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3 days until Valentine’s Day

Annabeth Chase was not a fan of Valentine’s day. 

Maybe she was cynical or cold hearted, but the holiday felt so shallow. It was a preformative day that had spilled into a preformative month, every store decked in pink and red, selling the idea of love but never anything lasting. Red roses wilt and chocolates get eaten. Teenage couples that proclaimed their undying love to one another this month would inevitably break up the next month. It promised so much meaning, but it was more like a shiny sheet of plastic covering everything that actually mattered. For every Black History Month display Annabeth walked past in her school hallway, another ten-foot span of red paper hearts followed. 

The fact that she hadn’t seen Percy all month probably wasn’t helping her bitterness. Their schedules had kept them busy these past four weeks, but she would see him on Saturday, Valentine’s Day. He’d been teasing some mysterious surprise, but frankly, she couldn’t care less. She just missed her emotional support boyfriend. 

Annabeth turned into her last class of the day, dropping her backpack and sinking into the chair with a sigh. She fidgeted with the hem of her sweater sleeve, running the soft fabric between her fingers.

She was half-convinced that when they defeated Kronos, his dying wish had cursed all Wednesdays for the rest of her life to pass at a snail’s pace. She couldn’t wait to collapse in her dorm and sleep. Except she had homework. So sleep would have to wait. 

Wednesdays were truly the worst. 

The rest of the class filtered in. It was AP Calculus BC, so naturally, nobody else appeared to be in a good mood either, which made Annabeth feel mildly better. Annabeth sat in the back of the room, not quite entirely in the corner so as to not appear like a loner, but far enough out so she wouldn’t be in the center of attention. Annabeth enjoyed attention on occasion, but she did not enjoy enemies. And she learned very quickly when she started school here that enemies were what you made in a competitive private boarding school in New York if you received a little too much attention in class. 

She was at least on friendly terms with the couple who sat in front of her. Matt and Katelyn slid into their seats, making lovey dovey eyes right in front of her. At least Katelyn had the mind to stop and wave at Annabeth as they took their seats. Annabeth waved back, giving her a well-practiced smile. Katelyn was sweet, and rather pretty, light brown curls and green eyes giving her a nymph-like appearance. She could do so much better than Matt, who was the sort of white boy who had a brick for a head and muscles to make up for his lack of literally everything else. But love was love or whatever. 

“Ok but do we have to watch The Proposal? It’s so cheesy,” Matt was saying. 

“Yes! It’s not Valentine’s Day without a romcom. Annabeth, tell him!” 

Annabeth froze. “Oh. Uh. To be honest, I’m not much of a romcom person.” 

Katelyn groaned, shaking her head in pity for Annabeth. Meanwhile, her ever-considerate boyfriend perked up. “See?” Matt said, gesturing at her. “We don’t have to watch it every year!” 

“You say that like I’m holding you hostage. This is only our second Valentine’s Day, babe,” Katelyn reminded him, her bright cadence concealing needle-pricks. 

Annabeth went back to her notebook while the love birds bickered in honey-sweet tones. She doodled a trident in the margin while she waited for class to start. She didn’t have the patience left today to deal with their trouble in paradise. She bet they wouldn’t make it to a third Valentine’s, luckily for Katelyn. 

Matt continued. “Right. So I’m not gonna set no traditions yet, okay?” 

“You’re not going to set any traditions,” Annabeth corrected in a quiet exasperation, not fully paying attention. It was more reflex than anything, an inside thought she hadn’t realized slipped from her lips until the couple went silent. She looked up, the pen suddenly slippery in her clamy palm. 

“Huh?” Matt said. 

Annabeth swallowed. “You used a double negative,” she explained quickly. “‘Not setting no traditions’ implies that you’re actually going to set traditions, which I don’t think is what you meant.” 

“Oh. Yeah. I guess not,” Matt said, shrugging. He eyed Annabeth for a second longer like she suddenly started to smell foul but he wanted to be polite about it. He and his girlfriend turned around, resuming their conversation and ignoring Annabeth. 

Annabeth kicked herself. She really hadn’t meant to say it aloud. Her patience with the day really was wearing thin.   

The bell rang and the teacher shut the door. 

“Alright, class, I’m going to return your graded exams before we start. Get out your notes while I’m coming around.” 

The chatter of students hushed to whispers as they shuffled through their bags. Heavy sighs sounded one by one as students saw their exam scores. 

The teacher set Annabeth’s exam down with a smile. He nodded at her. She gave him a polite smile back, tired but not too tired to put on her good student performance. When she flipped her exam over, her smile turned real. 98%.  Given everyone else’s reaction, she was definitely in the top percentile. Her heart swelled with pride. But she tamped down her expression before anyone spotted. Even hubris of a fatal level bowed to the pressure of a competitive high school. 

Of course, that didn’t stop Hudson. The boy who sat to her left leaned over his desk towards her. In a conspiratorial stage whisper that everyone in the class could hear, he asked: 

“What did you get, Chase?”

Annabeth pressed her lips into a firm line, flipping her paper over. “A score I’m happy with.” 

“Oh come on, don’t be shy! Was it above an eighty? I got an eighty-six,” Hudson said, looking real proud of himself.  

“Mind your own business,” she snapped under her breath, hating the way his words drew eyes towards them. 

“Above a ninety?”

“It’s an A. Happy?” 

“I wanna know! Come on, I won’t tell anyone else. You got a hundred, didn’t you?” Hudson grinned. It made his pudgy cheeks with the five-o’clock shadow he thought looked cool look even grosser. 

“Ninety-eight, actually,” Annabeth said before he started spreading the rumor that she got a perfect score and the class went for her blood. 

Hudson’s grin fell real quick. His upper lip curled. “Seriously? I bet that’s because of the extra credit you did last week. I would’ve gotten a ninety-eight if I’d done it. I was just busy, you know. Being team captain is a lot.” 

“I’m sure,” Annabeth muttered. She did not tell him that there was, in fact, no extra credit involved. 

Katelyn glanced over her shoulder at Annabeth, eyes wide. “Whoa. A ninety-eight? Seriously?”

Annabeth nodded slowly, not meeting her eyes. 

“You’re like, a genius or something. You know, we should totally study together sometime,” Katelyn whispered, eyes sparkling like she just gave out a compliment and not an invitation to use Annabeth like a human calculator. The two of them had never hung out outside of class. They weren’t friends outside of this door. Annabeth wished she would just call it what it was: an unpaid tutoring session. Which Annabeth really wouldn’t mind giving if people were just upfront about asking, which they never were. No one liked to admit they needed help, or that Annabeth was objectively smarter than them. But they all wanted to use her just the same. This wasn’t her first rodeo. In every grade, there was always a boastful misogynistic Hudson who couldn’t believe a black girl did better than him, and there was always a Katelyn who played nice until she’d gotten what she needed and then never talked to Annabeth again. 

But of course, Annabeth didn’t say any of that. What she said in a painfully neutral tone was: “Yeah, sure.” 

That afternoon, Annabeth collapsed in her bed in her dorm and didn’t move to start her homework for an hour. 

She just needed to hold out until Saturday. Stupid holiday aside, she would finally get to see Percy again, and she wouldn’t feel so drained anymore. 

2 days until Valentine’s Day

Percy loved Valentine’s day. 

The grand gestures, the sweet treats, the declarations of love, just the dramatic flare of it all. It was a day where everyone came together and decided that love should be venerated over all else. Troubles fell to the wayside just for the day, and all that mattered was making your loved ones feel special. What was more beautiful than that? Also, did he mention the treats? A holiday that ran on sharing chocolate was always a good day in his books. 

