#they were percabeth's blueprint friends

[zipadeea]

Luke this and Jason that...y'all, it's been like fifteen years and I'm still not over Silena and Beckendorf

[jungkookschin]

demigod trials: fates intertwined | two

synopsis: you met jungkook at camp half-blood when you were 10 years old. since then, your fates have been infinitely intertwined.

word count: 10k

pairing: son of ares!jungkook x daughter of hephaestus!reader

genre: camp half blood au, percy jackson au, demigod au, childhood friends to lovers, exes to lovers , enemies to lovers, jungkook is sooo in love, jungkook is emotionally constipated, THEY FALL INTO TARTARUS TOGETHERR, jk and y/n are supposed to be reminiscent of percabeth, y/n can wield fire 😳 , ANGSTYY, taehyung as a son of poseidon, namjoon son of athena, mingyu son of jupiter, mina daughter of venus,

warnings: death, angst, blood, kinda gruesome, SMUT (not explicit at all- it's told more in a poetic way), v card loss, many percy jackson references, character death (she comes back to life)

author’s note

chapter 1 | chapter 2 | chapter 3 | chapter 3.5 | chapter four

That morning, Jungkook, Namjoon (son of Athena), Taehyung (son of Poseidon), Jinyoung (son of Hermes), Jennie (daughter of Hades), Jaehyun (son of Apollo), Jisoo (daughter of Demeter), Mark (son of Hephaestus), and Yeri (the satyr) gathered around the ping pong table in the Big House, as called by Chiron.

The purpose of the gathering was to address the need for camp expansion. With the current cabins unable to accommodate all the demigods, it seemed impractical to have 22-year olds like Jungkook share living quarters with ten year-olds.  

Namjoon unfolded the blueprints across the ping pong table, revealing intricate architectural designs for every cabin, along with plans to make space for adjacent cabins to accommodate all the demigods. 

“So,” Taehyung begins, “We can separate the cabins by, like, minors and 18+?” he shrugs, to which everyone murmurs in agreement. 

“Gods, that sounds good,” Jinyoung asserts, “My eight year old brother pulled condoms from my bag and kept asking me what they were! Can you imagine how I felt?” 

Jennie swats Jinyoung’s chest. “Seriously? In front of Chiron?”

Jinyoung shrugs, “We’re all grown, I’m sure Chiron is aware of- that we… you know,”

Chiron sighs. “I’ve experienced worse with my brothers the Party Ponies. If anything, this is all the more reason to push for expansion. We must ensure the children are not inadvertently exposed to your... daily activities,” he finishes, eliciting laughter from the cabin leaders. 

Jisoo plants her palms on the ping pong table and looks over the blueprints for the Demeter cabin. She bats her lashes at Namjoon. “Any way you can expand our garden, too?”, to which Yeri the satyr joins and uses her puppy eyes on him. 

When Namjoon sighs and acquiesces, Jisoo and Yeri interlock fingers and squeal in excitement.  

“In that case, can I get a pool in my cabin?-”

“Taehyung, shut up.”

Mark steps through and rapidly scans Namjoon’s blueprints before stepping back and nodding. “The Hephaestus cabin can do this in two weeks min and a month max.”

Jungkook dealt with weird emotions each time he crossed paths with Mark, your younger brother. Seeing Mark earnestly step up to lead the Hephaestus cabin, carrying the responsibilities you once shouldered, filled Jungkook with indescribable pride and sorrow.

“Anything we can do to help, then?” Jungkook offers to which Mark nods

“Namjoon and I can organize a list of materials we need for each cabin to gather. But beyond that, it would be best if you all stayed out of our ways, erm- respectfully, of course,” Mark responds. 

Jaehyun laughs at that, throwing a lazy arm around Mark. “I’m so proud of you,” he nuzzles his forehead against the side of Mark’s head, “Our baby is all grown up.”

“Eww, get off me,” Mark responds, lightly nudging Jaehyun away.

-

Later in the day, Jungkook started collecting the materials Mark had instructed the Ares cabin to gather. He ran into the woods to start cutting wood when he senses another presence. 

A monster, maybe, or perhaps a nymph or satyr wandering about. The sound of footsteps rustling through the dry leaves Jungkook further concerned, and he unsheathes his Celestial Bronze knife. “Show yourself.”

You step out from behind a tree in a fresh set of clothes and Jungkook drops his knife. 

He looks at you, and you look at him. 

In an instant, Jungkook's pupils burst into flaming orbs as he draws his sword, swiftly advancing towards you. The sheer disdain etched on his features is unforgettable, and you quickly realize that he likely mistook you for a monster taking on your appearance.

You turn around and run. You sprint towards the camp barriers, screaming for your life before you trip on a rock, sending you sprawling onto the ground, your face meeting the cold, hard earth.

Confusion clouds Jungkook's features as he slows his pursuit. He looks you up and down, uncertainty written across his face as he assesses the situation.

“Jungkook! It’s me! It’s actually me! Stop!” you scream, desperately trying to make him recognize you. 

He assumes a defensive stance, but his voice quivers. “Y/N?”

“Jungkook,” you respond breathlessly, “I can explain. Did Rosie tell you guys about the Physician’s Cure?”

Jungkook comes to a sudden halt. "I... just..." His brain malfunctions, leaving him at a loss for words in your presence. 

He pulls himself together. “I’m going to arrest you and take you to the Big House… just in case.”

You appear a little stunned but you nod, reaching into your magic toolbelt to pull out handcuffs, grinning at him a little when you toss them to him. 

-

News of your return spread through the camp like a wildfire. Jungkook guides you to the Big House while a crowd of people formed around him

His heart insists that it’s you, and his soul is screaming at him that it’s you, but after all this time he refuses to believe it. 

-

Camp Half-Blood achieved a new milestone by hosting the highest number of meetings in a single day: 2. 

The ping pong table has been folded and moved to the side, leaving a single chair in the empty space for you- or a monster pretending to be you.

All the cabin leaders sprinted to the Big House once they heard the news.

Taehyung and Namjoon, sweaty from sprinting from the pegasi stables, stand in the doorway to catch a glimpse of you.

Taehyung instantly falls to his knees and Namjoon drops the notebook in his hand.

The seas of people part at the sound of Chiron’s hooves, whose face morphed into exasperation at your appearance. “My gods, it can’t be. Y/N?”

You smile shyly, tucking a strand of hair behind your air before waving with your fingers, “Hi?”

Jennie peeked from behind Chiron, gasping, and she tried to run towards you until Chiron stuck his arm out to stop her.

Jaehyun stepped forward with a bow strung on his arrow, ready to fire at any moment. “Explain,” he seethes.

“Oh,” you laugh awkwardly, combing through your hair with your fingers, “What a warm welcome.”

A horn blows throughout the camp, signaling the arrival of the Roman demigods, who were alerted of the news immediately after Jungkook made the announcement. 

Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood established a teleportation portal between the two camps, allowing instant and seamless communication.

Rose passed through the crowd, gasping when her eyes landed on you. Ignoring Chiron’s warnings, she ran to you, her hands falling on your shoulders.

“The Physician’s Cure?” she asks, breathless.

You nod, and she embraces you tightly, tears streaming down her face. “Fuck, Y/N. It fucking worked It’s a miracle.”

“Rose Park,” Mina’s voice echoes throughout the building, and she assumes an offensive stance with her Imperial Gold spatha. “You’ll be under arrest for treason if you don’t explain what’s going on.”

You rise abruptly, shielding Rose with your body. “I’ll explain. I am Y/N L/N, and it’s true that I died, but I was brought back to life with the Physician’s Cure.”

“On the ship, after Jungkook and I returned from Tartarus,” you begin, your eyes flickering towards Jungkook, “Rose and I began developing the Physician's Cure, an injection that can bring anybody back to life. It was formulated by Asclepius, son of Apollo and the god of medicine.”

Rose nods sternly. “I’d been researching the Physician’s Cure for years,” she adds, “Y/N was the only one I trusted with its formula, and we did it. I thought we had failed, but Gods, it worked.”

You vigorously nod. “And I had this idea- this idea that I had to be the one to kill Gaia. To storm or fire the world shall fall,” you state, recalling the prophecy,  “I’m fire. It had to be me. So Rosie and I devised a plan to kill Gaia for good. And I knew the risks, I knew I could die-  but when Rosie told me about the Physician’s Cure I knew I had to do it. It was a sign from the fates. I had to get rid of Gaia by burning her to death, and the only way I could do it was burning myself to death. We would fly Gaia away from her home court, burn her to death, and Pulchra would bring me back with the Physician's Cure.”

Jungkook’s features twist in pain, in betrayal. “So it wasn’t an accident? You planned on dying without telling us?” 

His attention turns towards Rose. “And you knew?” he seethes, “This whole time, all this pain could have been avoided-“

“I thought she was dead!” Rose responds, “You were so depressed I didn’t want to give you any false hope! That injection had a 10% chance of working- I didn’t know!”

“So you knew Y/N was going to die and did nothing about it,” Taehyung seethes.

“It was my choice,” you interject, “It was for the mission. Gaia is gone and that means it was a success.”

Jungkook scoffs. “To storm or fire the world shall fall,” he recites the prophecy. “Storm would have sufficed. Mingyu and I had a plan, Y/N. We could have avoided all this.”

“But Mingyu would have died!” You respond.

“I wouldn’t have!” Mingyu interjects, “With all due respect, my body could have taken it,” He puts a hand on his heart to convey his sincerity. “You should have told us. Can you imagine how Jungkook and I felt when you fucking died in front of us? And we couldn’t do anything about it?”

“I’m here now, aren’t I? Why does it matter?”

Mingyu looks at you with an especially crestfallen expression and your stomach plummets. You shift your gaze to Jungkook and he looks arguably worse, eyes turning red as he stares at the ground, shaking his head in disbelief.

Chiron steps in the middle to intervene. “That’s enough, everybody. Let Y/N finish her story. Where have you been the past two years?”

Your face falls and your knees buckle. “T-two years? What?”

Rosie hooks her arm through yours. “It’s been two years. Take a minute to process everything.” She leads you to your seat, and you inhale so deeply your chest hurts.

Two years? It was just yesterday that you incinerated Gaia.

“I-I woke up on an island,” you explain, “I don’t know where exactly I was, but it was somewhere in the Indian ocean. I made some tweaks to Pulchra’s GPS system and flew back here as fast as I could.”

Jungkook nods bitterly, tears streaming down his face as he addresses you. “Yea Y/N, it’s been two years- two fucking years. We’re not teenagers anymore, we’re adults and we take responsibility for our actions,” he bitterly states.

“Kook, I-I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say.”

“Did you know that we spent six months looking for you? Traveled every sea, walked every country to find you, even though the Hades kids confirmed your death?” Jungkook adds, voice quivering. “So this information would have been nice to know when were on that ship for six fucking months,” he seethes, redirecting his attention to Rose.

“Don’t blame her,” you interject, “She was in a tough position, she couldn’t have-“

“Oh don’t worry, inferno princess, I blame you too. I must’ve meant shit to you if you were planning on dying without telling me. Did everything…” he trails off, gazing at you with such profound betrayal, “Did everything mean nothing to you?”

You shake your head, unable to conjure a proper response. “I-I thought I’d only be gone for a few hours Kook- I didn’t know-”

“And if the Physician’s Cure didn’t work?” Jungkook asks, staring at you incredulously, “Rose herself said it had a 90% failure rate, so if it didn’t work, you would have just died and expected me to live with myself? To live without you?” The pain in his chest is nearly unbearable, and sadness envelopes your entire being.

“I’m sorry,” is all you say.

“Sorry? Sorry? So that night when we- when you- with the candles, did you know? Did you know you were going to die?” Jungkook asks.

Your face falls, and Jungkook bitterly scoffs at that. “What you did wasn’t heroic, Y/N. What you did was cruel. You’re- you’re crueler than the gods.” And with that, he bitterly stomps away, the crowd parting for his exit.

Chiron clears his throat, walking towards the middle of the room before he announces “Campers under the age of 20, you are dismissed. Return to your daily activities immediately.”

You gaze at your trembling hands, struggling to comprehend everything, when Namjoon engulfs you in the most intense hug he's ever given. In his embrace, you crumble and break into tears.

“Gods Y/N, I’m just- I’m glad you’re back.”

You embrace him with the same intensity, crying into his shoulders. 

You refuse to let Namjoon go until you’re ripped from him from the hem of your shirt and pulled into Taehyung’s embrace. He’s crying harder than you, body trembling as he holds you and at that moment, you would do anything to ease his anxiety and calm the tremors coursing through his body. You sniffle, rubbing his back up and down with your palms, and the only thing you can say to him is that you’re sorry.

Mingyu is up next, and as pissed off as he was, he holds you tight and cries into your shoulder. “You’re a fucking idiot,” he says and all you do is cry.

Mina, dropping her Spatha, rushes towards you, throwing herself into your arms. She buries her face in your hair, letting out guttural cries 

For hours, you and your childhood friends stay in the Big House, crying, hugging, and catching up.

-

That night at dinner, you reconvene with your siblings in the Hephaestus cabin, who ardently welcome you home with a toast to your father. 

Mark, your younger brother who is now the head of the Hephaestus cabin, receives the biggest hug the moment you spot him. He laughs and returns the hug with equal enthusiasm, saying, "So, does this mean I don’t have to be head counselor anymore?"

You shoot him a playful glare. “Don’t even. You’ve been doing so well. I’m proud of you. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there to help.”

“Of course, sis,” he adds, “It’s water under the bridge- you did save the world anyway,” he shrugs. 

During dinner, your gaze involuntarily wanders towards the Ares table, and Jungkook is noticeably absent.

The thought of what you did to Jungkook makes you sick to your stomach. Back then, your focus was solely on the quest, and you didn't want him to intervene because you believed the mission had to take precedence. 

The mission carried immense stress, and you had to devise a strategy to eliminate Gaia. The fate of the world hung in the balance, dependent on your actions. Your friends would've intervened if they knew, and Gaia might have fully come back to life.

Everything he said was true. You were selfish. You knew you were going to die and you pretended like everything was okay because you desperately clung onto that sense of normalcy you had with him.

You were selfish, and you were a coward. 

While dying for a noble cause sounds heroic- Jungkook was right, you were selfish. You would rather die than deal with the grief of losing your friends. 

-

Nobody says anything about your encounter with Jungkook, until Jaehyun approaches you after dinner.

As you walk back to the Hephaestus cabin, he scares the shit out of you when he appears from the shadows, “So, Jungkook? Were you guys like …?”

You’re a little taken aback, but you can’t help but notice the crestfallen expression on Jaehyun’s face and all you can do is nod. “He’s it for me. It’s him or nothing,” you respond.

Jaehyun tightens his lips and gives a nod. "I- well- alright. If you ever change your mind... just let me know," he says with an awkward smile. He offers to walk you back to your cabin, and you oblige to catch up with him. 

Walking past the Ares cabin, you can’t help but notice two figures convening by its side, one on their tiptoes to kiss the other. You tilt your head and momentarily pause.

“Wait Y/N- we should just go back-“

Your heart drops when you realize it’s Jungkook and a girl, a girl you definitely don't recognize. She’s got her hands on his cheeks, her thumbs rubbing his skin soothingly, and he can’t seem to take his eyes off her as they speak to each other.

You shake your head, immediately backing away before you stumble and fall onto Jaehyun. He catches you, gaze immediately sweeping over your face. You collect yourself and wipe the dust from your clothes. 

"It-it's fine," you say, but tears are already streaming down your face. You sprint back to your cabin before Jaehyun can say anything.

-

That night, you can’t sleep. You and your younger brother Mark spend the entire night in the main room of the Hephaestus cabin, poring over a blueprint of a prototype he's working on for the new 18+ Hephaestus cabin.

"Obviously, I'm not sticking to Namjoon's blueprints for our cabin," Mark declares, as if it's the most evident statement, “Since you and I are the only 18+ kids in our cabin, we’re gonna make that shit the best building Camp Half-Blood’s ever seen!” he expresses with a twinkle in his eye.

You smile at his enthusiasm as you scan over his blueprints. “Jacuzzi tub for every bunk?” you express, “I like how you think little brother.”

