Mortals Meet Percabeth

Why Annabeth Doesn't Want Children Yet

Percy sat at breakfast, feeling like the weight of two worlds was pressing down on his head. His eyelids were already drooping and he felt like he had no appetite. He closed his eyes for a second and remembered that he had a lot to do. Snapping them open, he chugged a whole can of Red Bull and reached for more. Nope. He drank it all.

Walking over to the drinks area, he poured himself straight-up black coffee. He found that it really got him awake most of the time. Trying not to gag at the taste, he finished it and decided that he didn't want to get cozy with his plate of blue waffles. He could feel Annabeth's burning look on his back, but he didn't care.

He met up with the rest of the counselors, who were already discussing the plan for the day.

"So, I'll train them in archery," Thalia said. "I mean, it is Target Tuesday."

"But you're only doing ages 10-14 today because it's Tuesday," Jason reminded her. "Piper, Leo, and I can probably do some of the chores around here."

"I'll train ages 15-17," Clarisse stated. "I can't trust any of you bozos to do that."

"I'll work on building and adding things to the camp," Annabeth said.

"Some Romans are coming to visit, so Hazel and I can greet them and welcome them," Frank volunteered.

"I can look after the kids." Percy grinned. "They're so cute... Maybe I'll take them on a hike or a trip to the beach. Maybe they could do arts and crafts..."

"Okay, okay, Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth laughed, planting a kiss on his cheek. "We all know you're good with kids. Are you sure you can handle them by yourself?"

"I've got this," Percy reassured her.

Annabeth sent him a concerned look before nodding. "Let's move it! CAMPERS AGES 10 TO 14, GO WITH THALIA! CAMPERS 15 TO 17, GO WITH CLARISSE! CAMPERS BELOW THE AGE OF 10, GO WITH PERCY!"

The younger campers cheered and rushed over to Percy, who was quickly engulfed in hugs.

"So what are we doing today, Percy?" Rosie asked excitedly.

Percy chuckled at the daughter of Aphrodite. "We're lucky and get a day off, so I'm taking you guys to have fun."

They cheered, making his stomach flutter with happiness. "First stop, the beach!"

He started to race towards the hiking trail that headed for the beach, his backpack with a first aid kit full of bandaids and packs of Red Bull already strapped to him. The younger campers sprinted after him, laughing as they did so.

___

As Annabeth spotted Percy leaving, she couldn't help but speculate at the empty cans of Red Bull taking up the trash cans. Staring at her boyfriend--and this could've been her imagination--she noticed that he was a little bit paler than he was last week, before the chaos came. Tons of meetings with Romans came, and lots of paperwork for Percy to handle, especially on his own.

Annabeth felt slightly guilty--all of her friends did--for putting so much pressure on him. Piper and Jason had dates planned, so did Hazel and Frank, and Annabeth was busy with architecture for Olympus. Plus, Jason, Piper, Hazel, and Frank had made it very clear that they didn't know how to deal with kids, especially after two went missing and they spent two days trying to find them.

That left Percy to care for most of the camp, most of the meetings, and his own personal life with his own personal careers and goals. She shrugged. If Percy said he was fine, he was most likely fine.

MOST LIKELY.

___

It was about three in the afternoon when Rosie came sprinting into camp, accompanied by Bruce.

"Bruce? Rosie? What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at the beach with Percy--"

"Percy needs help!" Rosie exclaimed, fear in her eyes.

Annabeth dropped everything she was holding, as did everyone else.

"What?" she asked, shocked.

"I didn't really see what happened, but Bruce, Kaylee, Carly, and I were making sand castles to the side when Ashley suddenly screamed. We looked over to see Percy on the ground and Ashley, Avery, and Ally crying and screaming for help," Rosie explained. "We don't know what happened, but Bruce and I just ran for help! Annabeth, is he okay?"

"Come on, Rosie and Bruce. I'm coming," Annabeth said, running to the trail that lead to the beach.

The moment she burst onto the sand, she spotted him. Percy was sprawled in the sand, eyes closed, perfectly still. She stopped in her tracks for a few seconds before sprinting to him.

"PERCY!" she screamed, sitting down next to her boyfriend.

Grabbing his backpack, she tried to find the first aid kit. Instead of the first aid kit on the top of the bag, she was greeted with many cans of Red Bull. Staring at Percy, who had eye bags and pale skin, she put two and two together.

"Ugh, Percy, you idiot!" she groaned, partly out of relief.

"What's wrong with him?" Rosie asked, fear evident in her eyes.

"He's fine, Rosie. He's just overworked and tired." Annabeth felt slightly guilt stab her. "It's our fault for not realizing how much we were giving him. Continue playing. I'll be right here with Percy."

She held his hand for a solid hour before Percy stirred, a flicker crossing his face. His sea-green eyes fluttered open and he stared, unfocused, at the girl in front of him.

"A-Annabeth?" he croaked, his voice dry like sandpaper.

"Yeah, Seaweed Brain." She took out the backpack full of Red Bulls. "You're going to be napping for a week after today, Percy."

"But I wasn't doing anything wrong--"

"No, you weren't. You were doing everything right. But we put too much work onto you and you collapsed out of stress and exhaustion. Percy, you need to know when enough is enough."

Percy smirked as Annabeth pulled his head into her lap. "This is why you don't want kids yet, hm?"

"Partly," Annabeth admitted, kissing him on the lips. "Also, kids get in the way of us having romantic peace and they're hella annoying. I don't get how you put up with them."

But as soon as she finished her sentence, Percy was asleep. She chuckled, stroking his hair. He deserved a peaceful nap.

___

Hey, are you feeling tired? Because if you are, don't be like Percy and take a freaking NAP, dude! I love you :) ~