There's the sound of battle all around.  Swords slashing, heads falling (and really you'd think we'd have figured out by now that slicing the head of a hydra is an emphatic no.  But of course not.  It must be some stupid hero complex), unsavory words flying, and rings clinking to the ground.  Wait, what? 

"Whoops," my kelp-head of a boyfriend words eloquently.  And my mouth lifts up at the corners -- wavering, trying so hard not to laugh -- because of course it would be Sally's old ring, and of course we would be in the middle of fighting off a multi-headed beast, and of course he would be a klutz and drop it, because Percy. 

"Really?" I interject, disbelieving, "Now?"

"Well, I didn't really mean to, Annie," Percy grumbles under his breath as he grabs the ring off the ground and fends off the hydra's fire with his shield with an acute deftness.  He's grown to become an expert at this, wielding his sword with a swiftness and agility born out of years of practice and -- it serves to say -- makes my boyfriend look really hot. 

Turning his head, Percy grins.  "Like what you see?" he asks with a not-so-subtle wiggle of his eyebrows. 

"I don't know, what makes you think I'm not still angry with you for dropping and almost losing my ring?" I retort, making it seem like an offhand comment as I walk towards where a couple demigods have drawn away the weakening hydra.

"I told you it was an accident, Annabeth...," Percy whines before catching himself.  "Wait..."

"...."

"Did you just call it your ring?" he manages, baffled.  My grin is about wide enough to split my face as I walk away.  "What...Annabeth...no, don't walk away from me," there comes the sound of a stumble and of someone tripping over themselves and face planting in the hard-packed dirt.

Kelp Head.

“That Annabeth Chase is kinda cute in a rip you limb from limb if you so much as touch her way, don’t you think?” Leo Valdez asked one Percy Jackson, grinning all the while.

“Yeah, I guess,” the resident nerd replied, blushing in a way that made Leo’s grin widen until he resembled more of a certain cat from Wonderland than anything else.  To be honest, it creeped Percy out a bit. 

After an uncomfortable silence – which consisted of Leo making kissy faces at Percy and Percy looking anywhere, but at Leo – the bell rang and Percy started heading towards Mr. Gregg’s pre-calculus class.

“Hey Perc, pizza and a movie at my house tonight!” Leo shouted at his retreating back. 

Just as Percy turned around to reply, he ran into none other than Annabeth-freaking-Chase.  He, no she, no they practically bowled each other over.  Of course she landed on top, elbowing him in the stomach and – did she just accidentally kiss him? – in the process.

“Eww, ugh!”

Apparently yes.

“Ugh, get the freaking off, Jackson!”

“Me get off?” Percy stared back into her grey eyes (the close distance was making him go cross eyed) incredulously.  “You’re on top of me.”

“Ugh, whatever,” she grumbled, standing up.

She didn’t help him up, but she most definitely did drop her fifty-pound (well, from Percy’s view it felt like fifty-pounds) textbook on his stomach.

“What the actual crap, Annabeth!”

“That’s for kissing me,” she glared.

“I thought we’d clarified that it was you who fell on top of me so,” Percy retorted, “therefore it was also you who kissed me.”

By the end of his tirade Annabeth was fuming.  Her face had turned ripe red and he could very easily imagine smoke billowing out of her equally red ears like in some old cartoon.  Her hair was a mess from when she’d ran her hands through it in frustration and her eyes were alight with a challenging spark. 

In that moment Percy Jackson realized two things.  One, that Annabeth Chase really, really didn’t like to lose an argument.  And two…

_____________________________________________________

Plip. Plip. Plip. Plonk!

Percy watched as the stone sunk to the bottom of the lake, dispersing tiny fish in its path. He picked up another flat stone, and launched it across the lake, sighing as he dropped his arm back to his side.

He knew he should be happy to be back at Camp Half-Blood. He was still alive and Annabeth was still alive, but they had lost so many good friends along the way. With new faces of young demigods adding to the mix, camp was starting to feel strange and unfamiliar. Percy didn’t know if he could ever look at this place like he had the first few years of his life as a demigod: exciting, comfortable, home.

He bent to pick up another rock, but he dropped it when he heard a voice.

“The campfire’s about to start and you’re here throwing rocks in the lake?”

One corner of Percy’s mouth lifted slightly, her presence just having that effect on him, but his frown quickly returned when he processed Annabeth’s words.

“I’m not really in the mood to sing,” he sighed as his gaze returned to the water.

“Well, I hate to tell you this Seaweed Brain, but no one’s ever really in the mood to hear your singing,” she jests purely out of reflex as she steps up behind him. But immediately she drops the dry humor from her voice and places her hand on his arm, knowing him well enough to read the signs.

“What’s wrong, Percy?” The question is accompanied by a slight squeeze.

His eyes hesitantly flicker to hers, and her heart clenches at the look in them, the sparkle that she’s come to cherish diminished by a weariness that she tries to stave off with the pressure of her hand that she slides into his own.

“Do you feel like you belong here Annabeth?” He doesn’t look at her as he asks, and she can feel the chill of his tone. And really this conversation had been too long in coming. They had talked about so much more for their relationship and their future while they were in Tartarus, but since returning neither had wanted to broach the subject, too afraid to dredge up the touchier points of that time, which still haunted their dreams.

Percy’s fingers flexed slightly against her own, and it gave her the strength to say what she didn’t want to admit.

“No."

And his head snapped back to look at her, surprise at her frank and unexpected answer taking over his concerned expression.

“I don’t think there is anything left for us here,” she continued. “I know Chiron loves having us here to train the new demigods, but haven’t we done enough leading for a while?” She leaned her body into Percy’s with the confession, and just like that she felt lighter as he shared both her physical and emotional weight.

“So…are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Percy breathes lightly, giving her a moment to think before continuing with more strength, “Reyna says we are more than welcome.” And Annabeth’s heart clenches at the thought that she could be abandoning the place that took her in all those years ago when she was just a scared, little girl. Leaving the place that gave her love and laughter and a pretty tough skin to face whatever was waiting for her in the world. But as she glanced at the boy that was at the heart of all those points of strength she knew it was time to move on.

Smiling gently, she took one last deep breath to steel herself before saying, “I think it’s time we make our own way, Percy. I want to start living my life with you.”

And the blinding smile she saw flash across his face before it was buried in her hair was all the reassurance she needed. Percy gently kissed the top of her head and squeezed her more tightly against his side.

He felt the guilt of wanting to leave camp evaporate with Annabeth’s words. Leaving didn’t mean Camp Half-Blood wasn’t important; it would always be a special place for both of them. But they had a new adventure waiting for them, and like practically every adventure they’ve had since they were twelve, they would do it together.

Annabeth slowly peeled herself from his side, keeping their fingers locked, and tugged him away from the shore. “Come on, Seaweed Brain. We have one last campfire to attend.” Her smile was slightly sad, but her eyes held a fire that told him it was all right.