heyyy! idk if u remember but about a week ago an anon, me😂, messaged you saying i was on chapter 8 of the curse of lethe. i just finished it and i absolutely loved it!! it took me a while to finish because of school but it was amazing! i was wondering if you can make another part where percy pops the question and him and annabeth and all their friends plan the wedding and they have twins, a boy and girl!! that would be adorable and ik you would write something amazing. thank you so much!!
Hey! Thank you so much for that comment it was so nice and I’m really stoked you liked the whole fic! I did the proposal fic before here, but here’s some twin-baby!fic for you (it kind of came out only loosely related to the CoL-verse, but hope it sorta fits anyway). I’ll have to think more on the wedding planning stuff–put a pin in that, and I’ll get back to it another day. And sorry this is all rushed and a bit of a late reply, I just got back to work after being on holiday and I’m also moving in a few weeks plus I have too many WIPs but yeah. Enjoy!
‘How about Felix?’ Percy says. 'Piper said it means “lucky.”’ He runs his hands over the curve of Annabeth’s belly, which is expanding rapidly by the day. Sometimes she thinks it’s a bit alarming, the rate at which her son or daughter is growing. If this is the size of her at three months, what is she going to look like at six, or even nine?
(Piper, with the smug superiority of someone who’s been there, done that, laughs and says it’s normal, but that’s easy for her to say. Annabeth swears Piper was nowhere near as big when she was carrying her son. Then again, that could just be a gift from Aphrodite.)
Percy loves it, though. He can’t seem to keep his hands of her burgeoning belly, whispering to it and trying on two dozen names a day for size. She’s never seen him this excited, not even when he and Tyson built that underwater theme park for Estelle.
'She could be Felicity,’ Annabeth counters.
Percy makes a face. 'Another girls’ name?’
'Well, you keep coming up with boys’ names. We don’t know that he’s a boy.’
'I think he is.’
Annabeth makes an impatient noise in the back of her throat. 'We ought to be prepared for both eventualities,’ she reminds him. 'At least until we get the ultrasound.’ She looks at her watch, then at the door to Will’s office. There’s a carving of Eileithyia below the name plate that says Dr Solace, OB-GYN. It’s certainly appropriate—you definitely want the goddess of childbirth on your side when you’re expecting—but it makes Annabeth a little uneasy. Eileithyia also delivers rebirthed souls, fresh from the Lethe, into new babies sometimes.
Annabeth’s had more than enough to do with the Curse of Lethe to last ten lifetimes.
'Asher?’ Percy suggests.
She gives him a look and pushes his hands off her stomach. 'Why are you so dead set on having a boy, anyway? What’s wrong with girls?’
Percy winces at her tone. 'Nothing. Girls are perfect. Girls are amazing. I love girls. I mean—’
'Honestly, Seaweed Brain …’
'I love this girl,’ he amends, pushing one loose curl behind her ear. 'It’s just …’ He bites his lip and mumbles something.
'What?’
'What if I screw up, with a girl? I mean, look at how much I messed up with you, and I put my mom through hell over the years, and—well, at least with a boy, I sorta know what to expect.’
'Oh, Percy.’ She swallows through the lump in her throat. She can’t deny that the last twenty years of loving him has been painful. Her heart’s pretty much been put through the wringer by now, what with crazy quests and deadly prophecies and vengeful monsters … but none of that was ever Percy’s fault, and they both know it.
Well, most of the time he knows it. But expecting a baby tends to bring up a lot of past insecurities. Annabeth herself can’t quite shake the nightmares about things going wrong, being unable to protect this tiny seed of life blossoming inside her, that old, persistent phobia of never being good enough.
But she knows that even with all the tears and heartache, she’d do it all over again as long as it means she gets to have Percy with her forever. And it will be the same, whatever their future with this new baby brings.
She links her hand through Percy’s so that the twin wedding bands on their fingers interlock—each with half an infinity symbol that forms the full thing when they connect. 'We’re going to be fine, Percy.’ She rests both their hands over her belly. ’They’re going to be fine, whichever one they are. Because whatever crap we messed up, you and I, we always picked up the pieces and put them back together.’
