"Trust me, Fish Breath," Athena growled, "Nothing is going to happen between them. My daughter is smart enough to avoid associating with one of your Sea Spawn."
Poseidon gave a light chuckle as he leaned back in his throne, "Fish Breath? Is that the best thing you could come up with?"
Athena huffed angrily, opening her mouth to speak again before being interrupted by the latest segment of Hephaestus Television.
The two gods turned to face the flickering screen.
"So if the gods fight," Percy's soft voice broke through the hall of the Olympians, "Will things line up the way they did with the Trojan War? Will it be Athena versus Poseidon?"
Annabeth snuggled against a black backpack in the corner of a transport truck. "I don't know what my mom will do. I just know I'll fight next to you."
Athena gave a sharp intake of breath. Poseidon raised his eyebrows slightly, apparently too shocked to look smug.
"Why?"
Annabeth sighed. "Because you're my friend, Seaweed Brain. Any more stupid questions?"
The Television cut out.
Poseidon frowned. "Well at least that girl of yours knows how to come up with a catchy nickname."
•••
"It's obvious that your stupid kid has a crush on my Annabeth!" Athena shouted across the throne room.
The council of the Olympians watched with wide eyes as their favourite reality show evolved in front of their eyes. Some looked bored, some scared, some excited.
"As if!" Poseidon shouted back, "Your trying to tell me that Annabeth doesn't have a thing for Percy. Do you see the way she looks at him!"
Athena growled, "And did you see the way your son held her at the bottom of Siren Bay? Friends don't hug each other like that, Poseidon."
Athena stood to leave when Apollo interrupted her.
"Would both of you shut up for one second! The latest update on the love story of the century is about to begin," Apollo cried out with glee.
"Love story of the century?" Athena and Poseidon murmured together as they turned towards the television screen shimmering in the corner of the throne room.
The smiling faces of Annabeth and Percy appeared on screen.
The gods went silent.
Annabeth and Percy were being paraded around on people's shoulders, shouts and cheers raining out in every direction.
"Oh my gods! Aren't they just adorable," Demeter cooed.
Annabeth leaned over and kissed Percy on the cheek.
A round of squeals rang out through the Olympians, mainly coming from Apollo.
"Gods, how precious is that?" Aphrodite yelped.
Athena's face turned bright red. She stormed angrily from the hall.
Poseidon stared at the screen, watching the replay of the kiss over and over again.
A light smile traced his lips. It turned into a chuckle, and then a hearty laugh.
He sat back, wiping his eyes, "Well I guess it's no question now who's kid has a crush on the other."
•••
Athena sat with her arms crossed, staring with a dull expression at a Hephaestus Television programme.
Poseidon opened his mouth to say something. Athena raised her hand to cut him off.
"I don't want to hear it, Poseidon." She growled. "I don't care if your boy travelled all across the country to rescue Annabeth. I don't like him, I don't like you. He will not be dating my daughter any time soon."
Poseidon rolled his eyes. "Athena just look at them. They're in love, it's sweet!"
Athena slammed her hands down on the arms of her throne. "They are not in love! They're simply confused!"
Poseidon stared angrily at the god. She stared back with equal annoyance.
Finally, both immortals turned back to the massive screen, an uneasy silence settling between them.
Percy was holding the sky, his whole body shook under the weight.
Annabeth lay to the side, struggling to stand.
"He took the sky for her." Poseidon whispered, his voice filled with soft shock as he stared at his son.
Athena clenched her fist, "He took it for Artemis."
Poseidon crossed his arms and glared at the screen. "We both know he took it for her."
Athena didn't say anything.
The T.V cut to a different segment.
Annabeth was standing across from Percy. Blood dribbled down her face. Percy's clothes were in tatters, smoke curled off his shirt.
"Look," she said with a small smile. "Matching."
Percy reached up and touched a strand of his hair. It was stark grey, just like one that Annabeth now bore.
Percy frowned in confusion, "I don't get it. What's it from?"
"The sky, stupid," Annabeth said with a small giggle, "Duh."
Percy rolled his eyes, although he couldn't help the playful smirk that rolled across his lips.
Annabeth stared into his eyes. Percy stared back.
He reached up and curled the soft grey peice of Annabeths hair in his finger. "Matching."
Athena's eyes narrowed at the screen. Poseidon had a haughty smirk on his face.
"Well, I can tell you one thing," he muttered, "The way Annabeth's looking at him... she doesn't seem too confused about how she feels."
•••
"Ten bucks that they're gonna kiss!" Apollo cried out.
"50 bucks!" Shouted Aphrodite.
"100!" Yelped Hera.
"Ooo, no." Apollo pouted. "I don't have 100 dollars."
"Brother, you are literally sitting on a throne that is comprised entirely of solid gold." Artemis sighed.
Apollo stuck his tongue out at his sister. "Fine. I'll go for 100."
"What are we placing bets on?" Athena asked casually as she made her way into the throne room.