For hours, you and Mark review blueprints, constructing the best cabin to ever be built.

-

The next morning, you and Mark look like death, but you insist on heading to breakfast anyway.

Your expression darkens as you catch sight of Jungkook and his girlfriend walking towards the dining hall. Mark instantly notices the shift in your mood and attempts to divert your attention by sharing another idea he had for the cabin.

Throughout the night, you had confided in your brother about the details of your past relationship with Jungkook, and now he fills you in on the information he gathered about Jungkook's new girlfriend.

A descendant of the Roman Apollo, Sofia traveled all the way to Camp Half-Blood to visit Jungkook.

In Jungkook's eyes, Sofia became a symbol of unwavering support, a pillar of unconditional devotion, and Mark’s verbiage makes you feel infinitely worse, considering that you disappeared after three weeks of dating Jungkook. 

You know, maybe you weren’t so in the wrong. Ironically, considering he has moved on, perhaps you weren't as significant to him as you thought, not enough for him to hold on for two years.

Instead, you direct your attention to Mark’s plans for magical laundry chutes throughout the new Hephaestus cabin.

Taehyung and Namjoon join you for breakfast at the Hephaestus table, eagerly spilling everything they’ve accomplished the past two years.

Namjoon is now Chief Architect for Mount Olympus, and Taehyung discovered an underwater Camp Half-Blood for mermen. Mina and Mingyu join later and you immerse yourself in conversation, learning that Mina and Mingyu are the Praetors for the Roman Legion.

You smile at everybody, eagerly chatting and listening along, perceiving exactly how much you missed the past two years, as happy as you are for your friends, you’re heartbroken by the realization of your prolonged absence. 

You’re pulled from your trance when Mina makes a damning statement. “Rose is on probation. She’s going to be put on trial for treason against the Legion and conspiring for your death.”

You freeze. 

“What?”

Mina sighs. “I’m sorry Y/N, but that’s the law. I can’t bend rules because she’s my friend.”

The tension at the table is palpable, and you stare at Mingyu and Mina with a tenacious reflection in your eyes.

“Where is she?” you ask, adrenaline surging through your veins.

Mina and Mingyu exchange glances, imploring the other to answer the question. “She’s in a jail cell back in Camp Jupiter,” Mingyu finally answers.

You gasp, abruptly rising to your feet before Taehyung grabs your hand to stop you from going anywhere. “Y/N, sit,” he says through gritted teeth.

As you stand, eyes searching for answers, you catch Taehyung's grip on your hand and the subtle shake of Namjoon's head.  You glance around and notice the curious and concerned gazes of fellow demigods in the dining hall. Innocent children, still unaware of the haunting reality of being a demigod.

These are the demigods you once swore to protect. You can't afford to disrupt the fragile peace that binds them together, even if your heart screams for justice.

Feeling the weight of the collective gaze, you reluctantly sink back into your seat. The metal chair feels cold against your skin, mirroring the chill that has settled in your heart.

Immediately after breakfast, the head counselors for every cabin meet at the Big House for yet another meeting. You’re back in the middle of the room, all eyes on you as you implore your friends to stick up for Rose. 

"You can't go through with this," you express with exasperation, directing your gaze at Mina and Mingyu.

Mina dismissively shakes her head, her expression resolute. "It's not just about you," she emphasizes, "Well, it is but it's also about the principles we stand for in this camp. Trust, transparency, and accountability are crucial, especially when lives are at stake. Rose's actions have raised questions about the very foundations of our community."

The weight of Mina's words hangs in the air, and you can sense the gravity of the situation settling in the room.

“Killing Gaia my way was the only way, and I can prove it,” you counter. “Rose did the right thing. She saved the world.”

Mark, your little brother, steps forward and places a comforting shoulder on the small of your back.

“Jungkook is right,” Mina adds, “We were on a quest for six months to find you. She should have said something, but she didn't. She committed a crime against the Roman Legion."

At the mention of Jungkook's name, your gaze shifts toward him. He's leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed, eyes trained downward.

You shake your head. “The Physician’s Cure was a prototype. We both knew that it probably wouldn’t work. What’s the point of bringing it up? To turn the six month quest into a year long quest? You have to understand her-“

Jaehyun grimaces, biting his lip, immediately speaking up. “Y/N, you don’t get it. After you died, it was rough. Really rough. Rose is in the wrong. She should have said something. She alone could have provided us more clarity, more closure.”

"And this isn't just about you; it's about the entire quest, the well-being of everyone involved,” Namjoon adds, his expression grave. “Hiding the details of your death is a serious offense in the eyes of both gods and mortals.”

You pause. “I get it. I really do, but what was she supposed to do? Would she have gone to jail for ‘conspiring in my death’ if she said anything? The reason we planned it out without telling you guys was because we knew you would stop me. The quest takes precedence. We had to put the quest first. And that’s what we did.”

Jisoo intervenes. “Y/N has a point. If Rosie mentioned the Physician’s Cure, would that have made a difference? It would have just left us with uncertainty, and we would have gone in circles around the world clinging on to hope. Isn’t it good that we moved forward?”

The room stills at Jisoo’s comment, silently acknowledging the validity of her point.

Ignorance is bliss, and Rose left both camps blissfully ignorant, free to move forward with the closure that they exhausted all efforts to find you.  

You venture to ask something at that moment. “If I told you guys what I was planning… would you have stopped me?” You finally ask, eyes flickering to the demigods present on the quest.

Mina shakes her head almost immediately. “I wouldn’t have. You’re right Y/N. The quest takes precedence and the prophecy clearly states  ‘To storm or fire the world must fall’.”

“I would have,” Taehyung states. “100%, and I wouldn't do anything differently if it happened today.”

“I-“ you look around, “I can prove why it had to be fire and not storm. Mingyu, your plan would have never worked in the sense that there would have been too much collateral damage.”

Mingyu tilts his head at your comment, and you whip out a white board marker, approaching the white board on the wall.

“Do you know how hot I burned to incinerate Gaia?” you ask everyone, and everybody’s eyes follow you- even Jungkook’s, listening and watching intently.

In bright red letters, you write 1,200-2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

“That’s how hot lava burns,” you explain, pausing before you write another figure on the board. 

10,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

“I burned at 10,000 degrees when I finally incinerated Gaia,” you state, and everybody looks dumbfounded at the number, unable to comprehend how hot 10,000 degrees actually is. “That’s as hot as the surface of the sun. At 10,000 degrees, matter does not exist, atoms do not exist- it simply implodes.”

The next thing you write on the board is 

Saffir Sampson Hurricane Wind Scale. 

Pointing to it, you explain, “This is how we measure intensity of storms. It rates hurricanes from Category 1 to Category 5 based on wind speeds. The deadliest hurricane on this scale was Hurricane Mitch in 1998, with wind speeds exceeding 155 miles per hour,” you explain, writing 155 MPH on the board. 

Everyone appears to be aware of the direction you're heading, yet you still need to articulate it to drive your point home.

“Hurricane Mitch resulted in 11,000 to 19,000 fatalities, and I’m not even talking about injuries or displacement. So imagine the devastation of a storm with an intensity equivalent to 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit!”

Namjoon tilts his head, rising. “I get what you’re saying but that argument won’t hold up in court. Conversion metrics between temperature and speed don’t exist in Science- but hypothetically, a storm strong enough to kill Gaia would also kill a lot of people in its wake.”

You nod vigorously. “So Rose, by keeping a secret, killed Gaia and potentially saved the lives of thousands! Beyond that, you’re free to question her moral integrity, but it wouldn’t make a difference anyways!”

The features of Mingyu, the man who is responsible for stirring this hypothetical storm, morph into deep contemplation. “You’re free to argue that in court, Y/N. Our job is to uphold Roman law. I’m sorry.”

-

Your testimony for Rose in court reveals to be successful. The charges are dropped against Rose, and she is reinstated as the Official Healer for the Roman Legion.

However, Rose’s acquittal fails to supersede the animosity, hatred, and damage that have infiltrated the once-unbreakable bond among the seven demigods who triumphed over the Earth mother Gaia. 

While the evil primordial goddess was physically dead, she successfully sowed her seeds of disdain within your group of friends. 

The tension between Rose, Mina and Mingyu is more palpable than ever. How can a friendship be repaired after your best friends send you to jail?  Rose refuses to talk to Mina and you can’t blame her. Nor can you blame Mina and Mingyu. You understand the rigidity of the role of Praetor, and Mina and Mingyu were simply fulfilling their duty.  

At the same time, Jungkook still refuses to acknowledge your existence. If he sees you, he turns the opposite direction, not batting a lash at you. 

The hurt in his eyes and the bitterness in his actions show how horribly he feels betrayed, and it makes you sick to your stomach. Despite Namjoon and Taehyung's assurances that he'll eventually come around, your intuition tells you that Jungkook's actions aren’t a choice he’s making willingly, but rather a burden too heavy for him to bear.  

The bonds that once held your group together are now strained with secrets, regrets, and the harsh realities of the decisions you made.

You can’t even fathom how or if your friendships will ever be repaired. The wounds go deep, leaving scars that aren't just physical – they're emotional and psychological, ingrained in the very essence of your shared history.

-

It’s only three months after your miraculous return that Jungkook speaks to you. 

By this time, the construction of the 18+ cabins were complete, meaning that all demigods over the age of 18 were given their own quarters separate from their little siblings. 

Jungwon, a thirteen year old kid from the Ares cabin, established his name amongst Camp Half-Blood as the next best swordsman after Jungkook, of course. 

Last month, he ventured on a quest now dubbed the Quest to the City Stuck in Time. Eldritch Haven, a quaint city in Maine, became seemingly stuck in time. The Oracle only called for a 13 year old Jungwon, calling him to eradicate the threat of the Lamented Souls- vengeful spirits ensnaring the city in a temporal web.

As requested by Chiron, you forged Jungwon a brand new Celestial Bronze blade called Kataklysmós, or Cataclysm, the forthbringer of destruction. 

Armed with the freshly crafted blade, you secure it in its sheath and make your way to the Ares cabins. Of course, Jungwon resides in the cabin for minors, so you politely knock on the door to present him with his newly forged blade. 

The door knob turns and to your surprise, Jungkook greets you. 

He gazes at you, his expression devoid of any emotion, and his eyes pass from your face to the sword held in your hand.

“Come in.” 

You abhor how he addresses you with such formality.

You follow Jungkook to the living room within the cabin, gingerly taking a seat on the leather sofa before Jungwon pops out from the adjacent room. He greets you with a firm and brief handshake before sitting on the couch in front of you. 

Jungkook looms behind his younger brother, arms crossed as he scrutinizes every inch of your face. Gods, as handsome as he was, he also is the most terrifying and intimidating man you’ve ever encountered. 

You clear your throat and unsheathe the blade. “Jungwon, I present you with the Kataklysmós. Henceforth, this blade shall be your weapon of choice on quests and your primary tool against monsters. Your skills were recognized by Chiron, and he prompted me to design and construct the finest sword I’ve ever created.”

Jungwon's eyes gleam as they lock onto the sword, sparkling against the silver reflection of the blade. Anyone could tell that this kid has fallen in love at first sight. 

Honestly, you feel the same. This blade is the sexiest thing you’ve ever seen. Kataklysmós is a celestial bronze blade adorned with intricate engravings depicting scenes of Jungwon slicing through the Lamented Souls. Its hilt, crafted from Stygian iron, features a blood-red gemstone at its pommel, a gemstone embedded with divine magic. 

 “Not only does this sword enhance the weapon's slicing capability, it is magically embedded with divine magic. So, long as you form a soul link with your weapon, Kataklysmós will absorb the essence of fallen enemies, temporarily enhancing the wielder's strength and combat prowess.”

A small gasp leaves Jungwon’s lips and  his gaze shifts from the sword to you. “What?” he asks like his breath has been taken away.

“A soul binding link,” you clarify, “You have to form a bond with your weapon for its celestial energy to be channeled,” your eyes flicker towards Jungkook whose features are twisted in a mixture of confusion and curiosity, and his face slightly disorients you so you clear your throat.

“This is new technology. My little brother Mark, Chiron, and I have been working on forging weapons with magical enhancement,” you elaborate.

“Weapons with divine energy from ancient times exist, but creating one has been a significantly challenging process” you continue, looking back at Jungwon, “So I don’t know exactly how you’ll form a soul tie with your blade, but I know you can do it. Chiron chose you to be the first wielder of a magically enhanced weapon for a reason.” You offer Jungwon a sisterly smile, and he appears like a fish, unable to comprehend your words.

“If this is the first weapon, doesn’t Cataclysm run the risk of causing harm to Jungwon?” Jungkook jumps in, question stern and abrupt.

You shake your head, locking eyes with him. “Magical enhancements don’t work that way. It only runs the risk of not working. It can only cause harm to its user if I enchanted it with some evil spell,” you confirm.

“Gonna pull out a whiteboard to explain that too? We have one in the other room,” he shrugs.

You wish there was someone you knew to exchange uncomfortable glances with, because was he cracking a joke after not acknowledging your existence for three months?

“Um-“

“Excuse my brother,” Jungwon intervenes, “It truly is a blessing to be the first candidate chosen to weild an enchanted blade. Thank you, Y/N.”

Observing Jungwon fixedly gazing at you with earnest eyes, you can’t help but think that 13-year old Jungwon is a stark contrast from 13-year old Jungkook. Jungwon is polite, a sweetie pie if you’ve ever seen one. 13-year old Jungkook cursed at Chiron, was a fireball of impulsivity, wreaking havoc everywhere he went.

You smile. “Yea Jungwon. I know you can do it. Congratulations on your last quest.” 

“However, I do need you to keep a log of your progress," you add, retrieving a small notebook from your pocket. "Every day, as you work on forming a soul tie, fill out the form in this book. It's straightforward, covering things like the time you spent practicing with the sword and your thoughts during the process."

Jungwon nods, taking the logbook from you before flipping through it. “Got it, Y/N, and can I find you in the Hephaestus cabin if I have any questions?”

You nod. “Any time.”

With that, Jungwon gives you a final handshake before hurrying off to the dueling arena to practice parries and strikes.

You're on the verge of leaving when Jungkook clasps his arm around your wrist. His touch feels electrifying, and you look up at him.

"Let's talk."

-

Jungkook takes you to the 18+ Ares cabins, where so far, he is the only resident. The cabin looks different from how you constructed it, littered with his own personal Jungkook touch.

A sleek flat screen TV sits in the front of the room of the TV, a leather black couch you don’t recognize is littered with Hello Kitty plushies, probably from his girlfriend. The thought makes you nauseous.

You sit on the leather couch, watching as Jungkook whisks towards the kitchen to fill up a glass of water before handing it to you.

He sits next to you, his hands resting on his thighs. “I’m sorry, Y/N,” he states, and you’re a bit taken aback.

“Do you.. do you know what my fatal flaw is?” he continues, addressing you directly, not looking away even when you fail to meet his eyes.

Despite the years of separation, the answer is clear to you. With Jungkook, it was painfully obvious, and you caught on immediately during your adventures in Tartarus. 

“Yea,” you respond, “Love. Your fatal flaw is love.”

He nods, seemingly a bit taken aback before releasing a relieved laughter. “Of course.” He smiles cheekily to himself, a wave of nostalgia seemingly crashing over him. 

“That’s why..” Jungkook trails off, “That’s why I was so sensitive to… to your death,” he finishes. “I led the quest for six months around the world, and when we couldn’t find you, I left Camp Half-Blood for a year.”

You nod. You heard from the others what had occurred during your absence, but hearing it from Jungkook still makes your stomach drop. “I’m sorry Jungkook-“

“No,” he cuts you off, “I get it. You were right. Mine and Mingyu’s plan would have never worked. In the end, it was my fault,” He looks forward, a gleam of despondence reflective in his eyes, “I couldn’t protect you. It was my weakness that forced you to do something so dire, and you paid the price with your life.”

“This whole thing,” Jungkook continues, “This whole thing is a mess. The more I think about it, we were so young. Why did we have to go through all that?” He shakes his head in disbelief.

“If you told me about your plan, I would have gone ballistic,” he describes, face twisting with emotion, “And- and if Rosie told me what actually happened, gods, I would have destroyed Apollo’s shrine with my bare hands.” 

