Apparently my body wouldn't let me be unconscious for long. When I woke up, I still saw the blue sky above me, devoid of clouds, with a really bright ball of yellow and white light that hurt my eyes.
My vision was blurry, but I could see something big standing by me solemnly, and it leaned down a head to but at my shoulder, then nibble it. Wet slobber covered my arm, and I tried to move away, but as I did so, a stab of pain shot fiercely through my head. It felt like my brain was being electrocuted.
Two seconds later, I heard a pounding on the ground. I could feel the vibrations of it on the hard dirt underneath me. Something hard was poking into my shoulder, probably a rock, but I didn't want to move for fear of that pain again.
Another big thing appeared in my vision, which was slowly clearing. The thing was black, and it tossed its head as something on it dismounted. It was a person.
Percy. Relief seeped into me. I'll be okay. I just hit my head hard.
It seemed as though my mind was just waiting for me to think that, because all my senses pretty much cleared up then. I could feel the crumbly dirt between my finger tips, the dusty earth smell invading my nose. Percy's features became sharper as he practically flew off Blackjack while the horse was still running.
The boy's green eyes were wide and worried, and as he reached me, he fell to his knees beside me.
"Annabeth, oh gods, are you okay?" he asked frantically, his words almost too fast to make out. "Oh, gods, I should've made you wear that helmet. Can I touch you? Aren't you, like, not supposed to touch someone who's been hurt? Oh, gods. What do I do, what do I do."
His hands were shaking as he reached tentatively out for my shoulders.
I forced myself to a sitting position, carefully so I didn't generate too much pain. As I tried to speak, I found my throat choked up with dust. Coughing to clear it, I said to him with a croaky voice, "I'm fine, just hit my head. And yes, Seaweed Brain, you can touch me. It's not that bad."
A breath released from him in a whoosh as he reached forward and gripped my shoulder protectively, though I didn't know what he was protecting me from. Not like the ground was going to rage up and hit my head again. His other hand came up and tentatively touched my cheek in a soft caress. He looked down at me with furrowed eyebrows. His hair glinted in the sunlight, looking like a deeply tinted window on a clean car. "I'm so sorry, Annabeth."
I took a deep breath, my head still hurting. "'S not your fault." I winced as another bolt of pain went through me. The back of my head felt wet, and I frowned, reaching a hand up to it. When I took it away from my blonde curls, I saw my fingers were scarlet. Percy saw this, too.
"You're bleeding!" he told me, panicking. His hand came up to cup the back of mine.
"It's not gushing out blood, we just need to get back and wipe it off," I said. His hand was gentle, his fingers entangled in my curls.
At that moment, I realized there was another person next to us. Rachel stood beside her horse, watching me and Percy. When Percy saw her, anger grew in his eyes.
"What was that for?" he demanded. I could see his body tense up, and his hand on the back of my skull tightened. "You could've killed her!"
Rachel's lower lip trembled under his fierce gaze. "I—I'm sorry! I didn't know . . . she—"
"You didn't know?" he repeated incredulously, his voice laced with fury. "Come on, Rachel, are you kidding me? I've told you she can't gallop yet, what were you thinking? Actually, you probably weren't thinking at all. You never do, do you?" His words were spitting acid at her, and she cringed, her eyes shifting from me to Percy. When they landed on me, they looked guilty, and on Percy, scared.
Percy's hand on my head got tighter, and it started to throb.
"Percy, I'm sorry!" she said again desperately. She brushed a hand up by her ear to shove away the frizzy red strand that fell in her face. Her green eyes glittered.
Percy just continued snapping at her. "I can't believe you. What's you're problem? You—"
Percy probably would've gone on and on if I hadn't interrupted him. "Percy, stop. It's not all her fault, I could've listened to sense and not done it. And you're kind of hurting my head," I added.
His eyes whipped back to me, and he immediately loosened the pressure on his palm. "Sorry. We need to get you back."
With one last glare at Rachel, who looked down at her feet, he stood up, slipping his arms under my shoulders and knees and bringing me up with him.
"Percy, I can walk. And ride," I said insistently. Not that I wasn't fine with this way of transportation.
"No, you might have a concussion. I'm not going to risk you falling off again."
Once we were near Blackjack, Percy lifted me up as if I weighed nothing. I slung my foot around the back of the saddle. When I straightened up, the world started to spin. I clutched the saddle in front of me, my breath coming in quick gasps. Percy swung up, settling into the saddle. He grabbed my hands, but he had a hard time getting them off of the saddle. They were holding on so hard the knuckles were bone-white. But he soothed them to let go, then slid them around his waist so I could hold on.
