Beach Daze (Percabeth AU)

Together Again

Percy drives me to Bay Street, where the construction team is still hard at work. I stare at the four homes that they've built so far.

"Percy! Those are my designs!" I exclaim. I knew they were already, due to pictures and messages to and from Hestia, but it was like a dream to see them for real.

"Yeah, they're amazing, Wise Girl. You did a great job. Wanna tour them?"

"Can we?" By now, I was practically bouncing in my seat.

"Of course we can." He pulls his car up on the side of the road and parks. Then, we climb out and I race to the first house. He laughs and runs to catch up with me.

"Annabeth!" Hestia exclaims as I swing open the door to the home and move into the kitchen, the first room off of the foyer. "I'm so happy to see you! How are you?"

"I'm so glad to be back. How are you?"

"Perfect. I'm just finishing up some decorating. I got some more shipments of things in today."

"It looks fabulous. Better than I could've possibly imagined." We share a quick hug and she takes me on a tour, persisting that even though I know the whole layout, she needed to show me it. Percy tags along with us, smiling the whole time.

We move on from home to home, until we've made our way through all four. I'm still bouncing my way through each one, because even though the feeling of excitement should've drifted by now, it hasn't.

I laugh giddily at everything Percy says to me when we climb into the car to leave, and he laughs because I do. It was like some sort of daze.

After what seems like an eternity, he places a kiss on my lips to shut me up. I love when he kisses me.

"I missed you," he tells me, whispering as if it's something intimate. "You should stay. Forever."

I laugh and kiss his cheek. "I would love to."

"But college?"

"But college."

He sighs and starts the car, driving towards town again. "Lunch at the café?"

"Sounds good."

🏝

"Percy, guess what?" He lays on his stomach in bed, trying to find more information online about the fish that he found while swimming today.

"Hmm?" His head turns when he hears my voice. I jump on the bed on top of him and set my open laptop on the pillows. It's open to an email that I just received from my college. I rest my head in the crook of his neck as he reads it.

"Really?" He asks, "you were able to-"

"Yeah. All it took was an email from Hestia saying that she would have me work with her, and now I'll be here, doing an apprenticeship. And it's all helping towards getting my degree."

He flips over, but keeps me close to him. We lay like that, arms wrapped around one another for a while.

"I have something to tell you," Percy says.

"Don't tell me you applied for a work-study at an aquarium in my town and now you ruined my genius plan."

He laughs. "No, that would be really shitty if I did though. I was gonna tell you that I got my own apartment. Originally, it was just going to be mine and I was gonna hunt for a friend to split, but I guess if you're staying, I can share." He fakes a dramatic sigh.

"Don't act too upset or I'll make Piper move here just to share an apartment with her."

He kisses my cheek. "How is Piper going to take your news?"

"She'll be upset, but I think Jason was moving in this semester anyways. He basically already lived there. He was over every single night and let me just tell you- those walls are way too thin. Now he can just have his old apartment buddy, Leo, move in to my old room, that way Leo doesn't have to pay rent for that old apartment. It'll work itself out."

"And you'll move in with me?"

"Of course I will."

We share what was supposed to be a quick kiss. Kisses are dangerous things, though. That kiss leads to more and more... and soon, our clothes are off and Percy's frantically searching for a condom.

"You literally had a box a couple nights ago," I tell him.

"And they're all gone, but I figured I'd have more somewhere..."

Suddenly, something slides under the door and I see a new box of exactly what we're looking for. His face is red, and I don't even have to look in the mirror to know mine is too.

"Mom, stop eavesdropping!" Percy yells. "But thank you!"

"Someone better make sure you keep it safe," I hear her say faintly through the door. "Have fun!"

"This is why we'll never do this at my house again," Percy grumbles.

I laugh. "We'll have our own apartment soon."

"I can't wait."

He jumps on the bed and we begin where we left off. And we do have fun like Sally told us to.

I don't think my favorite part of it is the sex though. I think it's the way he always holds me after, cozied up against his chest, breathing him in. One of his hands gently rubs at my side and the other makes it's way to my curls.

"Annabeth," he mumbles.

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

I place a kiss right where my head lays on his bare chest, too exhausted to speak. He knows what it means though, and he holds me closer as we both drift off.