Hello!

Welcome to the final part of the three-shot A Day at the Mall!

I hope you enjoy it :D

Summary: Annabeth goes on a date with Percy. And not just any date. An underwater adventure. With a son of Poseidon. What's bound to happen? Find out in the final part of A Day at the Mall!

Disclaimer: The entire series was created by RICK RIORDAN. Not me.

ANNABETH'S POV:

I stared at myself in the bathroom mirror. My fingers braided the last few strands of my hair as I finished getting ready. I wore a black tankini top with speckled gold spots and the blue-and-black bottoms I wore earlier today at the beach. The backpack that sat on the bathroom counter had many items in it. A sketchbook, towels, two water bottles, a flashlight (you never know) and my dagger. Again, you can never be so sure. There was a light knock on the door.

"Annabeth?" Percy whispered softly. "You decent?"

I nodded, and then mentally slapped myself across the head. He was on the outside of the door. He couldn't see my head. "Yeah. I'm almost done."

Percy cracked the door open and noticed that I was finishing my hair. My roommate had taught me how to french-braid over the school year. I also knew had to do a waterfall braid, but it didn't come out that well on my hair. "Hey, I told my mom that we were going out. She didn't seem to keen on the idea of us being alone at night, but she gave us permission."

"She has nothing to worry about. We're not doing anything besides swimming and cuddling," I said grabbing the bag of the counter and slinging it over my shoulder.

"That's what I told her," he said. "I guess she'll believe you over me."

"Maybe," I teased.

Percy made a face. "Not only is my mother against me, so is my girlfriend. What is it? Attack Percy day or something?"

"I guess you didn't get the memo," I stuck my tongue out and walked past him.

His parents were sitting on the couch, watching a movie. Sally noticed the two of us and asked Paul to pause the movie. She turned to face us. "Three ground rules. One, please be safe. I don't want any demigods getting injured or something. Two, I want you guys home by eleven o'clock. I'm letting you guys have some freedom, considering you'll be with us the entire weekend. And three, absolutely no sex whatsoever-"

Percy's eyebrows shot up into his hair. "We're not even at that stage-"

"We're only seventeen-"

"We're waiting until marriage-"

"What he said-"

"JUST NOO!" Percy and I yelled at the same time. He rubbed the back of his neck, his face red as a tomato. I don't think mine was even better.

Paul chuckled at our stuttering comments. "They reacted even better than I thought. I guess that means we won't be having grandchildren anytime soon."

"NOOOO!" We both shouted loudly.

Sally slapped her husband on the arm. "Oh, shut up, Paul." She glanced over at us as Paul continued to laugh at our embarrassement. "Well, that's all the rules. I'm glad I won't have to worry about that third one. Correct?" She raised an eyebrow.

We both nodded, still blushing like a storm.

"Okay, then. You can go," Sally turned her attention back to the film with the pause button still on the TV screen. "Have fun, kids!"

Percy and I looked at each other, our faces still red. Awkward.

SCENE CHANGE

"I'm sorry about my mom," Percy apologized after we left the cabin. We were walking towards the beach. I carried my backpack as he carried two beach chairs. "She's just like that-"

I laughed. "It's fine, Seaweed Brain. Mother's are like that. My dad, after I told him about our relationship, he sat me down and wanted to talk about that. I informed him that we weren't ready for such a big commitment. And anyways, I want to wait until marriage. No matter who it is."

Percy sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "I know. I just feel so embarrassed-"

"Oh, I thought your face was naturally red," I teased.

He frowned. "That was uncalled for, Wise Girl."

"And?" I raised an eyebrow.

Percy reached over and grabbed my hand. He laced our fingers together. "Come on."

I slipped my shoes off when he reached the sand, and buried my toes into the minerals. "Ahh, it's a little bit cold but it's not awful."

There wasn't hardly any people around. It was empty, besides the few couples that took a walk down the beach at nighttime. Other than that, we would be okay with going underwater for a long period of time.

He set the chairs down and after we unhooked them, I sat down in one of them, and watched him breathe in the air. Percy's hair was tousled from the light breeze. He wore black with blue stripes swimming trunks, and a light grey t-shirt. He closed his eyes as the wind blew past again. The air felt wonderful against my face.

The beach was one of the places Percy loves. He's always happy here, and being here with him, it made me love the beach even more. It reminds me of him so much. The scent. Percy always smelt like sea water. The view. Percy's eyes were like a sea of its own. I could get so lost in them.

