Hi! Sorry I didn't upload for a while. I had a busy schedule; parties, school, the usual. I hope you like this chapter!
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I managed to knock the waitress on the head when I tossed the bill to her. I guess she wasn't much of a catcher, but nevertheless, I fulfilled my mission and successfully paid the check, even though we were banned from eating at Pomodoro ever again.
Annabeth and I walked through the glass doors with scratches and bruises on our limbs, but we were still cracking up over what happened.
"I…I.." She tried to catch her breath, but she couldn't stop laughing. "I can't believe you thought you could run off like that!" I had to hold her back from hitting the concrete.
"I can't believe…" I let go of her to hold in my stomach and catch my own breath. "I can't believe you actually jumped on my back!"
She slung her arm over my shoulder for support. "Well, I couldn't let you break a promise!"
A couple passing by gave us strange glances. We waved back.
"Oh man, that was hilarious!" I said.
"Haha, definitely, but that means I'm buying the next meal we have." The thought of another meal together…I liked the idea.
"I'll keep your promise at that." We were a bit calmer now. The breeze was gentle today.
The sun was shining and the weather was absolutely perfect. We both looked towards the ocean and a thought popped into my head. "Let's go sailing."
She glanced up at me and we stayed like that for a couple seconds. Her smile was brilliant. "It's like you're reading my mind." She winked. "Let's go!"
If I knew anything more than Annabeth did, which wasn't a lot, it was the ocean. Working a boat, the bearings, the creatures, it was my field of specialty. I felt confident that day as I was knee deep in water, preparing the sails of the boat at the dock. Everything just felt so second-nature to me.
"I didn't know you owned a sailboat!" Annabeth stared in awe at the site. "It's beautiful!"
I momentarily took my hands off the ropes and beamed, an aura of pride radiating around me. "Well, I saved up for a year when I first saw it" and for a person who has almost zero patience, the wait was unbearable, but worth it at the end.
Annabeth carried on looking at the boat, examining the white exterior with blue stripes and the magnificent white and green sails, seeming carefree with the gentle wind. The inside looked cozy, also white, reflecting the sun's warm rays. A mini fridge was built into the interior along with snug couches and cushions on the sides. Clean and comfy, the sailboat was a dove on the water.
I finished adjusting the sails and secured the ropes. "Aren't you coming onboard?" I felt the familiar surge of energy from the water and my spirits were lifted high in the sky. I extended my hand out.
"Oh, okay!" She eagerly grasped my hand and climbed aboard the deck of the boat. "Interesting…"
"Do you like it?" I looked around, realizing that I hadn't sailed for quite a while until now. It was nice to finally use the boat, and with company, too. "Help yourself to something in the mini fridge if you like."Checking that everything was in place, I motioned my hands in circles, starting to will the currents forwards at a mild pace.
Annabeth saw me do this as she took a can of Sprite out. "I haven't seen you control the ocean in a long time." She popped the top off and took a small sip of the soda. "What is it like?"
I thought about how I would explain the feeling. "It's sort of like…a tug on your gut. The bigger the tug, the larger the force of the water…it's a little hard to describe."
She nodded slightly, "Hmm…I never thought of it that way." A bright light entered her eyes. "…must be amazing!" I chuckled along with her.
We set off around the ocean, far away from the beach, enough so no one could see us. Annabeth and I sat on the cushions looking far off into the distance. The wind blew back her hair, making it flow seamlessly with the breeze. My heart almost skipped a beat when I took a glance, making me lose my concentration on controlling the currents. The boat lurched backwards, and I flicked my head back around to start again, hoping she didn't understand what just happened.
Recovering from my little moment of embarrassment, I noticed Annabeth occasionally peering into the sea, maybe trying to spot marine life. After a while, I thought of a possible idea, but at the same time, considered the probable risks of it.
"Trying to look for fish?" I asked playfully.
She directed her gaze from the water to me and let out a giggle. "I guess you could say that. I can't see anything, though."
I considered my idea one more time, and hesitantly decided to go for it. "Do you…want to see?"
Her gray eyes doubled in size, looking surprised. "Yeah, bu-wait, you don't mean…"
"You bet, but only if you are willing." I looked over the boat and back at her. "I mean, you'll be safe and all, of course."
A small grin appeared on her lips. "You think I'm not up for it?" She raised an eyebrow jokingly.
I laughed heartily. "Just grab on to my hand and you'll be fine."
We both stood up and I started to count. "On the count of three." I peeked at our clasped hands. Smiling, I proceeded. "One, two..."
She adjusted her body forwards. "Wait are we jumping out or somethi-"
"Three!" I leaped into the water, pulling Annabeth with me, making sure our hands were still together. Water replaced the air above and everything for miles seemed an endless light blue. "You okay?" I was focused on my nautical senses, informing me of where exactly we were. 40 degrees, 41 minutes north, 65 degrees, 15 minutes east. Awesome.
