Invisible
Annabeth's POV
"Hey." I slid next to Percy on the bench. "Happy birthday."
I was holding a huge misshapen cupcake with blue icing.
He stared at me. "What?"
"It's August 18th," I said. "Your birthday, right?"
He was stunned. I could tell that it hadn't occurred to him, but I was right. He has turned sixteen this morning – the same morning he'd made the choice to give Luke the knife. The prophecy had come true right on schedule and he hadn't even thought about the fact that it was his birthday.
"Make a wish," I said.
"Did you bake this yourself?" He asked.
"Tyson helped."
"That explains why it looks like a chocolate brick," he said. "With extra blue cement."
I laughed.
He thought for a second then blew out the candle.
We cut it in half and shared, eating with our fingers. I sat next to him and we watched the ocean. Crickets and monsters were making noise in the wood, but otherwise it was quiet.
"You saved the world," I said.
"We saved the world."
"And Rachel is the new Oracle, which means she won't be dating anybody."
"You don't sound disappointed," he noticed.
I shrugged. "Oh, I don't care."
"Uh-huh."
I raised an eyebrow. "You got something to say to me, Seaweed Brain?"
"You'd probably kick my butt."
"You know I'd kick your butt."
He brushed the cake off his hands. "When I was at the River Styx, turning invulnerable… Nico said I had to concentrate on one thing that kept me anchored to the world that made me want to stay mortal."
I kept my eyes on the horizon. "Yeah?"
"Then up on Olympus," he said, "when they wanted to make me a god and stuff, I kept thinking –"
"Oh, you so wanted to."
"Well, maybe a little. But I didn't, because I thought – I didn't want things to stay the same for eternity, because things could always get better. And I was thinking…"
My throat felt really dry.
"Anyone in particular?" I asked, my voice soft.
He looked over and saw that I was trying not to smile.
"You're laughing at me," he complained.
"I am not!"
"You are so not making this easy."
Then I laughed for real and I put my hands around his neck. "I am never, ever going to make it easy for you, Seaweed Brain. Get used to it."
When I kissed him, I had the feeling my brain was melting through my body.
I could've stayed that way forever, except a voice behind us growled, "Well, it's about time!"
Suddenly the pavilion was filled with torchlight and campers. Clarisse led the way as the eavesdroppers charged and hoisted us both onto their shoulders.
"Oh, come on!" Percy complained. "Is there no privacy?"
"The lovebirds need to cool off!" Clarisse said with glee.
"The canoe lake!" Connor Stoll shouted.
With a huge cheer, they carried us down the hill but they kept us close enough to hold hands. I was laughing and Percy couldn't help laughing too, even though his face was completely red.
We held hands right up to the moment they dumped us in the water.
Afterward, Percy had the last laugh. He made an air bubble at the bottom of the lake. Our friends kept waiting for us to come up, but hey – when you're with the son of Poseidon, you don't have to hurry.
And it was pretty much the best underwater kiss of all time.
I woke up with a start. Breathing hard, I looked around and assumed that it was either late at night or early in the morning. Once I calmed myself down, I closed my eyes and tried to go back to sleep. I tossed and turned but sleep wouldn't go back to me. I stared at the ceiling for a couple minutes then made up my mind. I sat up and carefully went down the double deck. I wouldn't want to wake up my siblings.
I grabbed the jacket that I got from my father and wore it. I love this jacket of his so much because it was huge, comfortable, and had a faint scent of my father's favorite perfume. I instantly felt warm all over and homesickness washed over me. I missed my father. I sighed and got the Yankees cap that my mother gave me so I wouldn't get caught. I wouldn't want the harpies to catch me and bring me to Chiron and Mr. D. I could also do a lot of things instead of washing dishes.
I put my cap on, wrapped the jacket tighter around me, and furtively left the cabin, hoping none of my siblings woke up because of me. I walked to the lake, making my footsteps almost inaudible. As I walked up to the dock, I saw someone already sitting on the edge. I squint my eyes and tried to guess who it was. When I realized who it was, I smiled and walked eagerly but stealthily towards the edge. I sat down and admired the rising sun.
The person looked at my direction and I could feel my heart beating faster, afraid that I might get busted. Then again, this person was also breaking the rules. So why was my heart beating so fast?
A gust of cold wind made me shiver slightly. I took a deep breath, exhaled through my nose, and tightened my jacket around me. The person took a deep breath as well and smiled as they exhaled, relishing the cold wind. I smiled at the person's reaction to the cold wind and tilted my head. This being intrigued me. His jet black hair gracefully danced with the wind and his sea green eyes had a joyful glint in them. His smile was similar to a child on the eve before Christmas, waiting for the clock to strike at twelve in the morning. He looked at my direction once more but this time, he stared at me with a knowing smiled.
"Hey, Wise Girl." He said.
I smiled and removed my cap, "How'd you know?"
He shrugged and looked away with a small smile on his face, "I really don't know. Maybe because I already know the feeling of having you nearby since I'm always around you."
I blushed, "Yeah, you are."
"So, why are you up so early? The breakfast isn't served 'til seven. And I believe you're two hours early."
"My dream woke me up." I said.
