The daughter of Athena should've been researching, reading, learning new moves with her dagger, anything! But no, she was lying on the

warm sand of the coast where Long Island met the sea.

The air smelled like Percy and sun shone through her closed eyelids. A soft ocean breeze blew her stray hairs around her face.

She sighed in relief. As much as she loved Percy and her friends, she hadn't had a day to herself in a while. She'd decided to grab an old

favourite book and wander until she found the perfect reading spot. She ended up finding a quiet coast, bountiful with sunlight.

After a few dozen chapters, Annabeth had decided to lay down and relax. As she basked, she felt all of the tension from the last few weeks

sink out of her body through her toes and into the crumbling sand.

The salty breeze blew the thousands of thoughts out of her head and away into oblivion, or maybe to Aeolus. Her mind filled with the

sound of the light waves crashing against the shore.

For the first time in a while, Annabeth Chase was at ease. And naturally, something was bound to ruin it. Something had to balance the

universe out, but what?

Suddenly, she heard the sound of footsteps quietly approaching her spot on the hot sand. Well, it was good while it lasted, she thought.

The blonde sat up and held a hand above her eyes to shield the sun so she could view the advancing stranger.

"Well hey there, Wise girl," said a familiar voice.

"Percy." She sighed and recognized the shape and sound of her boyfriend.

The son of Poseidon's siluette became clearer and clearer as he neared, until he was completely visible and standing right in front of her. He crookedly

smiled and plopped himself beside her. "I was looking for you."

Annabeth smiled cheekily. "Were you?"

"It took me a while to find you. I should've known you'd be here." The wind blew awry strands of raven hairs across Percy's forehead.

"And why would I be here?" She questioned.

"You do the complete opposite of what I think you're going to do." He chuckled. "You always do what I least expect."

She raised a blonde brow and bit her lip. "Is that bad?"

He gazed at her, and his sea green eyes held a tint of humor. "Not at all. I happen to like guessing games."

"Oh really?" She quipped. "What am I thinking now?" She dared and leaned closer to him.

Percy smirked and placed a finger on his chin mockingly. "Hm, I don't know, maybe that I'm the perfect boyfriend?"

The young blonde cracked up loudly. "And why would I be thinking that?"

"Because," Percy reached behind him, pulled something from his back pocket and held it beneath his closed fingers in front of Annabeth, "I got you

something."

She scoffed. "Seaweed Brain, if this is some sort of-" Her words cut off when she gasped. Percy opened his hand and a small colourful rectangle was on his

palm.

She reached out and took the object in her hands to examine it closely. It was a short rectangle, maybe fifteen centimetres long and five wide, made out of

orange bristolboard. It had a hole punched in the top where a rope of green, blue and red strings were tied and intricately braided together as a sort of tail.

Glitter was glued to the bristolboard and was accented with a few different metalic coloured star stickers. All the designs were circling a few words written in

thin black marker and very bad hand writing that should couldn't quite read.

Annabeth, glanced up and noticed Percy awaiting her reaction with a nervous smile. She realized her was open in 'o' formation. Her cheeks felt hot.

"Well?" He asked.

"It's adorable." She gushed. "I needed a bookmark, thank you!"

Percy's brows knit together in confusion. "That's it? Did you not read it?"

Her expression morphed from content into confusion. She looked back down at the bookmark in her hand and squinted. The golden-haired girl squinted at the

paper and read its phrase aloud: "I love you, Annabeth."

She gasped and her eyes flashed up to the son of Posiedon's face. He stared at her, biting his lip nervously, while she gawked at him, wide eyed.

"Y-You love me?" She stuttered.

"Well, yeah." He shrugged. "Of course."

A moment of silence passed between the two demigods until Annabeth flung her arms around Percy's neck, tackled him so he fell down and began kissing

every inch of his face.

"Whoa, Annabeth!" Percy exclaimed and gripped her waist.

"I love you too." She said between kisses.

He brought his hands up and tucked a stray curl behind her ear before taking her face in his hands. "That's... That's amazing. You're amazing."

Annabeth brought her head down and softly placed her lips on his own. Percy reacted immediately and kissed her back, the 'I love you's being told not only

verbally, but physically as well.

She pulled away, which seemed too soon for Percy's liking, and stood up.

He sat up on his forearms with a bewildered look on his face. "Where are you going?"

"You're getting too sappy on me, Seaweed Brain." She smirked, turned, picked up her books and began walking back towards the Cabins. "It's almost dinner

soon. You coming or what?" She called.

Behind her she heard Percy stumbling to get on his feet again. "Annabeth, wait up!" He called, but she just kept walking, grinning to herself. I'm still not making

it easy, Seaweed Brain, she thought to herself.