“So maybe you were right to hide it from me. It sucks to say it, but our relationship was a small price to pay for saving the world, and as demigods we have to bear that burden.”

Your hands still, and this impulsive little demon living inside you is screaming tell him you love him, tell him you want him! Instead, you shakily exhale, blinking tears from your eyes. 

Usually, when you cry, Jungkook wipes your tears or counsels you with his embrace.

  This time he does nothing.

“We were kids,” he concurs, “The gods put us in this situation. You did your best, Y/N. Thank you for serving diligently.”

Unknowingly, your hands grasp onto the Hello Kitty plushie by your side, mistaking it for a pillow to hold. When you realize what you're clutching, you quickly set it down. “Sorry. That’s from... your—your—“

“My girlfriend?” Jungkook finishes, “My girlfriend…” he trails off, “Do you think I would even be speaking to you if I still had a girlfriend?”

You blink at him. “Did you guys.. break up?” You don’t realize you're holding your breath until you sigh in relief at his response.

“Yea,” he agrees. “Sofia’s a good girl. She needs someone who can love her, take care of her. I guess a kid of Ares isn’t that guy. She said I was too emotionally unavailable and found some other guy in Camp Jupiter.” He shrugs it off.

You’re a bit taken aback by that. Sofia seemed so enamored with Jungkook; you can’t fathom that she was the one to break it off.

Jungkook bitterly laughs. “The gods fucked us up so bad no one in our generation will ever get married.”

You know Jungkook is doing his Jungkook thing by coping with humor, but you can’t bring yourself to laugh along. Looking down with despondency at the Hello Kitty plushie, a sad “Yea,” is all you’re able to conjure.

As you both stare at the Hello Kitty plushy, Jungkook breaks the somber atmosphere with a casual tone. "So Y/N, friends?" he asks, a small smile playing on his lips. "It sucks to not talk to you—I mean, I still use this stupid knife all the time," he says, pointing to the Celestial Bronze knife you crafted for him all those years ago.

You smile, nodding at Jungkook. “Yea,” you concur, “Friends.”

-

Rebuilding your friendship with Jungkook was a lovely experience. You loved him and wanted him in any way, and if that was to be platonic, you would take it.

Countless hours were spent in the 18+ Poseidon cabin, immersed in the cool waters of Taehyung’s pool. Jungkook joined you in the forge, learning how to craft magically embedded weapons, and for an Ares kid, he wasn’t so horrible at it. As counselors for your cabins, you both emerged as pillars and leaders for the young demigods, echoing the very positions you once occupied years ago.

Neither of you dared to cross the boundary between friendship and love, and maybe it was better that way. It was too painful to love. There was too much at risk.

At 23, Jungkook embarks on a one-year journey to Camp Jupiter, assuming the role of Assistant Commander for the Roman Legion. A Greek in the Roman Legion was almost unheard of, but Jungkook who was highly respected for everything he accomplished, seized an unprecedented opportunity. 

At 24, you find yourself presented with the opportunity to work in your father Hephaestus's forge for a year. Immediately, you accept it and bid goodbye to your friends in Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood. 

And at age 25, you return to Earth, reuniting with Jungkook at Camp Jupiter for a meeting- a meeting of seemingly great importance, considering that the most powerful demigods have been summoned to gather.

-

25 years old

As Namjoon, Taehyung, Jungkook, and you meander around the grounds of New Rome, you explore the coffee shops, savoring the thrill of the bustling city and immersing yourselves in the rich tapestry of its culture.

You’re standing by a statue of your father in his Roman form Vulcan, posing with Namjoon for the photo while Jungkook snaps a shot. 

You skip over to Jungkook, looking over his shoulder to view the photo before you’re tackled to the ground. 

“Y/N! You bitch!” Rose, daughter of Apollo, is on top of you, holding her Imperial Gold dagger to your neck. She’s fuming, her face scrunched in hatred, and you already know what this is about. 

Jungkook, Namjoon, and Taehyung aren’t sure if they should intervene; perhaps this was the cute new way you girls greeted each other (?)

Namjoon intervenes only when Rose starts drawing blood from your neck, and somehow, Rose has acquired monstrous strength, as she doesn't budge an inch when. Instead, she elbows him in the crotch and Namjoon falls to the floor with a thud. 

Apollo: 1. Athena: 0.

“Y/N, you fucked my dad?!” Rose seethes, threatening to push the dagger further into your neck.

“Get off!” You employ your feet to push her away from your body and start wiping the blood from your neck.

Romantic entanglements between gods and demigods weren't uncommon. In various stories from Greek mythology, gods were known for their pursuits of mortal beings, including demigods. Quite frankly, the gods didn’t care that demigods were children of the other gods- they really had no decency. Anyone was free game. 

“I did not fuck your dad!” you enunciate, “He came after me. I turned him down every time.”

“You liar!” She hisses, and suddenly she eerily resembles Lamia- the same demon who tried to kill you multiple times- before she pounces after you. Before you can comprehend it, you’re sprinting away. 

Thank the gods Taehyung, your knight in shining armor, restrains Rose, locking her wrists behind her back. “Gods Rose, it’s not Y/N’s fault your dad is a slut,” Taehyung murmurs, looking up and raising his brows in amusement. 

Rose quite literally growls at that, trying to release herself from Taehyung’s grip, and honestly you’re scared she’s going to kill you. 

“Y/N, I swear to the gods- if you fucked my dad, I’m going to murder you,” she hisses, fuming from her ears. 

“I did not fuck your dad! Are you insane?!” 

“Taehyung, let me go!” Rose screams, “I’m not going to do anything, just let me go!” She screeches. Taehyung obliges and she falls on her face. 

Her chest rises up and down while she catches her breath. She looks up at you,  murderous intent still in her eyes. “Tell me everything that happened.”

-

During your time on Olympus, the god Apollo approached you in the forge multiple times, attempting to coax you into sleeping with him. You weren’t flattered, nor were you offended. It was Apollo being Apollo. 

Under the protection of your father, you were able to pretend that he didn’t exist. Hephaestus soon got fed up and engineered a metal net to put an end to Apollo’s visits. 

That’s how you, Namjoon, Taehyung, Jungkook and Rose end up at a nearby cafe, chowing down on pizza while you retell the story. 

“Why are you blaming me for this?” you deadpan, “In what world would you be blaming me for your dad trying to sleep with me?” 

Rose slams her face on the table, “I had a dream, Y/N. Not a dream, a fucking nightmare. I had a very vivid and repulsive dream of you and my father and I- I- Gods, my daddy issues are so horrible,” she mutters into the metal surface. 

Jungkook places a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Yea, me too,” he concurs, blankly staring into the atmosphere. 

Taehyung dismisses the notion with a wave of his hand, “You should’ve known it was a dream and not a vision. My Y/N’s a good girl- she doesn’t do stuff like that.” Teasingly, he inches closer towards you and drapes an arm over your shoulder.  

Your features twist in disgust and you whack him in the head with a rolled up newspaper. 

Jungkook shrugs, "Y/N is beautiful. We all know that. It was bound to happen eventually," he takes a sip from his iced coffee, so nonchalant, like he doesn’t know how you desperately cling on to his every word, dying a little inside at his little compliment.

Namjoon side-eyes you. 

Rose scoffs, glaring at Jungkook, “My father. My father tried to fuck my best friend. That wasn’t just bound to happen.”

Taehyung grins, “Y/N kissed your brother and then fucked your dad. Are you sure she’s your best friend?” he muses, so blatantly trying to trigger another cat fight between you and Rose. 

Instead, you both frown deeply at him. 

“So are you going to apologize to me for elbowing me in the balls or-” 

“Gods Namjoon, I’m sorry. I was in the wrong. Blah, blah, blah,”

While Taehyung, Namjoon, and Rose bicker amongst each other Jungkook turns towards you, pointing to his neck, prompting you to look down at yours. “Want me to bandage it for you?” he mouths, to which you shake your head.

Rose didn’t cut you that deep. A sip of ambrosia would do the trick. 

“You sure?” he mouths. 

You nod. “It’s all good.”

-

The Senate House is home to important gatherings, crucial decisions, and the collective wisdom of the Roman demigods who shape the destiny of New Rome.

As you enter, you can feel the palpable tension in the air, making it seem colder than the rest of New Rome.

Jennie, daughter of Hades, stands at the podium, her stunning features clouded with pure exhaustion. She looks like a walking corpse with her cheekbones caved in and a gray shadow casting over her face. The aura she exudes is so dark that you can feel its weight from meters away. 

She locks eyes with you but quickly averts her gaze, beads of cold sweat forming on her forehead. She begins trembling intensely, and Mina, daughter of Venus and the Praetor of the Roman Legion, rushes over to hand Jennie a bottle of water. 

In the corner of your eye, you notice Mingyu conversing with another soldier in the Roman Legion. He seems taller and more muscular, his usual playful demeanor crushed under the weight of a serious expression on his face. He oddly resembles Atlas, a titan forced to hold the weight of the sky, and it sends chills down your body. 

Timidly, you take a seat in the audience and wait for the meeting to be called into order. 

Mina and Mingyu step in front of the podium. "Senators and esteemed demigods of Rome and Greece, your immediate attention is required. We gather here not in routine matters, but in the face of an unprecedented and dire threat. Our very existence is under siege, and the safety of our camp hangs in the balance,” Mina begins

“I beseech you, lend me your ears and hearts, for what I am about to reveal is of utmost gravity. Recent developments have uncovered a menace that surpasses any we have faced before. The threads of fate are unraveling, and the forces that threaten us are ancient, powerful, and malevolent,” Mingyu continues before glancing at Jennie. 

With a gulp, she addresses the assembly through the microphone. “Hades, my father, has lost his reign over the Underworld. The primordial god Tartarus has plunged the Underworld into chaos and is plotting to ascend to the surface, aiming to annihilate both demigods and gods.”

Her gaze shifts towards you and Jungkook. "He has somehow taken control of my body, sending me vivid and disturbing dreams. He's furious and demands a sacrifice – a sacrifice of the demigods who once intruded into Tartarus six years ago. If we don't comply, he threatens to rise to Earth through the surface of Camp Jupiter, annihilating Camp Jupiter completely upon his return."

-

thanks for reading this far :) if u want then check out the

author’s note

[softmoonlightmelody]

My Problems with HOO

Yes, this is a particularly long post, and mostly for the rant.

The complaints are mostly about Percabeth, Frazel, Nico's coming out, Caleo, and a little bit of extra things like Rachel and Grover.

First things first - Percabeth. I hated it in HOO. Honestly, it felt that if you made it the Six instead of the Seven it would've worked fine, because no one could tell the difference between Percy and Annabeth anyway. I really wish they were allowed to grow and be their own characters. I honestly preferred scenes without Percy for Annabeth's character. Percy felt flat to me. Also, I hated the judo flip and the continued use of 'Seaweed Brain' and 'Wise Girl'. Both nicknames feel immature to me, and Percy is smart. He shouldn't be constantly told by someone who should 100% be on his side about most things that he is dumb.

Frazel age gap? How about no. Including the entire love triangle with Leo. Personally, I love Frazeleo, but only if the age gap is fixed and/or they get together when they are all over twenty years of age. If I wrote HOO, Hazel would've been fifteen.

Nico's coming out sucks. Period. Reading back on it, I cannot believe it was approved for publishing. First off, it's hugely triggering and really terrible to be outed to someone you aren't close to. Jason and Nico are not close, and I don't exactly feel like they'd ever be super close. Jason is, as stated by Reyna in the books, an 'all-American boy' and he's very straight in most interpretations of the books (although not in my own, but that doesn't matter). He's literally the last person I would ever consider coming out to. Logically, we all know Jason isn't really homophobic, but he is a personification of the ideal blonde-haired, blue-eyed Anglo Saxon, and that creates a lot of hesitancy. It's stereotyping, but it is very true for a lot of people. I would've preferred Nico come out, on his own terms, to Hazel, his sister. Hazel's not the ideal blueprint for homophobic, not like how Jason is, and Hazel is really close to Nico.

Caleo. I can never state how much I hate Caleo. On paper, I like it. It's really cute and I like that kind of thing. But in practice, oh my gosh. I hate it. For one, neither Leo nor Calypso gets a satisfying arc if they end up together. Because Leo is struggling with a seventh-wheel, and he needs to accept himself as enough without a partner. Likewise, Calypso always feels left behind. She needs to realize she doesn't need a partner to be fulfilled in life. Rick really disappointed me with both Leo and Calypso, due to their incredibly unnecessary romance. I mean, I get why Rick liked them together, but they definitely didn't need to be.

Lastly, little things. I loved Coach Hedge, but I would've vastly preferred it if he was replaced with Grover. Rachel was underappreciated, she could've provided real insight to the Seven. Plus, she's great friends with Percy.

In conclusion, HOO is a pretty good series, but it has many glaring flaws such as Percy and Annabeth's fusion, the Frazel age gap, Nico's coming out, Caleo, and smaller things like Grover and Rachel. No book is perfect, and that is all the more evident in series like Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan.

[happi-tree]

ehehe perhaps a little percabeth for the ask game? :3

Lemon Drop!!!! Hiiiiiii hope you're doing well, lovebird 💛💛💛 Also. Love this ask I am about to be so emo,,, Percabeth my very first ship,,,

Ship It (!!!) / Don't Ship It

What made you ship it?

Points at The Last Olympian. So, funny story. When I first started reading pjo, the final book was the only one available in my middle school's tiny library for a few weeks. So, naturally, like any self-respecting nerd, I thought to myself "man, the Greek Mythology unit in social studies is coming up really soon and I bet this'll help me get the names down even if I don't start in the right place" and checked it out. Things were very confusing but one thing was for certain: these Percy and Annabeth characters??? Love story for the ages as far as twelve-year-old Happi was concerned.

What are your favorite things about the ship?

How dedicated they are to each other, but also how organically we get to see their relationship shift over time!!! I love seeing the progression from the first book and how they go from unlikely questing companions to tried-and-true friends to clearly pining for each other to actually dating! It's really cute and sweet to see. And then on the dedication part. Holding up the world for each other. Jumping into Tartarus for each other. Refusing immortality and taking knives for each other and honestly more things than I could name. They are The Blueprint - nobody is doing it like them, although I don't think anyone else would try and be able to survive it like they have.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

There was actually a post I saw about this literally a few hours ago, but a lot of people emphasize what a good boyfriend Percy is without also emphasizing what a good girlfriend Annabeth is. Like??? She ran herself ragged looking for him in early hoo, she went to Tartarus with him, she's nearly died for him on multiple occasions. She's always got his back just like he's always got hers and I love that sm 💗💗💗

[thenighttrain]

seeing you reblog pjo tv show stuff made me wanna watch it... so I did I'm all caught up!!!! (it's so good)

After seeing ep 6 I started reading the series!! and I'm currently on the second book

usually I don't enjoy the fantasy genre but I'm thoroughly enjoying this one

AND DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON PERCBETH

omg am i an influencer now AHHHH this is exciting! i'm so happy to hear you're enjoying it and i hope you enjoy the rest of the series!! it' so good!!!!! u gotta tell me your thoughts! PERCABETH BEST SHIP EVER UGH they're the best slow burn ever (it's more slow burn in the books), they're literally the blueprint for friends to lovers 💙💙💙 they were my first ever ship and i luv them

[justaz]

i’m gonna say something controversial that may get me cancelled but it’s time i own up to the truth…

i don’t care for enemies to lovers.

there. i said it.

enemies to lovers just doesn’t Do It for me.

the trope i love the most is actually (best) friends to lovers.

i’m sorry to anyone i’m letting down but i just couldn’t live a lie anymore. enemies to lovers can be done well, don’t get me wrong, but friends to lovers is the best trope in my opinion.

i hope you guys can forgive me.

[annabethy]

under the mistletoe, watching the fire glow: day 1

Day 01/25 Days of Christmas: Charcter A ad Character B, sworn enemies, are chosen to prepare the company Christmas party,, percabeth

“Chase!”

