Annabeth couldn't believe it. 

Percy?

How? How could She not have seen it? How could he not have said something about it? How?

Annabeth was asking all these questions when she walked into school with her coffee. She hadn't slept well the past two nights but for a different reason than usual. This time her mind was racing with thoughts of Percy. She hadn't even let Hellen's weird habit of being a trophy wife affect her like usual.  

She was lost in those thoughts when an arm wrapped around her shoulders and snapped her out of it. Annabeth was startled and almost dropped her coffee but caught it. Looking up her heart leapt up into her throat. Percy chuckled at her with his arm around her shoulder. 

He looked amazing with his hair all messy and a black V-neck on under his hoodie. Annabeth tried to swallow the lump in her throat as she stared at him like a deer caught in headlights. 

"What's up Wise Girl? You okay?" He tightened his grip on her shoulders as his brow furrowed. 

Annabeth went bright red as she stood straight backed and stumbled out a response. "Y-yeah Perce! I-I'm F-f-fine!" Annabeth started downing her coffee so she wouldn't have to talk. The rest of their friend group showed up soon after that. 

Percy wasn't frowning but Annabeth could have sworn she saw him fighting it. "What's up Annie?" Leo said as he sauntered up. One look at the red faced girl and he blinked. "Whoa, what is up? You okay?" 

"That's what I asked." Percy said, now he was frowning. He didn't usually press her about stuff she didn't want to talk about but this was weird. 

"I'm fine." Annabeth took a deep breath and tried for a smile. That's when Jason and Piper showed up. Percy tensed up as he stared at them. Jason noticed the stare Percy had pinned on them, but Piper didn't. 

"Hey Girly!" Piper chirped with a grin. "What's up you two?" She faltered at the end, now she noticed the stare Percy was throwing their way. "Um. . ." Percy unwrapped his arm from Annabeth's shoulders and stalked over to Jason and Piper. 

He grabbed both teens by their arms and stomped off. Their friends called after them but Percy didn't listen until he had pulled Jason and Piper into a empty science room. He let go of their arms and pushed them in front of him. Both stumbled before turning to face him. 

"You two. . ." Percy growled as he balled his fists by his sides and glared. Jason swallowed before he tried to speak by Percy cut him off. "Don't make excuses!" He wasn't shouting and that somehow made it worse. "You had no right." 

Piper cut in. "You two did the same thing for-"

"No!" He snapped as he stepped closer. "We didn't tell you, we pushed you two together when you both already figured it out!" Percy's wrath was terrifying. "WE DIDN"T JUST TELL YOU!" He finally started yelling. 

Jason flinched. "I'm sorry ma-"

"Don't!" Percy pointed at him. "Don't say you're sorry, because you can't fix what you did with sorrys!" Percy seemed to calm down as he sighed, no he didn't calm down he just turned inward. "You guys told her, even though . .  I didn't point it out because she . . . You guys had no right." Percy shook his head as he shoved his hands into his hoodie pockets. 

"I'm sorry Percy!" Piper pleaded as she reached out for him but Percy sidestepped out of reach. 

"What did I say?" Percy turned and left. Piper and Jason ran after him but when they got out of the door he was long gone.

"We screwed up . . ." 

"Big time." Jason agreed. 

That's when they saw Annabeth fighting through the crowd. She stopped in front of them, her eyes tearing up. "He knew didn't he." It wasn't a question. "He knew and didn't tell me!" Annabeth's breathing started picking up speed as she made to turn Piper caught her arm. 

"He-He had his reasons." Piper knew she could explain, but shouldn't she had said too much already. Jason placed a hand on the small of her back, right over her own tattoo. Piper let go of Annabeth and the blonde ran off to find Percy. 

Annabeth caught Percy skating out of the school parking lot. Annabeth ran to her car and followed after him. If she could think she would have thought about how cheesy this was but she didn't have the time. 

Annabeth rolled her window down and drove up to Percy as he skated down the sidewalk, he had his earbuds in so Annabeth honked her horn. Percy paused and Annabeth pulled up to the curb and opened her side door. "Get it, we need to talk." Percy seemed half inclined to just skate off. "I will chase you down and you know that." Percy sighed before he climbed into the passenger side and sat down.  

Neither of them spoke as Annabeth drove, she drove all the way to her house where she parked in the driveway and got out. Percy followed her without speaking. Not one word was uttered until Annabeth and Percy were standing in Annabeth's room. 

"Now, I will have a turn to speak, then you will." Percy nodded as he slumped onto the bed. "Ok, First, I'm fucking pissed you didn't tell me! That Piper had to tell me!" Percy seemed like he wanted to say something but he held his tongue. "Then you went off on them for saying anything! What was that about? Why couldn't you just tell me yourself! Percy I deserved to know!" 

When she was breathing hard Percy took it as his queue to speak. "I didn't want to tell you. Had you figured it out for yourself then we'd see what happened but. . . You deserve so much more than just . . ." His next words broke Annabeth's heart. "Than me! Annabeth you're smart and gorgeous, and wonderful, and kind, and over all amazing! I felt bad enough taking all your time but to try and shackle you to my broken mess of a mind? Never! I could never do that to you." Percy's eyes were tearing up but Annabeth had tears flowing down her face. 

"Don't you see? I tried to give you a choice, if you realized it I wanted you to think I didn't know so you could choose to act on it. Or not." Percy leaned over his knees with his arms resting on his thighs and his hands locked before him. "Don't you see?"

Annabeth let out some sort of whimper noise as she covered her mouth. She never knew . . . She knew he had low self-esteem but to think . . . Annabeth walked over and lifted Percy's chin with her hand. "Percy, how could you ever think I would say no?" Percy started to shake his head but Annabeth held his face in her hands.  

Percy's hand came up to cup one of Annabeth's hands as the other one locked around Annabeth's waist. Annabeth moved her legs to either side of Percy's and sat down in his lap. "Listen Percy." Percy swallowed a lump in his throat as Annabeth continued. "You mean more to me than I can describe. You're my bestfriend and beyond that my soulmate. God Percy you're my soulmate!" Annabeth's voice broke on the word as Percy's shoulders shook. 

"But . . ." Percy tailed off as he bit his lip. Annabeth moved one hand to the back of Percy's neck and the other into his hair. Percy moved both hands to Annabeth's waist, both of his pointer fingers lopped into a different belt loop. 

"No Percy, there is not but-there's only us okay?" Annabeth looked Percy in the eyes as she said it. 

"Okay." Percy nodded. 

Annabeth leaned in and their lips met. Slow and burning, searing, claiming. Like this was all that mattered in life. This moment and all those beyond it that they were together were the only ones that mattered. 

Percy's arms wrapped around Annabeth's waist and tugged her closer as the kiss became something hungry, desperate. They couldn't be close enough, couldn't have enough of this mind-numbing drug. Both of Annabeth's hands tangled in Percy's hair as Percy moved from her mouth to her neck, trailing kisses. Annabeth panted as she gripped onto the back of Percy's shirt. 

They needed to get a handle on this but . . . Later-later they'd do that. Now-well now they needed this. 

Annabeth's back arched as Percy's hands slipped to her back, under her shirt. His fingers burned like a brand as his callouses scraped her soft skin and he worked his way back up to her mouth. 

They both could get used to this.