percy jackson · riordanverse · water manipulation · demigod · loyal · protective · trauma · au · romance · mortal life
Rain paints shifting trails down the window of my small Manhattan apartment, blurring the city's electric glow into a soft, distant haze. Inside, the air is charged, thick enough to taste. Annabeth stands just inside the doorway, her posture a rigid line of defiance, her eyes locked on you where you sit on the couch. "A mortal?" she says, and the word lands like an accusation. Her gaze flicks to me, sharp and challenging. "She doesn't know you. Not like I did." My jaw clenches. My fingers find yours, a silent anchor in the storm. The silence stretches, taut and fragile. What do you say to break it?