"Blub blu-…" I looked at her and realized she couldn't breathe underwater. I smacked my head on account of my stupidity.
"Oh, woops." Instantly, I summoned a bubble of air around us both and willed Annabeth's soaking clothes to dry.
She gulped the surrounding air as soon as the bubble appeared, and then glared at me. "Did you forget not everyone can breathe underwater, oh son of Poseidon?"
I felt embarrassed, shameful,…embarrassed. "Annabeth….oh geez. I was thinking of our bearings and I guess I forgot the fact that you were with me and…" I itched my neck, "I'm so sorry, I guess I really am a Seaweed Br-" I stopped there and glanced at her face, particularly at her mouth; the edges of her lips were almost curling upwards, suppressing a smile, and I understood immediately. I took a deep breath, feeling both relieved and a little annoyed.
"Geez, way to make a guy feel like an idiot" I looked down and shuffled my feet, feeling my cheeks turn hot. "I am sorry, though."
She didn't try to hide her smile now. "No, it's fine." She slowly lifted my chin up with her finger. "Only trying to have a little fun, right?"
Just that one touch made me feel a million times better and my courage seemed to flow back into me. "Yeah," I said. "Let's go find some fish."
It took less than a minute to direct our bubble to the familiar coral reef I was always drawn to. The colorful patterns and the busy bustle of marine life fascinated me, along with the fact that I was treated like a hero down here. I marveled at the site. "This is my favorite reef. It's a little hard to find, but I manage."
Annabeth's eyes were giant gray globes, taking in the whole scene. Her jaw was dropped and her brow, furrowed. She stayed like that for a while. I found it kind of cute. "You there?" I asked, waving my hand to her face.
She blinked back her senses and grabbed my arm. "I-…" She opened her mouth to speak, but she seemed speechless. "…it's…" Shaking my arm her words finally spilled out. "Percy, you are the greatest! Incredible! Amazing! This is spectacular!" Her head turned every direction, turning after each nanosecond. "Amazing!" she repeated.
Feeling her excitement, I showed her around, meeting schools of fish at every corner, little sharks, and even a lost sea turtle. She seemed thrilled, seeing waves of color everywhere she looked. It was beyond great until she noticed…them.
"Everything is so full of life-hey!" Annabeth pointed to a bunch shadows on the far right. "What is that?"
My shoulders hunched. I was afraid this would happen. "Oh, great" I muttered darkly.
"Hey!" She started waving her arms in the air. "Hey, little guys!" The shadows noticed her and started to swim over slowly.
"What the…Annabeth!" I dreaded the moment. "What are you doing? Do you have any idea what they are?"
She kept her eyes on the figures. "Nope, but I will soon." Keeping her arms outstretched, she yelled "Come here!" You could distinguish the shadows more clearly now, as the figures were moments from closing in. "Almost there little guys-woah!" They were a couple feet apart from us now. "I mean big guys, big, big guys. Wow." She poked my shoulder. "Are those…"
I answered dully. "Hippocampi. Yeah."
The Hippocampi swam circles around our bubble, flapping their fins merrily.
"Hello, Lord! This must be the lady friend!" To Annabeth, this might've sounded more like "Neeiiiighhhhh! "
Now I know I should've been happy to see them again. The Hippocampi had given me a priceless gift, created by them and the Cyclops forges, but still, I couldn't help but feel embarrassed for what was about going to come out of their mouths, now that I'd brought Annabeth along. I sighed.
"Yes, this is Annabeth."
"She has turned into quite the woman, Lord! Beautiful!" The other Hippocampi shook their manes, agreeing with the one who spoke.
"What are they saying?" Annabeth asked. She looked curious, with her head slightly cocked to the side.
"I…They said you were pretty." I tried to think of a way out of the situation, while Annabeth formed a light blush.
"You look very good with her, Lord! Have you…what do humans do again?"
Another Hippocampi spoke up. "Breath air?"
"No, no, that's not it."
"Walk?"
"No, not quite."
"Hug? Kiss?"
The first Hippocampi did a somersault. "Yes! That's right! Kiss! Have you kissed the lady friend, Lord?"
Now it was my turn to blush. It was like they tried to dig up every single detail of your personal life. "What?! Of course not! Why are you asking this?!"
Unfortunately, Annabeth probably noticed me in freak-out mode. "What did they say now?"
I tensed up. I couldn't tell her! "They, uh… said they like your outfit."
"Wait but, we didn't say-"
"Oh well look at the time!" I forced a smile and told Annabeth that the Hippocampi had to swim back.
