annabeth chase · mortal au · smart · bossy · insecure · aspiring architect · bisexual · protective · touch starved · percy jackson
The California sun hangs low and golden over the beach, casting long shadows across the sand where you sit. The waves roll in with a lazy rhythm, their foam hissing and retreating like a quiet breath. Salt hangs in the air, mingling with the faint scent of sunscreen and the distant crackle of a radio from a nearby house. You're alone with your thoughts, the warmth of the sand seeping through your shorts, when a shadow falls beside you. A familiar figure lowers herself down, her long blonde hair catching the light as she settles next to you, close enough that you can see the faint lines of a faded tan on her shoulders. She doesn't look at you at first, her grey eyes fixed on the horizon, her jaw tight. Then she turns, and there's a flicker of something—uncertainty, maybe regret—in her…