"Oh? Bad dream?" His eyebrows scrunched up and his face showed concern.
"Actually, it's a good dream…a very good one." I smiled as I remembered my dream.
"Then why did you wake up?"
"It became too good to be true."
"You want to tell me?"
I blushed at the thought of telling Percy that I dreamt of kissing him, "I'd rather not."
"If you say so." He said and looked over the lake once again.
"Well, how about you? Why are you up early?" I asked as I bumped him with my shoulder.
"I slept early last night. I was dead tired after my training then with Capture the Flag…ugh!"
I nodded, "I see."
I turned around, facing him, and crossed my legs. I put my cap down and tried to tame my now wild hair because of the wind. I finally tied my hair into a ponytail and saw Percy holding my cap. He stared at it and then delicately touched the patch of the logo of New York Yankees. His face showed concentration, curiosity, and amazement.
"A penny for your thoughts, Seaweed Brain."
"It's just so amazing how this things can immediately male you invisible." He said without looking away from the cap.
I laughed, "Yeah, says the guy whose pen turns into a sword."
He closed his eyes and chuckled, "Do you mind if I try it on?" He asked me with eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.
I smiled, "Be my guest."
He smiled, tried it on, and was immediately gone. I suddenly felt something poke my sides which caused me to jump up and squeal in surprise. I rubbed my sides to soothe the pain while I heard his laugh. I cussed and promised to get him back. He then started tickling me. I tried my best to conceal my laughter because I was afraid that we might get caught by the harpies.
"Percy, we might get caught or we might wake up the others." I said between concealed laughs.
"Okay, okay, you're right." He said then stopped.
I was breathing hard and then I managed to locate Percy. I felt the cap and took it off of his head. He instantly materialized in front of me and he was smiling at me. I punched him but laughed anyway, He joined me and once the laughter died down, we resulted to talking. While we talked, he played with the water, making it swirl, making a whirlpool then stopping it, and making the current go any direction he wants. We talked normally but I couldn't help but be amazed with his power over the water.
After a while, campers started to exit their cabins to start the day. Most of the campers went straight to the bathroom while some went for a morning walk around the camp. Percy and I couldn't care less. We just continued talking about anything we can think of sharing.
"I should go and take a shower." I said a few minutes later. "I probably couldn't bathe with hot water."
"Oh, I could warm the water for you later." He smiled.
"Well, if that's the case, then talk more, Seaweed Brain." I said and got comfortable.
His smile got wider and we continued talking.
"Finally! I found you, Annabeth. You better get ready! Ten minutes 'til cabin inspection." Malcolm called.
I looked back at him and called back, "Okay, okay, thanks, Malcolm."
Malcolm said his greetings to Percy and then ran back to the Athena cabin.
"Well, that's my signal, Seaweed Brain." I said and looked at him.
He stood up and held his hand out. I willingly grabbed it and he helped me up. When I was already fully standing up, Percy was missing. I looked around and realized that my Yankees cap was missing. Of course, it was typical of Percy to do that. I steeled myself against his blows and then I felt someone tickling me. I started backing away from him until I was near the edge.
"Percy, I'm near the edge. If you continue, I swear, I will –"
I didn't finish the threat and made a run for it. But I was restrained. He tackled me off the deck, wrapping his arms around my waist, and we plummeted down the lake. I was grasping for air and I think that Percy remembered that I was not a child of Poseidon like him. He made a huge air bubble around us and I took long, deep breaths. My hands scrambled, in search for my cap. Once my hand came in contact with it, I got it anf Percy instantly appeared on top of me.
"Hi." He said and gave me his most charming smile he could muster.
She can't see the way your eyes light up when you smile.
I smiled back at him and then hit his arm. He laughed at then rolled off of me. We lied down beside each other and just looked at the fishes and creatures passing and swimming past us. A couple naiads gave us questioning looks, some blushed and swam away. Others just giggled and pointed at us.
"This is amazing." I mused.
"I can take you underwater more often, if you want."
I blushed and told him, "I'll keep that in mind."
We stayed in our bubble for quite some time and I suddenly remembered the cabin inspection. Despite the fact that I didn't want to go back to the surface, I had to. Percy made our bubble go up and then we're back on the deck. I was soaking wet and he, on the other hand, doesn't have a single drop of water on him. Perks of being a son of Poseidon. He gave me an apologetic smile. He willed the water away and I was dry in an instant. He gave me a toothy grin and put his arm on my shoulders. We were walking back to my cabin when I saw Connor and Travis walking towards the Athena cabin. My eyes widened.
Two words: Cabin inspection.
I cursed and started running towards the cabin. I opened the door with so much force that it hit the wall with a very loud bang. Some of my siblings stopped what they were doing and looked up at me. Their faces showed shock, irritation, annoyance, and alertness as if they were expecting an attack.
"Travis and Connor are coming!" I announced.
Their eyes widened and quickly continued with what they were doing. I ran to my bed and hastily fixed it. I went down my bed and went over to my closet. Once my clothes were properly folded and stowed away, I turned to my desk and then groaned. I carefully placed the blueprints back its respective containers and back on their proper shelves in my library. I grabbed the broom that was lying around and swept the floor of my library. When I believed that I was done cleaning, I exited my library and realized that the Stolls weren't inspecting our cabin yet.
