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perseusjackson-jasongrace · 4 years ago

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Empires on the Horizon V

Jason is a CEO: Part V

Here’s my masterlist for the next part and my other stuff

But the most beautiful things in life are just not things.

They’re people and places, memories and pictures.

They’re feeling and moments and smiles and laughter.

-unknown

“Charles Beckendorf,” Jason answered the phone with a smile, “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Hello Grace, how are you?”

“Absolutely wonderful,” And he was, he hadn’t felt so calm in a long time. “What can I do for you my friend?”

“I need your help with the wedding. I’m planning an outdoor structure with video screenings of all our favourite memories and you have two things that’ll make my dreams come true.”

“Anything for you Charlie.”

“The gorgeous meadow on the far side of town, you own that right?”

“Yep, you want to set up shop there?”

“Yes please,” His eagerness carried through the phone, “And can you send me any pictures or videos you have of us so I can add it to the slideshow.”

“Of course, is that all?”

He could hear the excitement in his friend’s voice, “That’s it, unless you know anyone who’s willing to look after the shop while we’re on honeymoon?”

“I can’t say I do but I can ask Hazel to hire a temp if you want?”

“I’ll suggest it to the ladies and tell them to get back to you.”

“Sounds great, and good-luck with the project. I’m excited for the wedding.”

“Me too man, me too. It’s still surreal to me that I’m getting married to my best friends.”

“You deserve the world Charlie.”

“No way, I am crazy emotional these days.” He sniffled.

Jason laughed, “You’re always emotional Beckendorf.”

“Screw you,” He snorted, “See you soon, and thank you again.”

“Bye man, have a good one.”

He ended the call with a smile. It was unbelievable to think he would be going to his friends’ wedding in a couple months. Just the other day he was sitting in a lecture hall laughing at Beckendorf’s impersonation of their business lecturer. Just the other day he was helping Silena and Drew paint the walls of their boutique. It was strange to face the reality that they were all grown up now– moving on with their lives, living them.

“Ready to go Boss?” Hazel’s head popped around the door.

“Yep, you have the files?”

“All in the room already, anything else we need?”

“Maybe some coffee and a miracle?”

“Unfortunately I can only provide one of those things, and it’s not the helpful one.” She gave him an apologetic look.

“Well I guess wish me luck then,”

“You don’t need it Boss, you’re gonna kill it today.”

“What would I do without you Miss Levesque?” He sighed gratefully, walking to the elevator.

“Forget which day of the week it is, and which shoe goes on which foot,” She grinned.

“Hey, the shoe thing was one time.”

“That only works if you’re a toddler, not a grown man.”

“No excuse for the elderly then?”

She shook her head solemnly, “None I’m afraid.”

The elevator doors slid open.

“Meeting Room A5.”

“Let’s do this.” He took a deep breath and pushed the glass door.

“Hello Jason Grace,”

“Hello Octavian.”

Jason always felt some level of life seep out the room when he me with the head of Titan Industries. The man felt…synthetic; chalk white hair gelled down flat and calculating pale blue eyes that missed nothing. Gods even his skin looked unnatural, pasty and veined.

He reached out a small, bony hand in greeting.

“You look as incredible as ever Miss Levesque,” He lifted her hand to his mouth.

She gave him a tight-lipped smile, “Octavian.”

He didn’t seem to notice, or care for her discomfort and simply turned to Jason.

“So,” They sat down, “Have we come to some agreement?”

“With all due respect Octavian I don’t feel this contract is justified.” He glanced between the man and the folder.

There was silence, as if he were waiting for Jason to continue but two could play at this game. He was not willing to be taken for a fool, fumbling over himself to bow to this man’s whims. So he met those cunning eyes, a smile playing at his lips. The only sound was the scratch of Hazel’s pencil as she set up her notes for the meeting.

Moments passed, frozen in time, and then a sigh, “What can I do to ease your concerns?”

He struggled to reel in a smug expression. “Let’s start with the supply times.”

And they went back and forth, pulling and pushing, cunning and stead-fast, a fox and a wolf. Two hours later the contract had been amended to both their liking and they were once again shaking hands.

“I will ask my assistant to send over the revised contract, once my lawyer has looked over it.”

“I will do the same. Thanks for the meeting.” He guided the door open and waited for his guest to move through it.

“Until then, Grace.”

Without waiting for a reply Octavian snapped at his bodyguard and they disappeared down the passage.

“How do you feel about this?”

“There’s something not quite right Hazel, I just can’t figure out his angle.”

“Fully agree,” She shuddered, “He gives me the creeps.”

“Have you managed to find anyone else that could potentially take over this project?”

“Not yet Boss but you will be the first to know when I do.”

“Thanks Levesque, you truly are my saviour.” He gave her a grateful smile.

“Better put that on my gravestone,” She raised a brow.

“Done,” He laughed, “Any other requests?”

“Let’s get subs for lunch. I could do with some bread.”

He shook his head in amusement, “You drive a hard bargain but I’m willing to sacrifice for you.”

“Oh what was your plan Mr big-shot?” She pushed open the door to their offices.

“Today is burrito-bowl day and you know it.”

“I did forget,” She scrunched her nose, “But I’m extra grateful now.”

He snorted at her, ready to give a snarky remark before he was cut off by the shrill ring of his cell phone.

“Talk to me.”

“What’s up Grace, how’s your lunch hour looking?” Leo Valdez greeted.

“Levesque and I are going to get subs at Garden Girl, want to join?”

“I’ll meet you there.” And then he was gone.

“Ever the efficient caller isn’t he,” Hazel chuckled.

“Most days, which is weird since he’s a rambler face-to-face.”

They got to the contemporary restaurant on eighty-fifth avenue, spotting Leo outside.

“Hello,” His smile was wide as he hugged them.

“Who decided to give you a break? Don’t you have lectures right now?”

“Nah,” He grinned, “Guest lecturer teaching my slot this week, so I got two hours free.”

“The beauty of teaching postgrad, I assume?” Hazel asked.

“You know it Levesque!”

“What are we getting?”

“Don’t know about you but I’m getting the ‘Jazz It Up’ sub, got to stick to my New Orleans heritage.”

“Good afternoon my favourite customers? Where’s the rest of the crew?”

Jason smiled brightly, “Hello Katie.”

“Annabeth is at work, she has some big contract finally closing up,” Leo said by way of greeting.

“Frank is doing the security rounds at the office,” Hazel offered.

“Thalia isn’t even in the country right now.” He shrugged

“There’s still someone missing,” She frowned, scanning their faces, “Piper! Where’s the pretty lady?”

“Oh,” Leo winced, “Yea that is a touchy subject.”

Katie gave them a sympathetic look, “Well what can I help you with today? The usual for you Haze?”

They all rattled off their orders and chatted with the owner of Garden Girl while they waited. Jason had met Katie when he was doing business courses for his urban and regional planning degree. Her forest green eyes and bright smile struck him stupid the first time he saw her in their Entrepreneurship and Business Management lecture. He never had the guts to make a move, but it didn’t matter because she had just entered a relationship with Travis Stoll. Now they’re married and expecting a child, as is the latest update.

“How’s Project Hestia going Grace?” Leo asked, pulling out a chair.

“Ugh I’m having a hard time with the outdoor center. I’m not gelling with the contractor, and I don’t know what to do,” He scrubbed a hand down his face.

“I know I can’t ask what exactly is wrong because of legal reasons but what do you need done?”

He motioned to Hazel to explain as he bit into his sub.

“Basically we want to create an outdoor recreation center for the community which includes a gym area, a kids’ area, movies, a park and picnic area, rock climbing, you know the usual.”

“Right that shouldn’t be too hard to draft up,” Dark eyebrows scrunched, “But this guy is what? Trying to fuck you over?”

“Essentially,” Jason nodded, “The problem is we don’t know how?”

“Okay give me the weekend and let me call up some people. I think I know someone who can help.”

His eyes widened, “You are literally the best friend in the entire world. We’ve been looking for weeks, and we haven’t found anyone else who specialises in this.”

Leo squeezed his hand, “I’m not letting you get screwed over, and my buddy would be more than happy to do it.”

“What’s his name?” Hazel had her phone out, the notes app open.

“Harley, he’s was the youngest kid in our engineering course. I think he graduated with his masters when he was like twenty,”

Jason choked, “What?”

“The kid is incredible. He beat us regularly in our weekly electrotech competitions.”

“Well tell him to give us a call and I’ll set up a meeting with Jason next week. We have until next Friday before we sign contracts with Titan.”

“Sounds good,” Leo plucked a pen he kept behind his ear and scribbled something on his hand, “So Jase,” His grin was trouble.

The blonde narrowed his eyes, preparing himself for trouble.

“What happened with you and Percy? Last I heard you were going on a date on Tuesday and then getting married.”

It was Hazel’s turn to choke, and after she recovered smacked her boss on the shoulder, glaring as if to say what the hell did you not tell me?

He rolled his eyes at his best friend, “I didn’t even get his number because I left so abruptly. And anyway I hear he’s dating Reyna now.”

Leo’s hickory eyes widened, “He’s what?”

“Yea I went by the school about a month ago and Nico told me they were dating.”

“How do they even know each other?”

“They met at the school. She was visiting Nico and he was wanted to become a sponsor cause he used to go there.”

“Yea sounds about right, he’s crazy nice.” Leo nodded

“How have I never met him before the dinner?”

“He moves around a lot,” Leo shrugged, “I’ve only met him a handful of times because whenever he’s here he makes a point to visit Annabeth.”

“Well he sounds like an angel,” His assistant mused.

“Looks like one too,” He muttered, “It’s okay anyway cause I uh–“ He scratched the back of his neck.

“Oh my gods,” Hazel’s earthy eyes glittered, “You met someone!”

Leo clapped his hands, a smile as bright as the sun on his face, “Who are they?”

“We’ve been on one date so no making a big deal about it.” He gave them a pointed look, “But Thalia set us up and she’s… wow.”

“Oh you are real caught up, aren’t you?” They raised twin brows at him.

“She’s just indescribable. She’s gorgeous and that’s the least impressive thing about her.”

“Well tell us everything.” Hazel prodded.

“Okay she’s a vet. She has four sisters, but she doesn’t talk to them much. She believes in order, oh it’s glorious. Everything in its space and a plan for everything.” He looked at Leo then, to which his friend flipped him off and then motioned for him to continue.

“She eventually wants to open her own animal clinic. And most importantly she gets along with Thalia.”

“She sounds like a dream Jase,” Hazel squeezed his shoulder, “I’m really happy for you.”

Leo nodded, eyes bright with love, “You deserve some happiness bud.”

“Thank you guys,” He found it hard to breathe as the overwhelming gratitude he felt for his friends swept through his body.

“Valdez, you’re going to the lake cabins in a couple weeks, right?”

“Oh yep,” Leo wiggled his eyebrows, “And guess what?”

“You are not!” He yelled, and then lowered his voice, “You are lying to me right now.”

“Oh gods,” Hazel caught on, “Are you ready? No wait of course you’re ready! When, how, what?”

“I bought the ring a couple weeks ago. We’ve been talking about it for a few months and this just feels like the right time.”

Jason whistled, “My best friends are finally getting married.”

“Oh gods I hope she says yes,” Leo looked a little sick all of a sudden.

“Of course she’s going to say yes. You guys have been inseparable since that first maths lecture when we all went to the wrong class.”

“There’s no way she turns you down, I’ve seen the way you look at each other.” Hazel agreed.

“The way we look at each other?” Leo frowned at her, confusion evident in his face.

“Like you’re the only ones in the room. Like she is the match and you are the striker.”

Jason nodded, “The moment you two locked eyes at the bonfire it was like the universe threaded two strands through the same needle.”

“Well now I’m emotional and feeling much more confident about it.”

They laughed then, getting up to hug each other. Jason felt the world settle, still, slow. The wind whispered softly, and beams of sun caught between them. If nothing else he had this, and he would hold onto it until his bones were dust and his soul was a star once more.

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So many weddings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tags (if you want to be added to/ taken off the tag list just let me know, all my channels of communication are open): @lesbian-peanuts

@leydiangelo

@queen-of-demons-and-hell

@msdrpreist

@sparkythunderstorm

@nishlicious-01

@lucyisblue

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annabethwisegirl-chase · 7 years ago

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250 Headcanons (Part 3)

Headcanons #101-150. These cover from the events of Battle of the Labyrinth through the entirety of the Heroes of Olympus series, into the beginnings of the Trials of Apollo and the Magnus Chase series, and even a little beyond.

