Percy's POV about what he was doing meanwhile the girls were out...
Percy's POV.
I've had the ring in my pocket ever since we made it with Leo, well I more so watched... But by afternoon I was getting hell bored, like thinking of picking up one of the books in the Athena cabin's library bored. I went to look for Jason and Leo. Found them and the little runt dragged us to Bunker 9.
"Why did you take us here anyway?" I asked Leo in the entrance, searching the ceiling for any signs of cracks. I wasn't sure about underground spaces lately.
"Just come on in," Leo grinned. "I don't intend to murder you in here." He smirked.
"Yeah," Jason scoffed. "Cause you'd have to clean it up later."
Leo shrugged. "Not today friends," he said and literally opened the wall with a code he typed into the panel.
Wow...
No windows, of course, but there was a table soccer and other games. On one of the walls was mounted a basketball hoop. There was a sofa and what seemed to be a projector hanged from the rock ceiling above. I could die smiling in there... It was every kid's dream to have this.
But don't tell Annabeth I said I'd die smiling here!
"Welcome to Leo's Bro cave." Leo spun around like a Disney princess, pointing at everything wildly and explaining
"Amazing," Jason exclaimed.
He jumped on the sofa and threw his feet on the table.
"I'm not leaving, ever." He laughed.
I looked around again.
"Whoa," I closed my mouth. "Wait you couldn't have possibly made this now." I said.
"Who says I did? I worked on it when I first got here and finished before we sailed away on Argo II."
"Does anybody know?" Jason asked as he opened the cooler and pulled out a can of coke.
"Just you two."
I looked around once more and noticed the wrecks that used to be Festus. He served us well...
Maybe Leo could add a motorcycle function next.
Leo sat next to Jason and I landed right next to him.
"Is that PlayStation 1 under there? Best games ever! Annabeth will love kicking my butt in these."
The table under the TV must have contained about everything the Hermes kids ever smuggled into the camp and more.
I played this kind of a console a few times when stupid Gabe was out of the house and I knew he wouldn't find out... But that's happened rarely.
"The girls are so taking over this." Jason scoffed theatrically. "No other options, right?"
Lil baby in his starting relationship... I couldn't be selfish enough to not tell Annabeth.
"Nope," both me and Leo said.
"But we're not letting just anyone in." Leo added.
The punk handed us the remotes and we played games for what seemed to be forever.
Until I remembered...
"Annabeth! Oh my gods I wanted to surprise her and now she must be back already, oh gods. I won't be able to prepare it!"
I shot up and tripped over Jason's shoes. I hit the ground hard but I jumped up again, my wrist throbbing in pain.
"Dam!" I cussed.
"What are you doing bro?" Jason shouted after me.
Leo seemed to be having a complete LOL moment.
"He forgot he wanted to marry Annabeth," Leo laughed hysterically. "Dude, chill out."
"That's not funny!" I cried out, tying my shoes.
"I have to run. Don't you dare say a word," I shouted back. Running out into the woods. I forgot that I forgot to tell Jason.
I had to jump to Zephyrus Creek to catch my breath and fix myself up a little. When I finally got to my cabin I took the blanket and picnic basket. It was 5pm already.
Blackjack was waiting for me as I told him to. Good boy.
"Hey boss, late as always," the Pegasus snorted.
"Yeah I'm sorry, BlackJack, I forgot."
I handed him his promised sugar cubes and jumped on his back.
"Please take me to the Western hills."
"Once you take the good boy crap back." The Pegasus whinnied.
I came back a while later and jumped on Annabeth's bed, hoping I'd seem super bored when she came.
She appeared at the door just a few minutes later.
Anyway, I asked her for my candy and she told me to take it from the backpack... I proceeded to almost die laughing then.
Not saying I wouldn't joke about how she didn't have to be so obvious in her attempts to seduce me but for that moment I had much more important matters on my mind. I was trying really hard to keep it together as it was.
I took Annabeth aside when we've finished dinner. Or well we didn't, I told her not to eat tons cause I had some plans for us. She slowly accepted it, eventually... After a few stubborn bites of her spaghetti.
"Do you believe me?" I started.
"You ask that after making me not eat my own dinner?" Annabeth stared at me. She knew I was up to something but I waited for her answer.
"Yes I do, quite obviously, or I'd be stuffing myself with my freakishly tasty spaghetti," Annabeth said as she lifted her eyebrows, amused. "I'll always trust you Percy." She gave a little amused sigh.
She kissed me, and I kissed her back.
"Fine then. Don't move, I'm going to blindfold you and take you somewhere. Do you mind?"
"Seaweed brain if this is a prank I'm gonna kill you. And kick you out of the Underworld afterwards, for personal reasons." Annabeth smirked at me sweetly. But she also turned on her heel, letting me tie the scarf.
I grinned at her, she was just tapping songs on her thigh with her fingers all the while before Blackjack landed in front of us. I secretly took a photo of us two before lifting her up onto Blackjack's back.
