All The Little Lights
Part II
We stared at each other for a few minutes, Jason eyeing us warily and Piper frowning.
"What's going on here?" Jason asked, turning to Piper and raising his eyebrows. Piper shrugged.
Annabeth did not say anything; she pushed her chair back and walked towards the bathroom. I gave Jason a sheepish smile and followed, pushing her into the bathroom and locking it behind me.
She turned to look at me, her eyes wide.
"THIS WAS YOUR BUSINESS?!" She hissed, raising her hands and doing quotation with signals with her hands.
"THIS WAS YOUR BUSINESS?!" I hissed back.
"I can't believe this. YOU BETTER NOT tell anyone about my life, do you understand? Not even Piper knows so much!" Her tones alternated, it seemed, because she kept glancing at the door.
"I can't believe you don't trust me enough!" I shouted, then winced and glanced at the door.
"WELL I ONLY JUST MET YOU!" She exclaimed in return, throwing her arms in the air.
"WE HAD SEX IN A CAB FOR GOD'S SAKE I'VE SEEN YOU NAKED!"
Annabeth gasped and I pressed my mouth against hers, then kissed a trail down her neck and the valley between her breasts. She wore a short dress so I hiked it up and pressed her against the wall. She groaned and I smiled against her skin.
There was a knock in the door, then, and we both turned. I let her drop, she fixed herself up and I unlocked the door and saw Jason. He raised his eyebrows.
"Right." I walked out of the bathroom with Annabeth at my tail and Jason not far behind. Annabeth took her seat next to Piper and I next to Jason.
When I had sat down, Annabeth raised her eyebrows in warning and I copied.
"In the cab and the bathroom, huh?" Jason whispered in my ear, and my cheeks colored.
"Were we loud?" I scanned through the menu, trying to not look at Jason in the eyes.
"Only Piper and I. We got close to the door and she ran back laughing when she heard." Jason patted my back. "The wedding cliche has already come true. The best man and the maid of honor sleep together and hate each other for the rest of their lives."
I glanced at Annabeth, who was laughing with Calypso and Hazel about something. I couldn't hate Annabeth, she was too...nice and sweet and caring.
"Alright! So we have some announcements concerning the wedding." Piper took a deep breath. "We booked a cabin upstate and a hall there."
There was a moment of silence, and then Hazel spoke.
"Should be fun." She smiled, and I got the impression that she was a very positive person.
"I agree with Hazel." Frank quipped, and I realized he probably liked Hazel by the way he looked at her.
There were some murmurs of agreements and Piper sighed in relief.
"A shuttle is going to pick us up today in the afternoon. Well, i mean, i'm going to drive it but they are going to drop it off at our house. At exactly 2 pm, everyone meet at my house. Got it? Any questions?" Jason clapped his hands together.
"Yeah, uh, remember the wedding is next Friday!" Piper added and then the waiter came over to ask what we wanted. I ordered a breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage links, hash brown, and apple juice.
When I stole a glance at Annabeth, I noticed she has ordered the same. She met my eyes and smiled and I smiled back.
I promised myself something then and there:
I would not hate Annabeth Chase.
Inside the shuttle, I seated myself right next to Annabeth.
"Hey." I said in greeting, and she smiled at me.
"Did you know about this?" She asked, looking out the window.
"No. I did go to the store and buy myself some swim trunks and stuff." I replied. "Also you took the window again. No fair."
"Alright big baby. Do you want to trade?" She smiled wanly.
"No." I mumbled.
She laughed and glanced up at me. "Did you sleep well?"
"Only a little. Kept thinking..." And then she blushed and I blushed and we both looked away.
"Me too." She cleared her throat and placed a hand on my knee. I laid my hand on top of hers and she leaned her head on my shoulder. "My dad called me." She said, and her voice broke. "Said not to come back home because my step-mom is pregnant and they need my room."
I brought her in for hug and i kissed the top of her head.
"You can come live with me, if you want. For the time being." I felt overwhelmed by my braveness, but she seemed unfazed.
"In New York?!" She whispered. "I'll figure something out. I always do."
"I trust that you do, but still."
Jason turned the car on and then announced we'd make the 6 hour trek to some forest and we'd rent a cabin. He'd told us earlier it would only be family and close friends, so they wouldn't mind the travel.
Annabeth and I fell asleep, and we didn't wake up until we arrived at some gas station for a bathroom break. Annabeth got down to the bathroom with the rest of the girls, while Jason and I remained.
"How long have we been driving?" I asked groggily.
"Got one hour to go. You and Annabeth conked out, man. You like her huh?" He smiled deviously.
"I like her, yeah." I confirmed, not knowing what it meant.
When everyone had come back, Jason announced that we had one hour to go. Annabeth snuggled back towards me, looking a bit pale.
"You okay?" I asked, and she nodded slowly. Was she still sad over her dad's announcement? She had to be. I'd be sad id my mother or father told me that.
"A little stressed." She explained and I did not ask further.
The road was dark and the stars were out. Annabeth looked out the window and I did to, wondering what she was thinking.
