walk to the arena is a short yet bleak one, in the silence you can hear drewâs screaming ringing in your ear (drew is preferable to hearing your other half-siblings, ethan, or even luke; drew is alive).
in the middle of the sword-fighting lesson being taught, you slipped into the arena, undetected for the most part except for the pair of sea-green eyes trained on your figure as you came and stood next to him, clearly hanging back.
âthis is usually your shit, jackson,â you say, ignoring how pitiful your racing heart is, and watching clarisse at the helm, steam blowing out of her ears as new campers fell over themselves trying to parry and block with wooden swords.
percy turns to look at you, and from the corner of your eye, you can sense the storm brewing across his face. âmaybe iâm not the attention whore you think i am,â he snorts, and there is a small trace of bile in his voice, but you donât focus on that.
instead, your face burns at the memory of your last argument after you dove in front of ethanâs knife (you still wince when you remember the way his visible eye widened when he realized it was you who caught the blow), and percyâs bitterness as will patched you up, what the fuck is wrong with you, you couldâve gotten yourself killed.
and your weak but indignant reply, i literally saved your life, asshole. are you that much of an attention-whore that you need to be the one on their deathbed right now?
âiâd say you kind of are,â you say, turning to meet his gaze (for a brief, stupid, second you wonder if somehow he was a son of zeus because of how the air suddenly became charged with electricity), arms folding across your chest. âthe whole making the gods pay child support is a bit attention-whore-esque.â
percy laughed, a sound you and the other campers havenât heard in a while (itâs different from before but it is still a sound that in your weaker moments, you admit to craving to hear). âsomeone had to do it,â he says, sobering up immediately.
âluke tried,â you whispered (the name is still taboo around camp), shivering as you felt percy stiffen beside you. a beat passes and the resulting silence is suffocating.
percy offers you a sad, tight smile before walking out of the arena. you watch him go with a strange pain in your chest and a longing for the before, the laughter leaping across the sun-drenched strawberry fields, the joking i told you soâs during meals, and the softness of the campfire sing-a-longs.
itâs hard not to blame the gods, for that is blasphemy, but on most nights, you find yourself uttering your motherâs name with a tangible acidity, and you find that youâre not alone in this sentiment. the once-reverent echoes of aphrodite, promise me true love, promise me victory, promise me beauty, have now faded to lifeless whispers â formalities instead of prayers.Â
even your own prayers are different now, you pray for the sea â if your mother is allowed to be ambiguous with her gifts (curses) then she must expect the same ambiguity in your prayers in return. when youâre done half-heartedly muttering your prayers and sacrificing your food, your gaze meets a familiar pair of sea-green eyes across the campfire, glowing like a beacon in the dark.Â
standing up, you find drew, looking every bit as perfect as ever. you lean down to whisper, âlights out at eleven, iâll be back.âÂ
drew nods, squeezing your hand before she begins herding the rest of your half-siblings back to your cabin, solemn and toneless (an empty shell compared to the once vibrant and snarky drew from before).
the walk to the beach is silent, although you know that youâre being followed â you didnât survive the war being complacent. when you finally do arrive, the mysterious figure reveals himself in the moonlight (again, youâd be a fool to not recognize the son of poseidonâs careful footsteps).
percy looks every bit of a character straight out of a tragic romance novel that your mother probably inspired, and again your heart squeezes painfully at the sight of him â under the scars and the jaded attitude, he is still the same percy jackson with stars in his eyes when he first introduced you to his mother.Â
âwhy do the naiads call you that?â percy asks abruptly, tilting his head to the side as if studying you as he approaches.
barely audible accusations of apatuâria bubble at the surface of the lake like seafoam; the whispers have followed you since you arrived at camp, and you have never known why.
âcall me what?â you ask, feigning ignorance as iterations of deceitful replay across your mind.
percy blinks, confused, âisnât your mother related to the sea somehow? donât you know they call you apatuâria?â
you fiddle with the gold bracelet on your wrist (a gift from selina), percyâs gaze follows the movement as you hesitate. âwell, yeah, like i know what it means but i donât know why they call me that.â
percy shrugged, shoving his hands into the pocket of his jeans. âthey call me âprosklystiosâ a lot,â he said (in the way that he knows you, better than you know yourself). Â
âso what, weâre just reduced to epithets of our parents? what an honor,â you mumbled sarcastically, staring out at the lake, watching its surface ripple as the accusations grew more fervent. you paid it no mind however, the burden of being a daughter of aphrodite had already claimed its weight on your shoulders.Â
âcareful,â percy sighed, his gaze focusing on you instead of the water, âmightâve just won a war but that wonât stop either of us from being smited if big guy in the sky thinks weâre being impertinent.â
distant thunder rumbled overhead as if proving his point.