"Actually, Lord, we have a lot of free tim-"
"Okay! I guess we'll get back to the boat then, right?" I started to direct our bubble to the surface and waved goodbye. "We'll see them later I guess!"
Annabeth waved, too. "I hope so." She grinned.
The Hippocampi looked confused. "Remember the necklace, Lord!" They winked. Well, as close as a sea horse can get to winking.
By the time the sailboat reached the pier, the sun was starting to set and the waves were high-tide. Both Annabeth and I headed towards the boardwalk together, with me struggling to contain the urge to hold her hand. She ran her fingers through her hair, letting the ocean breeze comb through it, which made it almost impossible to hold back my urge.
"I had a lot of fun today," she said. Her eyes were twinkling gray stars.
"Yeah, me too." I looked into those stars, feeling at home and happy. I didn't know what else to say afterwards, so we stood there for some time, taking in each other's presence. That is, until she spoke up.
"Well..." Her cheeks took a pink tint and she took her gaze off of mine. "Aren't you going to hug me now, or something?" She smiled slightly and kept her eyes on the ground.
I was dumbfounded. Of course I wanted to, more than ever, but I couldn't exactly get my legs to function. "Uh…yeah…I guess so…" I tripped over my own words. "…should I…now? Here? Uh…"
She laughed softly. "You were never good with girls, Percy."
Then she did it. She took a step further, wrapping her arms around my neck and hugged me.
At first, my arms were strapped to my sides, paralyzed from the lack of brain function. I didn't know what was going on until I felt her body next to mine, feeling the irresistible warmth of Annabeth. I slowly put my arms around her waist and tried to stop my heart from exploding out of my chest. I prayed that she didn't notice it beating uncontrollably, but soon realized that hers was doing the same exact thing.
She placed her chin on the nook of my neck as I closed my eyes, feeling the waves of the sea rise higher and higher. Was that because of me? It didn't matter, though.
I was on cloud nine and wished time would stand still so we could stay like this forever.
Sadly, the hug had to end sooner or later, so we broke the embrace a few seconds after what had seemed like an eternity.
"That was nice," I mumbled, trying to remember who I was, with a silly smile on my face.
"It was, wasn't it?" Annabeth laced her fingers together, twiddling her thumbs. "I guess I should go now." She started walking the other direction.
'No,' I thought. I didn't want the day to end. "Wait!" I paced after her, waiting for her to turn around.
"Yeah?" She asked. She was still blushing.
Now was my opportunity. Hopefully I wouldn't mess up like I usually did. "I can…I don't know, walk you home if you like."
Her eyebrows lifted upwards and she formed a little smirk. "How about I walk you home, Seaweed Brain?"
That was Annabeth, always thinking differently. "A little un-cliché, don't you think?"
She cleverly replied, "I hate clichés."
"Of course" I said teasingly. "Let's go then."
My apartment block was only a short walk away, where we talked about the restaurant, and the underwater visit, along with the Hippocampi, much to my discomfort.
We made it to the building during the middle of our conversation as I bumped into a man with a helmet and a gas mask. "Oops," I said. "Sorry, man."
He carried with him a large can of pesticide and a hose. Other guys dressed exactly like him walked in and out of the building, occasionally bringing equipment out of their van on the street. I examined the apartment block and turned to the man. "What's going on here?"
He replied without taking his eyes off the apartment. "Some guy had an ant infestation and the neighbors reported it to us while he was out." He took his mask off and scratched his beard. He had a nice beard. "Now we're having it fumigated."
"That's terrible," Annabeth said, "Which room number?"
"Seventh floor, number 12."
I froze on the spot right then. I couldn't believe it.
"Oh my gods." I muttered.
"Huh?" Annabeth seemed concerned.
"That's…that's my number." I said a little louder.
"Oh, I feel sorry for you, buddy" The fumigation man said. "You won't be able to live in there for at least a week."
I pushed my hair back with both of my hands. "Damn." I cursed the leftover pizza boxes dropped on the floor, beside the instant noodles and dirty underwear…if ants found that tasty. "Then how am I supposed to live without a home?" I asked, desperately. "Oh man, oh man…"
"You'll just have to make do." The man replied.
"I can't! You don't understand! I don't have anywhere to go-"
"I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do. It's not our fault ants found their way into your place."
I groaned. "Are you sure?! I can't just sleep on the streets tonight, and all my belongings-"
"Percy." I forgot Annabeth was standing next to me. "If you want…" I looked up. "…you can stay at my house until you know, your apartment is completely rid of the ants."
I took my mind off my apartment. Did she say what I think she said? "What?" I asked, just to make sure I hadn't heard wrong.
"You are welcome to stay at my place." She said, looking at my eyes for an answer.
"…." I was sort of happy that ants terrorized my apartment after she said that.
