To make up for my lack of update the last month. Some of this is filler but it has some development between Percy's and Annabeth's relationship. The next update should be around Christmas or so. Maybe earlier. Again, I didn't proofread. Maybe I should start, huh?
Anyway, enjoy! Please R&R.
I love all the feedback I've been getting and keep it coming you guys! :D
~C
-Percy-
The sun was rising and fiery red-orange beams lit up the ocean surface. Cuddled next to him, Annabeth shivered as a cool breeze caressed her skin. Percy's hands rubbed up and down her arms in an attempt to warm her up. They'd been sitting on the outcropping of rocks all throughout the night and in the long stretch of silence, Percy was able to think clearly.
What had Annabeth said? His dad had cared about him. His father was frantic, desperately worried about him. Was that true? Percy glanced at her peaceful face and forced himself to nod. She wouldn't lie to him - not about something this important. Besides, somewhere in the twenty-three years of his life, he seemed to recall a time when his father showed true affection for him.
His thoughts were interrupted when Annabeth stirred beside him. Percy jostled her closer to him and her torso pitched forward. His arms automatically went to her waist, pulling her back. "O-kay. Time to get you off this thing before you fall." Percy leaned forward and peered down into the ocean. The waters were dark and murky. A strange feeling passed through him - he wanted to jump in and just swim. Go wherever the currents decide to take him. It passed quickly when Annabeth staggered forward again.
Percy stood up carefully, keeping his foothold steady. Cautiously, he leaned down and snaked his arms under her body, slowly pulling her upward toward his chest. Annabeth snuggled in his chest and he smiled. Percy steadily descended the rocks and when his feet safely touched the ground, he was able to breath a sigh of relief.
Shrugging his jacket off of his shoulders, he used to foot to spread the jacket across the grainy sands and gently placed Annabeth on top of it. Percy sat down beside her and watched the sun rise in the sky. They were in a secluded spot so that no wanderers would stumble across them. Besides, he could tell Annabeth had lost her sleep looking for him.
So he laid down next to her, hands folded across his stomach, staring up at the brightening sky. Almost instinctively, he and Annabeth guided toward each other. His arms went around her waist and her head went on his chest.
Moments like these - he wishes their relationship had been different from the start. He wished that they didn't butt heads with each other. He wished he could forget the pain Grover left in his heart so he could start over.
And right now, at the peak of dawn, he had hope. Percy turned his head and buried his face in Annabeth's blond tresses. Immediately, he felt asleep, dreaming of a new beginning.
...
-Annabeth-
I stirred. A solid wall was pressed tightly against my back and I opened my eyes, blinking away the sleep within them. I pushed myself on my elbows and blinked again, momentarily blinded the bright light above.
"What the...?" I muttered, voice thick with sleep. I turned around and stifled a scream as Percy's sleeping face loomed in front of me. Tentatively, I took a peek down at my body and breathed out a sigh of relief when I saw that I still had my clothes on. It didn't matter that we'd maybe somehow bonded the night before, I still didn't trust him when it came to physical relations.
As I struggled to sit up, I felt another object poke at my back. Slowly, I reached around and took hold of the object. When realization hit, I didn't suppress my horror. I screamed and the sound reverberated across the ocean and the beach.
Immediately, Percy jolted upward, stuttering a freaked, "Holy shit!"
"What was that?" I yelled, pushing myself away from him and jumping up. I shuddered with revulsion.
A red blush blossomed on his cheeks and he ducked his head shyly. "T-that was uh," he trailed off, and looked up at me, clearly hoping that I understood what he said and didn't have to continue.
"That was what?" I exclaimed, exasperated. I pulled my jacket tighter around my torso as the wind blowing across the water's surface splayed water inland, spraying us with salty droplets. I took a look around the beach and observed with increasing terror that no one was in sight.
"It's morning!" Percy cried, face red and eyes glittering with embarrassment.
I sputtered incoherently before saying, "I don't even know what that means!"
Percy blew out a sigh and gestured down at the slight bulge in his jeans. My eyes widened in disgust and I couldn't contain the shrill shriek that escaped my mouth. "I touched it!"
"No one asked you too!" He snapped, flustered now. "Ugh, whatever. Let's just go!"
"We're still at Coney Island?" I asked.
"Yeah. You fell asleep last night and I didn't know how to get your car back with you sleeping and I didn't want to wake up." Percy rubbed the back of his neck and fished out his keys. He jangled it and said, "We missed the presentation; I'll ask my father to reschedule it to tomorrow."
