PJO/HOO One Shots

Two's A Crowd

It had started as a suggestion.

Annabeth snuggled into Percy's side, practically purring in contentment as he ghosted his fingers lightly over her bare back, alternating between tracing circles on her body and toying with the ends of her hair. It was nearly midnight already, but true to its nickname, New York City did not sleep, traffic pouring on outside their window. Annabeth pressed her ear further into Percy's shirtless chest, seeking out the comforting sound of his heartbeat, letting its rhythm soothe her into the beginnings of sleep when he said it.

"Let's get married."

Annabeth furrowed her brows as any semblance of sleep left her. "What?"

She craned her neck, trying to look at Percy's face so she could gauge how serious he was being, but all she was met with was his neck as he looked up to the ceiling.

"Percy, what?" Annabeth shuffled around in the bed until she was sitting up against the headboard, looking down at him.

He shrugged, shifting until his own back was against the headboard, green eyes glinting like emeralds in the glow of the streetlights. "I said, 'Let's get mar-'"

"I know what you said," Annabeth interrupted, feeling her face heat up. "What I want to know is why?"

"I just want to, is that too much to ask?" Percy looked at her like it was a challenge, one that she could either embrace or shrink away from.

"Well, no, but..." Annabeth faltered. We have rules, she didn't say.

Being a celebrity couple was hard, but it was especially hard when you started dating at the height of both of your respective peaks of fame. Such was the case for Percy and Annabeth; he was riding the high from winning several Olympic gold medals in various swim circuits, and Annabeth was dealing with the aftermath of a multi-million dollar grossing movie. They had skirted around each other for so long, given that so many of their friends were mutual, and while they had eventually worked their way into a real relationship, they had rules-- boundaries-- that made this relationship theirs. Not the public's, not the paparazzi's-- theirs. Percy and Annabeth's.

One such rule involved no posting of the other one social media, and another was no slip-ups during interviews. Another was only letting their closest friends and family know of their relationship and swearing them to secrecy, and another was never going to each other's house without a viable disguise as well as a well-thought-out entrance and exit strategy (example: being brought in and out in a suitcase was not Annabeth's proudest moment). It could be exhausting at times, but it was worth it, because they had been together for three years now without anyone suspecting a thing. In fact, no one even knew that Olympic gold swimmer Percy Jackson and A-list actress Annabeth knew of each other's existence. And that was the way they liked it. Things were good like that. But marriage? That could ruin everything.

"Hey, hey," Percy said softly, coaxing her out of her head. "I know what you're doing."

She blinked. "No you don't," she fired back petulantly, like a child.

He chuckled, a deep rumble that reverberated through his chest. She couldn't help tracing the movement with her eyes. "Yes I do. You're overthinking it Wise Girl. Just trust me, okay?"

Annabeth took a deep breath, running the scenario in her head again. Maybe... maybe they could do it. Get married in secret, just a small thing. No rings, unless they could find a way to hide them. She wouldn't be able to change her last name; the media would jump all over that immediately. She'd have to pray to whatever god was up there that the media didn't get ahold of her obtaining a marriage license. And yet... calling Percy her husband had a nice ring to it. Her heart fluttered as she imagined him calling her his wife, being able to come home to him every day and wake up to him every morning(when their schedules allowed).