His love of the holiday extended back into his childhood. When he was away at boarding school, Sally always used to send him a goody box of chocolates and other seasonal treats from the candy shop she worked at. She would time it just right so that he would receive it on Valentine’s Day, a beacon of warmth in the cold, dark winter just when Percy was missing his mom the most. In the box, she would always write the same note: 

For the person I love most in the whole wide world. 

When they didn’t have anyone else, Percy and Sally always had each other. And Sally always made sure Percy felt loved, even when he was miles away from home.

For the past five years, ever since Percy started living at home again, he decided to return the favor. At first, he would just make her a card, but a few years ago, he’d started surprising her with a bouquet of flowers. He started with roses, naturally, but when he learned Sally’s favorite flower was lilies, he began a tradition of leaving a display of lilies for his mom every Valentine’s Day.  She and Percy would make pancakes together in the morning before school and she would send him off with a small box of candy. Paul once joked that he felt like he was almost scared to take Sally out to dinner in fear of interrupting a Jackson family tradition, to which Sally just smiled. 

“There’s no greater love than that of a mother for her son,” she had said. Of course, Sally still went with Paul to dinner these past few years.

Now that Percy had Annabeth, he got to plan something special for her too. 

A plan which, theoretically, he should have laid out well in advance. He should definitely not be in panic mode two days beforehand. But in Percy’s defense, procrastination was one of his best skills, right under swordfighting and making a fool of himself. And it was a skill, let’s be clear. Not everyone could get away with waiting until the last minute to do something. 

But he really shouldn’t wait until the last minute about this. He needed to figure something out soon. He wanted to do something special for Annabeth, something that didn’t just say “I love you,” but meant it. “I love you” just didn’t cut it after six years of surviving side by side, six years of having each other’s back, six years of love that went beyond romance. He’d need more than flowers, that’s for sure. 

Percy stood in front of his mirror, running his fingers through the mop of blond curls. Two minutes later, his hair still looked like he’d just rolled out of bed, so he gave up. He shrugged on a pale blue hoodie, tucked Riptide into his pocket, and slid his headphones over his ears. They were the fancy kind with good sound quality and even better sound cancellation–a joint Christmas gift from Sally and Annabeth. He would say the headphones were a god-send, but would be an insult to Sally and Annabeth. But they were massively helpful. 

Backpack slung over one shoulder, Percy shouted a farewell to his mother and ducked out of the apartment, on his way to school. 

New York City was both heaven and hell for a kid with ADHD. Everywhere Percy looked, there was something happening. Pigeons taking flight, sun glinting off glass and soaking into stained concrete, people shouting greetings, cabs veering around corners like skidding hazard signs. 

When he was younger, it had been overwhelming. Especially the noise. Sirens and skids and screams stole at his attention, as if each sound latched onto a fragment of his mind at once and pulled, fracturing his brain. He would often cling to Sally’s leg when it got too loud, waiting for the noise to let him go. 

But by now, Percy was more used to it. He walked to the subway, his head bobbing his head to the music he was listening to. The sights and sounds of the city blurred into the backdrop he called home. Especially amongst the crowds in the subway, Percy was grateful to have the sea of voices drowned out by the headphones. He had plenty of noise in his brain in the quietest of moments. He didn’t need all the external chatter too. 

He got off at his stop, taking the stairs up two at a time so he wouldn’t be late to first period. Outside the station was a flower shop, an array of flora of all shapes and colors spilling out of the open door like a wave of petals. He should definitely get Annabeth flowers. That couldn’t be the only thing he did, but it was definitely step one. The basics. He should stop here after school on Friday and put together a bouquet. What flowers did Annabeth like? These were the questions he should’ve asked her last time they’d hung out, but that had been an agonizing four weeks ago. If he had a phone, he’d text her, but even at eighteen years old, monsters couldn’t help but bite at the chance to test their luck against him the moment he held one. You would think being the two-time savior of Olympus would grant him cellphone privileges but nooo. 

Gods he missed Annabeth. He could iris message her tonight, but she would definitely figure out he didn’t actually have a plan for Valentine’s Day like he’d promised. And he was not about to disappoint her like that. No, he would have to wait for Saturday. 

Wait. School. Shit. 

Percy shot upright, realizing he’d paused in front of the flowershop, lost in his thoughts for who knows how long. Hopefully no longer than two minutes, because he really was going to be late to first period at this rate. He took off down the street. 

Thank the Fates, he made it to first period exactly a minute before the bell rang. It was history, taught by a man who loved his voice more than he loved the material, so it wasn’t all that informative of a class. Percy could usually get away with zoning out in the back of the classroom. Unfortunately, the teacher also loved attendance, so Percy really had to get there on time if he didn't want his school record to take another hit. 

When the class commenced and the teacher began to drone about some political poll that had come out recently, Percy opened his notebook. Instead of history notes, Percy had a running list of Valentine’s Day ideas. 

DATE IDEAS

• Movie Date?

No, too impersonal. 

• Surprise AC with Broadway tickets?

Okay but which musical? Is Hadestown too on the nose? Does she even like 

musicals? Probably in same category as movie anyway

• Picnic date like our first anniversary that got interrupted? 

Counter point: its cold

• Dinner Date?

I feel like this is another given. I need something original to go with it. Maybe a 

gift? 

…

GIFT IDEAS

• Flowers (duh) 

• Uhhh pastries?maybe? Are we doing dinner? Is that too much food? 

• aaaaaaaaaaaaa~~~~~

Percy scribbled in frustration, letting out a terse sigh. What do you get for the girl who means everything to you? 

Percy spent most of the school day in a haze, thoughts ping ponging between wild ideas and a desolate longing to see his girlfriend again. By last period, he had a headache, no ideas, and a whole heap of frustration. 

That night, Percy approached his mom while she was cooking. Sally handed him a cutting board with onions and a knife wordlessly, twirling around to some pop song on the radio. 

“What’s the matter, Percy?” she asked, putting a pot of water on to boil. 

Percy smiled to himself. “Am I that obvious?” He asked, starting to chop the onions for her. Sally was pretty far along in her pregnancy by now, so he and Paul tried to help her with chores like dinner as often as they could.

“I’m your mother,” she said by way of explanation. “I can tell when something is on your mind.” 

“I don’t know what to do for Annabeth for Valentine’s Day.”

Sally placed a hand on her hip, giving him a conspiratorial smile. “You know, Percy, I don’t think it really matters. What’s important is that you two spend time together.” 

“Yeah, but we already do that. I want this to be special. Something big. Something that says ‘I love you’ in capital letters.” 

“I think Annabeth knows you love her. You don’t need to prove anything to her. Just do something fun. You don’t need to put all this pressure onto one day.” 

Percy shook his head. “It’s not about proving anything,” he said, although the half-lie tasted sour on his tongue. He did feel as though he had to prove himself, even though Sally was right–Annabeth did know he loved her. But it wasn’t about just proving his love. It was about proving himself. He needed to prove he was worthy enough of the most amazing girl on earth by pulling out all the stops on the most romantic day of the year. But he didn’t tell his mom that, avoiding a lecture of candied platitudes about how Percy was enough just as he was. Sally was required to say that stuff because she was his mother–that didn’t make it true. So Percy would rather circumvent that subject. 

He continued. “I just don’t want to do the bare minimum on Valentine’s Day. It’s our first Valentine’s Day as a couple, since last year I…” was kidnapped by Hera and lost for six months. Percy didn’t finish the sentence, seeing how Sally’s smile grew strained and her shoulders tensed.  He swallowed, hoping she could read the apology written on his face. “It’s important to me.”

Sally looked thoughtful for a moment. “You could cook her dinner here. Paul and I are going out tomorrow night, so the apartment will be all yours. If you want to go above and beyond, then that’s a good way to start.” 

Percy paused chopping the onions to give his mom a deadpan look. “Mom. I can’t cook.” 

“You can make pancakes. And you’ve got my cookie recipe down,” Sally pointed out, but the twinkle in her eye betrayed the fact she was teasing him.  