âspeak for yourself, pretty boy,â you say, eyes looking toward the firmament littered with stars, incognizant of your admission, âif i got the gods to basically pay child support without being sent to tartarus, i would do whatever the fuck i wanted.â
percy being percy, of course, did not register that last bit of your sentence, a shit-eating grin forming across his face, a slight red hue tinging his cheeks, âyou think iâm pretty.â
you turn to look at him, ignoring how your heart hammers at the way heâs smiling down at you, you roll your eyes. âpercy,â you say slowly. âmy mom is the goddess of love, everyoneâs gorgeous in her eyes.â
âyeah, but not everyoneâs gorgeous in your eyes.âÂ
gods, he was so aggravating but the way his eyes twinkled and the genuine elation on his face almost made you admit defeat.Â
you crossed your arms over your chest, narrowing your eyes at him, âthis is why i never compliment you, you always let it go to your head.â
âaw, câmon, you love me for it though,â percy says, still grinning widely, his unruly black hair falling into place perfectly.
âyouâre an actual attention-whore,â you say, spinning around on your heels and trekking across the sand, leaving percy alone to stare out at the water. you walk back to camp, ignoring percyâs calls of wait punctuated by his laughter as he jogs up behind you.Â
âi hope mr. d catches you out past curfew and the harpies eat you,â you say deadpan, once percy has caught up to you.Â
âyouâd miss me too much and would come to be my hero, again,â percy smirks at you, following along as you head toward aphrodite cabin (youâre secretly very glad for his presence, you hate walking around camp when itâs this deserted â the memories that you tried so desperately to bury try to claw their way to the surface).
âjust because i caught a knife for you, once, does not mean that iâll ever do it again,â you say, folding your arms across your chest as you stand outside the door of your cabin. âgetting stabbed is not a ten out of ten experience.â
percy softens, his impish grin still there, but the intensity of his gaze is enough to make you melt, âgood, canât have you dying on me.â
you snorted, âeven if i did die, iâd tell nico to raise my ghost so i could haunt you forever.â
percyâs still smiling, his eyes are still soft, and heâs so close to you right now. âgo out with me,â he says, suddenly, earnestly.
blood rushes to your ears. âwhat?â you blinked, staring at him as if heâd grown another head.
percy shrugged, leaning forward to press a feather-light kiss to the crown of your head. you barely registered the action in your mind, trying to regain your ability to form coherent sentences as you watched him. percy looked away from your questioning gaze. âbetter go before the harpies eat me,â he said before jogging in the direction of his cabin.Â
he leaves you standing in front of your cabin door, frozen in shock for another five minutes, before you shake it off, and head inside, convincing yourself that you had imagined the entire encounter. the familiar scent of jasmine envelops you as you linger in the doorway. drew is still awake on her bed, her back pressed against the wall and her head in her arms. she doesnât bother to look up at your entry until youâre sat next to her, curling an arm around her bony shoulders and pulling her into an embrace.Â
the two of you sit in silence as drew attempts to calm her heartbeats to sync with yours, her head resting on your shoulder as you rub soothing circles into the planes of her shoulder. you fall asleep in a tangled mess of limbs, a desperate attempt to close the gaping hole selina left in her wake. this is sisterhood, you think when you wake up and drewâs head weighs like lead on your shoulder.
the bright morning does little to assuage your burdens â you know itâs going to be a long day as soon as you hear campers giggling. rule number one of being a camp counselor: no matter how benign, giggling is the number one sign of trouble.
you took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before turning to the younger half of your half-siblings currently in the process of attempting arts and crafts. âwhat the fuck do you guys keep giggling about?â
your half-siblings only giggle harder.Â
after what seemed like eons, the new camper finally comes up to you â a kid no older than eight, who motions for you to bend down before they begin stage-whispering in your ear, âis percy jackson your boyfriend?â
you immediately feel scandalized, jerking away like youâve been burned, âno, who said that?â
(when youâre being lulled to sleep by the sound of drewâs imperceptible snoring in your ear, your subconscious spends its time lingering, dwelling on couldâve beenâs, and shouldâve beenâs, the obsession as stubborn as when you refused to believe that percy had actually died on mount st helens.)
the kid continues to smile âinnocentlyâ, âeveryone says that you guys hold hands at campfires.â
sudden flashes of percyâs unyielding grip on your hand and his broad smile, as he forced you into a sing-a-long with him, rise to the forefront of your mind, but that was before â when annabeth still had a steely look in her eyes, when travis and connorâs antics still garnered laughs from everyone (and a rare amused glance from mr. d). now (the after), there is no such jocularity, and percy is kept at armâs length, reduced to offering you sad smiles across the campfire.
