Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or the song Summer Girl. All rights go to those deserving.

Chapter IV: I'm Starting To Unwind


PERCY

Percy would never openly admit to another living soul that bathing in a creek in the middle of the woods had been something close to bliss.

But as the fresh, cool water washed over his skin, he couldn't deny the sweet relief it offered. Arkansas was hot and dry, a complete opposite from his home. He'd never had to deal with that kind of climate before, but with this little stream, he felt like maybe he could almost forgive the town for being so satanically scalding.

It felt like they'd been in the woods for hours. The shadows were growing longer and the sun's intensity was toning down to somewhat bearable. Percy's skin was wrinkling and pruning, but surprisingly, it didn't bother him that much.

There was a rope tied on a tall branch a couple of feet away that had provided a sufficient amount of entertainment for the day. Annabeth had pulled a black rubber tube out from some place behind a tree and set up a game where everyone would take turns slinging themselves from the rope and aiming into the rounded hole of the doughnut-shaped tube.

At first, Percy had pretended it was lame and acted completely uninterested, not wanting to let Annabeth have the satisfaction of giving him a good time. But after a few minutes, he couldn't bite back the grin forming on his face. It was just so much better than the day previous, where the height of his excitement had been provided from a group of angry, wealthy women with fake tans.

Thalia let out a war cry as she ran forward from about five or six feet behind the rope, flinging herself onto it with a wild twirl. Halfway across the width of the creek, she let go, hurdling into the water.

Laughter exploded from the kids around as the splash of Thalia's dive soaked them again. For a moment, Percy actually felt comfortable. After hours in this place, he didn't feel so out of place anymore. When lunch time had come around, Annabeth crawled out from the water; her wet skin glittered with the little droplets trickling down her body and reflecting the light of the sun—Percy looked away sharply.

She had opened up her backpack to reveal plastic wrapped, peanut butter and jelly Smucker's sandwiches. Jason scarfed down close to three in a minute, and Percy just watched on, jaw dropping comically. Jason's appetite never failed to surprise him.

Things had been going well; albeit reluctantly, he was enjoying the time spent with his cousins and their friend. At least until Percy received the scare of his life.

Living in the city of New York, he wasn't met with wildlife all that often. So it came as a bit of a surprise when some kind of furry thing with giant Percy-stabbing horns came prancing across the creek, not twenty-five feet away.

He might have squeaked and cowered behind Thalia.

The others laughed at him, but it was a frightening moment for Percy. He didn't know what made up the diet of a deer, and whether it consisted of black-haired city kids with bad attitudes.

"It's just a deer, Perce," Jason chuckled, tossing a twig toward the animal in attempt to scare it away. It worked as the deer sniffed at the stick for a second before galloping off further into the woods.

"It's just a deer with antlers the size of my stepfather's arms," Percy corrected as he shuddered at the memory of Gabe. "Probably smells the same, too."

They chorused in laughter and Percy let a smile crack onto his face.

The sun was sinking in the sky when Jason hopped off the tree he had climbed and ran over to Annabeth's bag. He dug around in it a bit before pulling out a leather strapped watch with a silver clock face attached. Then he shouted for the others that it was time to go if they wanted to make it back in time for dinner.

Seeing as Jason had eaten all that was left of Annabeth's packed lunch, they chose to gather their stuff and head back to the truck. It was around five o'clock and the daylight was still burning faintly among the cloudless sky. Percy knew the sun wouldn't set until somewhere after seven or eight, so he wasn't worried about walking back through the woods in the dark.

He climbed out of the water, squeezing and wringing the fabric from his shorts and watching the water dribble down his calf. The slight breeze in the air cooled the material against his thighs, forcing a sigh of content from his lips.

It seemed like a shorter walk making it back to the truck the second time around. The other kids looked pretty comfortable in their dry clothes, but Percy was sloshing around in his soaked basketball shorts. When he pulled his T-shirt over his head, the hemline dampened uncomfortably against the waist of his pants.

Annabeth hopped into the open trunk, pulling a blanket in from the back seat's tiny opening on the rear view window. She wrapped it around herself as Jason swung his door open. Percy was about to take the passenger seat again, when he called out, "Whoa, whoa, whoa there, buddy! What do you think you're doing?"

Percy cocked a brow. "Getting in the car..?" he asked, unsure.

"Not in those clothes." Jason shook his head. "You'll get my seats all wet. And like my mom always says: from moisture comes mildew. The car a'ready smells bad enough, man."

Sighing impatiently, the boy spread his arms out. "What do you want me to do then? Ride on the roof?"

