A/N

Welcome to Mint and Basil, the perlia! collection of one-shots! and part 2 of The Scent of Love series!

I was planning to call it Ozone, but I figured Mint and Basil was a better name for it.

It's just a bunch of drabbles and one-shots, obviously.

'selfish' will be left as a stand alone story because it's a comprehensive, 4000-word lone one-shot. These stories are often going to be written in a choppier, more blunt fashion and have much less words.

enjoy!

cheers,

combatwombat14

Percy knew she was near.

He'd recognise her scent from anywhere, the distinct smell of the Daughter of the Lord of the Sky.

When she was happy, it was less noticeable. But when she was angry – or nervous, which she definitely was right now – the air around her would start crackling madly, and the smell of Ozone would fill the air.

Of course, it wasn't just that.

She'd also have a scent of... mint? Basil? Something fresh, which he supposed was a by-product of her time with the Hunters of Artemis.

(They were surprisingly warm to him despite the fact that he was dating their former lieutenant. Maybe it was because he was scared shitless of them? He didn't know.)

Percy sat on the sand that touched the waters of Long Island Sound, patiently waiting for her to make her way to him. She'd probably had another nightmare.

He had one too.

"Hey, Kelp-Head."

And like that, he knew tonight was going to be different. Most of the time, the two of them would simply sit there for hours, Percy staring at the calm, soft waters of Long Island Sound and Thalia staring upwards into the sky, looking for some sense of calm.

But tonight, she'd said something. Which inevitably led to them breaking down, crying into each others' shirts while both of them whispered to each other to never let each other go.

(He liked crying into her shirt. He could smell her scent, the freshness of it, and he'd calm down.)

(The harpies had seen it so many times, it was normal for them to completely ignore the two demigods now.)

"Hey, Lightning Bug."

Despite how often she'd told Percy not to call her that, she could admit in private that she loved him when he'd called her by a nickname, and she especially loved Lightning Bug. Thalia was an independent woman, and she didn't need no man, but she needed Percy.

He wasn't just a man.

He was her best friend, her confidant, the keeper of her secrets, her partner-in-crime, and now, to her glee, the Son of Poseidon was her fiance.

"Nightmares too?"

Percy just nodded, but she didn't need confirmation.

They'd been doing this for the Gods know how long.

Thalia just buried herself into his side, and Percy smiled. He could smell her minty scent, the very one that never failed to settle his nerves, the one he'd gotten so familiar with during last winter when they'd cuddled in the same bed for days on end and Percy buried his head into her neck and nuzzled at it.

He never got tired of it.

"What was it this time?"

Thalia tensed before answering.

"It was... Luke."

It was Percy's turn to be wary. It was never good when she dreamt about the Son of Hermes, and knowing they used to be... involved with each other wasn't comforting for him.

"I dreamt that he'd killed... you."

Percy's wariness dissolved as he heard what she'd said. He angled his head towards Thalia's, and saw tears dripping down her face.

"And... I was just watching, and I couldn't do anything and he just looked at me while he stabbed you. Back there."

Back there.

His Achilles spot. The one he'd told Thalia about, because he sure as hell trusted her above anyone else.

Percy shifted ever so slightly and reached down a bit, grabbing Thalia by the waist, before lifting her up and into his lap.

"Hey. Thals?"

"Hmmm?"

The Daughter of Zeus was still sobbing slightly as the events of her dream played through her mind. It all just felt so... real.

She felt two finger underneath her chin apply a gentle force and her head was lifted up, and Thalia saw the swirling, sea-green eyes of her lover.

Percy Jackson.

"I'm right here."

And just like that, at that simple declaration, she broke down.

Thalia cried not because she was devastated, like before, but instead because Percy was here and Percy was alive and We're getting married were all going through her head at once and so many emotions just flashed through her head right then.

Percy just hugged her tighter as she placed her head within the crook of his neck, and he could smell the mint-and-basil freshness of Thalia, and he smiled.

They'd be alright.

Fin.