âwe do not hold hands at campfires,â you say, struggling to keep the disdain out of your voice.
âbut thereâs a âweâ,â the kid says, scrutinizing you up and down.
you have to mentally count to three so that you donât end up arguing with a literal child (itâs not a great way to prove that your sanctity is still intact). âthereâs no we.â
the kid shrugs in an if you say so gesture, giving you one last weirdly knowing look before turning back to their arts and crafts. a weighty silence settles, punctuated only by the sounds of scissors and rustling papers.Â
stares and loud whispers follow you around camp, more so than usual for an aphrodite kid â clarisse finds you in the midst of it all, lost in thought when her cabin is supposed to be pulverizing apollo cabin at volleyball, a sharp glint in her eye.Â
âyouâd tell if me you were dating prissy, right?â she says, her hand faintly closing around your elbow, pulling you out of your reverie.Â
âwhat are you talking about?â you say, eyebrows raising in shock. this wasnât your first rodeo â just before the war this summer, camp gossip had credited you to be going out with connor stoll, but this was different. clarisse was the fifth person today who had asked you if you were dating percy.Â
âso you are dating him?â clarisse looks offended, or well, as offended as clarisse can be, âand you didnât tell me.â
you can feel eyes on you, watching your every move as other campers subtly pause their activities to listen in.Â
âclarisse,â you say slowly, reaching out to hold her forearms and looking her in the eye, âiâm not dating percy.â when she opens her mouth to interrupt, you add, âand i would definitely tell you if i was.â
clarisse exhales, shooting you a disbelieving look, but mercifully leaving you alone with a quiet, âokay.â
you know what sheâs thinking, so you offer her a taut smile, patting her on her shoulder as you brush past her. you headed toward the lake, with a feeling that youâd find the answers you were searching for.
the lake is empty except for one solitary figure on the sand, facing the horizon with his hands in his pockets. you hang back for a minute or two, taking in the sight of percy with his eyes closed, and the peaceful look on his face.Â
a grin settled across his face as he addressed you, his eyes still closed, âi know you think iâm pretty, you donât have to stare to prove it.â
you ignored his words, and he opened his eyes to watch you angrily march across the sand to stand face to face with him.Â
âare you the reason why everyone thinks weâre seeing each other?â
âyeah, why?â
to say that youâre taken aback is an understatement â you had anticipated some more denial but this was unexpected. and sudden. Â
you jab a finger at his chest, âeveryoneâs getting the wrong idea, so you need to stop whatever it is youâre doing like right now.â
âbut they could have the right idea,â percy says, looking amused.
your heart scrapes painfully against your chest, âwhat the fuck are you talking about?â
âwe could be dating, forreal,â percy says, excruciatingly slow, elongating each word.Â
the earth stops spinning on its axis for a minute, and time seems to freeze â for a split second you worry kronos has risen again before you calm your racing heartbeat and exhale slowly.
âi need you to be so forreal right now,â you say, your eyebrows furrowing.
âiâm being so deadass right now.âÂ
âno, youâre not,â you say, turning and walking away. your heart squeezes pitifully in your chest, as you call out, âfind me when you stop joking,â before leaving him alone on the shore.
when percy approaches you again, you think heâs finally come back to his senses, though a weaker, more primitive urge inside you hopes that he hasnât (itâs for the better, you try and fail to convince yourself).
he interrupts your conversation with drew (though the two of you werenât doing much talking), smiling charmingly at her before asking if he could steal you away for a minute during breakfast. drew shot you a concerned look, waiting for your reassuring smile before assenting.
âyouâve come to your senses?â you ask after percy leads you away from the mess hall.
âiâve always had my senses, thank you very much,â percy grins.
you roll your eyes, trying not to smile, âoh yeah, i could totally tell when you played rock, paper, scissors with a hundred-handed one last summer.â
âhey,â percy says, throwing his hands up in the air defensively, âi won that one.â
âon a gamble,â you countered, smiling (you missed this, missed him, and the feeling that everything will be alright enduring).