“I’m not making Annabeth pancakes and cookies for dinner.” 

“Why not?” Sally’s voice was just shy of laughing at him. 

“Even though I like those things, I don’t know if she does.” Percy finished chopping the onions and passed them over to his mother. 

“Well, what does Annabeth like?” 

Percy thought for a moment, trying to recall what Annabeth would summon to her magical plate at Camp Half-Blood or in the Argo II. She usually ate a lot of comfort food–pasta, risotto, ramen, generally a lot of noodles. But there might be one dish Percy had seen her eat most, especially when she wanted a studying treat or to celebrate. “She likes sushi.” 

“That shouldn’t be too hard. Might even be fun for you to make together as a date. How about this: I’ll buy the ingredients tomorrow and we’ll practice tomorrow night. That way you’ll have some experience before Saturday,” Sally offered. 

Percy smiled. This idea wasn’t half bad. “Yeah. Okay. That’d be great, thanks mom!” 

“Of course,” Sally said, reaching up to ruffle his curls. She passed him a bell pepper. “Consider this lesson one in cooking by the way. Keep chopping, Chop Master.”

“Aye aye captain,” Percy laughed. The mother-son duo cooked dinner together to the peppy tunes of bad pop music until Paul came home and took over for Percy. 

Percy’s dreams were always a mine field. He never knew what to expect when he closed his eyes at night. 

Often they were the weird, mortal sort that didn’t make any sense. The ones where we’d forgotten to wear a shirt to school or the floor was on the ceiling and the ceiling was on the floor.

 Then there were the nightmares. Those ranged from actual hell–watching Annabeth bleed out in his arms, being trapped inside a Tartarus regeneration blister, watching his mother dissolved into gold dust slowly as he ran but never reached her– to the slightly less gruesome, like the sky falling and having to catch it before it crushed Annabeth, or the most common of all his dreams, falling. Percy dreamt about falling through the dark a lot. 

The other sort of dreams he got were the prophetic kind, the ones touched by a god that were definitely more than a creation of his own messed-up imagination. 

The dream he had tonight was not quite any of those, but rather, the secret fourth option. 

A scene of lush greenery blurred into focus. Percy recognized these woods. He’d played capture the flag in them more times than he could count. Good ol’ Camp Half-Blood. Unseen birds chirped overhead. Percy recognized his lucid dream almost immediately, all too familiar with this feeling. He turned around slowly, waiting. 

“Percy?”

There he was. Percy turned to the sound of the voice, grinning. “Grover!” 

Percy wrapped his best friend in a big hug.

“Dude, it’s so good to see you!” Grover exclaimed. 

“You too!” 

“I gotta say though, this is pretty weird. I usually only show up in your dreams when one of us is in distress. Are you okay? How’s Annabeth?” 

Percy winced. “Yeah dude, I’m okay. I haven’t seen Annabeth recently, but last I checked, she’s doing well. She got into New Rome University on early decision, so she's happy. I’m still waiting since my application was delayed by the whole–”

“Recommendation letters quests, yeah, I remember,” Grover finished. “Congratulations to her, though!”

Percy smiled. “Yeah. She’s pretending like it's no big deal, but I’m really proud of her.” 

“Sounds like Annabeth.” Grover nodded sagely. 

An idea occurred to Percy then. “Hey Grover?”

“Hm?”

“What do you and Juniper do for Valentine’s Day?”

“Oh.” Grover blushed. “Not much, honestly. We usually just spend the day together. Sometimes we watch the sunset. Nothing big. Why do you ask?”

“I’m trying to figure out what to do for Annabeth on Valentine’s Day, but I’m drawing a blank. I want to do something special for her, something more than just flowers and food. My mom suggested I cook for her, but I still want to do more. A gesture or a gift that’s really meaningful, you know?” 

“Percy, I’m sure Annabeth would be happy just spending time with you.” 

Percy groaned. “My mom said the same thing.”

“Sally Jackson is a wise woman.” 

“And I don’t deny that. But I still want to do something for her that really shows how much I care. She means the world to me. I just don’t know how to give her the world.” 

“You are her world, Percy.” 

Percy leveled a quizzical gaze at his best friend. “Okay, when did you get so poetic?”

Grover shrugged. “I’ve been writing love poems for Juniper lately. It’s been a nice creative outlet.” 

Percy stared at his best friend. Then he shook his head slowly. “Right. So I won’t be doing that, but good for you buddy.” 

“Thanks,” Grover said, beaming. 

“But seriously, guy to guy, what do I get her?”

Grover thought for a second. “You want to show her how much you care, right?”

“Yeah.” 

“Well, if you really don’t think that just spending time with her is enough, how about a promise ring?”

“A what?”

“You don’t know what a promise ring is?”

Percy shook his head no, and Grover sighed. 

“It’s like a pre-engagement ring. It’s not a proposal, but it symbolizes a promise to love and be with a person forever. It’s like giving yourself to her for valentine’s day, except in like, ring form.”

Percy’s eyes widened slowly as Grover explained. He gripped his friend’s shoulders.  “Grover.”

“Huh?” Grover looked at him with mild fear at Percy’s sudden intensity. 

“That’s perfect.”

Grover relaxed a little. “Oh. Good. Happy to help.” 

“One problem though,” Percy said, stepping back.

“What’s that?”

“I definitely don’t have enough money to buy Annabeth a nice ring.”

Grover waved his hand dismissively. “It doesn’t have to be–” Grover froze. Percy didn’t know if the goat boy had hackles, but if he did, he just raised them. His eyes locked onto something in the distance. “Percy, you gotta wake up.”

“What?”

“She’s coming.”

“Who–” Percy didn’t get to finish before the dream collapsed like a wave crashing, the green scene melting to a blur of color that swept Percy off his feet. He tripped, and then he was falling, falling again, falling through the pitch black–

Percy landed on something plush and billowy, like a silk pillow stuffed with a million feathers. A thick mist clouded his vision. Golden morning light shone through the haze in thin rays, slowly dispersing it. Percy pushed himself upright, squinting from the brightness as a new scene cleared before him. 

He was sitting in a ruined Greek temple, cracked white marble columns reaching towards the open sky. The temple was perched amongst clouds. The backdrop of the sky was frozen in the seconds before sunrise, a mirage of peach, gold, and bright blue. The clouds looked as though a painter had smeared gold over the edges. Gauzy curtains, the shade of blush, rippled in slow motion, stretched between the columns. 

In the center of the temple lay a sea of plush pillows that matched the clouds, all gold and white. 

Most beautiful, though, was the figure that lounged on those pillows like a throne, leveling her ambery gaze on Percy with a full, glistening smile. She was striking, standing out against the pastel backdrop like the crown jewel, the bright morning colors appearing pale and desaturated compared to her. Her rich, dark complexion glittered in the sunlight, barely covered by a gauzy maroon drape like spilled wine over her curves. A waterfall of braids tumbled over her shoulder, studded with small gold rings and cuffs. The styled edges of her hair were combed into small hearts crowning her forehead.

For a moment, she almost looked like Annabeth. It was in the bridge of her nose, the curves of her face. Percy could believe this was Annabeth maybe ten or twenty years into the future. 

But this was not Annabeth. There was only one goddess this could be. 

“Aphrodite,” Percy said, greeting just shy of a growl. 

He’d encountered the goddess of love a few times, and none of them had been good experiences. A spark of anger burned in his chest at the mere sight of her. Every muscle in his body tensed on reflex. 

“Perseus Jackson,” Aphrodite greeted, her words halfway between a melody and a purr, as if she was tasting his name on her tongue and found it exquisite. 

Percy pushed himself off the plush cushion that threatened to swallow him. He crossed his arms, staring down at the goddess. She was sprawled out on her side, horizontal on the cushions, so standing, he towered over her. “What do you want?”

