Percabeth Short Stories

High Tide

High Tide:

The waves lapped gently onto the shore as Annabeth strolled along the beach. She marvelled at the way the water broke when it hit the sand, and how the foamy edges then retreated back into the depths.

Annabeth was a princess. She wasn't your stereotypical princess who loved pink and was spoilt by her parents, she was actually the complete opposite. Her favourite colour was the deep sea green of the ocean and her parents didn't care about her even the slightest bit. Annabeth could've drowned and all they'd care about would be that the sea had been polluted by her body.

The beach was Annabeth's favourite place. Positioned just a little hike away from the village, the sandy location was a calm place that attracted many foreigners.

But today, something felt wrong. Sure, the sun was out and the trees rustled in a slight breeze, yet Annabeth felt like something was going to happen. That was when she spotted the body.

It was a boy, probably around her age (18) and he had windswept black hair. But that wasn't the part that worried her the most. It was the fact that he looked dead. Annabeth sprinted up the beach to him, almost tripping on a piece of drift wood as she did so. But the boy wasn't a boy. In fact, he wasn't even human. Instead of legs, he had a tail. A mermaid's tail. It was sea green and the scales reflected the sunlight like mirrors.

Annabeth gasped. As she stared down at the merman, she felt her heart beating faster and faster. Was he dead? No, his chest was still steadily moving up and down.

"Ugh..." the merman groaned, and Annabeth screamed. Instantly, his eyes snapped open. They were the exact same shade of sea green as his tail, and Annabeth felt like she could get lost in them.

"Ah!" The boy tried to move backwards, but his tail flopped around uselessly.
Annabeth's heart was pounding. She felt like fainting, but instead she just put her hands up. "I'm sorry." She said. "I didn't mean to scare you." She paused, thinking. "How did you get here?"

"A storm." The boy groaned. "I was swimming near the surface and a storm came and washed me away. Can you please put me back in the ocean?"

"Sure thing. But first, what's your name?" Annabeth asked, smiling slightly.

"Percy." The boy smiled back.

"Annabeth."

Annabeth started to clear some of the rocks and drift wood lying around on the beach. Then she knelt down behind Percy. "I'm going to roll you back into the ocean."

"Okay." Percy said.

"I'll give you a push, and I think you can take it from there."

"Okay."

"On three...One, two, three!"

She heaved Percy and rolled him towards the water. He went tumbling towards it, then with a splash, entered it.

"Thank you!" He called, and then he was gone.

•••

Annabeth couldn't stop thinking about Percy. One day, about a week later, as she was roaming the village, she thought of going to the beach to see if she could spot him. It was foolish, but somehow felt right. She left on her usual route and after a short walk, emerged from the bushes.

It was a beautiful day. Summer sun glared down at her from above and she decided to go for a swim. Taking off her shoes and socks, she put her feet into the cool water and walked in. But something was drawing her deeper. She kept walking out until she was up to her neck. Before she knew it,  her head was completely under. And she couldn't stop herself.

Desperately, Annabeth tried to swim, but she was pulled under. "Help!" She spluttered, trying not to swallow water. "Help!" But it was no use. There was no one to hear her, and as she slowly sank, her lungs screaming for air, she accepted defeat.

•••

When she woke up, she was in a room. It had walls that sparkled like diamonds and a roof that reflected the sea. For some reason, Annabeth felt at peace, like nothing could harm her. That was until she realised that she was underwater.

Gasping, she watched as a trail of bubbles left her mouth and floated upwards. How am I breathing? She wondered, but then noticed her tail.
Instead of legs, Annabeth had a tail. It was silver and had scales that sparkled in the light, and it made her shiver.

"Glad to see that you're awake." Said a voice. It was Percy. He swam into the room, then floated in mid-air for a moment before noticing Annabeth's frown.

"Why am I here?" She asked.

"I'm sorry." Percy's face fell. "The seer told me that you would drown and that the only way to save you would be to turn you into a mermaid."

"Can-can you change me back?" Annabeth whispered.

Percy's face drooped even more. "I-I can't. I'm sorry. You can slap me, punch me, do whatever you want to me--"

But instead of being sad, Annabeth was overjoyed. This was finally her chance. She didn't want to go back to land and see her parents again--they didn't care about her. So she stood up and swam over to Percy.

It felt weird, but kind of natural to swim. She hovered in front of him and looked into his beautiful eyes, then kissed his cheek. "I don't mind." Annabeth whispered.