ânot the point.â
âthen what is?â
âgo out with me,â he repeats, sudden, and earnest.
your heart stuttered pitifully. ânot this again,â you sighed.
âwhy not?âÂ
âwhy?â
âyou know why,â percy tries to make eye contact with you. still, you avoid his gaze, watching the other campers heading into the mess hall give the two of you weird looks.Â
âno, i donât,â you say firmly, before walking away, ignoring his protests, leaving behind a group of onlookers that you could care less about, and percy, who was staring at the spot you had just been standing in.
you returned to your cabin, to the familiar jasmine scent and pearl adornments, and promptly collapsed on your bed. more than anything, you just wanted your mother. you wanted your mother to smooth out your hair as you cried, offer you advice, and get rid of the stupid curse.
the door opens quietly and you immediately sit up, dabbing at your face and hoping that your eyes havenât turned red and swollen already. drew shut the door gently behind her, her expression softening the slightest fraction at the sight of you.
âdo i look that bad?â you ask, trying not to sniffle (and failing miserably).
a whirlwind of emotions cross drewâs face and you manage a watery grin. âokay, yâknow what, donât tell me then.â
drew sits next to you on the bed, handing you a box of tissues, âwasnât planning to.âÂ
the two of you sit shoulder to shoulder as she lets you have a minute to clean up before going straight for the jugular. âi heard what happened.â
you laughed, a choking noise that dissolved into weak coughing. drew patted your back. âso, the entire camp knows now?â
âno,â she says, before changing her mind, âwell, yeah.âÂ
âgreat,â you groaned, âmy life is so over.â
drew tensed, tearing her gaze from the posters of hot people on the wall, to look at you, her brown eyes ablaze with fury and her silver earrings (also a gift from silena) jangle, âshut up, youâre the senior counselor of aphrodite cabin, and theyâre all losers unworthy of your time. your life so isnât over.â
(this is the drew from before, the drew that comes and goes in flashes so sudden that you try to piece her together like a puzzle that never seems to connect.)
âthe curse,â you say, your throat tight.Â
drewâs eyes widen imperceptibly, her blue eyeshadow sparkling in the candlelit cabin, before her expression settles into a scowl. âwhat about the gift?â her voice sharpens as she stresses the last word, sparing the smallest glance toward the roof of the cabin.
you canât continue, and you donât have to â she knows what it is that youâre thinking of (she always has, from the minute you met her, two cold and shaking children alone in the dark).
she shakes her head emphatically. âsilena,â her voice chokes, before dropping to a whisper, âsilena left us â you canât leave us too.â
âi know,â you whisper back, your eyes filling with tears. âi know.â
âoh, honey,â drew says sympathetically, drawing you into her arms, and smoothing your hair away from your face as you let out a sob against her shoulder. âbreak his heart,â she says.Â
âi canât,â you mumble.
âyou have to. heâll die if you donât, and a broken heart is better than dying.â
âi canât do that to him, heâs so unbelievably good, drew, he deserves everything and more.â
âignoring how ridiculously sappy that sounded, look at what happened to beckendorf,â you pretend not to notice how drew stumbles through his name (he looked at silena as if she had personally hung the stars in the night sky), âmaybe he wouldnât have gotten over it, but he wouldâve been alive.â
you remember how silena had proudly said she was going to put an end to the archaic rite of passage your cabin was infamous for around camp; beautiful, idealistic silena with stars in her eyes (who liked beckendorf to the point sheâd blush profusely at the mention of his name), who had no idea that this would all come crashing down around her some short months later.Â
at your silence, drew continues, still stroking your hair, âlook, not to make this harder, but even iâll admit jacksonâs one of those guys you meet once in a lifetimeââ
âthanks, drew, that was really helpful,â you interrupt, chuckling dryly.
âoh, shut up, i had a point,â drew says, swatting your shoulder playfully.
you sigh, letting her continue.
âso, like i was saying before i was so rudely interrupted, because jacksonâs one of those once-in-a-lifetime type of guysââ here, you coughed pointedly, making drew glare at you before continuing, ââyou should be like more willing to see him happy and like living a long ass life because youâre so in love with him.â
âso what, either i reject him and ruin our friendship irreversibly or we date and i break his heart and ruin our friendship irreversibly, or we date and i donât break his heart and he dies tragically and thereâs a possibility that i die tragically too?â
drew shrugged, making a tiny braid in your hair, âpretty much.â
you turned your head in her lap to look her in the eye, âhow are you so apathetic about this?â
âsomeone has to be because youâre not thinking this through rationally.â
you groaned, âaphrodite has to hate us.â (you havenât called her âmomâ genuinely except to her face during the winter solstices.)
