a/n

did someone say percabeth tangled au? lost prince percy? renowned thief annabeth? 

nobody actually did but tangled is one of my biggest comfort movies and eugene + rapunzel is one of my favorite pairings so i made it percabeth! 

look. this could make a great full-length fic. it took every fiber of my being and all of my willpower to cram all of my ideas for this into a oneshot. i had to ditch many ideas as well. maybe one day i'll expand it into an entire fic. but not today. today you get info dumps and flashbacks and percabeth goodness. 

enjoy!

wc: 2.8k

///\

Percy has always felt more at home by the sea.

But he'd never seen this much water in his life.

He'd been told to stay away from it for as long as he could remember. The woman who raised him was the only one who knew about his connection to water. She had always warned him what people would do to exploit his gift. (But she always said gift like she meant curse.) She had always kept him safe. Percy didn't know why he'd thought running away was a good idea. Neither of them would be in this situation right now.

"Find a way out," she muttered, his companion, but he couldn't move. "Find a way out."

Her nails scraped against solid rock. The water was building fast. It tickled his ankles. Percy sucked in a breath from between his teeth. 

"I'm--I'm sorry," he blurted.

She stopped short. Her dagger clanged uselessly against the wall she'd struck it at. "What?" 

"I'm sorry," Percy said again. "For getting us here." His forehead stung. He wasn't sure when he'd gotten hurt, but he knew it was bleeding. He pressed his back up against the wall and sighed. "This is my fault."

"It's not your fault," she said, giving up on the wall. The water was at her waist now. "Give me some credit."

He wished he could revel in the humor in her voice. "I never should have left. We wouldn't even be here."

She leaned against the wall beside him and blew out a slow breath. "They're after me," she said. He knew that. She knew he knew that.

She was trying to make him feel better.

"Well. I guess it doesn't matter who did what," Percy said. "We won't be around to regret much longer." He smiled faintly. "And to think. . .Daedelus, who could get away from anyone and anything, got stuck with me." He tried to smile. "I'm kind of bummed I won't get to brag about this to anyone."

She turned to look at him. Her hair was streaked with mud. It reminded him of how the bright white daisies contrasted with the green grass in spring. Her eyes would be the stormy sky if it weren't so dark in here and he could actually see them enough to tell. He imagined his cheeks were red from exertion and his hair was just as filthy as hers. 

They'd been in such a different place just that morning. He'd had the feeling they were both running from something, crouched behind a stone pillar. Things clicked into place when he remembered the way she'd outmaneuvered every obstacle with the stealth of the wind, when he tried to remember why they were hiding from castle guards when they weren't near the castle. 

There'd been whispers of a thief that even Percy had heard. Yells of Daedelus! as the rich shook their ruby-less fists. Rumors of a man whom no one had seen, whom no one could outsmart.  A man no one could predict. 

The elusiveness. The way her feet made no sound as she walked. The bejeweled crown he'd stuffed in with his belongings. 

"You're Daedelus," he said, realizing it as he spoke.

She shrugged, but it was a yes.

"I'm not calling you that."

"Why not? Everyone else does."

"Yeah, but. . .You're a girl. Daedelus was a guy."

She gave him a strange look. "Does it matter? It's my name."

For some reason, he couldn't believe that. Maybe she'd named herself. Gallivanting around like this, he couldn't imagine she had very present parental figures to give her a proper name in the first place. "I'm not calling you Daedelus," he said again.

"Do as you wish," she said, dismissing the matter.

"Hey, you."

"Except for that."

"Why not? It can't be better than Daedelus."

She turned to him, hand on the hilt of her knife. Percy took a step back. "'Hey, you' is incredibly impersonal. Daedelus is a name I earned. Daedelus is a reputation. If it bothers you so much, then don't address me at all. I imagine you can come up with more creative ways to get my attention, anyway."

Percy had snorted. "We are incredibly impersonal. If Daedelus is a reputation, I have yet to see it. But when I do," he said with a grin, "I'll call you by your name."

She hadn't seemed to care much, at the time. Stared at him for a while,  trying to make him feel stupid, but he could tell she wanted to move on.

"Annabeth," she said now. "My real name is Annabeth."

Percy blinked. The water lapped against his chest. "That's really pretty," he said.

Annabeth's laugh was watery. "Yeah. Too pretty for the business I'm in, anyway."

Percy's heart burned. Annabeth would die down here with Daedelus and Percy. She'd spent all this time living a reputation. Now it would all end, and she couldn't even tell the world that she was Annabeth. Just him. 

"I can't swim," Annabeth whispered, setting her head back against the rock. The water was reaching her neck. 

"You can't swim?" he whispered back, trying not to choke on the realization of death. 

