Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long, but I was busy writing this super long chapter! It's like over 3,000 words, so you're welcome! haha!
The next few weeks were kind of boring. Catherine, Jason and Bob left. We went on as usual and nothing eventful happened. Savannah and Percy and I hung out as usual and we never told Savannah about the kiss-type-thing as promised. I knew she could tell something was going on between Percy and I, but there was a part of me that hoped nothing like that would happen, so we wouldn't ruin our friendship forever. Percy and I had been through a lot. I didn't want to lose him yet.
"I have an announcement to make!" Stacey was standing on a table in the cafeteria in stilettos. I was waiting for her to fall.
When there was complete silence, she made her announcement.
"We're going to have a ball to celebrate the end of summer!"
Excuse me?
"We'll be passing out flyers at the end of lunch giving all the deets!"
You've got to be kidding me.
"A ball?" I said to the rest of my siblings.
They all sighed. "It seems so."
"That stinks," I said.
"No, y'all! It could be fun," Savannah tried.
"I highly doubt anything planned by the Aphrodite cabin will be 'fun'," Malcolm said.
"Y'all could have a good time! I mean, there's always good food right?" Savannah asked.
"Probably," I admitted. We've never had a dance or a "ball" here before.
"Well then! There y'all go! Good food!" Savannah concluded.
I smiled at her effort.
I began to gather up my things.
"And besides, you don't have to have a date," I told them as I got up. I turned and nearly collided with Percy.
"Percy! Hi!" I said.
"Hi, Annabeth," Percy said.
"So, how are things?" I asked, politely.
To be honest, Percy and I haven't talked much lately. We weren't fighting or anything.
"Fine. I, uh, kind of need to talk to Malcolm about something."
"Okay, I'll see you later," I said as I walked away.
Savannah was beside me instantly. "What's up with you two?"
"What do you mean?" I asked her.
"You guys barely talk, you barely hang out, and you barely made small talk," she said.
"We've just been busy," I said to her.
"Right. Too busy for your best friend?"
"It's complicated."
"I'm sure it is."
"It is!"
"Whatever, Annabeth. I'm just saying, you guys seem to be drifting apart," Savannah said.
"We are not. I've actually made plans with Percy in the arena this afternoon." A lie.
"Oh, that's good," Savannah said. "Time for you two to bond."
"Uh-huh. I'm super excited." Also a lie.
"See you, Annabeth," Savannah said.
"Yeah, bye," I said.
When she had disappeared, I spun on my heal and went searching for Percy.
When I found him, I was in a frantic mess.
"We're going to the arena this afternoon, okay?" I told him.
He looked startled. "Okay."
"K'bye," I said.
That was weird.
I was walking back to my cabin for no apparent reason when I found Savannah laughing with Tyler.
I walked over to them.
"So you're going to that Aphrodite dance?" Tyler asked Savannah.
"Yeah," she said.
"Would you maybe want to sing with me?" he asked her.
Her eyes lit up. "That'd be so much fun!"
"Cool. Oh, hey Annabeth. Bye Savannah. Annabeth." Tyler nodded in my direction and walked away.
"So I guess I'm now singing at the dance," she said.
"I guess so."
"Take that!" I yelled as I thrusted my sword towards Percy and tripped him.
Percy jumped up and we started walked around each other in a circle. I couldn't help but laugh.
"Huzzah!" I said in-between laughs.
He smiled.
"You're going down," Percy said.
"In your dreams," I said.
He dodged to the left. I spun around quickly and poked him with my sword. My elastic that was holding my hair back broke and my blonde curls went everywhere.
It must have been distracting because Percy stopped and I hit him and he fell back. I put my foot on his chest.
"I win!"
Savannah was clapping.
Percy just looked up at me with an open mouth.
"Close your mouth Seaweed Brain, you'll attract flies," I said. He immediately shut his mouth and I helped him back up.
"Well, that was interesting," Percy stated.
I laughed. "Yes it was."
"That's so cute!" an Aphrodite girl came up and said to us.