101. The night before Percy and Annabeth’s not-date (which was a date in her mind, let’s be real) she felt ridiculous, asking Silena for advice. After all, they were just going to go see the Avengers and then goof off afterwards. Yet, the older Aphrodite camper spent at least two hours restyling Annabeth’s hair in a way that she claimed looked the most flattering. She even gave the younger Athena camper make up tips and little ways to flirt. Which, Annabeth found completely ridiculous and not totally believable because it took Silena way too long to start officially dating Beckendorf. So really, how good were these tips? Silena had insisted that Annabeth find her the next day for help getting ready, but she felt too ridiculous. So, she ended up convincing Peleus to give her a leg up into Thalia’s tree and hanging out there until Argus took her into the city.

102. Speaking of the Avengers, Annabeth’s absolute favorite superhero in the world is Captain America. Some people think he’s lame because he doesn’t have “real” powers or anything, but that’s part of the reason Annabeth loves him. She grew up in a camp where she was surrounded by people with crazy abilities, and it was something she never had. There were definitely times when she was jealous about the whole getting jipped on powers thing, but if Steve Rogers could become Captain America, then Annabeth could be a super awesome demigod. Her dad also has a crazy insane Captain America comic book collection with several collector’s items that he swears is because of the “historical value” of the comics. But Annabeth knows that her dad definitely loves the stories as well. On the same note, she absolutely despises Spider-Man. Anyone who insists on dressing up like a spider and uses webs to entrap people is seriously disturbed in the head.

103. Annabeth’s dislike of Rachel stems from a deeper issue than the fact she believes Rachel likes Percy. Rachel is mortal. Even though she’s eccentric, she’s completely normal and not connected to their demigod world (at least, in BotL she’s not). By the time the fourth book rolls around, Percy is clearly 500% done with the gods and is starting to get tired of this whole prophecy thing. And Rachel provides him with a way to escape from the world of gods and monsters. The world that Annabeth has always belonged to. Because, honestly, even though she tries, Annabeth in the mortal world doesn’t really work. Sure, she’s gotten better at playing the part, but she’s still drawn back to the world of fighting and quests because that’s how she grew up. And she craves the adventure that comes with that world. She always will. With Rachel now in the picture, she gives Percy the opportunity to leave the world that’s constantly putting him in danger, and in the same length, to leave Annabeth. By this point, Annabeth has already been left by her family, Luke, Thalia (twice), various campers, Grover, and is not about to add Percy to that list. Which is why, during her quest and their time at camp, Annabeth pulled away from him. It was just easier for her to put up her walls again so that when he did leave (because people always leave) it wouldn’t hurt so much. Also, there’s the fact that both Percy and Annabeth are certain Percy’s not going to be alive come next year, and so it just gives her another reason to distance herself.

104. When Annabeth goes back to Hephaestus’s workshop, she’s all alone. When she starts looking for a way to get back to camp through the labyrinth, she constantly hits dead ends. In some sick way, she figured that the maze was playing with her. Her quest was a dead end, saving Luke was a dead end, and all her friends that came with her were dead. At one point, she ends up hitting the wall and breaks her hand from it. One ambrosia square and delta square later, she does manage to get out and make her way back to camp.

105. Somehow, it always seems to fall to Annabeth to break bad news to Sally. After Annabeth got back to camp, one of the first things Chiron had her do was to call the Jackson household and relate the tale of Percy’s explosion. He claimed that it was because Annabeth was the only one who would be able to answer all of Sally’s questions. She honestly believes it’s just because Chiron didn’t want to break any bad news to the actual angel that is Sally Jackson.

106. Growing up in the south, it’s a common practice for people to be “Mr.” and “Ms.” all the time. It took Annabeth three months when she first came to camp to stop calling Chiron “Mr. Chiron.” And, although Sally’s told her dozens of times to refer to her by her first name, Annabeth can’t break the habit of “Ms. Jackson.” It’s a respect thing and the amount of respect Annabeth has for that woman literally cannot be measured.

107. Annabeth’s pretty sure the smartest thing she’s ever seen Percy do was pull a finger gun on Briares during their game of rock, paper, scissors. Even she wouldn’t have thought of that.

108. After the Battle of the Labyrinth, Annabeth spends most of the rest of the summer staying in her cabin, studying the laptop Daedalus gave her. Her and Malcolm work on devising various potential battle strategies, and Chiron has her working with him and Clarisse to develop mini missions to send people on in an attempt to weaken the Titan army. She also finds herself spending a lot of time with Silena, listening to her drone on and on about Beckendorf. It kind of makes the fact she’s avoiding Percy and that Luke’s no longer Luke a little harder to deal with. But, it also somehow helps to hear about a relationship that isn’t completely falling to pieces. The only time she truly makes it an effort to hang out with her best friend is for the Fourth of July fireworks. After all, she’d already asked him, and it’d be kind of rude not to show. The night’s still awkward and they don’t have quite as easy of a banter as they had years prior.

109. Since she doesn’t go home for school that year, Annabeth spends the school term still working on mini missions. She gets sent off on a couple of her own, usually teamed up with Clarisse, Connor Stoll, or one of her siblings. It’s during these that she finds that Connor actually isn’t just another annoying Hermes camper, and they both find some strange common ground in missing the old Luke. Often, to pass the time while they’re traveling, Annabeth tells old stories about her and Luke’s days on the run, while Connor tells her about plots and pranks Luke was the mastermind behind. Each mission, it seemed strange that Silena would hug them a little tighter and a little longer. But no one really asked her why. They just figured it was some sort of emotional Aphrodite thing.

110. For each of her missions, Chiron was extremely careful to make sure he sent Annabeth places where he knew Luke was not. So, while she took out various parts of the army, or helped with gathering intel, she never saw Luke. But she didn’t know about Chiron’s careful planning and educated guessing as to where Kronos currently was. Every mission, she still looked for him, hoping that she might be able to bring him back.

111. Also, since she doesn’t go home, Annabeth takes Sally up on her invitation to attend the Jackson-Blofis wedding. She spends a solid week debating on whether or not to cancel and just send a nice card instead. But, the day of, Annabeth just kind of goes for it and has Argus take her into the city. She has her invisibility cap on her, and does her best to hide from the guests as often as possible. Well, specifically, two of the guests that are her age, a girl with curly red hair and a boy who’s been stuffed into a suit because only it’s his mom’s wedding day. She hugs Sally after the ceremony, and it’s the first time she meets Paul. He makes some lame Shakespeare reference, and Annabeth decides then and there to adopt him as her newest father figure.

112. Chiron does have Annabeth go home after Christmas break, insisting that she see her family. She hugs her brothers a little too tightly before she leaves and kisses her dad on the cheek--something she hasn’t done since she was little--because she knows there’s a very real possibility it might be the last time she sees them. Matthew and Bobby complain that she’s strangling them, and Frederick seems a little weary that something’s going on. He knows that there is something stirring in the demigod world, but Annabeth’s been careful to try and keep all of them out of the dark as much as she can. Otherwise, she’s afraid they might keep her from fighting. And nothing would keep Annabeth from seeing this through until the end.

113. It’s Beckendorf’s death that makes Annabeth reconsider how she’s been treating Percy, so she does make an effort for them to fall back into their old routines. They start working on chores together again, but her words still end up being completely measured and thought out. The first time he brings up Rachel though, who she still views as his out, she decides that it’s too much. She doesn’t speak to him again until right before the battle, when he calls her. It actually ends with her moping most of the time, because she just knows that he’s not going to be around in a few days and they’re spending the rest of the time ignoring each other.

114. She doesn’t officially know about the mark of Achilles on Percy, but there’s already a sneaky suspicion because he’s been way too good in the battle. Even by Percy level standards. Right before Ethan goes to stab him, there’s almost a cold chill that hits her in her own lower back. It’s a strange warning, but it’s enough to get her to throw her in the way of the knife’s path, intercepting it with her own shoulder instead. It’s still the most noticeable scar that she has, and she’s glad that it’s in a place that’s easy to cover it up.

115. It’s almost creepy how much information she’s absorbed from listening to her dad through the years. But, none of it really seems to matter until she’s in a helicopter, trying to keep it from crash landing. She swears she hears her dad’s voice in her ears, coaching her through all the steps and she really regrets not taking him up on more rides in his Sopwith Camel. Heck, she thinks she might even try for a pilot’s license after the experience since it did come so naturally.

116. She hears Luke’s voice in her head whenever she fights, telling her to make sure that her footing’s correct, or walking her step by step through various maneuvers he taught her during their years together. It definitely made for a chilling experience when she was fighting Kronos, and hearing a different voice coming out of Luke’s mouth, while the one in her head was his true one.

117. Annabeth honestly is not sure whether or not she lied to Luke when she told him that she didn’t love him. Some days, she feels like it’s a lie and it makes her feel extremely guilty, while other days, she’s sure she spoke the truth. And it makes her feel better knowing that one of the last things Luke heard wasn’t another lie. Because he had been told so many up to that point, and the last thing she’d want to do was add on to them. She thinks it might be a lie, because even the Oracle spoke of losing a love to worse than death. And it was a line that clearly pertained to Luke. If the mummy even knew about her affection for him, then clearly there was something there. And she was so certain to stick up for him every chance she got, certain that no one else would ever make her feel the way he did. And really, no one has. On the flip side, she thinks it was the truth because she’s not so sure it wasn’t just some sort of hero worship and infatuation. By the time Luke asked her if she loved him, she had already fallen in love with someone else and knew what it truly meant to be in a much healthier and loving relationship (even if they weren’t together yet). And what she felt for Percy was nothing like what she felt for Luke. It honestly really frustrates her that she doesn’t even have a solid answer, and she spends way more time debating it than she probably should.

118. Percy and Annabeth’s first date started out as awkward as it could get. It was about a week after Percy’s birthday and they had both already started back to school. They had agreed to just spend the day exploring the city, but they were both trying way too hard with one another, watching what they said and how they acted. There were a lot of awkward silences, sweaty hand holding, and asking questions that they both already knew the answer to. Eventually a monster showed up and the two fell into a regular routine to kill it. Then, covered in monster guts, they decided to just go back to the Jackson-Blofis apartment and watch a movie. Annabeth doesn’t remember what movie it was, just that they spent the whole time making fun of the ridiculous plot line going on, and substituting their own dialogue instead.

119. The green dress that she wore on her one night trip to Paris still hangs in the back of her closet at her dad’s house. She doesn’t ever think she’ll wear it again, because she doesn’t want anything to happen to it.

120. During her sophomore year, there were several weekends where Annabeth would go on little expeditions with her roommate around the city. They would venture to various landmarks in New York, as well as to various museums. It was a way for them to feel “cultured,” and it was the perfect way for Annabeth to draw inspiration for her designs for Olympus.

121. When Percy went missing, it once again fell to Annabeth to break the bad news to Sally. This time, she chose to do it in person instead of over the phone. Paul came back to find Annabeth, with her arms around Sally, whispering promises that they would find him. That they were looking everywhere they could and she wasn’t going to stop until he was home. For the next several weeks, she’d spend at least two nights a week at their apartment, going over any and all of the information they’d collected on Percy’s whereabouts--even if they did end up just being dead ends. Sally would always have a fresh plate of blue cookies waiting for when Annabeth came over, and the two would sit at the counter, talking. After the quick debriefing, Sally would relate stories about her youth and about Percy growing up. Annabeth would talk about her family in California and how she kind of missed her brothers and her dad. Paul would come home, and he and Annabeth would discuss various plays and historical events while Sally cooked dinner. By the time all three felt that the evening was truly done, Sally would insist it was too late for Annabeth to venture back alone. So, she’d end up crashing in Percy’s room. It was comforting somehow, to be there, but it was also creepy. Everything was just waiting for him to come back, and she was careful not to move anything around too much. She wanted it to be just the same way for him as it was when he left.

