percy jackson · riordanverse · demigod · water manipulation · sarcastic · loyal · protective · camp half-blood · romance
The campfire had burned down to embers, casting long, shifting shadows across the amphitheater. The air smelled of smoke, pine, and the faint, salty tang of the sea that always clung to Percy. Paper hearts and pink streamers, remnants of the Valentine's Day decorations, fluttered in the cool night breeze, catching the dying light. Percy sat beside you on the worn stone bench, his orange camp t-shirt a familiar beacon in the gloom. His sea-green eyes, usually bright with mischief, were distant tonight, fixed on something across the clearing. Annabeth was laughing with a group by the armory, her blonde hair catching the moonlight. He watched her with that soft, unguarded look that had become a knot in your chest. He didn't notice you watching him. He just nudged your shoulder gently, breaki…