Percy goes on vacation with Rachel, hoping to enjoy his life before the war begins. When he goes to save from naiads, he gets knocked out. Dazed and confused, he wakes up in Annabeth’s house, where she heals him, feeds him, and comforts him. But not without some drama first.
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The last thing Percy wanted to do was chase down three dracaena on the Pacific Coast when he should have been enjoying the last months of his life. But when you’re a demigod—a child of the Big Three at that and there’s a mysterious prophecy hanging over your head—the monsters don’t really care whether you’re going to die in three months or three years.
School had been over for almost a week now, and the bone-chilling reality of his life was just now settling over him. Most fifteen-year-olds were thinking about summer jobs and hanging out with their friends. They were living carefree with the whole world at their feet. Not Percy. Never him. His summer now, as it had been the last four years, consisted of life-threatening missions, dangerous quests, and coming to terms with the fact that by his sixteenth birthday, the fate of the world would rest on his shoulders.
It was not an easy thing for him to stomach, and it was why Percy had been avoiding camp for a week now. It was too much to deal with. His entire existence had been building up to this point, but it was also his own breaking point. He felt guilty for skiving off camp, especially when the deadline was fast approaching and there was so much still left to do. The threats on camp, the disappearance of campers as they steadily joined Luke’s cause, the resurgence of monsters, and worst of all, the return of Kronos. Even thinking about it too long nauseated Percy. So he stuck to keeping his head in the sand.
His thoughts drifted to the conversation he had last week with Annabeth. One of the fews they’d had all year. She kept blabbing about recon missions and battle plans and training and all sorts of stuff that sent Percy’s head spinning. He wanted to end the call fast, but he also didn’t want to leave Annabeth mid-call. Those calls were the few conversations they had without tearing each other apart. Percy would never admit it, but he seriously missed talking to his best friend. But it was getting increasingly harder to have a normal chat with Annabeth without the both of them clashing. Nevertheless, by the end of the call, Percy was aching to escape. Go somewhere far from camp, where he could forget that the fate of Western Civilization was resting on his shoulders.
So when his friend Rachel had approached him with an invitation to disappear to the California coast for a week, Percy had practically jumped on the idea. There was a small problem, though. Percy couldn’t really get on a plane without the King of the Gods striking him down or facing a monster attack. Rachel, to her credit, did not balk at the mention of the Greek gods or monsters. Instead, she proceeded to call her father and ask him to let her borrow a car and driver to take to California, citing Percy’s fear of airplanes as the reason for not joining them on their private jet.
With the promise of safe travels and approval from his own mother, who’d been more than happy to see her son live his last few months to the fullest. Waving goodbye to his mother when Rachel arrived to get him sent a pang of sadness through him. In three short months, Percy might not see his mom again. And if he failed, he might see her face a fate worse than death. Part of him wanted to abandon the trip and run back to camp to do his duty, but another part of him urged him to enjoy this before it was too late. Swallowing the bile in his throat, he raced to Rachel’s car and off he went to the golden coast.
The trip had taken a grueling three days. And Percy was on edge the entire time, always looking at other cars and making sure there wasn’t a telkhine behind the wheel of a Toyota or something. The place they were going to was a small town in northern California.
It was by San Francisco, but far enough away where they wouldn’t run into any blonde daughters of Athena. Percy grappled with the idea of calling her and letting her know he was around, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t face her and those stormy gray eyes that wanted to kill him. He couldn’t face her and her teasing remarks when he did something stupid. And he certainly couldn’t face her and her expression when she realized that he was with Rachel, the one person Annabeth seemed to dislike for no apparent reason.
The town was quaint and quiet with a sort of fairytale feel about it. There were no skyscrapers, no power plants billowing dark smoke, no crazy drivers with their equally crazy honking. It was so different from the hustle and bustle of New York City that Percy had grown fond of. But the quietness, the mere tranquility of the town had Percy’s brain relaxing. For once, he didn't think about his impending doom.
“Come on, let’s go check out the vacation and go to the beach. All the beaches here are hidden under the cliffs, so it’s fun to go and discover new secluded beaches,” Rachel said, her ears turning red when she muttered ‘secluded beaches.’ Girls were so weird, but her words had Percy turning crimson as well.
