Here's the eight day of Ten Days of Percabeth that was supposed to come out yesterday. But I was at camp, ergo no computer and posting, and I do not apologize for that because camp was beast. I hope you enjoy and I thank you in advance for reading!
Dedication: a fry
Disclaimer: Me no own PJO
Day Eight
Falling for You
Percy, Will, Beckendorf, Travis and Jake passed by the strawberry fields as they walked back to the showers after a sword practise in the middle of one of the summer's hottest days. They were all sweaty and armed, chatting, laughing, and elbowing each other.
"Hello ladies," Will winked as he past the girls who were fertilizing, picking and overall tending to a row of strawberry bushes.
They looked up, hair tied up and t-shirt sleeves rolled up so that their shoulders were naked. Katie smiled in her usual friendly manner. Clarisse huffed –already unhappy about "dilly-dallying in the strawberries"- and Silena smiled brightly, batting her eyelashes and tipping her head in that angle that made all of camp's male population lost it completely.
"Hello boys," she said.
Beckendorf tripped on his own feet sending a row of giggles through the girls.
"Seaweed Brain," Annabeth greeted.
"Wise Girl," he replied, holding her gaze. He zoned out for a few seconds, and suddenly realised that he'd been watching her too long. Not that it was his fault, like, look at her.
He turned back towards the guys and they were away from the fields in a matter of seconds.
"Man, you are totally falling for Annabeth." Jake laughed, elbowing him.
"Am not," Percy said, probably becoming as red as the strawberries they'd just passed.
He kissed her the summer after that.
When he emerged from the canoe lake, Annabeth got a blanket wrapped around her and she was dragged away by a group of girls greedy for details. He had so not expected people to still be waiting. Was his hair as messed up as he thought it was? It better not.
He walked up to Travis, Jake and Will who gave him snotty and amused looks.
"Okay, you guys win." He said raising his hands. "I fell for her."
The wind that rushed past him as he fell was so powerful and strong and endless that he felt like his face would be blown off. He was like a mouse facing a leaf blower. The speed was dizzying. He'd lost sensations in his limbs ages ago. His stomach was twisted into a knot so tight, it was painful. His senses were shut off completely apart from the rush of wind in his ears and the place where Annabeth's fingers wrapped around his hand with the grip and squeeze of an anaconda. His only link to something that wasn't Tartarus' darkness.
He grabbed at thin air and it closed on a rocky ledge.
The way their free fall halted was nearly as violent as the fall itself, and Percy nearly let go. He screamed, his shoulder nearly popping out of its socket. Annabeth weighed him down, but that was a minor detail that moment. Annabeth was there, at least. At most. Whichever.
"Percy?" She called.
"Yeah Annabeth, are you okay?"
"I'm okay," she said quietly. "I think you're near a crease. Try feeling around, see if there's anything to sit on."
"Hold onto my leg then, I'll need two hands." Percy said. He felt her wrap an arm around his leg, and then let go of his hand.
"You steady?" He asked.
"Yes."
He felt around and the space appeared to be big enough.
"I think I've got something," he said into the dark.
"I found arm holds. I'll let go: you climb in first." She let go of his leg and climbed up. The cave was long; there was definitely enough room for both of them.
Out of nowhere a beam of light showed up. It was tossed onto the ledge, and it soon showed parts of Annabeth's face. It was the coin Athena had given her- finally of some use.
Annabeth dragged herself on completely, and they both fell into each other's arms. Percy lied back on the cold rocky floor, Annabeth crumpled over him, her hair spread all over the place. For a while they didn't say anything, they just lied that way their feet tangles with each other, holding onto one another yet again. You'd think that after that fall, that kind of grip, they wouldn't want to. You were wrong.
After a while of horrific realisation and heartbeat cool-down, Annabeth propped herself up.
"Why did you do that Seaweed Brain?" She panted, her voice tired and breathless and croaky.
Percy pushed a dangling strand of hair behind her ear.
"I fell for you once, Wise Girl. It's only natural that I fall twice."