"Doesn't matter," she muttered. Her voice was loud in what little space they had left, bouncing off the cave walls. "There's nowhere to swim to. We're stuck."

"There might still be a way," he said, but it sounded as hopeless as she did. Their time was up.

"If you figure that out, let me know."

He'd known her for less than a day. He'd only just learned her name. But Percy was fully aware that she was the brains of their agreement. She'd gotten them into things just to prove she could get out of them. At least, it had seemed that way. Percy was just along for the ride. He was making the calls thanks to her desperation sitting in his bag, but she made things happen. He didn't know how to hunt for food or pretend he belonged in a place full of thugs that hunted food for them. He didn't even know who he was. Annabeth was, like, two different people and she was more put together than he could ever hope to be. 

"Thanks for telling me," he murmured. 

Annabeth reached out beneath the water and gripped his wrist with the strength of someone in a cavern full of water without the knowledge of how to swim or hold her breath. "Figured someone should know," she said, the barest hint of panic coating her voice.

He wanted to ask her questions. Percy wanted to get to know Annabeth. What happened to her family? Did she know? What was her favorite food? Her favorite season? He wanted to know what she dreamed of when she lay in bed at night, what she hoped she might one day have. He wanted to know how she'd gotten in this mess in the first place. Why Daedelus? 

If they drowned here, he wouldn't even know what her favorite color was.

"I'll teach you how to swim," he said quickly.

"What?" she asked too loudly, gripping his wrist tighter. She was beginning to float, her feet lifted from the ground. 

They both tipped their heads back and filled their lungs with the last of the air. She went under first, without a goodbye or another annoying remark. Percy plunged beneath the water, and he felt alive. His senses awakened and he recognized the feeling. He risked opening his eyes to what should be blackness. Somehow, he knew where everything was. He saw Annabeth, eyes and lips pressed shut as she waited for the moment her lungs emptied. Her grip on his wrist was already weakening.

Percy felt like he could stay under there forever. Even if his lungs ached until he died, he could stay.

But he wouldn't.

Reaching out with his senses, Percy urged the water outwards, away from them. There was nowhere for it to go, but it wouldn't be restrained. He pushed, pushed, pushed, and the weakest part of the cave began to crumble. 

Annabeth's hand slipped away from his.

Percy reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist. He pulled her into him and pressed his face against the top of her head. Get us out of here, he begged. The pressure of the water on the walls tripled. Then he could really see because the light of day poured in. He lost control of the water as it erupted from the side of a manmade hill. Right was left and up was down but Percy held onto Annabeth as tightly as he could.

They plunged into water. Once again, Percy was at home. He dragged Annabeth to the surface and thanked the gods when she began to kick her legs. She was still with him. They broke through the surface and her gasp for air was ragged. Percy worked against the current to pull them to the side as she choked and coughed.

They fell onto land, side by side. Annabeth was still heaving her breaths. He glanced at her. Her hair looked darker when it was wet, almost brown. She looked just as someone should look after almost drowning: a mess. 

"Annabeth," he said, just to try her name on his tongue. 

She reached down to pat along her thigh. "I lost my dagger," she choked, draping her arm over her face. 

"We're alive," he pointed out.

"My dagger."

"Is it that important?"

Annabeth pushed herself onto her elbows. "How are we alive?"

"I'll get your dagger," Percy said, shaking the water from his eyes as he stood. "I'll be right back."

"What? It's long gone by now--Percy--!"

She probably yelled some obscenities at him as he went under, but Percy could ignore her for the rush he got from being submerged.

///\

Annabeth knew it was impossible for him to have gotten her dagger. She knew it was.

"See?" he said, handing it to her. "I was quick."

He walked past her and found a nice log to plant himself on, wringing out his clothing. Annabeth ran her thumb along the blade, dumbfounded, before sheathing it and sitting herself down next to him.

"You're bleeding," she said. Annabeth bit her tongue. She'd wanted to ask him how he found her dagger or why he wasn't a little more winded from almost dying. Instead, she watched him cross his eyes in an attempt to see the wound on his forehead.

"Right side," she offered, wringing out her hair.

He found it with a wince. "Ouch. When did this even happen?"

"You got hit with a frying pan. You yelled something about wanting one."

"Correction: I have one. And they work, by the way. The proof is in the blood that is now on my fingers."

Annabeth stared at him. "We need first-aid," she sighed. "I lost everything useful this morning. Do you have anything in that bag to patch that up?"

"Actually. . ." His eyes drifted away like he wasn't sure if he should keep going. Annabeth narrowed her eyes. "Can you keep a secret?"

She pulled her boot back on after emptying the water from it. "Percy, I believed we've established that I am a criminal. If I couldn't keep a secret, I would not be here. Regardless, I don't want to keep your secrets. It can't be anything of actual use, can it?"