"Where are they?" I asked.
"Looks like your boyfriend wants to help us." One of my siblings smirked at me.
I scrunched up my eyebrows and was baffled, "Boyfriend? What?"
I looked out the window and saw someone talking to the twins. I squint my eyes and realized that that someone is none other than Percy. A smile instantly appeared on my face. I turned around and saw my siblings who were smirking at me.
"What?" I raised my eyebrow at them.
A chorus of "Nothing" and "Oh, nothing" erupted causing me to roll my eyes… but to be honest, inside, I was delighted because they said that Percy was my boyfriend.
I looked out the window again. I scrutinized the faces of the twins. One twin had a bemused look on his face while one had a very amused, interested, and intrigued expression. Now, what in the world is he talking about? And how will we signal him that we're done?
"Malcolm!" I called. "May I ask you a favor?"
He came up to me and we formulated a plan together.
My siblings and I watched as Malcolm walked behind the twins. As he passed by, he gave Percy a thumbs up, causing Percy to give him a small nod that was almost unnoticeable. Malcolm then turned around and walked back to the cabin. Everybody behind me just sighed and moved away.
"It's a good thing Percy's your boyfriend." One of my siblings said.
"Yeah, I like having him around." Another sibling said.
I rolled my eyes, shook my head, and smiled. My siblings did last minute changes and I looked out the window. Percy clapped one of the twin's shoulder and walked away. He walked a couple steps before he turned around and looked up at the window where I was looking out.
I mouthed, "Thank you."
He smiled and mouthed, "Anytime."
I smiled and waved at him.
A knock echoed through the cabin, making everyone, including me, to look at the door.
"We know you're in there so you better come out with your hands in the air before we kick this door down." A twin said through the door.
I rolled my eyes but a smile was slowly spreading on my face. I walked towards the door to answer it and as I opened it, they started shouting.
"Hands in the air!" They screamed simultaneously, "We said hands in the air! Don't make us shoot you! Hands. Air. Now!"
I saw that they were using their hands as their guns and laughed.
"Why are you laughing? You think this is funny, huh?" One of them asked ferociously. "You have the right to remain silent!"
I tried to conceal my laughter and then raised both of my hands. They smirked at me, kept their "guns", and then gave me high fives.
"Well, come on right in, cops." I played along. "I've got nothing to hide."
"Why, thank you, citizen."
"You might as well lie about the hidden corpse in your trunk!"
They went in the cabin like how cops do it in those television shows or movies, pointing their guns to possible attackers. I went in and the twins stood up properly the moment they heard the door close.
"So, feel free to look around." I said.
"Cut to the chase, Chase." Connor said and then paused.
"What?" I asked.
"Did you get that? Cut to the chase, Chase. Chase, Chase." He said and guffawed.
Everybody else in the cabin had a straight face but Connor was starting to turn red because of too much laughter. He just laughed for probably one straight minute.
When his laughter was slowly dying, he said, "Sometimes, I crack myself up."
"Yeah, Connor, only yourself." Travis said, making almost everyone chuckle except Connor.
"Anyway," Connor interrupted the laughter, "just show us the body, Chase."
I gasped, overacting, "Wh – what body?"
"I know you have a whole room filled with corpses."
"I don't know what you're talking about, officer."
"You, you, Athena kids. You probably have a secret room that's hidden down under here." Travis joined in, stomped his feet, and started knocking on the walls.
"Oh no, he's going to find out." I said, loud enough for the twins to hear.
"Gasp! I found it! The murder weapon with blood stains. It's filled with Annabeth's finger prints." Connor said and pulled out a pencil with the tip hastily and haphazardly colored with a red marker.
"It's not what you think!"
"Say it to the judge." Travis said and put on imaginary handcuffs.
I just hung my head and walked between the twins as they led me out of the cabin. We smiled at each other as the door was closed.
"Feel free to inspect the cabin." I said.
"You know, we could give the Athena cabin a perfect score if you give us tons of junk food: bags of chips and candies, cans and bottles of soda." Connor said. "Or a blueprint of the camp store so it would be easier to raid it."
I scrunched up my eyebrows at him, "Are you…bribing me?"
Travis laughed loudly, patted Connor's head, and pushed him away, "Oh, my brother's so stupid. I think Mom dropped him repeatedly when he was a baby. And now, he's bribing you. Pfft, I bet he doesn't even know what he's thinking. Come on, brother. I apologize for his foolish actions."
I showed a gesture that showed that I was considering and nodded as I said, "He's forgiven."
"Well, let's go, brother. We have a cabin to inspect." He said, opened the door and pushed Connor in. He was about to go in but turned to me and said, "But keep Connor's terms and conditions in mind."
I laughed and pushed him in the cabin. I quickly closed the door after him and shook my head.
"Hey."
I turned around and saw Percy walking up the stairs to join me on the porch, smiling. He was wearing a fresh shirt, jeans, and sneakers. His hair was wet and his eyes were twinkling as he smiled at me. He walked up to me and stopped a couple feet away from me.
