PERCY JACKSON

7-13-20

Feeling a strange pressure on my abdomen, I sat up. The first thing I was greeted with that morning was my girlfriend, Annabeth Chase. "What the f - " I began to grumble out, but was interrupted by a finger placed across my upper and lower lip.

"Seaweed Brain, language!" Annabeth scolded, leaning on her elbows which were perched on either side of my torso. "Your little sister is right there."

I blinked. "...fish sticks, is what I was about to say." 

Annabeth was laying across my body, her legs alternating between my own. She was balanced on her forearms and her hair was hanging like a curtain, shielding us from the world. We were in my bedroom, although for some reason my little sister was too. I imagined that she had wriggled in when she first woke up like she often did.

I rubbed my face. "Why, may I ask, are you on top of me?"

She giggled. "You wouldn't wake up, Percy. Good morning."

I smiled and kissed my girlfriend, but kept my lips closed because of my inevitable morning breath. "Morning. I love you."

"I love you, too," she whispered. Then, she sat up and shifted her legs so she was sitting on my lap rather than laying across my legs. "Now come on, we need to get up and ready. You remember what today is, right?"

I frowned. Yes, I did, in fact, remember what we were doing. "I don't want to get up yet."

Annabeth sighed. "I know."

I rested my hands on her hips, feeling heat radiate through her thin pajama shorts. Ever since summer had started, Annabeth had taken a liking to wearing tiny shorts and baggy tee shirts. She liked to tell me that she was just trying to be comfy and carefree, but I'm pretty positive that she knew how good she looked and what she was doing to my teenage brain. I mean, how could it be possible for her to "accidentally" flaunt her body like that, 24/7?

It was the day after Annabeth's eighteenth birthday, but instead of being able to laze around all day with my best friend, the two of us had to board a flight to California. We were scouting around some colleges that Annabeth was interested in. The thing is, I really didn't want to get on a plane and travel for several hours just to look at colleges in the middle of summer.

I bit my lip, rubbing my thumbs against the indent of her hipbone. "Can I have a kiss first? If you give me a kiss, I might consider getting up."

"You might consider it?" she repeated.

I smirked. "Yeah, but the better the kiss is, the more likely my chance of getting up is."

Annabeth rolled her eyes and leaned down to kiss me. When she tried to sit up again, my head followed hers and I kept our lips connected.

I ran my hands through her long hair, retracting my head when I was satisfied. "I suppose I have to get up now, don't I? 'Cause that was a pretty good kiss."

She laughed, rolling off of me. "Let's get out of here, Perce. We need to be on our way before ten."

Annabeth stood up and sauntered around my bedroom, gathering some fallen blankets. My eyes trailed down her body as she bent down, and I shook my head rapidly.

A happy, high-pitched giggle knocked my thoughts from my head. I had totally forgotten that Estelle, my baby sister, was in the room.

I ran my hand through my hair, smiling tiredly. "How'd you get in here, Stella?" I asked rhetorically, getting out of bed.

She smiled up at me, almost as if she were taunting me. Estelle was only about four months old, but she still had quite the little attitude. I could tell she was going to be a heartbreaker, and I wasn't looking forward to her teen years.

I picked her up and cradled her, tickling her belly. "You're so silly, Stella."

She squirmed, laughing ecstatically.

"Annabeth, can you grab a shirt for me?"

She rolled her eyes and tossed a random blue top at me. I handed over Estelle briefly while I climbed into my shirt. I was about to take back my sister, but the sight of my girlfriend cradling a baby against her chest took me by surprise.

Sure, when Estelle was first born back in March, Annabeth had been one of the firsts to hold the newborn baby. But right then, in my scruffy childhood bedroom, the sight of my possible future wife handling a child hurtled my brain into a spiral of thoughts concerning my future.

I smiled. "Dang, that's a sight I could get used to."

"What?" Annabeth asked unknowingly. She passed Estelle back to me. "Here, you can hold her."

"It's just..." I paused, glancing at my sister. "Do you think you want to have kids with me?"

Annabeth laughed nervously, toying with the hem of her shirt. "Well, we're a bit young, don't you think?"

"Yeah, but I mean - eventually when we're ready, would you want to?"

She rolled her eyes. "If I didn't see a future with you, I wouldn't have stayed with you for two years, Seaweed Brain."

I blushed. "I certainly hope that you wouldn't stay with me if you didn't feel the same way."

She smiled up at me, coming closer. "But yeah," she murmured, "to answer your question, someday I'd really like to have children with you, Percy."

I grinned, kissing the tip of her nose. "Good. Now, let's go grab some breakfast and catch a plane to California."

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"Passengers, please buckle your seatbelts and prepare for landing."

As the flight attendant calmly instructed us, I quickly strapped myself into my seat. I was doing my best not to think about the fact that one person was in charge of this huge flying death machine known as a plane. I gripped my hands onto the firm armrests, studying the whites of my knuckles.

Something shielded my view as Annabeth rested her hand on my own. She traced my fingers and gently pried my hand away to enclose it comfortingly in her own.

I glanced at her gratefully, smiling warily.

Annabeth smiled softly. "It's okay, you know."

I sighed, releasing all of my anxieties and concerns with a breath. "Yeah, it's just that I've always been afraid of heights, and with the added pressure of college...I don't know how I'm going to be able to do this."

She frowned. "Do what?"

I shut my eyes. "Move to California. Leave my mom, my sister, Paul, and all of my friends back home. Throw away my life and start over."

She nodded understandingly. "I know. I've been feeling really overwhelmed, and even doubtful. But we can do it."

I grinned. Maybe I couldn't do it, but we certainly could.

"I love you," I whispered.

Annabeth smiled, bringing our clasped hands to her mouth and kissing the back of mine. "I love you."

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"Ooh, Annabeth! Look at the view!"

I rushed toward the large window, taking in a sight I had only seen in photographs: the west coast.

Annabeth laughed. "I knew you would love it," she teased.

I cast another longing gaze at the ocean before returning to my girlfriend. "We'll need to go swimming at least once before we head back to New York."

She grinned. "Well, if things go to plan we will be able to go swimming practically whenever we want."

One of our prime options, Olympian Academy of Athletics and Arts*, was located in the bustling city of San Fransisco.  A few of Annabeth's other top choices were spotted around the same area. OAAA had accepted both Annabeth and me, and we were taking a quick trip out to the west to get a feel for the place before we made any final decisions.

I felt as though Annabeth wanted to attend a school in the west, and I hoped that our stars alligned.

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*A FAR AS I AM AWARE, OLYMPIAN ACADEMY OF ATHLETICS AND ARTS DOES NOT EXIST

Now that the legalities are out of the way...Hey there. It's good to be back. 

I really really really hope that you liked this lil' chapter and are as excited for Unbound Affection as I am! Please leave a vote and comment, because it would make my day ;)

I love you all and I really missed this writing gig...I can't wait for another journey.

Now that the ooey gooey ish is done with, let me just... *wipes eyes and clears throat*  

THIS IS THE COVER YOU GUYS CHOSE! Of course, I love all of the ones I received, but I'd like to thank PurpleSeaweedBrain for the new cover of Unbound Affection!