Who neighed the wedding song silently... Little bitch would have thrown me under the bus if Annabeth understood horse.
"I trust you Perseus Jackson," she said as she hugged me. "But be a good boyfriend and don't drop me."
She pet the Pegasus.
I helped Annabeth down again a minute of flying later and led her to the picnic I prepared beforehand.
The view of Long Island Sound was amazing, it was getting darker so we could watch the stars soon.
I reached into my pocket to get the ring but it wasn't there.
All I found was Anaklusmos and I did not need that.
I freaked out, holding Annabeth's hands. I felt the sweat start pouring.
"Idiot!!!"
"What?" Annabeth asked.
"Not you, me," I assured her.
She shook her head.
"I agree with that," Annabeth laughed.
"Haha, ha... Ha..." I let out. "Please just wait here for a while. I have to go back for something," I kissed her lips and led her to our spot and had her sit down. She pulled me down with her though.
"Why don't you stay?" She whimpered, taking off her blindfold. "It was a very very long day, whatever it is, it can wait. Wow, Percy this is wonderful. You did all this?" Annabeth looked at the set-up I've prepped. "This is lovely."
"Actually it can't wait, I did this amazing thing and I was supposed to have everything perfect. The picnic, sunset, I got a whole speech ready and then I forget tge- I'm back in a second!" I shot up and jumped onto Blackjack's back who haven't left yet, luckily.
"Percy wait!" Annabeth called. But my brain was haywired to have it all the way I planned.
"Bunker 9 pal and hurry please."
So that's how I left my girlfriend sitting on a hill, alone, calling for me to stay before I planned to propose to her.
I rushed into Bunker 9 but stopped when I realized the door was coded.
Ο Λέων είναι φοβερό (Leo is awesome). I wrote that and waited.
NOTHING.
"Uhmm." I clicked my fingers and typed: Η ομάδα leo (Team Leo).
The door opened. There was the amazing blurry sight of Leo and Calypso kissing on the sofa, but my brain was too fuzzy to stop at that clue.
"Sorry guys," I shouted as I leaned for the ring sparkling under the cooler.
The two stared at me.
I was pretty sure it was better to run than wait for them to recover and let Leo fry me.
"Sorry again," I shouted once more as the doors closed...
And then I was back and Annabeth was more beautiful than ever, the weary setting sun turning her hair beautiful shades of colors.
I pulled Annabeth up when I got back and knelt in front of her. Scared out of my mind, breathless, thrilled. I wasn't about to back out though.
Annabeth's POV.
He asked me If I believed him, blindfolded my eyes, flew me somewhere in the camp, and left? Seaweed Brain...
I was sitting there for 195 seconds (definitely not 1) before I heard some awful noises that would wake up even the dead.
"Percy?" I grinned as the wings whooshed the air around me.
"I'm so sorry Annabeth." He was panting when he took my hands and pulled me up. His own hands were a little shaky.
"What are you doing Seaweed brain?" He let go of my hands and knelt on the ground in front of me. Was he out of his mind?
"What is it Percy?" I laughed. I looked him up and down. His breathing was way too far from steady. His hair was a mess from the crazy flight to gods know where. His beautiful eyes were full of excitement.
I was just about to kneel down too when it clicked. Oh crap no.
"Annabeth, I want to tell you something." Percy took my hands into his. He was still shaking.
"I love you. If I were to say a specific time that I started to truly know I couldn't be happy in life if I didn't get to feel your hand in mine, your kiss on my lips and your nature imprinted into my brain, I'd say that I've loved you ever since you sent me that picture when we were 13. It's crazy but there's no one else I'd want to spend my life with. And I only want to make your life great, marvelous, and build everything with you, design it's milestones. And when we die, old and shriveled, I promise I wouldn't choose rebirth because my life without you in it would be just as pointless as all my rambling." Percy laughed.
"I- I- Perce-" I couldn't talk. And I was pretty sure my heart was doing somersaults at the time.
Percy looked through his pockets and pulled out a ring.
My heart skipped a beat and I gasped for air, unable to breathe. I remembered when he gave me that coral stone necklace and thought it was the nicest thing I could ever receive.
The sight took me by surprise.
I never imagined he'd ask this soon, sometimes I dreamt of asking him myself when we were just a little older and he was still too shy. But...
"Will you be my Mrs Jackson?" Percy said with the most handsome smile I ever saw. I knew this sight would be imprinted in my memories forever.
This strange feeling started in my chest. It wasn't pain. It was amazing, like when we first kissed, but a zillion times stronger. He was looking at me with those puppy eyes.
"Annabeth?" He asked sort of nervously.
What could I say? That i dreamt of this moment every other night when he disappeared. That I'd give anything to live my whole life half as happy as right now?
"Yes!" I cried out. "Yes, yes, yes, of course." I whispered slowly, falling down and almost causing us both to drop.
"Thank god!" Percy clapped his hands in a wild gesture and pulled us up.
"I love you." I said, grinning. "So much Percy. I love you, I do. Yes, I will."