The vacation home was more of a vacation mansion. Bigger than any house Percy had ever seen. It was a whopping three stories, with a sprawling backyard, giant living spaces, a theater room, and even its own elevator. He felt seriously out of place here, but he couldn’t exactly verbalize that, not when the butlers had taken his luggage and showed him to his room. And the room had its own bathroom. Man, Rachel really lived the life.
The beach they turned up on was surrounded by jagged rocks and violent crashing waves. Just above it were cliffs that were impossible to jump down and reach without breaking a bone or ten. But sometimes being a son of Poseidon had its perks. Percy had merely grabbed Rachel’s arm and swam out, keeping both of them and their belongings safe from the water and thrashing waves. The beach was indeed secluded, but Percy had wanted it like this so he could use his powers without any weird stares. Although, the mist could’ve covered that with no problem. He just wanted to be alone with Rachel.
It was fun to say the least. Rachel had sat on a nearby rock that Percy had brought her to. Then, he proceeded to dive off the highest rocks he could find, even when they were too far away from the ocean. He’d just use his powers to carry himself to the ocean. Was it cheating? Maybe. But Percy didn’t really care that he was cheating cliff-diving.
Rachel, to her credit, didn’t remark on his diving skills. Instead, she’d cheer every time he’d hit the water and resurface with great efficiency.
Reveling in the feeling of the ocean beneath his finger tips, across his torso, surrounding his arms and legs, Percy began to swim laps. Sometimes, a dolphin would join in, challenging him to a race that Percy would beat with no problems. The sun beat down on them, burning his face, but he couldn’t pay attention to that right now. Being out at sea with no worries. Percy was seriously starting to feel like a normal kid.
The day wasn’t over yet, but it was the most fun Percy had had in a long time. Rachel was good company, the sea was a calming force, and the absence of war and impending doom were far from his mind. Percy knew it was too good to be true. And he was right.
When Blackjack had turned up on the sandy shores, Percy knew there was trouble.
Boss, Blackjack spoke into his mind, There’s some naiads up north in trouble.
“What kind of trouble?” Percy asked his trusty steed as Rachel stood off to the side, brows furrowed with worry.
Dracaena from Mount Tam came down. Killed some naiads trying to protect their turf. They need your help.
Percy agreed to go help with a second thought, already pawing at Riptide in his pocket. But then he remembered Rachel and even more, he realized he would be going to San Francisco for this. Turning back to Rachel, he opened his mouth to apologize and make up an excuse, but Rachel got there first.
“I’ll be fine. I’ll just make up a good lie for why you’re not here,” Rachel had reassured him. “Just drop me off at home, will you?”
Hiking onto Blackjack’s back, Rachel wrapped her arms around his torso, settling her chin on his shoulder. He tried to not notice it, focusing on Blackjack and the trouble ahead.
It took Blackjack and Percy nearly an hour to get to the naiads. But the plan was simple enough. Go to the naiads, kill some dracaena, get back on Blackjack, and return to Rachel. But, of course, Fate loved to play football, and Percy was the ball. The plan had failed instantly. The naiads were severely outnumbered, and Percy had only managed to kill seven when one of them managed to get a good stab at his shoulder.
They’d stabbed him right in his leading shoulder, the one he held Riptide in. Blackjack had fled abruptly when one of the dracaena tried to slice his throat. Percy decided the best course of action would be to drag the monsters away from the naiads.
And this was how Percy had ended up on the run from a group of Poseidon-kid hungry dracaena. He knew he didn’t have much time. The stab wound was bleeding profusely. His vision was playing, going in and out of darkness. San Francisco was also unfamiliar territory to him. He was limping through foreign streets, clutching his free hand to his bloody shoulder.
The dracaena was already gaining on him, and any attempts of calling his pegasus were met with empty skies. There was no other choice. He really wished Annabeth was here, but she was probably on her way to camp. How ridiculous. She’d be on her way to camp to fight a war for him, and he was in her city on Hades’s doorstep.
At least Percy’s last stand would be valiant. Dying for some naiads. They would definitely put him in the history books for this one.
Losing his balance, Percy collapsed onto the side of a wall. His shoulder was throbbing, and his head was pounding from the sheer effort it took to keep his eyes open. Helplessness didn’t even begin to describe his mental state. He muttered one last prayer to his father, preparing to die. But as Percy turned his head to face serpent-nymph creatures, he was met with monster dust. The dracaena were no longer chasing him. They were heaps of dust on the ground.