“A little birdy told me you want to get Annabeth something special for Valentine’s Day,” Aphrodite hummed. As she spoke, a pure white dove fluttered down and landed on her outstretched finger. 

Percy frowned. The only people he told were his mom and Grover just now… 

“Are you spying on my dreams?” he asked, incredulity sharpening his words to a knife point. 

Aphrodite rolled her eyes, and the bird flitted away. “I am a goddess, Perseus. I am omniscient when it comes to love, and your love story is particularly interesting.”

“Yeah, well, you’ve reached the final chapter, so close the book. We’re happy. We don’t want your sick meddling.” Percy paced around the temple, looking for an exit. He peered over the edge, wondering if he stepped off the marble, would he fall through the clouds and out of the dream. But a shiver tore through him at the thought. No. Falling was off the table. He stepped away from the ledge, grinding his jaw. 

The fire in his tone only made Aphrodite smile more. “Oh, I quite agree darling. You’ve more than earned your happily ever after. I just want to offer my help in making this epilogue as beautiful as it can be.” 

Whatever ‘beautiful’ meant to the goddess of love, Percy didn’t want it. “No thanks. I’m good. You can take your help and shove it up your ass.”

Aphrodite laughed, bright and clear like a windchime of knives. She sat up, cloth drape shifting dangerously over her curves. Her body shifted as she pressed her weight into her supporting hand, not quite lazy but with the easy comfort of power. Morning light seemed to bend around her like a caress, an angelic glow hugging her figure. Sitting up like this, she towered over the standing Percy, larger than life. He almost averted his eyes, but his defiance burned brighter than the instinct to cow before the goddess. He stared up at her, biting back worse curses. 

“So passionate. You know, in another life, I would be proud to call you my own son, Perseus.” Aphrodite reached out, but her fingertips barely grazed his chest. “You have such a big heart, always bleeding for others. And so full of fire.” She smiled down on him as if they were conspiring together. He clenched his jaw and stepped back.

“With all due respect, I don’t care what you think of me. You’ve messed with my life enough for your twisted pleasure. I’m done. I’m tired. Leave me and Annabeth alone. We’re real people, not just pawns for your entertainment. So just let me wake up already.” 

Aphrodite’s gaze darkened at that, her full-lipped smile finally showing teeth. 

“You think I am callous, no? You think me frivolous and meddlesome. But love is not frivolous or meddlesome, child. Love may be soft, yes. It may be sweet and joyous and pure. But it is also dark. Love is powerful, seductive, bloody, fiery. Remember, I am all of that. ” As Aphrodite spoke, she drew a finger over the whites and golds of her pillows to the bloody maroon of the drape she wore, tracing the shift from the light to dark. Aphrodite continued gazing down at Percy, dark eyes enrapturing him with a sudden intensity. “They say Helen set a thousand ships to sea, but that was not Helen. That was me. The Trojan War was fought on the grounds of love and beauty. Blood of the greatest heroes has been spilt in my name. Yours included.” 

As she spoke, Percy felt unmoored peering into her eyes. The dreamworld seemed to fall away around him, and memories rose forth, beckoned by Aphrodite’s words. 

Percy watched himself holding up the sky for Annabeth, a streak of gray creeping through the blonde as the seconds passed. 

He saw their first kiss, a tentative surprise in the scorching heat of the volcano. 

Percy saw the Williamsburg bridge, and Annabeth gasping, blood soaking through her shirt after she jumped in front of the dagger aimed at Percy’s Achilles spot. A scream wrenched from his gut as he watched her crumple again, reaching out to catch her–

The scene changed again, Annabeth and Percy in Sally’s kitchen, on one of their first dates, baking blue cookies together. Annabeth was laughing at blue batter on Percy’s cheek, swiping it away with her thumb. In that moment, he wanted to smear batter over her smiling lips just so he could kiss it away. 

The scene shifted again, Percy and Annabeth curled up, fast asleep, around each other in the belly of Argo II, finally reunited. 

Then he saw them falling. Clinging together like their life depended on each other because it did, whispered words stolen by wind. Down, down, down into the hungry dark. 

Percy cringed when the scene shifted to Tartarus, bile rising to his throat. He was being swarmed by the arai. Annabeth, cursed with blindness, stumbled just out of reach, shouting for him. He screamed, blood boiling, but she couldn’t hear him, and he needed her to hear him, needed to make sure she was safe, needed her–

“Okay, enough,” Percy cried, squeezing his eyes shut. His cheeks were wet with tears. He felt like he was going to throw up. “I get it. Love has many sides or whatever. Please, just stop.”

The memories dissipated. The idyllic dreamworld came back into focus. Percy was clutching Riptide in pen form so tight his knuckles were white, moments away from pushing the cap off and doing something rash. Aphrodite was still staring at him, the intensity in her huge dark eyes dimming to something softer.  

“I am not some trifling thing, Perseus Jackson. Moreover, I am on your side. Do not cast me aside so quickly; you would not like me as your enemy.”

Percy swallowed down tears, trying to brush off the intensity of the emotions that came with his memories. “Fine. You want to help me with Valentine’s Day, yeah? What do you want from me? Do you want me to complete some quest for you and then you’ll help me, is that it?” 

“No quest required. I hear you are looking to give Annabeth Chase a promise ring. I think that is a splendid idea. I will craft you one worthy of your love. All you have to do is fetch it.”

“Fetching it sounds an awful lot like a quest.”

“I can guarantee that no monsters or gods will stand in your way. You won’t even have to go very far. I just need time to craft it. You can pick it up this afternoon here.” Aphrodite produced a thin slip of paper folded in half and handed it to Percy. 

Percy accepted the slip. He looked up at the goddess, heart stumbling nervously in his chest. “Why are you helping me? And why now? I thought you wanted to make my love life interesting. That’s what you said all those years ago. Was all that not interesting enough for you?” 

“Contrary to what you believe, I do not write your love story. That honor belongs to you and Annabeth Chase alone. I merely set pieces into place and watch to see what happens. It is entirely up to you to make the dominos fall, and at what force you cause them to topple. Some people never touch the pieces I place, and others find an entirely new chain of effects to set into motion that I could never have dreamed of constructing. You and Annabeth Chase are like the latter. Of course, you two started off much the same as you always do. Perseus saved Andromeda, chained to a rock, abandoned by her family. Annabeth may have had no rock, but she was still trapped in that demigod camp of yours, abandoned by her family. That is until you came along, Perseus reborn, and freed her for your little lightning bolt quest. In every lifetime, you free her. But in this life, you both did so much more. It is enthralling to witness. I will not apologize for my investment, Perseus Jackson. But I do believe this retelling of your love story deserves the happiest possible ending. You’ve earned it.”

Percy wanted to say that he shouldn’t have had to earn anything, but he bit his tongue. Aphrodite was not an enemy he wanted, not after his love life was finally settling. He might have tread the line of upsetting her a little too close tonight. He wasn’t happy about it, but he would rather accept the help of an overly-invested love goddess than be forced to relive traumatic memories again. 

“Thank you,” he said, the words tasting stale and stilted on his tongue.  

Aphrodite smiled. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Perseus. Do not disappoint Annabeth, or you’ll risk disappointing me too.” 

“Oh, so no pressure,” Percy muttered under his breath. 

The dream began to fade, pastels blurring together. Percy’s eyes suddenly felt like they were weighed down by lead. His lids fluttered shut, Aphrodite and her dreamy temple vanishing from view. 

When he woke, the slip of paper with the location Aphrodite had given him was still clenched in his hand. He rolled over and groaned into his pillow. He prayed to no god in particular that Aphrodite meant what she’d said about it being easy. It was Friday, so he still had to go to school, so he’d deal with preparations for Valentine’s tomorrow after school. 

