The next few days of my life went great... besides the occasional Hermes child running up to me asking, "Did you really break up with Luke?" Which got annoying instantly. I replied the same "yes" to every person who did ask me though and it felt nice honestly.
It had only been two weeks of a relationship I didn't want, but it felt so good to be free again... not to mention, feel free to have Percy cuddle me into his arms all the time.
I had liked Percy sense the day I met him, but I wouldn't let myself believe it till Luke had kissed me that night on the beach and I wouldn't have known if Percy hadn't kissed me first.
I still didn't know why Percy had fought so hard for me, he was only my best friend, but I could only long for the feeling that maybe he could see me as something more like how I saw him.
Well, I tried my best not to see him that way when I was with him, but it's kinda hard when he's your only friend at camp and you have lessons every night.
Speaking of our lessons, he was getting significantly better at Ancient Greek. He would still turn red like a rose whenever he'd mess up, but we'd laugh it off and keep going. It came easily, like I told him yet he didn't believe me, and he was able to understand me when I cursed it.
"Annabeth, wanna head to the campfire now?" Percy asked me, running up to my cabin's dinner table, he sounded very hyper.
"Yeah, sure," I laughed, "calm down you're scaring me." I joked, standing up. We began to walk to the campfire when I asked him the question, "Why are you so jumpy today?" I chuckled.
"Well one, I just ate... but sadly, it wasn't blue, and two," he paused, "I get to hang out with you now..." I gave him a look as if I weren't buying it, "it's lonely all dinner, okay?" He laughed.
I laughed along with him, "Alright..."
We neared the warmth of the fire and sat side by side, like we'd do on the beach(if we weren't in each other's arms). My gaze was into the flames when Percy took his hand in mine. I smiled at him, not letting go of his hand, then turned back to the fire like it was a television screen. He started to rub his thumb across my knuckles which made me feel safe and secure. I had my other hand across my curled up knees that were up to my chest. I was still cold, even being next to the fire, for one, I didn't have a jacket and two, we were behind the other campers who were receiving all the warmth. First come, first serve I guess.
I looked at Percy, his eyes were still longingly looking at me, they hadn't moved sense I had first turned towards him. A smile grew upon his face which instantly brought one to my own. He then mouthed, "down to the beach?"
I smirked and nodded quickly. This time, as he guided our way to the beach, I let him hold my hand the whole way there until we sat, where he wrapped me in his warmth like a blanket, as he always did.
Looking off into the water, the ripples of the water formed again, maybe his father was here with us...
"Wise Girl?" Percy inquired, still looking off into the water.
"Yeah, Seaweed?" I answered, but I didn't really matter if I replied for it seemed like just the beginning of his sentence.
"Have you ever felt, like... I don't know... not good enough? or like, you can't be someone everyone else wants you to be?" He asked, I could hear the hurt in his voice, but I didn't understand why.
"Yeah..." I sighed, still looking off into the water.
"Annabeth?" He sighed, now looking at me. I turned my head to face him so we were eye to eye, "am I good enough?" He questioned.
"Of-of course you are, Percy, you're more than enough—"
"I mean, am I good enough... for you?" He asked sternly.
The words "for you" from his mouth now made me want to squeal rather than from Luke's.
"For me?" I asked quietly, but he continued, he hadn't heard me, he had looked back out to the ocean while my eyes were wide looking to his face.
His rattled up jet black hair was falling over his forehead after months of not being cut and his green ocean eyes glistened the water's reflection.
"Annabeth," He looked at me again, "it's been so hard for me..." he looked down, grabbed one of my hands and intertwined our fingers, "it was so hard for me to see you and Luke, together... even if you didn't like him from the start—"
"Percy—"
"It was so hard to watch my best friend—the girl I've always wanted—to be in a relationship where I couldn't be there... where— ...I wasn't with her..." I looked back to me, "where I wasn't with you."
I was silent. How did he have so much confidence to just spill out his feelings like that? How could he break down his wall so easily and pour out his life like that?
"Percy..."
"And when I kissed you by accident, that night where we were here, when you were mad at me, that's when I realized that Clarisse was just a distraction..." he chuckled to himself, "as terrible as it is to say that," he sighed, "I was trying to get my mind off you..."
I tried to speak, but nothing would come out of my mouth, I was speechless for the first time in my life.
"Sense that night, I knew I couldn't lead Clarisse on like I did, so I tried to make her not like me anymore, any way possible." He laughed lightly, sadly, to himself, "I feel bad, thinking back to it, but, I needed to... I had to..."
I was able to stiff out a laugh at his story, I knew he was trying to get her to hate him! I mean, what can I say? Athena always knows.
"But when you told me about you and Luke... I was broken." He sighed, "it hurt," he looked at me in the eyes with a sad smile, "it really did..." he looked back down to our intertwined hand gulping back his emotions, "and I couldn't find a way to tell you so I let you do what you wanted to... I mean, it's not my decision to tell you what to do with you life..." He smiled to himself, "you taught me that."
"Percy—" I managed out with a sad smile, he cared so much for me this whole time, when I did too but couldn't let him know... I couldn't take that rejection, but somehow, now, he found a way to face it and only prayed to not be rejected.
"And I know you'll think it's crazy, and I know you'll hate me and things will be awkward after this but, Annabeth... I—"
I cut him off by detaching our hands and grabbing onto the sides of his face, lifting his head up and pulling him into my lips for the contact I longed for sense that night his soft lips left mine. My eyes closed as I pushed my lips into his. After the shock settled from my sudden action, one of his hands came around my neck, pulling me in more, and the other around my back, deepening our kiss. The cold breeze blew at us, but the warmth of each other's embrace was enough. The kiss was more mesmerizing and enjoyable than the last and the touch of his soft lips filled me with happiness and warmth, what I wanted, what I needed.
"Percy, you're not crazy." I laughed once we pulled apart.
"I'm not?" He smiled hopefully, still holding onto my neck and back.
"You're in love." I smiled softly as I kissed him again, and it felt just as good as the last.
—
a/n: i'm so sorry for the late post!! been really busy with school back up but the book's almost done! :(
hope you are all enjoying this story <3
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Aphrodite's Quest [[PERCABETH FANFIC]]
FanficPERCY JACKSON FANFICTION There are no 'Great Prophecies', it's a peaceful life at camp half-blood... well as peaceful as it can get training for monster fighting. Annabeth, a run away from her home back in Virginia, who teaches ancient Greek to her...