it is definitely not less than 350 words, but that's a win for me given how little I've written of late. <3
send me a prompt!!!
________
9. "When was the last time you slept?"
“When was the last time you slept?”
Percy raises an eyebrow at her, his picture grainy through the shroud of mist in their room.
She taps her fingers against her chin, shrugging at him. A few days, maybe. However long it’s been since they were woken up in the middle of the night to an IM from Grover, a too-quick explanation of a problem Zeus himself needed Percy to solve (at this point, Annabeth is beginning to think that Percy is just the only demigod who’s name he knows), and a sincere apology directed towards both of them, but the look attached to it was aimed more pointedly at Annabeth.
She hoped that her response—or lack thereof—didn’t give it away to him. But it did, of course, and his face falls quickly into an expression of concern.
“Annabeth,” he says, his eyes searching hers.
“Percy,” she says back, trying for something akin to teasing—he doesn’t laugh. She continues, “I’m fine, really.”
It’s not that she hasn’t tried to sleep, but sleep hasn’t been coming to her easily. Quests are few and far between these days, now that they’ve finished school and the two of them have regular, normal jobs and get to act like regular, normal people—sometimes, Annabeth finds herself forgetting about the mythical world altogether, getting lost in the sort of mundanity they’ve found—but that feeling of simplicity never lasts. Just when she feels like it’s going to, without fail, some deity or another pops up requesting a service.
(Annabeth is building up the courage to outright tell them no one of these days, but for now, it’s easier to say a begrudging yes.)
Percy gives her another look, and she thinks that if he looks at her like that for a moment longer she might start crying with frustration.
“I’ve just had a lot on my mind with work, and you being halfway across the country being some gods’ bitch doesn’t exactly help,” she gets out.
That earns a small smile from him; the god in question is not lost on either of them.
“I should be home soon,” he says. “Maybe another day or two.”
Annabeth closes her eyes, nodding. She really is tired, but every time she begins to doze, she’s greeted harshly with nightmares of encounters both passed and theoretical.
“Annabeth?” He asks, and she blinks her tired eyes open. Percy purses his lips and reaches a hand out like he’s trying to touch her, but he pulls back before he can break the mist.
“We’re down for the night. I can stay on if you want to try to sleep?” He offers.
It’s not really what she wants—she wants them both to never have to do another quest, wants him in their bed with his arm around her waist and his stomach pressed against her back, wants to feel the steady in and out of his breathing and not have to worry about waking up only to find out that something bad has happened.
But it’s been days, and Annabeth’s sure that if she stays up any longer, her body will give out on her. So she nods at him and moves down to curl up on their bed.
Percy starts telling her about the quest—she can tell he’s leaving some things out for her benefit, but she doesn’t have the energy to scold him for it.
“Thankfully nothing too hard,” she hears when she’s almost asleep. She cracks her eyes open just a touch and sees him looking around at something outside of her view. “I’m going to try to be back by tomorrow.”
She hums in response, and she can hear Percy laugh softly on the other end, and then they’re both silent for a while.
Before she finally settles into sleep, she’s met with Percy’s voice once more.
“Goodnight, Annabeth. I’ll see you soon.”
When she wakes up, it’s to sunlight streaming through the window and several missed alarm notifications on her phone, but there’s an arm around her waist and a nose nudging her neck, and she decides that whatever she was supposed to do today can wait another few hours.
17 -> "true blue" , boygenius
-> percabeth driving to a montauk vacation by themselves ^0^
- you wanted to feel alive (so we went to the beach ) -
“which exit is it?” beth asks him from behind the steering wheel, frowning at the road in front of her. percy had insisted she took a GPS with them, and though she had agreed, they had ended up forgetting it somewhere in his apartment.
“that one, i think,” he says as he points to the left. “worst comes to worst we just have to turn ‘round, so.”
“i’m not really keen on extending the ride, you know?”
