Recorded Dreams (A Percabeth AU)

51

Annabeth POV-

Estelle is in front of me, salt and pepper curls bouncing as she practically dances down the aisle in her blue dress that matched perfectly with the petals she was throwing.

Then, I look up.

Percy stands at the alter, gaping at me, his teary eyes staring at me as though I'm the only thing in the world. And I begin to cry too.

This was it. Our big moment. I think my pace quickens.

I arrive at the alter and I don't hear a thing. I just see him. Percy.

He was so... perfect. He looked regal in his tux, but his hair was still a mess. It shone like it had gel in it, which was probably Sally's doing, but she must not have been able to tame it.

That was okay, I liked it messy. It suited him better.

A voice interrupts my gaze on him.

"Annabeth." I turn my head to the wedding officiant.

"Annabeth." I feel as though I'm being sucked out of this universe, and suddenly, my brother looms over me, a hand on my arm, stirring me to reality.

That was all a dream and now I'm here. Back in my room. How did I get here?

My last memory of last night was Percy and I watching a movie on the couch. He's really branched out with movies now. He's officially added Moana to his list.

I remember drawing blueprints and ranting about pillars and balconies to a point that must have driven him out of his mind. But he sat, and he listened. And he played with my hair. And he smiled wistfully at me the whole time.

He really is perfect.

"Rise and shine," my brother says, poking at my forehead. "You passed out on the couch last night. You're lucky that Percy brought you up here. I would've just left you."

"Way to show your sister some love," I grumble in my tired morning voice. He laughs.

"I'll get out of here, but you have to get up. You have work. And Percy told me that the girls want to go dress shopping with you again later." I groan again.

"We don't even have a date picked yet! It could be another two years before the wedding even happens!"

"I know. I don't know if they know though. Percy just goes along with it because he doesn't want to face their wrath. And Estelle's one of them, and he doesn't ever want to see her unhappy."

"Well then now I have to go dress shopping."

He laughs and exits my room. I roll out of bed and look at myself in the mirror, imagining the way that Percy looks at me. I don't know how he could look at me like I was some gorgeous princess when I had days where I looked like this. My hair was the epitome of a rats nest, the blonde curls tangling together so the long curls that usually made it down to my mid back only made it barely an inch past my shoulders.

Lovely.

I heave a sigh and grab a comb. After nearly breaking it, I give up and decide that my best bet is to shower and try to untangle it in there with a little conditioner.

Usually, my hair didn't bother me too much. I would just throw it into a ponytail on days like this. But because I was going dress shopping today, I wanted it to be nice. I found out the hard way that it's a lot harder to get a good judge of the dress unless you feel confident in how you look first.

And I was not feeling confident today. Although, I really should. Percy would tell me I was beautiful. That I was beautiful no matter what.

I just couldn't get the way that Percy looked at me in my dream out of my mind. Like the rest of this universe was gone and I was the only thing that remained. Like I was the only thing that kept him here and alive and without me, he would disappear into an abyss. Like I was his greatest weakness, but also the thing that made him the strongest. And I wondered how.