The Fire Dance

By blackkeys51

Chapter 1: Starry Nights

~X~

Percy

Annabeth looked more than just beautiful. She looked almost…radiant. The stars cast an astonishing glow over her appearance, making her skin appear silvery and soft. Her curls blew softly in the wind as she rested against the picnic blanket I had laid out, fingers and toes curling in the sand. Her eyes closed, and she sighed happily.

"I've never realized how nice this weather is," she said, looking up at the sky and then at me. "I feel like I could fly."

I settled next to her, our thighs touching, and wrapped my arms around her. "The only perfect weather is when I'm with you. I don't care if it's storming, or raining, or windy, or if there's a tornado right above our heads. I'm still with you."

She rested her head on my shoulder. "I love how sensitive you are."

"I love you," I whispered, tilting her chin up and kissing her. The moment our lips touched, an electric shock surged down my spine to my toes, making me shudder. I felt Annabeth tense, and I knew she felt it too. She relaxed, and the kiss deepened.

This moment was total perfection. I didn't care if the harpies suddenly appeared out of the woods. I was going to stay locked with Annabeth in this embrace for as long as I possibly could, no matter what.

~X~

I held on to Annabeth's hand for as long as I could before entering my cabin and letting her fingers slip away.

"Goodnight, my love," she whispered. "Sleep well." She blew a kiss at me and slowly crossed to her cabin, looking back at me before she went in the door.

I whispered after her, "I love you." I didn't change my clothes. I just took off my jeans before I got into my bunk, leaving my orange t-shirt on. I fell into sleep quickly, a smile playing across my lips.

In my dreams, there were a brother and a sister, Connor and Kaitlin. They were careening down an alleyway in a police cruiser Logan had stolen from an empty parking lot, a monster following in their wake.

"Connor, be careful!" Kaitlin shouted as they flew out onto the street, a car swerving to avoid them. I noticed her Irish accent immediately, the rich yet light tones. Connor gritted his teeth and growled, swerving between lanes to avoid cars. I knew immediately where he was. He was on the bridge, making his way towards the camp. He was trying to find us.

"The map, the map! Follow the GPS!" Kaitlin screamed, and Connor looked at the dashboard. Fortunately, he was on the right track. He stamped his foot on the gas pedal, switched on his police lights, and swerved so as not to miss his turn. 70, 80, 90 miles per hour…

"STOP!" Kaitlin howled, and Connor hit the brakes. The airbags went on, and both grunted upon their impact. "Get out of the car!"

They smashed and pummeled their way out of the car and hurried up the hill, spotting the pine tree. Connor pointed, "There, it's over there!" They ran as fast as they could, when Kaitlin was tackled to the ground by something from behind her.

I bolted up from my pillow and before I even realized what I was doing, grabbed Riptide, pulled on my jeans, and yanked on my Reeboks. I tore out of the cabin only to crash into another form, blonde hair smothering my face.

"Annabeth!"I gasped pulling her off me and standing up, taking her with me.

She was out of breath. "Did you…" I nodded. We looked up the hillside to where we heard screaming and took off again, careful not to get in each other's way.

I shouted as I was running, "Take care of the kids! I'll get the monster!"

"No! I'm going to help you fight!"

I screeched to a halt, pulling her back with me. I was shaking my head. "No…no no no you have to get them safely to the Big House. I'll kill the monster and be back in no time."

She nodded sadly, tears welling in her eyes.

"Hey," I whispered, wiping them away, "I'll be fine." She nodded, and when another scream pierced the air, we took off again.

We reached the monster, and found less than what we were hoping for. Connor was on the ground, unconscious, a bloody gash on the side of his head. Annabeth quickly gave him some ambrosia and nectar and pulled him across the border. Kaitlin, however, had been luckier than her brother. She was dodging the monsters blows, making it run in circles and get confused. One blow, however, was smartly planned by the monster. It struck her in the side, knocking her to the ground and leaving her out of breath.

I ran to the monster and quickly disposed of him while Annabeth was attending to Kaitlin, and before long the job was finished and the siblings were in the Big House. Annabeth and I were sitting on the porch, drinking one of Chiron's special brews that supposedly "cured our emotions".

"We had the same dream...," Annabeth muttered, staring into her drink and stirring it around with the straw. "We woke up at the same time…"

"I know it's strange. But it also proves something." She looked at me, expecting an answer. I took her hand and smiled. "We're connected."

That night we left the porch, both of our glasses empty.