"Hey." I smiled.
"How's the cabin inspection?" He moved closer and placed his arm on my shoulders. "Hope they aren't too much to a problem for you and your siblings."
"It's still going on and they're still inside. They started off on a good note." I looked up at him and smiled.
"Oh, you mean their dramatization. I saw that. I was going to check up on you the moment I heard them shouting but then I realized that they were just playing."
I blushed when he said that he was going to check up on me, "Well, at least we got to laugh a little."
"Yeah, Athena kids need to loosen up a bit and chill and relax."
I looked up at him again, causing him to look down at me. I squint my eyes and glared at him at the same time, "So you think that we don't know how to have fun?"
His eyes widened and he shook his head, "No, that's not what I meant. That's really far from what I meant. What I was saying is you guys are so uptight and strict. You guys need a couple laughs or what."
I rolled my eyes, laughed, and said, "You don't have to explain. I get what you're trying to put across."
He let out a nervous laugh and said, "Yeah, see? Just like that."
"Do my ears deceive me of did you sound nervous?" I smirked at him. "You thought you've really offended me, didn't you?" I said in an amused voice.
He kept quiet and I said, "Or were you afraid that I'd punch you?"
"Ha-ha." He said.
"Anyway, I saw what you did for us." I looked up at him.
"Oh, you saw that, huh?" He looked down at me, smiling.
"Of course, I saw you." I said with a straight face before continuing. "We wondered what took them so long and we saw you."
He smiled wider.
I smiled, "So what were you telling them? One of them looked engrossed while the other looked lost."
"Just a prank I thought of." He shrugged.
"A prank on whom or what cabin?"
"You'd rather not know."
"Is it on the Athena cabin because I swear if it's on my cabin, I will –"
He cut me off, "Don't worry, I'll talk them out of it."
I sighed and rolled my eyes because I know he wouldn't say anything else, "Why'd you do it?"
"Because I wanted to help you and your siblings." He smiled and I smiled back.
"Thank you." I said and tiptoed to place a kiss on his cheek.
And with luck on my side, it was the same time the twins went out of the cabin with a couple siblings of mine. One of the twins wolf whistled as us, causing me to blush and straighten up.
"We should've stayed in much longer and we might have seen more action." Connor said with a suggestive look on his face.
"Shut up, Connor." I said, all flustered.
"We could've seen them making out." Travis said with a disappointed look.
"Okay, guys, I think we got your point." Percy said and let out a laugh that sounded embarrassed while running his hand through his unruly jet black hair with his cheeks turning quite red.
"Or we could've caught them with clothes strewn across the porch, getting hot and feisty –"
"Okay," I said loudly, cutting Connor off, "I am not going to tolerate this in my cabin much longer, so I am asking you to leave this instant." I blushed furiously.
I looked over to my siblings and they were giggling, concealing their laughter, and blushing.
"Oh, before we leave," Travis went over to me and whispered, "or you can give my brother and I high scores in Ancient Greek."
A smiled cracked on my face and then I pushed him away. He went down the steps, laughing and continued to the next cabin with his brother. My siblings looked at each other and then shrugged. Some of them went back in while some gave me winks or knowing looks before heading in.
"What was that all about?" Percy asked.
"They were bribing me." I rolled my eyes but chuckled.
"What were they bribing you with? A month without any pranks on…" He trailed off.
I waited for him to continue but realized that he was staring at something behind me. Or should I say someone. I turned around and saw Rachel a couple meters away from us, walking towards the mess hall. She rarely leaves her cave but she probably wanted to look at what's happening in and around the camp. She wore jeans with doodles and holes, a white shirt with drawings and paint splatters, and she was barefooted. She was being greeted by other campers and she would smile and greet them back. Percy took a couple seconds to snap out of his silence. He continued talking but I was no longer listening.
She'll never notice how you stop and stare whenever she walks by.
"Hey, Annabeth? Are you still there?"
I looked away from what I was staring at and looked back at him, "What?"
"I just asked you what they were using to bribe you with."
"Oh, they're going to give Athena cabin a perfect score if I gave them junk food or if I gave them high scores in Ancient Greek."
Percy laughed and I was just in a glum mood. Once his laughter faded, I quickly told him that I should get going, fix something in the cabin, and get ready for breakfast.
"Oh, yeah, sure." He said. "So, I'll see you later."
I smiled timidly at him, went in, and muttered to myself, "Yeah, see you later."
I just placed my forehead against the door for a couple seconds before taking a peek out the window. He looked down at his feet and then scratched his head like he had a problem. He went down the porch steps with his head still down. After he took a couple steps away from the cabin, he lifted his head, looked at the direction where Rachel went, and headed that way.
I wondered what was with Rachel and what made Percy stop and stare when she's around. I came up with nothing. Maybe it's the fact that she's a mere mortal who can see through the Mist. But she's the Oracle! She made a vow to be a maiden forever. Well, whatever it was, I hope he'd see it in me too.
I don't want to make the move because I might scare him away and our friendship would be destroyed. I didn't want that to happen. Despite the fact that I had a lot of friends in camp, Percy meant more than most of them. Our friendship really meant a lot to me and if I destroyed it, I don't think I'll ever forgive myself.
