Percy Jackson was beginning to think he'd never find his soulmate.

She laughs like I wish I could,
She's pretty when she cries,
She can stop me dead with one good look
Just get caught up in those eyes,
She's everything that's beautiful
Everything that's good in this world.

'Hecka cheesy' is what his friends liked to tell him, but it was right there, on his wrist. The lyrics to the song that would tie him to his soulmate, the lyrics that hadn't come off for years.

Most people Percy talked to had a line or two of poetic words on their wrists, so he always found it odd to look down to see a long chunk of writing on his forearm in the blackest ink.

He found it ever more odd to realize that he truly wanted find his soulmate. The words were burned into his memory, a song that he played over and over, more times a day than he could count.

Love This Girl.

That was the name of the song that was supposed to bring him together with the right one. The perfect one.

Since before they could remember, humans had used the words sketched into their skin to find their soulmates. You met the love of your life when a song was playing. You looked down at each other's wrists, only to find that they had your song. You get to know each other, get married down the line, have a couple of kids, and watch them grow to find their own partners.

It seemed practical. Easy. Simple, even.

But the soulmate system had brought with it many broken hearts, thousands upon thousands of tears, and even worse fates.

Some never received their lyrics. Their sixteenth birthday's came and went, and their wrists remained blank. Individuals like that usually steered away from relationships, in fear of not finding the right one.

Others found their match, only for it not to work out in the end. 

Whatever the case, finding your soulmate was always a big thing. Parties were thrown, cards, texts, pats on the back were all received in congratulations. Long talks about the future, new living situations, extravagant proposals, the whole package. 

Percy didn't want any of that.

He simply wanted the girl described in permanent ink on his wrist.

"Percyyy, can we get ice cream?" Estelle Blofis whined from behind him, squirming in her blue car seat. Occasionally, something would catch her eye outside the window and she'd fall still, watching as it passed by. But then she was faced forward again, telling her older brother about her day at school or something she'd learned.

"Now, Estelle, you know Mom's probably got dessert at home," Percy said, glancing at his adorable sister in the rear view mirror as he maneuvered the car throughout the streets.

Estelle's smile slowly fell, her head tilting to meet his eyes in the mirror.

Percy laughed, dropping the serious facade. "Nah, you know I'm kidding. Of course we can get ice cream."

"Yes!" Estelle did a little dance, moving as best she could beneath the seat belt. "I want cookie dough!"

"Sounds good!" Percy, already having known Estelle would want to stop, pulled into the parking lot of the coffee shop they frequently visited. "Don't worry, I always carry some emergency food coloring for times just like these, we'll make that one blue cookie dough ice cream."

He parked the car as Estelle laughed to herself, opening his door and moving to get her out of her seat. 

"It would be a lot easier if you just ordered blue moon or something, though," Percy muttered as he unlatched her seat belt.

"Mommy says that makes me look like a smurf." Estelle pouted.

Percy laughed as he lifted her from the seat and set her on the ground, letting her grab onto his hand. "Well maybe that's because you get it all over your face."

"That's how I eat!" she protested.

Percy shook his head and pulled his wallet from his pocket, starting up the curb with his sister. "Good thing I remembered my money this time, huh?"

Estelle skipped along, dragging him behind her. "Mhm!"

Percy chuckled to himself, allowing Estelle to pull him through the door and up to the counter. She hopped up and down to see the the different types of ice cream in the buckets behind the glass as Percy let his eyes fall over the menu, even though he already knew what they'd be ordering. He usually just got what Estelle got, mostly because it's what his mom always used to with him, but also because it gave them something to talk about on the way home. 

As a blonde stepped away from the cashier, Percy and Estelle moved up. He let his sister give her order before putting in the same, handing a few dollars in cash across the counter.

Next thing they knew, Percy and Estelle were picking out a table outside of the building, ice cream cones in hand.

"This one," Estelle insisted. She had a knack for finding the cleanest tables, so Percy usually let her call the shots when it came to seating arrangements.

He nodded and slid into a seat across from her, watching as Estelle devoured her ice cream bite by bite. After shoving in his earbuds and instinctively playing the song, he handed her a few napkins for her hands and chin, nodding when she inevitably asked to go scare away the pigeons.

