You, my lovely reviewers and alerting readers, are witnessing a rare experience. Honestly, this is the fastest I've updated a story. So, the updates might slow down because I'll feel bad for other story readers and have to update those. I apologize in advance.
Okay, now on to reviews that I deeply appreciate.
Stranded Star, I'm so glad you feel that way. I thought about what you said and decided to try and avoid major dilemmas and such. The sequel, whether I choose to write one or not is undecided, will probably be more OOC than this one. But you may just convince me otherwise. I'll never know until I'm there. And I agree—everyone is guilty of sap. Including me (just read my other stories. I've been working on my style greatly). But when Annabeth breaks down in tears randomly or Percy's a perfect boyfriend, the story has a problem. Thanks for the review!
Softballgirl05, this chapter is for you since you so amiably requested it. It's good to know a reader appreciates your work as much as you appreciate their opinions. So, thanks to you and many cheers in my heart.
On with another chapter. This is crazy…
Percy stretched out on his bed, yawning lazily and smacking his lips just for the fun of it. The amusement it brought to him every morning was borderline immaturity and just plain insanity. He reached his arms out until they hit the wall above his head. He then proceeded to let his body go slack and just laid there, in that position, until the conch echoed over the valley.
His eyes shot open and he scrambled to get up, flopping belly-down onto the hard floor. He groaned and picked himself up. There was no time to glance in a mirror, which he rarely did anyway. He ran his fingers through his hair, shoving it out of his face and off to the side, and hurriedly grabbed a jacket to wear over his t-shirt that he had worn to bed. He managed some time to pull on some jeans and bolted for the door.
Campers were forming 'cabin crowds' near the dining area, waiting for a chance to sit at their table without shoving each other. He jogged up behind them, trying to put on a good show. He was just another camper and he was most definitely not late.
He squirmed through the crowd, becoming impatient by the wait. He shoved and elbowed until he ran into his table.
The camp population had grown since last summer. Demigods were pouring in from cities Percy had never even heard of. He wasn't very good with geography. The tables had been lengthened, or another was added to the end, to accommodate the numbers of each cabin. Percy's was still average size, with no one but the occasional Cyclops brother to share with. Tyson hadn't visited recently, though.
He slumped into his chair and tried to better his appearance without a reflection he could judge with. He smoothed his hair down, trying to not look like your average hobo Joe. Campers looked up to him and, although it didn't bother him personally, he didn't want demigods running around like they just jumped out of trashcans. Monsters and Titans alike would never take them seriously in a battle. Which, come to think of it, might be a good thing.
He stopped fidgeting with his appearance and relaxed on the bench.
The crowd started to disperse to their respective tables, squeezing next to each other, getting extremely close to their roommates in every form of the word 'close'. Physically, personally, mentally. You name it, they pretty much had it down-pat.
Chiron followed his ritual accordingly, calling forth the nymphs and food.
Percy rested his head on his table and chewed on any idea that came to him. What could she possibly take charge of now? Her siblings? The camp? He mulled on idea after precarious idea until the whole of his mind was consumed with Annabeth. He grabbed at the freshly added food that lay before him and pulled it to his mouth. He instantly paused and picked up his plate, and carried it towards the roaring fire pit.
A few stragglers were still standing by the flames, trying to figure out what everyone else was doing with their food. He took pity on them, remembering the mutual feeling, and casually explained the offerings. They squirmed anxiously and threw in bruised foods that looked the least appetizing. The fire roared and reeked of burnt pig fat and dead roses.
"You're going to have to do better than that," he warned, picking up his brightest strawberries. "Poseidon."
The flames hungrily licked up the food and the horrendous odor faded. A warm, fruity flavor filled the atmosphere. Percy grinned at the others, somewhat encouragingly, trying to get them to understand the purpose. The youngest girl caught on first, pulling out a plump loaf of bread.
"Mommy Demeter," she told the fire proudly and threw it into the fire with all of her might. A toasty scent caked over the fruits and complimented it nicely.
"Good job," he told her.
Annabeth tapped his shoulder gently, managing a smile at the girl. She knew that some part of her would regret her decision later in the future, but her current priority was to enrage her mother just enough to get her to leave her alone.
She slowly grabbed a small piece of chicken fat. Percy watched her toss it into the flames. "Athena," she muttered. Percy stared at her, bewildered and amazed at her audacity.
"Seriously?" he mumbled to her, trying to figure out what in Hades she was thinking.
She simply nodded and stalked to her table, dreading the idea of having to sit in a place that actually honored her mother. She now seemed confused as to why she ever liked her mom. What did Athena actually do to deserve respect?
Percy slowly turned and managed to get to his table. His mind was elsewhere. He wanted to help her, but she would move past this stage. Her mother would be her hero once again, there would be mutual respect, everything would end right. It always did. No matter how bad things seemed to get.
He had no idea that this was only the beginning and Annabeth's great unorganized plan would unfold later, right into his lap for his eyes to roam.
I think I rushed later on, and I might have just messed up on the last line, but if it proves problem-worthy then I'll just rewrite that and fix it accordingly. Thank you for the support.