Annabeth doesn’t bother hiding the sneer that forms across her face at the sound of their voice. As Percy slides in front of her, his face is all too bright and cheerful. Her eyes linger on his torso, covered in a green Christmas sweater with plastic ruffles hanging off of it that makes her want to throw up.

“Why the face?” Percy asks. He leans over onto the desk she’s standing behind, carelessly shoving aside her blueprints. She nearly smacks him as she watches the papers go flying. Annabeth’s pretty sure he has a degree in marine biology, so what he’s doing working for an architecture firm, she will never know.

“It’s because I have to look the devil reincarnate in the eyes,” she deadpans.

“Oh, that’s not nice.” Percy grins wider. “I prefer to be called the Grinch. Christmas festivities, and all that.”

“I have a few words I could call you,” she agrees. “The Grinch is generous.”

“So grumpy.” Percy’s fingers wander around her desk, plucking an ornament off of the company’s mini tree. “So I need to talk to you.”

“Go fuck yourself.”

“I’ll have you fired,” he threatens, but he doesn’t seem the slightest bit upset. Annabeth will never understand how he is able to keep such a calm façade when he’s around her. From the moment he walked into that office, she has hated the arrogance with which he walked, and she had no trouble making it known. There hadn’t been a specific starting point to their rivalry, but it was there, and it burned brighter than the North star.

“What do you want?”

“You see, I was talking to Chiron,” he starts, and the twinkle in his eye has her terrified, rightfully so. “And he mentioned that he’s not prepared for the company Christmas party. I was all oh yeah, I can help out, and he was like you should totally do it, and I was like oh, sure thing, but then, get this—”

Annabeth has an inkling as to where this is going.

“He says you have to help me.”

“Jackson.”

“Yes?”

“Would you like be murdered so close to Christmas? Never get to see your poor mother again?”

“I would not like that, no, but I hardly think you’re capable of homicide.”

“You’d be surprised what I’m capable of,” she says. “Something about Christmas transforms me into Rudolph with rabies. It’s bad.”

“You’re too cute,” he coos.

She is tempted to bite him, and she has to retrain herself from doing just that when he pokes her on the nose.

“Anyways, you don’t have a choice. He said you have to.”

“Why me? Why not literally any other employee here.”

“I have no idea,” he says. “I tried talking him out of it.”

Her eye twitches. “Why do I get the feeling that you didn’t?”

“You always get the feeling that I didn’t, or I did, or whatever the wrong choice is. You just have it out for me.”

She doesn’t think that’s necessarily true. She only points him out when he does something wrong, which is all the time. And sure, maybe she spends extra time pointedly looking for anything she can call him out for, but she likes to call that keeping him on edge. Someone had to keep this kid in check if he wasn’t going to himself.

“So once your shift is over, don’t leave. Meet me in the conference room on the third floor, West wing.” “I will not be meeting you there.”

“Yes, you will because Chiron says you have to.” He suddenly sets the ornament back onto the tree, ever so gently, and leans in close. She is too stubborn to move away so he ends up whispering in her ear, his warm breath tickling her. “You may not listen to me, but we all know that you’ll do whatever he says. So. Five o’clock. See you there.”

Annabeth promises herself throughout the rest of the day that she won’t go. She doesn’t always have to listen to her boss, and it’s not like he’d fire her or anything if she didn’t show — she worked too hard to get where she is, and he is well aware of the rivalry going on between them.

Still, as she walks down the hall to the conference room, she can’t say she’s surprised. Chiron has done so much for her, and if she has to succumb to a few hours of torture to make up for it, then that’s exactly what she’ll do.

As she enters the room, she is met with the sight of Percy in the middle of the room, surrounded by the largest assortment of rainbow lights and garland that she has ever seen in her entire life. For a moment, she forgets about the fact that she is forced to be here. Instead, she focuses on the sparkle and joy she can just feel in the room, and the smile of pure excitement that is on his face.

“Where did you get all of this?” she asks, stepping inside. She has to make her way over a few glass decorations splattered about, but she makes it without completely dying.

“I went shopping,” he says, gleeful. He picks a string of lights up, inspecting it closely before dropping it back down onto his lap. Annabeth sits near him, but still far away that he can’t ‘accidentally’ choke her with Christmas lights.

“You paid for all of this?”

“Stole the company card. Where do you think I’ve been all day?”

And it dawns on her that he really hasn’t been there for most of the day. It’s no wonder it had been so quiet; he hadn’t been pestering her every two seconds.

She hums. “So what am I supposed to do?”

“Desperate to leave?”

“With you here? Of course.”

Percy frowns but doesn’t say anything about it. “Just make this place look pretty.”

She tries her best, but it’s admittedly not very good. It kind of looks like Santa Claus and his elves threw a very messy tantrum. She stands next to Percy to inspect the final product. She can feel her ears tinging red.

“I don’t understand what happened here,” he says, baffled.

“I think my decorating skills were corrupted by your severe incompetence.” Percy smirks but turns to face her. “My severe incompetence?”

“Yes.”

“May I ask what I did this time?”

“What?”

“You’re always insulting me. Why?”

“Because—” She gestures vaguely. “You’re you.”

“I’m me?”

Her mind blanks. “Uh… ugly.”

Percy guffaws, but he doesn’t seem offended. “All this time I thought you hated me, but it’s actually because I’m ugly?” He whistles. “I don’t know whether to feel relieved or depressed.”

“Bit of both, perhaps.” Annabeth knows for a fact that her face is redder than the mistletoe along the edges of the room. Everything she could complain about and has complained about, and she says that he’s ugly? The one thing that he’s actually not? She may not like him, but even she can appreciate his sharp jawline and striking eyes.

“So if I were less ugly, you would stop calling me incompetent?”

“Exactly.”

“Ah.” Percy elbows her, and she squirms. “And here I was, thinking we were mortal enemies.”

“Oh, we are. I can’t be associated with ugly monsters.”

“Damn, Annabeth. Way to put salt in the wound.”

“You could always just insult me back.”

“Why would I do that?”

“You always do.”

At that, Percy faces her again, alarmed. “I do not.”

“Yes, you do!”

“I’m careful with my words. I may tease you, but I have never called you names.”

She tries to prove him wrong, but she suddenly can’t think of a single instance where he’s actually said something blatantly rude. It turns out she’s just a raging asshole.

“Call me ugly.”

Percy blinks. “What?”

“Now you made me feel bad, so say something mean. Make me cry. You have full permission.”

“I wouldn’t want to lie to you.”

It takes a second before she gathers what he’s saying, and she’s suddenly blushing from something entirely different than embarrassment. “You think I’m pretty?”

“I thought that was obvious.”

“I— no?”

Percy stares at her for what feels like an eternity. “I’ve been flirting with you since forever.”

She snorts. “I like to poke you on the nose and play with your hair. I wink at you, like, every day!”

“I thought you were just bullying me.”

“I’m sorry, but that does not qualify as bullying.”

“You made Chiron demand I decorate for a Christmas party.”

“Yeah, he never said that. He actually has no idea you’re here right now.”

“You did this!?”

“I wanted to spend time with you?” he tries in excuse.

“But we don’t like each other!”

“I thought we were always messing around. I didn’t know you actually despised me.”

She doesn’t know that she despises him. Strongly dislikes, maybe, but she doesn’t think she actually hates him. Now that she’s here, staring him in his green eyes, feeling like a kicked puppy is staring straight at her, she doesn’t know if she actually even disliked him, or was just too stuck to her pride to acknowledge that he wasn’t a terrible person.

“I don’t hate you.”

He sniffs. “Well now I don’t believe you.”

“Oh, you toddler.”

And somehow, Percy still smiles. She’ll never know how he keeps with the cheer. “So what I’m hearing is that we’re friends.”

Percy is too good for her. She insults him to his face and he just smiles through it. He doesn’t hesitate to reassure her, and now that she thinks of it, he never has. When she’s struggling to walk through the halls, Percy is always the first to help her carry her things, even when she hurls her nasty words his way. And the one time she was sick, he was the one to sit her down and drive her home. He’s always been so generous even when she doesn’t deserve it, and she doesn’t understand why she’s never seen it before.

It’s like something inside of her has shifted, like these few hours spent alone with him have suddenly erased everything she thought in the past. It makes sense, now that she realizes that the past was nothing more than an image she was too stubborn to replace.

“No?” Percy smiles. “I get it. You want to be my girlfriend.” She holds up a hand. “Wait a second—”  

“Even better! My wife!”

She chokes, laughing. She thinks this might be the first time she let herself genuinely smile at something he’s said. It’s a nice feeling. “Let’s start with friends.”

Percy steps forwards, towering over her. “Oh, I’m so going to make you my girlfriend.”

Annabeth wants to protest, but with the look that he’s giving her now, making her legs go weak, she thinks that it just might be possible in this Christmas magic.

“Guess what,” he whispers, now directly beside her.

She trembles, a foreign chill shooting down her back. “What?”

“Mistletoe.”

She looks up, expecting to find the small plant being held above her head, but instead she is met with the sound of Percy laughing. “Made you look.”

She laughs along with him, shoving his chest playfully. “This is why I hate you.”

“Except you don’t hate me,” he says, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her in for a side hug. “You love me.”

“Sure,” she says.

“So you should kiss me then. If you love me, and all.”

If it had been two hours earlier, she would’ve said not a chance, but something’s changed. She isn’t sure what it is or when exactly it had happened between then and now, but something seemed to click. It has her reaching onto her toes to press a sweet kiss to his cheek, right on the dimple that appears as his face morphs into the kindest, gentlest smile.

“There,” she says softly. “A kiss.”

Percy bites his lower lip and shakes his head. There is a look on his face — adoration, she thinks. A voice whispers love. “I’m going to make you fall in love with me, Annabeth Chase.”

It doesn’t take long at all.

[zukkaoru]

uhhhhhhh annabeth and/or suki ❤️

(didn’t know if you wanted atla specifically or not so… there you go 🥰)

i'm fine with characters from any fandom!! tysm ellen 🥰💕

annabeth

percabeth: they are the blueprint. rivals to friends to lovers. every other ship wishes they could be percabeth but they will never be percabeth because no one could ever be as great as percy and annabeth. they are soulmates. they are seaweed brain and wise girl. they are we aren't supposed to be together bc of our parents' rivalry and screw that; i love you and i'm going to be with you. they are bickering as a love language. they are The Blueprint

pipabeth: i'm a lesbian. pipabeth made some points. they would be cute sapphic friends to lovers. also the fact that they steal each other's food canonically???? girlfriend behavior

reynabeth: once again. i am a lesbian. i see two girls who i'm attracted to; i think they should kiss each other. it is simple as that.

rachabeth: okay this one i just think would be funny bc could you imagine the absolute chaos if they had pulled a korrasami??? but also this one's out of spite bc i remember everyone loathing rachel for simply having a crush on percy and i hated that so much bc she's such a good character!!! and like you wouldn't be crushing on percy if he was your irl friend i mean come on

suki

yueki: MY BELOVEDS!!!! i know they never met in canon but they are girlfriends. they are alive and happily living on kyoshi island <3 i just think they should both be allowed to kiss girls and suki should have a gf who she can take care of but who also wants to take care of her and yue should have a gf who isn't overbearing and who she can take care of but will also care for her when needed (bc chronically ill yue my beloved <3)

maiki: they could slit my throat and i would thank them. girlfriends who could kill a man together <3

tysuki: idk i just think they're cute

sukka: like i said for sokka: i prefer them as friends, but their moments in canon were definitely v cute and they are The bi4bi m/f ship

sukitara: ngl i just think it would be funny if sokka's ex started dating his sister

send me a character + a heart and i'll tell you who i ship them with/why

[bipercabeth]

percabeth | hurt/comfort | 3k | commissioned by @mericatblackwood 

a post-TLO fic in which we finally Let Percy Cry

Annabeth doesn’t know what to do with anger—her own or others’. She can take her problems to the sword fighting arena or bury her nose in blueprints for weeks, but she’ll still come away with a tight jaw. She doesn’t know what to do with her hands when they aren’t clenched into fists. 

So when the tendons in Percy’s hands strain around his silverware at dinner, when his eyes are downcast and he’s closed off in that I’m-angry-but-trying-desperately-not-to-look-it way, Annabeth can only fumble over a painfully casual attempt at conversation and watch as he retreats to his cabin. He doesn’t even make an appearance at the campfire. The flames have been low in the weeks following the Battle of Manhattan, but they’re rising tonight. 

The problem isn’t reading Percy; it never has been. Annabeth knows what’s hurting him and why. It’s the fixing part she struggles with.

continue on AO3 

or 

He’s been angry for the better part of a year, often because of the ambiguous impending doom of his sixteenth birthday, but not exclusively so. Annabeth caused more than her fair share of his anger, she knows. Rachel had been there to provide an escape in her place, but Annabeth supposes part of being Percy’s girlfriend means that it’s her who gets to provide solace now. Not that she didn’t before, but. There’s a deeper commitment now. He was always her person—as she was his—but it’s out in the open. She’s the first line of defense—she wants to be the first line of defense from danger, be it physical or emotional. 

So Annabeth dons her Yankees cap and sneaks to Cabin 3, replaying the conversation where Percy shrugged and said he’s fine when she tried to call him out. He isn’t fine. She knows that much. 

That doesn’t mean she expects to find him curled in on himself, bedsheets tangled around his middle. It shouldn’t be possible to look small in a twin bed, but he looks so small—not at all like the hero the other campers celebrate over the campfire. It’s a stark reminder that he’s only sixteen. 

He lifts his head when the door opens, his eyes wide. Annabeth remembers that she’s invisible and knocks her cap off her head. She’ll pick it up later. Right now Percy’s breath stutters at the sight of her, his eyes shining like open wounds. 

Annabeth can do dry anger: the cold, unfeeling rage that motivates, propels, inspires. But wet anger—the paralyzing, painful kind you cannot power through—leaves her scrambling for purchase. Annabeth is a runner. She doesn’t sit in anything. 

The sheets rustle as Percy closes his eyes and takes refuge in his bed like a dog hiding his wounded paw. Despite his efforts, he cannot disguise his limp.

“Please don’t hide from us,” Annabeth pleads. 

“I’m not hiding from you,” he says mildly, not lifting his head from the pillow. “I can’t hide from you.” 

“But you came here.” 

“I knew you would come.” Percy shrugs, casually stating as fact something Annabeth didn’t know herself until a few minutes ago. 

In this moment, Annabeth envies Percy’s connection with Grover. She would kill to have a way to funnel her emotions into Percy’s brain in a way he could understand. All the love and concern she can’t articulate could exist in the world without the struggle of finding the right words. 

Still, Percy specified her. Grover is out there at the campfire, probably sensing Percy’s pain like a twinge at the base of his neck, but Annabeth is the one Percy can’t hide from. 

The thought propels her to the edge of his bed, sitting in the curve of mattress his torso folds around. His knees press into her right thigh as he shifts to close the space between them. Annabeth realizes with a jolt that he left this space for her to occupy. 

On her other side is his face, youthful and soft in the moonlight streaming through the window. Blue light for a blue boy, swimming in blue sheets that should shelter him instead of giving him something to fist his hands in. His arms cage his chest as if his heart is trying to escape it. 

Annabeth reaches for his hand, drawing it to rest between hers. If his heart is a burden, it’s not one he has to bear alone. They held the weight of the sky once. They can handle this. 

For all their shared burdens, the one that weighs on Percy now is uniquely his. Annabeth is a hero, but not the hero. Shouldering “child of Athena’s final stand” for a few weeks is not the same as “hero’s soul, cursed blade shall reap” looming overhead for four years. Percy’s very existence has been dissected and politicized since the moment he was claimed, whereas Annabeth could’ve chosen a quieter, quest-free life if that’s what she wanted. She chose to pick it up. Percy’s choice was to stand under a weight that would otherwise crush him. 

It occurs to Annabeth that everyone who has shouldered this burden before him is dead. The heroes whose birth was prophesied, whose death was prophesied, died fighting their battles centuries ago. There are no words for that. 

Words are Percy’s strong suit, anyway. He has always known what to say to calm his friends down. Annabeth can’t recall the last time she saw someone do the same for him. 

She squeezes his hand and focuses on being here, where it matters. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asks, knowing he doesn’t. Or rather, knowing he doesn’t want her to have to talk about it. 

