Aftermath || Percabeth

Annabeth

   After the Tartarus and quest, everything changed. She couldn't sleep and neither could he. Nightmares haunted their dreams and they always wake up in a screaming state. Because of this, Annabeth always sneaks into the Poseidon cabin to sleep with Percy. He's the only one can calm her down form a nightmare and she's the only one that calm him. Tonight was a night she refuses to sleep. She's already woken up once screaming from a horrid nightmare and was too terrified to fall asleep again. She has her head on his chest, listening to the soothing sound of heartbeat.
   Percy's arms are ape rapped around her protectively, his hands rubbing her back. He needed sleep. She knows he's exhausted just as much as she is. The nightmares kept them up. They were lucky to get more than two hours of sleep. The Tartarus screwed them up pretty bad.
   Annabeth traces circles on his chest using her fingertips. She keeps her eyes open in fear of falling asleep. She hasn't had a nightmare like that one in awhile, it really shook her up. She was screaming and crying for thirty minutes straight. She's surprised she didn't wake the whole camp.
   "You need to get some sleep wise girl." He whispers in her while twirling a stand of her blonde hair.
   Looking up at hi, she says, "You know I can't seaweed brain, even if I try. You should get some sleep though. You need it and all I'm doing is keeping you up."
   "If you're up so am I." He pauses for a few moments to kisses her forehead. "We can't keep doing this Annie, every night with the dreams, it's not healthy."
   "And what do you suppose we do Perc? They won't just go away at the snap of our fingers, you of all people know that." She sighs. For once she hates that she's right. She wishes they would just go away but they never truly will.
   "I don't know." He says frustrated. "There's got to be something. Like what about th-that guy we went to see a few years ago, his dad was some sleep god or whatever. It was a long time ago but couldn't that help?" He rambles. Annabeth hates seeing him this way. It hurt her. After their quest they were supposed to finally have a happy life but that's been ruined our nightmares.
   She places a hand on his cheek and strokes it with the pad of her thumb. "Maybe he has something but it doesn't matter right now. We can't get anything tonight, we'll have to wait till tomorrow."
   He sighs quietly, signal,y his defeat. "Ok, but at least close your eyes. You can't fall asleep if you don't close eyes." Didn't he know she didn't want to?
   "I don't want to sleep." She says, hiding her face in the crook of his neck. "If I sleep they'll be nightmares."
   "I'll be here to chase them away wise girl. Me and Riptide are pretty intimidating." He jokes, trying to lift the mood.
   "I know you are but you can't fix this seaweed brain." She says sadly. She wishes he could. She wishes he could make it ok but he can't. It terrifies her and it definitely terrifies him.
   His smile fades. "I know." Percy says in defeat. "I just wish I could do more."
   Hugging him softly she replies, "I know you do but this enough for me. I just need you here."
   "I'll always be here for you." He hugs her back tightly, like he's afraid she'll float away. He places a kiss on her temple and she closes her eyes for a few seconds before reopening them.
   "Good, because I wasn't going to let you leave anyways."
   "I would never want to." He smiles. .now close your eyes and sleep."
   "I'm scared too." She whimpers. Gods she hated feeling weak but she couldn't help it. Annabeth was terrified of her nightmares.
   "It'll be ok. I know our dreams are different but they can't hurt you. They can't get to you." He whispers and holds her tight.
   "It just feels so real. Every night is like reliving it." She was too afraid to say Tartarus. It would send her into hysteria.
   "I'm so sorry baby." He kisses her forehead once more, rubbing her arms in a soothing manor. "I wish I could stop it."
   "You should get some sleep. You need it." They both needed it.
   "So do you." He says looking into her grey eyes. "You're the strongest person I know, we're going to get through this together."
   "I love you seaweed brain."
   "I love you too wise girl." He whispers with a smile. "We're gonna pull through."
   "We always do." She cups his cheeks.
   "I know we do."
   He leans in and kisses her. It was soft and sweet yet over too quickly.
   "Chiron can never know about this." He chuckles and pecks her lips. 
   "I'm sure he already knows."
   "Yeah well, we just do this more often."
   "That we should."
   He leans in and kisses her longer. She smiles and wraps her a,Es around his neck, ,messing with hair on the nape of his neck. His arms go around her waist, holding her close.
   Annabeth pulls away and rests her forehead against his. "Gods I love you."
   "I love you too, so much."Percy grins runs and his knuckles over her cheek. He looks lovingly into her eyes and she blushes a soft pink.
   "You should get some sleep." He says gently, placing a hand on her thigh.
   "Fine." She mutters. Believe it or not, she does what he says more often than not.
   "Good. I'll stay up till you fall asleep."
   "Promise?"
   "Promise."