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"Will you marry me?" the words left my lips cleanly, which was a little surprising, to be honest. This whole week I'd been a bundle of anxiety and worry. Annabeth stood, staring at the ring I'd commissioned for her. And in the silence of the scene, my mind returned to how it all began.
June 28th. Fourteen days till the Dream Date.
Iris and Hermes were slave drivers. See, in exchange for a teleporting blessing, I'd agreed to play messenger boy for the underseas side of things.
This works well for us because 1. I already know of the other pantheons, 2. Even if the other sea gods didn't like Dad, I was mostly okay with them, and 3. I moved better underwater than either god did.
And it's not like they didn't pay me. It wasn't conventional pay, but knowing the locations of a few wrecks filled with treasure was reward enough.
Anyway, like I said, slave drivers. Let's take yesterday. First, I was up at the crack of dawn, delivering a message to Suijin, meaning I was 13 hours behind. Next, I needed to hit up Olokun, in Africa. Screwing up my internal clock even further.
To make matters worse, one of Olokun's court found a reason to object to me. Meaning a fight broke out.
Now, given that both of us are water elementals, it came down to skill. Or, it would have done, had I not sucker punched the douche with an earthquake-boosted fist and then ran like Hera back on her bullshit again.
According to Dad, I now had free drinks the next time I was in Olokun's court for the free, high-quality entertainment, for that one. So, I count it as a win.
Still, after Olokun, it was up to Russia for a meeting with one of Dad's retainers. A self-important Sea Serpent called some unpronounceable Greek name. He didn't appreciate me calling him Steve.
And maybe it was petty, but I took great pleasure in revealing who I was to this prick and getting him to stop being a shit heel.
Now, without time, that doesn't sound so bad. Does it?
Yeah, that was roughly two hours.
Over hour three, I bounced across Russia for various meetings with River spirits, Sea spirits, One very confused Cloud spirit, and various sentient monsters. The most interesting of which was the coven of Scythian Dracaena that worshipped Athena, claiming that she was actually an aspect of an old Earth Mother.
Naturally, they spewed some really ominous warnings to me, something about either my Not Yet Wife or my next kid being the next Winged Serpent. Regardless, I thanked them for the warning and got out of dodge. They started looking at me like a 5-star meal, and I didn't want to fight them.
After this, I had 30 minutes to grab a light snack and get ready for a "Global Rush," as Hermes called it. Three hours of non-stop teleporting, meaning a headache the size of the Grand Canyon, grabbing and dropping packages, while also making sure they don't get stolen or float off, and, of course, making sure Hermes always had a full cup of coffee.
Thank you, Dad, for my weird and silly powers.
Next, I was given an hour, thankfully, for breakfast. So, to home, I went. My but was barely at the table when Mom loaded my plate up with Blue pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and waffles.
After my feast, I power napped for 20 minutes with Estelle, sleeping the headache off, and spent the last bit of my breakfast break chatting with the Stolls.
They do local deliveries for the Supernatural, so they've gotten close with my family.
And when the break was up, I hit the ground running with an immediate China delivery, followed by an hour of bouncing around the continent for three hours, dealing with every kind of water spirit under the sun. The worst was a tribe of Nymphs that'd read one too many mangas and seemed determined to make me the Main Character of their tribe.
I just know Aphrodite is laughing at me somewhere. Well, I'll have my revenge soon enough. We'll see how she likes her beauty products not working.
Still, after China, I travel to England to speak with another divine sibling, Britannia, a Goddess born in England. She is thankfully chill, though a bit uptight about manners. Anyway, she fed me some really good tea, cakes, and pastries, and sent me off with a duffle bag filled with copies of what she gave me. Sorry, Kym, but Britannia is the new favorite sister.
Next is an hour of dealing with various Fae bullshit. And by that, I meant the Fae knew me as Achilles Jackson, because while I resist their magic, I'm not a full God, so not immune.
And I've already had to get my true name back once, and I'm not going through it again.
So, somehow dancing around Fae courts, dodging attempts to ensnare, trick, seduce (Seriously, how many people need to understand that I can only have fun with others if Annabeth's around), and otherwise manipulate me into contracts or deals, for three hours, I plant myself back home for lunch.