âno, she lives for this kind of thing,â drew rolled her eyes, braiding another piece of your hair, âshe definitely thinks sheâs doing us a favor.â
you groaned again, âwhat if i just avoid him until summer ends and he goes back to school and forgets this happened.â
âi didnât think love made you this stupid,â drew says, amused.
âshut up, i canât wait until you have the same dilemma, and youâre the one asking for advice.â
âdoubt it,â drew says, wryly.
you rolled your eyes, âokay, but what if i tell him about the âgiftâ,â you make air-quotes, âand let him decide?â
âyeah, but what if that just makes it backfire and makes you die tragically either way.â
âwell, at least heâll know about the possibility? itâs better than just being like âoh i canât date you even though iâve liked you since i was twelveâ with like zero explanation whatsoever.â
you hear muffled footsteps coming from outside of the cabin, and the door swings open loudly to admit lacy, who looks flustered and out of breath. you and drew quickly sprang up off your bed at her arrival.
âyour boyfriendâs asking for you,â she says, looking at you.
drew raises her eyebrows at you, an unspoken are you going to see him? behind it.Â
you furrowed your eyebrows back at her, conveying no, shut up.
drew shrugged at you as if saying if you say so.
lacy looks between the two of you, confusion apparent before cautiously interrupting, âheâs waiting outside, by the way.â
you panicked at the thought of possibly confronting percy, âlacy, whatever you do, donât tell him iâm in here.â you paused, âwait, tell him iâm taking a nap or something, please.â
more shuffling noises can be heard from outside, and drew groans, smacking her forehead with her palm, âwhat is wrong with you?â
you ignored her, focusing on lacy, whose confusion intensified as she looked between the two of you. âtell him iâm sleeping and he should try coming back later.â
she nodded, before opening the door and stepping outside.
drew stared at you, âyâknow, i thought people were exaggerating when they said love makes you stupid but after looking at you, they were so right.â
you scowled at drew. she raised her arms in surrender, âjust calling it like i see it.â
lacy returned a second later, âum, he wasnât outside when i went to tell him.â
that was decidedly odd, but you chalked it up to him being busy or something, and shrugged, âiâll see him later, itâs fine.â
it was actually not fine, because you didnât see him later. or the next day. or the day after. well, you saw him but you didnât see him. percy had somehow uncovered a hidden talent for making himself appear everywhere and nowhere all at once. he was there at meals, laughing with tyson or grover, he was at sword fighting practices, leading the class or giving clarisse a partner, he was at campfires, sitting next to annabeth and connor. yet, the minute you tried to approach him, it was almost as if heâd vanish, like an immortal was running interference.
youâve taken to wandering by the lake on most nights â your only company the voices of silena (go talk to him, her urging is as present as if she was really there, memories of the time the two of you hadnât been talking for a week resurging) and luke (whatâre you doing out this late, kid? a phantom hand reaching out to ruffle your hair, and the feeling of ice being poured down your back envelops you).Â
as the sun sets, the tall and lanky figure â a figure you could recognize on the darkest nights â stands overlooking the lake in true jay gatsby fashion, his hands dug deep into the pockets of his baggy jeans. you stop and stare for a second (maybe a minute, an hour, time has truly escaped you), and suddenly youâre small and shivering in the dark again.Â
percy doesnât look at you when you approach, though he fidgets with his camp necklace.Â
âhi,â you say, unsure of where to begin.Â
percy sighs, âlook, if youâre here to ask for space, i get it, i didnât mean to make you uncomfortable the other day.â he doesnât turn to look at you or even glance at you through the corner of his eye once.Â
âwhat?â you ask. âwhat are you talking about?â
âtrust me, i get it, you donât have to try to spare my feelings,â percy says. you want to will him to spare you just a glance. still, he avoids your gaze, focused on the horizon before you. âweâve been friends for so long, i thought you could be honest with me.â
his words, though not said harshly (percy isnât capable of being harsh, not to you at least) cut through you like a knife.Â
âyou heard me when i was talking to lacy, then,â you say, with horror as the realization dawns on you slowly.
percy finally looks at you, and the sheer hurt in his iridescent eyes makes you inhale sharply. a lump forms in your throat.