As if to back her up, their baby stirs inside her, pressing up against the wall of her abdomen. Percy’s eyes widen a little.
'See?’ she says. 'They agree with me.’ Gods, she loves the kid already.
'Smart kid.’ Percy bends forward and whispers conspiratorially, 'Never bet against your mom, okay?’
The door opens and Will’s head pops out. 'Annabeth, Percy—come on in.’
Percy holds her hand as Will sets up the ultrasound. His eyes are shining as he stares at the blobby shapes forming on the computer screen. Will runs the ultrasound transducer over her skin, and there it is—the spindly limbs, the round head of their child.
'Wow,’ Percy breathes. 'Oh wow.’
'Looking good,’ Will says. 'Now let’s see—’ He moves the transducer.
Annabeth’s heart nearly stops when another round head comes into view.
'What’s that?’ Percy demands. 'Is that … oh gods, something’s wrong, isn’ it? Why does he have two heads?’
Will laughs. 'Well, it’s unexpected, I’ll give you that. But no, nothing’s wrong.’ He removes the transducer and types a few commands into his ultrasound computer. The image zooms out. This time, the picture shows clearly two heads, but also two tiny bodies curled together, like the two halves of her infinity wedding band.
Twins.
'Congratulations,’ Will says, pointing just below the umbilical cord connecting her two—two—babies. One of them has an extra appendage there; the other doesn’t. 'A boy and a girl.’
Well. She said they should plan for either eventuality, but she’d kind of failed to plan for this possibility. The Fates still had a hidden card up their sleeves after all.
'I guess we’ll need both names after all,’ she says faintly.
Ack, so my first attempt at the day 5 prompt (romance/shipping) for @percyjacksonweek2k17 went awry (basically tried to write a double-date ficlet based on a Caleo prompt and, surprise, surprise, it went more Caleo than Percabeth instead of 50-50). So I started over. And decided to go with @achtervulgan315‘s request for a Percabeth proposal. I think the whole reason I struggled with the original prompt is cos I look at it and go huh, right, shipfic--wait, so what’s the prompt then?
This was mainly written in between sessions at a conference (which is totally kicking my butt, I am sooo tired at the end of the day) so I am so sorry if it turned out to be utter and complete crap.
Okay why am I still blathering on? Story!
Summary: Percy’s a man with a plan. If he can just get Annabeth alone--which is proving harder than he anticipated. Fortunately, Clarisse comes to the rescue. Set in the CoL universe, post-fic, so SPOILERS FOR CURSE OF LETHE | Percabeth, obviously | 1321 words
If you’d told Percy that he’d ever ask Clarisse for help with his love life, he’d have said you’d been spending too much time shrooming in the Hypnos cabin.
To be fair, he wasn’t asking her for romantic advice (he’d definitely have to be stoned to consider that), it was more of … logistics.
Because getting Annabeth on her own for any extended period of time that summer was proving to be a greater challenge than Percy had anticipated—and that was definitely going to throw a wrench in his plans if he didn’t figure out how to get around it. Between their roles as senior camp counsellors (and their training classes were wildly popular with the kids) and Annabeth’s ongoing work on the ever-increasing minor god cabins (it was more like a mini-village there these days), there was hardly a private moment to be had. Even their spare time was often peppered with interruptions of the usual camp variety—Ellis Wakefield 'accidentally' frying the Demeter cabin; Julia Feingold and Alice Miyazawa stealing all the dinner plates for a skeet shooting competition so that no food could be served; Meg McCaffrey covering all the main cabins in creeper vines in retaliation. Little emergencies, that nevertheless needed the 'grown ups' to sort out.
(Gods, grown-ups. Sometimes Percy just wanted to go, 'Adult? Who, me? Nah …' Then again, considering what he was planning to ask Annabeth, he supposed he was grown up enough. If you counted age in experience instead of years, he might even pass for middle-aged by this point.)
Added to that was the increased propensity for younger campers to spy on the private moments they did get. Percy wasn’t sure how exactly their adventures in Tartarus had morphed into what the Aphrodite kids proclaimed 'the greatest love story ever' (gods, he wished Piper was back to put a stop to it; then again, maybe she’d only fan the flames, incorrigible matchmaker that she was). He just wished they wouldn’t be so persistent about trying to catch the 'shippy moments' for themselves. Seriously, when had teenagers become such voyeurs?