I sighed, moved away from the window, and watched the curtain fall back into place.
And you can't see me wanting you the way you want her but you are everything to me.
I moved away from the door and then started moving. I went to my closet, removed my father's jacket and stowed it away. I got my towel and a set of fresh clothes. I left the cabin and headed to the shower. The moment the water touched my skin, I just wanted to jump right back out of the shower. Looks like someone forgot his promise to heat the water for me. He must be busy fawning over Rachel. I hesitantly went under the shower and winced silently. The water was ice cold because the other campers already used up the heated water…while Percy was talking to me. Ugh. If only my hotheadedness could warm the water then I'd be so much comfortable now.
I quickly wore my fresh set of clothes and passed by the cabin to dump my used clothes before heading to the mess hall. The moment I reached the hall, my eyes immediately darted to the Poseidon table. Percy was there and well look who he invited to eat at the Poseidon table: Rachel.
Since I didn't bother fixing my hair or even running a brush through it, I probably looked like an angry lion right now. Minding that I was seething with rage and my hair disarrayed.
I sat down on the Athena table along with my siblings. I would munch on my cereals and send evil looks to the redhead sitting beside Percy. There are times when he would look over at our table and just look away as if I wasn't there at all.
Despite starting the day on a bad foot, the day went on the way it should. After breakfast, I had archery for an hour together with Will Solace. Since there were a couple new campers that arrived, Chiron made time to teach them. Even though archery is not my best interest and the arrow and bow is not my first choice of weaponry, I still try to learn archery. I need to be a well-rounded camper since I have to be a good role model for the younger campers. I went back to the Athena cabin after archery to get my Greek book because I have a class to teach. I had the task to teach other demigods how to read and write in Ancient Greek. I got my things and headed to the Big House. When I was there, a couple new campers and some old ones were already waiting for me. I smiled at them and got ready for today's lesson. I opened my book and started writing in Ancient Greek symbols on the board.
I let my students for the hour read, write, and recite in Ancient Greek throughout the session. I was about to leave and head back to the cabin but then one of my siblings came over to me, saying Malcolm couldn't make his session.
"What? Why in the world would he bail out on me?" I dropped my book on the table, annoyed.
"He fell off the wall a while ago in training. He's at the infirmary right now."
I no longer felt annoyed as I winced, "Did he get burned by the lava?"
"He did and then dislocated his right shoulder."
I winced once again, "Okay, okay. I'll cover for him."
"Thanks, Annabeth." My sibling said before walking away from me.
"Hey," I called her, "tell Malcolm to get well soon."
She smiled and nodded at me before continue walking away. I groaned because I'll be handling Ancient Greek for two straight hours. The campers who I was going to teach came. I told them what happened to my sibling. I was missing weapon making for this. The batch wasn't a handful. They were a delight actually which made it rather alright.
After calling it a day, I trudged back to the cabin and placed my heavy think book back on my bookshelf. I lied down on my bed and took a deep breath. I was on the verge of falling asleep when the clock made a sound. I groaned and got off the bed. I wanted to stay but the next session that I had was with Percy. Pegasus riding was just one of the many classes or sessions I had with him. I fixed my hair and headed to the stables.
On my way there, I found myself anxiously fixing my hair. What is wrong with me? I briskly walked to my destination as my hands fumble on the hem of my shirt. As I got there, Percy was bringing the last pegasus out of the stable. Like how I teach Ancient Greek, Percy taught pegasus riding since he can talk to horses and all.
"Hey, guys." He said as he stood in front of us. "Before we start, I'd like to introduce you to our special student for today."
Someone exited the stable and stood beside Percy. Rachel.
She smiled and waved at us, "Hey."
"You know her and have seen her around camp. This is Rachel and she will be joining us for today. So, let's begin." He smiled as us and said, "Choose any pegasus. Don't be afraid of them or what since I already talked to them."
The other campers went to the winged horses that were lined up and chose which one they are comfortable riding on. I let them go first but regretted it because I was there when Percy whistled, calling Blackjack. When the pegasus appeared, he let Rachel ride on his personal pegasus. I was just staring at the scene. I used to ride on Blackjack. I swiftly rode on the last pegasus and escaped away from them. I let Porkpie fly and I just stayed there, flying through clouds. Even though we were far from the ground, I could still see Percy and Rachel. He would go around, showing the campers the proper way to ride the pegasus and how to control them. Although he gave the students equal attention, he still spent more time on Rachel.
"Porkpie, fly higher." I said and willed him to go higher.
I stayed in the air just until Blackjack was flying as well. As soon as Rachel and Blackjack were off the ground, I let Porkpie descend and led him back to the stable.
"Don't tell anyone anything." I said and gave him some hay as if to bribe him.
I stealthily left the stables and ran back to the Athena cabin. I lied down on the bed and restrained the tears that were about to fall. I was just on the bed in a fetal position for what felt like an hour. Instead of catching up on my sleep, my wandering thoughts kept me up. When the conch signaled us to lunch, I got up and left the cabin without even fixing myself. I quickly ate lunch with my siblings. Lunch was delicious as always.
