“Happy birthday, Percy!” Said the beaming faces of his friends, Roman and Greek alike. Annabeth set down an (admittedly lopsided) cake in front of him, blue frosting and all.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Blow out your candles already,” Jason teased, earning laughter from all of them, save for Annabeth. There was a mischievous quality in her eyes which Percy had grown to realize meant trouble.

“Alright, alright,” he joked. “But don’t I get a song or something? At least a, ‘congrats for not dying a horrible and painful death yet?’”

“Congrats, Seaweed Brain, for not dying in Tartarus with me last year,” Annabeth said dryly, though with a hint of a smile on her face. “Now eat the cake I made before the Ares cabin catches wind of it and crashes our party.”

Convincing enough. Percy grinned, pulling Annabeth down with him onto his lap. “What am I supposed to wish for? I have everything I need right here,” he murmured, just above his girlfriend’s ear.

“Honestly? I have no clue.”

“What? You, Annabeth, don’t know the answer something?” Annabeth rolled her eyes.

“Well, look around.” She inclined her head towards everyone around them. Percy looked up at Jason, who had a smiling Piper in his arms. At Leo, swiping frosting from the cake when he thought no one was looking. At Tyson, who has tears in his eye, and looked as if he was trying not to burst out in tears of joy. And Hazel and Frank, who were holding hands and sheepishly trying to avoid eye contact. Even Reyna and Octavian had shown up for the occasion, the former appearing more relaxed than usual, and the latter devoid of his teddy bears for once.

“C’mon, you two. At this rate, I’ll get the next Great Prophecy before you’re done blowing out these candles,” Rachel Elizabeth Dare said, elbows propped up on the picnic table. Her brilliant red hair was wild as ever, blowing in a concerned Nico’s face. At his feet laid Mrs. O’Leary, still vigorously working her way through an oversized bone.

Percy laughed, shaking his head. It really was true, he realized, as his eyes fell on a smiling Grover and Juniper. He’d always be happy as long as they were all together. They’d been through so much in their lifetime; enough to last them the rest of their days, whether they spent them in New Rome or New York City. And yet somehow he had a feeling their adventures weren’t quite over yet.

But that was okay, he decided. As long as they were together.

He closed his eyes and wished for the one thing he wanted more than anything in the world.

- - -

Later that night, Percy and Annabeth found themselves sitting at the edge of the lake, their feet dangling in the water. Above them, the stars twinkled like diamonds, dappling the lake with their pure white light. Even now, Percy felt the pull of the water as it lapped against the shore, beckoning him to slip away into its cool embrace.

“Look,” Annabeth said. She pointed out a grouping of stars, away from the rest. “It’s Zoë’s constellation.”

And it was. The Huntress was posed with a bow, like she was ready to shoot all the monsters out of the sky. Knowing Zoë, she was probably still hunting monsters, even in the afterlife.

“Wonder what she’d say if she was still here,” he mused, leaning back on his arms. In the moonlight, he saw Annabeth’s silhouette bright as day. Her usually hard, gray eyes had an unusual soft quality to them tonight.

“Probably something along the lines of, ‘you’re pretty great… for a boy,’” she said. They both laughed at that, recalling Zoë’s uncanny accent.

Afterwards, they fell into a comfortable silence, both taking in the warm summer night. Around them could be heard the sounds of life; of crickets chirping, owls hooting, the wood spirits’ leaves rustling in the breeze. If they listened quietly, the distant sound of laughter and singing could be heard from camp, where the other campers were currently having a bonfire.

“So…” Annabeth nudged him, snapping him out of his revere. “How was your party, birthday boy?”

Percy flashed back to earlier. About how he’d tried to blow out his candles and… nothing happened. “Greek fire? Really? Doesn’t that mean my wish won’t come true now?”

Annabeth quirked her head to the side. “Not necessarily, no. Though, that would be implying those wishes are actually real.”

“Why not? For gods’ sake, Annabeth, we’re demigods. We survived Greek Hell.”

“…Okay, fine. I’ll give you that one,” she murmured, placing her hand on top of his. He entwined their fingers, pulling her closer. Annabeth rested her head on his shoulder, sighing complacently.

Quiet moments like these were hard to come by, and they enjoyed every second of it. Next to Annabeth, Percy’s world felt complete. They knew what it was like to be apart, and so now they greedily spent every second of their time together, appreciating every moment like it was their last. Percy couldn’t imagine anywhere else he’d rather be than here, counting the fireflies lazily drifting through the night, Annabeth’s hand in his.

Annabeth leaned over to gently kiss his temple. She squeezed his hand tight before whispering in his ear, “C’mon. We should go rejoin the others now.”

Percy pulled himself to his feet and wrapped her in his arms. “Do we have to? I’m having a pretty good time right here. Besides, can’t dealing with Clarisse wait until later?”

“Mhm. She was at your birthday party earlier, you know.” She said. She stood up on her toes to press her forehead to Percy’s, their noses touching. Percy could feel her minty breath on his lips. “She was probably torn between wishing you happy birthday and slinking off somewhere after snatching a slice of cake.”

But Percy wasn’t really listening, so much as feeling her breath shape the words she was saying. Annabeth was beautiful. Her voice was beautiful, her heart was beautiful, her everything was beautiful. And if his memory served him correctly, her lips were so soft. Percy leaned down to kiss her, effectively silencing whatever she was going to say next.

Kissing Annabeth could only be compared to the sensation of being completely immersed underwater. It was like falling backwards into complete, ensconcing tranquility, deadening him to all other sensations and sounds besides Annabeth, and Annabeth’s lips, and the little soft noises she made. All his worldly concerns fell away the second they kissed.

Her lips also revived him, sharpening his senses to become extra sensitive to the hesitant touches of Annabeth’s fingers trailing his sides, his neck, down his back, and up his chest. Of her stuttering breaths whenever they parted, because no matter who their parents were, they were still half-human, and needed to breathe.

Kissing Annabeth was warm. It filled him with love and happiness, bubbling up in his throat and forcing its way out in the little sounds of love and endearment he made every time they touched.

This kiss was gentle and comforting, the soft and sweet kind only longtime lovers could share. It spoke of history and time spent together, of lazy summer afternoons picking strawberries in the fields, of days spent drifting through the woods and oceans together, always together. It wasn’t meant to lead to anything more; just a reminder that yes, I’m still here, we’re still together, and I love you with all my heart. Because isn’t that all what Percy wished for, earlier today? For them to stay together, no matter what. Together.

All too soon, they parted. Annabeth’s cheeks were flushed with red heart, her hair askew. Percy thought that only made her look more beautiful. He reached out and tucked a stray lock behind her ear, brushing her cheekbone affectionately with the back of his hand in the process.

In the distance, Leo could be heard calling for them.

“I guess they’re looking for us now,” Percy noted. Annabeth nodded dumbly.

“Yeah.”

“Should we…?”

“Five more minutes.” He grinned against her lips, feeling her smile, too. He was thinking the same thing. “Happy birthday, Seaweed Brain,” she murmured, pulling him in for another kiss.

/end