As Long as I Have You

A Much Needed Distraction

PERCY

The keys jingled as Percy unlocked the door.

"I'm home," he announced, remembering the last time he forgot to announce his presence. His backside throbbed painfully as it too remembered its own greeting with the hardwood, a consequence of Annabeth's harsh judo flip.

There she was, sitting perfectly on the couch, her nose stuck in her architecture textbook, one leg lightly crossed over the other. Her eyes moved back and forth over the words, hungrily looking to consume all they had to offer. No one else would've seen the squint in her eyes as she poured her energy into keeping the words and letters from jumbling about. No one else would've seen her leg slightly bouncing or her hands incessantly attempting to crack the already cracked knuckles. But Percy did.

Percy knew every inch of her, every mannerism, every thought, every movement. He knew them not only because he knew her but also because she was him. Annabeth was Percy. Percy was Annabeth. Every movement, every mannerism, every thought of hers was also his. Annabeth was what made Percy believe the old myth about soulmates: that everyone was once two halves of the same whole, originally united as one before being separated by Zeus due to jealousy and fear. Annabeth was the one Percy was forced to search the world for, his soulmate. Luckily for him, they found each other pretty early on. They had quite literally gone to hell and back together. There was no way he was ever letting her go. Ever. No, Percy and Annabeth were soulmates in the truest sense of the word.

Annabeth glanced up at Percy just enough to make sure that he wasn't some cyclops or telekhine about to attack before she returned to the textbook.

"Hi to you too," Percy responded jokingly while kicking off his shoes. He knew well enough by now to not disrupt Annabeth while she was in the groove.

Percy dropped his backpack down on the floor next to his shoes and made his way to the kitchen, grabbing a ripe red apple from the fruit bowl and peanut butter from the cabinet. He didn't even bother looking for a knife after a glance at the overflowing sink. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out Riptide. With one swoosh, the pen transformed into his trusty bronze sword. The apple was no match for Riptide, a sword that had defeated not only several titans but also a couple giants. A couple of quick cuts later, and the apple was defeated, prepared for the peanut butter.

"Percy, I told you not to use Riptide with food!" Annabeth called from the couch, not even glancing up from her book.

Percy groaned, "Got it, mom!"

That got Annabeth to glance up from her book, "I just want our deposit back when we move out."

Percy side-eyed the gashes in the countertop from his previous uses of Riptide in the kitchen.

"Might be too late for that..." he mumbled.

If Annabeth heard him, she chose to ignore him. Her only response was a small sigh and the shuffle of pages as she went back to her textbook.

Percy put the finishing peanut butter touches on his apple before joining her on the couch. As he crunched into his first slice, he felt the potent daggers coming from Annabeth's side-eye.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"You wouldn't mind doing that a little quieter?" she responded, exasperation coating her words.

"Sorry," Percy said innocently before taking another bite of the apple slice, only slightly quieter. It's not much of an improvement, but Percy tried his best.

It was finals time at New Rome University, and Percy knew that while he wasn't too bothered by it, Annabeth was. The combination of controlling her dyslexia and ADHD to study was enough to tighten any demi-god's nerves. But Percy knew that Annabeth wasn't any old demigod; she was the daughter of Athena. Which meant that she was going for the A, while Percy was just happy with a C, even maybe a D. Annabeth needed the 4.0, while Percy was just happy to be passing.

On top of that, it was the last finals. Ever. It was Percy and Annabeth's senior year of college, an accomplishment that neither of them thought they would have lived to. Annabeth for fear of dying on a quest, while Percy more for fear of failing a semester or two. But they had both gotten there by some fate of the gods. They had survived the quests that had been thrown at them all while still completing their school work. Annabeth was even in line for valediction, that was if she aced these finals.

Percy, of course, knew all the pressure that Annabeth had put on herself, and he knew his role in helping her get there. He was the distraction, the relief, the time-out. A job that, if he said so himself, he was very good at.

"Want a slice?" Percy held out his plate after taking another crunchy bite. It wasn't his fault the apple was so loud.

"Percy," Annabeth said with a warning tone in her voice.

"Annabeth," Percy said, matching her tone, "take a break. How long have you even been at this?"

Annabeth sighed and grabbed an apple slice, still not putting the book down.

Percy took another bite, this time emphasizing the crunch. He put the plate down on the coffee table that had come with the college apartment when they moved in four years ago. The plate hid some of the coffee stains and boot scuffs, but there was only so much that the simple plate could cover. Unfortunately, it didn't cover the nicks in the doorframe from their practice sparing or the scorch marks that Leo had left on the couch. It couldn't have even begun to cover the dents in the wall of their shared bedroom from the bed frame. Yeah, they definitely weren't getting that deposit back.

In one swift move, Percy snatched the book out of Annabeth's hands. A perfect disarm, if he did say so himself.

"Percy!" Annabeth yelled in frustration. "I need to study!"

"What you need is a break, Wise Girl," Percy replied while tossing the book gently next to the apple slice plate.

"Percy, a break is not going to help me pass these exams," Annabeth replied, snatching up the book.

"Oh, but I promise you it will," Percy said with a slight edge in his voice. He put up his snarky, trouble-maker smile that he knew would make Annabeth crumple.

Percy then threw one leg around her, so he was straddling her. He slowly pushed the book down and kissed her.

Originally, he had planned for just a quick peck on the lips, but then it became more. It became the need that he had been suppressing all day. The need for his other half. The need for his soulmate.

Percy tugged at her lip softly with his own teeth, gently pushing his tongue into her mouth.

"Percy," Annabeth said, pulling away, "I need to study-"

She was barely able to get the words out of her mouth before being interrupted by her own gasping moan as Percy traveled away from her mouth, turning his attention towards her neck. He softly sucked and bit the soft skin, coaxing the purple and yellow of the bruise to come forward. Annabeth, overcome with the moment, tilted her head back, allowing him easier access to continue his work. He came up from her neck, slightly gasping for air, not meeting her eyes but instead looking at her neck to admire his handiwork, his own mark of Athena.

"What you need..." Percy said, pausing to once again return to her lips, "is a break..." meeting her mouth and tugging teasingly at her lip with his own teeth, "something to get your mind away from all of this."

He knew then that he had her, that he had done his job, once again, to perfection. He felt her relax beneath him, giving herself into the kiss, applying her own pressure and heat to match his, nibbling at his own lip the same way he had just done to hers.

"And what would you suggest?" Annabeth asked teasingly

"I have a couple ideas..." Percy responded, getting up from the couch before taking Annabeth's hand and gently pulling her up towards him.

"Should I show you?" he asked after planting another passionate kiss on her lips, letting his hands tangle in her thick, dark curls.

It took a lot for him to pull away from her luscious lips, but he knew his job was complete yet. Finally, he found the strength in himself and gently pulled back, untangling his hands from her hair before taking Annabeth's hand once again and leading her to their shared bedroom.

As the door slammed behind them, the textbook jumped a bit, ultimately laying forgotten on the couch as more dents were made in the wall behind their bed. So much for that deposit.