“you don’t wanna have a long road trip with me?”
he lays back in the passenger seat, pouting dramatically at her in hopes she turns and looks. annabeth doesn’t, but she seems to catch a glimpse of his sad face and it makes her giggle automatically.
“oh, shut up,” she says between laughs, lifting a hand from the wheel to playfully slap his arm. “i don’t want us to be late.”
“for the vacation we booked for ourselves in which the only activity is swimming and making s’mores?” percy sits up —admittedly, he has adopted quite the awful posture somewhere between the 10 minutes of the trip and now— and places his shark plushie on his lap to cross his arms. “it’s meant to be a relaxing vacation.”
“i’m not good at relaxing vacations,” she admits.
percy knows she’s right. they’re a bit of an antithesis when it comes to travelling. while he is a rest-and-do-nothing beach bum, his girlfriend is a chronic sight-seeer. still, he doesn’t regret taking her to montauk. they both need a week to themselves, that’s for sure. a part of him feels bad for not taking her somewhere with more things to see, and so close to camp, but there’s something about taking her to his childhood paradise, to the place his parents met, to the last place he had been to before entering her life, that feels extremely personal and vulnerable, and annabeth is the one person he wants to be vulnerable with.
“what’s on your mind?” she asks, noticing his sudden silence.
“nothing,” percy replies. he forces a yawn out and grabs his blåhaj, turning around in the seat again.
he smiles against the blue shark plushie. he has yet to unlearn the idea that he’s beyond stupid, but it’s easier to let go of it when the smartest person he knows tells him otherwise. it feels good to be known so well.
“i just hope you’ll like it.” he shrugs. “it’s special to me. just…” just like you’re special to me, he wants to say. the words die in his mouth out of a shyness that feels foreign. “i just hope it’ll be special to you too.”
“everything’s special with you.” after she speaks, annabeth takes his hand away from the plushie and into hers, holding it close to her face to drop a light kiss on his knuckles before she lets go again. “i love you.”
“enough for me to tell you i think i chose the wrong exit?” that actually makes her turn to him with a frown on her face, but he guesses it’s got nothing to do with the road. “you know i love you too.”
I bet you can’t write a death fic but make it cracky/fluffy.
As for which universe to write in? Any you deem worthy.
:)
-✨
(A new anon)
“What do you mean he died!” The anger is evident in her voice and Travis doesn’t really know how to answer that question.
“Um…”
“When I find him, I’m going to murder him!” she continues, clearly still raging.
“Uh, he’s kind of already…” Katie tries to say but Annabeth cuts her off.
“I’ll do it again! He wasn’t supposed to die! He was supposed to—ugh, alright who killed him? I’m murdering their ass first and then Percy’s for fucking dying on me!”
“Okay, so she’s either a hundred percent serious,” Leo starts. “Or she killed him. But probably not,” he adds quickly, when he hears her growl.
“I can’t believe he died. Son of the big three, been on multiple quests, part of multiple prophecies and he fucking dies on this? Are you kidding?” Travis can imagine Annabeth shaking her head as she says her rant.
“I’m sure he didn’t mean to,” Piper soothes, charmspeak clearly meaning to calm Annabeth down.
“Right, so we should probably figure out who killed him before Annabeth kills us,” Travis says. “Um…it wasn’t me.”
“Travis you’re probably the one most likely to kill him just to spite Annabeth,” Katie points out.
“We’re losing time guys, we should decide now,” Jason says, speaking up for the first time.
“You’ve been awfully quiet Jason,” Leo says.
“What can I say? I didn’t do it.”
“Guys we really have to vote now,” Katie says, the timer seconds away from hitting zero.
Travis gets ejected only because Katie and Leo are the only ones to vote.
Travis sighs, shaking his head as he finally opens up the ghost chat to see Percy’s icon hovering there.
“Hey,” Percy’s voice comes over the headset.
“She killed you didn’t she?” Travis says, as he watches the little astronauts run across the space station.
