As Long as I Have You

An Unfortunate Birthday Gift

ANNABETH

The harsh sound of the alarm clock blaring beeps filled Annabeth's ears, waking her up from what had thankfully been a pretty uneventful sleep.

She glanced over at the alarm clock on top of the cardboard box labeled "bedroom." Even though they had been in their new apartment for almost two months now, the moving boxes remained mostly untouched. With the dim morning light streaming through the blinds, Annabeth caught sight of the stacks of unopened boxes spread through their room. The couple open boxes overflowing with clothes and other necessities.

She sighed, sitting herself up on the mattress, swinging her feet over the side, where they hit the floor with a harsh thunk. She had stupidly forgotten that they still hadn't gotten a bed frame, their mattress lying sadly on the hardwood floor.

Wiping the sleep out of her eyes, Annabeth hit the off button of the blaring clock, grimacing at the red numbers reading 6:00 AM.

Forcing herself up off the mattress, she slowly made her way to the en suite bathroom, an upgrade from their college apartment. Despite her slow pace, Annabeth still managed to run into multiple boxes and random odds and ends on the floor.

"Shit!" Annabeth cried out after stubbing her toe on what looked to be the hilt of her own dagger before clasping her hands over her mouth. She glanced over to the bed, thankful to see her boyfriend hadn't stirred in the slightest. It almost frightened her how he could sleep through pretty much any noise. Annabeth had a personal bet that even the sirens wouldn't be able to wake Percy Jackson from his slumber.

After making her way through the labyrinth that was their room, Annabeth finally reached the bathroom. Flipping on the light and allowing her eyes to adjust to the blinding brightness, she slowly worked on making herself presentable. Like a sleep-deprived zombie, she went through all the motions, slicking her curls back into a low bun, splashing some water on her face, and making sure to brush her teeth extra well.

During the whole slow process, she silently cursed her stupid boyfriend for taking a job that required him to be at work by 7:30, even on his birthday. But Annabeth knew it wasn't his fault. She knew he only had to take the job because of her. She knew that she was being selfish by taking an unpaid architecture internship, but it had been Percy who had pushed her to accept the position. It had been Percy who picked up the extra job to make sure that they could make ends meet. It had been Percy who had worked two full-time jobs to make sure that they could live in a comfortable apartment in New Rome.

So while Annabeth silently cursed him, she also knew she had to show him her gratitude. She had to show him how much he meant to her, how much she loved him. She had to show him, especially today, on his 22nd birthday.

Annabeth had meticulously planned the entire day. She would give him her first present before work. Then, while he was away, she would get the party all set up. Piper and Jason were going to help her decorate the entire coliseum with blue party decorations; Leo and Calypso were in charge of the food, with the instructions that it all had to be blue; Frank and Hazel would be in charge of keeping Percy distracted for a couple of hours after he got out of work. Annabeth had even managed to get all of their east coast friends and family organized to come out to New Rome as a surprise. Grover, Juniper, Rachel, Sally and Paul, even Chiron, were all scheduled to arrive at Camp Jupiter by 7, just in time for the party.

While she mentally ran through the party checklist, Annabeth grabbed her best bra from the pile on the floor, holding it to her nose to make sure it didn't smell horrid. After approving enough, she wrangled her way into the black lacy thing, adjusting it so her cleavage was perfectly in view. In the mirror, she checked out her sultry outfit of the black lacy bra and too short sleep shorts, making sure everything was perfect for Percy's birthday gift. With a few final adjustments, she made her way back to their bed, where Percy lay, his mouth slightly open, a trail of drool running down his cheek. With a slight smile, Annabeth wiped the drool away with her thumb while pressing a kiss on his forehead.