After lunch, I had sword-fighting training at the arena, another session with Percy. Before going to the arena, I went back to the cabin to get my dagger. That dagger meant a lot to me and if I were given a chance to choose another weapon, I wouldn't change my dagger. Frankly, I wouldn't change my dagger for anything. That celestial bronze dagger was given to me by my deceased friend, Luke Castellan. I have to say, he died a hero's death.
Luke Castellan is a son of Hermes, the Greek god of travelling and thieves. Luke was mad at the gods who did not claim their children. His hatred for them was so intense that he joined the Titan army, headed by Kronos who sought revenge and vengeance against the gods. Luke became one of Kronos's henchmen. He wanted the gods to fall and lose their power. He wanted it so bad that he actually allowed himself to be host for Kronos. The Titan army soon got bigger and stronger. Eventually, the demigods who chose to stand with the gods fought against them. A lot of demigods and monsters died in the Battle of Manhattan. My friends died defending the gods. Luke ran to the Empire State Building and went up to Olympus. Percy and I ran after him and once we got to the hall where the gods meet, Luke had enough willpower to fight against Kronos's power. He sacrificed himself before the Titan lord could rule over the gods and stabbed himself in his Achilles' point. Kronos was gone and Luke died a hero's death. Although he did not die for no apparent reason. The gods now vowed to claim their demigod kids before they reach the age of thirteen.
When I got to the cabin, I quickly fixed my messy ponytail and tied my hair into a neat high one. I grabbed my dagger and headed to the arena. I got paired up with Travis Stoll, which was fine but I'd rather get paired up with Percy. For one hour, he never won against me…not that I was bragging. Once the session was done, others left and other started to flock around someone. I rolled my eyes because it may be a camper who was showing off and challenging others. I was also excited because it may be a good sword fight.
"Well, I'll see you later, Chase."
I smiled, "See you later as well, Stoll."
"Don't forget what I said." He winked and walked away, smiling.
I rolled my eyes again. Travis was probably happy that this session was finally over. He could see or prank Katie again. He always had a thing for her. She was always number one on Travis's prank list. And Travis, on the other hand, would always go out of his way just to irk her. This was a solid example of the reminder that when boys annoy you, they like you. I shook my head to remove images of Travis and Katie in my head.
Silena used to pair them up and call them Tratie. That was when she was still here. I was instantly sad but the crowd shouted and screamed, making me want to check it out.
I calmly walked over but when I heard the crowd chant Percy's name, I rushed up in front and even resulted to elbowing people out of the way.
As I got in front, I saw Percy having a fierce fight with a guy who brought a smile on my face. Percy's face showed concentration but his eyes lit up with amusement.
"Percy!" A crowd of girls shrieked as Percy narrowly dodged the opponent's blow.
Percy dodged one of the guy's blows again and attacked him by hitting the guy's hand with the butt of his sword. The opponent dropped his weapon and winced. Percy turned around and elbowed him, knocking the breath out of him. The guy fell on the ground with a thud and it took him a couple seconds to recover. Once he did, he tried to get up but the tip or Riptide was pressed against his throat. Percy was looking down at him. He held his opponent's weapon in his other hand. Both of them were breathing hard and sweating bullets.
"Game over, cousin." Percy smirked, still breathing hard.
The guy groaned and Percy moved his sword away from his opponent's neck. The audience clapped and cheered for the victorious Percy.
There's a fire inside of you that can't help but shine through.
Percy kept his sword and helped his cousin up. He looked at the crowd and smiled at them. I could practically hear the girls swoon over the crowd's cheer. He was smiling widely when I realized that he wasn't smiling at the audience. He was looking at someone or something above us. I looked up and saw Rachel sitting on the proper seats of the audience, like the seats of the amphitheatre. While Percy was busy trying to get Rachel's attention with his recent victory, she was busy talking to another camper.
She's never gonna see the light no matter what you do.
Nico dusted himself and sat down on a bench to catch his breath. The crowd slowly dispersed and left the arena to go to their next sessions. Some congratulated Percy and they left and some girls actually flirted with him before leaving but he was too oblivious to notice.
I went over to Percy when he was removing his breastplate. His face was still rather flushed and his arms still had sand on them. His black hair was sticking to his forehead because of his sweat. As he finally removed his breastplate, he revealed his drenched camp shirt that stuck to his muscular back.
And all I think about is how to make you think of me.
"Hey." I smiled as I walked towards Percy, about to challenge him.
He turned around to look at me but someone's loud chatter caught his attention. He looked up at where the sound came from and saw Rachel leaving the arena. He looked at my direction once more before leaving the arena. I was taken aback by the fact he walked out of me just to run after her, a girl who he'll never have a future with. Is there something wrong with me? I unconsciously wiped the tear that rolled down my cheek with the back of my hand. I realized that Nico was still in the arena. I smiled even if I really felt like crying. I went over and sat down on the bench beside him.
"Hey, Nico." I sighed.
He jumped as he heard my voice and then said, "You scared the bejeezus out of me! Why are you wearing that?"
"Sword-fighting just ended a couple minutes ago, if you might've noticed." I said as I took off the breastplate.