As expected, Percy burrows deeper into the bed. Half his face is squished in his pillow; the sole eye Annabeth can see fixes on the empty space in front of him. He gives her a noncommittal shrug she doesn’t buy. But at least he won’t lie outright. 

Silence follows. It nips at Annabeth’s ankles, nagging her to move, to do something, but she decides to sit with the discomfort. The confession he’s suppressing is a palpable thing: Annabeth watches it stutter in his lungs and claw its way up his windpipe. Percy will tell her when he’s ready, and she’ll be here when he is.

“I’ve been having dreams,” he says, still not meeting Annabeth’s eye. That’s okay, though. He’s getting the words out. That’s what matters, right?

“What kind of dreams?” 

Percy grimaces. “Not the useful kind. Nightmares, mostly. About the war.” He doesn’t breathe between the sentences, just grits his teeth. 

“It’s over, Percy. The war is over. We can rest now,” she tries. 

“They can’t.”

Dread settles over Annabeth, but she asks anyway. “Who can’t?” 

“Beckendorf,” he chokes, his hand tightening in hers. “Silena, Castor, Lee, Michael—I killed him, Annabeth. I told the others where to go, and they died because of me, but I killed Michael.” 

Annabeth opens her mouth to interrupt, but the names keep coming. Percy steamrolls through the tears, leaving her to watch his anger limp along until it collapses into the worn bed of sadness.

“Ethan shouldn’t have been on Olympus. I should’ve hit him harder, then he might have stayed down. And Zoe—I knew she was going to die. We found out who her dad was, and I knew and I couldn’t do anything. And Bianca wasn’t supposed to stop the automation. It was supposed to be me. She could’ve come home to Nico, and maybe then—” 

“Percy…” 

He shrinks with each word, looking every inch the child Annabeth found on Half-Blood Hill: bruised, tired, and crying for his mother. “My mom died because of me. I didn’t even save her—I saved the world, because that’s what I had to do. Hades let her go, but she still died.” 

Annabeth gapes at him uselessly. To love Percy is to know intimately the amount of guilt and unearned blame he assigns himself, but that doesn’t make it any easier to stomach. 

“You saved your mom,” she reminds him. “You saved her and the world. You shouldn’t have had to do either, but you did.” 

“But I didn’t save the others.” 

“No one could’ve.” 

“I should’ve. When you fight the way I can, the people who die around you die because you can’t get to them fast enough. If I had just been faster, I...” He takes a shuddering breath. “Why do I get to survive when they don’t?” 

A lifetime of war games and war alike, and that question is the worst thing Annabeth has ever heard. Percy is just laying there, still not meeting her eye, and she doesn’t know how to help him. 

Terrified of how he’ll answer that question, Annabeth leans down to kiss him before he can. She tries to pour everything into it despite not having too much experience. Kissing Percy so far has been fun, sweet, and definitely trial and error. Nothing this desperate, this needy. She inhales him like she can steal the painful words from his lungs before he says them. 

Annabeth tastes tears and pulls back, terrified that she’s done something wrong. Instead, Percy’s hand catches the back of her neck, keeping her close enough for their foreheads to touch. It’s there, inches away from his trembling lips, that Annabeth finds the words.

“You saved me,” she pants. “From the Furies on the bus, at the Lotus hotel, when Polyphemus knocked me out—” her fingers travel to his grey streak— “when we held up the sky, at Mount St. Helens, on Olympus… Too many times to count. From the first day we met, you gave me hope.” She strokes his cheek and wipes away the tears, feeling her own eyes well up. “Every day. You save me every day.” 

Percy clings to her hand on his cheek and releases a deep breath, fully exhaling for the first time all night. “You save me just as often.”

“So let me do it now, yeah?” 

Percy looks at her, green eyes wet and wide, and nods carefully. Annabeth sighs her relief against his forehead before pressing her lips there with an aching softness. There is more to say, but she takes a moment to just hold him. The Fates deemed her his anchor to mortality, so anchor him she will. 

“You survived because you were saddled with the weight of the world at twelve years old and the gods owe you a fucking break.” She looks at the ceiling, almost daring thunder to rumble. The sky stays silent. “More campers are alive than dead after a war with impossible odds, Percy. You saved so many, but you can’t save everyone. None of them would want you to blame yourself for this. We have to honor their sacrifice—and, in some cases, their choice.” 

That breaks him. The last of his anger gives way to painful sobs, the ugly kind that squeeze your lungs like a spasming fist. In this moment, he is not the wounded dog, but rather the limp itself: the awkward cadence of his breath reminiscent of limbs struggling to hold new weight. 

“What do you need?” she asks. “What can I do?” 

The mattress jostles as Percy scoots closer, freeing up part of the bed. “Could you stay here with me? Wake me up if it gets bad? If you have to go back to your cabin, that’s fine—” 

He’s cut off by Annabeth kicking off her shoes and crawling into bed behind him. There isn’t much room on the twin mattress, but she tucks her knees into the backs of his and wraps around him, and they fit well enough. She settles quickly to avoid overthinking, glad for the excuse to be close to him. 

This is entirely unfamiliar territory, as Annabeth discovers when she tries to figure out what to do with her hands. She’s never spooned someone before. 

Percy senses her hesitation and laces their fingers, pulling her arm around his torso. Annabeth squeezes him tight, like maybe lining up their hearts will calm the frantic beat of his. Between that and her body protecting his Achilles spot, she’s got him. 

It’s a little awkward, the silence that follows. They haven’t exactly had pillowtalk before, let alone while calming Percy during a breakdown. Annabeth doesn’t know how to hold him to make all that go away, so she clings to him as tight as she can. 

“You’re like a boa constrictor,” he chuckles. It’s a wet, half-hearted laugh that tells Annabeth he still has more to say. He’s at his worst when he’s deflecting. 

Still, she moves to loosen up. “Sorry.” 

 He tugs at her hand. “No! I mean, it’s nice. I feel… safe.” He pauses, his breath deep. “I always feel safe with you.” 

Annabeth hasn’t kissed much of him apart from his lips, but she liked the comfort of kissing his forehead. She tightens her grip again and presses her lips to his shoulder, just because she can. 

“Sometimes they’re about you,” Percy whispers. 

Annabeth lays her cheek on his shoulder, trying to see his face. “What?”

“The nightmares. Sometimes they’re about losing you.” 

“Percy, look at me.”

The tension falls from his spine as he flips around, tangling further in the mess of sheets. Annabeth smooths everything out for him before laying on her back and tugging him close. He ends up halfway on top of her: his arm around her waist, her hands in his hair, their legs a tangled mess. 

She holds his face, thumbs swiping at his cheeks gently. He may be invulnerable, but he’s a fragile thing. Maybe even more so with the invulnerability. 

“Tell me about them.” 

“What? No. Annabeth, I’m not— I can’t talk about you d— about losing you. I can’t say those words.” 

Annabeth just holds his face and his gaze. “You should. Talk about it here, safe, with me, and maybe it won’t be so bad when you fall asleep. I’ll be here the whole time.” 

The tension in Percy’s body is palpable as he resists Annabeth’s coaxing. But slowly, she slips her hands to his scalp and massages him there, leeching the stress from his body as he sinks forward into her. His weight presses Annabeth into the mattress. It’s comforting, having him above her. She can feel every breath he takes, every time his heart beats in his chest. 

“We’ve almost died a ton of times, but that was always together.” He swallows, and his Adam’s apple bobs against her collarbone. “But then on the bridge with Ethan, when you took the knife…” 

Percy takes a shuddering breath. 

“Sometimes we get you to the hotel and Will can’t help. Or I can’t find Will. Or Blackjack can’t grab you. Or—” his grip tightens around her, and his tears fall on her skin. “Sometimes you, you die right there at my feet. You jump a second earlier, and Ethan hits you in the chest, and I kill him for it. I kill everyone on the bridge. Most times it’s an accident, just the river listening to me, but sometimes… sometimes I don’t know. Both scare me.” 

One of Annabeth’s hands moves to his Achilles spot of its own accord. Percy gasps into her neck, where some tears fall as well. He’d fought his way through his confession, coming from somewhere so deep inside him that the deluge of tears was unavoidable. She hopes to distract him from them now.

“You saved me on that bridge,” she reminds him, her free hand scratching lightly at the base of his neck. 

“But what if I didn’t?” he breathes. He sounds so small. 

“Doesn’t matter. You did. Anything else is a hypothetical.” 

“But in the future—”

“Uh uh.” Annabeth’s chin taps Percy’s temple as she shakes her head. “It’s like strategy. You can think and think and think and plan your whole life out, but it’s not real. You never know what’s going to happen until your feet hit the floor. Are your feet on the floor?” 

“No,” he grumbles.

“No,” she echoes. “You’re in bed. You get to rest now.” 

Percy is still for countless heartbeats. Right when Annabeth thinks he might’ve fallen asleep, he props himself up on one elbow to look at her. Even in the lowlight, Annabeth can make out his puffy eyes and wet cheeks. 

“You know you’re my best friend, right?” He sniffles, his nose wrinkling adorably as he does, and his eyes bore into Annabeth’s. “You’re my girlfriend too, but you’re my best friend first. Always.” 

Annabeth hears that statement for what it is and grins despite the tears prickling in her own eyes. “And you’re mine. Always.” 

A smile breaks out on his face like dawn at this late hour, brightening up the small space between them. Exhaustion sets in to close it, drawing Percy to settle back into Annabeth’s neck with the slow pull of gravity. 

They drift off in a bed made to be slept in alone as they share a burden made for one person. Newness tinges the corners of this memory, this moment Annabeth finds herself missing before it’s gone: Percy asleep above her, finally getting the peaceful rest he deserves. Part of Annabeth wants to stay up all night to make sure he gets the most of it, to watch his back as she promised to do, but her eyelids are heavy with sleep in no time. 

What sticks with Annabeth is this: Percy’s breath slow and steady against her neck, his heartbeat reliable as ever as it syncs with her own. The world is warm and safe despite all the evidence to the contrary, and that’s what makes this moment untouchable. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, here they are. Together in every way that matters. 

[ghostiewriter]

Mmm, I’m gonna say keep it to the first series plot wise because otherwise I don’t think you’ll have much time for romance and for it to realistically feel like everything could’ve happened in 7 years. But that’s just my 2 cents, I’m EXTREMELY EXCITED TO READ THIS!! My first otp colliding with my current otp. (Because let’s be real we all love friends to lovers because of percabeth, they were our blueprint)

DUDE SAME THEY WERE DEADASS ONE OF MY FIRST OTPS

But the only reason I kinda thought about clashing them was because I wouldn’t necessarily being doing the whole plot of the first series? Just more like little adventures for each summer and there was some things in HoO that could be pretty cool

To be honest tho, knowing me I’ll probably just wing the whole thing as I go along tho💀

[drvrslcense]

Can’t Take My Eyes off of You (Percabeth)

Masterlist | Twitter | Wattpad

Read this on AO3! 

Word Count: 3k+

Pairings: Percabeth - Percy Jackson x Annabeth Chase

Description: In which Annabeth is tired from Christmas shopping & plays a song.  

Warnings: FLUFF & also unedited work

Shawn Mendes’ cover is amazing! & If you can’t tell, I’m feeling all the feels- so please enjoy this & listen to this song on loop. 

It's December 24 - the air was chilly and buzzing with that electric Christmas cheer. People all over the place were wearing big smiles, while some were scowling because of the tight crowds. Everyone was fighting their way through the crowds - everywhere you look, you'll hear someone mutter, "excuse me". 

Annabeth was normally a strategist, often considering buying Christmas presents beforehand - before all these craziness starts. But with finals on the horizon, Annabeth focused on her studies, forgetting to buy Christmas gifts. Now, she grumbles about procrastinating and forgetting to buy presents as she fights her way through the enormous crowds, her boyfriend Percy behind her. 

Percy was holding Annabeth's hand as the blonde continued to push through the crowd. Sometimes, his head would turn and he'd gaze in wonder to all those Christmas lights around the city, leading Annabeth to tug his hand and get him off his daze. There was no denying that this boy loved Christmas. He loves being with his family, spending time with his friends, and most of all, spending the winter break with his girlfriend. 

Annabeth was still fighting through the crowd, just wanting to get home. She'd already spent the entire chilly day out shopping for gifts, instead of just staying in and watching whatever crappy Christmas movie Percy likes to pick out. She and Percy were carrying shopping bags for presents - Percy did his own shopping too. While Annabeth bought stuff like perfumes for the girls and polo shirts for the boys, Percy bought foods. Dam foods. He bought his friend, Grover, a can fondant cake as a gag gift. Like a literal aluminum can fondant cake. You know those cakes that look like the thing they designed it after? That then turns out to be a cake? Yeah, that. Annabeth didn't know where Percy just find those. She almost berated him for buying those dam snacks and forced him to buy other gifts like a musical instrument for Grover or a box of LEGOs for Tyson, but she understood where he was coming from. And it was sweet, so she let it go, wondering if Percy bought a dozen soft pretzels or a gingerbread house for her. 

As they clamber through the busy streets to their apartment in the middle of this bustling city, Percy could feel both excitement and nervousness on his insides. His intestines felt like it was rising up to his throat and forcing him to throw up the spectacular soft pretzel he and Annabeth ate in the midst of the chaos. He bought something for Annabeth while they were out. He was sure it was pretty, even he thinks that it was forged by Hepahestus himself. He just wasn’t sure what Annabeth’s reaction would be when she sees or when he gives it. He knew that he wanted it to happen, it was just so nerve wracking to do that he avoided it. 

Annabeth sighed happily as they entered their apartment, dropping her bags near the door — in an orderly fashion — before flopping down on the couch. Percy dropped his bags messily on the table before opening the lights on their Christmas tree and flopping down beside Annabeth. The two admired the Christmas lights that danced before them. Their apartment was simple, small, but enough for the couple as they brave adulting. Annabeth was the one who designed the entire apartment. If it was her way, she would have designed their house. But because of high prices, urbanization, you know, the stuff, they couldn’t. Although Percy bets somewhere that Annabeth has a blueprint of her dream house. 

It was a two-bedroom apartment with a minimalist theme. Although it was tiny, it seemed so spacious and elegant, that their visitors (their friends) often teased them about being rich. Upon entering the door, you’d immediately see a view of the buildings outside with their big windows on the side. Their Christmas tree stood beside the windows, its lights flickering various colors of green, blue, and red. It was, by standards, a thin tree. Percy liked his tree big, but given the space of their apartment, it was impossible. So, they settled for that thin, green tree adorned with countless golden and silver colored balls - there was even a snowflake ornament and a golden star perched on top. 

That attention to the windows would be stolen away as eyes would be on their cozy, L-shaped couch, in front of that is their white, pear-shaped coffee table where an architecture book lay on top of. Percy often likes to put his feet on the coffee table, which he just does to annoy Annabeth who likes keeping things and orderly in their house. Their television was mounted on the wall across the couch. On the side of the apartment was their kitchen, it was L-shaped with a dining table in the middle. The dining table seats four persons and has a modern theme. It was round that whenever they have people over, they just add chairs.  

The couple stared off at their window which overlooked half of the city and the flickering of lights on their Christmas tree. The lights danced in a way that was enticing to the both of them and it was the only light in the room. The couple stared in silence, with Percy putting his arm around Annabeth, before she broke it and scrolled on her phone. Percy cuddled Annabeth on the couch before the blonde pushed him away for being heavy. 

Annabeth let out a weird sound - somewhere between a scream and a squeal -  as she saw something on her phone that Percy observed quickly lifted her spirits. 

"What?" Percy bolted upright. "What happened?" 

"This," Annabeth has a big grin on her face as she showed Percy her phone. It was a paused video of a curly-haired boy, sitting in front of the piano. Percy was confused, but he was interested as seeing it made all her exhaustion leave. 

"And what is 'this', exactly?" Percy asked, raising an eyebrow to Annabeth. 

"Just turn on the speakers." 

Sighing, Percy reached behind him and turned on their speakers. Annabeth quickly connected her phone and played something. 