The gods quieted.
"They're placing bets on Percy and Annabeth kissing," Poseidon said smugly.
Athenas expression dropped. "Kissing? As if. There's no way that's happening."
"Just you wait." grumbled Poseidon.
"Oh would both of you hush up," Demeter waved her arms about. "The programme is starting!"
"Put your cap back on," Percy said. "Get out!"
"What?" Annabeth shrieked. "No! I'm not leaving you."
"I've got a plan. I'll distract them. You can use the metal spider-maybe it'll lead you back to Hephaestus. You have to tell him what's going on."
"But you'll be killed!"
"I'll be fine. Besides, we've got no choice."
Annabeth glared at him.
"Oooo, she looks mad," crowed Apollo.
Ares slapped him.
And then she kissed him.
Gasps rang out around the throne room.
"I can't believe it."
"They actually..."
"Woah."
Once everyone had gotten past their initial shock, Apollo burst out, "100 dollars! You owe me 100 dollars, Hera!"
The gods began shouting and yelling about money, and who owed who what. The throne room was instantly chaos. Only two gods stayed quiet.
Poseidon gazed at Athena.
Her expression was tightly fixed on the screen.
As Poseidon looked closer, he caught a shimmer of something in her eyes.
Was it...? Possibly...? No it couldn't be. But it truly looked like...
Happiness?
•••
"There's so much to be done, Hera!" Zeus complained. "We need to get to work immediately. Olympus is a mess."
"Just one minute," she begged. "Percabeth is about to kiss. For real this time."
"Percabeth?!" Zeus complained. "What even is this Percabeth?"
"It's Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase's ship name, obviously," Aphrodite rolled her eyes.
"My bad," Zeus grumbled impatiently.
The gods began to file into their seats. All demigods were gone from their palace. Only immortals remained.
The hall went absolutely silent.
The Hephaestus Television programme flickered to life.
It broke into the middle of a conversation.
"You saved the world." Annabeth said.
"We saved the world."
"And Rachael is the new Oracle, which means she won't be dating anybody."
"You don't sound disappointed," Percy noticed.
Annabeth shrugged. "Oh, I don't care."
"Uh-huh."
Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "You got something to say to me, Seaweed Brain."
"She's rather bossy, isn't she?" Aphrodite whispered to Hera.
"She's Athena's kid," the god whispered back, "What did you expect?"
"Preach." Murmured Aphrodite.
"You'd probably kick my butt." Percy muttered.
"You know I'd kick your butt."
"Oh, slay honey," Apollo clapped his hands.
"Shut up!" Half the gods cried out.
"We love a sassy queen," Apollo mumbled sadly to himself.
Percy brushed the cake off his fingers. "When I was at the River Styx, turning invulnerable... Nico said I had to concentrate on one thing that kept me anchored to the world, that made me want to stay mortal."
Annabeth kept her eyes on the horizon. "Yeah?"
"Then up on Olympus," he said, "when they wanted to make me a god and stuff, I kept thinking-"
"Oh, you so wanted to."
"Well, maybe a little. But I didn't, because I thought-I didn't want things to stay the same for eternity, because things could always get better. And i was thinking..." his voice trailed off.
"It's happening." Dionysus muttered softly.
"Anyone in particular?" Annabeth asked.
Percy glanced over and saw her trying not to smile. "You're laughing at me."
"I am not!"
"You are so not making this easy."
Then she laughed for real, and she put her hands around his neck. "I am never, ever, going to make things easy for you, Seaweed Brain. Get used to it."
Their lips connected.
The screen shut off. The image of Percy and Annabeth went black.
"Hey!"
"We weren't done!"
"I was watching that!"
"Who turned it off?!"
The angry shouts rang out from the gods mouths.
Athena held the T.V remote gingerly in her fingers.
The room slowly quieted down as they saw he sitting there.
"So, Poseidon. I guess we should have expected it."
"I did expect it." Poseidon murmured.
Athena gave a small smile.
Poseidon raised an eyebrow. "You don't seem awfully upset."
Athena crossed her arms. "Surprisingly, I'm not."
"Shocking," Poseidon muttered lazily, twirling his trident in his hand.
Athena smirked. "Now, if I could've chosen the parental figures of this young man, I'm sure I would have selected differently. But as for Percy... he's not the worst kid out there."
"Was that a compliment, Athena?"
"I suppose," she frowned, but then a small smile reappeared. "Besides, it was bound it happen."
"Indeed it was."
Athena sat back in her throne.
Poseidon gave a small shrug. "And... I think we both knew from the start..."
Athena gave him a genuine smile, and the two gods spoke in unison. "These two were meant to be in love."
I haven't updated in a while I'm very sorry. But this is a pretty long one!! So I hope it makes up. Anyways, this is pretty rough, and I just whipped it up, but hopefully you guys like it. And I think we can ALL agree that Percabeth really was meant to be in love :) Don't forget to comment and vote!!
-Addie