A/N: same goes for this chapter, I'm really bad at writing romance so sorry if this is bad and feel free to leave suggestions and feedback!
Since no one told Percy where he'd be sleeping, he stayed in the Slytherin common room, on a couch by the fire with a blanket that Annabeth brought down for him. Annabeth stayed with him well past midnight. After everyone else had gone to bed, they stayed together, just enjoying each other's presence. It wasn't until three in the morning when either of them remembered the golden egg.
"Wow," Percy said after Annabeth had returned to their cozy blanket nest with the egg.
"We should go outside to open it," Annabeth said. "It would wake everyone up."
"But what about curfew? Won't we get in trouble?"
Annabeth laughed. "You're too old to worry about curfew, Seaweed Brain. Come on."
Outside the common room, Percy jumped at any noise that might be a patrolling teacher. Annabeth rolled her eyes every time, but she loved how much he cared about such inconsequential things, like rules.
"Come on," she whispered, crossing from one side of two intersecting halls to another while a teacher's back was turned.
"Wha— Annabeth!" Percy hissed, running after her. "We're going to get caught!"
"The doors are right there, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth laughed, taking his hand and pointing down the Entrance Hall.
Out on the freezing grounds, the Yule Ball decorations mixed with the crickets from the forest, the fairies sleeping in the rose buds, and the lack of making out party goers combined to give the place such a strong fairy tale feeling that Annabeth could almost imagine they were part of a story book.
"The stars are different here," Percy said when they left the light of the lanterns and sleeping fairies.
Annabeth nodded. "The Huntress would be over there in our time," she said, pointing to a spot in the sky. "Right next to Orion."
"I wish you could have met her," Percy said softly. "You would've been friends."
"We'll meet," Annabeth replied just as softly. "Some day."
Percy smiled. They reached the lake, and Percy slid his shoes off.
"Should we go under?"
"You read my mind," Annabeth said, setting her shoes next to Percy's.
They were far from any people, but the sound of the egg's screams would carry across the dark grounds, alerting any teachers doing night patrol that there were some students outside after hours.
The water was freezing, but the chill went away as soon as Percy's hand touched hers. As they walked further in, splashing around Annabeth's neck, the water dented ever so slightly, like a small glass bowl had been pressed over it, and it continued to grow as Annabeth's head went under, leaving a thin bubble around her face so she could breath.
Percy, of course, didn't have a bubble, and he was looking around the lake with interest.
"Is there a... thirty foot long squid in here somewhere?" he asked, tilting his head like a confused puppy. His voice came through perfectly clear under the water.
"Don't worry, he's friendly," Annabeth said, settling on the sandy floor, the surface rippling ten feet above their heads.
"If you say so." Percy drifted down across from her, criss crossing his legs. "Let's hear a screaming egg."
Annabeth slid her fingers into the small groove that ran up and down the egg. Her hands were slightly slower in the water, but Annabeth had been under the surface with Percy enough times to be used to it.
The egg didn't scream when it split open.
Instead, a silky voice like the sirens from fairy tales emanated from the center of the egg. It took Annabeth a single second to get over her shock and to realize it was a song.
Come seek us where our voices sound
We cannot sing above the ground
And while you're searching, ponder this
We've taken what you'll sorely miss
An hour long you'll have to look
And to recover what we took
But past an hour, the prospect's black
Too late, it's gone, it won't come back.
"That didn't sound like a scream," Percy said helpfully when Annabeth closed the egg. "I think whatever the second task is might happen in the lake."
Annabeth nodded. "Come seek us where our voices sound, we cannot sing above the ground," she said, already having memorized the song. "Do you know of any creatures that only sing underwater?"
This was familiar territory. Annabeth settled into the comforting mindset of decoding a prophecy, something she knew how to do, something she was good at. Balls and dresses and makeup, she knew next to nothing about. But this, this was her element. And sitting under the dark water with Percy at her side, there was nowhere else she'd rather be.