"Ready to go in the water?" Percy broke my train of thought.

I blinked, coming back to the planet Earth. "What?"

"Want to go in the water?" he asked.

I nodded, standing up from the chair. "Sure."

Percy held out his hand. I slid my hand into his. He grasped it tightly as he started walking backwards. I raised an eyebrow but walked with him. He continued until the water went up to our ankles and he put his hands on my waist.

"What are you doing, Seaweed Brain?" I smiled, wrapping my arms around his neck.

His eyes sparkled. "Holding you."

"Did I give you permission?" I joked.

Percy rolled his eyes and his hands slid down to my hips. "Just enjoy it," he whispered softly. I pressed my forehead against his, tightening my hold on him.

He swayed us slightly to the left and then to the right. I realized that were dancing to the sound of the wind and the small waves. It created a soft, beautiful melody. I closed my eyes, knotting my fingers in his black locks. Percy wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me even closer to him. We continued to dance in the warm water, and I loved it.

I absolutely loved it.

"Annabeth," Percy muttered in the silence. "Remember when we were thirteen, and you got kidnapped by Atlas?"

"Mm-hmm," I mumbled in reply.

He took a shaky breath. "I was worried, so worried that I may have lost you. May I have lost my best friend. I didn't want anyone else going to find you unless I went with that group. But I knew you weren't gone. I would have known. I knew that you were alive. And when I saw you, I instantly knew that I felt something different towards you. Even though you were dirty and bloody, you were still beautiful. You've always been beautiful in armor."

I gave a small laugh at that comment.

"We've fought side by side together for four years. You took a poisoned blade for me. I gave up immortality for you. We were best friends, and not even the gods could break us apart," Percy buried his nose in my hair. He took a minute to respond. "I guess this all sums up to..."

I opened my eyes and met his sea green orbs. One of his arms let go of my waist and his hand cupped my cheek; his thumb rubbed the side of my side. "I love you, Wise Girl."

I bit my lip, but not even that couldn't contain the grin that spread across my face. "I love you too, Seaweed Brain."

He grinned. I leaned in, capturing his lips in a kiss. After pulling away, I wrapped my arms around his torso and rested my head on his chest. Percy tightened his hold on me; he placed his chin on top of my head. We swayed for a few more minutes before he broke the silence again.

"So, what would you like to do first?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Hmm... that's a very good question."

"Indeed it is."

"When are we going to start that underwater adventure you were telling me about earlier?"

Percy smirked. "Right about now."

He let go of my waist and ran back to the chairs, slipping his shirt off. I grabbed a rubber band off my wrist and tied my hair up into a messy bun. Strands of hair fell into my face. I didn't hear him return, because suddenly I was lifted up into the air. He held me bridal-style.

"When I go underwater, follow me under. I'll make an air bubble for you, and then we'll start our underwater adventure," Percy explained.

I grinned. "Yes sir."

He shot me a look. "No need for sarcasm."

He let me go when the water got waist-length. We continued out into the ocean until our heads were the only thing poking out. Percy held up a finger and went under. I floated, waiting for his signal. Arms quickly wrapped around me, pulling me underneath the water. I took a deep breath before I was submerged. I opened one eye and noticed that I was already in the air bubble. Percy was chuckling.

"Thanks," I mumbled.

He laughed. "I told you that I was making an air bubble."

"I didn't know you were going to pull me under. I wasn't expecting you to that," I retorted.

Percy shrugged. "I'm full of surprises," he said with a grin.

"Apparently," I muttered.

He continued to grin. "What would you like to do first down here, beautiful?"

"Hm," I put a finger to my lip. "Can we see the dolphins?"

He nodded. "Watch your incredibly talented boyfriend summon dolphins," Percy said while putting two of fingers in his mouth and whistling loudly.

I crossed my arms. "Watch your ego."

"Nah," he said. "I've been fighting monsters for five years. And been involved in a Titan war. I think I deserve a few minutes to shine."

"Okay," I muttered.

Suddenly three dolphins came swimming towards us. I gasped. They were grey, and squealing like they were happy to see us. Percy emerged out of the air bubble and ran his hand across the back of one. It squeaked at his presence. The second one came over to me and squeaked. I turned to look at my boyfriend for confirmation. He nodded. My hand appeared out of the air bubble, but no water came running in. I ran my hand across the dolphin's back, and it squealed.