Percy’s vision danced once more as he was met with a toss of messy blonde hair and worried grey eyes.
“Are you alright, Seaweed Brain?”
Percy tried to muster up a response, but his vision shifted one last time before he became acquainted with the darkness.
The faint smell of lemons and books were enough to get Percy’s head spinning. The last thing he remembered was coming face-to-face with the one person he so desperately wanted to see. Annabeth. His eyes slowly fluttered open to a white ceiling. The bedsheets were soft and decorated with little black hearts. The pillow hugged him on both sides of his head, and there were two pillows at the foot of the bed: a little blue-gray owl and a tiny stingray. The most typical girl bedroom he’d ever seen.
Percy tried to get up, but the violent sting of his shoulder had him falling back into the bed. He let out a choked sound. Water, he needed water. There were bandages wrapped around his shoulder, making it hard for him to move. But if he could just ignore the stabbing pain in his shoulder, he could maybe find a faucet or something.
He turned his head to the left, his breath nearly leaving his body. There, on the chair next to him dozing off on her desk was Annabeth Chase. Her brows were scrunched with worry, her hair was tied up in a loose braid that was snaking across her back, and her nose was tucking into the crook of her elbow which was resting on the desk. Wisps of her hair that had come out of the braid was covering her face. Percy reached out his working arm to clean her face of her curly hair.
Percy couldn’t get his eyes off her. He knew it was wiser to wake her up, get her to help him find water, and go back to his vacation, but something about the solitude with Annabeth and the most calm they’ve had this past year had Percy hesitating. He just admired her for the next few minutes, taking in every detail of her beautiful face. He let out a contented sigh, which, to him, seemed quiet enough, but in actuality must’ve been too loud as Annabeth cracked a sleepy eye open. Nobody made a move. Annabeth just stared into his sea-green eyes, and Percy realized he was doing the same.
“Thanks for saving me, Wise Girl,” Percy finally broke the silence.
Annabeth flashed him an appreciative smile, which shined brighter than any gold drachma. Percy grinned back in response. He liked making her happy, especially since all they’ve been doing is fighting.
“Nothing new,” Annabeth joked, a small giggle escaping her throat. Percy so separately wanted to bottle up the sound and keep it with him. “How do you feel?”
“Amazing. And yourself?”
“Good. Until I saw this guy with sword in one hand clutching his bloody shoulder running away from dragon monsters. Had to go save him and everything, you know. Typical hero business”
“Hah. Sounds familiar.” Percy winked, reveling in the old banter he and Annabeth were so used to having.
They stared at each other for a moment longer when Percy’s shoulder cried out again. Percy faced twisted into agony, which had Annabeth moving out of her seat.
“Let’s get you into some water. I tried earlier, but I think you need to be conscious for the healing power to work.” Annabeth put his left arm around her neck and cautiously snaked her arm around his waist, hoisting him up with her strength. Together, they walked into her bathroom, where she leaned him against the counter.
She began to fill the bathroom with water, and Percy took the moment to really look at himself in the mirror. He realized he hadn’t been wearing a shirt. There were bandages wrapping all over his body, likely covering other slashes that the dracaena had inflicted upon him. Underneath the bandages, Percy could see peaks of his burn scars from Mount St. Helens. He winced. He tried so hard to repress the memory of that day, but it came flooding back to him at the worst of times. The volcano, thousands displaced, Annabeth’s confusing kiss, Calypso, his and Annabeth’s subsequent falling out. If he could turn back time and fix the mistakes of that day and all those following it, he would.
“Water’s ready. Do you need help getting in?” Annabeth turned back around, crossing her arms.
Percy covered the burn marks with his hand, hoping she wouldn’t look. He didn’t know why he was embarrassed. He didn’t want her to see them. But that was stupid. Obviously she’d already seen it when she was bandaging his wound.
“I think I’ll manage. Thanks, though,” Percy responded, climbing into the tub and sinking into it until his entire body, save for his face, was submerged underwater. Annabeth sat on the edge of the bathtub, peering down at him. Percy’s face flushed.
“Hey.” He couldn’t think of anything to say.