You're just too good to be true 

The first line of the song plays and Percy thought the voice was familiar, he just couldn't remember who. But he knew the song, his mother often played it while he was growing up. All the while, Annabeth has this soft smile on her face and Percy decided it was heaven. He could give her the world and it still wouldn’t be enough. 

"Who is this?" Percy asked. 

"Shawn Mendes," Annabeth sighed dreamily, a big smile appearing on her face - she often reserved the smile for the special people in her life. Percy couldn't help the jealousy that stirred in him, but he shook it off, scolding himself as irrational. Instead, he raised his eyebrows, and a smirk toyed on his face - apparently, Annabeth is a big fan of Shawn Mendes. 

At long last love has arrived 

And I thank God you’re alive

Annabeth closed her eyes, feeling the way Shawn Mendes’ voice just flow to her ears. It wasn’t heaven, but it was pleasurable enough. She feels like floating on Cloud 9, where all her stress disappeared and everything else just melts away and all she could see was Percy’s dazzling sea-green eyes, tousled jet-black hair, and his smile. Damn, that smile. The song wouldn’t be the death of her, his smile would be. She couldn’t deny all these feelings she has for him, even though they’ve been a couple for years now. 

It all started out during high school. It was kind of cliche but Annabeth was glad she met Percy that young. Percy was a big part of her life, growing up as schoolmates despite not being close friends or enemies - he was just always there and Annabeth loved that about the two of them. They were always there for each other. Like that time in Mathlete where Annabeth competed against another school and won, she could see Percy cheering for their school in the crowds. Or when Annabeth rallied against their school overworking their teachers, Percy joined them. Or when Percy was awkwardly standing during Rachel Dare’s birthday bash and Annabeth joined him. That was when they first started talking and it all went from there. 

Funny how they went from strangers in high school to literally a couple living together in the middle of the city. Their journey up to now has been a wild ride, but Annabeth was glad that it ended here - in their apartment, with Percy beside her doing God knows what, but having his presence is a comfort to Annabeth. 

Pardon the way that I stare

There's nothing else to compare

The sight of you leaves me weak

There are no words left to speak

While Annabeth closed her eyes during the song, Percy stared at her. He couldn’t help but admire her. She was pretty, no matter how much she denied it. Her piercing gray eyes were Percy’s favorite physical attribute of Annabeth. But what he admires most is her courage -  she is brave beyond compare, often heading head first into whatever difficulties they face. In fact, she was the one who asked him out. Percy was the one who was about to ask her out that night but Annabeth beat him to it, much to his frustration and his surprise. 

It was during their school prom night, both of them ditched in the middle of it, coming home to Percy’s apartment to have a spontaneous movie marathon. It was in the middle of it and Percy was overthinking about whether or not he should ask her out. He’d liked her for years and had done nothing. They have also been friends of two of these. It was a boring movie when Annabeth abruptly faced him and asked, “Wanna go out to lunch tomorrow?”. Percy was taken aback by that question and just stared at her. Annabeth misunderstood him as him rejecting her. She stood up to grab her things when Percy yelled, “No, wait.” Percy was wearing a nervous, but boyish smile that made Annabeth stop and smile at him. Percy grinned and before they knew it, they were dating and Percy couldn’t help but always notice her gray eyes, which he thinks turns stormy whenever she’s intense. 

Annabeth is captivating and Percy feels very lucky to have her in his life. He feels blessed by the gods to just be with her. Being around her presence made Percy feel whole. She is his best friend, partner, and love of his life. 

Something was weighing down on his pocket and he palmed it, feeling the small box’s sharp edges and velvet skin. Sighing, he set his hands on his palm and paced around thinking that Annabeth was probably too engrossed in the song to hear him pacing around. 

He was going nuts, not knowing what to do with the item. He was sure he wanted to do it during the holidays. But the great Percy Jackson doesn’t have any plans nor any ideas on how to proceed. He wanted to ask his best friend Grover, but Grover is quite chatty and he knew that it would spread within their friend group even before he does it, so no. And the others, well, it’s not that Percy distrusts them, it's just that feeling that he wants to do this by himself if he can’t tell Grover. And there’s also the feeling of pressure if someone knows. 

Of course Mr. Chase knows -- he’s already agreed on this whole thing months ago, when he pulled him aside during Annabeth’s birthday, asking Percy when he’d do it. 

Percy continued to pace around the room when his eyes laid on the bags of presents strewn across the apartment. Instead of just pacing, he decided to put it all under their Christmas tree. 

Annabeth heard the rustling of the paper bags and opened her eyes. “What are you doing, seaweed brain?” 

“Nothing,” Percy answered quickly. Too quickly that his heart sped up. “Just-- moving the bags under the tree.” 

“Oh, okay,” Annabeth answered, shooting him a small smile as he turned his back on her. Annabeth closed her eyes once again listening to the song. Percy released a relieve sigh as he saw Annabeth’s eyes closed. 

Later. 

But if you feel like I feel

Please let me know that it's real

The song ended quickly. Too quickly for Annabeth’s liking. There was just something about Shawn Mendes’ voice that sounded so satisfying that everything weighing her down just melted away. 

She opened her eyes for a bit, setting the song to loop. And then closed it again, melting into her bubble of relaxation. 

Percy was happy that Annabeth’s in that state of bliss. Finals were stressing her out the last few weeks and today’s Christmas shopping just happened to be the cherry on top. 

Finishing up with moving the presents, Percy stood up, a smirk toying on his face as he got an idea. It was random and spontaneous, but Percy thought of it as romantic. The song was romantic and the ambiance set in the room with the Christmas lights and the bustling streets below just makes up a combination for a spontaneous slow dance in the middle of their living room. 

Percy started moving stuff around the room quietly, careful not to make Annabeth open her eyes. He moved the presents around once more, lining them up under the windows to make more room. Then, he moved the coffee table to the side. He wasn’t sure how he'd done it properly, stealth wasn’t one of his abilities. People would always deem him as ‘clumsy’, but he would call it ‘just someone not wanting to do it’. It was his way of denial that he was clumsy. 

Anyways, he let another song pass by. He smiled as he saw his work - the room has more space and everything just looked so perfect in his eyes. He was also proud of himself because he managed to do it all without making Annabeth open her eyes. 

You'd be like heaven to touch

I wanna hold you so much

As Shawn Mendes’ voice in the beginning of the cover filled the room once again, he cleared his throat in front of Annabeth and offered his hand. Annabeth opened her eyes and stared at it. 

“Come on, dance with me,” Percy said, opening his arms, and doing a motion of what looks like a slow dance. Annabeth laughed as she stood up and Percy’s breath was snatched. 

The way she stood up was so graceful, like a princess, that even without the ball gown and sparkling glass shoes, made his jaw drop. His smile widened and he offered his hand once more. Annabeth took his hand and playfully curtsied. The two of them shared a soft laugh before Annabeth placed a hand on his shoulder and he placed a hand on her waist. 

It took a few paces before the two of them were dancing in harmony. But when they did, it was amazing. It was like the whole world fits into his arms. He wasn’t nervous anymore. He was Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase’s boyfriend. 

Percy swayed Annabeth and she followed along. If anyone could see them, it would be like two rusty robots dancing together. But for them, this is perfect. 

“I love you,” Percy softly said while swaying. 

“Yeah?” Annabeth looked up at him, staring into his dazzling sea-green eyes. 

“Yeah,” Percy kissed her forehead, inhaling the scent of lemons. No matter how sweaty she was the whole day, her hair always manages to smell like lemons. 

“You know,” Annabeth started when they resumed back to their swaying.

“What?” Percy stared at her piercing gray eyes. It was mesmerizing, it was the only thing about her that makes her unique from Princesses. It was also one thing of Annabeth’s that Percy loved, among all of them. 

“I continually thank the gods for leading me to you. You’re a gift to me, Perseus Jackson,” Annabeth said, keeping her eyes trained on his chest. She noticed his outfit today which was a dark blue shirt and black pants which highlighted his height, which was six feet. She was shorter than him, by only a few inches. 

“Hey,” Percy lifted her face up, facing his hand under her chin. “I thank the gods, too.” 

Words can only do so much for the two of them. The two of them knew that it wasn’t just gratitude to the gods, but it was also gratitude and love for everything they’ve been through. It was all those gratitude for moments they spent, even moments they spent apart. It was those things that led them to each other. That ‘thank the gods’ thing were just filled with unspoken words, unspoken feelings that both of them were unsure how to express. It was those fun moments they shared like dates and celebrations. It was also those sad, comforting moments they shared when Annabeth failed her entrance exams. It was also all those fights that led them here in this moment. 

It was everything that made them. Sure, words won’t ever be enough, and they both aren’t sure if actions will be too. But for now, it is enough. 

“I love you,” it was Annabeth’s turn to say the three words. She tiptoed and kissed Percy’s cheek before they swayed again. 

Even after hearing those three words from Annabeth countless times before, Percy was sure he would explode every time. He couldn't believe that he’s here with Annabeth. Gods, he was completely smitten with her. It was an overwhelming feeling -- being loved -- that Percy thought he would explode. His love for Annabeth was also overflowing, he imagines it as something like the ocean - vast and immeasurable. 

Before the high note starts, Percy starts swaying Annabethas if they’re waltzing. And as the high note hits, Percy spun Annabeth around in which she turned all over the space in their living room. 

I love you, baby

And if it's quite alright I need you, baby

Percy was sure he was watching it in slow motion as Annabeth spun around, her ponytail flowing behind her. She was captivating, percy was so sure of it as he stared at her. It took everything in him to just stay in the moment and not let his mind wander off. 

The rest of the world falls away as the sight of her leaves him weak. Percy noticed the way Annabeth’s foot crossed as she spun, a careless smile on her face. He could see her eyes twinkling as she spun. 

Her hair hits Annabeth square in her face, making her stop. She stopped beside the Christmas tree and Percy could see just how bright she radiates beside their Christmas lights. 

Percy looked at her and the two of them shared a laugh and a big smile. 

“Come here,” Percy motioned her to spin back to him. 

This is now or never, Percy thought. 

To warm a lonely night, I love you, baby

Trust in me when I say

Annabeth was sure she was shining brightly, big bursts of happiness was radiating off of her, as Percy motioned her to spin back to him. 

At first, she felt ridiculous, just spinning round and round. But she let that feeling go as bliss took over when she realized she was sharing this moment with Percy. What was supposed to be a moment of relaxation after a long day of buying Christmas presents, turned out to be very joyous when Percy asked her to dance with him. 

It was perfect. This moment. 

If Annabeth could freeze a moment in time, this would be it - with the two of them dancing around their apartment to Shawn Mendes’ voice and just that moment of joy before Christmas. 

Stopping, Annabeth stumbled. Turning around a few times made her dizzy that Percy had to steady her before kneeling down. 

But when he did, Annabeth took a step backwards and her hands flew to her mouth where a gasp escaped.

“Is this happening?” Annabeth breathed out through her rapidly beating heart. 

“Yeah,” Percy said, opening up the small, orange, velvet box. It revealed a ring with a simple square diamond on top. It was perfect and Annabeth’s eyes watered as she saw the sparkling ring and the look on Percy’s eyes.

Percy chuckled nervously before starting his speech. “Annabeth Chase, when I first saw you, I was captivated. You were enchanting and perfect. But of course, me being me, let that go, knowing I was never up to your standards. But then that night at Rachel's party when you talked to me, I felt like I had a chance. And thus, blossomed a friendship, wise girl, that would lead to this. Gods, I’m so blessed to have you, wise girl. You are my best friend, my partner, and unmistakably the love of my life. So, Wise Girl, would you do me the honor of being your husband and marry me?”

Annabeth’s eyes were welling up in tears and she released a small laugh, “Never knew you could stomach that, Seaweed Brain.” 

Percy chuckled nervously as Annabeth grinned at him through her blurry sight. 

“But yes, seaweed brain, I’ll marry you,” Annabeth finally said, making Percy release a relieved laugh and throw his hands up. 

Percy was about to stand up when he remembered the ring still not being in Annabeth’s hand. “Oh right,” he said, grabbing the ring out of the box and placing it on Annabeth’s left ring finger.

It fits perfectly, Annabeth thought as she gazed in wonder at her ring. 

“It’s perfect,” Annabeth told Percy when he stood up beside her, placing his hands on her waist. 

“You’re perfect,” Percy told Annabeth, kissing her forehead. 

The blonde faced her fiance, and placed her hands around his neck before pulling him into a kiss. 

“I love you,” she said before pulling him again for a kiss, placing her left hand on his cheek. Percy smiled as he felt the cold metal of the ring on his cheek. 

Now that I found you, stay

And let me love you, baby

Let me love you

[thesibyllinebooks]

Percabeth Parenting: Grandma Sally

Percy couldn’t stop repeating the phrase over and over in his head. He was a dad now. He looked down at the babies he held in his arms. If it weren’t for the pink and blue bracelets on their wrists, Percy would have a hard time telling who was who. He loved Annabeth. He loved his mom. He loved his friends. But the love he felt for his twins, nothing could rival that. 

“You did amazing,” Percy said, looking at his wife. Annabeth sat up alertly in her bed, looking at blueprints on her laptop. Leave it to Annabeth to be concerned with her work just an hour after giving birth. 

“Thank you Percy,” Annabeth said sincerely. Even though her cheeks were flushed and her hair was a sweaty mess, Percy never thought she’d looked better. He’d never been more in love with her than he was now. She looked fondly at her babies overtop her computer. Sitting there, looking at Percy hold their twins like he was the luckiest man in the world was worth the seventeen hours of labor. “Have you called Sally yet?”

Percy nodded. His face lit up when Cassie- no, Theo, according to the blue bracelet-yawned. “I’m surprised they’re not here yet.”

“Me too,” Annabeth agreed. She closed her laptop. “Come here,” she said gently. Percy stood up carefully, slowly making his way to the hospital bed. He wedged himself in beside Annabeth. Gently, she lifted one of the twins into her own arms. 

“This is crazy,” Percy said, still staring at his newborns in awe. The impatient part of him wanted them to open their eyes finally. He wanted them to walk and talk too, but he knew he’d have to wait months for that. “We have kids.”

“I know,” Annabeth agreed. She kissed Percy on the cheek. “If they’re anything like you, we can say goodbye to sleeping for the rest of our lives-”

Annabeth and Percy looked up as they heard a loud shout from outside the hospital room. Percy’s black eyebrows wrinkled. “That sounds like-”

“Sally!” A man shouted. Percy recognized the voice as his step-father Paul’s. 

“Oh, gods,” he sighed. He lifted Cassie into Annabeth’s arms and slid out of the bed.

Percy opened the door to Annabeth’s room. The sight worried him, frightened him, and made him want to laugh all at the same time. His mother held balloons and teddy bears. Paul grabbed onto her arm with one hand, and held Estelle’s hand with the other. Sally was currently arguing with one of the nurses. 

“Ma’am, visitation ended three hours ago,” the nurse pleaded.

Percy knew the poor nurse didn’t stand a chance. “Well, I’m sure my grandchildren didn’t choose what time they were born. And we didn’t drive all the way out here in the middle of the night to be told we can’t see them!” Sally argued back. Her eyes flashed with anger. He’d told his mom the hospital likely wouldn’t let him come visit so late at night but of course, that didn’t stop her from rushing Paul and Estelle out of bed to get to the hospital.

“Ma’am, visitation begins tomorrow morning at ten,” the nurse said shortly.

Sally shrugged. “We’re here now. And we aren’t going anywhere.”

Percy stepped in before things could get hairy. “Mom,” he said, approaching his family and the nurse.

“Percy!” Sally’s eyes lit up. She handed her presents off to Paul and gave her son a rib crushing hug. “Congratulations! I can’t wait to see the twins, even though this one here-”

“Is doing her job,” the nurse said angrily. She looked like she wanted to hit Sally with her clipboard. 

“These are great,” Percy said, looking at the balloons and teddy bear and raising his eyebrows at Paul in amusement. He wondered where his mother got them at such an hour but decided not to ask. Paul clapped him on the back in congratulations. Percy bent down to hug his little sister.

Percy stood up and turned to the nurse. “Look, this is my mom. Is there any way you can let my family in? She’s really not going to take no for an answer, trust me. These are her first grandkids.” The nurse looked at Estelle in question. “She’s my sister.”

