Percabeth Oneshots

Caught Off Guard

Prompt credit: @Penguins64. I hope this is what you imagined for this one-shot.
Written by me.

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Percy stormed through the woods, the thick trees and undergrowth barely registering in his mind. His heart was pounding, not from exertion, but from the fiery argument he and Annabeth had just had. Annabeth was always so smart, so logical. But sometimes she pushed too hard, and tonight had been one of those times.

"Percy, you're so reckless! You never think about the consequences!" Annabeth's voice echoed in his head as he replayed the scene.

"That's not fair!" Percy had shouted back, spinning to face her. "I always think about the consequences. You act like I'm some idiot who just jumps into danger for fun!"

"You are an idiot! You almost got yourself killed—again! And for what? A stupid, impulsive decision!"

"It wasn't stupid, Annabeth! I was trying to protect you!"

"I don't need your protection, Seaweed Brain!" she'd snapped, her stormy grey eyes flashing with fury.

And that had been the breaking point. Percy had left. He needed air, space, time to think without feeling like he was under a microscope.

Now, as he walked deeper into the woods, the night air did little to cool the heat of his frustration. He kicked at a stray rock, muttering to himself. Why did everything have to turn into a fight? Why couldn’t they just—

A rustle in the bushes stopped his thoughts cold. He froze, his instincts kicking in immediately. Something wasn’t right. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and his hand instinctively went to the hilt of Riptide, his trusty celestial bronze sword.

Suddenly, the woods around him erupted with movement. From the shadows emerged a group of dracaenae—half-women, half-serpent monsters, their eyes gleaming with malicious intent.

"Perfect," Percy muttered under his breath, drawing his sword. "This is just what I needed."

The dracaenae hissed, their forked tongues flicking out as they circled him. He took a step back, his body tense and ready.

"You know, I'm really not in the mood for this right now," Percy said, trying to keep his voice steady. "So why don’t we just call it a night and—"

One of the dracaenae lunged at him, her claws aimed straight for his chest. Percy sidestepped her attack and swung Riptide in a fluid arc, cutting through her scaly torso. She shrieked and dissolved into golden dust.

The others hissed in unison, tightening their circle around him. Percy gritted his teeth. Normally, this wouldn't have been a problem. But his mind was still buzzing from the argument, and his focus wasn’t where it should be.

A sudden yell echoed through the trees. "Percy!"

Annabeth. She had followed him.

Without looking, Percy swung his sword again, taking down another dracaena as Annabeth appeared at his side, dagger in hand. She didn't say anything, but the intensity in her eyes told him everything. They would talk later—if they survived this.

Together, they fought side by side, their movements perfectly synchronized despite the tension between them. Annabeth was quick, her dagger flashing in the moonlight as she took down monster after monster with precision. Percy, wielding Riptide, was the brute force, his strikes wide and powerful.

But just as the battle seemed to be turning in their favor, Percy felt a sharp pain in his side. He stumbled, confused, before realizing one of the dracaenae had slipped behind him while he was distracted. She had a knife pressed to his throat, her scaled body coiling around his, restricting his movement.

"Annabeth—" Percy gasped, his voice strained.

Annabeth's eyes widened in shock, her body freezing for just a moment as she processed the situation. Percy could see the panic flicker across her face, but she quickly masked it with determination.

"Let him go!" Annabeth commanded, her voice fierce.

The dracaena tightened her grip, the blade pressing harder against Percy's neck. "Move one step closer, daughter of Athena, and he dies."

Annabeth's knuckles whitened as she gripped her dagger. Percy could see the wheels turning in her head as she calculated their next move. But there wasn’t time for strategy. They needed to act now.

"Annabeth," Percy muttered, his breathing labored. "It's okay. Just... do your thing."

Her eyes locked with his, and in that moment, Percy could see all the emotions she had been holding back. Fear, anger, frustration—and love.

With a sudden burst of speed, Annabeth lunged forward, her dagger flashing in a quick arc. The dracaena didn’t even have time to react before Annabeth's blade sliced through her arm, forcing her to release Percy.

In the same fluid motion, Percy brought Riptide up and drove it into the monster's chest. She let out a final, blood-curdling shriek before disintegrating into dust.

Panting, Percy stumbled forward, clutching his side where the dracaena's knife had nicked him. Annabeth rushed to his side, her hands hovering as if she wanted to check his wound but didn’t know where to start.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice soft, all the anger from earlier gone.

"Yeah," Percy said, wincing. "Just... caught off guard, I guess."

Annabeth's face crumpled, her tough exterior melting away. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her eyes filling with tears. "I didn’t mean what I said back there. I was just... scared."

Percy sighed, letting out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. "I know. And I'm sorry too. I just... I can't help but want to protect you. Even if I mess up sometimes."

Annabeth gave a small smile, wiping a tear from her cheek. "You’re still an idiot, Seaweed Brain."

Percy grinned, despite the pain in his side. "Yeah, but I’m your idiot."

She laughed softly, leaning into him for a brief moment before pulling back, her eyes scanning the forest. "We should get out of here before more monsters show up."

"Agreed," Percy said, slipping his hand into hers. "But next time, let’s argue in a safer place, okay?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes but squeezed his hand. "Deal."

And together, they walked back toward camp, the weight of their earlier argument already fading away.