Percabeth: oneshots and headcannons {discontinued}

It was the fourth of july

Annabeth

The Stolls were setting off fireworks again for Independence Day. In all her years of being at camp (which was a lot; she was twenty six now), Annabeth had known them to do it every year, a bigger and more spectacular display each time. No one thought that they'd be as wild, now that they were getting older, but this was the Stolls we were talking about. They hadn't ever stopped being nine years old.

The display started at eleven forty five exactly, and, as usual, Annabeth had been working for far too long. She only had seven minutes to get ready. Hastily, she threw on a fitted red dress that Piper had given her, cinching in the waist with a white belt and shaking her hair out from its ponytail. She'd never been a dress person, but they'd been told to wear something red, white or blue to add to the whole "freedom" theme. It was the only thing she had. She searched for her ankle boots; no luck. She just stuffed her feet into a pair of converse hi-tops and checked the time. Three minutes. Just enough time to rifle through a closet to find her jacket and brush her teeth.

"Annabeth? You in there?" It was Percy's voice from outside the cabin.

"Hmm? Yeah, yeah, I'll be out in a minute," she called. She shoved her dagger into her pocket, and ran out of the door. Percy smiled and took her hand, making her heart do a little flip. After ten years of dating, he did that so often that she really shouldn't still feel like that, but lo and behold, she did. His eyes still made her want to melt. His little half smirk always made her blush. The only thing that had changed was the way that he had grown so suddenly when he'd turned eighteen, which had annoyed her at the time, but now she felt little and cute around him, while still looking intimidating to everyone else.

"What's going on in that head of yours, Wise Girl? Were you even listening?" She hadn't even realised that he'd been talking to her.

"I was just... Thinking. About us," she answered. He laughed and kissed her on the forehead, which he had to lean down to do. Annabeth thought that everyone was probably pretty miffed that they was the same two people who were always ready to tear down everything in their path in battle, nor the same two kids that hated each other at age twelve. Now, they were all kisses and laughing and tickling fights. Sometimes.

"Oh really? I do that a lot, think about us. And why you still love me even though I treat you like shit by going missing and nearly getting myself killed and stuff. I do love you a lot though, don't ever forget that. And I..." He trailed off, his voice wavering. He looked uneasy for a second, but soon recovered and went back to his usual grin. What was wrong? She shook the thought away and led him to the crowd of campers anticipating the display. They stood near to the front, and Annabeth saw Percy nod at Travis Stoll, who picked up a microphone.

"Welcome, campers, to another year of the Stoll Spectacular! As promised, there will be even more impressive fireworks, as a toast to freedom! But first, we need to give a shoutout to our very own Leo Valdez, for aiding us in this marvellous display! Enjoy the show, folks," he said into the microphone, and people began passing sparklers down the line. Then the fireworks began.

Bright colours shot into the sky, exploding in a series of different patterns and images. There were scenes of battles, of parties, of words like "freedom" and "America" and "independence" and "Leo rocks," which received a mixed reception. Percy wrapped his arms around Annabeth's shoulders and she leaned into him, clutching his waist, so that they were properly watching the fireworks together. Her head was rested on his chest, and she could feel his heart thumping wildly. They stood in comfortable silence, watching. There were exploding fireballs this year, courtesy of Leo, she assumed. Suddenly, her favourite song began to play.

"You and I were,
You and I were fire,
Fire, fireworks..." She gasped and pulled away from Percy. He was grinning, and his girlfriend narrowed her eyes at him.

"What's going on? You know how much I love this song," she said. He just shrugged.

"What? It's appropriate," he reasoned. He had a point.

"Still... Something's up, isn't it?"

He hesitated. "Nah, Connor and I just thought it would be a nice addition," he smiled. "I kinda tried to help out," he admitted.

She looked up at the fireworks and sung along,

"It was the Fourth of July,
You and I were,
You and I were fire,
Fire, Fireworks," She sang under her breath. Percy suddenly tensed, and she looked at him worriedly. He was trembling.

"You okay?" Annabeth laughed nervously. "Are you cold?"

"Nope. Just jumpy," he admitted. Something about what was going on made her suspicious, but she didn't ask any more questions until he suddenly blurted out a random statement.

"The Stolls really make a good job of these displays, don't you think? It really does do justice to the holiday," he said. "You know, the freedom and all. I think it's s key thing to being a demigod, being free." He didn't sound anything like himself, but Annabeth thought nothing of it.

"Yeah. They're really going for it this year," she grinned as a ball of coloured fire exploded in the sky.

"You know who else deserves freedom?"

"Who?" There was a pause.

"Us. We deserve to have the freedom to be in love without having to worry about our parents rivalry," Percy confessed, unwrapping his arms from her and stuffing them into his pockets.

"What made you think of that? It's pretty sweet and all, but seriously," she said. "What's going on?" Percy didn't answer. He was looking back up at the sky. Annabeth looked up too, and after a few moments of blackness, two 'M's in glittering silver appeared in the space.

"M-M? What do you-" she stopped because everyone had gone silent. There were mumbles and giggles and hushed whispers, and Annabeth suddenly became very aware of the fact that they were all looking at her. When she looked over at Percy, he wasn't towering above her like usual. She looked down. He was facing her, down on one knee, a ring in his hand, a hopeful and anxious look in his eyes. Oh.

"M-M," he repeated. "As in: Marry Me?" Annabeth's heart plummeted. How did she not realise? Her hand flew to her mouth. She tried hard not to cry, but the tears soon spilled over as she nodded.

"I'm gonna need this in words, Wise Girl. And hurry up, my knee is hurting," Percy smirked, but his eyes were sparkling. She gulped and managed to choke out a tiny but indefinite,

"Yes!" Percy rose and she immediately jumped into his arms and squeezed, tears running freely now. "I love you!" She declared, and the whole camp cheered and clapped. Piper had whipped out her half-blood phone and was taking a million photos on it, Leo was hollering and grinning like a mad man, and the other demigods were all either smiling, taking pictures or applauding wildly. Even Clarisse. He put her down and slipped the ring onto her finger, and it glittered in the dim atmosphere. Of course it had to be blue. Annabeth admired the intricate patterns and rhinestones, her heart fluttering like a butterfly.

"You planned this all along, didn't you?" She cried.

"Yeah. I guess the 'Seaweed Brain' has a few tricks up his sleeve," he laughed. Percy had been grinning from ear to ear since she'd answered, and he didn't look like he would stop anytime soon.

"You bet," she laughed then and clasped her hands around his neck. "Mrs Jackson," she mumbled, "I could get used to that."

"Yeah," Percy said back. "Me too."

He kissed her, and Annabeth knew that the fireworks weren't just from the 'Stoll Spectacular.' They were even more real than that.