"There's a certain type of mermaid," Percy suggested. "Selkies. They sound like that when they sing, but I've never heard them above water. It could be them—"
"There was a mermaid the night I opened the egg for the first time," Annabeth blurted out a split second after Percy finished talking. "It came to one of the windows in the common room. It must have heard the song and come to investigate! Okay, and while you're searching, ponder this, we've taken what you'll sorely miss."
"I guess I'm the lucky winner?" Percy said, sounding very not excited at that prospect.
"Why else would they let you come back?" Annabeth reasoned. "But you'll be underwater if the mermaids are guarding you, so you'll have the upper hand."
Percy nodded. "An hour long you'll have to look, and to recover what we took. But past an hour the prospect's black, too late, it's gone, it won't come back. I don't like that part."
"They can't do anything to you," Annabeth said, though she wasn't sure. "And you'll be in the water. You'll be fine."
"It is freshwater, though," Percy said, but he was looking pretty confident as he made a small air bubble float in his palm. "It's not going to refresh me like salt water does. But it's still water. You're right. But how are you going to breathe?"
"Would you be able to do this again?" Annabeth asked, gesturing to the air bubble around her head. "You did sense my dagger in the entire charleston harbor. Except you might be unconscious." Annabeth thought for a second. "We have to come back tomorrow night. I want to test a few things, but if we stay here any longer then the early risers will know we're out."
"Whatever you need," Percy said, and together, they rose for the surface.
***
Annabeth forgot Christmas was a thing. When she woke up to see the small mound of packages at the foot of her bed, her first thought was that someone had dumped their things there. Then her brain caught up and realized it was the day after Christmas eve, more commonly known as Christmas.
In the bed next to her's, Vera was opening one of her own presents. When she saw Annabeth was awake, she sat straight up and raised her eyebrow.
"You were out late last night."
"Go to sleep, Vera," Freddie murmured sleepily from her bed.
"Not when presents are unopened," Vera said, like this was common knowledge.
She got up and plopped back down on Annabeth's bed, criss crossing her legs and resting her elbows on her knees.
"Might this have to do with the handsome and slightly clueless American currently sleeping in our common room?"
"We haven't seen each other in months," Annabeth said incredulously. "What do you expect?"
"Oh, you know," Pansy said, already sitting on top of her blanket with most of her gifts unwrapped, "kissing, romantic midnight date, stuff like that."
"Maybe some other things."
"Vera!"
"What? I didn't say anything bad. You just chose to interpret it like that."
"We just talked," Annabeth said hurriedly. "Nothing else."
"Boring," Vera huffed. "Whatever. Open your presents."
Rolling her eyes in exasperation, Annabeth turned to the small pile at the end of her bed. She counted five, which was more than she was expecting. The first one was from Freddie, and when the last of the wrapping fell away and revealed the title Hogwarts, a History, Annabeth actually gasped. There was an entire book on the history of Hogwarts!?
The next was from Vera (who was back in her own bed), and Annabeth didn't know why she was surprised when she saw it was a slingshot.
"It's not just any slingshot," Vera said with a huge grin after Annabeth thanked her for it. "That thing shoots anything, and it never misses. If you know what you're aiming for, you're going to hit it with that."
The next was from Percy, a holster for her wand that would fit on her arm right next to her dagger. And, because it was impossible for this woman to not surpass every expectation, Sally Jackson had found a way to send a full box of her famous blue cookies.
The last one was a metallic scroll with cabin nine's symbol stamped into the corner. The magical scroll was frozen on an image of Percy, Piper, Jason, Frank, and Hazel at Camp Half Blood, with about twenty campers in the background. Annabeth smiled at the sight of all her friends. She tucked the scroll away to play it later when she had more privacy.
"Annabeth, catch!"
Annabeth looked up just in time to grab the small package that Pansy had thrown out of the air. When she unwrapped it, Annabeth saw it was what looked like a tiny dog bed.
"It's for Tal," Pansy said, referring to Crystal, the tiny model of the Swedish Shortsnout from the first task currently sleeping in a fluffy pair of socks on Annabeth's night table.