122. During the short amount of time that Jason, Piper and Leo are in camp, Annabeth really only hits it off with Jason. Sure, she likes Piper, and thinks they’d make great siblings, but there’s not a lot of back and forth there. Instead, once they make the connection that Jason and Thalia are connected, Annabeth spends almost an entire day relating stories about Thalia. Some of them are hard, since so many involve Luke, but she manages to avoid bringing him into them too much. It’s just easier to pretend he wasn’t really there and that Thalia was the hero Annabeth had growing up.

123. During the time spent building the Argo II, Annabeth does use that time to bond with both Piper and Leo. She spends hours with Leo in Bunker 9, looking over blueprints and helping him as much as she can with the actual construction of the ship. She’s really the only one who half understands what it is that he’s talking about, and there are many late nights spent there. In fact, both of them end up losing count of the number of times they have to wake the other one up in the morning, grease smeared on their faces, in order to make it to breakfast on time. The running gag with Piper about the breakfast thing started out as a complete accident. Still exhausted from working with Leo the night before, Annabeth was sitting with Piper and discussing the progress they were making. However, because she was still half asleep, she ended up eating half of Piper’s food. The next day, Piper returned the favor, and it just kept going.

124. Arguing with Athena was one of the most frustrating experiences of Annabeth’s life. Her mom wasn’t all there, which only made it harder to appeal to one of her logical senses. And, whenever she’d switch into her Roman counterpart, it was harder, since the goddess wouldn’t even recognize Annabeth as her daughter. When Athena stripped Annabeth’s cap of its powers, she didn’t know immediately. Instead, she was in the middle of a fight with a monster on the way to visit Sally right before they left, and she had on her invisibility cap to try and surprise it. But it swung right at her as though it could see her. Instead of watching where the strike went, Annabeth looked down and realized she could see herself. She ended up with a badly bruised arm and several cuts on her face and legs, and fled from the scene instead of fighting the monster.

125. Annabeth first learned about hot chocolate being a universal drink from her father. During one of her times living at home, there were many nights where she’d have trouble falling asleep. She’d often end up downstairs in her dad’s living room, flipping through whatever was on television until she’d pass out on the sofa. Once, her dad came down and saw her there and made her hot chocolate. He explained all about the history of the drink, just trying to find something interesting to discuss with his daughter. It was one of the first times they stayed up late, just talking, and it seemed like one of the first real truces between them. The fact she was walking around New Rome, drinking it again with Reyna seemed almost symbolic.

126. It was weird being that close to her home and not going to see her dad and brothers. What was even weirder was the fact that she lived that close to Camp Jupiter for so long and never had an inkling that it existed. Once, she saw a couple kids in purple t-shirts with swords while she was on a school field trip. But, she just figured it was some weird group of re-enactors that accidentally ended up with actual swords.

127. One of the worst parts of being on the Argo II was when the eidolons were on the ship, possessing Jason and Percy. Seeing the boy she spent so long looking for, with golden eyes where sea green had once been, only reminded her of another young man she’d lost. Another boy whose eyes she’d been forced to watch change from blue to gold, and his soul disappear with it.

128. Growing up, Annabeth never felt like she was quite good enough. After all, you grow up with Aphrodite kids, you watch the boys you like fawn over other girls, you really have issues with self image. Meeting Aphrodite only made her insecurities about a hundred times worse. She was literally everything Annabeth wished that she could be, and took bits and pieces from every other girl Annabeth had ever felt jealous of. She had Rachel’s curls, Silena’s hair color, Scarlett Johansson’s body, and Emma Watson’s face structure. It definitely left her feeling inadequate for the rest of the day.

129. The first time Annabeth tells Percy that she loves him is a complete accident. Granted, she’s known it for years, but always felt a little odd at the idea of saying it. After all, it’s really one of the first times she’s ever actually vocalized the sentiment to anyway. She doesn’t remember saying it to her father, or any of her friends, and Annabeth has it in her head that it’s supposed to be some big deal. When he ends up drenching Octavian, it just sort of slips out and she’s not even sure that she’s said it until later. She then spends the next day on deck debating with herself whether or not Percy heard her and that’s why he didn’t say it back. She blames her recent encounter with Aphrodite for making her fret over something so stupid when she should be focused on getting the Athena Parthenos back.

130. One of the things that she hated most about her solo quest (though there were so many) was that she wasn’t where the main fight was. She’d always felt a responsibility to Nico di Angelo after he lost Bianca. Not having any family was something she felt like she could definitely relate to. So, the fact that she wasn’t there to help rescue him and assure him that everything was going to be okay--the way she was sure Bianca would have--almost seemed unfair. And then, obviously, there’s the fact that she hated being alone, breaking her foot, fighting the mother of all spiders... The list went on, really.

131. For years, Annabeth suspected that Nico had a crush on her. It’s only when she sees the look in his eyes as he promises Percy to lead the others to the other side that she figures out what’s really going on. She doesn’t say anything. After all, it wasn’t her secret to tell.

132. After her quest, Annabeth really, really hated owls. There was also a time when she really wanted to go to Greece to see the Parthenon. Not anymore. She never wants to go back to Greece ever again.

133. For Annabeth, the worst part about Tartarus are the arai. She knew, of course, that no monster really likes to be torn down by a demigod. But, they would always be reborn. The fact that so many of them use their dying thoughts and wishes to curse her haunt her. And it almost makes her feel guilty about all the pain she’s caused. There are multiple knife wounds inflicted to her stomach, the blindness, and the feeling that she’s all alone again. That’s the worst. She already blames herself for dragging Percy down there with her, and feeling like he abandoned her (like everyone else in her life had) almost seems like poetic justice. It’s why she doesn’t call for his return. It’s why she calls for an answer to why he left. She wants to know that it’s not resentment he feels towards her.

134. There’s exactly one time in her life that Annabeth has ever been scared of Percy. After all, he’s a Seaweed brain who would have been dead long ago if it weren’t for her. And yet, the power he unleashes on Akhlys is enough to stop her dead in her tracks. She’s always known that he’s a powerful demigod. It was arguably the second thing she learned about him (after the fact he drooled and talked in his sleep). But seeing him snap like that was enough to strike genuine fear in her heart. And it scares her to think he was pushed that far in an attempt to protect her. It’s enough to make her feel like she’s toxic for him, and has even led to her contemplating their break up more than once, if only to get him away from her for his own good.

135. When they get back from the depths of hell, Annabeth spends the next several days feeling completely useless. All she wants to do is sleep and catch up on the hours she was deprived while they were fighting for their lives. Yet, every time she closes her eyes for too long, the terrible visions come back. She wakes up screaming in the middle of the night, sleeps with the lights on, and has bags under her eyes that almost seem as if they threaten to swallow her entire face. It makes her feel useless until the final battle with Gaea. And even that’s just a brief moment of her former glory. Her days at camp cause the nightmares to return and she pushes away anyone that tries to help her deal with what she experienced. It’s too terrible to talk about, and it’ll take her well over a year before she ever does speak of it.

136. She ends up striking a strange friendship with Nico during this time. They had previously started to become friendly when Annabeth was working on designing the new cabins for camp and repeatedly went to him for input on the Hades cabin. But now, they found ways to sit comfortably in silence, in a way that would often freak out the other campers. After all, she still felt protective over him and had a strange sense of respect of all he had been able to handle. They found the number of similarities between them shocking and eventually struck up almost a new brother and sister type of relationship. He makes sure she doesn’t disappear for weeks at a time into her work and into her head and she makes sure that he always has something to eat and a warm sweater on when he goes shadow travelling or visits the Underworld. Most of the other campers don’t really understand their friendship, but to them, it makes all the sense in the world.

137. One of the hardest things about returning to camp life is the sword fighting. Once, it was an activity that she was good at. After all, she’d been training to fight with a knife since she was seven years old. For ten years, it had been a way to blow off steam and a great way to focus her attention. But after her time in Tartarus, sword fighting becomes almost impossible. The sounds of metal clanging and people trying to fight her is enough to send her right back down to that awful place. Even though the logical part of her knows that it’s all controlled, her instincts take over, and she’s ended up with one too many close calls with her opponent screaming for help. Annabeth just kind of blacks out and lets her body take over until the poor sap she’s sparring with is on the floor, broken and bloody, with her knife at their throat, ready to slice. Then, when she doesn’t go full on warrior princess mode, she ends up collapsing into a puddle in the corner, crying and screaming for all the pain and terror to stop. Her hands go straight to her ears and her eyes shut tight. It usually takes Piper and her charmspeak to be able to pull her out of it, and Chiron basically sets up a new, “special” time for her defense training. A time when she’s all alone in the arena and only has the practice dummies as targets. It keeps everyone safer that way.

138. Annabeth legitimately does not understand Carter Kane. Like she thinks Sadie is awesome and is always trying to text her to get insight on some new idea. Likewise, Sadie often is the one texting her. Boy, if Annabeth thought she had boy drama, it is nothing compared to the things Sadie has to deal with what with one of her crushes hosting one of her other crushes. But Carter? He seems to have some weird sort of pissing contest continuously going one with Percy, which she doesn’t get at all. Personally, she thinks both boys are being incredibly stupid--but that’s par for the course with Percy. She almost expects more out of Carter, despite how little she knows him, and is almost disappointed in the fact he doesn’t put an end to the ridiculousness. Also, as soon as she finds out the Egyptian gods are a thing, she ends up creating a really big bulletin board in her room at school, connecting all the gods together based on their area of power. It makes her wonder exactly how it works having more than one pantheon, but thinking about it too much makes her brain hurt. Which is a feat that is hard to achieve.

139. Finding out that Sally’s pregnant definitely comes with a weird mixture of feelings. Granted, Annabeth knows that these people aren’t technically her family, but she’s definitely come to love them like they are. Percy’s eyes sparkle when his mom tells her the news, and Paul seems extremely proud of the fact that his own child is on the way. Sally looks tired, but Annabeth can’t deny there is some sort of glow around her. It’s strange, really. This is the first pregnancy that anyone has ever been excited to tell Annabeth about--well, she really only has one other to compare it to--and it makes her feel like they’re making some mistake in wanting to include her on this secret. She’s always believed that she’s bad with babies and small children and chalks this up to the fact she won’t be invited around to the Jackson-Blofis household as much anymore.

140. She spends the rest of year in New York, but opts to go home right before school starts back for her senior year. It’s the first time she’s seen her dad, her step mom, or her brothers since falling into that horrible pit of despair. Annabeth never called to talk to her dad about it, but he seems to know as she shows up at the airport. He just puts his arm around her shoulder, takes her bags from her, and drives her home in silence. When she wakes up screaming in the middle of the night, her dad’s always there to assure her that she’s okay, and they watch old movies on the couch until she falls asleep again. Everything but Roman Holiday, she makes sure of that. Emily tries to keep Matthew and Bobby away from Annabeth again, fearing what she might do after all she’s been through. But, the boys are old enough now to ignore their mother’s wishes and they end up trying to stick with her closer than ever before. It’s the first time they really learn about and understand the terrible things Annabeth has faced as a demigod and there’s almost a newfound respect earned from them. Despite all the other turmoil going on in her life, it’s probably the nicest visit she has at her home, and she’s almost sad to return to New York.

141. She ends up calling it the Chase curse. After all, that’s exactly what it feels like. When she sees her cousin basically emerge from the grave at his own funeral, it only seems to add another level of weirdness to her already strange life. But, of course, another Chase sibling attracted the attention of a god. Because not even the mortal side of her family could be completely normal. Learning about Hotel Valhalla and the valkyries almost makes Annabeth feel as though she got the short end of the stick ending up as part of the Greek god world. After all, being able to add the ability to fly to her power of invisibility seemed like a pretty sweet deal. Though, the idea of having to find people about to die did seem a little graphic. She starts researching the Norse gods as soon as she gets home and adds them to the bulletin board she made after meeting the Kanes.

142. Getting to see Magnus is hands down one of the best parts of Annabeth’s senior year. For once, she gets to act as a sort of guide to another demigod. This time though, it’s from a distance and she doesn’t necessarily have to get directly involved unless she wants to. And, while she hates that Magnus does have to deal with it, he at least has some pretty awesome friends, as well as some sweet powers to deal with it. But, even with his new abilities, she’s just glad to have her little cousin back in her life. Growing up, he was more of a brother to her than Matthew and Bobby were and seeing him again brings back all sorts of fond memories. In fact, most of the only fond memories of her childhood involve him in one shape or form. She just hates that she didn’t know about his living situation earlier. The idea of him living on the streets when she knew about half a dozen other people who would be willing to take him in does not sit well with her. And it only makes her certain that the gods, no matter what pantheon they belong to, don’t really care about what happens to their demigod children.