"Rachel, get Porkpie," he said to his girlfriend. It was the nicest thing he had said to her so far, but it still came out harsh and short. I couldn't see her reaction, my face was pushed into the warm back Percy's dark t-shirt.
"Percy, you shouldn't be so hard on her," I told him, making my head sideways so I could talk.
He sighed. "She made you do it, and she knew you weren't ready."
"Well, yes . . . but still, things happen, okay?"
He didn't answer, he just turned Blackjack around and started to head back home. I heard Rachel following us from behind. With every step, a spark of pain leapt up in my head. For the whole ride, I just clenched my eyes shut and tried to ignore it. Instead, I counted the steps, hoping that would provide a distraction, but it didn't work. I lost count at one hundred twenty-two. Frequently, Percy would look over his shoulder and ask if I was doing okay. Each time I reassured him I was fine, but he continued to do it. After what seemed like hours, we finally came into the view of the paddock, and farther down, the barn and house. The sun shone upon us, and sweat started sliding down my spine, the feeling similar to a slithering snake, causing me to shudder.
"You okay?" Percy asked as he felt me shiver.
Sighing, I said, "I'm fine."
We got closer to the stables, and I saw Poseidon out there, fixing something on the wall of the house. He had a screwdriver in his hands, and a tool belt with lots of pockets. When he saw us, he raised a hand in greeting. But as we approached him, I could see a frown as his eyes landed on the riderless Porkpie. When he saw me slumped against Percy's back, he dropped the screwdriver and hurried over.
"Dad—she fell, her head's hurt—," Percy started. Poseidon put his hands up for me, and Percy helped me slide into them. The older man set me on my feet, then inspected the back of my head.
"I'll have to clean it." His words were firm, steady. It was weird how so much comfort and calm could come from one adult. It was as if his voice had pushed back most of my panic, and now I could breathe deeply.
"Percy, take care of the horses with Rachel, I'll take Annabeth inside," Poseidon said.
"No, I want to stay with Annabeth—"
"Annabeth will be fine. You can come see her after you've finished with the horses."
Percy bit his lower lip, looking at me with concern.
"I'll be fine, Percy. Help Rachel," I said firmly to him, glancing briefly at the red-haired girl who hadn't said anything. Percy sighed, then dismounted, yanking Porkpie's reins from Rachel's grip and leading the horses quickly into the barn. Rachel followed him dejectedly.
"I can walk," I said. Poseidon pursed his lips, but he let me walk, offering his arm for support. Slowly we made it to the house, every step jarring my head in agony. Poseidon opened the front door and ushered me in. The air condition folded around me, making me breathe a sigh of ecstasy as I made my way to the kitchen. Plopping onto a seat, I laid my head in my hands and massaged my temples. I was somewhat aware of Poseidon going to wet a towel with warm water, then he came back and started to softly wipe the blood away from the back of my head. It was easier since it was at the base of my skull, so my hair didn't get in the way too much.
It took a little while, though. The only sound was the occasional running of the sink as Poseidon rinsed out the rag, or my gasps of pain as he got close to the wound.
A ways into it, the front door opened and Percy rushed in, immediately sitting next to me and putting a comforting hand on my back. I managed a smile for him, and he returned it, albeit half-heartedly. I was glad he was here—friends were a big comfort, and Percy had become a closer friend than a lot of my others. Don't get me wrong, I had quite a few friends, but we weren't ever close, except for Piper. But really, what I categorized as "friend" was someone I could talk comfortably with. However, Percy was closer than that. But still just a friend.
"Rachel went home early," Percy said. Poseidon nodded, but Percy's tone made me wonder if he had made her go home.
"Can you tell me what happened?" Poseidon asked softly.
I took a deep, shaky breath, my eyelids squeezing together tightly as if I could make the pain go away by not seeing anything. Percy started to talk.
"We were riding, and Rachel—"
"It was my fault," I said quickly, interrupting Percy. His green eyes looked at me sharply, frowning, and was about to talk but I continued before he could. "I wanted to see if I could gallop, so I tried, but apparently I'm not ready for that yet. I stopped Porkpie, but got unbalanced and fell."
Percy stared at me, eyebrows furrowed, wondering why I'd lie. To be honest, I didn't quite know myself. It was Rachel's fault, but I also took the bait. I guess I just didn't want any more drama. I was tired and wanted to just wash up and go to bed.
Poseidon finally finished. "I can't really stick a bandage on there, but it's not too bad. You won't need stitches or anything, but don't move your head or you might reopen the wound. I think you might have a concussion, but it'll be pretty light, nothing major. You'll just have some small headaches."
"You can check that off," I grumbled, rubbing my eyes.
He gazed down at me sympathetically. "Do you need anything?"
