JOY TO THY HEART | Christmas Oneshots

FLASHBACKS. [ percabeth ]

fluff!! 

Note: Percy and Annabeth are 14 and currently just friends.

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Free days at Camp Half-Blood were the best kind of days for everyone, especially for Annabeth. It was finally a day where she didn't have to read in the loud, distracting sounds of people doing all the camp activities.

Today was a snow day. Camp was filled with white dollops of snow and flakes rapidly falling from the sky. Thinking that no one was planning to go outside today, Annabeth decided that it was the perfect day to pull out her book and finally read in some peace and quiet.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, because everyone was playing outside in the snow.

Yells of people throwing snowballs at each other, building snowmen, just enjoying life in the snow cut her out of her reading. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't focus on the pages.

She would've gone outside with them, but the truth was, Annabeth hated the snow. Her stepmother had reprimanded her every single time she tried to play in it, thinking it would be fun, but after one too many times of being rebellious, Helen dumped a whole bucket of snow down Annabeth's back.

Now every time she thought of snow, she gagged inside.

Finally, she gave up, putting her book down on her nightstand and putting on her coat, hat, and scarf. Annabeth got cold really easily. Then she headed outside, trying to find Percy, her best friend. For the two years they had known each other, they were really close. No matter how much she acted sarcastic or called him her Seaweed Brain, she really cared about him. Maybe a little too much, but that didn't matter right now.

She opened the door of the Athena Cabin and shut it tightly behind her. Hugging her jacket tightly, she looked around, trying to find Percy. She said hello and waved to a couple people who said it back, and then finally spotted Percy, close to the shore. He was making a snowman with three little boys from the Demeter Cabin.

For a second, Annabeth couldn't help staring at Percy. She'd always thought of him as slightly immature, but talking to those little kids, acting like an older brother, she saw another side of him. He suddenly seemed so much more mature, so grown up.

Yeah, she definitely had more than friend feelings for him.

Suddenly, his eyes met hers. He waved, and Annabeth was filled with a warm feeling. "Annabeth! Hi!"

She trudged over to him, bringing her arms around him. His arms automatically went around hers, and she felt so warm, so at home -- and for a second, it was like she had never gone into the snow.

But all too soon, the embrace was over, and Percy looked at her, concerned. "Wise Girl, you good?" She never hugged him like that.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm just really cold." I want to go inside.

"Okay." Percy frowned, but didn't push it. "Hey, by any chance, do you have any carrots?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Really, Seaweed Brain? Yes, yes of course, I definitely have a carrot, right here in my jacket. Let me get it out."

His face turned slightly red, and Annabeth had to suppress a grin. "Okay, yeah. I see why that might've been a weird question. But Ronnie and Ryan really need a carrot for their snowman."

"So I have one?" She couldn't help the grin from forming on her face at this point.

"Hey, don't judge. Not everyone is as smart as you. Plus you always have everything with you. Remember when I asked you for a bath bomb and you pulled one out of your backpack?"

"Okay, okay, touche. Good point." She chuckled a little bit, feeling a little better from when she first walked out.

"SNOWBALL FIGHT!" Someone yelled, and a snowball hit Annabeth in the upper back. She jumped, feeling the wetness soak through her layers. She couldn't move, a memory flashing through her eyes. Helen with the snow, dumping it down her back, the same feeling she felt then.

She couldn't say a word, couldn't move. All she saw was Helen, and all she felt was the fear, the loneliness, the six-year-old girl not understanding why this had happened.

But Percy. He locked eyes with her, and through them passed all the emotion and words that Annabeth couldn't express. Then, he looked away, taking her hand and lacing his fingers through hers. "That was not cool!" He yelled at the person who threw the snowball.

"Hey guys, why don't you find Chiron and ask him for the carrot? I'll be right back, yeah?" They nodded and Percy led Annabeth away from everyone else, away from the cold the snow brought. They went into the Poseidon cabin, the warm air immediately hitting her and making her feel slightly better.

Percy closed the door behind them, and helped her onto his bed. "Annabeth? What's going on?"

She still saw Helen, but focused on Percy. The boy right in front of her, the boy she had gone through thick and thin with and will continue doing everything with. Soon, he was all she saw, and the words, the nasty words and the face fell away.

She started to speak. Quickly, she told Percy the entire story. She wasn't one to open up and share her feelings easily, but with Percy, it was like she was an open book. She finished telling him everything, and he pulled her into a hug again. She smelled the scent that was just so Percy -- indescribable but just the comfort she needed.

Annabeth was so lucky to have him. Maybe one day, she'd tell him how she really felt.

One day.