There were only 5 rooms, so Jason said we'd have to rent two cabins which were side by side and in front of a lake.
Jason obviously chose Annabeth and I, along with Piper and Hazel. The rest were beside us. We unpacked in our rooms, and conveniently, Annabeth's chose the one in front of mine.
"We have a whole schedule set." Piper announced when the whole gang had settled, and now were in front of the cabins.
"Listen up, please." Jason shouted, and Piper smiled at him.
"Today is Saturday and….oh look I just typed 'sleep'. So today we just sleep." She laughed nervously. "Tomorrow Sunday, we will eat breakfast and go swimming in the lake. Uh, then we will eat lunch and talk about rehearsals and such. Monday will be entrance and dance rehearsal in the studio, which will take the whole day. Tuesday we'll go to the dress and tux shop and that will take the whole day. Final fittings, you know? Wednesday will be a 'relax' day, and I had in mind we could play game and crap. Thursday will be the rehearsal dinner. AND FRIDAY," she threw the paper on the ground, "WILL BE THE WEDDING!" She hurriedly picked it back and blew on it to make the dust fly. Jason rubbed his hands.
"We must follow the list. TO SLEEP!" He ran back into the cabin, and I followed. We ran past the kitchen and living room mash-up and down the hallway with five bedrooms, and he slapped my ass before shutting his door. I laughed and closed my own, then threw myself on the bed.
I dreamt that night.
I dreamt that Smelly Gabe was back and that he was hitting my mom and then he started hitting Annabeth and I couldn't do anything about it because I was small and defenseless. I woke up sweating and did not understand what It meant.
I stood up and paced around my room, then looked out the window. The sky was pale blue, like when the sun was about to rise but no quite yet. I felt around my nightstand and clicked on my IPhone, squinting to see the time.
5:56 AM
I lay back in bed and rubbed my eyes, but I could not sleep again. I swore under my breath and stood up; thinking that getting a cup of water would help me in my predicament. I jumped out of bed and turned the brass doorknob, then opened it to reveal a quiet hallway. I padded down the hallway and opened the bathroom door-
"WHAT THE HELL." Annabeth screamed, and I screamed, and Jason ran out of his bedroom and screamed behind me. I closed the door again and turned to Jason. He smiled and walked back to his room, giving me a groggy thumbs up.
Annabeth had been showering, and I had seen her walk out of the shower barely covering herself with the towel. She opened the door a second later, dripping wet, and a scowl on her face.
"Sorry." I said, and walked around her to enter the toilet. I closed the bathroom door behind me and well, you know, peed.
When I had finished and had changed into my swim trunks and plain white T, I walked down the hallway and looked through the cupboards in the kitchen for some cereal. I grabbed Froot Loops and a bowl, then opened the drawers and took a spoon. Annabeth was sitting in the table, on her tablet reading something, with the milk in front of her.
I sat in front of her, pouring the cereal and then the milk and shoving a spoonful into my mouth.
"That's twice now." She said without looking up.
"Vwat?" I chewed.
"You've seen me naked twice now. Isn't that weird?" She put the tablet down and sighed.
"First of all, I didn't mean to see you naked the second time, okay?" I shoved another spoonful and chewed.
"Yeah, well." She cleared her throat.
"You looked good though." I added cheekily, and she closed her eyes in frustration. "Why did you even shower? We're getting in the lake today, anyway." I continued.
"I just wanted to be clean. Unlike other people…"
"Are you saying I'm dirty?!"
"I'm not saying you aren't."
"Alright, alright stop bickering. Where's the breakfast?!" Jason shouted, and Piper skipped ahead of him.
"Eat light 'cause we're getting in the lake in a hour or so." Piper reminded us. She wore a beack dress that had no straps and hung down to just below her knees. She had sunglasses and her hair in a braid, as usual.
"Is the water cold?" Annabeth asked shyly.
"Oh what a baby." I mocked, and she gave me a death glare.
"Wait 'till you see Percy swim, Annabeth. He's a pro. In college we were in the swim team and he was at the top. There was a time where they threatens to kick him off 'cuz he had low grades so everybody started calling him 'Seaweed Brain' since he loved swimming but was really stupid. But he got the grades up and got an accounting job and New York and I doubt he's been swimming there." Jason babbled, sitting down on the seat and preparing his cereal. Hazel appeared then, her brown curls in a messy ponytail. She wore shorts and a tank top, and under that I guessed was her bathing suit.
"Good morning everyone." She said, walking over to the oven and then searching around for some pans. "I'm making eggs, anybody want some?"
"You're so nice Hazel." Jason quipped, and Piper slapped his arm. "But no thanks I just ate cereal."
I nodded in agreement and watched as Annabeth stood up to put the milk away. She wore a grey jumped that was composed by a tank and shorts, and sandals along with her ponytail and sunglasses.
"I'm fine too." Annabeth added, and then she walked back to her room. "Be right back."
When she had gone, Jason flicked my arm. "Dude, stop checking her out. You're making it so obvious. Look man, I know you frickle freckled in the cab and started at it in the bathroom, but calm down."
