Percy's POV:
"Can I have a little help here?" I ask, clutching the pencil in my mouth, the roll of tape under my arm, and pinning the poster on the wall by pressing my weight against it.
Annabeth looks smugly up at me, amusement evident on her face. "Maybe," she says, slowly and agonizingly considering it while I'm trying with all of my weight to support the poster I'm attempting to tack on the outside of the Big House.
"Plwease?" I ask, my mouth full of pencil.
She grins at me, but finally relents. "Toss the tape," she says. "I'll cut you some pieces."
I let the tape fall from the crook of my elbow, dropping the pencil from my mouth and onto the ground.
"Why do we have to tape these posters up, anyway?" I ask. "Surely someone around here could have snapped their fingers and we would have been saved all the trouble."
Annabeth rolls her eyes, ignoring me. She hands me a piece of tape. "I can't wait for the dance," she says, looking wistfully at the poster.
I laugh. "You want to get dressed up?" I ask.
She looks up at me indignantly, and I'm sure she would have pushed me if I wasn't on a ladder. "I am a girl, Percy."
"I know that," I say, though I probably don't sound very convincing, because she throws the roll of tape at me.
"Ouch!" I rub my arm. "Gods, Annabeth, what's the big deal, anyway?"
I make my way down the ladder, coming to stand beside Annabeth. She looks at me, seemingly annoyed.
"Well," she starts, "it's the first dance that Camp Half-Blood's had."
"Really?" I ask. I mean, don't get me wrong, I know I've only been in Camp Half-Blood for a few years, but I'd have expected that it might have had its own dances in the past.
"Yup," she confirms, nodding her head. "Chiron told me. They've never exactly had anyone ask for one before."
"And why did they have to ask for one now?" I mutter, but she seems to hear me, because she rolls her eyes.
"I think it will actually be kind of fun," she says.
"Yeah, well you're a girl," I say, earning a look from her.
"First I'm not a girl, and then I am. Which one is it?"
I raise an eyebrow. "You tell me."
And that earned me a shove, which, granted, I probably deserved.
"Hey, guys!" Grover calls, clopping up to us.
"Hey, G-Man," I greet.
"Tell Percy that he's being ridiculous," Annabeth says, not even bothering to say hello.
I look at her. "What?"
Grover smiles knowingly, his eyes twinkling. "What did Perce do this time?"
"She's just peeved because I'm not excited for the dance," I say, rolling my eyes.
Grover gives an uncomfortable smile. "The dance?" he asks, and I think I hear some nervousness in his tone.
"Yeah, Camp Half-Blood's first." Annabeth looks at Grover expectantly. "You are coming, right?"
Grover gives a nervous bleat. "Of course… Why wouldn't I be?"
She looks at him strangely. "Well, I just figured, with your searcher's license and all…"
Realization sweeps his face, followed by a flush. "Oh, yeah, about that…" he fades off.
"Is everything okay, G-Man?" I ask, actually concerned about him. We all knew how much being a searcher meant to him, and after he had that dream about Pan talking to him, which he seems pretty serious about, I haven't exactly known what's going on with him and his quest for the God of the Wild.
"Yeah," he says glumly.
We look at him questioningly. "I thought you were really serious about looking for him?" Annabeth asks, concerned for our best friend.
His face brightens a little. "I know he's out there," he says, and I can see the old spark enter him again, if only for a moment. "And I really want to go look for him, but…" He sighs.
"Is it the Council?" I ask. We all knew that the Council of Cloven Elders was very reluctant, even strongly against, what Grover told them about the great god Pan's message to him in his dream. Grover and the council were still on a bit of rough ground.
He shakes his head. "Not really. It's just that Chiron, the Council, Mr. D and I decided that I'd be able to go after the spring break. Don't worry about it." He smiles at us again. "I'll be coming to the spring dance," he offers, though he falters when he mentions the word dance.
"Well, I'm sure that Juniper will be really happy that you'll be able to go to the dance with her," Annabeth says, looking at him brightly. I can tell that she hasn't completely dropped the subject about the whole Pan thing, though.
Grover's face brightens at the mention of his girlfriend. "Yeah, I'm sure she'll like that." He looks at us curiously. "Are you guys going to the dance together?" he asks.
Although his question is seemingly innocent, me and Annabeth both blush bright red.
We both start stammering. "No," I say.
"Why would we?" Annabeth asks, not looking at me.
Grover looks at us weirdly, raising his eyebrows. He shrugs. "Sorry I asked."
We were spared from any other comments when Chiron comes by on his way to the Big House.
"Good afternoon," he greets as he passes us.