Anyway, the giggling coming from the bushes (or worse, rapturous sighs of 'it’s so romantic!') tended to put a bit of a damper on any attempted make-out session.
Percy had been starting to think he’d have to ask Chiron for permission to take Annabeth out to Manhattan for her birthday when the idea came to him. And unbelievable as it was, he went to Clarisse.
He caught Annabeth between his morning swordfighting class and her afternoon cabin inspections. he joined him on the green outside the Big House readily enough.
'Wanna bet on who catches us this time?' she teased when he kissed her cheek.
'My money’s on the Ares crowd,' he said. From behind his back, he produced a slightly squashed cupcake, covered with (of course) blue frosting. 'Happy birthday.'
'You remembered.'
'I did.' Percy tapped his head. 'Thalia’s magic’s still working. Everything staying put in there.'
Annabeth dipped her finger in the frosting and smeared it across his cheek. 'Your memory for dates was bad even before they washed out to Chaos,' she teased.
'I remembered the important ones,' Percy objected. 'Today, for instance.'
He felt in his pocket to make sure the pouch he’d prepared was still there, then moved in to kiss Annabeth properly. Sure enough, the oohing and aahing started up not long after their lips met.
'Well, look at that,' Clarisse pushed her way to the front of the group that had gathered at the edge of the Big House porch to whisper and point.
Right on cue.
'Clarisse?' Annabeth said incredulously. 'I know the kids have been stalking us, but it’s a bit beneath you, isn’t it?'
Clarisse ignored her. 'I think our lovebirds need to cool off, don’t you?' She looked around at the younger camps, whose faces broadened with glee.
A whole throng of kids appeared from all directions to hoist them onto their shoulders. Percy had to hand it to her; Clarisse had certain mobilised her people well.
'Isn’t this getting old for you?' Annabeth scolded.
'To the Canoe Lake!' Clarisse commanded, ignoring Annabeth.
Percy feigned annoyance, but he was grinning on the inside as they were carried down to the lake. It was all going perfectly to plan. Just before the campers chucked them into the water, he mouthed a quick thank you to Clarisse. She winked back.
He grabbed Annabeth’s hand as they sank beneath the surface and willed the water to push back from them, forming a flexible layer of air around their skin. He remembered quite clearly the first time he’d done this—a lot of his most emotionally charged memories had in fact become a lot more distinct since retrieving them at the edge of Chaos—and from the smile that tugged at the corner of Annabeth’s mouth and the way she wound her fingers through his and squeezed, she was recalling their first proper kiss, too.
'You planned this,' she accused him. Her other hand reached up to wipe the frosting from his cheek.
'Guilty.' He should have known she’d catch on quickly.
They hit the sandy bottom of the lake and Percy dropped to one knee.
'Oh,' Annabeth said. 'Oh.'
He hurried to get to the all-important question, although it seemed Annabeth already knew what he was up to.
'Annabeth, I—uh—you’re the—you’re my, I mean—' Oh, Cocytus, Styx, and Lethe, did he have to get all tongue-tied now? He took a deep breath, which was a mistake since he hadn’t exactly left unlimited quantities of air in their bubble. It made him splutter and choke over his next words.
Annabeth’s hand rose to cover her mouth. Her eyes twinkled.
'You’re laughing at me.'
'Of course I am.' She tugged him to his feet. 'You don’t have to do this, Percy.'
His heart did a slow swoop into the pit of his stomach. 'You mean—'
'I mean I was willing to fall into Chaos to stay with you—do you really need my answer?'
His heart, which must have stopped while waiting for her clarification, started beating again, very cautiously. 'You could’ve just let me get the question out.'
She pulled him closer by the front of his shirt. 'I seem to remember promising that I’d never make things easy for you.'
Percy shook his head, smiling. 'I think it’s been the other way round, lately.'
He pulled the pouch from his pocket. In it was the simple, thin band he’d been carrying around for months, ever since he’d gotten Tyson to craft it for him.
For her.