143. She’s working on Olympus when she gets a flustered call from Percy, telling her that his baby sister is on the way right now. Her mother stood over her as she took it, and told her to go on, but Annabeth refused. No matter how many times all three of them insisted that she was, in fact, a part of their family, it just seemed weird. So instead, she waited until the next day to go to the hospital. There, she saw the tiniest human she’d ever seen before. Even when Matthew and Bobby were born, she didn’t them ever being that little. They let Annabeth hold her, and it was the first time she ever actually got to hold a baby. Her father barely let her hold her brothers when they were born, hovering near her the entire time. But this time, the baby was placed in Annabeth’s arms and she absolutely melted as she swore that the little girl smiled up at her. A nurse told her it was just gas, but Annabeth knew better. Almost immediately, she fell in love with the baby and added her to her list of favorite people.

144. It’s just a common understanding that whenever there’s a school thing or the Jackson-Blofis family has to go somewhere, that Annabeth is going to babysit the youngest member of that family. They’ve given up inviting her to come along, because she insists that she would rather babysit. So many afternoons she’ll end up with the baby crawling all over her, with Annabeth trying to tell her stories about American history or Grecian or Roman history. After all, she is determined to make this baby a genius and feels that no age is too young to start. She’s even gotten her those huge baby blocks in an attempt to cultivate an appreciation of architecture in her as well.

145. Annabeth’s always loved the idea of prom. When she was young and first experienced the excitement of people during the first camp prom, she wanted to go. However, due to some unforeseen circumstances, Annabeth never got to make it to her junior prom. Then, when her senior prom came around, it seemed like a great opportunity. She was still going to school in New York, and there hadn’t been a severe crisis to take her away from the semi-normal life she was leading. Even though she went to a private, all girls boarding school, there were still guys at their “sibling school” that they would be having a joint prom with. A handful of them even asked her as their date, and she honestly wanted to say yes. But, despite the fact that she could have gone, Annabeth ended up watching movies on the couch of the Blofis apartment. She never even bothered asking Percy to go to prom with her, because she knew of his distaste for anything related to dancing. And it wasn’t worth it for her to have a good time if he couldn’t enjoy it too.

146. Annabeth’s senior year goes by in a dizzying whirlwind. Between still working on and overseeing designs on Olympus, helping Magnus out with his demigodish-ness, babysitting baby Blofis, prepping to go to college, and volleyball and soccer games, it’s almost impossible to believe that she’s graduating until the cap and gown are officially on. Everyone she knows that can come, does. Her dad, step mom, Matthew, Bobby, Paul, Sally, Percy, and even Chiron make it out for that day. Her dad’s gift to her is a new car, and it’s that car her and Percy end up packing to drive out cross country to their new home.

147. Since using cell phones sends up a signal to monsters of their whereabouts, Percy and Annabeth end up having to rely on old school maps--that neither of them are very good at reading--and mapquest directions. They end up getting lost at least twice a day, which leads to several arguments about them asking for directions. Once, Annabeth even threatens to turn the car around right then and there. But, they’re already over halfway across the country, so it wouldn’t make any sense for her to do that. The car’s cramped with both of their belongings shoved everywhere there’s an ounce of free space and it doesn’t do anything to help the mood. Both of them quip at least once during their trip that maybe, if they can’t survive a car ride together in such close quarters, they’ll never be able to survive living together. When Annabeth says it, Percy knows it’s meant to just be something hurtful to say and that she doesn’t really mean it. Still, he shuts her out and puts in his headphones for a solid half hour before emerging again to talk to her. When Percy says it, Annabeth finds the nearest fast food restaurant and pulls off the road there. She mutters things about how maybe he’s right and that no one else has been able to live with her for extended periods of time before. He has to promise her that he didn’t mean it, buy her a vanilla milkshake, and that it’s just a side effect of being stuck in a car for way longer than anyone with ADHD should have to sit through a car ride. It’s only when they finally get to New Rome and begin to unpack their car that they feel like they aren’t completely claustrophobic and closed in. And it feels like they definitely made the right decision after all.

148. The apartment they get in New Rome is honestly a piece of crap. It was one of the first ones built in the city and Annabeth figured that it would be good for the historical aspect of it. And online, it looked like it was pretty nice. But it’s honestly the worst. The door to the bedroom is too low, with Annabeth’s head just barely clearing it, and Percy having to duck every time he has to go under it. There’s a patch of the ceiling that leaks when it rains, the water in the faucet has to run for five seconds until it turns clear, the dryer never works, and the back burner on the stove catches on fire if you try to use it. They didn’t have room for a whole bed frame when they moved, so they sleep on a blow up air mattress in the floor and their furniture is just stuff they’ve bought at consignment shops, so it doesn’t match. But, despite the fact that it’s the worst first place ever, it’s their first place, so it makes it pretty special. They go all out decorating it at Halloween and Christmas, and it’s almost like it becomes a little less crappy after it’s all done up. The longer they stay there, the more furniture they do accumulate until it does have a vague color scheme, more or less and they have an actual bed to sleep in. The bare walls eventually become covered in pictures of their friends and a few paintings that Rachel sends them to “liven the place up.” She’s almost sad when they move out of it. Almost.

149. Annabeth only makes it about three weeks before she has her first breakdown in college. Sure, she’d done well in high school, but that took intense concentration, and most of the people she was around, she didn’t really like. Readings could usually be ignored entirely, or she could find some sort of audiobook to listen to. But college is a different beast altogether. Suddenly, she’s staying up until four in the morning at least three days a week in order to get all her work done and stay on top of it. That’s not including keeping an apartment clean, and helping Reyna and Frank out in Camp Jupiter. It’s like her time isn’t her own anymore and she just starts to slowly lose it. Since she is so sleep deprived, at one point, she ends up just crying midway through a paper, muttering how stupid she is, how she definitely made a mistake coming out to California, and how she just wants to go home.

150. Their first Christmas in New Rome is actually the first time that Annabeth brings Percy to her dad’s house as her “boyfriend.” Matthew and Bobby legitimately lose it, because they remember thinking Percy was super cool the few minutes they met him years prior and spend forever trying to get him to teach them how to sword fight. They IM Paul, Sally, and baby Blofis and Percy’s little sister gets so excited to show them everything Santa brought, that one of the toys accidentally flies out of her hands and breaks the connection. Annabeth and her dad get to continue their late night hot chocolate tradition. He tells embarrassing stories about Annabeth when she was super small that she would have no hope of ever remembering during one of their late night drink sessions that Percy joins them for. And she blushes and acts like she hates it, but it’s the first time she’s ever felt like her father was actually her dad. And she chalks it up to the Christmas spirit thing. Growing up, Matthew and Bobby would always get matching pajamas on Christmas Eve that they’d have to wear and take pictures in for the next year’s Christmas card. When Annabeth moved in with her dad during her sophomore year of high school, she started having to do the matching thing. That Christmas, Percy was added in to the matching pajama thing. It felt all levels of ridiculous and dorky, and Annabeth promised that she’d tell them not to do it again next year.

#likes #yeS I'M STILL WORKING ON THESE #I ONLY HAVE 100 LEFT #AND THOSE ARE GOING TO BE LIKE ALL GROWN ANNABETH AND HER WEDDING AND KIDS AND STUFF SO YAY #AND ALSO LIKE HER DEATH AND STUFF AND SOME EVEN AFTERLIFE SHIT MIGHT SHOW UP??? WE'LL SEE WE'LL SEE #AND UM UM UM THEN IT'LL JUST BE LIKE RANDOM THINGS THROUGHOUT BOTH THE RP AND CANON STUFF AS WELL

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headcanonsforstuff · 5 years ago

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Valgrace Headcanons because I love them

Leo loves to brag about Jason and if you say anything that isn’t 100% positive then I can guarantee that Leo will fight you and then turn around and complain about how Jason snores and can’t cook to save his life(he still thinks Jason is perfect though, he only pretends to be annoyed by those things)

Leo is the big spoon just because he refuses to be the little spoon although it is a bit awkward because Leo is so much smaller than Jason

Jason spoils Leo after long days in bunker 9 and often just stays in there while Leo works if he has nothing else to do

Leo loves it when Jason stays with him but for a while he had to lock Jason out so he could work on a wedding ring to propose to Jason with. It took him two months and at least twenty tries but he finally made it perfect. It was made from a perfect blend of Imperial Gold and Celestial Bronze with seven small pale blue diamonds set into the metal, surrounded by intricate carvings of flames.(Bonus: he also made one for himself that was just Celestial Bronze with rubies and carvings of lightning)

Leo proposed at campfire one night after Jason had gotten back from a long trip to camp Jupiter to work on alters for all of the gods and it hadn’t gone well so Leo decided that he would just propose then to cheer him up.

He had one of the Apollo campers(whoever you want) play can’t help falling in love on a ukulele at the end of the night and as soon as the song started he moved from his seat to kneel in front of Jason and offer him the ring

Leo couldn’t bring him to say more than a basic ‘I love you so much, will you marry me?’ But that was more than enough for Jason because he didn’t even let Leo finish before pulling him up and kissing him

It was the biggest event since Percy and Annabeth’s wedding, no one would shut up about it and everyone was involved in the planning in some way....well almost everyone, the Hypnos cabin didn’t do much but everyone else helped! The Aphrodite Cabin did decorations and their outfits and was lead by Piper, the rest of the Hephaestus cabin did the lighting and made sure it was fitting for the two of them, the Athena cabin organized the whole event, the Dionysus cabin got the drinks and let the Demeter and Ares cabin handle the food(The Demeter cabin only made vegan meals and the Ares cabin handled the meat), the Hermès cabin helped where it was needed most and the Apollo cabin got the music!(obviously there’s more cabins than that but those were the only ones I could think of examples for, sorry)

Thalia showed up with all of the Hunters and they stayed at camp for the entire week so she could have some personal time with her brother before he got married.

Piper helped Leo get ready on the big day and Thalia did the same for Jason

Leo didn’t wanna walk down the aisle so Jason did it instead and Thalia got to be the one to give him away

Leo started crying when he first saw Jason because it made him realize that he was finally doing this, especially since there was a point in his life where he thought he wouldn’t have made it to this point in life

Jason had to refrain from running ahead of Thalia to reach Leo when he noticed he was crying which was hard because the aisle was incredibly long because like...they had to fit the entirety of CHB into a specific space

Once Jason got up there he had to inspect Leo and make sure he was fine but as soon as he saw Leo was smiling through the tears he relaxed and just let his hands slip down to hold Leo’s for the ceremony

The after party was much crazier than the afterparty for Annabeth and Percy’s wedding and honestly Jason and Leo don’t remember too much of it but since Hazel is younger than most of them and Nico doesn’t drink they just watched and took photos and now they have a significant ammount of blackmail material on almost anyone at camp(bonus: Frank woke up the next morning in the form of a polar bear, cuddling with Leo and to this day neither of them know that it’s because they decided to watch Shrek and passed out halfway through from crying over it for seemingly no reason)

They adopted two-year old twins on their one year anniversary then a year later they adopted two more kids, an infant and a thirteen year old who actually turned out to be a demigod who was somehow totally unaware of the existence of the gods.

Jason didn’t really want kids but Leo has always talked about having a big family and then when the time came to talk about it he realized he couldn’t say no

Now because of their kids Leo and Jason didn’t actually go on their honeymoon until their five year anniversary

They went to Houston for a few days before flying to Vegas and staying there for a week(and in that week they learned that Leo is incredibly good at gambling somehow)

When they showed up to Camp Jupiter to pick up their kids from Hazel and Frank(they decided they were the most mature and trustworthy pair) they both almost started crying because they were just so happy to see their children

Eventually they moved to Syracuse NY where Leo opened a small garage down the road from their home and Jason does short “business” trips to CHB and Camp Jupiter to work on his promise to the minor gods.

They still spend their summers at CHB until they become so old that they can’t really fight anymore.

