"Bob Says Hello"

Annabeth rolled around in their bed and frowned as she only found a vaguely warm spot where he was supposed to be.

She sat up and waited for a while, guessing that he went to the bathroom or got something to drink. But when after a while, he still didn't return, she got worried. "Percy?" She called, but no answer.

"Percy?" She repeated, leaving the warmth of their bed to look for him.

But he was nowhere. Not in the bathroom, living room, kitchen or on the porch.

"Did Hera take him?" She thought for a minute, but then shook her head. There couldn't be any good reason for her to take him. She needed to think for a minute so she sat down on the porch swing that came with their little cabin that they rented for a week and suddenly noticed the missing surfing board.

"You've gotta be kidding me." She mumbled and grabbed hers and began walking - more stomping - towards the sea. The water was so cold, even though it was summer, but she didn't care. She was sure that he was in the sea there somewhere.

So, she sat down on her surfboard. But before she even got the chance to start to paddle, she could feel the water pushing her. And thus confirming her suspicions of Percy's location.

The whole way to probably Percy she was so angry and was planning to yell at him as soon as she saw him. She was there - in the middle of the freaking ocean - freezing and in distress, because of Percy's disappearance in the middle of the night. But when she saw him, lying on his surfboard, his legs tangling in the water and looking at the sky, all her anger flooded away.

She thought about what she was going to say for a really long time; was she going to be angry? Sad? Blame him? Be supportive? Be kind and understanding?

After such a long time she could only say one simple word, "Hi."

He didn't even look at her as he muttered it back, his eyes trained on the night sky, not even remotely surprised at her presence around him. Normally that would really startle him, but of course, normally they weren't in the water where he could feel everything around him.

"Thanks for bringing me to you." She mumbled, not really knowing what to say. Where was her wit and intelligence when she needed it?

"Of course." He replied, so calm that it actually scared her a bit.

She pulled her legs on the surfboard, the cold becoming unbearable by now. Percy, though, didn't seem affected by it at all. It seemed really unfair to her, here she was in the middle of the ocean in the middle of the night for him and she was the one who was freezing while he was lying there shirtless with his legs in the water.

He looked so calm. A side she almost never saw from him anywhere else. He looked like never could ever hurt him in the world and as if he was never hurt. Like he was at complete peace. Which he probably was right now.

Percy had tried explaining to her many times how it felt for him when he was in the water. Though it never really came across to her. But she was starting to understand him better.

"Maybe you'd fancy sharing your thoughts with me?" She asked softly, sitting in anticipation while hugging her legs.

He didn't respond for a while and when she started to doubt if he had even heard her he spoke up, "Just thinking about everything. I had some nightmares and was too jittery to sleep so I first sat outside, but even that was too boring so I grabbed the surfboard and swam. I wanted to look at the sky. At the stars."

Her mouth formed a small 'o' as she got it. He had dreamed about Bob. But she didn't say anything about it, wanting him to tell her.

"Yeah, they're beautiful tonight." She admitted, looking at the sparkling sky before turning her attention back at him.

They fall into silence after that. Not knowing what to say after that and not wanting to say anything. She focused on the stars and muttered thanks to Bob. She got those dreams about him too. About Bob, little Bob and Damasen.

"I always wonder how it must feel for you up here." She starts again, wanting to hear his voice again.

"It's always weird how I feel here. I feel like nothing can hurt me. Like I'm untouchable. Intangible." Percy responded, "But I know that that's not true. I know that the easiest thing could kill me. Even here. I almost died in the ocean once."

She frowned, he had never told her that.

"Kymopoleia tried to choke me when I was underwater with Jason. Jason saved me though. But I actually didn't really want him to; I thought that I deserved it. That it was a punishment. Payback for what I had done in Tartarus."

"Percy-"

"Yeah, yeah I know what you're going to say 'Percy don't think that! It wasn't your fault! People make mistakes and you should forgive yourself!'" He imitated and she rolled her eyes angrily but didn't reply.

"Beth, I know that you mean it well. But I can't forgive myself. I never will. That's my punishment. Not dying the same way I almost did to her. But feeling the guilt. Replaying that scene in my dreams. Seeing you so scared of me. That's my punishment. And I have accepted that as much as I ever could. And you should too." He looked at her for the first time that night, his eyes serious and seeming to glow in the dark.

She nodded, pursing her lips. "Okay."

"But I also get scared here. Scared of the power. Like how I can just make the ocean quiet with one flick of my hand."

And he did just that. The waves fell silent, stretching out for miles.

"But I can also make a storm, a hurricane. Create the highest waves."

He flicked his hand, holding it up, waves going so high and surrounding them so that they never actually came to them. She looked at it with a mix of amazement and fear. But she knew that Percy would never let anything happen to her. Which was proved to her once again as he let the wave that almost hit them freeze and fall down gently next to her.