I sighed and closed my eyes. "That's fine." When I opened them, I found him staring intently at me. His emerald green eyes gazed back at me with so much intensity that I had to advert my gaze. "Thank you for last night. For taking care of me and for not trying anything."
Percy laughed, the sound carefree and happy and dare I say, content. "Well, I was tempted to. You look so adorable with drool on your face."
"I do not drool!" I scowled. "You're impossible, Seaweed Brain!"
He arched a brow. "Seaweed Brain? We're resorting to kindergarten levels now?"
"Why not?" I retorted. "It's how you usually act."
"Ouch. Well, in case you haven't realized, Wise Girl, you're insufferable." Percy remarked.
Now it was my turn to raise an eyebrow. "Nice use of your scarce vocabulary. And Wise Girl? That's uh...very fitting." I took out my keys and started towards the parking lot. Percy followed in suit. Our footsteps kicked up sands in our wake.
"It wasn't supposed to be a compliment!" Percy complained.
I smirked. "You just said it. The way it's interpreted, well, that's my choice. See you at the presentation, Seaweed Brain."
...
I threw my keys out the counter and shrugged out of my jacket. Exhaustion seeped into my bones and I collapsed onto my sofa. I closed my eyes and let out a sigh. In the deep recesses of my memory, I tried to remembered what had happened the night before.
Lost in thoughts, I felt the soft touch of calloused hands. I felt my body jerked upward and pressed up against a hard wall of flesh. I felt my body rocked and swayed with jerky movements. All I got were feather-like touches and sensations. No picture painted a picture for me.
A soft hiss sounded from my pockets and I rummaged through it. I fished out my cell phone and my eyes visibly widened at the numbers of missed calls and unanswered text messages. The caller I.D. flashed the name Thalia.
I flipped it open and greeted her as casually as I could. "Hey."
"Hey?" She demanded shrilly. "You were missing for the past twelve hours and all you've got to say for yourself is 'hey?'"
"I was not missing." I stated firmly. "I was just..occupied.
Thalia scoffed. "And what were you so occupied with that you neglected to answer your cell phone or read your messages?"
"I was just really tired and I conked out." I lied.
"Don't bullshit me." She hissed. "Your dad stopped by the apartment; you weren't there. And Poseidon called. Percy was missing last night too. It doesn't take a genius to put two and two together. You slept with him."
I choked on my spit. "Thalia! That's not true! Oh, my God. How could you even think that I slept with him? I find him repulsive, Thalia! And I would've been at home if it weren't for you!"
"Oh, and how is it my fault?" She snapped.
"If you hadn't told me all that stuff about him, I wouldn't have agreed to go look for him when Poseidon asked me to." I sighed and combed my fingers through my sand-ladened hair. "He had an episode, freaked and drove to Brooklyn. I talked to him about it and I must've fell asleep because when I woke up, I was still on the beach. With my clothes on." I added just to make the fact clear that I hadn't slept with him.
"He had night terrors last night?" Thalia asked with a hint of compassion.
I nodded to myself. "Yeah."
She sighed loudly. "I'm sorry, A. I was just worried about you."
"I know that but I can take care of myself, okay? Hey, how about we do lunch? You, me, and Luke." I suggested.
I could practically see her beaming at the idea. "They don't call you genius for nothing. Okay. I'll meet you at Berry's at noon."
...
I stood and waved Thalia and Luke over to my table. A waiter led them to where I was seated near the window in Berry's. It was a small elegant restaurant nestled within the nooks and crannies of New York City. Thalia and Luke sat opposite me and picked up their menus.
"How's that project going, Annie?" Luke asked, ginning.
I made a face and took a sip from my glass of water before answering, "Eh, okay."
A waiter stopped by our table and took our orders. He then picked up the menus and walked back into the kitchen. I folded my hands on the table and stared at the two of them. "When's the wedding?" I smiled and leaned forward eagerly.
Luke's smile faded and I frowned.
Thalia hung her head and shook her hair back and forth.
"Did I say...something?" I asked, confused. Thalia nodded vigorously while Luke clenched his jaws and turned his head to the window. His eyes were vacant as they focused on something just beyond the glass. "Thalia?" I turned to my best friend, hoping for a plausible explanation. Not receiving one, I turned to Luke.
