Loverboy (PERCABETH AU)

Chapter 26

Annabeth POV

Three days before the two-month mark.

I spotted Percy by his locker before first period, bent over and shoving books inside like he was late for a train. His hair was a mess (more than usual), and he was wearing that faded blue hoodie I liked—the one that made his eyes stand out, even when he looked half-asleep.

I'd been holding onto this idea since last night. Something small. Something that would be ours.

"Seaweed Brain," I called, weaving through the hallway traffic.

He glanced up, looking a little surprised but not unhappy. "Hey. You're here early."

"Yeah." I rested my hand lightly on the locker door to keep it from shutting. "I wanted to ask you for something."

That got his attention. "Uh... okay? What's up?"

I smiled—one of those smiles I knew made him squirm a little. "There's this charm bracelet I saw online. Simple, silver chain, little owl charm. I want you to get it for me."

His eyebrows pulled together. "Couldn't you... buy it yourself?"

I laughed softly, shaking my head. "Of course I could. But that's not the point."

"Then what is the point?" he asked, leaning against the lockers, still looking like he didn't quite get it.

I tilted my head at him, letting my voice drop into that quiet, certain tone I used when I wanted him to listen. "It's not that I can't buy it, Percy. I just... I want to have something you chose for me. Something I can look at and remember you gave it to me—because you love me."

His face went pink immediately, which made my chest warm in that way it always did.

I stepped a little closer. "It's silly, I know. But it matters to me."

He rubbed the back of his neck, still looking half-confused and half-trapped. "Uh... yeah. Okay. I can do that."

"Good," I said, letting my hand brush his arm before stepping back. "I'll send you the link later."

The bell rang, and I walked toward class feeling... lighter. Like I'd just pulled him a little closer to me without him even realizing.

By lunch, I could barely focus on anything my history teacher had been saying. I'd been doodling tiny hearts in the margins of my notes without even realizing it, and when I finally noticed, I didn't even bother scribbling them out.

Two months.

Okay—almost two months. But that didn't matter. I'd already decided that, in three days, I was telling everyone.

I slid into my usual seat at the lunch table, setting my tray down. Piper was across from me, Jason beside her, Leo balancing his drink precariously on his knee.

"Someone's in a good mood," Leo said, eyeing the way I was smiling to myself. "Either you won the lottery or you've got a crush."

Piper smirked. "We know she's got a crush."

I ignored the way my cheeks warmed. "I'm just... happy. That's all."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "That wouldn't have anything to do with a certain dark-haired, sea-related person, would it?"

I bit back my grin and tried for nonchalance. "Maybe. Not saying yes. Not saying no."

The truth was, my chest felt like it was about to burst. I'd been waiting for the right time to tell them, but part of me wanted to just blurt it out right now—how Percy and I had been together for almost two months. How it wasn't just some silly thing. How it felt real.