"What?" Percy asked.
"You were so distracted by her beauty that you weren't paying attention and she got you."
My eyes grew wide and Percy blushed.
"Nu-uh! She just got a lucky shot."
"Okay then, you won't mind if Annabeth goes to the ball with one of my brothers?" she said.
Percy crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "'Course not."
"Annabeth is standing right here," I said.
"That's good. Because Annabeth is going to the ball with Scott," she said.
"Annabeth can answer for herself!" I cried.
"Okay then. I hope they have fun!" Percy said to her.
"Wait! I'm not going to the dance with Scott!" I cried.
"Okay then. It's settled. Annabeth will go to the dance with Scott and they will have a great time."
"Good," Percy said. She walked away and I stood there.
"Hey Percy?"
"Yeah?"
I punched him hard in the arm.
"Ow! What was that for?" he cried.
"Why did you set me up with Scott!" I cried.
"Because I was proving a point!" Percy cried.
"So? I don't want to go with him. Now I have no choice!" I yelled back at him.
"Shut up, you guys!" Savannah cried. "You fight like an old married couple!"
I crossed my arms and glared at Percy.
"You suck," I said to him.
"Love you too!" Percy said with a glare. We both spun on our heals and walked off.
I heard Savannah sigh from behind us.
"Why me?" she said.
I didn't talk to Percy at all until the day of the dance.
We crossed paths, me going to the rock climbing wall, him going to the art room.
"You still going with Scott?" he asked me.
I sighed. "Yeah. I didn't want to hurt his feelings."
"Oh."
"You got a date?" I asked him.
"No."
"Oh. See you later."
"Bye."
After my daily activities, I went back to my cabin where all the other Athena girls were.
"Annabeth! I got your dress," Savannah said.
It was lying on my bed. "Thanks."
I went over and picked it up. It was short (about two-three inches above the knees) and spaghetti strapped. It was silver and had a black band at the waist and tied in the back. It was pretty…
"Put it on," Savannah urged.
I sighed and lifted the shimmering fabric over my head. It fell perfectly.
Everyone oohed. I blushed slightly.
"Wow. You look great," she said.
"Thanks," I said.
"Come over here, Annabeth," my sister, Megan, said.
I walked over to her and sat down in the chair in front of her.
"I promise not to burn you," Megan said as she began to twist my hair onto a curling iron.
"My hair's already curly," I tell her.
"Yeah, but this will make you have big curls instead of your tight curls," she tells me. I listen to her. I shut my eyes for a few moments while she works on me. Then, Savannah puts stuff on my face.
"I don't like make-up," I tell her.
"I know. But we need to frame your eyes," she said.
I sigh. "Okay."
About thirty minutes later, Savannah hands me the mirror. I look at myself. My hair is in loose curls around my face and my eyes seem to sparkle. I notice that Savannah rimmed them in black and coated my lashes with mascara. I wore a silver-y eyeshadow and she dusted glitter on my eyes. I kind of liked it.
"Thanks," I tell her.
"No problem. Now it's my turn."
I watch her as she puts on her blue dress and puts her hair into a braid that goes does her back like Rapunzel. She does her own make-up, too, and I notice she seems a tad giddy.
She goes around and inspects everyone. Then she stands in front of us and gives us a pep talk.
"Okay, girls. Tonight, the Athena girls will shine. We're going to show everyone that it's possible to have beauty and brains!You all look fantastic."
We all smiled.
"Oh! And knock him dead." When she said this, she looked directly at me. I also noticed that she said "him" and not "'em" like "them". I wonder what she means.
We all emerged from the cabin in a pack.
We walked to the beach in silence, the wind blowing our hair. I knew we were all nervous.
"Hey guys?" Savannah said suddenly.
"Yeah?"
"Fat penguin."
"Excuse me?" I ask.
"I'm trying to break the ice," Savannah said and bursted out laughing.
I rolled my eyes, but everyone else laughed.