Nico's shirt was drenched as well. His breathing wasn't still back to normal and bruises were starting to form. He tightly gripped his water bottle. His skin was paler than the last time I saw him when he visited.
"Looks like your cousin creamed you." I noted.
He let out a shaky laugh and said, "Yeah. It's been a while since I've been in a fight."
"Out of shape, aren't we?" I chuckled when he nodded. "You might be getting flabby as well."
He lifted his shirt to wipe the sweat out of his face, showing me his toned yet pale abdomen, "Nah, I don't think so."
I laughed and then asked, "So, where have you been this time?"
"Just shadow travelling around the world." He fixed his shirt and took a swig from his water bottle. "I stopped by the Underworld before travelling here."
"This is like your safe haven." I noted.
"It is." He smiled. "Down in the Underworld, you can hear nothing but Demeter's nags."
I laughed and sighed. I wish I could shadow travel as well so I could just disappear when I see them.
He took another drink from his bottle and asked, "How are things around here?"
"Same old, same old." I shrugged.
"I might stay here for a while."
"That's great! We'll be excited and happy to have you here!" I smiled. "Oh yeah, the hunters visited a couple weeks ago."
"Did any campers receive quests?"
"Nope."
"Any new campers that the satyrs brought in?"
"Yeah, we got six new ones a couple days ago." I looked over to him and noticed that he still wasn't breathing normally. "How are you feeling? I should bring you to the infirmary."
"No, I'm fine."
"No, you're not. So come on, I'll bring you to the infirmary." I frimly said and got up.
I got our things before placing Nico's arm over my shoulders and helped him walk to the infirmary. As we walked, I saw the Stolls along with Katie. Instead of Katie's usual annoyed expression when the twins are around, she was actually having fun. They were hiding behind a bush, spying on what I assumed was the Aphrodite cabin. I rolled my eyes because I knew that they were just waiting for a prank to go off. In a couple seconds, a sharp shriek echoed through the whole camp.
Aphrodite girls started pouring out of the cabin. They looked furious. I don't see the reason why they would be mad and then it hit me. Their skin was slowly turning to a shade of blue. I held back my laughter and Nico was chuckling. The trio started laughing and as they walked away from the bush, I saw Travis slowly reaching out to hold Katie's hand. When he was finally holding her hand, she looked down at their hands, blushed, and smiled at him.
And everything that we could be.
Percy and I could be like that, I mean, Katie and Travis are like that and to think, they "hate" each other. Percy and I could hold hands and do things that couples do. Apparently, it seems as if he'd like to be like that with Rachel, someone who has sworn off men for as long as she lived.
I brought Nico to the infirmary and made sure that he was treated properly before leaving and checking on Malcolm on the way out.
The next thing on my schedule was wrestling, which was headed by Clarisse. Once those two hours and thirty minutes of hugging sweaty opponent were over, we finally had our free time. Usually, I spent this time with Percy, just talking and walking around the camp but he was nowhere to be found. He was probably with Rachel right now, following her around like a stupid lost puppy.
I angrily kicked a pebble out of my way and looked straight with a mad expression. My hands curled into fists and I just buried them in my pockets. I made a beeline to Zeus's fist, avoiding campers. That place rather overlooked the camp. I looked around and surveyed the camp as I got there. The sun was slowly setting and the darkness started to loom over us. The silhouettes of people and things were starting to be impalpable.
Like shadows in the faded like. Oh, we're invisible.
While scoping the camp, my eyes zeroes on a certain couple: Percy and Rachel.
Rachel was quickly walking towards her cave with Percy swiftly following her. I stand corrected; Percy looked like a clueless puppy lost in a huge foreign city following the first person who took time to pet him. To be honest, I just wanted to slap him to make him snap out of it.
I just want to open your eyes and make you realize.
It looked like Percy was gushing about something and Rachel looked uninterested with whatever he was talking about. After a couple strides, Rachel said something to Percy and just gave her a questioning look. I knew him so much to tell that that was just a façade. I knew that he was just as uninterested as she was about what he was talking about earlier.
I just want to show you, she don't even know you.
I made my way down Zeus's fist and headed to Rachel's cave. I got there early enough to witness the last part of their conversation.
"Hey, Percy, I suddenly got an inspiration for a painting. I wouldn't want to forget it. I'll talk to you later." She smiled before entering her cave.
Percy looked like he wanted to say something but Rachel was already gone. He hung his head and kicked a stone.
She's never going to love you like I want to.
He looked so frustrated with whatever was bothering him. I just wanted to give him a hug and comfort him. I walked past a couple trees and stopped a couple meters away from him. He was pacing around, muttering things to himself and looking so troubled.
"Percy!" I called loudly.
His head snapped up and faced my direction. He stared at me straight in the eye but didn't make a move. He looked past me and just walked away.
What in the?
And you just see right through me.
I started breathing quick and shallow breaths, fighting the urge to cry. I placed my hand over my mouth, trying to conceal the noise I made. Tears were threatening to stream down my face. I ran away from the cave and headed to the dock. No one would be there to see me. I managed to stop tearing up as I got there. I calmly walked towards the edge of the dock and sat down with my legs dangling. I dabbed my eyes to get rid of the excess water and stared over the water, watching the sun slowly go down.