"Hey, Chiron," we greet.
"All's well, I suppose," he says.
Annabeth and I stumble through our agreements. Chiron exchanges a look with Grover, but decides it's nothing. He gestures to the poster.
"Is that the last of them?" he asks.
"Yes," I answer, sighing in relief. "It took us all day to put those up."
Chiron smiles. "It's only twelve, Percy," he says. Then he bids us good-bye and clops on to the Big House.
Annabeth checks her watch and curses. "Sorry guys, I've got to go. Sword practice, and I'm late. Again." She hurries off, her blond hair bouncing after her. For some reason, I don't take my eyes off of her until she's out of sight.
Grover says he has to go see Juniper, and so, since it's my free block in my schedule, I go to my cabin.
That evening, I send an iris message to Tyson. When he sees me, he drops the sword he was hammering and gives me a wide grin. "Brother!"
I smile back at him. "Hey, big guy. How's it going?"
"Good!" he says. "Very good. Daddy says I'm the best Cyclops worker he's had for long."
I grin, but a pang of jealousy hits me as well. "That's great, Tyson," I say, and I mean it. It's great that he's loving his new job. But I can't help thinking about the fact that Poseidon hasn't said anything like that about me.
"Listen," I say. "I called to ask you if you were going to visit any time soon. We're having a spring dance on Friday night, so I thought—"
"Dance?" Tyson asks, and I think he's kind of excited. "Tyson will visit brother." He frowns, as if remembering something. "Will Annabeth be there?"
I laugh. "Yeah, Annabeth will be there."
"Yay," he exclaims happily, clapping his big hands. Someone yells something, and Tyson looks serious again. "Sorry, brother. Must go. See you Friday."
He waves his hand, and then he's gone.
The next few days, the camp is getting ready for the dance. Everyone's decorating the camp; hanging streamers here and there, blowing up balloons. The Demeter cabin said they'd help with flowers and stuff, and the Aphrodite kids are going nuts, trying to figure out what outfits to wear, going around camp and giving everybody random fashion advice.
Even though it's only Wednesday, people are acting like the dance is tomorrow. And actually, it's getting kind of annoying, because it seems to be getting in the way of everything. Like when I'm in the sword fighting arena, I can barely slash the dummies without popping like twenty orange balloons. And I almost burned myself to death because somebody decided to spray silly string on the lava wall.
It's not that the decorations look bad, because they actually look pretty nice. I just wish people would talk about something else. The only cabin besides mine that isn't totally brainwashed is the Ares cabin. I'm not sure that should console me.
Even the Athena campers are looking forward to it. Whenever I see Annabeth, she asks me some random question about Friday night. 'What are you wearing', or 'What colour would look better with these shoes- pink or silver?' I nearly told her to go hang out with the Aphrodite cabin, but I didn't feel like being ignored the rest of the week.
When I was walking to breakfast on Thursday morning, I noticed that there were more campers than there usually are during spring. I know it's spring break, but usually the demigods that live in the city stay there for the week they have off in March. I guess they all decided to come for the dance. Yipee.
On Thursday after dinner, I go down by the beach to get away from all the madness. Watching the waves lap against the shore always calms me. As I'm sitting, I see someone walking out from the water. The sight of them causes me to smile, but the smile evaporates when Tyson barrels into me and gives me one of his signature 'good to be back' hugs. I think I'm still a few inches thinner.
Right when I thought things couldn't get any crazier, Friday comes around. At breakfast, all anyone is talking about is the dance. Even Grover and Tyson, who are usually so nervous around each other, are talking about it, and they sound interested. Tyson is saying how one of his friends lent him a suit, and I don't know whether to laugh or cringe at the mental image of Tyson in a XXXL tux. When Grover starts telling us about the traditional goat outfit he got from his daddy-goat, I realize that I've had it. I just want to scream at everybody to stop talking about the stupid dance, and I think my frustration shows because all the glasses of water in the mess hall spill over. I receive a lot of dirty looks after that, and I don't bother telling anyone it was an accident.
Grover notices. "What is it, Percy?" he asks, handing Tyson a napkin to mop up the water on his shirt.
I sigh. "I wish everyone would just stop talking about this dumb dance."
Grover bleats. "Come on, Percy. It won't be that bad."
I shrug and finish eating my eggs in silence. I'm really considering not going to the thing in the first place, but I don't really want to spend the night sitting alone in my cabin. I guess I could stand by the snack table like I do at all of my school dances.