"You must be freezing," Percy mutters and moves closer to her, grabbing her hand. His were warm and warmed her immediately, though it maybe were the butterflies that were having a frenzy in her stomach.

"I love you, you know?" He says softly, rubbing his thumb softly over her knuckles.

"I love you too, Seaweed Brain. So much."

"And I'm sorry that I went away in the middle of the night, I shouldn't have done that. I know how you feel about that."

She smiled softly, "Thanks. I stayed calm this time." There had been times that he had just been in the kitchen of his apartment or outside of his cabin when she had woken up without him or that she couldn't find him. Thinking that he was taken away again.

"And you can leave anytime you want if you need some time alone. Or if you want to sit in the water. I don't owe you and I can handle it. Next time just leave a note or wake me up briefly before going."

He nodded and that was enough for her.

"Do you want to talk about your dream? It could help. And then we can go back to sleep. The water's still here tomorrow."

"Just the normal deal. It was just reliving leaving them behind. Standing in the elevator, but it's made out of glass. So we can see them get killed. And I can hear Bob's voice. Then the doors open and as we are about to step out the elevator is shattering. And you-"

He stopped for a moment and she gave him a squeeze in his hand. Hoping that it was some reassurance to continue.

"You pushed me before I could respond and I couldn't grab you at that time. You fell right back in. With the glass."

"But that didn't happen," She said, trying to jolt him back to life. "We're both here. And when the doors opened we saw our friends. And I wouldn't have fallen, you would have gotten me. As you always do. We're alive Percy."

"We are." He mumbled.

He pulled her closer with his hand and she floated closer to him. She laughed softly and tried to step on his surfboard. Wanting to kiss him and be close to him. The key word being tried.

As she landed on Percy's board hers shot away from under her and she fell right in the water, taking Percy with her.

She could feel an air bubble form around them as they sunk deeper and deeper until they kept afloat.

"Well hello there." Percy muttered, pulling her closer to him.

"Hi." She muttered back against his lips loving how soft they were. "I'm having déja-vu or something." Percy said softly against her lips and she could feel the vibration of his words against her lips.

"Yeah, weird me too. It's just like I've been in this situation before."

"Well maybe we should repeat those actions." Percy suggested, her eyes were already closed, but she knew the glint that he had in his eyes right now and she could feel him grin.

"Maybe we should." She responded and put one of her hands on his cheek, the other one still holding his hand.

"Wise Girl, love the whole teasing thing, but I really want to kiss you right-" But he was interrupted as she pressed her lips closer to his, now kissing. He hugged her even closer, not that she thought that it was possible.

She had been kissing Percy frequently since the age of 16 and now at 18 it still felt like Elysium. She had heard enough of people saying that after a while they just fall out of love and it all feels weird and not as thrilling and amazing as how it used to be, but with Percy she couldn't ever imagine that.

It felt like something new, but familiar. They knew what they both liked and had gotten quite good at it over the years. It still made her stomach go crazy. Nothing came close to this rush that she felt when she was with him, she could be on the most thrilling roller coaster of the world and it still couldn't compare to this in the slightest.

But most of all, it felt like home. Like love. Like she was at peace and that she was safe. A feeling that she only got in Percy's arms. He wasn't going to leave her. He loved her and she loved him. And that would never change.

Eventually she couldn't ignore the burning feeling in her lungs anymore and she pulled away, giving him one soft peck before really pulling away.

They floated upwards and she could feel that Percy was stifling a laugh.

"What is it?" She asked, still in a dreamy daze from the kiss.

"The fishes, they think that we're weird." She flushed red immediately at that. Had they looked? She hadn't thought about the animals around them and seeing them. "But they do think that you're hot though."

She rolled her eyes and hit his chest softly, though she couldn't help but let out a faint chuckle, still as red as can be.

"They're right though." Percy whispered as he pecked her lips softly before popping his head out of the water. She was holding on to him, wrapped around him as he kept floating easily. Only when she put her hands in his hair did she realize that he was wet as well, and when she commented on it he only replied that he thought that it would be cuter if they matched.

They turned serious again though as the both of them looked at the sky again.

"Percy it's not your fault that they died. It was a willing choice. You offered to stay. You need to forgive yourself for that. I know how hard it is, but we can't keep blaming ourselves for that our whole lives. But we can honour them. Tell their story and greet the stars for Bob."

Percy nodded, closing his eyes for a second before looking up at the sky again. "You're right."

"Bob says hello." Annabeth mutters, smiling up at the stars, remembering the kind Titan to whom they owe their lives to.

Percy smiled as well, tears in his eyes as he repeated her words, "Bob says hello."

A/N
A shorter one shot! Hope you like it! The one shot was inspired by the art above, I really loved it. It's not my own and I don't know the credit but at least some amazing artist. Well have a good day/night!