"How are you planning to dry your clothing?" he asked. Annabeth looked up to the heavens.

"With time, Percy. I will wait until they are dry. Criminals also have patience."

"You'll catch a cold."

"Then I'll drop dead from sneezing too hard," she said flatly. "We almost drowned. I can handle a sore throat."

"But they're annoying."

Annabeth let her foot drop from her knee loudly. "Where are you going with this?"

"I can dry you," Percy said, and that was the strangest thing that had left his mouth so far. 

"A fire would be nice," she replied, hoping he'd just agree. "I'll go look for dry wood."

He held out a hand to stop her. Annabeth glanced down.

There was no feeling. No magical sensation. One moment, she was soaking wet, dripping in a wide radius. The next, her clothes looked freshly washed and hung, ruffled and utterly dry. Her skin was warm. There wasn't a single drop of dam water left on her. Annabeth's breath stalled in her chest. She looked up. Percy was dry. Percy's bag was dry. The spot where she'd been sitting was dry.

"Don't freak out," he said, "but. . .yes. I did get us out of that back there, and I did just dry you."

"I'm not freaking out," Annabeth snapped. And she wasn't. Not by society's standards. But the explosion of emotions in her chest and the lack of a proper deep breath made for the equivalent of a freakout by her standards. 

"Huh. I've never actually told anyone this but I just assumed if I did they would completely freak out on me. I mean, I realize this isn't exactly normal. If it were normal, I wouldn't--"

Annabeth pressed a finger to his lips and slowly lowered herself back onto the log. "Water?" she breathed. "You got us out of there with--water?"

Percy nodded. He didn't back away from her finger that she'd forgotten to pull away. "Ever since I can remember, I've had this gift. I don't know how, so don't ask." He looked away from her, at the only wet thing left, the ground beneath them. "That's why my life is so screwed up. No one else--that I know of--can do the stuff that I can. I grew up pretending I couldn't. I was hidden away so that if I made a mistake, no one could take advantage of me or whatever it is that I have. I don't even know where I came from."

He met her eyes. "I should've said something earlier, before we almost drowned. I know. I'm sorry. I wasn't allowed to use this before today. I don't actually know the full extent of my abilities. Sometimes it just happens, sometimes I have to intentionally make things happen."

Annabeth could ignore the fact that he'd waited until the last moment. Her mind raced at what he was telling her. "What else can you do?"

Percy looked at the blood on his hands. "I'll show you?"

She nodded. He raised his hand and water from the lake surrounded it, ready to do his bidding. Annabeth took a deep breath. But nothing could prepare her for the way the nasty, bloody, puckered wound on his forehead began to fade, to knit itself together little by little the moment he touched his hand and the water to it. He was healing himself with lake water. Like magic. 

He's priceless, she thought, watching his face. The way his seafoam eyes glowed faintly in the darkness of the setting sun, the redness of his lips from being dried a little too much, chapped. 

He was otherworldly. Unnaturally enchanting. It made it so much easier to believe him. It almost made sense that he'd have such powers. 

"You've been hiding this for how long?" she eventually said, voice too quiet in her awe.

"Eighteen years. Well, almost." He folded his hands in his lap. "Okay, I'm going to subject change now because I was not expecting to show anyone this today." He grinned at her, lopsided and mischievous and just the smallest bit nervous. "So. . .Annabeth, huh?"

She pursed her lips, leaning forward on her knees. "Annabeth."

"I think it's worlds better than Daedelus," he said softly.

She pretended that didn't mean more than it should. "Yeah, well. 'Annabeth' didn't get me here. Annabeth can't scale buildings or steal the missing prince's crown. I chose not to be Annabeth a long time ago."

He leaned forward until their faces were level and she could see his ridiculous grin in her peripheral vision. "Well, I kind of like this Annabeth. The one that can't swim. The one that's actually phased by near-death experiences. I think she's quite favorable."

She turned to tell him that he didn't even know Annabeth. He barely knew any of her. 

She stopped.

She didn't feel like Daedelus right now. She felt like a girl on the brink of adulthood who was still catching her breath. She felt like Annabeth. She'd been feeling like Annabeth since she met this man. It reminded her of how much she'd missed Annabeth. How she'd missed hearing her name from someone's tongue and not the voices in her mind that couldn't completely accept that she was the most wanted thief in the kingdom.

"Why Daedelus?"

Annabeth turned so they were nose to nose. "I get to subject change now. And I need a break from. . .this." From his water and her names. "I'll get the wood."

"Don't worry about dryness!" he called after her. She could hear the smile in his voice. "I can take care of that!"

"Goodbye, pretty boy," she muttered.

"What was that?"

"Make yourself useful and get us some dinner, will you?"

"Fish?" he called out hopefully.

She let him figure that one out.