They then retired to New Rome

When they passed Thalia made sure they didn’t do a shroud burning for them like they did with most demigods, she made sure they were buried next to each other in a mortal cemetery. Thalia had grown incredibly close to Leo and Jason So every year on their birthdays and anniversary she snuck in late at night and for Jason she’d bring flowers and for Leo she’d bring him some dumb trinket she found like a music box or wind up toy that she thought he’d appreciate. On their wedding anniversary she would bring a single white rose, it had started because on their first anniversary after their deaths she had forgotten until the last minute so it was all she could find but afterwards she just continued, no one ever really knew where the little offerings came from or how they continued to come for centuries, all they knew was that every year on the same three dates a gift of some sort would appear on their tombstones late at night. Every single year, without fail.

Okay so I made myself sad at the end but uhh...yea, let me know what ship or character you wanna see next I guess...

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cathygeha · 3 years ago

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REVIEW

Sailor Proof by Annabeth Albert

Shore Leave #1

What fun this book proved to be! I fell in love with Derrick and Arthur but also with Arthur’s family and the look into what it must be like to be involved with someone in the Navy. I knew that the men on the LST that evacuated us from Lebanon were missing their families, appreciated the effort they made to keep us safe, and thought of them again today while reading this book and realized even more the sacrifices they and their families make every day to do the jobs they do.

What I liked:

* Derrick Fox: Petty Naval Chief working with sonar in a submarine, orphaned as a youth, raised by his grandmother, the Navy is his career, and he is focused, sweet, kind, gentle, confident, and perfect for Arthur.

* Arthur Euler: musician, different from other family members, fun loving, lives for himself, kind, generous, interesting, perfect for Derrick.

* The Euler family: large, loving, boisterous, competitive, do-gooders, there for on another.

* The look into part of what it might be like to be in the Navy and/or to fall for someone in the Navy.

* The growth of the relationship between Arthur and Derrick

* That the obstacles to overcome were dealt with honestly

* The communication between the couple

* The support of Arthur’s mother

* That the relationship between Derrick and Arthur was healthy and normal and believable

* The family reunion and the activities and situations that occurred there

* All of it really!

What I didn’t like:

* Can’t think of anything except maybe the undervaluing of Arthur by some of his family.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes

Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Carina Adores for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

Sailor Proof by Annabeth Albert is available in trade paperback, eBook and audiobook on September 28th!

The sexy Navy chief and his best friend’s adorkable little brother…

It’s petty, but Naval Chief Derrick Fox wishes he could exact a little revenge on his ex by showing off a rebound fling. His submarine is due to return to its Bremerton, Washington, home base soon and Derrick knows all too well there won't be anyone waiting with a big, showy welcome.

Enter one ill-advised plan…

Arthur Euler is the guy you go to in a pinch—he's excellent at out-of-the-box solutions. It's what the genius music-slash-computer nerd is known for. So when he finds out Derrick needs a favor, he’s happy to help. He can muster the sort of welcome a Naval Chief deserves, no problem at all.

Except it is a problem. A very big problem.

When Arthur’s homecoming welcome is a little too convincing, when a video of their gangplank smooch goes enormously viral, they're caught between a dock and a hard place. Neither of them ever expected a temporary fake relationship to look—or feel—so real. And Arthur certainly never considered he'd be fighting for a very much not-fake forever with a military man.

Add Sailor Proof to your Goodreads!

Carina Adores is home to highly romantic contemporary love stories featuring beloved romance tropes, where LGBTQ+ characters find their happily-ever-afters.

Discover a new Carina Adores book every month!

Meet Me in Madrid by Verity Lowell (coming October 26)

The Life Revamp by Kris Ripper (coming November 30)

If You Love Something by Jayce Ellis (coming December 28)

D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding by Chencia C. Higgins (coming January 25)

Sink or Swim by Annabeth Albert (coming February 22)

Buy Sailor Proof by Annabeth albert

https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335984920_sailor-proof.html

EXCERPT

Derrick

Arthur turned out hot. That was my first thought when I spotted him after I heard my name called. Derrick. My actual name, not Fox, not Chief, and outside of Calder a couple of times, I hadn’t heard that name in months. And definitely not like that, all eager and excited and happy. On the sub, hearing my name inevitably meant that someone needed something right that minute, but the way Arthur said it didn’t inspire dread at all.

I’d already been caught up in the energy of the day. Homecoming day was always exciting, even if I didn’t usually have someone waiting. The whole crew was jostling about, getting into our dress whites, making sure everything from our cover to the chest candy of ribbons and medals to the gig line was perfectly straight. Getting chosen to be on deck as we came into port was an honor, one that I usually let others, especially those with kids, fight over, since there was still plenty to do belowdecks in preparation and support. As the chief sonar tech, I was responsible for working with the A-gangers from engineering and the operations department to help navigate us in. Adrenaline was contagious, and by the time my department was cleared to disembark, I had enough energy to rival the reactor that powered the sub.

And then I heard my name.

I recognized Arthur’s red hair right away. But the rest…

Wow. Arthur had grown hot. Still shorter than me and skinnier, but wiry now, each lean muscle defined under a thin white shirt and tight jeans. No signs of his ever-present too-big nerd-humor tees. Same startling green eyes as before, though, and a new, more chiseled jaw sporting the perfect amount of fuzz. He’d grown into his long regal nose, and the hair that had seemed to have a life of its own when he’d been a teen was sculpted now, this perfectly styled wave that made me want to mess it up. His hands, which had always seemed too big for the rest of him, were clutching a giant sign.

For me.

And for a second—a literal instant when our eyes met and time stopped—I forgot it wasn’t real. And in that moment, I wanted it to be. Someone smiling that broadly for me. Had Steve ever been so happy to see me? Hell, I wasn’t even sure the poodle my grandmother had let me keep had been that happy. Arthur just radiated pure joy. The kid was one hell of an actor.

“Welcome home.” Even his voice was different. Deeper. Sexier.

“Hey,” I said because I was simply that brilliant at conversation. I reached an arm out, instinctively going for a handshake, but Arthur shifted his sign and met me partway, coming in for a hug.

A really tight hug.

Damn, he felt good. Amazing really. Solid muscle against me, hair tickling my nose, exactly as silky as it looked, strong arms able to haul me in and hold me tight. He smelled like mint and green tea, two things in short supply on a boat that tended to smell like old socks on a good day. Sweet. I inhaled deeply as his lips brushed my ear.

“Calder said to kiss you,” he whispered. “And I want to. But you gotta tell me you’re good with that first.”

Was I good with that? Hot guy who smelled like a concoction I wanted to drink every day for a month wanted to kiss me. And ordinarily, the friendship code would put Arthur far, far off-limits, but here was Calder telling us to kiss. It was a free pass, the sort I’d be a fool to turn down.

I wasn’t a fool.

And what harm could a peck do?

“Yeah.” My voice was a rough whisper, and I didn’t have a chance to brace myself before Arthur was sliding his mouth over from my ear to mouth. A double shot of tequila would have had less punch than the first brush of contact.

And okay, not a peck.

We were kissing. Arthur and I, which should have been weird but somehow wasn’t. At all. Someone whooped behind us, but almost all of my attention was riveted on Arthur, like I was on watch and every sense was heightened lest I miss something vital.

Like how soft his lips were. Full too. Or the bristle of his scruff against my cheek. I’d done a submarine shave that morning, not my best job, but close enough that the rasp of beard felt electric. Our chests were pressed so tightly that I could feel his heart pounding. Or maybe that was mine, blood zooming to places that had been in deep freeze for months.

“Wow.” Arthur pulled back, leaving me dazed and still clinging to him.

“Damn.” The statuesque purple-haired woman he’d been standing with laughed loudly and thumped Arthur’s shoulder. “Is that the best you can do? Your man has been at sea how many months?”

Your man. If only. If he were actually mine, we’d be racing across base, a mad dash to find a room with a door. But he wasn’t and all we’d ever have was this moment. A potent mix of want and resolve raced through me as suddenly I was determined to make this count.

I pulled him back to me, and this time when our mouths collided, I was ready. Ready to taste. Ready to absorb every single detail. Ready to seize control and kiss like the world might be ending.

And it could have. Not sure I would have noticed. Everything faded away. The crowd. The docks. The balloons Arthur had been clutching and his sign both as his strong hands clung to my shoulders as we kissed in earnest. He tasted like he smelled, sweet and minty, and his tongue against mine was like floodlights coming on.

“Welcome home,” Arthur breathed against my mouth as the sound of applause gradually pulled me back into awareness of our surroundings. Applause. Whoops of laughter. Clicking cameras. But still I couldn’t seem to look away from him.

About Annabeth Albert

Annabeth Albert grew up sneaking romance novels under the bed covers. Now, she devours all subgenres of romance out in the open—no flashlights required! When she’s not adding to her keeper shelf, she’s a Pacific Northwest romance writer of many critically acclaimed and fan-favorite LGBTQ romance series. To find out more, check out: www.annabethalbert.com. The fan group, Annabeth’s Angels, on Facebook is also a great place for bonus content.

Connect with Annabeth Albert

Website: https://www.annabethalbert.com/

Facebook Fan Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/annabethsangels

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnnabethAlbert

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annabeth_albert/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6477494.Annabeth_Albert

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Annabeth-Albert/e/B00LYFFAZK

#Harlequin #Carina Adores #NetGalley #Annabeth Albert #Shore Leave 1 #Navy Romance #LGBTQIA Romance #romance #fiction

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gansey-jackson · 7 years ago

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Angel With A Shotgun -- Leo Valdez

This is my first attempt at a fic on this account. Hopefully y’all like it

Song: Angel With A Shotgun - The Cab

Warnings: slight language

Word Count: 8.5k

Read it on ao3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/11797485

You always knew Leo would fight for you. That’s always the type of person he’s been. Leo Valdez: son of Hephaestus, evil genius, defender of those he cared for. The two of you had grown close since he’d arrived at Camp Half-Blood. You spent many sleepless nights with him while he constructed the Argo II. Your favorite memory was the two of you on the couch in Bunker 9, Leo’s head in your lap, snoring after you’d yelled at him for pulling a 56 hour bender.

You were always in awe of how much he loved building things. The light that appeared in his eyes when he talked about his latest invention, or when he explained the difference between a combination wrench and an adjustable wrench.

As a daughter of Apollo, you were more familiar with bows and arrows than tools. But Leo did his best giving instructions whenever you helped him on the ship. During those times you’d have talks about things neither of you would ever talk to anyone else about. Leo talked about his life after his mom died; how much guilt he’d felt, his life on the run, and the feelings of never belonging anywhere. And you’d told him about your life before Camp. How your mother was so heartbroken after Apollo left her with nothing but a screaming baby and a lousy goodbye in haiku form.

“I never had much of a family,” you said to him. The two of you had been—as always—in Bunker 9, Leo hunched over his work bench, you on a stool next to him handing him whatever he needed. “Mom never recovered after Apollo left. She always resented me for it, as if I could have done something to stop him from leaving. Because at three days old I could’ve said ‘Hey, Dad, don’t leave. Screw your duties on Mount Olympus, or all your other children. Stay here with me and Captain Crazy.’” You felt pinpricks of tears in the corners of your eyes. “When I was eight she went to work one day and never came home. I haven’t seen or heard from her since. All of my family thinks that she drove her car off a cliff with me in it. They don’t care that neither of our bodies were ever found.”

You hadn’t realized that Leo had stopped working, and his hand was in yours. He was listening intently to every word you said.

“We lived in Oklahoma. She left in July so I didn’t have to worry about getting myself to school. I slept in her bed every night hoping I’d wake up with her next to me. Four nights went by and nothing happened. Then I woke up one morning next to Thalia’s tree with a backpack of stuff and no idea where I was. Chiron found me and brought me inside the boundary line. I like to believe that Dad is the one who brought me here.” You looked down at the gold bracelet on your wrist. You’d had it for as long as you can remember. It was a gold chain with a sun in the center. Your mom used to tell you it was the only gift your dad would ever give you.

You took a shaky breath, about to admit something you’d never told anyone. “I still have dreams about her screaming at me. Telling me it’s all my fault. That she wishes I were never born. That all I am is a burden. Maybe she was right.”

“Hey,” Leo said. “Don’t you ever say that, (Y/N). You are not a burden on anyone. Not every mortal can handle the aftermath of having a demigod. Your mom doesn’t deserve a daughter as kind and caring as the one she got. And it’s her loss that she’s never going to see how amazing you became, or see you on your wedding day, or the beautiful kids you’re gonna have.”

