Archive of Our Own ^beta

Annabeth loved how Percy brought her little gifts when she had a bad week, or sometimes just because. Most often, he brought homemade blue cookies. Sometimes he baked cupcakes, or wrote her a note, or gave her a book he thought she'd like.

She wasn't always the best at returning the favor, getting caught up in her work, but Percy was having a rough week between two monster attacks and three tests. She wanted to bring him something, and her dorm didn't have a kitchen.

So, she ended up at the bakery two blocks from her dorm, hoping to find something that looked good among the cookies, cakes, and unfamiliar desserts. She mostly left the blue food to Sally and Percy, but maybe something with blue frosting?

Most things were in shades of orange or red or yellow for autumn. But… that looked like the perfect option, those desserts with vibrantly red and yellow and green layers. "I'll take five…" She checked the sign. "Rainbow cookies." That seemed appropriate—not blue, but bright.

At Percy's apartment, Annabeth offered him the box. "I wanted to do something for you, so I stopped at the bakery." She fidgeted as Percy carefully picked at the knot in the red-and-white string until he could slide it off the box and open it.

"Rainbow cookies!" He grinned. "Thank you!"

"Have you had them before?" she asked curiously.

"We used to buy one sometimes for a special treat. We could get them more now, but… it's nice to keep them special. They bring good memories. Have you had them?"

Annabeth shook her head.

"Try one."

She bit the cookie he held out to her, and the flavors exploded in her mouth. "Delicious."

"You picked them out, Wise Girl. The perfect thing to improve a bad week."