Percy gave the nurse his best pleading look. He hoped it would cancel out Sally’s threatening one. 

The nurse sighed, probably realizing she didn’t get paid enough to argue. “One hour, she said firmly.” She barely got the words out of her mouth before Sally took off behind Percy, practically skipping. 

As soon as Percy opened the door, Sally let out an earsplitting squeal when she  laid eyes on her grandchildren. She rushed to Annabeth’s bedside, her eyes welling up with tears in record time. Paul and Estelle looked excited, but not as excited as Sally. Sally looked as if she’d just had her own babies. 

“Oh my,” Sally breathed, beaming at Annabeth and the babies. “Can I hold them?”

“Of course,” Annabeth said. She grinned as Sally gingerly picked up first Cassie, and then Theo.

“Hello, I’m your grandma Sally,” she whispered to the babies. “Are you two finally going to tell me their names now?” Sally asked without tearing her eyes away from her grandchildren. Estelle moved in front of her so that she could see the twins for herself. Paul put the teddy bears and balloons on the counter in the corner of the room. He greeted Annabeth and congratulated her. 

“Cassandra and Theseus,” Percy said. “Cassie and Theo for short.”

“Greek names. How perfect,” Sally said. “I’m so sorry I’m crying. I just- I’m you two made it. I know most demigods don’t-” 

“Yeah, Mom,” Percy said. He didn’t want to think about that right now. But he had to admit that he was blessed. He had the best mom in the world, the best step-dad in the world, the best sister in the world, the best wife in the world, and now, the best twins in the world. Life was truly great.

“He won’t admit it but Percy cried too,” Annabeth said with a smirk. Cried was putting it lightly. While watching the birth of his twins, Percy blubbered like a baby in a mixture of excitement, horror, and overwhelming emotion. He’d thought Annabeth hadn’t noticed, seeing as she was busy giving birth at the moment, but apparently she had. 

“Just a little,” Percy relented. 

“I think I saw a snot bubble or two,” Annabeth said. She winked at Estelle, who laughed.  

“Look, I’ve never had kids before,” Percy said in his defense.

Annabeth snorted. “I sure hope not.”

Sally stared down at Theo. She’d passed Cassie off to Paul, who was gently putting her in Estelle’s arms. Estelle and Paul sat in the two chairs. Percy watched as Estelle stared down at her new niece. It dawned on him that they were closer in age than he and Estelle were. Percy cracked a smile at that. 

Sally finally looked up. “Have you talked to your father?” she asked. “You have to tell him.”

Percy shook his head. “Not yet.” He was sure had he told Poseidon, he would have abandoned his godly duties to visit. Percy had no problem waiting until his twins were a little older to introduce them to Poseidon and the rest of the gods but he knew his father would turn him into seafoam if he waited that long. But he also just wanted a moment of calm and quiet. In retrospect, he should have known not to expect that from his mother either. 

Sally nodded understandingly.  “I’m sure he’ll be excited.” Her eyes trained on her grandson once again. “They look just like Annabeth,” she noted. 

“Well, Aphrodite did promise to bless them with attractiveness,” Percy said with a shrug. He could already tell they were going to have his black hair, which was enough Percy for anybody.

Percy sunk back into the hospital bed and put his arm around Annabeth. She rested her head on his shoulder. He smiled at his family fawning over his babies. He was excited for everything to come, knowing full well raising the twins would be nothing short of interesting. He was excited though, to know his children were going to have two loving, dedicated parents at home, something neither himself nor Annabeth had had. He couldn’t wait to dive into fatherhood. Percy hoped he’d be a great parent. Then again, he’d learned from the best. 

[bbyannabeth]

I for one thought that was a great come back. I really don’t understand why people have to try push that Percabeth is toxic and hate on Annabeth 😬 there are so many toxic relationships out there pushed by the media and so to go after a mutually loving, understanding relationship of a couple who have been best friends since before they were teenagers and really care about and understand is each other is beyond me! Their characters are so complimentary of one another and I think mostly everyone who read the books was rooting for them through the whole series, I certainly was 😄 Also, the whole Rachel thing was maybe kinda unnecessary on riordans part but Annabeth was never malicious to her she was just sarcastic and didn’t make any bones about not wanting her around which I can understand since she was worried percy was wanting to forget his ties to the godly world (which included her) and she really cared for him and didn’t want to lose him like she had lost so many others, especially to a world she doesn’t understand and a girl no matter how hard she tried she could never be because she will always be a demigod. I definitely preferd that she spoke her mind than was two faced and acted like she loved her presence 😂 Anyway sorry for the rant but... long live Percabeth (aka the epitome of love) 😉❤️

so true !!!! they really are the blueprint for Love🥺

plus annabeth being jealous was completely understandable and it makes sense that she had a handful of mean comments directed towards rachel. not that rachel deserved it much, she never really did anything wrong, but it was justified that annabeth didn’t like her all that much !!

[alextriestowritestuff]

House of Hades Read with Me Part 2

Hey guys! I’m back with my final thoughts on House of Hades (HoH) by Rick Riordan. My thoughts covering the first half of the book can be found here. My thoughts on Son of Neptune/why I’m re-reading the series is here. My Mark of Athena thoughts are here. If you want to know my general thoughts on HoH and don’t want to read my long winded review of it here it is: It’s AMAZING. This is the best book in the series so far by a landslide imo. Literally if I actually felt more than indifference or dislike for the new HoO characters, I’d say this book was better than any of the PJO books. I was really losing faith in the series before I read HoH to the point where I had wished Rick ended Percy’s story with the Last Olympian. If I were to rate this book, I’d give it a 4.5. I enjoyed the Percabeth, the suspense, and the journey through Tartarus the most. Despite issues with pacing, lack of platonic bonding between the Seven, romantic relationships being stunted for couples such as Piper/Jason and Hazel/Frank, HoH has renewed my faith in the series potentially ending on a good note. 

So let’s get into more specifics down below. I’ll have thoughts, my issues with the book, and spoilers under the cut. 

I’m going to try not to fangirl too much over Percabeth because I’ve done that for all of my read with me’s so far but my heart belongs to them. I loved every reference to their future together. Percy and Annabeth both mentioned possibly having children in the future and I just decided then and there that their relationship is why I have such high standards. This is the blueprint of what I want for my romantic life. Taking applications for suitors now. Actually no, I’m scared of men. Percabeth’s chemistry is out of the world, romantically and in their fighting abilities. I really started to pay attention to how they fight together and as I read, I noticed how they would stand back to back and work together without even saying anything. I’m curious to how they’re going to react now that they’re literally been through hell and back. I’m sensing a PTSD arc. I guess Percy will have a more aggressive reaction (My mans was wildin in Tartarus-also when he said he was going to kill Gaea with his bare hands, I was like umm. sir. Rick better let him have that kill though.) but I can’t quite predict what Annabeth’s reaction will be. Also it wasn’t explained why Percy was acting like a psycho in Tartarus and about to brutally kill Aklyhs but I guess I’m just to assume it was to add suspense and implies he has a dark side. And don’t forget that Percy told Annabeth he loved her back-it wasn’t as poetic as when she said it but he still said love you too. 

Next topic: Bob/Iapetus/Damasen. I like to check goodreads reviews after I finish a book just to see what everyone thought of it and it seems that a lot of people were heartbroken after they (presumably) sacrificed themselves. I don’t have much to say here-I mean, that’s sad and I’m thankful that they did that but I’m not in my feels about it. It was a clever outcome of the ‘foes bear arms to the doors of death’ line from the prophecy. I was wondering if Small Bob had any cool powers the entire time so that was cool when it got all big and helped Bob fight Tartarus (who by the way, scared the shit out of me jesus). 

Nico. Check out my first part to know my thoughts about his whole coming out. I just had a question for you guys here-was he technically outed? And if so, that’s not good. I consider myself an LGBT ally and I try to be aware of when it is and when it’s not okay to reveal someone else’s sexuality. On one hand, I thought it was shitty of Cupid to coerce Nico into it but on the other hand if we (the readers) found out that Nico was gay by just him saying he liked Percy, I would’ve been like there’s nothing in the text to support that statement (because prior to HoH, I thought he hated Percy--blaming him for Bianca’s death--then only helped Percy (River styx, the Labyrinth) because he was an ally to the gods like Nico) so having the scenes in HoH of how Nico started to develop feelings for Percy made so much more sense to me. And those scenes only came up because of Cupid. Idk. Let me know what you guys think.

I found it a little strange how Nico wrote off Percy at the end of the book when Percy thanked him for leading the other demigods to HoH. I get it’s probably a defense mechanism to keep his distance from being even more attracted to Percy but I figured Nico would be a little less cold to him now that he admitted his feelings. I saw a goodsreads review that said there was a confirmed Nico POV in Blood of Olympus so fingers crossed we get that and it’ll explain his curt response to Percy and I’d love a Nico POV if we don’t actually have a Percy/Annabeth POV (according to another review I saw) because I can’t deal with the other HoO characters (except Leo, y’all know that tho).

Next topic: Frank and Hazel. I always give credit where it’s due even if I don’t particularly like or care about a character and these two got the MVPs for this book. Hazel’s fight with Pasiphae-it was so cool. For someone who didn’t get a mentor to help her with the mist and figured it out on her own, she was a straight boss. It was a little off to me how her POV started off the book yet she had the least amount of chapters but had this huge task of controlling the Mist/helping the team get through HoH ahead of her. And then her POV pops up in the end to defeat Pasiphae. This is again, why I say, there’s no need for all 7 to narrate. Hecate could’ve easily come to the ship and say all that stuff in front of the crew and let’s say it had been Frank’s POV. He would notice how Hazel is apprehensive/scared of this task because he knows her well and they could talk about it together so we still know her feelings and that’s one less POV because once again, she barely had any chapters. 

Frank. I stand by my thoughts about the ‘growth spurt’, still think it’s hella problematic. I don’t generally care for him but even I got seduced by him more times than I’m willing to admit. When he commanded that dead army I was like yesss. The blessing of Ares and how he literally was on fire and the fact that he pulled an arrow out of his arm like it was no big deal really did it for me. I feel bad, because he’s just not very well written or else I think I could like him. I want to touch on the ship-- tbh, ship is not a word I’d use to describe this DOA relationship, maybe dinghy--ya this DINGHY ‘ship’ that is Hazel and Frank. Like it’s even drier than Jasper lmao. No chemistry there. They had no scenes alone together. I see that they care for each other and are worried when the other person is in danger but that’s not enough. Worry is normal for any relationship, Percy was worried about Grover when he went missing in Sea of Monsters but they weren’t together romantically. 

And it could just be me refusing to ship a 13 year old with anyone but I just get no vibes from them. Leo and Hazel have more chemistry in their conversations alone. This is a total aside but I’ve been getting salty about how little Percy has had to work with in PJO compared to the HoO characters (And I know Rick wrote PJO first, he didn’t develop all these cool things/weapons like charmspeak or Leo’s belt yet) but although Percy is a great swordsman, he only has his powers like every other demigod. Like Hazel has her child of Pluto powers, the jewel curse that has helped her find gold, and now she can control the mist. And technically she has a horse but so does Percy. Frank’s got his fire stick, shape shifting, Ares’ child powers, archery, and he can command armies. Y’all know the other skills/boosts/weapons the other Seven have (Not including Annabeth) so like Rick really gave Percy (and no offense to Percy but also gave him half the intelligence of the HoO demigods) the bare minimum in PJO and we were all still impressed.

There’s this tik tok sound where someone (I don’t know the original meme or video, if you know please comment or reblog. I’d love to give credit), in disbelief, says ‘Wait a minute, what is this? This isn’t enough’ and someone responds in a sassy tone, ‘Make it enough’. And I feel like for PJO, Percy was like this isn’t enough and Rick said make it enough lmaoo. Percy was struggle bussin’ for no reason in PJO! HoO characters get everything handed to them and they still have the AUDACITY to not have any characterization. Couldn’t be me. 

Next two couples I’ll talk about: Leo and Calypso & Jasper. I wasn’t expecting Calypso to be such a savage, like she was DONE with having heroes wash up on her shores. I missed her so much. While I liked the banter between Leo and Calypso, I felt that it was rushed/forced because it all took place in about four chapters. This wasn’t the best execution and part of why I can’t give the book five stars. I think he’ll come back for her, I don’t know how but out of everyone, Leo has really figured out how to make things work when they’re deemed ‘impossible’. So he’ll find a way. I wonder if he’ll confront Percy about leaving Calypso tho, I’d like to see that. So while he was on Ogygia, the other demigods had moved forward and were in Africa. And I was like WOW y’all really said fuck Leo. There was no search party for him (or mention of it), no tears shed for Leo. Damn. No wonder he feels like the Seventh wheel. I mean we got one or two throwaway lines about them worried about Leo’s whereabouts from Jason and Piper but I mean they weren’t in distress about it. I guessing I’m to assume they asked Nico if Leo was dead off screen and Nico confirmed that he wasn’t so they weren’t too worried about him? Anyway, they’re fake friends for that one. 

That aside, Piper and Jason are *yawn* boring as I’ve said before. But I thought he was going to address Piper’s ‘I love you’ confession last book but I’m not sure if he even heard it. I really thought Reyna was going to come in and shake things up between them but just as soon she came, she left w/ Nico and Hedge to take the statue to Camp Half Blood so missed opportunity for resolution there. Piper and Jason also had NO scenes together so I’m really shocked how Rick expects us to ship couples if they don’t spend any time together. I’m not shocked about how Jason is most likely going back to Camp Half Blood after all this is over. It’s superior to Camp Jupiter so I don’t blame him but it’s an interesting choice. I was actually thinking that Percy might stay at Camp Jupiter because I figured he’d stay as praetor. And since Annabeth’s dad lives in Cali, I was thinking they could stay there but I’m sure they go back to New York after BoO because I saw an excerpt where Apollo asks for Percy’s help and I believe Apollo went to Sally’s apartment. But Percy could’ve been visiting Sally and live in CA normally. Speaking of which, how did Jason just give that position to Frank?? He has to be elected lmao. I mean when I read it, I was like Frank gets handed everything but then I was like well, Percy got the position and he wasn’t even at Camp Jupiter for a week and I didn’t complain about that. At least Frank has been there longer and has shown leadership qualities. But yeah, it’s still a no for me for Piper and Jason. At least Piper’s POV chapters weren’t annoying this book but she only got 4 chapters lmao so no time to be annoying. 

To end this review, I want to touch about why I give this book gets a 4.5 and not a 5. I really feel like the 7 POVs were extremely unnecessary especially because the demigods not in tartarus were mostly together and didn’t have as many side quests as MoA. And some of them didn’t even get more than 4 chapters. I found the magic growth spurt way too problematic to overlook. I still feel like the new HoO characters except for Leo are underdeveloped or unlikeable. The pacing wasn’t the best-Alot of things happened in this book and very little of it could’ve been taken out. The pacing wasn’t slow, it was the right pace until about 60% of the way in and then I was just constantly being hit with attacks and rushed meetings like Leo and Calypso. But I can’t quite fault Rick because I felt every event in this book was necessary for it to be as good as it was so of course, some parts end up rushed. In addition, there’s not much bonding happening between the Seven. Like each trio that had their own book had some bonding in there (Can’t speak for Lost Hero because I haven’t read that in 6 or so years. But tSoN had a little, mostly between Frank and Hazel tho) but collectively, as the seven demigods of the prophecy-they haven’t really hung out and just talked about things that aren’t quests. For example in the Lighting Thief, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover would play hacky sack and he bonded with both of them when they were stuck in the zoo animal enclosure whatever. Grover told him about finding Pan and being worried since he was supposed to guide Thalia back to camp safely and he wasn’t able to. Annabeth told him about her dreams to become an architect in the Sea of Monsters. 