For some reason, I think about this winter, when Thalia, Grover, Annabeth and I went to Westover Hall to see Bianca and Nico. I remember the half dance I had with Annabeth, and my stomach goes warm. I also remember the other half of the dance on Olympus. I must be smiling slightly, because Tyson claps his hands. "Percy not angry anymore!" And how can I stay mad after that?
The dance was supposed to start forty-five minutes after dinner, which the Aphrodite kids were in steams about. "How am I supposed to do my make-up in under an hour?" Drew complained, but Chiron just told her she could miss part of the dance to change if she needed it. She went off stomping after that, and I swear Chiron had sparkles in his tail for the rest of the day.
Right at seven, when the campers were dismissed from the mess hall, a stampede of demigods ran to their cabins to change. Even Tyson was amongst them, and when I made it to cabin three, I averted my eyes from the sight of him pulling himself into a pair of slacks. I put on a clean jeans and a light blue button down, the only thing I would muster for the occasion. Hey- it was my best shirt.
When Tyson was done, we made our way to the large commons area outside the Big House, where the dance was supposed to take place. I don't remember anyone moving heavy equipment, but one corner of the 'dance' had a large place for the DJ, with speakers and screens and a bunch of other stuff. Don't ask me where they plugged it all in, because I have no idea. The other corner, just outside the Big House, had a few tables with a bunch of snacks. There was a chocolate fountain, which even I have to admit was pretty cool, and a bunch of other stuff like candy and chips. In the middle, where the grass usually is, they managed to put a fake floor. It was black and white checkered tiles, and when I stood on them, they seemed pretty secure.
Me and Tyson were probably one of the last ones there, because Tyson took forever to put on his clothes. It took a lot of stretching and pulling, and a fair bit of cursing, but we managed to get him in it. When he asked me how he looked, I had to stop myself from cracking up. I managed to tell him he looked great, but seriously, the guy was wearing a baby blue tux that just barely fit him. It kind of reminded me of the giant cyclops Polyphemus, but I don't think that Tyson would have appreciated that comparison. The guy had his hair all slicked to one side, and he was wearing shiny black shoes. All I did was run a brush through mine and put on a clear pair of grey (not genuine) Converse.
When we did get there, almost all of the campers were there, minus most of Aphrodite. I looked around for Annabeth, but I didn't see her. It was when I saw Grover that I almost had a heart attack. If breaking down from laughter can give you a heart attack.
Have you ever seen that Harry Potter movie when the red haired kid has to wear that weird, old-fashioned dress-gown thing? It was kind of like that. When Grover said that he got his outfit from his daddy-goat, I didn't think much about it. But now, seeing him in it, I start thinking that Grover's daddy-goat got it from his daddy-goat, and that he wasn't very sad about giving it away.
When Grover came over to us, his face showing that he knew what he looked like, Tyson almost fell down in fear. He rushed away, nearly stepping on one of the speakers.
"Nice outfit, man," I said to him, hiding a smile.
He bleated indignantly. "Don't laugh. It was really popular when my dad wore it."
"How long ago was that?" I asked, having to put my hand to my face to keep from laughing. Seriously. The thing had fur. I bet it wasn't real though, or Grover would have had a cow. Or, I guess since he's vegetarian, a carrot or whatever.
Grover doesn't answer me. He just gives me a dirty look.
"Look man, I'm kidding," I amend. "Where's Juniper?" I ask, changing the subject.
His face brightens a little. "She's coming any minute. One of the other nymphs said she was just having trouble with her leaves. Those things never stay straight."
I decide not to ask.
We both cleared off to the side when the dancing started, munching on some chips. Those Furies Hot N' Spicy Chips mean hot and spicy. I almost spat them out on Grover's outfit, though I don't think he'd have minded.
I still looked around for Annabeth. I couldn't see her anywhere. I saw most of her siblings, and I thought about asking Malcolm, but then decided against it. I don't think he'd exactly appreciate it.
Grover nudged me. "Looking for Annabeth?" he asked, noticing me searching the crowds.
I nod. "I don't know where she could—"
I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around, and my jaw dropped straight to the floor. Standing in front of me was Annabeth, but… not Annabeth. To start, she was wearing a dress. I hadn't thought about it at the time, but that was the first time I'd ever seen Annabeth in a dress. It was turquoise and sleeveless, with straps going around her neck so it formed a rectangle. The material was kind of shiny, and the bottom half had ruffles. She was wearing those silver owl earrings that she was wearing that night at Westover Hall, along with a silver chain necklace and silver heels, which she seemed to be able to walk in just fine. She had a silver bracelet, and her blond hair was done in curls like a princess, just like the first time I ever saw her. In short, she looked like a billion golden drachmas. In fact, I thought she looked even more beautiful than Aphrodite. And I've met the goddess of love. Just don't tell her I said that, or I'll probably wake up with a dove for a head. The funny part was, Annabeth was barely wearing any make-up; just some shiny lip gloss, some light pink stuff on her cheeks, and some black thing lining her eyes. I could have stood there all day, trying to remember what day it was, but she smiled and asked me something, which some part of my brain knew I had to respond to.
