The taxi pulled up just at the bottom of Half-Blood Hill, but I was out before it stopped moving. I didn't even stop to say thank you to the driver, just threw him some notes, hoisted my backpack with Daedalus's laptop and a few other things onto my back and ran up the hill. Percy had called beforehand to say he was already there, and I was really excited to see him – though I'd never tell him how excited. Because it was a lot. I'd missed him more than ever, though it hadn't really been that long since I'd seen him – just a few weeks.
I briefly stopped to drop off my backpack at the Athena cabin, and then I was off again. Percy hadn't specifically told me where he was, but I knew where he would be. As I came to the beach, I slowed, treading lightly. I controlled my breathing so he wouldn't hear me and crept up behind him, meaning to make him jump, but then I realised what he was doing and it stopped me in my tracks.
Hovering above the water was a wall – no, it was too thin – a sheet of water, shimmering in the air, reflecting off the sunlight so a rainbow of colours shone beautifully off of it. As I watched, little jets of water flew around it until it grew into a sphere of clear blue/white crystal and rose into the air, then split apart into tiny droplets and drifted down gracefully to join back into the sea.
"That was amazing." I breathed, right next to his ear. He jumped and turned to me. When he saw me, his face broke out into a grin, like I was his favourite person in the entire world. That was enough to make my day.
"Annabeth." He said, then grabbed me by the waist and spun me around, taking me by surprise. I shrieked then immediately covered my mouth, and he laughed. He set me down on the sand and pressed his forehead to mine.
"Did I just make Annabeth Chase scream?" He mocked. I smiled grudgingly.
"Maybe." I replied. He laughed again, and it was a relief to see his smile, hear his laugh and watch his eyes light up every time he did.
"Don't get too full of yourself, Seaweed Brain. I can still kick your butt." I warned. He raised his eyebrow, but only said, "Sure you can."
I grinned, put my arms around his neck, and kissed him, parting my lips slightly. His arms tightened around my waist and pulled me to him. The feel of his lips against mine was a relief after so many days of missing him; the kiss calmed me, and spread warmth through my whole being. I felt Percy's hand in my hair, and sighed. In response, I felt him smile slightly against my mouth, and I opened my eyes to find his sea-green ones already open. I lost myself in their depths and had a feeling he was doing the same.
I could've stayed there all day, watching the soft breeze gently ruffle Percy's hair, the brightness of his eyes, the fullness of his smile, the softness of his lips, the warmth of his body pressed against mine.
Finally Percy broke the peaceful quiet.
"Come on," He said, his eyes shining with excitement. "I'm taking you on a proper date." I frowned.
"Um, where?" In response, he jerked his head toward the ocean. I stared at him.
"You do realise I can't breathe underwater, right?" Percy rolled his eyes.
"That won't be a problem." He took my hand and started to pull me towards the water.
"I think it is a problem. You see, it doesn't take a child of Athena to work out that you need to breathe. Like, to live and stuff." Percy laughed and said, "It'll be fine. Trust me." He kissed me lightly, and I couldn't help but believe him. Suddenly he grabbed me (for the second time today, I might add) and swung me onto his back. I was so surprised I could only get out a breathless "Percy!". The last thing I heard before we plunged into the glittering sea was Percy's quiet laugh. I was going to have to kick his butt later. Then we were under the surface, gliding silently through the water, weak sunlight filtering through the gentle waves above us.
My instincts took over and I found myself holding my breath, though a part of me told me I didn't need to; I was with the son of Poseidon, for Gods' sake. Percy twisted in the water, so he was facing me, my arms and legs still wrapped around him. When he saw me, he raised an eyebrow.
"Breathe, Annabeth." I could hear him clearly, as if we were above water. I did as he said (which does not happen often, mind you) and let out the breath I had been holding in. I have to admit, I was really relieved when I found out that I could, after all, breathe underwater. I grinned at Percy.
"Still alive?" He asked innocently. I rolled my eyes.
"Watch it, Seaweed Brain." In response he kissed me again, but this time it wasn't calming or relaxing. I tightened my arms and legs around him and kissed him back, hard. My hand slid into his hair and I felt his do the same. My other hand snaked down his chest, to the hem of his t-shirt. I had never dared to do this before but, what the hell. We could die tomorrow! So I slid my hand underneath his t-shirt and over his bare skin. I have to admit, I was surprised, and even a little impressed. I suppose I shouldn't be, because all we do at camp Half-Blood is train, but I still was. Percy was seriously muscly. I could feel his six-pack underneath my fingers, and for the first time in my life, I sort of wanted to see him topless. Then I internally scolded myself. Instead, I tried to concentrate on the other things about him, like his lips. Their softness; the pressure against mine. As I thought about this, Percy slid his lips down to my jaw, then to my neck. I imagined them going further down, to my collarbone, to- No! Shut up, shut up, I told myself. I couldn't believe the direction in which my thoughts were going. I was sort of glad when Percy slid his lips back up to mine, leaving a trail of fire in their wake. At least, that's what it felt like. I was breathless by this time. How could he affect me like this? Then another thought occurred – did I affect him too? I slid the hand under his t-shirt further up, then down again, this time just trailing my fingertips. I heard his breath catch. Bingo, I thought. But then he pulled away, raising an eyebrow.
"Are you trying to make me hyperventilate?" He asked.
"I wasn't aware I was doing anything." I replied innocently. But my hand still trailed over his chest, this time heading toward his abs. He groaned.
"Stop. Seriously, Annabeth. I want to show you something, and at this rate I'll never be able to – you just keep distracting me." I rolled my eyes in defeat, but this was far from over. I slid my hand out from under his t-shirt, trailing my fingertips one last time, then slid around, onto his back. Percy held me there by placing his hands underneath my thighs. At that moment, I didn't know whether I was glad I'd worn shorts or not. I decided I was, though the feel of his hands on my legs was very distracting.
Percy shot off through the water, but he was careful not to go too deep. He could stand a lot more pressure than I could, and it would kind of ruin the idea of a date if he got me crushed. I lightly touched my lips to his neck, then slid them up and down, very softly, almost as if I didn't mean to. Percy knew what I was doing, I was sure of it, but he didn't let on. We were both very competitive. I started planting light kisses along his neck.
"Annabeth." Percy growled. I grinned. "Yes! I win!" Percy laughed and said, "well, it's not my fault that when you kiss me it feels like my brain is melting and it doesn't affect you at all."
"Oh, it affects me alright." I muttered, but I wasn't sure if he heard me. "Wait, hang on. It feels like your brain is melting?" Percy blushed.
"Well, that's the only way I can describe it." I just smiled and said, "you're cute when you blush," which only made him go redder – as I knew it would.