He used his thumb to wipe away stray tears falling from your eyes.

Leo continued speaking. “If she hadn’t left you, you might have never made it to Camp Half-Blood, and I would’ve never met you. My life would’ve really sucked if that happened. You’re my best friend, a kick-ass fighter, and better at building the Argo II than anyone else. Don’t tell Percy that last part; he thinks he belongs in the Hephaestus cabin now.”

You giggled at that last part. How’d you gotten so lucky to have a friend like Leo, you’d never know. His hand was still in yours, his thumb rubbing over the skin of your hand. He used his free hand to push stray hair behind your ear. His skin was warm against yours, and you wished you could be holding his hand all the time.

Leo’s chocolate brown eyes fluttered between your (E/C) eyes, and your lips. You sat up a little straighter as he ever so slightly leaned in. When you were inches away, Leo whispered mi alma, his breath hot near your lips. The gap between you and him was about to close when someone pounded on the door to Bunker 9.

“Leo! (Y/N)!” Annabeth called. “Dinner started five minutes ago. You can work on the ship later.”

To your chagrin, you said, “We’d better get going.”

You wouldn’t learn what mi alma meant until much later.

At dinner you sat next to Will Solace. You lazily picked at your food; you spent most of the time thinking about what had just happened in Bunker 9.

“(Y/N),” Will said next to you.

“Sorry, what?”

“You okay? You haven’t really eaten, and your eyes are puffy. Are you sick? Do you want me to take you to the infirmary?”

“No, no. I’m okay. I’ve just been in the bunker all day. I’ll be fine.”

Will could sense that there was more to the story, but he didn’t push you to talk. That was something you loved about him. As a healer, he knew when things needed to be pushed, and when they didn’t.

After dinner was over, Leo waited outside the pavilion for you.

You asked, “Are you going back to the bunker?”

“The faster I get the Argo II done, the faster we can shut Gaea down.”

You nodded. “I guess I’ll see you—”

“Wait!” He said. “Will you come with me? It gets lonely there at night. Sometimes I have conversations with Festus to keep myself from falling asleep.”

“Sure.”

You were halfway to the bunker when Leo spoke up. “Can I tell you something?”

“Of course. You can always tell me anything.”

He took a deep breath and stopped walking. “I’m terrified about this war.”

You stopped next to him. “You’re not the only one. Gaea sends me dreams about it. About how everything we do will be hopeless in the end. How all my friends are going to die.”

He took your hand in his and squeezed it. “I’m not going anywhere, (Y/N). And I’m not letting you go anywhere either.”

“Leo, one of us isn’t making it out of this war alive.”

“Don’t say that. We’re all coming back alive. I’ll make sure of it.”

You decided not to say anything else. Leo continued to walk toward the bunker, still holding your hand. As you walked you thought about the odds of walking away with no casualties—they weren’t good. You’d been thinking about it a lot lately. Gaea had been coming into your dreams and telling how about how all your friends would die, and there was nothing you could do to save them.

You’d made a decision long ago: that if it came to it, you’d sacrifice yourself to save your friends.

To save Leo.

Leo, as usual, was hunched over his work bench, laser-focused on his work. You sat on the stool next to him, playing with a little cube he’d made you to help with your ADHD. Suddenly he stood, a wild grin plastered on his face. “It’s done!”

You stood up too. “Really?”

He nodded. “Everything. It’s perfect—it’s my masterpiece. We can leave tomorrow. I have to tell the others. I have to—”

“Leo, Leo, wait. What time is it?” You searched around the walls for a clock, but didn’t see one. Leo reached across his bench and pulled over a small analogue clock, the numbers 2:13 shone fluorescent green. “It’s after two in the morning. You can wait until breakfast to tell them.”

He finally slowed down and processed the information. “You’re right. It’s really that late?”

You nodded. “How long have you been awake?” He began counting on his fingers. He stopped at eight fingers and held them up. “Eight what? Eight days? Leo, you can’t—”

“No, eighty hours. I don’t have that many fingers.”

“You need to sleep. Eighty hours is,” you tried to do the math in your head, but math was never your strong suit.

“Over three days.”

“Yeah, you’re going to sleep. Come on.” You took his hand and dragged him over to the couch in the bunker. In the corner was a blanket that you’d brought the first time you spent the night in the bunker but never brought back to your cabin. You picked it up and brought it over to Leo. He took it from your hands and covered himself in the soft fabric.

“It smells like you,” he admitted.

“Is that good or bad?”

“Good. Very good. It smells like jasmine and honey.”

That made you smile. “Goodnight, Leo. I’ll see you in the morning.” You turned around and began to walk toward the door.

“(Y/N)!” Leo called behind you. You turned around to face him. He reminded you of a toddler, the way he was curled in your blanket, a toothy grin spread on his tan skin. “Will you stay with me? Please?”

Without hesitation—which surprised you—you responded, “Yes.” You went back to the couch, where Leo was holding up the blanket, making a spot for you. This was the first time the two of you had slept on the couch together. Usually when you both fell asleep in Bunker 9, you ended up on the couch and Leo slept over his work bench or on the floor. You always offered to let him take the couch, but he insisted you sleep there.

You climbed in next to Leo. He thought about how to comfortably position yourselves.

“Is it, um.” He stuttered nervously. “Would it be okay if I put my arm around you?”

You didn’t expect to blush, but once you felt it, you hoped Leo couldn’t see it in the dim light of Bunker 9. “Yeah, go ahead.”

He reached his arm around your shoulders and pulled you both so you’re laying down. He lay his head on your shoulder, and within minutes he was sound asleep. You ran your hand through his dark brown curls. Soon his snoring filled the room.

You knew he couldn’t hear you—Leo Valdez was the heaviest sleeper in the world. So you decided to use the one of the other gifts your father gave you: the power to make a shitty haiku come from nowhere.

“Sleep my sweet angel /

Who knows what morning will bring /

I’ll be there with you”

Soon the only sounds coming from Bunker 9 were the quiet humming of machines and Leo’s snoring, as you fell asleep.

Branches cracked under your boots. You held your bow in front of you, an arrow already notched, ready to fire.

“Silly little half-blood,” a voice called out. It didn’t feel close to you, but it was present, as if it was a narrator in a movie. “You think you can outsmart me? I know your plan.”

You had only heard this voice in your dreams. There was only one person it could belong to.

Gaea.

“How noble of you to think that by sacrificing yourself you can save that boyfriend of yours. You can’t save him, (Y/N). And do you think I’m going to let you die? You are such an important part of my plan.”

You looked up to see if there was any trace of Gaea—anything at all you could shoot. You looked ahead and suddenly something appeared. Not something. A person.

Leo.

You tried calling out to him, to tell him this was a trap and to hide, but nothing escaped your mouth. Something was creeping up behind him. You tried desperately to point, to make any sort of sound, but you were frozen. There was only one way this would end.

Leo was going to die.

And you couldn’t save him.

Someone was behind him now, a Celestial bronze sword in their hands. In one swift motion, the blade went through Leo’s chest. Leo crumpled to his knees, blood spilling from his wound. His assailant disappeared into thin air, but the voice returned.

Only it was coming from Leo’s mouth.

“How could you just stand there and let me die?”

You were still frozen, but not because of Gaea. Because this was your worst fear.

When Leo opened his mouth again, his voice was the one that came out.

Just a single word.

“Run.”

You woke up screaming. A pair of tan arms wrapped around your waist.

“Shh, shh, (Y/N). I’m right here. Everything is okay. I’m right here.”

Leo. He was okay.

You grabbed a handful of his shirt and clutched it for dear life, tears streaming down your face. One of Leo’s hands rubbed your back, the other was in your hair. “Tell me what happened. Was it your mom?”

You shook your head. Through shaky breaths you choked out, “It was Gaea. She sent me another dream. You were there and then you were gone—you were dead.”

“Shh, (Y/N), I’m not going anywhere. I’m right here. You’re safe with me. I’m not gonna let anything happen to you, or to anyone.”

“You can’t die on me,” you whispered to him.

“I promise you, I’m not going anywhere, mi alma.”

“Promise?”

“I swear on the River Styx. There’s still time before breakfast. Try to go back to sleep.”

You nodded and rested your head against Leo’s chest. It took longer than you wanted, but you were back asleep.

You woke up again, this time nightmare free. Leo’s arms were still wrapped around you, protective as armor. He smiled down at you, a smile filled with concern and care and something you’d never seen from him before.

Could it be. . .

Love?

“How’d you sleep?” He asked, clearly worried about you.

“Better.” Your throat was dry and your voice came out hoarse. “Thank you for staying.”

“I wouldn’t wanna be anywhere else.” He glanced at the clock on his work bench. “It’s time for breakfast. Then it’s time to see how well my masterpiece works.”

You didn’t want to get up. If your dream last night was any indication of how this war was going to be, you didn’t want Leo going anywhere near that ship.

Gaea knew your plan, and she knew how to use it against you. She was going to kill Leo to get to you.

Leo could sense the uneasiness in you. He pressed a featherlight kiss to your forehead. “I know you’re still shaken up, but you need to eat. You took care of me when I was building the Argo II, now it’s my turn to take care of you.”

You looked him in his deep brown eyes and nodded. Carefully, you stood up from the couch, fearing if you moved too fast you’d break down like a house of cards in the wind. Leo held his hand out to you. You laced your fingers with his, and he lead you out of Bunker 9 to the heart of Camp.

He stopped in front of Cabin 7. “How about you get washed up and change your clothes and I’ll meet you in the pavilion.”

You looked around you before nodding. Leo pulled you in for a hug. At only 5’3”, you were one of the only girls who was shorter than Leo. He rested his chin on the top of your head, and rubbed circles into your back. He smelled faintly of jasmine and honey—just like your blanket.

After he pulled away and noticed the worried look in your eyes, he said,

“I can wait here for you if you want?”

You shook your head. “No, no. Um, go tell the others that the ship is ready. I’ll meet you there.”

He looked unsure at first but eventually nodded. You watched as he scurried to the dining pavilion to inform the others of the status of Argo II. You walked through the doors of Cabin 7, maybe for the last time ever. You pulled a backpack out from under your bunk, and threw it on your bed. There were already some clean clothes in it. You added another shirt and another pair of pants to the pile, along with a water bottle full of nectar and a sandwich bag of ambrosia squares, courtesy of Will Solace. You also threw in the last of your mortal money, an enchanted quiver that always reloaded with arrows, and a stick of deodorant.

Once your bag was all packed, you headed over to the showers. A herd of Aphrodite girls were crowding the mirrors, holding tweezers up to each others faces. You found an uncrowded mirror in the corner of the bathroom. It was the first time in nearly three days you’d seen a reflection of yourself. Your hair was everywhere, the bags under your eyes had grown, and there were smears of dirt in some places—probably from Leo.

You washed up quickly, ignoring the looks from the Aphrodite girls. You slung your pack over your shoulder and trekked up to the dining pavilion to find Leo. He was sitting at the Hephaestus table, making large gestures with his hands, probably gushing to his siblings over Argo II. Without looking back, you walked straight over to the Hephaestus table and sat next to Leo. You ignored the stares from his cabin mates, and everyone else at camp. Sitting at another god’s table was a big no-no at Camp Half-Blood. But based on the look on your face and how defensive Leo got when you sat down, nobody said anything.

Leo leaned in close so only you could hear what he was saying. “Are you going to eat?” You shook your head. “(Y/N), you need to eat. Our quest starts today, you need your energy.”

Your eyes met his. There was a pleading look in his beautiful brown eyes

“Yeah, I guess I’ll go get something.”

“No, you stay here, and I’ll get you breakfast.” He lingered for a second, thinking about if he should kiss your forehead, but ultimately decided against it.

His siblings stared at you after he left. Finally Nyssa spoke up. “Are you nervous for the quest?”

You knew how nervous the whole camp was for the quest and everything that would follow. “Yeah, I am. But I’m confident that with Leo’s ship, we have a better chance of making it out alive.”

“What about my ship?” Leo asked from behind you, as if he hadn’t left. “Today’s date is an even number, which means you eat Cheerios and a red apple for breakfast.” He placed the bowl and fruit down in front of you.