Mom once again puts a feast out. Sausage and Bacon sandwiches, two mega-sized bowls of Doritos, Gallons of Blue Cherry Coke, and finished off with a few dozen fries.
Resting my bloated stomach off, on Annabeth's lap, I make a mental note to get more ships found. Feeding a Demigod with a Supernatural Job is not an easy task, even for someone bearing Aunt Hestia's blessing.
Thankfully, the rest of my day is just non-signed deliveries. Meaning it goes by very quickly.
But, like I said. Slave Drivers. I got worked so hard I was asleep before I hit the pillow. And I thought exams were a bitch to do.
Today was much the same, and you don't know exhaustion till you're too warm to sleep, too cold to relax, too numb to feel, but in too much pain to focus.
June 29th. Thirteen days till the Dream Date.
Ma-Amphitrite called me down to Atlantis. I'm handling local deliveries today, meaning no teleporting, thankfully, but a lot of swimming. All signed deliveries too.
On the upside, this means while it's not as manic, I get more breaks. And I get to annoy Triton, simply by waiting around the palace between deliveries, which is always a nice bonus.
The slower day also meant I could take short power naps, I was still recovering from my global run two days ago. And let me say, you don't know comfy till you've got a water hammock swaying in the ocean current.
Sadly, it also meant that my power naps needed alarms, as I didn't have the excuse of planetary-scale journeys offsetting my sense of time. I had a few near misses, but the local area made it easy enough to course correct, not to mention, the Atlanteans were nice enough to call me back should I drop the wrong parcel off.
The only highlight being when I found the time to check in with Tyson and get him to make Estelle some new toys.
July 1st. Eleven days till the Dream Date.
The Fates must have been messing with me, as today was a day of raw anxiety.
First, Annabeth almost finds the Ring. And given who she is, My Wise Girl probably has a fair idea of what I'm planning now. Which sucks, cause surprising her isn't easy.
The sequence plays out like this:
Annabeth wakes up first and goes to shower. I wake up because of Annabeth putting on a performance.
For a moment, all is well. Then I hear the shower turn off and spot the Ring. Sitting on the dresser. In full view of everyone in the room.
I scramble out of bed, throwing the strongest that I can muster while panicking, Mist Viel up, and dive for the Ring. I manage to grab it just as a towel-clad Annabeth walks in.
Naturally, my head smashes into the wall and nearly opens up. Things are a bit fuzzy here, but I recall Annabeth dropping a bucket of saltwater on my head and giving me a very unimpressed stare when my head felt better.
Pocketing the Ring, I quickly entered the bathroom and used a Mist Door to hide the Ring at Mom's. This proved a mistake, as Estelle, thinking she was helping, tried to hide the Ring. In her bed. Like a knife to the mattress mess levels of in her bed.
Mom was amused. But that didn't stop her from making me Estelle's new mattress.
So, wanting to avoid another situation like that and thinking myself more clever than I am. I kept the Ring on me.
The Fates must have been like, "Challenge Accepted, young Jackson," cause I swear, the world was out to get me that day.
First. A mugging. Annabeth found this hilarious, especially when the leader pulled a knife on her. She found it less amusing when the knife cut open one of my pockets. While Annabeth was tying the idiots in knots, I scrambled to hide the Ring. Again.
Second. Atlanta and Asterius. See, until I got my pocket repaired, I decided to hide the Ring in the Mist. And for a few minutes, it worked. Then my kids snatched it behind Annabeth's back, and I had to pretend nothing happened.
It was the most stressful hour of my life; I swear. Lanta was playing with the box. Trey was flipping the Ring. Then, they were randomly proposing to an imaginary friend. Then, a demon decided to attack, and things got heated.
Third. A second mugging. This time by a wannabe vampire. We struggled, he knocked the Ring loose, and I had to hide it in the Mist again. Annabeth walks around the corner in time to see me nearly twist this idiot's arm off.
