Chapter Nine
Percy's POV
We trailed behind Malcolm and Aelia. We, as in pretty much all the senior campers and the Aphrodite cabin.
At the moment, she was pounding his back, but surprisingly, the dude didn't even flinch. He just gazed happily ahead of him.
They finally stopped at the docks. He set her down. Aelia punched him in the chest. We edged closer.
"-Wanted some time alone with you." Malcolm was saying. Aelia visibly calmed down. They sat down at the edge, their feet dangling above the water.
Malcolm wove his hand around her waist. Aelia leaned into him. He rested his head on her own, occasionally kissing her hair. But I doubt Aelia noticed that.
"This is nice, isn't it?" Aelia asked.
"What do you mean?" Malcolm questioned.
"After 14 years of struggling to survive, after 14 years of watching our loved ones die, after 14 years of sacrificing too much, after 14 years of arguments, after 14 years of suffering, it's nice to finally have some peace." She answered.
Malcolm nodded. "Yeah. It really is nice."
They sat in silence, gazing out over the sparkling water.
"Malcolm… do you ever think about Mark or Leana… or about Noah?"
Who was Noah…?
He sighed. "Yeah… I miss them."
She nodded. "They chose Rebirth you know." Aelia told him.
Malcolm nodded. "I know."
More silence.
They just sat there. Eventually, they stood up. Aelia would ruffle his hair every now and then. Malcolm shook it out and glared at her.
"We're safe… It seems too good to be true…" Malcolm said.
"Yeah… Do you remember the time when Leana found Noelle and Noah?"
Malcolm chuckled. "Of course. Mark almost had a heart attack."
"It's weird… Noelle's my aunt." Aelia realized.
Malcolm laughed. "My little sister is dating her uncle. I'm pretty sure that's weirder."
Annabeth and I turned red.
"Your sister hates me." Aelia said.
Annabeth looked down at the ground in shame.
"Nah, she just doesn't know what to think of you." Malcolm countered.
Aelia chuckled. "Sounds like someone I know." She nudged him with her elbow.
"In my defense, I thought you were going to steal Mark and Leana away from me! Plus, your questions were stupid."
Aelia glared at him. "Shut up. I was new to the whole thing."
"Aelia… how long were you on your own before you met us? I never asked."
Aelia thought back to her childhood days. "That's a pretty random question…"
He shrugged.
Aelia grinned and shook her head. "About 6 or 7 months…"
Malcolm nodded. "You remember that promise we made… when we were 11?"
Aelia nodded and smiled. "Of course I do. You brought it up before we fell…" She trailed off.
I knit my eyebrows. Fell into what? Fell into where?
Malcolm pulled her closer. "I wasn't going to leave you like that. Especially not after what I did to you…"
"It wasn't your fault, Malcolm. You were kidnapped."
Malcolm shook his head. "I was gone for two years, Lia. Two freakin years. My disappearance nearly killed you."
Annabeth gasped, but she wasn't the only one. Malcolm had disappeared for 2 years? When? He was at camp every time I went there.
"But you still came back, Malcolm. You still escaped. I can't blame you for that." Aelia turned around in his grasp. She held his face in her hands. Malcolm placed his own hands over hers (A/N: you know that Thaluke picture on Google? Where Luke's eyes are closed, and he's wearing that cut off CHB shirt? And Thalia is crying… I think? Well basically that, except Aelia and Malcolm instead of Thalia and Luke, dur).
"But…"
Aelia smiled sadly at him. Malcolm shut his eyes and sighed.
"I'm sorry." He whispered.
"Don't be. It wasn't your fault."
"Still, I'm-"
"Malcolm Timothy Dean, I swear to all the gods that if you apologize one more time I'm gonna kick you where Apollo's rays don't reach. Gods, you're worse than Percy when it comes to guilt." She play growled.
I blushed.
Malcolm opened his eyes and smiled. Their noses touched (Aelia's taller than you think).
"I love you." He muttered against her cheek. Aelia nodded.
"I love you too." She smiled.
Aelia pressed her lips to his cheek. Malcolm grinned.
"You missed."
Aelia snorted and pulled away. "And you killed it."
Malcolm laughed. "You're my best friend."
"I better be."
More laughs.
Malcolm stuck out his hand. Aelia glanced down at it and back at him. Their eyes locked.
"Here together," Malcolm began.
Aelia's eyes shined. "Friend's forever," She continued.
"Something's were meant to be," Malcolm stated.
"And that's you and me." Aelia finished.
They grasped hands and shook.
"I promise." They said in unison.
By now, Aphrodite girls were desperately trying to keep their squeals low. I think Drew almost had a stroke, and Lacy was currently dying from a 'feels' attack. Piper looked on in a mixture of pity, disgust, and disappointment.
Aelia snuck a glance at Malcolm. "You do know that we quoted Winnie the Pooh… right?"
Malcolm turned red. "I knew it sounded familiar."
Aelia chuckled in response.
They watched the sun slowly sink (alliteration!) over the horizon. The stars came out, and I could see Zoë's constellation playing across the sky.
Malcolm sat down and pulled his girlfriend down next to him.
"Well, it's too dark for cloud watching, but I guess we could stargaze, one last time."
Aelia nodded. "One last time."
They leaned in. And finally, finally, kissed. This was the moment everyone in the bushes was waiting for.
We exploded out of the undergrowth and charged. Aelia and Malcolm broke apart with lightning speed. Her daggers were in her hands faster than we could blink.
When she realized it was just us, she relaxed and sheathed them.
"Gods of Olympus! Is there no such thing as privacy?" She demanded.
I grinned. "Nope."
We swarmed around them and pushed them into the water. Some of us fell in. By now, campers were jumping into the lake.
I sank to the bottom with Annabeth and created an air bubble. She smiled at me.
"Look!" Annabeth pointed behind me.
Aelia and Malcolm were in some fissure of light; just like that monster had been in the cafeteria back at Goode.
Man that seemed centuries ago.
They were currently in each other's arms. Malcolm was playing with her hair. He whispered something into her ear. Aelia cracked up.
Her laugh echoed through the water, reaching our ears. Maybe it was just me, but I swear the water got warmer when she laughed, I swear the water got lighter when she laughed.
Her laugh was infectious. Soon, giggles could be heard everywhere. Everyone started to crack up.
Zoë looked down at us, and I swear to the gods that she smiled.
We continued to laugh.
So maybe there were more pressing matters, like who Noah was, and like when did Malcolm disappear and no one noticed. But for now, we were happy. But for now, we were safe.
For now, we were home.
