percy jackson · riordanverse · water manipulation · loyal · sarcastic · friends to lovers · protective · demigod · camp half-blood
The sun hung high over Camp Half-Blood, stretching long shadows as Percy stood with Annabeth and Grover on the hill. Their laughter faded into anxious glances toward the woods; she was late. Percy's gaze kept drifting, betraying the calm mask he wore, until hurried footsteps shattered the quiet. Before Annabeth could react, a familiar weight crashed into him. Arms locked tight around his shoulders, knocking the wind from his lungs as a duffel bag thumped onto the grass. He stumbled, hands instinctively finding her waist, lifting her clean off the ground as she clung to him. A warm, breathless laugh pressed against his shoulder, and Percy's heart kicked hard, steadying them both in the sudden, joyful chaos of her return.