Fourth. Triton. I swear, he exists to piss me off. He and his new, ironically redheaded, date decide to drop by. And naturally, he drops "subtle" hints about me asking the Question. While Annabeth and Red chatted, Triton and I were engaged in a Hydromancer duel. Finally, they left, with a mischievous Annabeth almost asking me what Question I wanted to ask her.
Finally, a third mugging. And this was the only time I was thankful for it. As it gave me the chance to hide the Ring, in my hair, no less. Leaving an empty box for Annabeth to find.
Sadly, Annabeth said this before she Mist Doored away, "Since you want to play games, Jackson, I'll be bringing my best next time~"
One day, I swear, I'm going to strangle those old windbags.
July 3rd. Nine days till the Dream Date.
Another round-the-world trip. Jimmy, apparently being a Demigod-tier baker, had gone global. Thankfully, he goes directly through me for that, meaning no third party, Love ya Hermes, but you can be a right cheapskate on pay, stealing money.
Still, bouncing from America to India, to Japan, to Russia, to Africa, to Italy within an hour was a nightmare and a half. Dealing with various humanoid monsters, minor spirits, and other supernatural nonsense only made it worse.
That cult/coven from before, the dragon women, was back. And this time, they were overt in their desire for me. I bluntly told them I was proposing in a few days, and they only got more excited about keeping me. So, one Earthquake later, and I'm in Jolly ole England, once more dealing with the Fae.
At least this time, it was a low-level grunt, just trying to do his job. Still didn't tell him my True Name, though.
Next, I was back in Japan, dealing with a member of Ryujin's court. A demon who moved to Japan to avoid a death sentence from some high ranking demon in Nevada. One Ivan Peterson another name to go on the list.
Lunch was up next, thank Olympus. And today was special, cause I got to taste test some of Ma-Amphitrite's meals, meaning I was in for a good time.
After a feast, I was back to work. This time, running up and down America to vampires, sirens, a vegan werewolf pack, a witch coven, and one very confused but really fun Yeti. Danny knew how to party, I'll give him that.
Then I had to take a break from deliveries because someone was messing with the nature spirits Jimmy employed. I got there to see that it was a human? No, looking closer, I could see the aura of a Werewolf on him. So, pulling my silver knuckle dusters on, I strolled up and asked if we had problems, making sure to flash him the bling.
He didn't want those problems, so he left without too much fuss. I did need to flex the old "Wolf Stare" to finally scare him off, though.
And Jimmy proved why he was the best employer, as he paid me in cash, $20 is $20, and about $30 worth of pasties. Kitty ones. Meaning these were for Lanty and Trey.
Like I said, best boss.
After dropping the treats off with Annabeth, the sexy bitch wearing nothing but a crop top and belt-skirt, and I do mean nothing but that, I'm once again back to bouncing around America.
I wound up running into Nico, or rather, I wound up "Sharing" my lunch with the bum thief and running interference between him and Persephone, fun.
Next was a delivery to Sadie.
...
Yeah, much as I love that girl, she's chaos incarnate, and for the next six deliveries, I had a tagalong. Which was fun, but damn if it didn't leave me needing a three-week power nap.
After, almost literally, throwing Sadie at her brother, I went to my final delivery. Meaning I was stuck in Athena's temple for half an hour, waiting for her to address me.
After one of the tensest standoffs in the world, she did something that tripped me. "You have it. My Blessing." The words almost made me fall over. "I know... that I do not have the right to step into her life, not after... Minerva. And, despite your... nature, you make her happy. So, you have My Blessing."
I think I ended the day walking on air after that.
July 6th. Six days till the Dream Date.
Today was when it really hit me. I was going to finally ask that question. The most important question of my life.
Something heavy coiled in my stomach, filling me with dread and anxiety. Logically, I knew there was no chance of Annabeth saying no. Yet, I couldn't help but focus on exactly that.
"What if she says no? What if she doesn't want this? What if she's fallen for someone else? What if? What if? What if?"
Somehow, I managed to get enough water to slap myself. The spiral ends, but the weight remains.
My phone goes off just before I leave. "Hey Perce," Annabeth says, "you doing ok?"
"I'm fine, why?"
"I don't know, I just felt like I needed to call you," I swear, I can hear her beautiful eyes narrow. "You weren't being an ultra idiot again, were you?"