Sometimes I was worried that I didn't express my feelings enough for Percy to see. But tears started running down my face and I couldn't stop them. Just like I couldn't stop the smile.
"Why are you crying?" Percy looked at me, confused but so visibly happy my heart fluttered again.
"Because you are just perfect, you always know what to say. Crazy but perfect... Who was I to think you'd wait till we were twenty something."
We sat down again and Percy slid the ring on my finger. Then he hugged me so close I felt his heart beating against my skin.
I felt like I could stay like that forever. An asteroid could hit the Earth and I wouldn't care.
The ring felt nicely cold on my finger in the summer heat. I twisted it and smiled.
We lay there, not capable of saying a thing for a little while.
"Sometimes I wonder why you love me, how you always saw the best... And then I remember how amazingly kind and gorgeous you are and..." Percy sighed. "Nevermind, I brought some food." He said.
"Hey! Percy promise me that you won't ever think like that again! I don't know where life will take us or how much we'll fight when we come to big decisions." I smiled, knowing we fought with as much passion as we loved each other when it came to that. "Anyway, I'd rather kiss Hera's feet than leave you." I frowned at him. "I love you because you were always there. And not just that, even when you weren't I could feel I had someone out there who would never betray me. You're not like everyone else."
"I promise I won't." He smiled, eyes glistening, and raised his hands above his head then and folded them under the nape of his head.
"Annabeth?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't ever kiss Hera's smelly godly feet for me." Percy laughed. "And since we're talking about godlings... There might be one tiny, itsy-bitsy, catch still waiting."
"You haven't asked my mother, have you?" I guessed.
Percy scrunched up his nose and shook his head.
"Do you think she's going to kill me?" Percy grinned.
"If she's checking her credit card bills then she's gonna kill the both of us anyway, immediate death..." I laughed.
W
e kissed a little more and I could swear my internal plans flashed before me, ready for changes.
"But when will we marry?" Percy said as he pulled away to adjust himself and reach under the blanket to throw an arrowhead sideways. I sat up. Oh the things you found around here...
I slid my hand in his.
"We'll ask my mother and your father tomorrow for what I care and we can marry here in camp if our parents give us the blessings. And if not... I don't care, there's other beautiful places to go, the whole wide world. Time on our side..." I laid back down on the blanket but moved closer to Percy, watching the dark sky full of stars and the thinnest piece of moon that allowed such visibility.
Half-bloods didn't have it easy, and so I knew that the weirdness of us wouldn't be that wilf. I'd figured long ago that half-bloods lived in the moments, enjoyed themselves as much they could, and hoped for another good day without a prophecy after their throat... That's why I wanted this too, for all that mattered could be there as long as our faith allowed.
Percy pulled another blanket over us and I felt the content need to become one with him. Why would we have to pull apart?
"My dad knows and agrees by the way." Percy smirked, answering belatedly. "And if Athena has a problem with our age then we can wait anyway."
I kissed his cheek lightly.
"I don't think my mother cares about our age. It's you she hates," I laughed.
"Right in the feels." Percy snickered.
"You know I was technically engaged to you already? If we were heavy on Greek traditions."
"Do you even know how many apples I've thrown at you over the years?" Percy grinned.
He knew... Of course he did.
"Hey." He stopped being silly. "Will you keep your name or take mine?" Percy asked after a while of silence. I thought about it for a second.
"I like Annabeth Jackson better, I love my name alright, so much, but if I'm tied to some family by a few letters, I'd rather it be yours." I said. Though the thought of my younger brothers I never really knew stung close to my heart. It was just a name though.
Then we just lay there, kissing, and talking about future and our wedding, watching the stars. I found the constellation of Zoe. Bob was her grandfather... I wished she had gotten to know the pure version of him, the one that showed to be our salvation.
"Thanks," I whispered to the sky. Bob wanted to see them again, so much. If it weren't for him we wouldn't be there.
"What did you say?" Percy prompted himself up.
"Nothing," I shook my head. "I just remembered some of the heroes we lost."
I kissed him. And a while later we fell asleep.
When we woke up the sun was already set pretty high on the horizon. BlackJack took us back and we snuck into my cabin.
The ride and the rising sun was the most beautiful sight. I loved the feeling of carelessly flying, gliding through the air. We took longer than we had to.
Before I fell asleep in Percy's arms again I looked at the ring. It was gorgeous. Percy was a genius.
Even though I thought we'd marry when we were 20 and older or so, I was happy he asked. I knew I loved him always and it was all that mattered. Just 18 or not, I wouldn't let the gods hold us back this time.
Ps: few words... if you think that people who marry at such a young age won't be happy and all that crap literally just cause of the age then that's wrong. I know it doesn't have to work for everyone (marriage at any age, really... All that matters is the honest pure love the couple shares). But it definitely worked out for my parents who married very young and are more than perfect together! I still see those young adults in them and it's adorable, nothing is ever perfect, and sometimes you just gotta walk far around the line of the rules and normalcy all together. Just follow your heart and the head and you'll be good
Vendy