“Hey.” She responded, her voice soft and comforting. “I can get us some food while you heal.”
His stomach grumbled in response. Percy hadn’t eaten anything all day besides the sandwiches at the beach earlier in the day. “What do you have to eat?”
“Mmm, I was planning on going to this small Chinese place near my house before you unceremoniously showed up with three dracaena on your back. Ruined my whole lunch plans.”
“Well, it’s dinnertime now. We can still turn this day around.” Percy lightly splashed some water on her, feeling himself gain back some lost strength.
Annabeth reached over and splashed him back, rolling her eyes dramatically while doing so.
“Alright. Give me thirty minutes. If you need a change of clothes I have some large camp shirts in my dresser. I don’t know if my pants will fit you though.” Annabeth said, getting up from her seat and exiting the bathroom.
Percy instantly regretted wanting food. It was starting to get so confusing for him. One second he can’t stand being around her and the next he’s yearning to be next to her every possible moment.
After a long forty minutes in the water, his screaming shoulder quieted down into a soft throb. He carefully rose from the tub, taking great care in no splashing water on the floor. He willed himself to dry and drained the bathtub. He undid the bandages, leaving him with only his shorts and a small new scar on his body. Percy took one last look around Annabeth’s bathroom. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Just a teenage girl’s bathroom. Percy’s heart fluttered. He was happy she got an ounce of normalcy in her life after these last few years. He exited her bathroom, shutting off the light.
Annabeth’s dresser was in front of her bed. It was a light oak dresser with several architectural blueprints strewn across the top. All he needed was a shirt. His shorts were fine as he willed them to dry. The problem was that Percy didn’t know which drawer contained her shirts. One choice could result in something awkward. Before Percy could do something stupid, the bedroom door opened.
Annabeth gaped at him with confusion, her cheeks turning pink.
“Uh. Which drawer has the shirts?” Percy asked, his face mirroring Annabeth’s flushed cheeks.
Annabeth’s face was now blood red. “Right, sorry for not telling you.” She reached into the top left drawer and pulled out a clean orange Camp Half-Blood shirt. “Here you go. Food’s downstairs.” She practically raced out of the room.
Percy quickly put on the shirt, finding it to be warm against the cool air of Annabeth’s room. He trekked downstairs looking for signs of other people, but it looked like Annabeth was all alone. He walked into the dining room, a room separate from the kitchen with old artwork all over the walls. Annabeth was at the far end of the long table silently munching out of takeout containers. The smell of the food permeated across the room, launching Percy’s stomach into hungry mode. He sat across from her and reached into the bag, taking out a pair of chopsticks and more containers of food.
“Best dumplings ever,” Annabeth groaned in between bites, seemingly voicing Percy’s own thoughts.
And she wasn’t wrong. One bite had Percy reaching for a second, a third, until his mouth was stuffed with dumplings. Annabeth began to laugh, really hard. So hard that she had to push her chair back and keel over, holding her stomach. Percy began to giggle, or at least that’s what he was attempting to do with his mouth so full of food. He loved making her laugh, and he got to hear it thrice today.
“Try the fried rice. That’s the best part.” Pointing to the small takeout box of rice with her chopsticks.
“This is so good. Why isn’t this in New York?” Percy was so jealous.
Annabeth shrugged. “California’s better, I guess.”
Percy scoffed. “Nothing’s better than New York.” He paused for a moment. “Where’s your family?” Percy hadn’t caught a glimpse of her father, or her little brothers, and he didn’t want to know where her stepmother was.
“Out of town. On a cruise to Hawaii,” Annabeth answered, fiddling with the front wisps of her hair as she usually did when she was upset or annoyed.
“Oh. Why didn’t you go?” Percy asked.
“Me? Go on a cruise, Seaweed Brain?” Annabeth looked at him like he’d just said the most idiotic thing humanly possible.
“Right.” Great, now everything between them was awkward. “So, you’ve been keeping San Francisco safe from all the monsters? How’d you know I was here?”
“I was near Mount Tam, trying to spy for Camp. Then I saw Blackjack frantically flying away. I thought nothing of it until I saw you dashing through the streets blindly.” Annabeth had already finished her food. She leaned back in her chair and squinted at him. “What were you doing here? You were supposed to be in New York.”