“You know what I eat for breakfast?” You asked quizzically.

Leo grinned next to you, taking a bite out of an apple he’d gotten for himself. “On even-number days you have Cheerios and a red apple—even though green apples are totally the best. And on odd-numbered days you have waffles and an orange.” He looked so proud of himself. “Oh! On your birthday you have banana pancakes and bacon.”

You smiled at him. It made you happy that Leo paid that much attention to you.

“Do you need anything else?” He asked you. “If you need anything just tell me and I’ll get it.”

“Uh, no, thank you.”

Nyssa asked, “What’s gotten into you, Valdez? I’ve never seen you like this?”

“Well, (Y/N) took such good care of my while I built Argo II, and now that it’s done, it’s time I repay her.” He snaked an arm around your waist. You glanced at him out of the corner of your eye. The boy had that same goofy grin on his face that he has when he talks about mechanical stuff.

You ate your breakfast while Leo told more kids about how awesome Argo II is. You got through all your cereal and half your apple. You went to throw the other half away when Leo piped up, “Wait, I want it.”

Without a second thought, you tossed the half eaten apple to Leo. You half expected him to turn it into some gadget; you really didn’t expect him to take a bite from it and finish it.

“I’m gonna go find Annabeth and make sure everything is set for the quest.” You told him.

He gave you a little nod and watched as you went to find Annabeth.

You found her sitting outside Percy’s cabin, a small backpack at her feet.

“Percy!” She yelled. “You’ve packed for how many quests already? You don’t need to bring your pillow pet!”

“Hey, Annabeth, can we talk?”

She smiled up at you. “Of course. Percy, if I come back and that damn pillow pet is in your bag, I’m gonna rip it apart myself.” She turned back to you. “What’s up?”

“Can we talk somewhere more private?”

She nodded and followed you to the dock behind Percy’s cabin.

“Your mom is the goddess of battle strategy.” It wasn’t a question. It was you justifying what you were asking of her. “So that makes you a master strategist.”

“Yes,” she said, not sure where you were going with this.

You took a deep breath. “When the battle starts, I need you to keep Leo as far away from the fighting as possible.”

“(Y/N), I don’t know how realistic that is. When we get there, we’re more than likely going to need everyone to fight. Why do you want Leo away from the fight?”

You explained your dream to her. Gaea’s words, Leo dying.

“She’ll use him against me. She knows that he’s my weakness. If I can hide him from her, I can take her down. She said she didn’t want me dead. But she knows that the second something happens to Leo, I’m done. I need to eliminate one of the options.”

“What’ll happen if she does get to Leo? Do you have a plan?”

You sighed. “Yeah, I have a plan. An exchange.”

It took her a second, but Annabeth understood what you meant by exchange. “Your life for Leo’s. You’d trade your life to Gaea in order to save Leo. Why?”

“You know why. The same reason you would do it for Percy. Because I love him.”

She sighed and thought about the options. “I’ll see what I can do, but I’m not promising anything.”

You breathed a sigh of relief. “You can’t tell Leo about this talk.”

“I figured that.”

“And, Annabeth, I’ve known for a while that if it all came down to it, I’d sacrifice myself for the rest of you. Gaea already knows that, and you’re the only other person I’ve told. The less people that know, the better. If anything does happen to me, and I don’t make it back, promise me you’ll look after him.”

“(Y/N)—”

Through gritted teeth, you said, “Promise me, Annabeth.”

“I promise.”

You turned away and started walking back toward the heart of camp.

“(Y/N),” Annabeth called. You turned around. “Nothing is going to happen to you, either. I promise.”

“I really hope you’re right.”

The Argo II set sail after lunch. Leo wanted to give it a proper send off, breaking a champagne bottle on the bow and everything. Chiron vetoed that pretty quick, although Mr. D seemed to enjoy the suggestion. Everyone was amazed at how much work Leo had put into the ship. His siblings all patted him on the back for his impeccable work.

Everyone got their own cabin, which was nice. You loved your siblings and would do almost anything for them, but it was nice to have a room to yourself for once. The last time you had your own room was in Oklahoma. Even after the summer, you weren’t the only year-round Apollo camper.

You set your bow and quiver on hooks Leo had nailed in the wall. At Camp you didn’t have any keepsakes from home; no pictures, toys, or anything that tied you to your mom. All you had was the gold bracelet. Besides the hooks, the walls were bare. In the Apollo cabin, other kids had posters and pictures hanging. Memories of things that made them happy. Everything and everyone that made you happy was on the ship with you.

A small cube sat on the desk Leo installed. Each side had something to fidget with. It was the cube Leo had made you that you kept in Bunker 9. It was small and blue with your initials were carved in it (Leo insisted on doing that so nobody would steal it from you). You picked it up and slid it in your jacket pocket.

The Argo II was somewhere over the Atlantic when the dinner bell sounded. You made your way to the mess hall where Annabeth, Percy, and Jason were gathered. She caught you from the corner of her eye and smiled. She discretely shook her head and you understood what she meant: they weren’t talking about your plan for Gaea.

Everyone else trickled in and took a spot at the table. A plate of barbecue chicken and sweet potato appeared in front of you. It was the same type of magic that filled drink cups at Camp. The plate sensed what you wanted to eat, and presto there it is. Your heart sank a little; this was the first dinner you had at Camp Half-Blood when you were eight years old. Your mind wanted to start and end this journey in the same place. It was a cruel joke you were playing on yourself.

Leo started a small fire in the bronze brazier in the corner of the room. Everyone got up and scraped a portion of their food into the flames, bowing their heads and saying a prayer. You were the last to go. Half your chicken and some sweet potato flopped from the plate to the fire, sending the aroma to Mount Olympus. Your prayer took a little longer than the others.

Apollo, please accept this offering. I hope that I’ve been a good enough daughter and hero, and that if anything is to happen to me in this battle, you are proud of me. If I don’t make it out alive, maybe you could make me into a constellation.

Leo stood next to you, eyes closed, saying a prayer to his father. When he finished, he looked at you with that goofy smile you’d come to love. You tried your best to memorize all of his features, but after a second knew you would cry.

You smiled back at him. “Let’s eat.”

You couldn’t sleep. After last night you didn’t want to try. You left your cabin and roamed the deck. Your favorite curly haired mechanic was laying down in the center of the ship, staring up at the stars.

“What are you doing up?” You asked him.

He looked up at you, smiling. “I wanted to make sure the first night goes smoothly. Plus, the stars are really pretty.” He tapped the open space next to him, beckoning you to sit with him. You obliged, looking up at the stars.

You immediately recognized a constellation. You pointed up to show Leo. “My dad put that one in the sky.”

He scooted closer to you; your hands found each other. “Which one?”

“Lyra, the Harp.” You brought his attention to Vega, the brightest star in the sky, the tip of the constellation. “Do you know the story of Orpheus?”

“Isn’t he the dude that tried to bring his wife back from the Underworld? All he had to do was lead her out without looking at her, right?”

You nodded. “They were almost out, but he wanted to see her. He gazed upon her, and she got to say one final word before she vanished. His music was so sweet—sweeter than any other mortal could play. Almost as sweet as that of my father. After the Muses buried him, my father placed his harp in the sky as tribute.”

Leo turned his head to admire you. The way the moonlight caught your (E/C) eyes in just the right way; the way your lips turned up as you explained the story to him; the freckles that scattered your face, forming a constellation of their own.

“I love the stars,” you continued. “The stories behind them; the fact that no one will ever know how many there are exactly. I wish they were visible in the daytime.”

Leo fought the urge to say something corny like, but you’re brighter than any star. He wouldn’t be lying. He noticed your eyes trying to close, but you forced them to stay open. “Are you scared to fall asleep?”

You looked over at him. His curly hair was falling in his face.

“I can’t have a dream like that again. I always thought the dreams of my mom would be the worst I ever had, but I was wrong. Each dream she sends me takes part of me away. I’m scared I won’t be able to fight her.”

“You are one of the best fighters I have ever met. If I had to pick one person to go up against Gaea with, it’d be you.” He squeezed your hand. It was one of the gestures you loved from him. The warmth coming from his skin, the comfort in knowing he was real and he was there. He stood, pulling you with him. “Come on. If Coach Hedge catches us out here this late he’ll try to ground us.”

You’d follow him anywhere, but instinctively you asked, “Where are we going?”

His devilish grin returned to his face. “Just follow me.”

Knowing Leo, you could’ve ended up in Antarctica. You didn’t expect to end up in his cabin. Juxtaposed to Bunker 9, it was clean. He brought very little with him—his tool belt sat on a desk, schematics and diagrams scattered across the walls. “What are we doing here, Valdez.”

“When I was little and I had trouble sleeping, I would crawl into my mom’s bed. She would rub my back and whisper ‘it’ll be okay, mijo. It was just a bad dream, I promise it won’t come back.’ I always slept better when she told me that.”

You had always wondered what your childhood would have been like if you’d had a mom as nurturing as Sally Jackson or Esperanza Valdez. A mom that would wake up and make breakfast every morning, and was genuinely happy to see you. Instead, you’d been dealt the shitty hand.

“That still doesn’t answer what we’re doing in your cabin.”

“We’re gonna have a sleepover. It’ll be just like Bunker 9. You can sleep on my bed, and I’ll sleep on the floor.”

You tried to argue. “Leo—”

“No ‘buts’. You need your sleep, and I know that you’ll stay awake until you collapse. You and I are similar in that way.”

He shot you a pouty look—a look he knew you couldn’t say no to. “Fine, we’ll have a sleepover.”

His smile reached the heavens. This boy was going to be the death of you. Possibly in a literal way. He pulled you into his cabin, like a kid pulling their parents into a store they want to go in to. His bed was an island of blankets and pillows. Leo pulled one blanket and one pillow off his bed and set them on the floor.

“Is that my blanket?” You asked him.

A blush spread across his face. “Uh, yeah. I grabbed it before we left. I meant to give it to you. I must have forgotten about it.” He started to grab a different blanket off his bed, but you stopped him. You remembered how happy he was last night in Bunker 9, snuggled in your blanket.

“Use it. You have five million other blankets I can use.”

He looked up at you, a hopeful smiled tugged at his lips. “Really?”

“Yes, Leo.”

He pulled the blanket up to his chin, a smile still splayed on his beautiful face. You climbed into his bed, pulled two blankets over you, and lay your head on the mountain of pillows. Leo tapped the floor in a rhythmic pattern that you were ninety-nine percent positive was Morse code. It was something he did absentmindedly when he worked. You knew he picked it up from his mom—something special they shared. He tried to teach you once one night in Bunker 9, but your ADHD kept you distracted from counting the taps.

Either ten minutes or ten years went by of you staring at the wall. Leo had stopped tapping, but wasn’t snoring.

“Leo?” You whispered.

“Yeah.”

“Can you, um,” you felt awkward asking him this. “Can you come up here? At least until I fall asleep.”

His head popped up. “Of course.” He climbed in next to you, so you were between him and the wall. He put his arm around your shoulders, the same way he had last night. His chest became your pillow, warm and secure. Leo rubbed your back; small, soothing circles to help you fall asleep.

“Go to sleep, mi alma. Everything is alright. I promise a nightmare won’t come back.” He whispered to you.

You felt yourself growing sleepier. One question loomed in the back of your mind; a question you’d been wondering for a while.

“Are you ever going to tell me what mi alma means?”

He chuckled. “Maybe someday.”

The Argo II landed late the next afternoon. Leo hid the ship in some hills. Who knows what it would look like through the Mist. Maybe mortals would see a really big pigeon just hanging out in some hills.

You wished you could have had time to admire Greece. The beautiful landscapes, the magnificent architecture, the rich history. Besides Camp Half-Blood, this was the only place you’d ever felt at home. Oklahoma was never home, it was only the place you were born; it was the farthest place you’d felt from home. Home doesn’t include crazy mothers that scream at you for your godly parent leaving. Home was where you were supposed to feel safe and warm and loved.

Under different circumstances, this would have been a perfect home. You allowed yourself to imagine starting a life here. A life without gods and monsters intervening in every situation you’re in. A life in five or ten years where your bouncing little toddlers waddled up to you, so excited about their latest finger painting. A life where you were happily married to a husband that kissed you every night when he came home. A life with Leo.

