Loverboy (PERCABETH AU)

Chapter 36

Percy POV

I don't know how long I stood there after Annabeth walked away. Long enough to feel the echo of her words burning in my chest.

No.
She'd said it so firmly, so sharply, like a door slamming shut in my face.

But she hadn't walked away smiling. She hadn't looked relieved. Her eyes... they were angry, yes, but hurt too. And if there was one thing I'd learned tonight, it was that hurt wasn't the same as hate.

So I turned and walked back toward Reyna's apartment, shoulders squared, forcing myself not to sink into that old emptiness. Not this time. No more moping. No more being aimless. I knew what I wanted, and I was going to fight for it.

Jason opened the door before I could knock, his expression tense like he'd been pacing. Piper was right behind him, biting her lip.

"Well?" Jason asked.

I let out a long breath. "She said no."

Piper winced. Jason scrubbed a hand over his face. "Perce—"

"But," I cut in quickly, a small grin tugging at my lips despite the sting, "I told her I wasn't leaving. I asked for my two months, and I'm taking them."

Jason blinked. "You're serious."

"As serious as I've ever been," I said, stepping past him into the living room. Reyna glanced up from her spot on the couch, her sharp eyes scanning me like she was weighing whether I was about to break apart.

Instead, I dropped onto the couch beside Piper and leaned back, letting out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. "I missed up real bad. I know that. But I love her. And I'm gonna prove it."

For a second, nobody spoke. Then Piper's lips curved into a small smile. "That's the Percy I know. Stubborn as hell."

Jason chuckled, shaking his head. "She's not gonna make it easy for you."

"Good," I said. "I don't deserve easy."

Reyna leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees. "So what's the plan, Jackson? You can't just stand outside her door every day."

I laughed, rubbing the back of my neck. "Yeah, that'd probably get me arrested."

Piper nudged me lightly with her shoulder. "You need to remind her why she fell for you in the first place. Show her you've changed, that you're not the same guy who hurt her."

"Exactly," I said, determination settling into my chest. "I don't want to just tell her I love her—I want her to feel it. To see it. To know it's real."

Jason crossed his arms, his expression thoughtful. "That means patience. She's stubborn, Perce. She's not gonna cave just because you ask."

"I know," I said. "But I'm not here to ask once. I'm here to try every day until she says yes."

Silence followed, heavy but not suffocating. Then Reyna leaned back, her calculating eyes softening just a fraction. "Alright, Jackson. I'll give you this—you've got guts. And maybe... just maybe, you've got a shot."

That night, as I lay awake in the guest room Reyna had set up for me, I couldn't shake Annabeth's face from my mind. The way her voice cracked when she told me I'd hurt her. The way her eyes flashed when I asked for my two months.

She'd said no.
But I wasn't afraid of that anymore.

Because for the first time, I knew exactly what I wanted. And I wasn't going to stop until she knew it too.

The next morning, I woke up buzzing with a weird mix of nerves and excitement. I had a plan. Not a full, foolproof plan—because let's be real, nothing involving Annabeth could ever be foolproof—but a start.