"This is amazing," I said while smiling.

Percy appeared at my side in the air bubble. "They like you."

"How do you know that?"

He raised an eyebrow. I blushed furiously. I completely forgot that he was the son of Poseidon. I was too busy playing with the dolphins. My mind was turning into mush.

"You're rubbing off on me," I said.

He laughed. "Okay. Blame it on me, love."

"It is!" I insisted.

"Keep telling yourself that, Annabeth."

I turned to glare at him, but I stopped when I saw he was petting the third dolphin. He was having a conversation with the marine animal like it was a person. The dolphin squealed responding back. I'll admit. I was a little jealous at Percy's ability of being able to control water and speak to animals.

"Okay, we're about to ride them," he said.

I raised my eyebrows. "We are?"

"Yeah. I asked them, and they agreed to it," Percy came over to me and guided my hand to the dolphin's fin. I grasped it tightly. "They're gonna take off here in a minute, but I'll be right behind you. The air bubble is gonna follow you every where you go. Well, as long as I'm concentrating."

"You better be concentrating, boy."

He laughed. "I will."

The dolphin I was holding onto took off. Oh. My. Gosh. This was amazing. I couldn't believe that I was riding with the dolphins. The ocean was beauitful. There were tons of sea creatures swimming around, and- did one of them wave at Percy? Wow. Out of nowhere, the son of Poseidon appeared in front of me. The other two dolphins were following him.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

Percy shrugged. "Being the son of Poseidon."

He was having a swimming contest with a dolphin. How typical.

"Are you having fun?"

He nodded. "Very."

A few minutes later, we were saying good-bye to the dolphins. They nudged Percy in the side, squealing happily. The one who let me hold onto him squeaked at me and I waved. They swam off except for the one chatting with Percy.

"Yes, Flippy. I'll make sure to tell her," Percy replied.

The dolphin squeaked.

He looked over at me and grinned. "I promise I'll tell her. Now go along. Your siblings are waiting."

The dolphin rubbed against his arm before swimming off.

"Flippy wanted me to tell you that he enjoyed your company and would like to see you again," Percy said entering the air bubble. "He says you're pretty also."

I laughed. "Well, next time I see Flippy, I'll make sure to tell him he's cute."

"So, what do you want to do now?" he asked. "Go see some other animals? Go back to the shore and collect seashells? Take a walk-"

"Can you talk to crabs?"

Percy's face was priceless. "What?"

"Can you talk to crabs?"

"Umm, no. I don't know. I've never tried. Why?"

I shrugged, still wondering that myself. "The question just popped into my head. Carry on."

"What do you want to do?" Percy asked.

"Hmm, go back to the beach."

"Okay," he mumbled taking my hand.

BACK AT THE BEACH

After we got back to the shore, (we made sure that no mortals saw us come out of the ocean) Percy laid his towel out on the sand. I sat in a chair next to him, and enjoyed the view of the ocean. The breeze was amazing. It brought the scent of the water, and it reminded me of Percy. He always smelt like sea water and his mom's homemade blue chocolate chip cookies.

"Annabeth," he said in the silence.

I looked over at him and a bright light blinded me. I held my hand up to shield it. "What'd you just do, Percy?"

"Took a picture of you," he said. "Well, my second photo actually. I took one of you admiring the view."

"I was wondering where that flash came from. I thought maybe it was my imagination."

Percy shook his head. "Nope. It was me."

"I see that now, dork."

"No need to get sassy, Miss Chase."

I stuck my tongue out at him. He just grinned and turned his attention back on the ocean. I saw his head perk up and he turned to look at me. The look on his face worried me.

"I have an idea," he said.

I snorted. "That's not going to turn out well."

He frowned. "Cruel, Wise Girl. Just cruel."

"What is it, Seaweed Brain?" I asked laughing.

"Get in front of the towel, so that the ocean will be in the background," Percy pulled out his iPod and saw him press the little camera button.

"Oh no!" I jumped out of the seat. "You are not taking a picture of me, mister."

"Please?" he pouted.

I crossed my arms. "No."

"Annie-"

I shot him my 'finish-that-sentence-or-I'll-shrivel-you-to-a-pulp' look.

"Annabeth, please?"

"No."

Percy's eyes met mine and his signature smirk came onto his face. "I'll let you borrow my black American Eagle shirt. The one you love soooo much."