Jason only smirked, like this had been his plan all along. "Get in the trunk."

One glance behind him showed Annabeth snuggled into the corner, huddling in her blanket. Her usually curly hair was damp and shining. Immediately, Percy shook his head. "No, Jason."

"If you want a ride home, get in the trunk."

"Annabeth's in there," Percy hissed, whacking his cousin from the back of his head.

"Make do," Jason sang, slamming his front door closed. Before he could protest any further, Thalia grinned at him as she dashed by and plopped into the passenger seat. He heard the locks click.

Sighing, Percy grumbled under his breath as he hopped onto one of the back tires, slinging himself over the ledge of the trunk. He settled down as far from the girl as he could, trying to control his blush again as he thought of what he had seen her in only a few minutes ago. A light blue bra and mismatched panties stretched tight over wet, tanned skin. He heaved a steadying breath.

As soon as his butt hit the metal flooring, Annabeth piped up. "What are you doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing?" Percy snapped, getting comfortable in his position.

"Where's Thalia?"

"I guess she's inside the truck. Funny how cars work, huh?" he quipped with an eye roll.

Her jaw clenched. "Don't treat me like I'm stupid," she warned. "You were the one who was scared of a thing with a brain even smaller than yours. And that's saying something."

"Shut up," he growled.

"Why don't you make me, tough guy?" Annabeth scooted forward, sending a clear message: she wasn't intimidated by him. Something he'd have to find a way to work around.

"Fine," he said with a shrug. "Keep embarrassing yourself until you run out of steam. It's about time for your nap anyway. Isn't it, squirt?"

Gray eyes were blazing, and maybe she wasn't scared of him, but he was of her. He didn't show it as he lifted his chin up, sending out the same message to her.

Annabeth shook her head, jawline so hard he thought her teeth might crack. "You think you're so much better than us because of where you're from. News flash, city boy: You're here now. In our town." She tugged the blanket tighter around her as the truck jumped over a bump. "Sorry Dorothy," she continued icily. "You're not in Kansas anymore. We outrank you here."

It was quiet after that. Percy's eyes stayed glued to the passing treeline that soon morphed into hilly green fields, looking gray in the paling light. Her words were saturating his mind, tumbling back and forth through his rapid string of thoughts.

She was right. Maybe the only reason Percy didn't like this place was because he couldn't control his life here. He didn't understand it; didn't belong in a place like this. He was so angry about not being able to fit in, he hadn't even given it a worthy shot. This was their town, and maybe these kids were better than him in a place like this. They belonged here.

But he wouldn't let her know she'd been right. If he was sure about one thing in this God awful place, it was that Annabeth's pride could take a few healthy blows, and he sure as hell could be the one to deliver if no one else would.

Music drifted into the thick air from the square opening of the rear view window. Some folk rock band he wasn't familiar with played out of the speakers and it was a relief from the awkward silence with the neighbor's daughter.

Bolts and screws rolled around the floor as the truck maneuvered through the long, meandering roads. What looked like an empty can of motor oil rattled and clicked quietly. When they finally turned into Aunt May's driveway, Percy felt his shoulders slump in relief as a breath he'd been holding left his mouth. He didn't want to stick around for another second.

Car doors slammed as Jason halted the roar of the engine. It shuddered from the effort, but didn't put up too much of a fight—Percy was surprised a model of its age still ran. Annabeth did something close to hurl herself out of the trunk when they parked; maybe Percy would have been insulted had he not been feeling the same urge.

Inside the house, the smell of garlic and spice hit his nose as soon as he stepped through the screen door. It definitely overpowered the carpet's stench enough to have him close to drooling in anticipation. Aunt May was like the Rachel Ray of southern cooks, her food usually greasy and delicious.

While the teenagers settled into the living room with their paper plates full of sausage and peppers, Aunt May turned in early. The woman said her good-nights with a warm smile, heading up the stairs.

The four kids had the whole night to themselves. But before Percy could get excited, he learned just another difference between these kids and the people he used to know. Because the first suggestion was, "Let's watch a movie!" coming from Jason.

"Really?" Percy asked in disbelief. "That's it?"

"What did you expect?" Thalia shrugged. "We've been out all day. I'm pooped."

Percy closed his eyes exasperatedly as he leaned his head back on the couch he was sitting on. Jason was curled up on the other side of the sofa, his cheek pressed onto the armrest and his arms hugging a throw pillow. The girls sat at their feet, Thalia was braiding Annabeth's hair down her back.

"What do you wanna watch, Jase?" Annabeth asked, her back turned to him as she waited patiently for Thalia to finish up behind her.

