The aquarium’s dim blue lighting cast rippling patterns along the floors and walls, mimicking the ocean depths. Schools of fish darted past the curved glass, their shimmering scales catching the glow of artificial moonlight. You walked beside Annabeth, your fingers laced with hers, her grip firm yet absentminded as she gazed up at the towering tanks.

“This is amazing,” Annabeth murmured, eyes scanning the vast, underwater world before her. “It’s like getting to see your dad’s domain without the risk of drowning.”

You chuckled, nudging her playfully. “I don’t drown that easily, Wise Girl.”

“Yeah, well, not all of us have magic water powers, Fish Girl,” she quipped, but there was no bite to her words. She was too mesmerized, her sharp mind momentarily quieted by the graceful movements of the sea creatures surrounding you.

As you passed the jellyfish exhibit, their delicate, glowing bodies pulsing with an ethereal light, Annabeth squeezed your hand. “You know, I don’t usually like water, but this? This I can appreciate.”

You smiled, watching the light dance across her face. “Glad you like it. I thought it’d be a nice change of pace—no monsters, no quests. Just us.”

Annabeth turned to you then, her stormy gray eyes softening. “Yeah. Just us.”

For a moment, the two of you simply stood there, surrounded by the quiet hum of the tanks and the slow, rhythmic movement of ocean life. Then, with a teasing smirk, Annabeth leaned in and whispered, “So, which one of these fish is your cousin?”

You groaned, laughing as you bumped her shoulder. “You’re impossible.”

“And yet, you love me,” she said, grinning.