They both watch Annabeth stab Leo and vent out of the room only for Piper to discover the body and call a meeting a second later.
“Yep,” Percy replies. “She did.”
A/N: Well new anon, I hope I did your prompt justice lol It was nice to just write a little drabble, it’s been a while since I’ve written this format and honestly I should do it more often. I hope you liked it and thanks for sending in a prompt!
sometimes when things get too hard annabeth disapears. It's not like she does it on purpose. Being invisible is not something she chose willingly. It had been thrusted on her by her mortal family and athena. It was all she was as a kid. It's what made her survive on the streets.
so she regresses back into that instinct. Fast yet big movements in her navigation. Soft steps. Seizing blind softs. Silence in her movements. Barely audible breathing. Hand always on her dagger. Nobody notices not even herself most of the time
Until after the war
Percy needed her help with something but he couldn't find her. He asks around and nobody has seen her. An hour passes and she's nowhere to be found. He starts freaking out until she pops up behind him like nothing happened. He brushes it off thinking its just the war making him jumpy. Until it happens again and again. After a nasty visit to her mortal family, the anniversary of her running away, the anniversary of the war, conversations about luke whenever things get too emotionally loaded she vanishes.
He tries looking for her asks the other campers around they search but they never find her she always finds them first. He thinks for the longest time that she uses her cap but when he finds it her room and shes nowhere to be seen he gets even more confused.
How does she manage to hide away like this ? The entire athena cabin is looking for her as well and they still can't find her. That is until thalia shows up and finds her in less than 5 minutes. When annabeth is gone and thalia is around shes never gone for long
and that is how percy realizes how annabeth hides away and why. It was all she knew as a kid and now and its why thalia always was the one to find her first because she was the same. That's how they became family and percy can't change that. He can't rewrite her childhood
He'll never find her when she hides so he just has to hope he's enough for her to come back
“I should get back before they realize I left.” Annabeth stretched to kiss Percy’s jaw before attempting to roll out of the warm bed.
“Don’t go.” He held her against his newly bruised chest. Annabeth could feel herself sink into his hold, his warmth, his sunshine he seemingly only shined for her, seeping into her skin and bones.
“It was the reason I came back this weekend, Perce, I can’t just bail.”
“So don’t make it a weekend thing.” His eyes pleaded more than his words could somehow.
“I have a life I need to get back to, Percy.” She hated the words that were an instinct.
“Right.” He sat up, letting go of her.
Cold took his place, engulfing her with chills along her shoulders.
“Perce–” Annabeth stood up after him.
“It’s fine, Annabeth. You have to go.” He started dressing.
“I can come back after.” She wanted to fix this. She wanted his sunshine, she wanted what they used to have.
“So we can have the same conversation? And my–”
“Percy, you know what my life is. You know I can’t do this.” (I won’t do this)
“I know. So go.” He wouldn’t look at her.
“Don’t be like that, Percy.”
“I’ll just stay quiet.” He sighed.
Annabeth moved around behind him before he felt the bed dip and she was pulling him into a kiss.
“I’ll be back. I always come back.”
“And when you don’t?” He pulled her onto his lap.
“Then it’s because I took you with me.” She ended the conversation by pulling his lips to hers.
~
Locking her car behind her, Annabeth tried to think of a reason as to why her cheeks would be flushed.
Cameras flashed and she was inside.
She smiled, and talked about who she was wearing, how she enjoyed working with the director and how well the artist’s piece looked.
Annabeth found her fake smile even less genuine than usual as she started too gather her things and get in her car.
“Where to?” Her driver asked.
She didn’t know what to say.
“Percy’s.”
She could stare at his building forever coming up with reasons not to go back. The reason she should just go to her hotel and take the private flight home to LA. But she doesn’t. She’s taking the stairs two at a time to his apartment.
And he’s there when she gets there. He’s always there.
“For once in your life, do what you want! Be selfish!"
perhaps 👀
I changed the quote slightly for reasons but the same general idea
“So do what you want. Be selfish for once in your life Perce.”
