Chapter 1: Be Together

ANNABETH

"Yeah, I should've thought about this a little better." Percy said as he pulled out the last suitcase from the taxi.

"Gods, Percy. What other option was there? Ask Nico? Totally, I just imagine me being like 'Hey Nico, I know you had a big crush on my boyfriend and that you were jealous of me, but could you do us a big favor and shadow-travel us to an exotic island where we plan to have a wonderful summer vacation together?' Ah,…obviously not." She rolled her eyes.

"I know that." He said as they walked inside the terminal. "I'm just conscious about the fact that we are flying for 17 hours and that at any moment, ZAP! We are plunging straight down to our deaths and the deaths of 39 other passengers."

Annabeth stopped right before entering the check-in line and looked up at him.

"Percy, it'll be fine. We survived aboard the Argo II for weeks, half the time going airborne. We survived Tartarus. You were the one that suggested taking this vacation, and I want us to go. I want us to have a great time—be together." She placed her hands on either side of his face and kissed him gently. He broke the kiss after a few seconds and looked into her eyes, relieving a sigh.

"You are right…I want to plunge to my death alongside you." He smirked at her. Annabeth hit him in the shoulder.

"Gods, Seaweed Brain." She took her suitcase and walked up to the check-in line.

Annabeth might not show it in front of Percy, but she felt jittery with excitement and anxiety about their trip to St. Lucia. She was excited to see a whole different place away from what she was used to. She looked forward to taking dives into the Caribbean Sea, go hiking, and relax away any stress that could come once school started. What made the trip a billion times better was Percy at her side, of course.

That was also what made her nervous. They were to be together on an exotic island for a week, staying at a very…romantic resort. She couldn't help to not think about the possibilities. The possibilities of them taking things a bit farther and…doing it.

She knew she trusted Percy one hundred percent, but they hadn't discussed it yet either. She wanted to bring it up multiple nights as they huddled together in bed back in their apartment in New Rome, but the nerves always got to her before she could say a thing.

Annabeth had started to think about it more often whenever she saw Percy take off his shirt before taking a shower or in favor of a different one. All she could think of besides the intriguing sight of his toned skin was Percy taking her shirt off. She wanted him.

It was still a big deal—a very important deal—in their relationship. Yet the nerve always settled because sex wasn't the same thing as a kiss or a make-out session. It was something more intimate and special that only happened for the first time once and must always be taken with precautions. But Percy wasn't just anybody. He was the guy she wanted, the one she planned to stay with forever. She wondered if Percy thought the same thing.

After they checked in, dropped their suitcases, and went through security, they headed for gate number 8A.

It was still pretty early in the morning—7:37AM. Their flight didn't leave until 8:25AM, so she figured for them to get some breakfast.

"Hey, we should get some breakfast." Annabeth suggested.

"Definitely, let's see..." he said looking around. "What do you want? There is McDonald's, Panda Express, Starbucks, and Chipotle. There is also a convenience store."

"Um…just…get me whatever you'd like with some bottled water, I need to go to the restroom really quick." Annabeth told him, giving him a kiss on the cheek before striding away.

"Okay." He said curiously.

Annabeth felt him staring as she walked away towards the restrooms. Perhaps Percy already started to notice her anxiety.