"Thank you so much!" Annabeth said. She set the little bed next to Crystal, who picked up a head the size of Annabeth's big toe to sniff it. Tal sleepily stood up, stretched halfheartedly, then grabbed one of the socks and tromped over to her new bed, where she plopped down, pulling the sock over herself like a blanket, and went back to sleep.
***
The day was spent mostly outside in the snow, which had completely covered the grounds in the few hours since Percy and Annabeth had been out there. They split into two teams for one of the most intense snowball fights Annabeth had ever been a part of, with Annabeth and Vera on one team and Percy and Freddie on the other, and Daisy as the referee at her insistence.
That ended when the teachers intervened because it was 'getting too violent' (which was ridiculous), leaving two hastily made bases, low walls literally all over, everyone completely covered in powdered snow, Vera on her back and fully buried up to her chin, Annabeth with every hole in her clothing magically sealed shut, and Percy and Freddie at the bottom of a shallow pit that Annabeth had constructed and then camouflaged.
When everyone was thoroughly numb, they went back inside to the warm fireplace and dry clothing. After that, it wasn't long until dinner, which was a feast so big it could have satisfied the gods. Annabeth could barely wait until it was over and everyone else had gone to bed.
Finally, at around midnight, they got their chance. Percy and Annabeth snuck through the halls just like the night before, bundled up in cloaks while they walked through the ruins of their snowball fight.
"That was a cheap trick," Percy said as they passed Annabeth's pit.
"Cheap things still work," Annabeth returned, pointing at the indentations at the bottom that had been previously filled with Percy and Freddie. "Okay, let's get started."
They stopped at the lake's edge, where Annabeth positioned Percy a few feet away from her and took out her wand.
"I'm going to hit you with a stunning spell," she said, "and then bring you to the lake. Theoretically, the water should wake you up."
Percy nodded. "Hit me."
Raising her wand, Annabeth said, "stupefy."
With a flash of red, Percy dropped like a rock. Annabeth tucked her wand back into her new holster and rolled his limp body into the lake. As soon as his head went under, Percy shot up and said, "Did it work?"
"No, you're still unconscious," Annabeth said, helping him up.
"Wise Girl."
"Seaweed brain. Okay, so we know that works, but we don't know if that's the spell they're going to use on you. I want to try a few more."
"Am I still a guinea pig?" Percy said, examining his arms. "I thought the gummies fixed that."
"You made a cute guinea pig, Seaweed Brain."
"I thought you're glad I'm not one, Wise Girl."
"Be a guinea pig again for tonight, and maybe I'll kiss you."
"You drive a hard bargain, but I'll take it."
Annabeth kissed his cheek. "Good. I'm going to try another one." When Percy nodded to show he was ready, Annabeth said, "Dormio."
Percy's eyes rolled back in his head. It was a good thing he was already sitting, because he slumped back, head thudding against the soft snow. Annabeth laughed when he immediately started to drool.
After being rolled in the lake again, Percy sat up and grabbed Annabeth, rolling both of them farther into the lake. Annabeth yelped and splashed him, wetting his entire head. He had been keeping himself dry before that, but Annabeth knew it was harder for him when the water was splashing.
Pretty soon they were both soaked and in hysterics, laughing their heads off like crazy people.
"It's freezing!" Annabeth forced out between laughs and shivers. "No, don't," she said when Percy made to dry them both off. "We're just going to get wet again. I need you to go to the other side of the lake so we can test if you'll know when I come in."
"Got it," Percy said. He pressed a kiss to Annabeth's lips and then flipped over and vanished under the dark water.
Annabeth brought her feet onto dry land, huddling under her cloak while she waited. Why was her only chance to actually prepare for the second task now?
It took a minute, but finally a series of bubbles broke the surface, their agreed upon sign that Percy was ready. Annabeth took a deep, steadying breath before stepping back into the water. When she was deep enough, the bubble formed around her head, just like she'd hoped it would.
Percy got back a minute later, while Annabeth was still neck deep in the water.
"It worked," she said, kissing his warm lips.
"It did," Percy agreed. "Now let's get you somewhere warm."