I immediately spotted Percy. He was wearing a black tux and was talking to someone. Scott. They both looked up simultaneously. Scott at the girls. Percy at me. He wore an expression of shock. I winked at him. He cracked a smile and I laughed.
"Hey guys," I said as I walked up.
"Wow," Scott said, looking me up and down. "You look… great!"
"Thanks, you too," I said.
"No really! I've never seen you like this," Scott said.
"My eyes are up here."
"Right."
"Um, let's go in," I said. I walked in with Scott and Percy on my heels.
Music was playing, and the Aphrodite girls were everywhere.
"Hey, I'm going to go get us some punch, babe," Scott told me. I raised an eyebrow.
"Okay," I said.
"Well, he seems like a prince," Percy said.
"Oh, shut up. It's all your fault anyway."
"How is it my fault?"
"You pretty much set me up with the guy!"
"I did not!"
"What are we talking about?" Scott said as he came up behind me.
"Nothing," Percy said.
Scott handed me my drink and I took a tiny sip. Savannah walked up to us.
"Have you seen Tyler? I can't find him anywhere!"
"Nope."
Savannah turned her head then stopped dead.
"Savannah?" I said to her.
"Found him," she said in a small voice.
I turned to where she was looking at. It was Tyler.
Tyler was dressed in a tux like the other boys except he had a blue tie, the same shade as Savannah's dress. He looked like a whole other person.
He spotted Savannah and walked over to us.
"Hey guys," he said.
"Dern, Tyler," I said, picking up Savannah's slang word.
He blushed. "Thanks."
Then, a slow song played.
"We better go set up," Tyler said to Savannah.
"Yeah, good call," Savannah followed Tyler over to the stage, leaving me, Percy, and Scott alone.
"Wanna dance, princess?" Scott asked.
I shrugged. Princess?
Scott lead me into the middle of the dance floor.
I put my arms on his shoulders and he placed his hands on my waist. We swayed around for a couple of seconds. His hands keep wandering farther and farther down. So, I made them go farther and farther up.
"I'm going to go get some punch, Princess," Scott said.
"Whatever," I told him.
I went over to Percy.
"How's Scott?"
"A really bad word," I told him.
He laughed. I guess we were back on our regular terms.
Scott came back with my drink.
"Here you go, Princess."
I brought the drink up to my lips and almost took a sip, but I smelled something funny.
"Did you spike my drink?" I cried.
Scott blinked. "Uh, no?"
I punched him in the gut and he fell to the ground. I stood over him with my arms crossed. I crouched down near his ear.
"Nobody calls me Princess," I said to him through my teeth. I stood up and stepped over him.
"C'mon, Percy," I said. Percy smirked at Scott and followed me.
"Jerkface," I muttered under my breath.
"Is that the best you can do?" Percy asked me.
"I can come up with some other words, but they're not suitable for some campers' ears," I said.
Percy laughed.
"Um, hey, everybody," we heard over the speaker. Savannah. "We're going to sing a couple of songs for you guys, so I hope you enjoy. This first one is dedicated to my favorite couple out there! I hope you know who you are!"
The music played and she began her song, "There I was again tonight, forcing laughter faking smiles, same old tired lonely place. Walls of insincerity, shifting eyes and vacancy, vanished when I saw your face. All I can say is it was enchanting to meet you."
"Hey, wanna dance?" Percy asked me.
"Sure," I let him grab my hand and we began to dance.
"This night is sparkling, don't you let it go, I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home. I'll spend forever wondering if you knew, I was enchanted to meet you!"
This song was really pretty. Savannah sang it perfectly. I looked up into Percy's sea-colored eyes.