"I... maybe?"
"Idiot," her affectionate voice comes through the speaker, "what am I going to do with you?"
"Hopefully, keep me,"
"If I must," the line went silent again, "Still, Love you, Percy. And so do our little headaches."
She hung up after that, and I spent the rest of the day walking on air.
That's right, I was gonna marry that Goddess of a woman.
July 7th. Five days till the Dream Date.
I was at the location today. The place I saw in my Dream, the Rhine River. The pictures don't do it justice. It truly was a beautiful place. And I must have been spending too much time with Annabeth, 'cause I started visualizing some houses along its shore.
Still, its beauty didn't stop me from creating and using a Sand Dollar to clean it up, a lot. The local Nyphms were very thankful for it.
To further set up, I created a second Sand Dollar and... stretched it. It's hard to describe.
Picture a wall, made of sand, that vanished pollution on contact. At least, that's what I tried to make.
The first dam lasted four seconds before it collapsed. The second made it to ten before meeting the same fate.
Four tries later, and I was getting frustrated. I had yet to break the minute barrier and no amount of anchoring was keeping the wall in place. To make matters worse, Sand Dollars were expensive, and making more than eight left me with a migraine the size of Atlantis. "Since precision isn't working, time to bring out the hammer," I growled and gathered enough power to make 100 Sand Dollars.
My stomach tightened so much, I was a little shocked I didn't puke. My head throbbed so much, I was sure I had a nosebleed. And, my blood burned so hot, I'm still not sure if I didn't lose some there.
But, I did it. I built a dam of Sand Dollars that kept half a kilometer of the river pollution-free.
With my remaining strength, I managed to teleport back home and collapse into bed, my dreams being a weird fusion of Annabeth in various Nymph outfits and Ma-Amphitrite breaking it down in a club. Which was something I really didn't need to imagine.
July 9th. Three days till the Dream Date.
Planning was never my strong suit. There's a reason why I leave it to Annabeth.
Yet, I had to make this special. So, here I was, holding five conversations at once, to make this the best proposal I could.
First, reservations at a restaurant of Piper's choosing. She was concerned about my funds till I showed her all the treasure I had yet to sell, hey; you don't flood the market with gold and jewels without reducing their value. So, I had a stockpile. My own little treasure trove, filled with goodies I could sell off when mud hit the fan.
Second, I was arranging for Jimmy and Maddie to handle dessert. Annabeth, as a brain child, had a massive sweet tooth. I know, shocked me too, but it was useful right now, as Jimmy made a mean cake. So did Maddie.
Third. Blankets. If we're doing dessert as a picnic, I'm doing it right. Meaning I need to get the best blankets. That meant using a third party, one of Piper's sisters, to enlist the aid of Annabeth's siblings to weave me the best. They probably knew it was me, but I like to imagine I got by them.
Fourth. Tableware. I grab Leo and Tyson for this. However, I tell them "Not too fancy, and not too bright." Annabeth is pretty frugal, so she'd hate the idea of me commissioning high-class plates for something like this. I leave them with a simple theme, Athena's exploits, and move on.
Fifth and finally. Drinks. This one was all me. Wine, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, Spirits, Mixers, Cocktails, and some good, old-fashioned car-bo-nated bever-ages. And this is where the perks of being me come in, cause all of them were at the best serving temperature, and would stay that way, even if Leo tried to warm them up.
Ok, it's looking good.
July 12th. Go time.
You know, I'd thought I'd be a walking nerve today. But... I was calm.
Right. Reflect later. Get ready now.
First, clothes. For breakfast in the next twenty minutes, it was pretty simple. A plain blue shirt and faded blue jeans. Both are slim, practical enough that I can fight in them should the worst happen, but tight enough to be considered "smart." I had my Golden Fleece hoodie, using the Mist to dye it a shade of blue. Never can be too careful.
Second, breakfast. My Demigod-proof phone, thank you, Leo, dinged. Checking showed me that George's was open and ready. I pack extra napkins in my Mist Locker, cause I know I'm gonna need it. What can I say, your boy likes his pancakes.