Oh gods. Percy had forgotten he was here on vacation with Rachel. But he couldn’t possibly bring her up right now. Annabeth might blow a gasket. There was no other choice, though. He couldn’t lie to Annabeth, she’d see right through it.
“I’m on vacation with…Rachel. She invited me to a beachtown, then Blackjack said there was trouble with some naiads. So I ended up in San Francisco.” Percy waited for her to lose her temper, but it never came.
Annabeth looked down into her empty box and played with the invisible leftovers, pushing them around as she asked her next question. “So, you guys are, like, really close now?”
“Yeah, we’re good friends. She’s been good to talk to when things get tough.”
“How fortunate you are.” Annabeth muttered under her breath.
“I’m sorry?”
“Nothing. Forget I said anything.” She got up from her seat and took her empty containers into the kitchen. Percy had finished his food too, so he grabbed his own boxes and trailed after her.
She had no right to be mad at him. She wasn’t the one destined to die in just three short months. She wasn’t the one who had displaced half a million people because she blew up a volcano. She wasn’t the one who was constantly hunted by every living thing because she wasn’t supposed to be alive.
“You’re such a pain. You don’t get to be mad, Annabeth.”
“I’m not mad. Stop putting words into my mouth.” Annabeth threw her trash into the bin and turned to him. “You don’t get to be mad at me. You’re lucky I was here to help you before you died, instead of being at camp or on vacation with some guy.” She pointed her finger, poking him in his chest. That’s when Percy’s mind stopped. Why was she still here? School ended six days ago. So why wasn’t she at camp?
“Why aren’t you at camp?” Percy’s voice was eerily calm.
Annabeth’s face faltered. “That’s…that’s none of your business.”
“You’re avoiding me, aren’t you?” He scoffed. Why else would she not be at camp? Come every summer, Annabeth was practically racing to come back to Camp Half-Blood. It was her home. The only home she’d known since she was seven.
“That’s ridiculous, Percy. I’m not like you.” Annabeth crossed her arms defensively, clearly dumbfounded by the question.
“Answer the question, Annabeth.”
She shook her head frantically. “I’m not avoiding you. I just have a lot on my plate right now.” She turned to face him, an annoyed look sporting her face. “I’m the one making all of the plans. I’m the one choosing which demigods I want to send to their potential deaths. I’m the one who has to put up a strong front while you’re allowed to go off gallivanting with your mortal friend!”
It was Percy’s turn to be dumbfounded now. She couldn’t seriously blame him for this. “I’m sorry, okay? It’s not like I want there to be a war. I don’t want to fight our old friends or face Luke or send people marching to their deaths. I don’t want any of this, Annabeth.”
His voice turned meek. “I don’t know if I can stop him. Stop Luke. I’m not the…right person for this.”
All of the anger and resentment building on Annabeth’s face disappeared the moment a tear slid down his face. The reality of Percy’s fate came crashing down. His shoulders shook with fear and hopelessness, igniting the pain in his wound, as he nearly collapsed into a heap on the floor from the pain.
Annabeth was quick to reach him, though, stopping him from falling. Dragging him into the living room, she let him fall onto the soft couch. The tears had stopped, but the pain in his heart was still there. It wasn’t fair. None of this was. He felt lost and hopeless and afraid. He wasn’t the person for this job. If it were Thalia or Annabeth or even Clarisse at the helm of this prophecy, then Percy wouldn’t have been so scared. He could support the cause, not be the cause for support. But when you’re fifteen and the weight of the world rests on your shoulders, everything feels like a loss.
Even now, he felt weak. Crying in front of Annabeth. Losing a fight to dracaena. Running away from all of his issues. All he wanted to do was disappear into the couch.
Annabeth returned with a glass of water, and Percy wasted no time chugging it, hoping it could alleviate the throbbing in his shoulder.
Hesitantly, Annabeth took a seat next to him. Her hands played in her lap as she fought for the right words.
“I’m sorry, Percy,” she stunned him by saying. “I guess…I’d been so caught up in my own feelings, I had forgotten about how you must feel. If I could trade places with you, I would. But I can’t. This is our reality. The best I can do is help you. Take the weight of the world off your shoulders as much as I can.”
Her hand mindlessly reached out, tangling in his hair as she massaged his forehead. He leaned into her touch, basking in it before she quickly pulled away.