It was just one small fetch quest. For Annabeth. He could do that, right?

Valentine’s Day

Annabeth woke up on Valentine’s morning thirty minutes before the sun did. She didn’t usually consider herself to be an early riser, her natural wake up time falling at around eight am, (although Percy claimed she was insane for that, calling her a disgrace to night owls, her presumed heritage as a daughter of Athena…so she called him an idiot). But even this was early for her. She rolled over to read the clock by her bed. 

6:47 a.m.

Annabeth groaned softly and rolled back over. She wasn’t supposed to meet up with Percy until eleven a.m., which was way too long of a wait. What was she supposed to do with herself for the next four hours? She just wanted to hug her boyfriend. Already, the exhaustion of the week was elevating into anticipation at the knowledge that soon, she would see Percy again. The anticipation hummed in her veins like bees, not too dissimilar from the feeling of anxiety, itching her to get out of bed.

It was probably a problem she couldn’t go two weeks without seeing him without losing her mind. But hey, after surviving superhell together, she’d earned the right to be at least a little codependent. They were at a much healthier place about it now than they had been the months after the Giant War, but still. Percy was the Son of Posiedon, a literal walking hazard. Six years of constantly worrying if he was still alive, plus six months of forced separation, well, that did something to a girl. Who could fault her for being a little clingy? Codependence schmo-depencence. 

Sleep evaded her, so after twenty minutes of staring at the ceiling in frustration, Annabeth climbed out of bed. She crept around her dorm as she got ready for the day. Her roommate was still fast asleep as the dawn glow began to creep through the window. 

Annabeth wasn’t much one for dressing up. Her closet was full of slight variations on a few staple items. She had her practical baggy jeans that she could move around in, many with an assortment of useful pockets. She had plenty of t-shirts, ranging from baggy to baby tees if she was feeling cute, and several hoodies, at least half of which she’d stolen from Percy. 

Even for Valentine’s day, Annabeth wasn’t really sure how to dress up. It was just her and Percy today. Percy had seen her at her absolute worst, caked with blood and grit in the pit of Tartarus, and he never cared. That killed a girl’s insecurities about not being dolled up real fast. But she knew for a fact Percy would be going all out today, because that’s just the sort of idiot he was. So she might as well try to put in some effort too. She put on one of her nicer pairs of baggy jeans, a stressed, light-wash pair with a boring, normal amount of pockets. After a lot of debate, she threw on one of her baby tees for the holiday, a plain burgundy one that brought out the red in her cheeks. 

The most decorative and impractical part of Annabeth’s wardrobe were her piercings, a delicate stack of gold going up her earlobe. Annabeth never planned to get them, but she and Piper were feeling impulsive on a girls day together over the summer. Or rather, Piper was feeling impulsive, but she hadn’t needed charmspeak to convince Annabeth to go with her. It was a bonding experience, and even though it hurt like hell to get so many at once, Annabeth had a high pain tolerance. 

That day ended up being one of her favorite memories. The girls had gotten ice cream together and lamented about their idiot boyfriends and laughed themselves out of breath. That was also the day Piper came out to Annabeth as bisexual, which prompted Annabeth to admit she thought she might be too. They’d been decently close before, but after that deeply honest conversation, Annabeth gained maybe her first intimate female friendship. Of course, that conversation also began a running joke of flirting with each other in front of their boyfriends the few times they’d all hung out after that, much to Jason’s confusion. And to this day, Piper was the only person she’d come out to. Well, Percy knew, although that conversation had been much lighter. Back in September, Percy commented on how guys were oddly attractive and Annabeth had to explain to him what bisexuality was, and they accidentally came out to each other amidst a fit of confusion and giggles. 

The piercings were mostly healed now, so Annabeth could change them out to something more decorative than the gold studs she’d had for the past six months. She added a stack of two small hoops and a stud with a connected chain to a cuff higher on her lobe. The little touch made her feel a little like a goddess. She added some gold rings in her hair for extra flare. 

Makeup was tricker. Piper tried to teach her, but Annabeth could never figure out the techniques for how to apply it without it becoming cakey. So she just opted for some mascara, a touch of blush, some highlighter, and her favorite lip balm with a reddish-brown tint. That would have to do for a Valentine’s look. The highlighter was really fancy for her. Piper had also given her a crash course on how to use foundation, and concealer, and contour, and bronzer, and a bunch of other stuff that Annabeth was convinced would make up her personalized hell in the Fields of Punishment, should she ever end up there. She’d accepted her fate that makeup was not one of her skills. 

By 7:45, Annabeth was ready to head out. She slid into her winter coat and her doc martens, tote bag packed with a book and other basic necessities slung on her shoulder, and ducked out of her dorm. She had no idea where she was going but she was desperate to do something. 

After wandering for a while, Annabeth ended up in a cafe she’d visited a few times to study. She treated herself to a chocolate croissant and a coffee and read her book. It would have been a very lovely and peaceful start to her Valentine’s day if it wasn’t for the itching anticipation to see Percy. She glanced at the clock at what seemed like every fifteen minutes. 

At around nine in the morning, her phone buzzed. It was an old flip phone model that didn’t seem to attract many monsters. And the monsters it did attract tended to give one look at her, realize it was the one and only Annabeth Chase, and would turn heal immediately. When she told Percy about this, he’d been grumpy for a week. Apparently they didn’t give him the same hero treatment. Percy’s power seemed to work like a magnet for monsters, almost intoxicatingly so, especially to the less intelligent ones. He was too tempting a prey, even with his reputation. Hence, Annabeth could get away with a phone and Percy could not. It was very fun to dangle this fact in his face whenever he was annoying her, because he would instantly start pouting.

All that said, Annabeth really only used her phone to text one person. She pulled it out. 

Mrs. Sally: Hi honey! Percy wants to know what your favorite flowers are

Annabeth: I don’t really have a favorite? 

A moment passed. Then: 

Mrs. Sally: Perc just face planted onto the sofa. You sure? 

Annabeth snorted and typed back. 

Annabeth: tell him I like anything yellow or white.

Mrs. Sally: Got it 

Another hour later, at ten thirty, she got another text. 

Mrs. Sally: Percy wants to pick you up. Are you at your dorm? 

Annabeth: No need! I’m out right now. I can just head over to your apartment! 

Mrs. Sally: Percy asked if you can meet him at Grand Central Terminal main entrance on 89 E. 42nd St. at Park Avenue. 

Annabeth: Sure! On my way now. 

Annabeth leapt out of her seat and packed all her stuff together. She was out the door in the blink of an eye, her grin warming her face in the icy weather. 

Excitement stretched and folded time like putty. The trek there felt excruciatingly long, but in no time at all, she found herself standing in the entrance to Grand Central Terminal, warm stone towering over her. A chandelier sparkled overhead. There she waited. 

Percy appeared not long after. She spotted him seconds before he spotted her. And gods, he was gorgeous. Messy blond curls shot through with a streak of gray that glowed in the morning light. Long limbs that had finally found grace after years of being clumsy. Bright grin sharp with ever-present mischief and blue eyes that glimmered with warmth. The all-too familiar edges of his face she knew better than her own, having traced them so many times with hands and lips. He’d dressed up too, looking absolutely adorable with the white collar of a dress shirt poking out from underneath a light teal crewneck with Montauk printed over it. He was also wearing jeans and clean white sneakers, with a small black crossbody bag slung over his shoulder where she knew he always carried his keys and a beaten up water bottle covered with stickers (he was the most hydrated person she knew). If she didn’t know any better, she would’ve assumed him a son of Apollo for the way he positively lit up the moment he saw her. 