My face reddened as Piper raised her eyebrows and Hazel opened her mouth in shock.
"Jason." I hissed, and he shrugged.
"Piper and Hazel won't tell. Hazel is too shy and Piper is a good friend." He explained and I slapped my forehead.
"Details!" Piper whispered, and I rolled my eyes but still leaned in to tell her.
"We met at the airport and we talked all five hours in the plane and we got in the same cab and it just happened. And then I saw her naked in the shower this morning." I hurriedly told her. She smirked when I had finished.
"She's really hot huh?" Piper whispered and I shrugged. I mean, yeah, Annabeth was hot…Like her pretty face and big eyes and rosy lips and boobs and her curves and her long legs and…
"You did what in the firm?" Piper suddenly said, and I frowned and straightened up to find Annabeth in front of us.
Nice save, Pipes.
Annabeth frowned but plopped down in the seat anyway.
"Do you think the other cabin is awake?" Hazel asked timidly, and she blushed when she saw Annabeth and I.
"Let's go see." Jason said sinisterly. We both stood up and raced out of the cabin. We opened the other cabin's door and ran into the first room, which belonged to big Frank. We got close to his face and shouted random crap, and Frank screamed and we laughed. We went into Nico's room and jumped on his bed; Leo was already awake; and Calypso was showering.
When everybody was ready in their bathing suits, Jason and I led the way down through the woods and into the cliff that led onto the lake. The only way to get there was by jumping.
Jason eyes me evilly and I discreetly gestured to Nico, who wore a full-on bodysuit and looked angry.
Jason clapped his hands together. "Whose gonna' jump first?" He watched each person until they smiled or looked away or both. He stared at Leo, who was tinkering with something, then walked towards him. Everyone watched as he suddenly switched to Nico and grabbed him and threw him over his shoulder and throw him off the cliff. There is a sharp scream and then a splash and then a curse.
"What if he died?" Frank asked, rubbing his arm.
"YO NICO DID YOU DIE?" Piper shouted down the 10 foot drop. Nico shouted in reply, and Piper raised her eyebrows at Frank.
"Next?" I asked, this time. I thought maybe Frank, but that guy was huge.
"That looks really dangerous." Hazel whispered, and I smiled.
Frank suddenly stepped forward and jumped off the cliff. Water splashed all the way to my feet, and Jason put his hands on his hips and let out an "hm."
Piper ran forward as well, but she grabs Jason by the arm and pulls him, and they both disappear over the cliff. Leo goes next, and then Calypso with a graceful summersault, and then it was just Annabeth and I. She slipped off her jumper and I tugged my shirt off. I smirked at her and gestured towards the drop.
"You going?" I asked, and she walked over to the precipice awkwardly. She hesitated before glancing down.
"I don't-" She began, but I cut her off by shoving her back and pushing her, but not before she shouted a curse at me. I smiled and waved down at her when she had resurfaced. I positioned myself and waved my arms.
"Spread out!" Jason shouted, and I knew he knew what I was about to do.
I took one quick breath and then jumped, doing a flip and then twirling midair and falling into the water in a nose-dive.
"Show-off!' Jason joked, and I ruffled his hair. I swam around, looking for Annabeth or something, and saw that she was attempting a handstand.
"You can't do a handstand here, ya' know?" I informed her when her blonde head had popped out. She rolled her eyes at me.
"You owe me for pushing me, by the way. Not cool." She scowled, and I splashed water at her. "I wasn't trying to do a handstand, by the way. I was trying to see if I could, well, see. I want so see some fishes or some plants or something."
"Whatever." I shrugged, and when I turned to swim away, she splashed water at me. I turned slowly for dramatization, and she laughed.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" I said, making my voice sound menacing. I didn't wait for an answer before I shoved my hands forward and grabbed her hips, then pulled her down into the water with me. I opened my eyes and see her eyes tightly closed and her lips puckered. I would've laughed, but then I would've choked.
I released her and she kicked her way to the top, coughing and sniffling. "YOU COULD"VE CHOKED ME YOU ASS!" She sputters, and everyone turned towards us.
"You splashed me with water!" I retort, and everyone laughed.
"THAT DIDN'T MEAN YOU COULD DROWN ME!" She shouted again, throwing some hair away from her forehead. "JESUS PERCY."
"YOU LOOK CUTE WHEN YOU'RE ANGRY."
"I'M STILL MAD!"
"YOU LOOK LIKE YOU COULD MURDER SOME RIGHT NOW."
"PERCY!"
I swam forward and pressed my lips to hers, all sloppy and slippery and loud.
"Mjslfnds." Annabeth said, and then she pulled back. "What?"
And I smiled at her.
The rest of the afternoon passed by quickly, pausing for lunch and then swimming around again. Next thing I knew, we were sitting by the campfire, Annabeth snuggled against me and I was roasting marshmallows.
"Rest up, guys, because the real work starts tomorrow." Piper said, and everyone laughed.
But I did not think about tomorrow. I just focused on the moment: the warmth radiating throughout my whole body, caused by the fire, or Annabeth I did not know.