“It’s not your fault, Percy.”
“None of this is fair, Wise Girl.”
“I know.” Her response was quiet.
Percy sighed defeatedly. “I’m so scared.” He verbalized his biggest weakness. But it was Annabeth he was talking to, not just anyone.
“So am I.”
“What are we going to do?” He stared at her, looking for the answer in those eyes.
Annabeth bit her lip. “I don’t know. But whatever it is, we’ll do it together. But for now, let’s just get that shoulder healed.” She attempted a smile, but Percy could tell she was only doing it to distract him from everything.
Annabeth turned on the TV, letting some old movie play on in the background. Neither of them talked, or even acknowledged the events that had just transpired. Slowly, the two of them drifted into sleep, Annabeth’s head falling on his good shoulder and then his own head resting on hers.
It was still dark out when Percy awoke with a startle. It was nearly midnight as the clock on Annabeth’s wall indicated. Percy came to, taking in the tangle of limbs he had gotten himself into. Annabeth was fast asleep on the couch, her head on a throw pillow, while Percy’s own body was draped over hers. His arms were around her body, and Annabeth’s own hand was twisted in his unruly hair. The scent of her lemon shampoo wafted into his nose, calming him down.
The flap of wings outside of the house captured Percy’s attention. Blackjack stood under a street light, bucking and trying his best to alert him. Percy really needed to leave. He couldn’t stand to be around Annabeth much longer, but at the same time he didn’t want to leave her.
Snaking out of her grasp, he scanned the room for something to drape over her before settling on a small green blanket. He draped it over her curled body. She began to move, and Percy worried for a second that he woke her up. But she just snuggled into the blanket, letting out a sigh. His heart melted for the thousandth time that day. She looked so peaceful when she slept. Percy reached over and cleared her face of those stray curls, planting a light kiss on her forehead.
He took one last, long good look at her and walked out of her house, closing the door. It pained him to go, but Rachel’s parents would get suspicious with his prolonged disappearance, and he needed to sort out his brain first. He knew Annabeth would be pissed when she woke up without him, but Percy hoped that she would understand why he had to leave.
It was cowardly. He knew that. But he could afford to be scared once in a while. He was only a kid. A kid with an unfortunate fate.
if we look at the original timeline (aka annabeth and percy being born in 1993) then 2009 was a big year for annabeth bcus not only did the battle of manhattan take place and she finally started dating percy, but also minecraft came out and i think that would be a big deal to her
okay but percy calling the minotaur 'ground beef' is so diabolical. because imagine being the well-known. undefeatable. half-bull half-man. seven foot tall monster. prancing around in your fanciest fruit of the loom tighty whities. and this twelve year old. with no objective experience in swordfighting. whose mom you just violently squished to death. calls you a feast for carnivores. the important part of a taco. the beef of the wellington. i would have gave up.
apparently APPARENTLY, rumors have been flying about episode 6 of the pjo show being a musical episode. i’m not sure of the validity of this claim, nor do i believe it to be true. but if it is true, then i blame lin manuel miranda. you guys SAW how that man was fighting the urge to sing on that elevator. smh
my theory for episode 6 is that percy will be in the lotus arcade playing some random game, then it’ll cut to the score board and at the number one spot will be some kid named nico. but idk it might be a stretch
i saw so many people criticizing the show when it came out because it was not book accurate plot-wise (i was a little guilty of this i apologize) but honestly everything they changed was for the better and made the show 100x better.
i dont know how else to put this but it’s like we get new content, right? plus everything moves more smoothly; everything is connected instead of a one and done thing.
and i saw so many people hating on leah but i never see the same energy for charles or walker. anyway, leahbeth>>>> all the actors embody their characters well!!!
one thing about the percy jackson movies that i find hilarious is the fact that 99% of the movie misses a lot of the plot but they’ll add THE MOST RANDOM DETAIL. like they got most of the story wrong but uncle ferdinand is there bc he’s rlly important
apparently APPARENTLY, rumors have been flying about episode 6 of the pjo show being a musical episode. i’m not sure of the validity of this claim, nor do i believe it to be true. but if it is true, then i blame lin manuel miranda. you guys SAW how that man was fighting the urge to sing on that elevator. smh