Those moments of platonic bonding and intimacy are what’s missing from this series. Yes, the plot/the quest of the Seven should be front and center but I don’t feel like they’re a team. They’re just co workers at this point lmao. Hell, I think all of them participating in a conversation and just talking and enjoying each other’s company would actually make me like the HoO characters. Not Piper, she’s irredeemable in my eyes. She belongs to streets. Everyone else has a fighting chance tho. Guys, think about it. They have something in common (that’s number one requirement of friendship) they’re all demigods. They’ve all been scared, under pressure and expectations to save the world, and felt abandoned by their parents at one point or the other. Leo and Frank have said in their narrations that they feel inadequate next to powerful demigods like Percy and Jason. Imagine if Frank and Leo spoke to each other about that and were friends. Or started a dialogue about feeling inadequate and the other demigods could share their insecurities. The Seven are able to work together, that’s true but it doesn’t feel like friendship. It seems like each separate trio from the first two books are friends (Annabeth is in between because she’s friends with Jason and them but also Percy’s girlfriend) and they all just call the other trio friends because what else is there? Quest mates? 

And I’m getting a little upset rn because there have been so many instances where we could’ve gotten some platonic friendship. Piper is learning from Hazel how to sword fight (How this girl has survived without learning an actual weapon how is beyond me. Charmspeak didn’t work very well for her in this book), like we had both their POVs. We could’ve had a training/bonding scene from either perspective. Not just some throwaway line about how they got close because they’re the only girls now that Annabeth was in Tartarus. Why couldn’t we have gotten one scene Rick? What was the reason? Tragic.

Platonic love and relationships exist. And it’s more than just complimenting someone when they use their powers. The scene at the end of the book when the Seven, Hedge, Reyna, and Nico are having lunch together on the hill is a whisper in the right direction. How Jason ‘bear hugged’ Percy when he got out of Tartarus is another example. Though this wasn’t platonic and was more familial but Nico basically accepting Hazel as his siser (On a level that is acknowledging her on the same level as Bianca and not just another kid of Hades/Pluto) by kissing her on the cheek. I know you can do it Rick. You’ve done it before. All I want from the last book in this series is platonic love, answers about how Hazel’s curse will be lifted by a descendant of Neptune, Percabeth, and the Gaea/giants defeated. You can have all the POVs your heart desires if you just give me those things. 

See you guys next week with the Blood of Olympus read with me. My writeblr followers must be tired of me lmao, I swear I’ll get back to normally scheduled content after this. I love writing this kind of rants/reviews even though they take me like 2 hours to write.

[bubblegumwitchswriting]

Chasing Dreams

Pairing: Will/Nico (plus very minor Percabeth - more if I continue this)

Ao3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15705150

Summary: Inception AU. Nico works a job with forger Will Solace, and crashes one of Will's dreams.

They were in Paris. Nico wasn't fond of Paris. The city of love mocked him: every street seemed to have a dark-haired, green eyed man with a blonde girlfriend hanging off his arm, staring at him with simpering, limpid eyes. That - that wasn't fair to Annabeth. She was smart, and fierce and the best damn architect in the business. It made sense they were working with her, just as it made sense that Percy had fallen for her. Making sense didn't make it hurt less.

He'd grown sick of the two of them working together so flawlessly, as well as Leo and Jason's arguments about various technical aspects of the plan. He’d gone out for fresh air, and possibly coffee since it had been another long night discussing boring, but crucial technical details. The others thought he was a black coffee, espresso person but he ordered what was essentially a version of a cappuccino. It was good, but didn't beat the coffees he'd had growing up in Italy. He drank slowly, watching the city pass, dragging out the time until he'd be compelled to return to the flat they'd set up base in.

It was crudely furnished with only the essentials, and too small to comfortably house the six of them. They were all old acquaintances, most people in the business were, but the six of them had never worked together as a team before and after a week there were still arguments as they found their feet. Jason and Percy clashed most frequently, both used to leading. The job had been Jason's idea, but Percy had come up with the more detailed plan which made things worse.

Nico, as the one who had to force their visions into reality, make them work in the real world and make sure everything was in the right place at the right time got conflicted requests he usually had to deny which wasn't making him any friends. It was giving him a headache and pushing him towards antisocialism rather than just plain and simple introversion.

The door to the flat was stiff and he had to give it a shove with his shoulder before the swollen wood gave and the door heaved open. Looking in at the living room at first he thought all the others were out, but then he saw Will lying back in an chair, the sun falling across his face and lighting up his hair a soft gold. His eyes were closed and at first Nico thought he was just asleep, but then he saw the PASIV, connected to his furthest arm, almost out of sight.

Nico wasn't sure how he felt about Will. He'd met the blonde a couple of times before, always as a friend of a friend, an acquaintance of an acquaintance. Will had served as an army nurse for a time before moving into the dreams business. His speciality, surprisingly, was forgery and he was good. His medical talents were also a bonus, both in dream and out of it, and he probably had the best knowledge of the PASIV of all of them, even Jason who spent far too long chasing dreams. Will was calm under pressure and though he had a sharp tongue and a wicked smirk, he was easy going and more stable than any of the others.

So Nico wasn't really sure why he didn't like him. Except, that wasn't exactly right because it wasn't even that he didn't like him. He also couldn't place what it was. Whenever there were together they seemed to bug each other. They bickered. It was mostly harmless. Sometimes Will would get the upper hand, sometimes Nico would. A victory never felt like much of a big deal, nor a defeat a particular loss, but they kept arguing anyway.

He walked towards the PASIV. He didn’t usually invade other people’s dreams, but something had him hooking himself up to the device.

The first thing Nico noticed about Will’s dream was that it was really warm, far warmer than Paris in January. A light breeze ruffled the fields of wheat. Under the shade of the porch Nico shrugged his jacket off. Will had his eyes closed in the dream as well as in reality but he noted Nico’s presence with a laidback self-mocking salute.

Will opened his eyes.

“What are you doing here?” he asked. He didn’t sound annoyed, just curious.

“Practice,” Nico said with a shrug. It was plausible enough. Jason had been insisting that they all need to get to know each other, to understand how the others work to ensure that the operation ran as smoothly as possible.

Will nodded, closing his eyes again.

“So, what have you figured out about me from my field of wheat?”

Nico wasn’t exactly the most sensitive individual on the planet admittedly, but he did know better than to ask Will where the dream was based on. He was beginning to regret crashing.

“That you like boring scenery?” Nico suggested.

He sat down on the deck, placing his hands down on the rough wood. He was impressed with Will’s detail for what was clearly just an escape from the confines of the flat, a chance to see the horizon instead of a slightly seedy Paris street in a slightly shabby area.

Will smiled at the sky.

“I like the space,” he said, with unexpected honesty.

Nico looked up at the sky.

“It’s not bad I suppose,” he said. A complete compliment didn’t completely sit right with him, but he did admire Will’s work. The sky was slightly darker than the pale Paris morning offering and was streaked with moody grey clouds. The sun outlined the wheat in gold. It wasn’t the busy suburban landscapes or overstuffed and crowded rooms Annabeth had been recreating faithfully, but it was deceptively detailed inside its simplicity.

Nico took a breath. The air smelt of peaches.

“It’s not is it?” Will answered, not rising to the bait. He seemed even more languid than usual, not interested in their usual barbed banter. It was a change of pace Nico hadn’t expected and it threw him.

“The others are a bit of a pain right?” Will commented, a slight gleam in his blue eyes. “It’s nice to escape every once in a while.”

Nico nodded. He got that. He didn’t get this new side of Will.  He seemed calm but there was something underneath, something boiling in the distance like the storm clouds Nico could see on the distant horizon. He was distant, engaging in conversation but only really going through the motions. Nico almost missed the sharp bite of their arguments, when Will was familiar.

The wood under Nico’s fingertips had a slight warmth.

“I know this whole thing is a teamwork kind of gig,” Nico said. “But I keep thinking this will be the last one. I’m not really a team player.”

Will glanced at Nico, sharp surprise written in his face.

“You want out?” he asked. His calm had slipped for the first time.

Nico frowned, shrugged.

“These aren’t really my people.”

Will turned to the horizon where the storm was gathering.

“I thought you and Jackson –“

“Jackson and me what?” Nico snapped, before he could stop himself. He was an adult goddammit. He had an apartment, that admittedly he hardly ever visited because he was usually globetrotting on illegal covert missions, but it was his. He would do taxes if was a more honest person. And yet a mention of Percy and he was snapping back into a stupid, paranoid love-sick teenager.

“I thought you went way back. Were good friends.”

Oh. That rumour. They did go way back, but friends was pushing it. There was time Nico might have filled the annoying kid brother role, way back when the both of them were starting out. But Percy didn’t especially want an annoying kid brother, and Nico had fallen way too quickly for that to be what he wanted Percy to see him as. A mission had gone wrong and Nico blamed Percy. It was easier than sticking around.

No. They weren’t good friends.

There was a rustle in the wheat.

“You’re going to get kicked out of here soon,” Will commented. He was sitting back again, one arm thrown over his face. For the first time Nico noticed a letter dangling from his other hand. He’d seen the outside of that letter briefly out in the real world, before Will had snatched it up and taken it out of sight.

The sky was getting darker.

“Want a wake up call?” Will asked.

Before Nico had a chance to answer, Will shoved him hard and he was falling sideways off the deck which suddenly seemed not feet off the baked ground but miles.

He woke with a sharp jolt in a chair in the flat. He blinked, disorientated, turned to see Will still lying asleep in the chair. Barely a minute had passed.

He sat up slowly, watching as Will began to wake. He focused on removing the PASIV’s needle from his arm, deliberately not looking at Will: he’d been so different in the dream, Nico felt like the world had been swept out from under his feet.

“Did you mean what you said?” Will asked as he fiddled about with the PASIV.

“Which part?” Nico asked.

“The part about leaving,” Will said sharply.

Nico shrugged.

“Don’t pretend you’d miss me,” Nico answered. He still couldn’t quite face Will so he didn’t see his expression, couldn’t gage his response.

“Oh I wouldn’t,” Will said, breezy and carefree all of a sudden: almost too breezy, too carefree. “It was nice having someone to argue with a guess, but you’re nothing special. There are plenty of point men out there. In fact, we might as well replace you now.”

Nico flipped him off in response, but was saved answering by Jason’s return.

“I’ve had a thought,” Jason announced.

“And I can’t wait to hear it,” Will said. Nico heard the trace of irony in Will’s voice. He didn’t know if Jason did.

The two of them walked over to the dining table and spread out one of the blueprints. Jason spoke, Will responded monosyllabically at first but then with more interest. Nico stayed in the armchair, staring out at the city of love. He’d been so convinced it was the right thing to do to leave the business, to leave all the bad memories behind. Listening to Jason and Will his conviction waver.

One more mission. One more mission, then he’d see.

[newathens]

this isn’t a false alarm

pairing: percabeth (it lowkey doesn’t matter tho js)

rating: general audiences

warning: angst

summary: 

Annabeth receives a gift in the mail.

It wasn't what she was expecting.

um i thought of this idea @ 3am while i was fighting off exhaustion and it scared the life out of me, so i had to write it; i hope i did the concept justice

read on AO3

The chaos was over.

She opened her mailbox swiftly and swept its contents into her arms. A few envelopes, a magazine, and a package. Hm, whatever. It had been years since the battles, the chaos, the fear; this was the happiest she’d ever been. She spent the summers training heroes and the rest creating monuments, skyscrapers, buildings, the future. There was nothing that could dampen her smile. Trudging up four flights of stairs, she finally reached her apartment and jiggled the keys in the lock quickly, wandering in to hear him shout out in welcome. She laughed at his tone and dropped her things on the kitchen table, taking the package with her as she gravitated towards the main room, where he sat idly on the couch. She wondered what it could be, her curiosity was no longer a burden.

The chaos was over.

“What’s that?” He asked.

“A package,” She muttered and looked it over. Slim, long, like something you’d put a cylinder in. Blueprints, a pole, baton, a telescope. The sticker held nothing but quick scrawl, it read: To Annabeth Chase, from a friend. She smiled fondly, if someone was pulling a prank, there’d be retaliation.

“Huh, is it heavy?”

“Somewhat,” She broke the tape with her fingernail and pulled one end open as her head turned towards the television screen absentmindedly. There was a news report, a storm was heading in and there was traffic in several different areas. Same as usual. In the box, something shuffled with her motions and she tipped it over, spilling the contents into her hand. Her eyes caught the moment well before she could react.

It’s hilt hit her first, sliding into her palm the way it had a thousand times before. She grabbed it reflexively, fingers wrapping around it, weight perfect in her hand. Then her skin felt it, the cold—the violent, frigid, freeze—of the metal was enough to burn and she screamed, jumping away as it dropped from her hands, hitting the floor with a thunk. Both of them, filled with disbelief, stared at it as it lay there between them. It was a dagger—the dagger, her dagger.

The celestial bronze was stunning, all polished and bright, not faded in the slightest. The blade’s edge looked like it could cut through air and she didn’t even need to run her fingers against it to know the surface was smoother than stone—one that had faced many years of erosion under the onslaught of a river’s motions. It was gorgeous, breathtaking even.

Everything that a dagger sitting in the pits of Tartarus for countless years shouldn’t be.

She tried to calm herself, this could be a gift from someone. The chaos was over. It could have been from a god, maybe her mother, maybe they cut a deal with someone down there, maybe the friendly titan sent it through the shrine, maybe maybe maybe. As steady as possible, she took a step forward and bent down to pick it up. He spoke up as her fingers grazed the hilt, warned her with words, pleaded with his eyes. She let out a breath through her nose and grabbed it, standing up to lift it out in front of her. The metal was still cold, but it no longer burned and slowly, her grip tightened. As she held it there, staring into it, her reflection stared back and she sighed. Blonde hair, gray eyes, a soft smile; there was nothing to fear here. She titled it back and forth, letting the bronze reflect against the light that filtered in from the window. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, back and—

The world seemed to slow down as she tilted it again and her reflection flashed in the blade, except it wasn’t her reflection. It wasn’t a reflection at all. There was a man looking back at her, with raven black hair, a crooked smile, and golden eyes.

She screamed again. The dagger dropped from her fingertips and she stepped back, only to trip over herself and fall to the floor, where she continued scrambling back on her elbows, shrieks spilling from her lips. A sound, a deep, grating chuckle, ran through the room and she clamped her hands over her ears, trying to stifle the sound, but it didn’t help. He was up, jumping over the coffee table and dropping down next to her, pulling her close against him. There was shouting, shouting, shouting.

“Annabeth, Annabeth!”

She gripped at his shirt and stared at the dagger that sat across the room, its blade was pointing towards them. Tears dripped down her cheeks and she wiped at them with haste. Her breaths were short, quick, panicked, “I saw him.”

“Whoa, whoa, what?”

“Percy, I saw him!” She cried, her throat ached and her body was shaking. This wasn’t happening, this couldn’t be happening.

“Saw who?”

“Him,” She looked up to catch his eye, her tone rang with finality. “Kronos.”

He pulled back, eyes searching her face, mouth agape and she could tell, he didn’t believe her; he didn’t want to believe her. Yet, before he could could reply, before he could act like her claim was anything but the truth, the room went cold. It went from a chill to below zero in seconds, frost grew along the windows, the air stung their skin, and their breathe puffed out before them. Their arms wrapped around one another tight, and they held each other in a vice-like grip.

The dagger was menacing, daunting as it remained there inanimate, but slowly a ringing sounded out, the kind you’d hear come from metal. It was a single, constant ring that grew louder and louder and louder, until it sounded like a shriek, one that would break both their eardrums and their windows, and it was coming straight from the dagger. The bronze began to glow and their gasps came in unison, but she didn’t move, couldn’t move. Something breathed—warm and very much real—against the back of her neck and she screamed for a third time, cursing and shouting and stuffing her face deeper into Percy’s neck. Then, everything came to a halt. The ring, the glow, the frost, all gone as if it had never happened to begin with.

There was a moment of silence, then it all came crashing down on them. She pulled away, pulled in on herself, and weeped into her palms. A messy, uneven, cry that turned into string upon string of shouts and yells and screaming. Percy continued to hold her, despite her lack of coherency, but he was no better. Rambling scrambled up through his throat, his body was shaking viciously, and she could hear him ask, “Did you feel that to, did you feel that to.” Of course, she felt it. Of course, they’d both felt it. Of course, it had to be real. It would be a fool’s dream to think it was anything but.

The chaos wasn’t over.

It was only just beginning.