Part II: A New Kind of New Year's Resolution

Percy knew something was on Annabeth's mind the second he walked through the door. The carpet of her dorm room was covered in piles of half-finished sketches of buildings, all varying in style. She scratched away at the sketch pad with her dulling pencil, eventually ripping the page out and letting it float to the ground behind her.

Percy silently closed the door and walked to stand behind her. She acknowledge his presence with a faint smile.

More and more papers fluttered to the ground, all depicting variations of a house, through no two sketches looked the same. Some were tall and grand, while some were small and simple, white picket fence and all.

The strokes of her pencil became more and more frantic, until finally, the lead snapped. Annabeth dropped the pencil and searched frantically in the drawer for another.

"Annabeth." Percy tried to get her attention, but she only scrunched her eyebrows continued to search.

"Annabeth.." He tried again, but Annabeth only murmured a short reply- "Can't.. find it…"

"Wise Girl." Percy grabbed her wrists to stop her from continuing to look aimlessly for the pencil that seemed to refuse to be found. She looked up at him with an anxious expression. "You can breathe."

She nodded and took several deep breaths before turning away from her desk and toward Percy, who sat down in a chair next to her.

"Wanna talk about what's bothering you?" Percy held her hands in his.

She nodded again. "It's New Year's Eve… and I've made a resolution every year since I was four."

Percy smiled, because it was such an Annabeth thing to do. "I remember making one in daycare… before I killed a snake and got expelled."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. Only Percy could get expelled as a toddler, for accidentally killing a snake of all things. "What resolution could baby Percy possibly have made?"

Percy grinned. "I told the teacher my resolution was to eat 30 chocolate chip cookies in one sitting."

Annabeth laughed, because it was such a Percy thing to do.

"The teacher frowned and told me it wasn't a real resolution, and that a toddler couldn't possibly do it, so at snack time the next day, I convinced all the other kids to let me eat their cookies so I could prove her wrong."

"What did the teacher do then?" Annabeth asked.

"She gave me a timeout for eating everyone's cookies and told me to have a new resolution when the timeout was over."

Annabeth assumed a look of pity and sympathy. "Poor little Percy, having his dreams crushed at the wee age of three."

"Joke's on her," Percy said triumphantly. "My new resolution was to eat 40 cookies in one sitting."

Annabeth giggled uncontrollably, her worries temporarily forgotten. "Percy Jackson, slayer of the Minotaur at 12, savior of Olympus at 16, and champion cookie eater at 3."

Percy pouted. "I was three, okay. My only priorities were food and sleep. And Mom."

"Oh Seaweed Brain, you haven't changed a bit." Annabeth commented, teasing him lightly.

"Not true." Percy retorted with a gleam in his eye. "Now I have you."

She rolled her eyes again. Percy was always making cheesy comments, and she always rolled her eyes, but Percy always knew that she secretly loved them.

"So," Percy said. "What's your New Year's resolution this year?"

Annabeth bit her lip nervously. "I.. I can't think of one. A good one, at least. And I've always been able to think of one. And I've always completed them, but I can't complete the resolution if I haven't made one. It's- it's like I've hit a dead end. Which probably means I'm not ambitious enough, or that I'm plateauing, or-"

Percy leaned over and kissed her lightly, cutting her off. "Wise Girl, you are one of the most ambitious, smart, creative beings who's ever existed on this planet, savior of Olympus, architect of the gods, survivor of Tartarus… Just because you've accomplished all these amazing things in the past, doesn't mean you won't accomplish amazing things in the future. In fact, all those impossible things you've done only show that you're capable of so much more." He looked at her with more sincerity than even Alethia, the goddess of truth, could ever have. "You don't always have to put so much pressure on yourself. Maybe, right now, letting yourself be peaceful and happy is enough."

Seeing the tears leaking from the corners of her her eyes, Percy pulled Annabeth into a tight hug. She sniffed quietly as he stroked her hair.

After a minute or two, the sniffling stopped, and Annabeth pulled back, wiping away the remaining tears. "When did you get to be so smart, Seaweed Brain?"

Percy shrugged. "I guess you've rubbed off on me."

Annabeth broke into a smile and laughed, a genuine one this time, not a half-hearted one, blocked by self-doubt and worry.

"So, about that peace and happiness thing," Percy started. "Want to go out for some ice cream? My treat."

"Sure, just give me a second," Annabeth said, turning back her table and finding a pencil in the back of the drawer with ease. Flipping to a new page in her notebook, she began the new sketch with newfound determination and confidence. After several moments of nothing but the sound of pencil on paper, she set down the pencil and looked at the sketch with a faint smile of satisfaction. She had drawn a modest house, two floors, but nothing fancy. There was a small porch with a swing out front and little flowers lining the steps leading to the door. It seemed like the kind of house a newlywed couple would move into; where they'd make coffee and rush out the door on weekdays, but sit together on the swing and enjoy the sounds of the birds chirping on lazy Sunday afternoons. Percy tried to look over her shoulder, but Annabeth tore the page out of the sketchbook, folded it into fourths, and slipped it under a textbook.

Percy pouted. "Why can't I see it?"

Annabeth turned towards him with a smirk. "Someday, I promise."

"Why not today?"

"Some-day," Annabeth repeated, emphasizing each syllable.

"Finee," Percy sulked. Annabeth rolled her eyes with a smile as the two got up to head out to their favorite ice cream place, only a few minutes away. Annabeth's hand slid into Percy's as they walked through the hallway.

"Chocolate chip cookie dough, two scoops, with sprinkles." Annabeth recited.

Percy grinned. "And one scoop of vanilla for you." Annabeth nodded with a smile. "I don't know why you always get vanilla; it's so plain." Percy whined.

"Vanilla's a classic!" She retorted. They paused for a moment as they waited for someone to exit the elevator before they stepped in. Some awfully upbeat easy-listening elevator music played as they waited, probably courtesy of Apollo. They stepped out onto the sidewalk, their hands still swinging between them.

Percy's eyes lit up childishly as the ice cream shop came into view.

"Welcome to Khione's Icy Ice Cream. What can I get for you two today?" The college student behind the counter asked. Annabeth shuddered at the shop's name. Encounters with the goddess of snow were never pleasant.

"Two scoops of chocolate chip cookie dough in a waffle cone with sprinkles, and one scoop of vanilla in a cup." Percy ordered.

The guy punched their orders into the computer, and grabbed a cup and a scooper. "That'll be five forty-nine."

Percy nodded, grabbing his wallet from his back pocket, but hesitating as he brought it out. "Could you, by any chance, make the cookie dough blue?"

The employee seemed very, very confused with the request as he shook his head and continued scooping the vanilla into the cup. "Don't think so."

Annabeth laughed at the disappointed look on Percy's face before going on her tiptoes to place a sloppy kiss on his cheek. "Better?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Percy smirked, leaned down to place a soft kiss on her lips. "Always."

I hope this fluffy little one-shot made you smile! Please leave a review if you liked it, and tell me what other one shots you want me to write! Or you can tell me what you you did over the holdiday, what presents you got... I just want to hear from you! ^_^ Happy New Year everyone!

P.S. I know I skipped over Thanksgiving and Christmas to New Year's of all holidays, but I was kinda drawing a blank on ideas… might post them later on in the year… even if they're both long over. It's never too late for some holiday spirit!

~Lucy