"The lingering question kept me up 2am, who do you love? I wonder till I'm wide awake Now I'm pacing back and forth, wishing you were at my door I'd open up and you would say, It was enchanted to meet you All I know is I was enchanted to meet you This night is sparkling, don't you let it go I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home I'll spend forever wondering if you knew This night is flawless, don't you let it go I'm wonderstruck, dancing around all alone I'll spend forever wondering if you knew I was enchanted to meet you This is me praying that this was the very first page Not where the story line ends My thoughts will echo your name until I see you again These are the words I held back as I was leaving too soon I was enchanted to meet you Please don't be in love with someone else Please don't have somebody waiting on you Please don't be in love with someone else Please don't have somebody waiting on you This night is sparkling, don't you let it go I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home I'll spend forever wondering if you knew This night is flawless, don't you let it go I'm wonderstruck, dancing around all alone I'll spend forever wondering if you knew I was enchanted to meet you Please don't be in love with someone else Please don't have somebody waiting on you."
"Wow," Percy said.
"Yeah," I turned with him to clap.
Savannah hugged Tyler and he looked like he was about to faint.
"Aw. That's sweet," I said to Percy. "Look at them."
"Guy gets the girl. Wish that was true for me," Percy said looking over at me.
I was about to question him when Savannah started up another song and we were interrupted by a goddess.
"Hello children!" Aphrodite cried. Savannah stopped singing. Everyone looked.
"I'm glad to see you're having fun! I hope you don't mind us joining in!"
We all murmured.
"Procede, darlings!" Aphrodite said.
Athena appeared before me.
"Mother!" I said.
She smiled a somewhat sad smile. "Hello, daughter."
"Dad. What are you doing here?" Percy suddenly said.
"I have great news!" Poseidon said.
"What is it?" Percy asked.
"I've found you a girl," Poseidon said.
I stopped breathing for a second.
"Excuse me?" Percy said.
"She's perfect for you!" Poseidon went on. "She works in my underwater palace. She's the most beautiful woman in the sea! I've already arranged for you two to get married."
Percy was pale. For some reason, I felt like running away.
"But, I'm only seventeen!" Percy protested.
"I know! That's why you'll get married in three years," Poseidon had this all planned out. "What do you think?"
Percy looked at me frantically. I didn't say anything, just stood there.
"I'm… I'm… speechless," Percy said.
"Wonderful! You'll leave with me immediately to go meet your soon-to-be bride."
Poseidon pulled Percy with him. "We leave tomorrow."
Percy sent me a glance. I gave him a reassuring smile.
Savannah came running up to us.
"Annabeth?"
Athena turned. "Is this Savannah?"
Savannah stopped. "Yes. Mom?"
"Yes, child," Athena said.
Savannah had tears running down her cheeks.
She ran and gave Athena a great big hug.
They spent the rest of the evening talking. I just sat there and listened.
When we got back to the cabin later that night, Savannah confronted me.
"What's wrong with you?" she asked.
And with tears running down my cheeks, I answered her.
"Percy's getting married."
"So, I guess I'll see you next summer?" Percy said as he put his bags into the car.
"I guess," I said to him.
"Just so you know, last night was sparkling. I hope you know I was enchanted to meet you."
"I'll miss you," I told him.
"I'll miss you, too," he said.
Savannah came running up.
"Percy!"
"Hey, Savannah," Percy said.
"Don't forget to say good-bye to me now!" Savannah said.
Percy smiled and hugged her.
"I'll miss your Southern self, Savannah," Percy said.
"You'll hear me next summer!" Savannah said with a laugh.
"Bye, guys," Percy said.
We waved as he drove off. Savannah and I walked down the hill. I heard a slam of the breaks, but I'm sure I was only imagining it.
Then, I heard running feet.
I turned and Percy grabbed me in a huge bear hug.
"I couldn't leave without a hug," he said to me.
I smiled. "No, you couldn't."
Without thinking, I kissed him lightly.
"See you next summer," I said to him.
"See you next summer," he promised.
I turned and walked down the hill once again.
"What's wrong?" Savannah said. "Do you miss him?"
I shook my head. "This was supposed to be a summer to remember."
Please don't hate me! This is going to be the second to last chapter, so it's not over yet ;) The next chapter will be posted soon! Maybe today, but don't get your hopes up!
BTW, this song was "Enchanted" by Taylor Swift.
Please Review!