She didn’t bother shouting. She broke out into a run, meeting him halfway as she barreled into him with a hug. He took it with ease, shifting his weight and squeezing her right back. He buried his face in her hair, laughing. All the bees left her bloodstream and she forgot about all the tensions of the past week. A blissful ease washing through her instead. He smelled fresh and cozy, like the sea breeze and chocolate chip cookies; two scents that probably shouldn’t go together as well as they did, but to Annabeth, it smelled like home. His arms were the walls that kept her safe in the storms, his eyes the lights that lit her darkest moments. She sunk deeper into his hug. She was finally home. 

“Hey, Wise Girl. Miss me?” 

“More than I’d ever admit.” 

“I think you just admitted it.”

“Shut up and hug me Seaweed Brain.” 

And he did. 

Once she was satisfied that she wasn’t dreaming, Annabeth pulled away. Percy was looking at her like she was the eighth wonder of the world, causing her to blush. 

“You look gorgeous,” he blurted. “I mean, you’re always pretty, but today…” He cleared his throat, cheeks bright red. “Yeah.” 

She laughed. She loved that, even after all this time, she still had this effect on Percy. Her heart felt like a pastry in the oven, expanding with sweet warmth and a little delicious victory. With anyone else, she would have rolled her eyes and assumed they were being superficially nice, but Percy didn’t have a disingenuous bone in his body. He may be sarcastic, but he always expressed exactly how he felt. Percy trying to hide his emotions was a trainwreck. It was one of the things she loved about him. She never struggled to read him or had to second guess his words. 

“You don’t look too bad yourself.” She flicked the spiffy white collar under his crewneck. “I like it. It’s cute.” 

“You think I’m cute?” Percy said, mischief tugging at one corner of his lips, his grin now lopsided. 

“I didn’t say that.” 

“You basically said that. I’m counting it.” 

“Oh, hush.” 

Percy cupped his hands over his mouth like a megaphone and turned to whisper shout to the rest of the passerbys in the station “She thinks I’m cute!”

She punched his arm lightly. “Fine. You’re adorable. Happy now?”

Percy’s grin–impossibly–widened. “Adorable? Even better. Yeah, I’m happy with that.” 

Annabeth rolled her eyes. “Alright, so what’s on the agenda for the day?”

“Well, first,” Percy said, reaching to drag his crossbody bag around to his front, “I have gift number one for you.” He reached into his bag. 

Annabeth’s smile fell. “Number one? Percy, you didn’t have to–” 

“I know, I know. But I did. I wanted to. Here. Happy Valentine’s Day, Wise Girl.” 

He handed her a small heart-shaped box of chocolates, the slightly fancier kind that was wrapped in a translucent red foil. A classic. According to the back, it contained six chocolates of different varieties. 

“I know it’s cheesy and basic, which is why there’s more, but I had to start somewhere to build up to the rest,” Percy said, grinning sheepishly. 

Annabeth laced her free hand through his and tugged it down a little–her signal for him to lean down so she could give him a kiss. He did so obediently, and she kissed him on his rosy red cheek. 

“No kiss on the lips?” Percy asked, pouting, although she knew he didn’t really mean it. 

She smirked up at him and shrugged. “I have to start somewhere. We’ll build up to the rest.” 

“Touché, I guess.”

Annabeth smiled, still holding his hand. She swung their clasped fists back and forth playfully. “Alright, where to, Jackson? Or is your entire Valentine’s plan just pda in Grand Central?” 

“Oh no, I have plenty planned. But you’re going to have to trust me, okay?”

She narrowed her eyes at his troublemaker smile. “Normally I would say yes, but I think today might be a special circumstance.” 

Percy bumped her shoulder. “I promise it’ll be fun. Just follow me, ‘kay?”

“Lead the way,” she relented. 

Hand in hand, Percy led her to a terminal. They boarded the subway. They found a bench to share, pressed close against each other from shoulder to their knees, for warmth but also because Annabeth couldn’t bear to be parted from him. As they rode to a mysterious destination, Annabeth broke open the chocolates which they split. They each ate three, Percy taking the dark chocolate and sea salt, milk chocolate, and white chocolate with coconut truffles. Annabeth took all the chocolates that included caramel for herself. 

“Here, you’ve got a little…” Annabeth reached over and wiped away a smear of chocolate from the edge of Percy’s bottom lip. He stared at her so carefully as she did it, it was almost embarrassing to meet his sparkling eyes. 

“You do too, actually,” he said, pointing at her. 

Annabeth licked her lips, but didn’t taste any chocolate. “Where?” 

Percy took her jaw in his hand, touch gentle. His fingers were icy from the weather, a jarring contrast to his warm smile. A small shiver ran through her at the touch. His thumb moved towards her lips, not quite caressing her skin. “Right here.” But instead of wiping it away, Percy leaned down and kissed the corner of her mouth.

Annabeth’s heart stopped. Even still, he affected her too. It was almost more delicious than the chocolates. 

His kiss was quick, probably not enough to clean any chocolate that was there. He pulled away, grinning victoriously. She laughed quietly, shaking her head at the fool beside her.

“Does that bring us one step closer to actually kissing now?” Percy asked. 

“Maybe,” she teased. 

“I’ll take a maybe.”

A few stops later, Percy stood up, pulling Annabeth up with him. “We’re here, come on!” 

They hopped off the train. Annabeth took in her surroundings, quickly calculating where Percy had taken her. 

Percy gestured with one arm like a circus master introducing the show. “Welcome to–” 

“Coney Island!?” Annabeth gasped, cutting him off. 

Percy’s arm flopped back to his side. “Way to steal my thunder.” 

“Nah, Thalia did that long before me,” Annabeth teased, not even paying attention to Percy, still taking in her surroundings with wide eyes. “Percy, you took me to Coney Island?!” 

“Is that a good exclamation or a bad exclamation?”

She finally turned to face him again, grinning. “Good. Definitely good.” 

“Then yes, yes I did.” 

And that is where the pair spent a good chunk of their day. Annabeth was a little more daring than Percy when it came to roller coasters, but both of them enjoyed a good thrill. And when it came to the bigger roller coasters, it was delightfully easy to goad him onto the rides. Neither demigod liked to back down from a challenge. 

In between rides, they always walked hand in hand, clutching each other to stave off the cold air. Sometimes, a cart of screaming people would race right past them, and Percy would flinch. When that happened, Annabeth squeezed his hand tighter, reminding him she was there. He squeezed back gratefully. 

They rode ride after ride until their legs shook from adrenaline and their stomachs growled. They stopped for corn dogs briefly mid afternoon. 

“You know, when I introduced you to roller coasters when we were little, I didn’t expect you to get so hard core about them,” Percy said, slouching onto a bench. 

Annabeth smirked. “I told you. These are nothing compared to the thrills we’ve faced in quests. Child’s play, really. Also, you didn’t directly introduce me to roller coasters.” 

“What was the tunnel of love, then? I thought that was your first roller coaster.”

“It was. But I still wouldn’t say you introduced me to them. You just happened to be there.” 

“Would you have gone on it if I hadn’t been there?”

Annabeth thought for a moment. Technically, if Percy hadn’t been around, then she wouldn’t have been in that situation in the first place. “Yeah okay, I guess not.” 

Percy nodded in vindication, taking a bite of his corndog. After he swallowed, he spoke again. 

“I wonder if they have a tunnel of love ride here.” 

“No. Absolutely not.”

Her adamance only made him grin more. “Oh come on, it’d be fun.”

“It would be cheesy! And ridiculous!” 

“You love cheesy and ridiculous!”

“I do not.” Annabeth crossed her arms, tossing her braids over her shoulder with a shake of her head.

“I’m cheesy and ridiculous and you love me,” Percy pointed out. 

Annabeth glowered. “I hate you.” 

Percy laughed. “Sorry, not convinced. Come on, let’s go look!” 

“Perseus Jackson, if you make me go on a tunnel of love ride again, I’m breaking up with you.”