“What if I don’t know what I want?”
“Well what don’t you want?” Annabeth asked. She watched his jaw clench, his hands flexing in and out of fists. He knew the answer to her question, they both did, but she wanted to hear him say it. They both knew that too, and it was clearly what was irritating Percy now.
“I don’t want to do school anymore, alright?” he said. It had clearly been hard to get out, but if Annabeth wasn’t mistaken she saw the tiniest bit of relief in his eyes now that it was out in the open.
“Then don’t do school anymore,” she said gently.
“It’s not that simple,” he insisted. He had already been frustrated and the conversation didn’t seem to be helping, but Annabeth couldn’t help herself.
“Isn’t it?” she asked. He gave her a look that plainly said it is, but she ignored it and forged ahead. “You saved the world twice. You survived literal hell. You’re allowed to take a break to figure out what you actually want to do, not what you think you’re supposed to be doing.”
He looked at her for a long moment. She was an expert at reading his body language, his expression, but she couldn’t quite parse out what he was thinking now.
At least, until he sighed, his limbs relaxing, the smallest smile breaking through his previously stormy expression.
“I don’t know why I bother arguing with you,” he said, shaking his head.
“Shut up.”
“Never,” he smirked. It only lasted a second before his expression morphed into something a little more seriously. “But you’re right. Maybe… maybe taking a break wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.”
“Maybe?” Annabeth asked, unable to completely smother her smile.
“Shut up,” he grumbled, but he couldn’t quite hide his either.
Though he thinks crushes are good, in theory— after all, despite whatever he says, he loves the butterfly-feelings and eratic heartbeats and the feel good feeling you get. He loves the excitemnt and tactile sensations— but that's in theory.
And really, Percy really, really hates crushes.
He hates the very thought of unrequited love. All the time, all the thought, all the energy and effort just to be wasted. Unrequited love, unreciprocated love— it all makes him feel sick in the stomach. Percy has seen what heartbreak looks like, what it feels like, and a part of him never wants to expeirence it.
Ever.
Especially with her.
Annabeth Chase has been a pain lately— and Percy just knows that she's aware of what she's doing. He isn't blind to romance, and she's just soaking it all in, huh?
She's been... mocking him. Dare he say tease; why does Annabeth choose to sit beside him at every chance she gets? If it isn't all the sneaked glances that drives Percy to the edge, it's all the teasing smiles— she knows he's watching her and wants to show that. Why does her shampoo have to smell so good? Why does she have to be so damn pestering?
(He wont admit it, but a little part of him is afraid that Annabeth doesn't really like him. Especially since he's liked her for way longer.)
Percy doesn't like how one sided this all is. It's driving him crazy.
Well, fine, then! If she likes him, and he likes her, then he'll just have to be the one to confess first.
"I like you."
The confession comes quietly as Percy stares at Annabeth, wide eyes and mouth agape, because he's been waiting for this.
(Oh god. Why is he sweating so much.)
Chewing the inside of his cheek, Percy turns his head away from her to look outside the window of their empty classroom. Spring's in full bloom— the tulips the student council planted look really colourful today. All the rain is gone, the dark clouds replaced by fluffy bright ones and a blinding sun. It's beautiful.
Mumbling quietly, he asks, "What was that?"
She scowls.
"Is it not obvious?"
Percy chews on his bottom lip to stop a smile from creeping onto his face. She notices. "I dunno. I've been having hearing problems lately— mind repeating that?"
Annabeth takes a bold step forward. Why does she smell so good. "I... like you, idiot. Got it?"
"Hm."
A beat.
"Yeah. Thought so."
"Yeah?" She repeats, and Percy notices just how nervous she looks. It's a little cute. "So, um— nobody told me what to do now—"
"You got to it first." He sighs, running a hand through his hair. "I wanted to tell you first."
Students chatter outside.