So I said something really intelligent, like "Wha?" And she laughed, her teeth perfectly white.
"I asked if you still hated the dance, Seaweed Brain," she repeated.
"Oh," I said, hoping I wasn't blushing. I have no idea how long I just spent staring at her, and frankly, I don't want to know. But then again, I wasn't the only one. I saw that around us, most of the campers were staring at Annabeth too. I couldn't blame them. For one thing, no one ever saw Annabeth dressed up like this. Another thing was that now that she was, she was probably the prettiest girl at Camp Half-Blood. I could swear the Aphrodite girls had steam coming out of their ears. "I guess it's not that bad," I managed. She raised an eyebrow. "Okay," I relented. "It's okay. I guess I was wrong."
She smiled, satisfied. Then her smile turned conspiratorial. "Did you see Grover?" she asked, trying not to laugh. I thought about the old goat, who left right when Annabeth came, for some reason. It was impossible not to laugh. Soon we were both cracking up, and everyone was still looking at us, obviously puzzled. I thought I saw some Hermes kids looking at us and passing money, as if betting on something. Me and Annabeth stood there talking and laughing for quite a while, the dancing going on in front of us.
Soon, the music turned slower, and Annabeth looked at me expectantly.
I gave her a little smile, looking at her shyly. "Wanna dance?" I ask.
She smiles at me. "Thought you'd never ask." And so, just like that, I took her hand and we walked onto the dance floor, where lots of eyes floated to us. We danced like she showed me to last winter, and I swear, that same song played for like an hour. But we kept dancing. And I'm pretty sure neither of us minded a single bit.
When the song finally ended, she led me off the floor back towards the snack table, talking and laughing. We watched Grover and Juniper dance, and the nymph didn't seem to mind Grover's outfit one bit. When they kissed, a bunch of Area kids called at the poor satyr to get a room, and so Juniper stuck her tongue out at them and disappeared from the dance floor in a puff of green smoke, taking Grover with her.
"Do I even want to know where they went?" Annabeth asks me.
I shake my head, smiling slightly. "Probably not."
Annabeth looked at the snack table and then back at me, that challenging look in her eyes. "Dare you to dip a Cheeto in the chocolate fountain and eat it," she said.
"You're on," I reply, and once I swallow it easily (and it didn't taste that bad, actually) she wrinkled her nose.
"Gross," she said, laughing.
"Hey, it actually wasn't that bad."
She laughed again, but this time, I had a feeling it was something else. It was more like a 'I wonder how he hasn't noticed laugh' than a 'You're so stupid' laugh. I frowned at her. "What?"
She just continued trying to supress it, and I could've sworn I heard a giggle. And Annabeth doesn't giggle.
Finally, she took a napkin from the table and put it to my face, wiping of a smudge of chocolate I guess she saw there. Her fingers brushed my skin, sending a chill through it.
I looked at her sheepishly. "Thanks."
She smiled back at me. "No problem, Perce."
Soon, it started to get late, and a lot of the campers dwindled out. Before the night was finished, Annabeth danced with Tyson, because the big guy was looking forward to it the whole night. I paid a Hermes guy a dollar for a copy of the picture he took of it. That I would hang up on my wall.
At around eleven o'clock, I walked with Annabeth back to the Athena cabin. We were both laughing at the giant scene Katie Garner and Travis Stoll made when she sat on whipped cream and ruined her dress. Travis is going to have flowers growing out of his hair for at least a week. When we finally reached her cabin, Annabeth and I stood around uncomfortably, neither of us knowing what to say.
"That was fun," I offer, and she smiles.
"I told you it wouldn't be that bad."
I raise my hands in surrender. "Okay. Next time I'll listen."
Driven by some urge I couldn't shake, I leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She looked a bit shocked, but smiled at me, blushing a little. "Um, I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" I said, and she nodded.
"See you later, Percy," she said, giving me one last smile. "And thanks." She hesitated. "For everything." She walked through the door of her cabin.
I stood there for about a minute before walking back to cabin three. Before climbing into bed, I thought about the night. I guess I had a pretty good time. So I suppose that the dance wasn't a total bummer after all.
THE END