I sighed. Darn that boy for knowing my weakness. I do love that shirt, and I've been making plans on how to steal it without him noticing. "Fine, but just this one photo."

"I knew that would change your mind," he grinned.

I walked over to stand where he wanted me to. "I better get that shirt-"

"You will, nerd. Now shut up and pose," Percy ordered playfully while getting up from his towel. He held up his iPod.

"How?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Any way. I don't care. I just want a picture of you from our date."

I put my hands on my hips. "Is this okay?"

"Yes," he said pushing the button. I smiled and the bright light came back. It blinded me for two seconds before going away and Percy gave me a thumb's-up for confirmation. "Perfect. You look beautiful by the way," he said meeting my eyes.

I laughed, pointing at my bathing suit. "In this thing?"

"Yeah. I like it on you."

"Oh, well thank you," I muttered.

He chuckled softly. "You're welcome, Wise Girl."

I found myself in a great situation to surprise him. He was doing something on his iPod so it was the perfect time. I acted like I was going back to my seat, but I changed courses and tackled him instead.

"Oof!" Percy grunted at the sudden attack. He landed on his back with me on top of him.

There was one downfall in my plan though. Our foreheads smacked together.

"Ow," I grumbled rubbing the sore part of my forehead.

"Are you all right?" he asked breathless.

I laughed. "I'm fine. You should have seen your face. It was priceless."

"Well I wasn't expecting you to tackle me."

"I'm full of surprises," I mocked him.

He flicked me on the arm. "That's for ambushing me."

I laughed at his childish behavior. Percy then noticed our position. I was lying on top of him, our faces a few inches apart, and his arms were wrapped around my waist from grabbing me on the way down. He bit his lip.

"Do you want me to get up?" I asked starting to move.

He shook his head. "No, it's fine. I like holding you."

"I just didn't want anything to be weird for you," I said gesturing to our bodies.

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Are you uncomfortable?"

"No," I said. "I mean, probably with anybody else I would be, but it's fine with you."

"Okay," he brushed a piece of my hair out of my face. "I didn't want you to be not okay with it."

I smiled. "I'm good." I then pressed my lips against his.

He held the side of my face with one hand and the other rested on my waist. "Mm, anything else you would like to do why we're out here?"

I sighed, pushing myself off him and sitting next to him. "Hmm. I honestly don't know."

"Well, that helps me a lot."

I shoved him in the shoulder. "Shut up."

"Nah," he stuck his tongue out.

"How much longer do we have out here?" I asked looking at the hidden moon. The dark clouds covered the shining beauty.

Percy checked his iPod. "Grrr, it's ten-thirty."

"We have thirty more minutes," I reminded him.

"But knowing my mom she would want us home by ten-fourty-five."

I frowned. "Darn. I was looking forward to one more walk around the beach."

"We have two more days here, love."

"Yes, but a moonlight walk on the beach."

Percy grinned. "Like I said, we have two more days here. That means nights as well. We're not leaving until Monday morning, so we can finish this wonderful date on Sunday night. I'll even try to find some crabs and see if I can speak to them."

I laughed. "I have no idea where that came from."

"Eh, I'm interested now."

I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Let's get packing."

We packed up the towels and unhooked the chairs so that they would slide into their bags they came in. We picked up all the stuff and started making our way towards the cabin.

A few minutes later, we were almost at the front door. Our hands were intertwined, and the smile on my face never left. Percy unlocked the door and gestured for me to enter after he got it opened. I grabbed the chair I was holding and walked into the cabin. Sally and Paul were still sitting on the couch, watching a movie.

"Oh! You guys are back," Sally said pausing the movie. "I was getting worried."

"Mom, we're fine," Percy reassured her.

She smiled. "I know that, sweetie. Mom's are always worried."

"Yeah. Well, I'm going to bed," Percy said turning to walk up the stairs.

Sally cleared her throat and Percy walked over to his mom, engulfing her in a hug. I smiled at their mother and son relationship. She patted him on the back and came over to me to hug me.

"Good-night, Annabeth. I'll be there in a little bit."

I nodded. "Okay. I'll probably be already asleep. I'm tired."

Percy put his hand on my back as we walked up the stairs. His hand never left the spot until we stopped at my door. He leaned in and kissed me. "Good-night, Wise Girl. Don't let the bed-bug's bite."