Annabeth, as if breathing in a big sigh of relief, laughs. "You're kidding."
Percy rolls his eyes exasperatedly. If someone were to walk in on the two of them, he thinks he'd combust on the spot. "I've liked you for the longest time. No joke."
His face feels hot.
"Heh." She looks up at him, "I don't know what I was so worried about, anymore."
"Yeah, yeah, save it for later," He brushes past her, stopping short just at the doorway. "We should go out. Saturday. I'll text you— and it's only fair if I get to ask you out first."
"Bold huh, Jackson?" Annabeth calls out to Percy as he walks away, "I'll be there!"
“She’s my daughter,” Percy insisted as he stormed into Pallas’ bedroom, “I can read her diary if I want.”
Annabeth walked in after her husband, arms crossed as she leaned on the doorframe to watch his frantic movements, “She’s five. Her diary is a glittery Cinderella notebook filled with drawings and fake menus from when you two play restaurant.”
“Yeah, well she calls it her diary, so somewhere between those drawings has to be something about a wedding- ah ha!” Percy yelled as he dug out a bright blue Cinderella notebook from beneath some stray papers laying on her dresser.
“You do remember that part where it was a fake wedding, right? Between two five year olds.”
“It was real enough for Rudy’s parents to call us gushing about the whole thing,” The father grimaced while flipping through pages of the little diary, “‘It was so cute, you really should have been there.’ Disgusting. I knew we shouldn’t have let her go on that play date with him.”
“Well, Pallas, told me that the ceremony was being officiated by her Stitch plushy,” A teasing grin began to form on the woman’s face, “So, unless he was ordained during his time in Hawaii, I don’t think you have to worry too much about Rudy calling you dad anytime soon.”
“Pallas told you about this?” His frantic voice came out quiet and the grumpy expression that had overtaken his face before had fallen. She watched as her husband took a defeated breath and sat down on the small bed. Annabeth didn’t hesitate to move over and take a seat beside him, “Why didn’t she tell me? She tells me everything. I mean, she used to.”
“Oh, Percy, she still tells you everything,” Annabeth placed one hand on his shoulder and used the other to move his head to face her, “Every day after school, or a play date, she’s always so excited to fill you in on every single detail. She even makes up new things to tell us during dinner. Pallas adores you.”
“I still don’t think she made up that story about a myrmeke stealing her lunchbox.”
“She traded it for Taylor’s water bottle and you know it!”
“You can’t prove anything,” Despite his efforts to continue his pout, the crooked smile that Annabeth loved seeing on both Percy and her daughter’s face was beginning to form, “Fine, but I still feel like I should have been informed about my own daughter's wedding.”
Annabeth couldn’t help but laugh at the bottom lip her husband managed to poke out, “Maybe because she didn’t want her daddy getting jealous about the other man in her life.”
“Man?” Percy scuffed at that, “More like dirt eating, daughter stealing, do-“
Annabeth gasped and used the back of her hand to whack her husband's stomach, “He’s five!”
“I was gonna say dog!” Percy laughed out. He wrapped his arm around Annabeth’s shoulder and rested his head against hers, “Besides, he’s stealing my daughter, I can call him whatever I want.”
The blonde just leaned into him and started playing with his fingers that hung over her, “You are so dramatic.”
“Promise me you won’t replace me with another man like Pallas did.”
“Hm, I’m not sure if I can make that promise.”
His green eyes scrunched up in confusion as he leaned back to look down at his wife, “What? Why not?”
Annabeth had a smirk on her lips as she stood up from Pallas’ bed, one hand resting over her stomach as she did. Her eyes avoided his stare as she started out of the room, “Because I don’t know if they will be a boy or a girl yet.”
“Wait- Annabeth! Why are you smiling like that?” The words didn’t fully process until his wife was well out of their daughter’s room. With wide eyes now gleaming, he rushed after her, his own grin forming on his lips, “Does this mean- stop walking away!”
