"Now what? Seaweed brain?" Annabeth pressed. She and Percy were supposed to find the centaur automaton that the Hephaestus cabin made and had gone haywire and ran off into the woods, but just as she least expected. It started raining. Not just the light drizzle kind but that raining-cats-and-dogs kind of rain. And the worst part was that the water had washed away the centaur's tracks.
She cursed in greek and kicked at the muddy dirt. Percy rolled his eyes, "Calm down, Annabeth. We can just find some shelter then we can search again when it's sunny."
Annabeth sulked but she couldn't argue. Even if she had a logical reason, she was quite tired after all and she didn't want to get even wetter. She found a giant rabbit hole that would hopefully serve as some protection against the shower. Annabeth called Percy over and crept in after him.
Percy wiped the rain off his brow .Obviously not his best day. First, he was dragged by Annabeth to find the missing automaton, then it rains. He groaned and stared blankly at the hole's sides. Annabeth wasn't looking too good either, her blond hair was clinging to face in loose strands, and her grey eyes looked hazy somehow. "Hey. Annabeth?"
"Yeah?"
"You okay?"
"Gods, Percy, what do you think?"
"So…you're upset about the automaton too?"
"No." Annabeth paused for a while, then her expression went dark.
" It's, well I don't know if I'm supposed to say this but, it's Luke."
"Oh." Percy didn't have anything to say about that.
"But I think it's a little sweet."
"What?"
"You know, you asking me if I'm OK."
Percy felt his cheeks heat up.
"Uh, thanks." It seemed more like a question though.
Annabeth gave him a small smile.
"Hey, you know something else I want to say?"
"Oh what, Seaweed brain?"
"You really look cute when you smile."
Three unbelievably long seconds of awkward silence. Then Percy did something totally unexpected, he scooted in closer to Annabeth. Then he ducked his head towards hers and their lips touched. Annabeth was completely still. Even when Percy pulled away . But slowly, she edged closer and kissed him. That was definitely what Percy thought was the best way to wait for the shower to stop. For now, maybe the automaton could wait….
