Disclaimer: PJO is not mine
"Miss Chase, just because your juvenile delinquent of a boyfriend is here with you, that does not mean you should parade around acting as you please as well," Mr Montford was in the process of telling her "I'm afraid to tell you that what you did was unacceptable, and that your parents had to be contacted," he droned on, "You've already been recorded as exhibiting violent behaviour once before and so therefore, one more incident and I hate to inform you, shall result in expulsion from Norrison."
Annabeth did not see this as a threat, she had heard it all before, and what did she care if she was expelled from Norrison? What did she care if her parents were contacted? The only thing that irked her was Mr Montford's chosen description of Percy: Juvenile delinquent. Percy, besides her, subtly wove his fingers through hers and squeezed her hand beneath the desk, a small movement, but enough to send a message.
Hey, don't retaliate, you're already neck deep in trouble.
Following Annabeth's outburst, they had found themselves hauled off by Dan and thrown into an office labelled:
Resort Director: Mr Baker
And so, presently they sat before said Resort Director and Mr Montford, exchanging glares, the teachers versus the students. Already, the standard speech about 'Violence will not be tolerated here,' had been delivered, as had they been told that Gretel, other than a few bruises, was okay, and that the damage was not so bad. Which, as far as Annabeth was concerned, was nothing short of a huge disappointment.
Mr Baker turned towards Percy and said, "As for you Jackson, Mrs Dante, your principal I believe, will be here shortly and will find a way to deal with you."
"But Percy didn't do anything!" Annabeth protested, anger filling her voice. Mr Baker however, merely snorted, and, with enough to contempt to fill a bathtub, if such thing were possibly, he stated "He's your boyfriend, I'd say that's a good enough reason."
Annabeth stared at him incredulously, whilst Percy gawked. Then, without warning, Annabeth jumped to her feet, with her stormy grey eyes penetrating into her elder's skulls, smoothly grabbed her bag, knocked over the pencil pot on the desk, and flounced off through the door.
The Director's office was, though part of the complex, was adjourned, so that cool air kissed her cheeks when she stepped out of the mouldy, dingy office. She attempted to quell the rage inside her, but her attempt gave no fruit, so she turned on her heel, and walked away from the complex and into the woods behind her.
After a quarter of an hour, Annabeth reached her destination. Tired, she slumped against the rock and looked out across the lake. Yesterday, they had been shown here on the tour, it was a beautiful lake at the foot of a mountain range of which she could see in the distance, silhouetted by the evening sun. She loved this type of sun, the one of late afternoon, when it wasn't sunset quite yet, but getting on it, so that upon looking at it, a spray of light obscured one's vision, and made it seem as though all was right, even when the world had fallen to pieces. Annabeth smiled to herself despite the conversation she had had not twenty minutes ago. Though it was chilly, Annabeth shrugged off her top and jeans so that she stood in her swimming costume. She had not had the time to change due too a certain event that had occurred, and in that instant, as she waded into the shallows, she was thankful for that.
It slightly puzzled Annabeth at how quickly the day had aged, and turned to the evening. She had not recalled it slipping through her fingers like sand, though ADHD sometimes did that to one. Shivering, Annabeth submerged herself in the water. She thought of the campfire that awaited her at eight, or hopefully anyway, and how much it would remind her of camp. She could return to it these holidays thankfully, and was very much looking forwards to it, except that she was worried of what Chiron would say once he learnt to how she had loosened her reign on her anger. He was going to be disappointed, and sad as well, so that Annabeth would dread meeting him. This was her father. Or almost anyway, he had raised her since she was seven and she had pushed herself beyond her limits, so as to not let him down.
So absorbed she was in her thoughts that she did not notice him. Did not notice the splashing of several arms through the water, or the way that the air was suddenly filled with a stench that reeked of sulphur.
And so it was not until she was under that she realised. Annabeth tried to scream, she was acutely aware of being held down under the water, not able to swim up, not able to breathe. Unless she got air in the next three minutes, she was dead. She tried to swim up, but found that she could not, a force so much more powerful than herself prevented her from breaking the surface. Panic started to fill her lungs, the blood pounding in her ears. She was going to die here. Now. After every thing she'd been through. Annabeth thought longingly of her blade, which she had left in her pockets on the shore.
So stupid she had been.
Oh gods, so stupid.
And then, quite suddenly, the monster was pulled from on top of her, and, as if gravity had disappeared, she rose, and was greeted with the face of her boyfriend.
"Percy!" She breathed.
Percy smiled wryly and lobbed her blade at her. She grinned back at him, and together they turned, as smoothly as a turn in water was possible, to face the monster.
It was unlike any monster the pair had ever faced before. And even years later, Annabeth could not clearly conjure up an image of it. The monster moved in a whirl, lashing out with tentacles and biting at the air with its fanged mouth. It struck terror like a knife into the hearts of those in vicinity. But though it was huge, terrifying, powerful it could not beat Percy. Not here, where said son of Poseidon was at his strongest. Between them, they brought the monster down to the depths of Tartarus, with Annabeth slashing with her sword relentlessly, and Percy sending incessant tidal waves. Perhaps, in retrospective, the monster had been megalomaniac, and so influenced the beliefs of the demigods, but at that moment it had seemed such a terror. Not the worst terror of whom they had faced. But a terror no less.
Percy aided their way back to the shore, using the currents to propel them as best as possible. Shivering, Annabeth stepped into the pebbles and said "I don't suppose you've got a towel?"
Percy shook his head, but gave her his jacket to compensate, dry because of Percy's abilities. They sat there for a few minutes, on the rocks, looking out at the lake, at the way the setting sun cast shadows across the water, and the sun slowly turned more to the colour of mortal blood.
"That was Mr Montford, wasn't it?" Percy inquired after a long silence.
Annabeth nodded, and closed her eyes deep in thought.
"Hey," Percy said, "Look at me."
It wasn't an easy task to accomplish; A romantic kiss shivering and exhausted and covered in blood, but they gave it their best shot.
