From the Heart
Annabeth wasn't in the habit of waiting impatiently for a call. In fact, she couldn't ever recall a time when she'd waited for one. Usually, there wasn't any need to wait; Iris messages usually had a way of finding demigods so long as there was mist on the sender's side. Annabeth hadn't ever waited for an Iris message before, but this time was different. Percy had promised he'd call her as soon as he got some free time at Camp. Under normal circumstances, Annabeth would've been at Camp Half-Blood until the academic year began, but her father had convinced her to spend a week in San Francisco with her family. Annabeth was hesitant to leave since she'd be missing Percy's birthday and their anniversary, but he'd convinced her to go and so she'd reluctantly packed her belongings and gone. Her trip wasn't as dull as she imagined it would be, but she was eager to return to Camp nonetheless. The only thing that made it bearable was Percy's IMs and his surprise for her. He'd mentioned something about mailing her anniversary present out to her, but Annabeth had yet to receive it. She didn't care that it was three days late or that he hadn't given it to her in person. She was just eager to see it and talk to Percy.
Unfortunately, Percy seemed to be running late (which wasn't much of a surprise) so Annabeth sat on her bed, skimming an old architecture book of hers. It was something she'd read plenty of times before, but she found it as interesting as it had been on the first read. She managed to get through half the book before she heard the front door to the house open and close.
"Annabeth," her father called from below. "Package for you."
Grinning and shutting the book, the daughter of Athena hurried down and snatched the small parcel from its place on the table, calling her thanks as she bolted back up to her room.
When she got to her room, Percy's face shimmered into existence and Annabeth smiled.
"Just in time, Seaweed Brain," she said, holding up the package for her boyfriend to see.
"You got it," he exclaimed, grinning widely. "Hope you like it."
Annabeth undid the bindings and stared in shock as a small box fell out. Despite how nervous he was feeling, Percy couldn't help chuckling at Annabeth's wide eyes. He watched in apprehension as she undid more wrappings and pulled out a second box.
"Really, Seaweed Brain?" She demanded, playfully glaring at him. "I thought I made it clear I hated these types of things."
Percy laughed. "You did. I just didn't pay attention to you."
Annabeth rolled her eyes and pulled out an even smaller box. This one, thankfully, had no wrappings on it. It was evident by its size it was some sort of jewelry box, but nothing could've prepared her for what she saw when she opened it.
Nestled against a soft, velvety cushion was a small ring, studded with something that looked suspiciously like diamonds. Annabeth almost hoped it wasn't; she hoped Percy didn't spend a lot of money for her.
"Do you like it?" Percy asked, cautiously.
"Do I like it?" She echoed dumbly, gazing at the ring. "Percy…"
"I didn't know what to get you," he explained hastily. "But…well, after everything that's happened, I figured…"
"Are you proposing to me, Seaweed Brain?"
"Yes…no!" He stammered. "I mean, I want to one day, but not now. I know demigods don't live very long sometimes and we're too young to make a commitment like this, but after everything that's happened, I thought maybe you might like it. I know how much having something permanent means to you, so I thought this would work. It's not official, but it's a promise that it will be, one day…if you'd like."