He shook it out into her palm. The ring lay in her hand, catching the sunbursts that streamed down through the lake water, reflecting different colours depending on which angle you looked from. It was simple at first glance, but with innumerable complex layers to it.
Just like Annabeth.
Annabeth’s jaw dropped. ’Is this … Adamantine?’
Percy nodded. 'The most durable stone in the world.'
'Something permanent,' Annabeth whispered.
'Exactly.'
Annabeth traced the carvings Tyson had etched along the surface of the ring in intricate Greek script: As long as we’re together. When she looked back at him, the corners of her eyes were glistening softly.
'Well, I guess you should ask after all.' She slipped her finger through the ring. 'Even if you already know the answer.'
This time, the words came out just right. ’I want you with me forever, even if you never make it easy for me. Will you keep on not making things easy for the rest of my life?’ he murmured.
'For the rest of our lives and beyond, Seaweed Brain.' Annabeth leaned forward so that their foreheads were touching. 'You’re not getting away from me.'
And as he closed the gap between them, Percy thought he’d definitely nailed the best underwater proposal of all time.
Short fic from the CoL universe for @myforevermoment, who requested a percabeth conversation when they’re back home, alone. :)
There was nothing like being on the receiving end of a fatal curse, losing your memory, and traversing a place worse than hell to renew your appreciation for simple things.
Like the kiss of moonlight on the soft skin of the girl currently lying in Percy's bed, holding a book above her head to catch the light of the desk lamp.
Or really, just Annabeth herself. The fact that she was there. Not just physically, but also in his certainty of who she was and what she meant to him.
Percy didn’t want to take his eyes off her. It wasn’t just the fear of losing her. He was more afraid that if he looked away, she might evaporate from his memory.
'You're staring at me again,' Annabeth said without taking her eyes away from the book.
Percy's fingers played idly on her ankle. 'Can you blame me?'
Annabeth lowered the book and lifted her head to look at him sternly. 'We're supposed to be studying. We have a lot to catch up on.'
'I think this semester's a bust,' Percy said. 'I mean, I went and overhauled my course load and I'm never gonna be on track for a Marine Bio major by next year.'
Annabeth rolled over and propped herself up on her elbows. 'Hey,' she said, reaching for his hand, 'you're gonna get there, okay? Even if it's not this year, or the next--you'll get to wherever you need to be.'
'What makes you so sure?'
'Because you're you, Percy. If you set out to do something, you do it, even if it's not in the conventional way.'
'I think you're describing yourself, there.'
Annabeth punched him in the calf. 'Do you need examples?'
'Please.'
She sat up and crossed her legs so that they were sitting face to face. 'For starters, you made it out of Tartarus with your memories back.'
'That was all you. And Thalia. And Will and Nico.'
Annabeth shook her head. 'Who carried me across the River of Tartarus? Who fought back against Eris and killed her? Who took out the arai and dragged me to safety?'
'Who got his damned memories wiped in the first place and dragged all of you through hell--again?' Percy muttered.
'Who took a curse meant for me?' she countered. 'Stop being such a kelp-head and look at yourself for once, won't you?' Her eyes were at their stormiest, charged with electricity and purpose. It was her girl-on-a-mission look.
Percy shut up and listened.
'When I look at you,' Annabeth continued in a gentler tone, 'I see the kid who turned back to fight three Furies out for his blood rather than leave me and Grover to face them. I see the boy who snuck across the country to save me when everyone else thought I was dead. I see the man who got me through Tartarus and out of it the first time--after I stupidly got myself pulled in, might I remind you? You don't have a monopoly on messing up, Percy. And when you set out to fix things--whether it's helping your friends or saving the world or just graduating high school--all of which you did--you fix them. Who cares if you break a few things along the way. You fix them.'
She placed her hands on his cheeks, the way she had when she was trying to snap him out of the awful visions Tartarus had given him. 'When I look at you, I see a hero.'
'I'm not a hero,' Percy murmured. 'I thought we figured that prophecy out long ago.'
'You're not the hero,' Annabeth corrected. 'But you're my hero.'
And as her arms found their way around his waist and pulled him down onto the bed with her, he remembered another thing he should really never forget: Never, ever argue with Annabeth.