Percy enjoyed his cone, never short of delighted when he came across a chunk of cookie dough. Estelle stomped happily all over the concrete, laughing as the birds took flight and left feathers at her feet.

He pulled out one earbud to tell her to be careful and notify her of the five minute mark, but the words never left his mouth as a disturbing thud! sounded from his left. 

Percy turned to find a pile of books, notebooks, and papers scattered on the concrete, blowing up a couple of fallen feathers in its tumble.

"Crap," someone muttered.

Percy barely looked at the woman standing above him as he bent down to help pick up the mess, creating a stack in his arms.

"Thanks," the girl mumbled, bending down herself to help. Percy's vision was blocked by a curtain of blonde for a minute as they finished.

"Yeah, no problem." He held out his stack for her to take back. "Try a backpack though, I heard they're pretty useful."

The girl snorted. "Yeah, thanks." She reached over to take the books from him, but suddenly her hand froze halfway.

She laughs like I wish I could,
She's pretty when she cries

Percy ignored the music in his right ear as he rose an eyebrow. "Um. . .you okay?"

She didn't move for another moment. It was beginning to creep Percy out, crouched on the floor as his little sister's laughs sounded in the background, facing a frozen woman he'd never met before. Also, his arm was growing tired from holding the stack of heavy supplies.

Abruptly, the blonde's hand was moving again. But it passed right by the pile of reading material and gripped his other arm, pulling it forward.

"Whoa, hey!" Percy dropped the books. "What are you doing?"

She flipped his arm around so his lyrics were face up, scouring over the words.

"Um, hello? Can I help you?" Percy reached for her shoulder with his other hand, pulling her back slightly so he could see her face.

Her grey eyes flicked up to meet his line of sight as soon as he touched her, a hardened gaze of encased smoke. Percy flinched, unable to truly decide why her ashen eyes had such a startling effect on him. 

She can stop me dead with one good look
Just get caught up in those eyes

"Uh. . ."

She stood suddenly, piling her things in her arms. She looked down at him, still crouched on the floor. "Sorry."

Percy watched, dumbfounded as she began to walk away. He stared at the ground, open mouthed. What the. . .

"Hey!" He scrambled to his feet. "Wait!"

The girl didn't stop, picking up her pace as her curls danced on her back. 

Percy matched her speed-walking with a sprint, catching up in no time and stopping her by the arm. "Hey, hold up. Did you just check out my lyrics?"

Blondie sighed, turning to face him agonizingly slowly. "Yeah, sorry about that."

She's everything that's beautiful
Everything that's good in this world

Somewhere behind him, Estelle skipped around, humming to the song pouring from the cafe's speakers. Percy ignored her, accepting the girl's outstretched hand.

"My name's Annabeth," she continued, shifting her books to one arm. 

"Ehm. . .Percy," he said slowly, still wondering what had happened. "So, um, back to my question -- you checked my lyrics."

Annabeth nodded, biting her lip. Percy forced his feelings of hopefulness down, the realization hitting him that his could be it. She could be it. 

Then again, she'd taken one look at his face and turned the other way, even walked faster when he'd called for her to stop.

"Yeah, I did. Again, sorry." Annabeth blew out a breath, avoiding his eyes. 

Percy stood expectantly. "Okay. . .and?"

"And I was being stupid," she finished.

Silence stretched between them. Annabeth cleared her throat a couple of times, Percy just stared dumbly.

"But why did you--"

"It's my song," Annabeth cut him off quickly, frowning. She gestured quickly, almost with frustration, at the speakers hanging overhead.

Percy turned slowly, afraid if he let her out of his sight she'd bolt. The first thing that caught his eyes was his little sister, who'd found crumbs somewhere on the ground and was trying to feed them to a clueless pigeon. He didn't have time to listen or look any further, darting over to remove the food leftovers from Estelle's hands.

Annabeth waited patiently as Percy finally pried the crumbs from her hand and persuaded her to come over. He returned to his spot in front of the blonde hand in hand with Estelle, clearing his own throat awkwardly.

"So you were saying--"

Annabeth shoved her wrist in his face.