They did, indeed, find and go on a tunnel of love ride. Annabeth did not break up with him (she actually quite enjoyed it, but gave him shit the whole ride as she fought down a smile). 

By the time the winter sun hung low in the sky, the two were theme-parked out. They headed back towards Percy’s. On the train ride back, the roller coaster adrenaline faded, sinking into heavy contentment in Annabeth’s bones. She rested her head on Percy’s shoulder. His crewneck was so soft on her cheek. She only meant to steal his warmth for a moment. The next thing she knew, Percy was gently shaking her awake. They were pulling up to the stop by Percy’s place. 

Inside the Jackson apartment, Annabeth cast off her shoes by the door. She wore knee-high socks under her jeans for an extra layer against the bitter February air, but the band was digging a grove into the skin under her knee. It had been steadily driving her crazy all day, so she shed her socks too, tucking them into her doc martens. Percy held his hand out as she shrugged off her heavy winter coat and he hung it up for her. Wearing nothing but a baby tee under the down coat had been a questionable decision, cold running over her bare arms. 

But then Percy was in front of her, resting his warm hands over the bare skin of her biceps, looking down at her with the gentlest, most lovesick expression she’d seen on him today. Suddenly, a baby tee in February didn’t seem like a mistake at all. He seemed just as exhausted as she was after today. 

She sank into his arms, letting him hold her upright for a moment in the foyer of his apartment. 

“What now, Mr. Party Planner?”

Percy huffed out a short laugh. “Wow, I just realized how weird that is. I’m doing the planning for once. I hope I don’t screw anything up.” 

“You haven’t yet,” she reassured him. She stepped back, looking around to see if Sally and Paul were home.  

“We have the place to ourselves,” Percy said, stepping back as Annabeth ventured into the apartment, making herself at home. “My mom and Paul are out for the night on their own date, so I figured we could make dinner together here. But it’s only five, so it might be a little early for that now. We can do whatever you want until we decide we’re hungry.” 

Annabeth didn’t have to think for very long. She headed for Percy’s bedroom, wanting nothing more than to lie down for a bit. Percy followed close on her heels. 

His room was neater than usual. She didn’t spot any dirty dishes or wet towels. His clothes were everywhere, but it was mostly hoodies and a few pairs of jeans shoved into corners. Not bad for him. 

But as she took a few steps into Percy’s room, she felt a faint grit between her toes. She wrinkled her nose. Upon closer inspection, she noticed a sprinkle of sand on his floor. The biting sensation of the grains against her skin sent a shudder up her spine. 

“Percy,” she groaned. She raised onto her toes, trying to minimize the area of skin able to touch the sand.

Percy’s face fell. “What?” 

“There’s sand on your floor. Did you go to the beach?”

Percy winced, humming a thin groan as he tilted his head back. “I didn’t! Not for months! I swear I vacuumed recently and everything. I have no idea where it keeps coming from!” Percy seemed so utterly distressed by the appearance of sand that Annabeth couldn’t help but laugh, even if her skin was crawling. He gave her a sheepish, apologetic smile. “Here, let me help.”

Percy rushed up behind her, and in one fell swoop, lifted Annabeth up into his arms bridal-style. She shrieked with surprise and laughter and clung to his neck for dear life as the ground vanished between her feet. Percy carried her the last few feet to his bed. The world tilted as he fell forward over his bed, almost dropping her more than setting her down onto the mattress. She shrieked again. He caught himself overtop her, bracing himself on his forearms, expression lit bright with victory. A blonde curl brushed against her forehead. He was close enough to feel his breath on her lips. Close enough to kiss. 

Percy stalled, both their laughter fading into heavy breaths that caught in their lungs. His eyes sparkled like she was a jewel reflecting in those cerulean irises. 

“Do I get to kiss you now?” He whispered. 

Annabeth’s heart hammered in her chest. She’d made him wait all day, just to tease him. But he wasn’t the only one tortured by it. All games had to end eventually. 

But her words caught in her throat, stolen by the beautiful boy hovering before her. She just nodded. 

And so they kissed. It was soft, starting off incredibly gently. They were both smiling, devolving into giggles as teeth bumped against skin. But they were fantastic kisses. Annabeth could call Percy an idiot all she wanted, but the truth of the matter was that Percy was a fast learner. That applied to kissing too. Percy was a quick study in exactly how to make Annabeth feel like a goddess. He knew where to press and where to be gentle, where to run his thumb over her collarbone and to tuck it in the soft spot behind her ear. He knew how to build her an altar with his lips, how to worship her with a kiss. 

Annabeth sighed. She’d really missed him. 

Kisses devolved into cuddles on Percy’s bed. They talked about their past two weeks, which then spiraled into talking about the most random things. They both had ADHD, so one tangential idea inspired the next and the next, a tiered waterfall of words rushing easily from plateau to plateau, point to point. Talking to Percy came so naturally now. When she was younger, her words had come out like skipped pebbles, just a few stilted phrases before the pebble sank and she wasn’t sure what to say next. But the longer she spent time with him, the easier it became to talk to him. Percy was so unbearably open, she felt safe letting her own walls down around him, and the floodgates opened soon after. 

She didn’t tease him as much while cuddling, because he had the unfortunate advantage of knowing exactly where to tickle her. Curled up together like this, she couldn’t escape him, so she bit back her sassy remarks after the first few times of being attacked with tickles. 

Eventually, they grew hungry. Annabeth untangled herself from his arms and stood up. Percy groaned softly in protest. Without his arms around her, the cold nipped at her bare arms and the uncovered sliver of her stomach. She snagged one of Percy’s hoodies–a navy blue one with a seashell over the heart–and pulled it on. It was soft and warm and smelled like chocolate chip cookies, just like Percy. She tossed another hoodie laying nearby at Percy’s face just to get him up. He flinched. 

“Hey!” 

“Dinnertime, Seaweed Brain. Show me what you got.” 

 Annabeth tip-toed across his sandy floor out into the apartment. Percy was close behind, musing his bed-mushed curls. 

“Oh, wait, I forgot!” Percy ran ahead of her, sweeping a vase full of flowers off the kitchen counter and held them out to her. “These are for you.” 

The thin glass vase held a beautiful bouquet, filled with sprays of white baby’s breath flowers and sunshine yellow daffodils, padded by the muted, round greens of eucalyptus leaves. The vase itself had a dark red bow tied around it. It was a gorgeous display. 

“You can take the vase to your dorm. I didn’t think you had one, so I bought this one so you can keep the flowers there!” Percy looked so proud of himself, not at all smug, but rather, in a delighted way. Stunning flowers aside, Percy’s expression and the thought behind the flowers was enough to make her heart burst. Annabeth never cared about silly Valentine’s traditions like chocolates or flowers, but with Percy, it felt different. In all the little thoughts and gestures, he made them feel so special. He made her feel special. 

“Thank you, Percy,” she said, words as warm as she felt. She reached onto her tip toes again to press a kiss onto his cheek. “I love them.” She took the vase and set it on the dining table next to a gorgeous display of lilies he’d gotten for his mom. 

“Okay, so dinner might be a little involved. You don’t have to help, but if you want to, it might be fun to make together,” Percy started to explain, opening up the fridge. 

“Okay… what is it?” 

Percy pulled out some cucumber, carrot, smoked salmon, and a tupperware container of rice from the fridge. 

“Sushi.” He grinned. 

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope! My mom and I practiced last night so I should know how to do it.” 

A slow smile spread across Annabeth’s face. “Percy Jackson, have I ever told you I love you?”

“On occasion.” 

“I love you.” 

“I love you too, Annabeth. So you in?”

“So in. But I will warn you, I have no idea how to do this, so you’re going to have to teach me.” 