The blond to his left hummed in thought, rolling over so he was laying on his back. "I don't know. Something."

"Like what?" Thalia asked, amusement clear in her tone as she finished tying up the end of Annabeth's braid. The blonde turned her head, smiling at her plaited hair and running her fingers along the texture.

Jason folded his arms behind his head, inquiring, "What do we have?"

Moving forward from her spot on the carpet, Annabeth clicked open a small cabinet on the TV display. Stacks of VHS tapes and DVD cases were lined up horizontally on the inside, filling the space evenly. She ran her finger up the number of titles, reading each one off clearly.

"Twilight: New Moon, Karate Kid, Taken, Whip It, Happy Gilmore, and... Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants."

"That's our selection?" Percy deadpanned.

Jason nudged his foot into Percy's side. "C'mon. They aren't all bad. And New Moon was the best one of the whole Twilight Saga."

The teenager paled, turning away and shaking his head.

"Oh," Annabeth called, her back still turned to them. "I got The Avengers, too."

"That one," Percy demanded, not caring what the others wanted to see. Like hell, he'd be watching any Sisterery Pants movie.

Annabeth arched a brow, looking at the other two for confirmation. Obviously she wasn't going to just cater to Percy's desire—not by a long shot.

"Cool with me," Thalia sighed, reaching up onto the couch and pulling two pillows out from under her brother's legs. The boy protested, but she ignored him, setting them up for herself and Annabeth. "Hand me that blanket, Perce," she commanded him, pointing to a plaid thermal just behind his head.

Scooting back to her seat, Annabeth and Thalia got themselves comfortable on the floor as Jason used the remote next to him to start the movie. Percy laid back when the first scene began flickering on the old TV set. He'd never actually understood the whole "tesseract" thing, and usually just zoned out during that part. Pretty much all he needed to know was that everyone wanted this glowy, geometrical cube-y thing that Loki stole.

The movie was long. He'd almost forgotten how so until his eyes started feeling droopy halfway through. His conscious was slipping before his cousin's head fell hard onto his shoulder with a heavy thump.

"Dude," Percy complained, trying to shift the large blond off of him. But the kid was out like a light. "Really?"

Laughter sounded from the girls in front of him and through the dim light the TV cast upon them, he could make out Annabeth's smirk. "That's cute."

He scowled. "Someone get him off of me."

They only kept laughing at him. "Jason sleeps like'a rock. Prepare to spend the rest of the night right there on the couch," Thalia informed him.

Percy groaned as he pushed at Jason's face. "Jeez, he's freaking iron."

"Use the toaster," Jason mumbled, shoving his face into Percy's shirt. "It has a cherry."

"What the hell are you talking about?" He asked helplessly. "Is that some kind of innuendo?"

The girls exploded in laughter again.

"This isn't funny, guys. Seriously, help me out. He's a ton."

"Aw," Annabeth cooed. "City boy can't handle a little weight on his shoulders? Doesn't surprise me."

He sent a glare in her direction. "Oh, shut up. I'd like to see you carry this ape."

There was a glint of determination in her eye as she stood up. Purposefully, she stepped over to Jason and took him by the shoulders, throwing him over the other side of the couch with a small grunt. The boy only let out another string of mindless words before starting to snore.

With a smug huff, she turned away and started gathering her things. Percy could only watch on with grudging admiration as she stepped up to Thalia, pecking the girl on the cheek and saying, "I should be getting home. It's late and my dad'll be wonderin' where I am sooner or later. I'll seeya tomorrow."

Slipping on her shoes, she quietly left out of the front door, trekking back to her house in the dark night. Jason shot up suddenly, his eyes wide. "I would have walked her back! Why didn't you guys wake me up?"

Percy almost lost it.

Chuckling, Thalia said, "Chill, Jason. There's no one on this road that'll get her between here and her front door. She's fine."

The blond relaxed, falling backward onto the couch with a sleepy puff. "Okay."

"Tomorrow?" Percy inquired, trying to hold back a whimper. "Do you guys hang out with her everyday?"

Thalia looked at him in amusement. "What? Did the ride back home not help? We for sure thought y'all would be going at it by the end of the night."

An undesired blush spread across the crests of Percy's cheeks. An image of Annabeth's body in her underwear resurfaced in his mind again and he had to physically shake his head to dispel the thoughts. "Probably the opposite effect there, Thals."

"Well," she sighed. "Guess we'll have to try again tomorrow."


Take It or Leave It – Cage The Elephant

Don't ask me why these updates are being quick for some reason. I do not promise this for the rest of the story.

Bella