"Percy, I really can't stay." Annabeth playfully swatted his hand away from her face.

"But sweetie, it's cold outside," Percy protested.

"Really hon, this was a wonderful evening." She kissed his warm cheek. "But I've got to get back to my cabin."

"We've hardly spent any time together this Christmas break, though." He pulled her hands into his, stroking his fingertips over her palms. "Your hands are just like ice," the son of Poseidon murmured.

"My siblings will start to worry; someone will be pacing the floor. Not tonight, Percy."

"Beautiful, what's your hurry?" he asked, a lopsided grin making his green eyes sparkle. "Come on, I just got the fire started again." Pyrotechnics were not Percy's strong suit; water was his domain.

Annabeth began to poke around the cabin for her hat, gloves, and coat. "My younger siblings want me in the Athena cabin," she repeated, trying not to show her exasperation too much.

Percy cajoled, "They have other older siblings. Come on, don't tell me my hot chocolate drove you off."

Annabeth shook her head. "No, of course not, it was delicious. In fact, I might have another cup before I dash off…"

"Here, I'll make more for you. Why don't you put some music on while I heat up the milk?" Percy handed Annabeth his iPod while he poured milk into her favorite mug and stuck it in the microwave. She sighed and plugged it into the dock, fiddling with it while she tried to hide a smile. Percy wasn't going to let her go without a fight tonight.

The blonde daughter of Athena settled on Mumford & Sons just as the microwave beeped. Percy stirred in the rest of the ingredients. He handed the mug to Annabeth and curled up next to her on the couch.

"What'll my siblings think?" Annabeth sipped the thick chocolate beverage. "Say, what's in this drink? There's a little something…"

"They'll think I'm mature and responsible for not letting you out in this storm. And it's Nutella, gives it that extra oomph," Percy wiggled his eyebrows. "With the weather borders being all wonky, nobody is going to fault you for not wanting to cross the courtyard to the Athena cabin. I'm serious babe, it's a whiteout out there. You could seriously get lost in the distance between our two cabins."

Annabeth looked at her boyfriend over the top of her glasses, the ones she wore not out of necessity, but because they made her feel more official as she pored over blueprints. "Come on now. It's less than a hundred feet. I'm sure I can manage that."

Percy looked her straight in the eyes. "Annabeth. Sweetheart. Mr. D's strawberry plants froze solid. And they're protected by a god. The borders are really screwed up."

Percy dropped her skeptical gaze. He decided to pursue a new plan of attack and made his voice as suave as he could muster. "Here, let me just take your hat, no sense in wearing it while you're inside."

"I ought to say no…" Annabeth trailed off reluctantly.

"But?" Percy asked hopefully. He scooted closer to her, settling an arm around her shoulder. He played with a strand of her hair, fingering the white streak that matched his own. "Your hair looks awesome today; did I tell you that already?"

"But, my boyfriend has seaweed for brains and I'm starting to think that he's far too bad an influence." Annabeth raised an eyebrow at said boyfriend as she took another sip from her mug. Even if Percy was a giant goofball, he did make a damn good cup of hot chocolate, not to mention his great talent for the activities in which they had partaken over the course of the evening. Annabeth felt her convictions weakening as she remembered how voraciously his lips had warmed hers when she came in from the winter storm. A blush bloomed across her cheeks.

"You like my bad influence, babe. Or do I need to remind you?" Percy trailed his free hand down the side of Annabeth's sweater and came to rest on her waistband. His fingers drummed on her hip. They traced the curve of the bone through her jeans.

Annabeth laid her head on his shoulder. "You reminded me all evening, Seaweed Brain. However, I should probably get going. As in now."

She emptied the mug and stood up, taking her hat from Percy and relocating her scarf.

Percy grabbed her hands. Green eyes looked up into grey. "Stay the night, Annabeth," Percy pleaded gently. "The snow picked up while you were drinking your hot chocolate. And I miss you. A lot."

Annabeth's heart twisted as she thought of how little time they'd had together in the past year and how wonderful the evening had been. They'd made dinner together – lasagna – and had watched movies in his cabin. The movies had not been so much entertainment as background noise for their Christmas reunion. They talked; Annabeth was delighted to see that their bantering was intact despite the time they'd spent apart. They exchanged gifts. Annabeth gave Percy this really awesome sword she'd designed with the help of some Hephaestus campers and Tyson had forged, and he gave her a silver owl necklace.

And, perhaps most of all, they kissed. The kisses had been eager, nearly desperate at first. They had to attempt to make up for far too much lost time. Annabeth couldn't get her hands up Percy's shirt fast enough. She had dragged her hands all over his back and stomach and chest to redraw the map of his muscles and skin in her head. Percy had run his hands all through her blonde hair and whispered that she was still as beautiful as when he'd last seen her.

And when their breath had gotten too heavy and hitched and heaving to bear, they had just lain on the couch holding each other. No words had been necessary.

Annabeth helped Percy to his feet and pulled him into a tight hug. "I miss you too, Percy," she said into the crook of his neck. "It's just that …" Suddenly, pressed up against her boyfriend of two years, she forgot why exactly she was reluctant to stay. "My siblings…" she said helplessly.

Percy pulled his head back. "You have a little something on your lips, sweetheart." He kissed away the hot chocolate, lingering, smoldering. "Gods, your lips are delicious." He was pleased to hear Annabeth draw in a contemplative breath.

"Maybe just a few more minutes," she conceded.

"Or a few more hours…" he said innocently.

Annabeth shook her blonde curls. "You'll be the death of me, you know that, Percy?"

"So I've been told," he chuckled.

"There's bound to be talk tomorrow. We'll get the third degree from Chiron." Annabeth reminded him.

"Babe, I promise I will deal with Chiron if he makes a big deal out of it, but I honestly don't think he will. It's up to your knees out there." Percy pressed his forehead to Annabeth's.

Annabeth sighed through a smile. "Okay, Seaweed Brain. I'll stay."

"You knew you would, Wise Girl," Percy grinned.

"Well…maybe. But it was fun to watch you squirm. And the convincing was pretty nice, too," Annabeth stuck her tongue out.

"Other things are nice. Things that can be done in my warm bed are the most nice," Percy said. He dug in his dresser for something Annabeth could wear to sleep in, since all of her clothes were in her cabin.

Annabeth gave Percy a look worthy of Athena. "I'm not getting anywhere near your bed until you learn some proper grammar."

"How about you are the nicest girlfriend ever?" Percy teased as he threw her a pair of his plaid pajama pants and one of his old camp shirts.

Annabeth giggled, "Better."

The two demigods changed for bed, relishing in the adrenaline rush that came from doing a normally solitary activity in the presence of another person. Even if that other person had seen every bit of bare skin they had to offer at one point or another, it still had a delicious edge of forbiddenness to it.

Percy and Annabeth climbed into his rumpled bed and drew all the blankets close around them. He wrapped one arm around Annabeth's waist and stroked her cheek with the fingertips of the other hand. Percy pressed his lips against hers and then teasingly pulled back. Annabeth shivered.

"Sweetie, I told you it was cold outside," Percy said low in her ear.

Annabeth chose not to dignify that with a response; instead, she simply slid her hands up the back of his shirt and kissed her Seaweed Brain. Her goofy, sexy, wonderful Seaweed Brain.