If you only knew me, we could be a beautiful miracle, unbelievable instead of just invisible.
A couple minutes later, someone sat down beside me. I looked over and quietly moved farther away from the person. Percy didn't say anything for a while and just stared. He started playing with the water, causing me to be amazed. I was about to stand up and leave but he said something.
"I knew you'd be here."
I kept quiet and looked down at my fingers as I started to play with them.
He continued, "Take off the hat."
"Why bother?" I finally whispered back with a hoarse voice, looking at the water again.
"Because I missed you."
His answer surprised me because I was anticipating his answer to be something related to Rachel like maybe, "I need to talk to someone about Rachel." My eyes widened. I looked away from the lake and faced him only to be greeted by his lips on mine.
The kiss was soft and sweet. It didn't seem rushed or like one of use was in a hurry to stop or finish the kiss. I was shocked at what was happening but then started to melt into it. I felt him gently place his hand on the back of my neck. His other hand was making its way to my hair, burying itself there. Both hands kept me close to him. I could say that when he kissed me, I had a feeling my brain was melting right through my body but it sounds like something Percy would say. Although the kiss was short, I'll remember and cherish it for a really long time since it was my first kiss.
He pulled away from me and placed his forehead against mine with his hand still buried in my hair. His sea green eyes were staring into mine with so much intensity made me want to drown in them. It looked like my arms made its way around his neck.
"It's much better when you're not invisible," he whispered, "when I can see you."
I looked at what he was holding and realized that it was my Yankees cap. My eyes widened when realization hit me.
"Forgot to take it off, didn't you?" Percy chuckled and then made us fall into the lake.
I tightly closed my eyes and clutched him. He immediately made an air bubble around us. I opened an eye and took a peek. The bubble slowly sank down to the bottom of the lake. Once again we were underwater with some naiads giving us the same reaction they gave us earlier today. I reluctantly let go of Percy and hit his arm.
"Don't you ever do that to me again!" I said
He laughed and kissed me full on the lips. He rolled off me and lied down beside me. He started talking about his day and how lonely it felt without me. I rolled my eyes but listened anyway.
"Where have you been the whole day? I haven't seen you the whole day."
"I was just around." I said nonchalantly.
"Didn't see you in weapon making today."
"I had to fill in for Malcolm and teach Ancient Greek again."
"Pegasus riding?"
"Was there."
"Sword-fighting training?"
"Also there. Even saw you and Nico fight. I actually had to bring him to the infirmary."
"Whoops, forgot about him."
"Yeah, what were you so keen about with Rachel?" I mentioned.
"Oh yeah, her, uhm…"
"Inviting her to eat breakfast at the Poseidon table, letting her fly on Blackjack, chasing after her as she left the arena, following her back to her cave."
"You saw me at her cave?"
"I was walking by." I quickly lied.
"Or were you spying on us because you were jealous?" He teased.
"I happened to pass by you guys. I was from Zeus's fist, for your information, on my way to the lake."
"Oh, well, I was with her because I was asking her ways to ask you out…" He trailed off.
I blushed and looked at him. His cheeks were reddening as well.
"How about asking Grover? He managed to do that successfully. He has Juniper now." I said.
"I need help seeing it from a girl's point of view."
"Whatever you say." I rolled my eyes.
"And I was supposed to let you ride Blackjack a while ago but you weren't there." He defended.
"Technically, I was."
"Well, I didn't see you."
"I rode on Porkpie though, since you let Rachel have a go on Blackjack."
"So that's why Porkpie was the first pegasus I saw flying and when I went in the stables, he was already there."
I shrugged, "I already know how to fly a pegasus."
"Or maybe you were jealous of Rachel?" He started teasing again.
I looked at him and smiled, "Well, aren't you assuming?"
He swiftly placed his arm under me, around my waist. He then lifted me, rolling me on top of him, surprising me. Now that I was on top of him, I giggled and he chuckled underneath me. I raised myself enough to get a good look at him. His eyes were shining with happiness and delight and his smiled was wide and genuine. He gave me a knowing look. My hair was like a curtain, enveloping us in our own little world. He gave me a wink and then pulled me down towards him.
And with that, his soft lips were moving against mine. The kiss was sensuous, voluptuous, and made my toes curl. My stomach seemed to be doing somersaults as well and my heart was beating really fast. His arms were wrapped securely and tightly around my waist. I buried my hand in his luxurious jet black locks while the other hand was holding his face.
And it was pretty much the best underwater kiss of all time.
Once we pulled away from each other, I rolled back to my side of the bubble, using his arm as my pillow. We continued talking, waiting for the conch to signal us to dinner, and it really felt like hours. I looked over at him and coincidentally, he looked my way as well.
We are a beautiful miracle, unbelievable and not invisible.
We both blushed and smiled at one another.
She can't see the way your eyes light up when you smile.
A/N: Thanks for reading! :)
Tell me what you think of the chapter. Write a review. It makes me smile throughout the day. So make me smile and write a review :D
Question of the Chapter: Have you ever felt invisible around a certain someone? :\