âi did,â he confirms quietly. âwhy didnât you say something earlier?â
fighting in a war hadnât prepared you for manâs greatest folly, something that you, arguably, shouldâve been good at. the lump in your throat is difficult to dislodge, yet percy is patient as you swallow uncomfortably.
âi never meant it like that.â
percyâs eyes flash, and you feel sick to your stomach. âhave you ever wondered why so many of the other cabins hate us?â
his previously pained expression morphed into a look of confusion. you continued, âin aphrodite cabin, our rite of passage is to break your first loveâs heart. silenaââ your voice breaks. ââsilena tried to put an end to it, and then both she and beckendorfââ you choke up again, and percyâs expression becomes solemn, âdied tragically. we didnât know the consequences of not doing it were real until then, and we realized it was a curse.â
you watch percy seemingly wrestle with his thoughts, taking a step toward you.Â
âwhy didnât you tell me this earlier?â there is no judgment in his voice, yet you still feel embarrassment pooling in your stomach.
âcan you honestly tell me that youâre okay with this? with the gods dictating another aspect of your life?â (somewhere in the back of your mind, you can hear lukeâs voice repeating the same sentence.)
âyou didnât ask for this either.â
âitâs not our job to question them,â you say, trying not to let a tear slip.
âmaybe we should,â percy says, still looking straight at you.Â
âcareful,â you say, as thunder rumbled distantly overhead, âthis is what luke was saying.â
âi donât care,â percy says, âif you or i die a tragic death, weâll just have to go through tartarus.â
he said it so simply, so matter-of-factly that your breath catches in your throat.
âso, youâre okay with this?â you ask, trying to suppress the tinge of hopefulness in your voice.
percy looked at you in disbelief, his face was so earnest, âwhy wouldnât i be?â
you laughed, more out of shock than anything else. percy continued, âi think your mother would think weâd make a cute couple, so maybe she wonât curse us with a tragic end.â
youâre grinning now, tears forgotten, âmore like sheâll give us a tragic end because she likes us.â
percy shrugged, âi think weâll be fine as long as weâre together.â
he kissed you, finally, which was long over-due, and you felt like everything was finally falling into place.Â
âtook you guys long enough.âÂ
you turned around to find the source of the interruption, making eye-contact with clarisse, her arms folded and a smug expression on her face. beside her stands most of your friends, all adorning matching wicked expressions. your heart stops beating for a second before your cheeks flush with embarrassment.
âhow much of that did you guys hear?â percy asked, suddenly looking bashful.
âmost of it,â drew replied with a smirk.
percy looked at you, a mixture of embarrassment and amusement on his face as your friends surrounded the both of you, hoisting you on their shoulders.
âmaybe the two of you need to cool off,â annabeth said with a laugh.
connor grinned at her, before calling out, âdump them in the lake!â
you groaned, begging, âannabeth, please.â
âthis is payback for all the pining i had to witness over the years,â she said with a laugh.
percy shrugged at you, a grin on his face as if saying accept your fate. you gave in, shaking your head as you laughed at their antics.
Character development is opening the lost hero for the first time and thinking âwho tf is Jason?â And then years later being obsessed with him and constantly being in the trenches defending him from the fandom
Percabeth shippers like to make everything Percy does about Annabeth romantically when no? His life doesn't revolve around her (at least not until Rick butched him in cotg).
Anyways, so here's your daily reminder that, no:
Percy did not reject godhood for Annabeth. He rejected it for himself and to help: all unclaimed demigods, Nico di Angelo, Calypso and Rachel. (Annabeth would have loved to be immortal/a god beside Percy).
Percy did not remember Annabeth because of some stupidly romantic reason; Hera let Percy remember her and used his fatal flaw (personal loyalty) to string him along like a donkey following a carrot to do exactly what she wanted.
Annabeth is not the only one Percy would have gone to Tartarus for. Look me in the eye and tell me he wouldn't have done the same if it was Grover or Sally getting pulled down. He would not have hesitated.
Percy did not drop everything and rush to rescue Annabeth in ttc. There was nothing romantic about that (until Aphrodite crashed the quest, and even then it's questionable). Need I remind you that 1. Percy literally did the same thing for Grover 6 months prior and 2. Percy only left after he got permission from Sally to go.
I can't remember what other BS percabeth stans love to claim, but I'm sure there's more. Lemme know in the tags/comments and I'll add it to the list.
