Mortals Meet Percabeth!

Permission

This is just a little oneshot I threw together. It's a little different than usual, just a heads up.

Percy stood before the intricately carved door, forcing himself to breathe. He lifted a shaking hand and rapped the knocker against the solid wood. The door slid open to reveal Athena. As usual, she wore a look of absolute superiority. Her eyes could've burned a hole right through Percy's skull, both literally and figuratively. 

He took a deep breath, failing miserably to pull himself together. Athena raised her eyebrows, waiting for him to speak. Percy cleared his throat, hoping to look confident.

"Heyyyy Lady Athena..." Even after all these years, Percy  had no idea how to greet a higher being.

"Perseus," She greeted, "What brings you here?" Percy suppressed a groan at the use of his full name. 

"Could I maybe step in?" He suggested, "This is really important." The goddess scowled for a moment before stepping aside and gesturing for to Percy to enter the office.

"Sit," She commanded, beginning to sort through a stack of files. "I will ask you again, Perseus. What brings you here?" Percy cleared his throat, watching awkwardly as Athena scanned the pages of a large binder.

"Well, Lady Athena." He hesitated, but something inside him flared at her negligence. "This is important, would you please pay attention to me?" Percy immediately regretted saying it, but it was too late to go back now. Athena fixed her gaze upon him, analyzing his face. 

"You have a lot of nerve, little demigod."

Percy swallowed thickly; his mouth suddenly dry.

"I came here to discuss your daughter with you." A fire lit in her eyes. She stood, slamming the binder on the solid oak desk.

"What have you done?" She demanded.

"You honestly think I would hurt her?" Percy was shocked. He knew Athena didn't trust him, but to that extent?

"I know your father, demigod." She spat. "Now spit it out. What do you want with me?"

"I just wanted to know if I had your permission to marry Annabeth!" Percy took a breath, anger shaking his body. "But apparently you hate me enough to think I would hurt her!"

Athena slumped back into her chair.

"I love my daughter." She said, pressing her thumbs to her temples. "And as much as I hate to admit it, I value her happiness more than I hate you and your father." Percy opened his mouth to speak, but Athena raised a finger. His jaw closed with a clink. "It may not seem like it, but I care deeply for my children."

As much as Percy wanted to call horse schist, he decided to silence his tongue and nod. Athena plucked an olive from the tree in the corner. She examined it, turning it slightly in her hand.

"I appreciate you coming to me for permission. Though I understand that you will propose whatever I say." Percy suppressed a smug grin. She was right. "I will grant you my blessing to marry my daughter, but if you do anything to harm her I will not hesitate to destroy everything you hold dear."

"Does that include Annabeth?" Percy queried. The light coming from the balcony behind her caught Athena's eyes as she sent Percy a withering glare.

"You actually think I would smite my own daughter?" That was a Hades of a question, so Percy opted for a shrug. He didn't want to get murdered before he even had the chance to pop the question.

"Thank you, Lady Athena." He said, hoping to bow out as soon as possible.

"Yes, yes," She made a shooing motion towards him. "Now get out before Ares gets here. I have to convince the stupid god not to start a war between two of the world's powerhouses during the mortals' time of turmoil."

Percy dug his hand into his pocket, feeling around for the small velvet box that had been resting there. Smiling at the nymph who'd let him in, he sprinted out of the anteroom. He had a date to plan.

I'm honestly not sure how I feel about this one, but I hope you guys got some enjoyment out of it. It's a little out of ordinary for this book, but I had fun writing it. I feel like we, the fandom, don't write enough of Percy's angry side. We tend to write him as this chill easygoing guy who rarely gets angry, when in reality he can snap easily and isn't afraid of getting confrontational. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm very guilty of this too, but I'm trying to learn how to write fanfics more in character and I used this chapter as kind of an exercise for that.

Thank you to @Nielshel  for the request!

~Roo

P.S. To those of you who celebrate it: Happy Easter!