A life you’d never get to have.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Leo said, appearing next to you.

“Do you?”

A smiled pulled at the corners of his mouth. “You’re thinking about how unlucky you are that the gods chose you for this quest. About how nice it’d be to have a life here.”

“How’d you know?”

He looked at you. “Because I’ve been thinking the exact same thing since we landed here.”

“Percy and Annabeth are the ones that truly deserve it. Six years of nonstop fighting monsters and being pieces in the game of the gods. Don’t they deserve a break?”

His eyes made his smile turn from hopeful to hopeless. “Once Gaea is dead, we’ll all have a break. We’re all gonna get as close to a normal life as a demigod can have. We all deserve it.” He thought about something before speaking again. “You and I are gonna go back to Camp Half-Blood, and we’ll be done with quests. You’ll teach little campers archery and I’ll be holed up in Bunker 9, turning rocks into random gadgets, and teach arts and crafts. We’ll play pranks on Jason, and raise all sorts of hell for Mr. D. You and I will be happy.”

How long had he been thinking about this? All he wanted after this was to live a life at Camp with you. He wanted something that you knew was almost impossible. If this quest didn’t succeed, if Gaea won in the end. . . You knew better than to get your hopes up that high. But you couldn’t help but imagine how happy you and Leo could be after the war. Running around Camp together, training a new generation of warriors. Leo hunched over his work bench in the bunker, constantly turning out new inventions. Maybe in a few years you could move to New Rome, go to college, start a family.

How the hell were you supposed to say goodbye to him?

Tears pricked the corner of your eyes. You wanted all that, and you wanted all that with Leo. But if this battle went the way your dream alluded to, then all you had were days, maybe even hours with him. If you didn’t make it back to Camp, Annabeth better make sure he taught crafts to little campers. After that declaration, you had a feeling if something happened to you, he’d sit in Bunker 9 until he died. He explained to you what happened to his bisabuelo—great-grandfather—Sammy. After Hazel, the girl he loved, moved away and he believed her to be dead (which she was, for 70 years, anyway) he never forgave himself.

Leo would be the same way. If something were to happen to you, Leo would never forgive himself. He turned you toward him and used his thumbs to wipe the tears from your cheeks. He didn’t ask why you were crying; he comforted you and that’s all you could’ve asked for.

The battle started too soon after you touched down in Greece. Everyone was fighting—even Leo. You’ve seen him fight before, and he was a damn good fighter—but here he looked out of his element. Quickly, you notched an arrow and shot it at the giant cyclops in front of Leo, hitting it in the back of the knee. Leo looked around surprised, until yours eyes locked across the battlefield. You sent him a smirk, a silent you’re welcome.

He found another cyclops to try and destroy. You searched around the battlefield for Annabeth. She was sneaking up behind a giant cyclops that was lumbering over to Hazel. She stabbed it in the leg and stood over it as it turned to dust. When she looked up, her gray eyes met yours. She knew it was time. She glanced at Leo, chasing a cyclops with a Celestial bronze hammer, then back to you. She nodded at you, telling you she’d hold up her end of the deal. If you didn’t come back, she was going to look after Leo. You trusted her with the task. After all, she’d kept Percy alive all these years.

You did one more quick glance around the field. It may have been the last time you’d see your friends ever again. You tried to take in all of their features, but it was hard to do in eight seconds. Any longer and you’d start crying, not to mention that the longer you waited, the longer Gaea had to advance. You allowed yourself one last look at Leo, one last time. Despite your efforts, tears pricked the corners of your eyes. You whispered I love you, but you knew he’d never hear it.

You turned and slipped into the woods, not daring to look back.

About three miles away from the battlefield you came across a small pond. Looking into it, you imagined, is what Piper must have felt when she looked into Katoptris. You saw the reflection of a girl, looking terrified as all hell, probably about to do the stupidest thing she’d ever thought of. Who thinks they can fight off Gaea, the mother of titans and giants, and come out alive? Crazy people.

Crazy people and you.

A loud crunch sounded not too far away from your position. Something was coming toward you, and it was big. You looked down to see if there was a large rock or something you could throw at it. The only thing you could see was your gold bracelet. A plan formulated in your head. A completely idiotic plan, but a plan nonetheless.

You took off your gold bracelet for the first time in years, and dropped it to the ground. Hopefully Leo would find it and know you were near.

“Dad, I have never asked you for anything before. Not even when my mom went nuts. But I am asking you now, please, please protect him. I’m doing what I have to to save your world, so can you do everything in your power to save mine? I will rot away in the Fields of Punishment for all eternity if that’s what you want. Just, please, save Leo. If he finds this bracelet but it’s already too late for me, do whatever you can to make him turn back. And, Dad, just know that I don’t blame you for my mom. I don’t blame you for taking so long to claim me. But thank you for getting me to Camp.”

There was no immediate sign. No ray of sunlight bursting down, no lyre music, no shitty haiku coming from the trees. You just prayed even harder to your father. You even threw in a quick prayer to Hephaestus for good measure.

The forest was like a scene straight from your last dream. Branches snapped under your feet, your bow was at the ready. You spotted the source of the noise: a cyclops with his back turned to you, using a tree as a toothpick. You didn’t know what he was picking out of his teeth, you just hoped it wasn’t one of your friends.

You raised your bow, locking in on your target. An arrow sailed centimeters away from the cyclops’s eye and stuck itself in a tree. The ugly thing turned, searching for the source of the arrow.

“Hey, Ugly!” You screamed. “Down here. You’re working for Gaea, right? Well not for long, because I’m gonna kill her.”

The cyclops snarled at you and picked up another tree out of the ground, ready to use it like a baseball bat. You didn’t want to know what it felt like to be hit like a homerun. You turned and started sprinting, thankful that Chiron made campers run as part of their training.

You’d spent years running around Camp Half-Blood, running from the Stoll brothers, running from Aphrodite kids coming at you with mascara, running from Percy when he tried to throw you in the lake. Those were all for fun—just kids chasing each other around without consequences or repercussions to worry about. This, however, was nothing like you’d ever experienced. You’d never had to run for your life—one wrong turn, one minor trip, and a cyclops was going to squash you like a mosquito. One misstep and you’d be eradicated from existence.

Your lungs hadn’t even started burning when everything went black.

The other seven had defeated Gaea’s army. All that was left was Mother Monster herself. Leo looked around, trying to decide which direction to go. Then he noticed (Y/N) was missing.

“Where’s (Y/N)?” he asked.

Everyone else looked around, as if they were just noticing she was gone. Everyone but Annabeth.

She spoke up. “Leo, why don’t you go get the ship. We’ll track down Gaea, and we can leave the second she’s dead.”

“Annabeth,” he said, anger dripping with every word. She knew something, and she was hiding it. He could feel his knuckles getting hot—getting ready to spark. “Where. Is. She?”

“She made me promise to keep you off the front line. She didn’t want to risk Gaea getting to you.”

“Annabeth Chase, where is she?”

“She made a plan to sacrifice herself to save you—to save all of us. I promised her if anything happened to her I’d look after you.”

“I swore on the River Styx that she’d be okay. That we would both walk away from this alive. Promise or not, I won’t be able to live with myself if anything were to happen to her. I can’t believe she’s doing something this stupid.”

Leo started to walk off, wishing he had tracking abilities to find which direction you’d gone in.

“Where are you going?” Annabeth called behind him.

“To find her! You may be okay with letting her die, but I’m not. Go and find Gaea, but I’m not leaving unless she’s leaving with me.”

He continued on into the unfamiliar territory, hoping you’d hop down from a tree and everything would be okay. But Leo knew better. He knew that if you were keeping a decision as big as this from him, chances were that you were going to fight until your last breath.

Twigs crunched under his feet. Frank ran to catch up with him.

Leo looked straight ahead. “If you’re here to stop me, you can go back to everyone else. I’m gonna do whatever it takes to find her.”

“I’m not stopping you,” Frank said. “She’s my friend, too. I don’t want to leave without her. Plus, I can tell how important it is that you find her. And I hope that if the situation were reversed—if I was looking for Hazel—you’d be helping me.”

Leo looked at Frank. The comparison made him happy. “You know I would.”

Alright, Valdez, Leo thought to himself. When I find her, no more messing around. She’s the one. Make sure she knows that.

He and Frank continued on for what felt like hours, but in reality was only a few minutes. Something on the ground caught the sunlight and was shining in Leo’s eye. Oh, gods, he thought, don’t let that be what I think it is. He bent down and picked up the gold bracelet.

“What is that?” Frank asked.

“It’s (Y/N)’s. She’s never taken this off. She says it’s the only thing Apollo ever gave her.”

“Why would she leave it then?”

Leo thought. “She wouldn’t. Unless she left it for me to find.” He stood up and put the bracelet in his tool belt. “She’s alive, Frank. I know it.”

“I can morph into a bird and do an aerial search for her.”

“Can you?”

Frank nodded and Leo watched as his body turned into that of an eagle. He soared above the treetops, searching for any sign of you. Leo followed, keeping his eyes peeled for you. After a half-mile, Frank let out a loud caw. He circled in the air until he was sure Leo knew where to go. Leo ran as Frank flew to the ground.

Your bow and quiver lay ten feet away from your body. Leo raced to you.

“Leo, wait!” Frank yelled.

A cyclops made his way from behind the trees. Leo grabbed your bow and an arrow from the quiver. He produced a small flame in his hand and set the tip of the arrow on fire. He notched the bow, and took aim.

Apollo, he prayed. You know I suck with a bow, but please help me this one time. Help me save your daughter. And Artemis, I know I’m a guy, but can you do me a solid this one time?

He took a breath and let the arrow fly. It sailed in the air before impaling itself in the cyclops’s neck. The cyclops disintegrated into dust, returning to Tartarus where it belonged.

“Leo,” Frank called. “She’s awake.”

Leo ran to your side. Your (E/C) eyes stared up at him. Blood was spilling from your mouth.

“How’d you land that shot, Valdez?” You asked him. Leo had always sucked with a bow.

He smiled. “I prayed to your dad. I guess he was in the mood to listen today.”

“I prayed to him, too.” Your words slowed down, and your eyes began to flutter shut.

“No, no, no, do not die on me! I am not letting you die.” Leo looked up at Frank. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he didn’t care who saw. “Gaea has to be near. Find the others and let them know where the fight is.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“I have to try and save her.” Leo moved to pick you up, but you caught his wrist in your hand.

“I’m not moving. I can’t go down without a fight—I need to kill Gaea.” Your eyes became glassy, and your breaths were turning shallow. Against your will, your eyes began to close.

“No!” Leo screamed. “(Y/N), you are not dying on me. Mi alma means ‘my soul’. I can’t live if anything happens to you. You need to be okay. We had a plan. You and I are making it back to Camp. Remember, you’re going to teach archery, and I’ll teach crafts. We’re supposed to live through this, (Y/N). You’re going to live through this.” He choked out the next part. “I love you.”

You forced your eyes open. Leo was leaning over you, eyes full of worry, tears coming down in floods. Your hand felt around for his. When you found it, you squeezed it with all the strength you had left. “I love you, too, Leo Valdez.” Grass tickled your wrist where your bracelet usually was. “My bracelet.”

“I have it.”

“I-if I’m gonna die, I want to die with it.”

“You’re not dying.”

“Leo.” You gave him a pleading look. “Please.”

He searched around his tool belt until the gold chain appeared. He clasped it around your wrist, and watched as it began to glow. Your skin began to burn.

“What’s happening?” Leo asked. The cuts and scrapes on your body began to close. Blood stopped pouring from your mouth. Leo remembered where the bracelet came from. “The bracelet is healing you. I guess Apollo was in the mood to listen to us both.”

Suddenly it all stopped. The bracelet ceased to glow, and your skin no longer burned. You finally felt strong enough to move. Slowly, you sat up. Leo watched your every move, eyes wide. He cupped your face in his calloused hands and smiled frantically. Without a second thought he crushed his lips onto yours. He poured everything he had into the kiss: love and fear and angst and longing.

He was the first to pull away. Leaning his forehead against yours, he whispered, “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”

#leo valdez #percy jackson #percy jackon and the olympians #pjo #heroes of olympus #hoo #rick riordan #leo valdez imagine #leo valdez x reader #leo imagine #leo x reader #gansey-jackson

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