"I'm going to tell her." He announced.
"Go ahead." Thalia replied stiffly, arms folded across her chest.
Luke sighed and said, "The wedding was supposed to be in two months but with you and her flying to Italy in a few days and staying for a year, that won't be possible."
"We could always postpone it!" Thalia commented through gritted teeth. It seemed like they had this conversation before.
"But I don't want to postpone it!" Luke exclaimed. "I don't even want to wait until our set day. I want to marry you here, now. Not a year from now."
I couldn't help but smiled at what he said. His words thawed Thalia's iciness and she cracked a smile. "I can't wait to marry you too," She assured him. "But this is work. I can't put it off."
"Actually," I piped up. Their heads simultaneously swiveled in my direction. "You guys could always have the wedding in Italy."
Luke and Thalia gaped at me. "What?"
"Yeah, I mean, move the wedding. And Luke can fly out and stay with us until the wedding." I rolled my eyes. "Seriously, guys, it's simple."
"We hadn't thought of that." Thalia uttered.
"Obviously not." I muttered. "I'll help you with the planning and stuff too. Ask the wedding coordinator if you guys can change the venue and if not, then we can find another planner in Italy."
Thalia leaned across the table and pulled me to her chest. "You, Annabeth, are a fricking genius! I could kiss you!"
I grinned and said wryly, "Please don't."
...
When I returned home, I opted to take a hot bath and a quick nap. As I slipped into the bubbly bathtub, my phone rang. I sighed, wrapped a towel around myself and tip-toed my way into the living. I picked up my phone and answered with an irritated, "Hello?"
"Annabeth?" My father returned. "Sweetheart, are you busy?"
"I was about to take a shower. Why?"
"I just wanted to tell you that your mother and I found the perfect home for Nico." He informed me, voice grim. He didn't like this transfer thing anymore than I did. "Before you leave, I'd like it if you and I visit it and make sure everything's to your approval."
I started toward the bathroom. "That's fine, Dad."
"Okay. Enjoy your shower." He hastily hung up.
I laughed and placed the phone down. The air raised goosebumps on my arms and I hurriedly returned to the warm waters. After sinking in, I closed my eyes and let the water soothed my frayed nerves. This week was going to be a long one. I could just feel it.
...
The next morning, when I parked my car into the gallery's parking lot, Thalia was there and waiting. In her hands were blueprints and a tray with two Styrofoam cups of coffee from Starbucks wedged in it. I smiled at her, took the tray of coffees of her hand and together, we forged inside and into an elevator.
"You ready for this?" Thalia asked, smiling.
I shook my head. "Honestly, no."
"You'll do fine." She reassured me.
The doors slid opened and we walked out. Our heels clicked against the tile floors and I winced with every clack it made. Poseidon's secretary led us to one of the conference rooms and gestured at the closed door. "Go right on in."
"Thanks." Thalia and I chimed.
It didn't surprised me that Percy was late again. Actually, I was thrilled. I still hadn't drawn up a clear picture of our night at the beach and I'd do anything to delay the inevitable moment where I have to face him. Thalia's accusation was still fresh in my mind and the thought made me laugh. Me and Percy having sex was the funniest thing anyone has ever accused me of doing.
"Are you alright?" My father whispered, brows furrowed with concern.
"I'm fine." I whispered back.
Finally, Percy barged into the conference room, out of breath. His father barely paid him any mind and motioned for me to take the floors. I did so with Percy right beside me. And for the first time in a very long time, I felt confident and comfortable.
...
"Wonderful design, Ms. Chase. The structure itself met every requirements I had." Poseidon beamed. "Job beautifully done."
"Thank you." I muttered, abashed by all the attention I was receiving. After the presentation, my father had left to take care of medical issues concerning my brother and I wanted to go with him but he'd persistently insisted that I stayed.
Poseidon had bombarded me with praises the second I returned to my seat and I found it a little bit flattering. Percy sat next to me, uncaring and uninterested. After finalizing the design and stamping his seal of approval, Poseidon stood and waved at Percy. "Well done, Ms. Chase. I'll be looking forward to seeing the real thing on opening night in Italy."
The older man moved to and swiftly out the door. Thalia exhaled a breath and gave me a congratulatory smile. Percy leaned down and I could feel his breath blowing gently over my earlobe. "I'll be seeing you in Italy, Wise Girl."
Then he exited in the same manner as his father.