OK, let's go.
I brush my teeth and get dressed, finishing just in time to greet Annabeth at the door. And she takes my breath away.
She wore a knee-length burgundy dress, which hinted at her figure, simple black flats, and a burgundy shawl. "I see it's not just your sleep you drool in," she teased, bringing me out of my daze.
"Nice to see you too, Wise Girl," I move aside, "We've got 5 minutes before the reservation. So, wanna sit for a bit?"
"Yes, in George's," with that said, she strides past me, revealing a set of shorts underneath her dress, and waits for me to Mist Door us there.
And here's where being a Demigod is actually useful. See, we Mist Door into a nearby alley and enter the restaurant. And after sorting out our reservations, we're taken to a back area where the Supernatural gets served.
I get a Demigod-sized Pancake Feast. That's six extra large pancakes, four eggs, two bacon streaky, two sausages, and one double extra large waffle. Naturally, I got three extra pancakes and a Cherry Coke. Annabeth grabbed herself a Demigod-sized French Toast Feast, which matched me but with French Toast in place of pancakes. She got extra Bacon, the cute carnivore that she was.
Normally, this would cost a fortune, but the branch owner of this store was a Satyr. He was an old mentor of Grover, Lawrence Backwood, who gave discounts to Demigods. So, I only paid for one meal.
So, with our bellies filled and my wallet a little lighter, it was time.
The Date.
A Mist Door later, and we hit up the St. Louis Arch first. "Don't go jumping this time, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth laughed as we made our way into the elevator because someone told her she was funny once.
To "Save space," Annabeth spent the entire ride up practically riding me, meaning I got a whiff of her scent. She's clearly done some kind of witchcraft because she smells like blue food. I don't bring this up, because I know she'll be amused, if a little upset, but such a statement.
Besides, I already know that something will go wrong, and I'm not gonna add to it.
After getting the full tour, we next move to the Hoover Dam. No Athena, thankfully, and, more importantly, no monsters. We do our tourist shtick and move onto a light lunch, bought from the Dam's cafeteria, and then onto the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Our first hiccup arrived in the form of a pack of hellhounds stalking the area. At least, I thought it was a hiccup. Turns out, I smell enough like Hellhound that they left us alone. "We're still telling Chiron," Annabeth said, and I agreed. Much as I disliked killing Hellhounds, having one as a pet will do that to you, they were still a danger to everyone not named Nico Di Angelo or Hazel Levesque.
Everything went off without a hitch and soon, it was time.
The Proposal. Hoo boy, here we go.
Checking the time, I told Annabeth we had to go. We needed to get ready for our dinner.
So, two Mist Doors later, and we're primed to get ready.
Wearing Tuxs is not something I enjoy doing, but for her, I'll endure it. And Hermes hooked me up. A simple but well-tailored black tux with green cufflinks and a black tie. And then I saw Annabeth again.
My brain froze, burning the sight of her in a long, flowing black dress, that glittered with moondust, stared back at me. She wore modest heels, as her eyes were closer to mine, and sparkling black gloves. Sweet Hades in Erebus, she even had a wispy grey eye shadow, making her eyes glow in the low light.
A gloved hand closed my jaw, and Annabeth silently smirked at me, her eyes running up and down my form.
Somehow, I managed to focus on our destination, and we hopped over to France, right outside our reservation. In short order, we were seated and fed dishes I still couldn't pronounce and drinks that felt enchanted. "Ok, Game time, Jackson," I whisper to myself after we finish dinner. "Ready to go, Mi'Lady?"
Confused, Annabeth follows me to our picnic spot. We ate, we drank, we laughed, and we reminisced. And as she stood up, I knew it was time.
"Will you marry me?" The words still rang in my head. This was it. This was the moment that decided my future.
A tingle in the back of my neck caused me to look out the corner of my eye. Lo-and-behold, my younger self, from my time in Hawaii, was standing there. I wink at him as Annabeth begins to answer.
"Yes, yes I will Marry you." The Goddess before me says. And I guess even Percy Jackson was allowed Nice Things every once in a while.
Black_Victor_Cachat Sun 04 May 2025 07:23AM UTC
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