"Night, Seaweed Brain. Get a good night's sleep," I said leaning up to kiss him again. He grinned after pulling away. "See you in the morning."

"Ditto," he replied. "I love you."

Those three words sent shivers down my spine. "I love you too."

We kissed one more time before he turned to walk to his room. I closed the door behind me. I collapsed on the bed, tired from the today's activities. Ah. Comfy covers.

MONDAY MORNING

We were leaving today. Sadly.

The sun wasn't out today, but it wasn't raining either. There were dark clouds and the weather channel did say it was supposed to rain, but not until later. I was ready for the ride home. I was wearing comfy sweatpants and a Camp Half-Blood shirt. I wore Percy's CHB hoodie. We got them last year in celebration of the Titan War. His was one size larger than mine and it kept me warm. I loved his hoodies.

Anyways, we were leaving today and I wasn't ready to leave, but eventually we had to. Sally wanted to take some pictures before we left. We've been taking pictures throughout the entire weekend. We went to an aquarium (which Percy loved), many different places and small stores. I got a hoodie and a frame which I could put a picture of this vacation from a souvnier shop.

"Annabeth, do you mind taking a picture of us?" Sally asked handing me the camera.

I shook my head. "Not at all." Paul, Sally, and Percy got into a pose with Sally in the middle. They all smiled, and I pressed the button on the top of the camera. "Let's do a funny one." The boys glanced at each other and grinned. They lifted Sally off the ground with her sitting on their arms like a throne. I laughed and took it. "Amazing."

Sally took the camera from my hands with a smile. Paul and Percy took a nice photo together. They took a funny one also. Paul was pretending to strangle Percy and my boyfriend gave a hilarious expression while trying to escape. Paul took a picture of Sally and Percy. A nice and a funny one. I stood to the side, just laughing and smiling at their family.

"Now let's get Annabeth in a couple," Sally said.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yes," she smiled.

I walked over to Paul and Percy. They both threw an arm around my shoulders as I put an arm around each of their sides. We smiled at the camera. Suddenly I was lifted into the ground and they were holding me sideways. Paul held my legs as Percy cradled my head. We took one smiling and the other doing funny faces. Paul was looking at us weirdly as Percy and I did blowfish expressions.

Sally took a picture with me. The funny ones consisted us of pulling each other's hair and staring at each other with our mouth's wide open. They all came out great.

Percy and I took a few. The first one, we stood at each other's side; his arm wrapped around my shoulders as mine was around his waist. The second one, we were standing back to back with our arms crossed with serious looks on our faces.

My personal favorite was the third picture we took. Percy had his arms wrapped around my waist and I had mine wrapped around his neck. He had lifted me up during our hug and we smiled at the camera. (AN: One of my friends did this to one of his close friend who is a girl and I just had to use it because it was cute (:

"These all came out great!" Sally exclaimed after seeing all of them.

I knew that I was going to put the picture of Percy holding me in my room.

IN THE CAR

I snuggled into Percy's side, burying my face in his neck. He chuckled. "Tired, Wise Girl?"

"Mm-hmm," I muttered.

He was holding my hand. His other hand was resting on my lower thigh. I was curled up against him. My knees were lying on his thigh; my arm wrapped around his.

"Hopefully if you go to sleep, we'll be there when you get up," he whispered in my ear.

I smacked my lips quietly. "Hm..."

"Good-night, Sleeping Beauty. I'll wake you if we stop anywhere," he said.

I smiled into his shoulder. "'Kay. I love you."

"I love you too," Percy kissed me on the top of my head.

The last thing I heard before I fell asleep was this: "Aww, they love each other, Paul!"

"Took them long enough to figure it out," Paul snickered.

The last thing I thought was this: Thank you, Paul. You were always the one to admit that Percy took long to figure things out. He's such an oblivious Seaweed Brain. And always will be.

But that's why I love him.

AND SCENE!

This is the final part of A Day at the Mall three-shot. I hope it was good ending and I'm glad you enjoyed it!

I'm probably going to be adding some new one-shots here. I have a lot done considering the fact that I have a lot of free time at home. During the week, I'm busy with school but isn't everybody? At least I have a few chapters written for The Stranger Within.

And yes, including the chapter with Percy's story. In fact, it should be updated this week. Ooh. The long awaited chapter will be posted.

OH! I'm doing a one-shot based on the end of The Mark of Athena. Fans who have finished it will understand what I mean ;)

-HunterofArtemis32