There's something about the way that you always see the pretty view
Overlook the blooded mess, always lookin' effortless
And still you, still you want me

Percy's eyes scanned the words, his hopes deflating with each one. It wasn't his song, it wasn't even a different part of it. "Oh."

"Yeah, sorry," Annabeth repeated. She lowered her arm. "I've just been looking, and then I bumped into you right when it started playing. . ."

"I love this song!" Estelle exclaimed. "I just heard it today, but it's really cool, I think!"

Annabeth laughed a bit, her gaze dropping down to the little girl. "Imagine Dragons, huh? You've got some good taste."

Estelle giggled happily.

The conversation didn't register with Percy, even when his sister began to describe each of the pigeons she'd named that day along with their personalities. No, the gears in his mind were turning. working on overdrive for what was possibly the first time in his life. He slipped his phone from his pocket, watching as well as listening as his song ended and then restarted.

She laughs like I wish I could

Annabeth laughed -- probably harder than was necessary -- as Estelle told her story accompanied with exaggerated hand movements.

Just get caught up in those eyes

Percy watched her react to his sister's words, her eyes lighting up when she gasped, her smile bright as she reached forward to give a high five.

She's everything that's beautiful
Everything that's good in this world

She was no doubt beautiful. 

"Holy blue cookie dough," Percy said.

Annabeth's and Estelle's conversation trailed off.

"What a swear word," Annabeth remarked.

"No," Percy said, shaking his head. He held up a finger as he thought over everything again, as he listened to the song he knew by heart play in his ear. Was it possible?

"You said this was your song?" he confirmed, pointing up at the speakers.

Annabeth furrowed her brows. "Yeah. . ."

"Like, you're one hundred percent sure?"

"Did you not see it yourself?"

"Okay, okay." Percy gripped his phone. "And you saw mine, right?"

Annabeth looked around uncomfortably. "Um, yeah, but it was--"

Percy took his turn to shove something in her face. He held up his phone, watching as the bluish light swept across her face, highlighting her eyes as they widened. 

Annabeth's lips parted, and she hurriedly reached for the earbud of his that wasn't being used. Percy stumbled forward as she stuck it into her hear, listening in tense silence.

Even Estelle watched with interest.

"Holy. . ."

"Blue cookie dough?" Percy offered.

Annabeth nodded wordlessly. She pulled away, pulling out his earbud. "Wait, okay, so. . "

"Have you ever heard your song being played at the same time as someone else's, the moment you meet them?"

Annabeth shook her head.

"Me neither." Percy rubbed the back of his neck, laughing nervously. "Maybe I shouldn't always be wearing earbuds and hope to find my soulmate, that's kind of dumb now that I think about it. Not exactly ideal. . ."

"Is. . .can this work?" Annabeth stared at him, studying his features intently. "I didn't even think it could be possible."

Percy thought for a second. "Well, I guess we don't really know for sure. . .but we could try?"

Annabeth's lips separated once more, and her eyes met his. "I. . ."

"Percy, can we please go feed the birds?"

The two teens looked down at the little girl as she clasped her hands together, puffing out her bottom lip. "Please? They're hungry, and it's fun."

"Um. . ." Percy looked between the two girls. "Yeah, Estelle, we can go feed the birds."

She cheered, grabbing his hand tighter and taking off at a run in the opposite direction. But Percy, for the first time, didn't let her take him just yet.

He turned, quirking an eyebrow. "Well?" he asked Annabeth. "You gonna come feed the birds?"

Annabeth's response was wide eyes.

"Come on," he urged, releasing Estelle's hand for a second to backtrack and grab Annabeth's. He turned the three of them and led the way, to the entrance to buy some bread of their own. "Let's go feed the birds!"

a / n

i hereby adopt estelle. 

no, you guys can't too. 

lolll, welcome back peoples. sorry for the late update ! writer's block caught up with me, but i did a little digging on different soulmate au's and came up with this. 'twas fun to write, actually.

sorry for all of the au's btw, i think i revert to those when i have no ideas XD

thoughts on this ? i like to know what you guys like, so i can write more things like it. 

okieee, yours in demigodishness and all that,

~ grace 💙🍪💙🍪💙🍪💙