Annabeth joined Percy at the kitchen counter. He handed her the carrots and he took the cucumbers to cut into strips. But Percy paused before slicing the cucumber, knife hovering over it.

“What?” She asked. 

Percy fought back a grin. 

“What?” She asked again, bumping her elbow against his. 

Percy set the knife down and picked up the cucumber. He was trying so hard to look serious, but his lips twitched up and his eyes sparkled. “It’s you. You’re a cute-cumber.” 

“Oh my gods, Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth groaned, tossing her head back with a laugh. “You’re the absolute worst.” 

Percy laughed too, loud and bright. He was way too pleased with himself for such a stupid pun. 

“Cut your damn cucumber, dumbass.”

“Yes ma’am.” 

Annabeth flicked him on the shoulder. He stuck his tongue out at her playfully. 

They sliced the cucumber and carrots into thin strips. Then they spread the sticky rice Percy had made that morning onto bamboo mats. It got all over their fingers, true to its name, clinging to everything it touched. Annabeth wiped some onto Percy’s nose before rinsing the icky texture off her fingers. He proceeded to try to lick it off with his tongue, eyes crossing in the process. She nearly doubled over laughing. 

Next was the seaweed. Annabeth snatched up the sushi seaweed before Percy. She held it up with a sharp grin. 

“Don’t say it,” Percy warned. 

“Oh look. It’s you, Seaweed Brain.” 

Percy shook his head. “Yeah, okay, I had that one coming.” 

“You absolutely had that coming.” 

“My pun was better. It was cuter,” Percy grumbled, although she knew he wasn’t truly offended. 

They layered on the salmon and veggies over the sheet of seaweed and used the bamboo mats to roll them up. Finally, they sliced the sushi roll into small pieces. 

They ate them still standing at the kitchen counter, still poking fun at each other, often with literal jabs and pokes. Percy played dirty, poking her right where she was ticklish. She swore revenge. She didn’t care if Percy claimed he wasn’t ticklish–she would find a way. 

Homemade sushi devoured, the two collapsed onto the couch in contentment. 

“I love you,” Annabeth murmured, cuddling close. She sat with her arms hugging his neck, her legs tossed over his lap. His arm wrapped around her shoulder. He pressed a kiss to her temple. Gods, he was so warm. Annabeth could feel weeks worth of a drained battery slowly recharging just by being near him. 

“I love you too,” he murmured into her hair. 

Annabeth sighed. Gratitude and disbelief intertwined, blossoming like a flower within her chest. After two wars, countless battles, journeys to heaven and through hell and everything in between, the quiet mundanity of the moment felt more surreal than any living myth she’d encountered. This moment was every dream she’d had since she was fourteen, when she realized she was uselessly in love with her best friend and disillusioned with the bloody mythical world. She was almost afraid she would wake up to discover she was still in Tartarus, or Percy was still missing. After so much bad, the good felt fragile. So she held him tighter, just to make sure he wouldn’t turn to dust in her fingers. 

“Thank you for today. I had a really good time,” she admitted. 

“Good,” Percy sighed, relieved. “I wanted today to be special.” 

“It was. You made it incredibly special.” 

“And you? Do you feel special?” His voice was quiet, lightly teasing, and so warm. 

Annabeth blushed. When did he get so good at flirting? “Yeah,” 

“Good. Because you are. You’re everything to me.” She couldn’t see his face at this angle, tucked against him as she was, but she could hear his delight. But then he paused. His thumb, which had been running slow circles over her shoulder, stilled. He swallowed.

“There’s, um. There’s one more gift I have for you.” 

Annabeth frowned. He’d already gone through the classic chocolate and flowers. What’s left? 

Percy pulled away a little, so Annabeth let go, leaning back to see his face. Percy reached into his pocket, fingers closing around something, but he didn’t pull it out. 

“I wasn’t sure when to give it to you today, but now seems as good a time as ever.” He cleared his throat. All his flirty confidence evaporated. He reminded her of when he was sixteen, awkward and dense, trying to figure out how to admit he liked Annabeth on the night of his birthday, even though it was already written all over his face. 

“Annabeth Chase?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Percy Jackson…” 

“Will you…wait. Hold on. That’s probably not how I’m supposed to go about this. I should’ve rehearsed a script.” 

“Okay, now I’m nervous. Spit it out Seaweed Brain.” 

Percy glanced at her, sheepish and mischievous all at once. “Here goes nothing. Annabeth Chase, I love you. But ‘I love you’ doesn’t even begin to cover how I feel about you. Not really. You’re my closest friend. You’re my questmate and my partner and the person I trust most in the entire world. You’ve been by my side through all my highs and lows. You’ve seen me at my worst, my most vulnerable, when I’m making terrible decisions, and you never left. You dealt with me when I was fourteen, which is a feat in its own right–” Annabeth snickered at that “–and you were the first person I thought of when I was on top of the world. When I’m happiest, all I want to do is share that moment with you. Which works out since most of my happiest moments are because I’m with you. You make me so insanely happy, Wise Girl. I want to share all my highs and lows with you forever. When we’re old and all of our hair is gray, not just the one streak, I want to still be laughing with you. So, uh.” 

Percy pulled the item out of his pocket and held it out to her. Annabeth gasped, tears pricking at her eyes at his speech. 

He pinched the most beautiful ring Annabeth had ever seen between his fingers. Two thin gold bands, studded with a thin sprinkle of tiny diamonds, twirled and arched and looped in an elegant, almost magical fashion, swirling around a pearl at the center. The pearl itself wasn’t very large, but it glimmered with a faint pinkish sheen. The whole thing was so delicate and ethereal, unlike anything Annabeth had ever seen in the mortal world. 

“Percy…” she breathed.

“This isn’t a proposal. I promise that’ll be much better than a ring without a box in my living room. This is a promise ring. It’s a promise that I’ll always be by your side. Through thick and thin, ups and downs, I will never, ever, stop loving you, Annabeth. I promise to forever be yours, for as long as you can put up with me.” 

Percy took her hand gently, and guided the ring onto her ring finger. It fit perfectly. Her heart hammered in her chest so hard she was convinced it might burst. Annabeth wasn’t much for jewelry, but this was absolutely gorgeous. She looked back and forth between the ring and Percy’s hopeful, puppyish expression. 

“Percy, this is beautiful. How did you…I mean, this looks so expensive?”

Percy winced a little. “Aphrodite gave it to me. Which, yeah, I know, I know, not great. But she wanted to help, and honestly, I was kind of too scared to say no. Plus, it was a no strings attached deal. She made the ring, but it's not enchanted. All I had to do was pick it up from a naiad in Central Park. The only thing it cost was an autograph for that naiad. But it seems like Aphrodite really just wants us to be happy now.”

Annabeth shook her head slowly, processing. “You’re crazy. I love you so much.” She knew she needed to respond more, to address his beautiful speech, but she simply could not find the words. Finally, she gave up trying to respond and leaned in instead. 

She pressed a kiss to his lips. This wasn’t the tender, giggly kisses of earlier. This was full. Her fingers tangled into his curls as she expressed all the love she couldn’t find the words for. He returned the kiss whole-heartedly.

Eventually, she needed to breathe. She pulled away, forehead tipped against his. She laced her fingers through his hair, massaging the strands between her fingers, just feeling him in her arms in sheer awe. 

“Yes,” she murmured, and then paused. “I guess there wasn’t a question, but if there was, the answer would be yes. Gods you’re so good with words,” she laughed, breathy and light-headed. “I love you more than I can think of words to express right now. You mean everything to me too. Thank you for being in my life.”

Percy laughed. His hand found hers, resting on top and lacing his fingers over hers. His thumb brushed back and forth. 

“I could say the same to you.” 

“Gods, you’re ridiculous.” 

“You love ridiculous.” 

“Yeah. Yeah I do.”