I shook my head. "No, but thanks. Also, thanks for patching me up. I think I just want to shower and then hit the hay."
He nodded, giving me a small smile. "Do you want me to call your mom, tell her what happened and—"
"No!" I cut him off frantically. He and his son turned a curious gaze onto me. I gulped, stammering, "Uh, I'll, uh—I'll call her later. Yeah." There was no way I was going to tell my mom about this. She'd rant and rave about how stupid I was, and that I needed to stay safe if I wanted the part in this upcoming movie and blah.
Poseidon's a eyebrows drew together, but he nodded. "Percy, help her up, will you?"
"Of course," Percy agreed swiftly. He stood, pushing his barstool back and held out a hand for me. I took it, my head protesting as I moved, but Percy kept a steadying hand on my arm as I stepped up the stairs. We reached my door, and Percy shouldered it open.
"You good?" he asked once we were in.
I dipped my head, heading over to grab some clean clothes before I went to the shower.
"You sure?" he said again as I made my way to my bathroom. "There's nothing I can do?"
I paused, looking at him in amusement. "Percy, unless you want to give me a shower, then no. I'm good."
He cheeks got red. "I meant—yeah, okay. I'll just . . . uh, goodbye."
I watched with a smile as he turned and headed back towards the doorway. He glanced over his shoulder ,offering me a smile as well, then ran into the wall. His cheeks looked similar to a tomato as he shifted his direction, making it out the door this time. I watched him go, giggling, then walked into the bathroom.
The warm shower felt nice. Normally I'd take a cold one, since it was so hot outside, but now I was cold. The sweat seemed to have become cool on me now, and the air conditioning in the house blew a relentless stream of freezing air out.
I was careful with my injury, washing as much of my hair as I could. It was difficult, but I soon got out of the shower, changing into grey sweats and an orange shirt that had a few Greek words on it. It was my favorite shirt, though I didn't know why. I just had always had it, and when I grew out of it, I got a bigger one made.
Slinging my hair into a high messy bun to get it out of the cut, I headed back into my room, yawning. I saw that the time was only seven. I hadn't eaten, but I wasn't hungry, so I just fell onto the comfy bed, sighing from the day.
Suddenly the phone rang. My cell phone. My heart started to contract as I listened to the tune pounding against my mind. It was probably my mom, and when I picked it up, it would be worse than one of Mrs. Weasley's howlers, if you can believe it.
I didn't want to listen to my mom. My head was already throbbing painfully, she'd just make worse. Our conversations always conjured up a headache for me.
But I had ignored so many of her calls recently, and if I didn't pick up, I didn't know what she'd do. With a growl, I snatched the phone up, jabbing the talk button and pressing it to my ear, determined to make this quick.
I talked before she could. "Look, mom, I know you want to boss me around and all, but I really don't feel like it. For once could you just back off as give me a break. I mean—"
A voice cut me off. "Uh, sorry. I just wanted to see how everything was going."
That was not my mom's voice. That was a male voice. One that was somewhat familiar.
I frowned. "Who is this?"
"Luke. Luke Castellan."
Oh, gods. I pulled the phone away from my ear to glance at the caller. I hadn't even looked there when I picked up. Sure enough, it was unknown number. I'm so stupid.
My face heated abruptly. That was beyond humiliating. I was so glad he couldn't see me, he'd probably ask who squirted ketchup all over my face.
"Oh, Luke . . . Um, sorry," I said weakly. This was so embarrassing. "How did you get my number."
"From your mom, her and my agent are talking about the upcoming movie. You're auditioning, right?"
I swallowed. What was mom doing giving him my number? Well, I can't say I didn't like it. Just listening to Luke's husky and deep voice made my girly side go absolutely insane. My knees felt weak, but I didn't know why. I was laying on my bed, not standing up.
"Yeah. Yeah, I am."
"Sweet. I hope we get to work together." He sounded genuine.
My face felt like a stove. "Me too."
An awkward silence arose.
"So, how's the lessons?"
"You know?" I asked him, surprised. I thought everybody thought I was at Caribbean island or something like that. I can't remember.
"Yeah. Again, your mom. How are they?"
"Uh, fine. Great, actually, I love horses. And I have a great trainer." An image of Percy with his lopsided grin came into my mind.
"Uh, hey, I gotta go. But can you have my mom call me?" I told him, not wanting to stop the call but knowing I had to talk to my mom.
"Yeah, sure thing. It was nice talking with you, Annabeth, and hopefully I can see you soon," he said. I could hear a smile in his voice.
"Hopefully," I agreed. "Goodbye, Luke."
"Goodbye."
The line went dead. I flipped onto my back, wincing slightly at my head. But I hadn't felt that all during the conversation. Elation rose in me, making me giddy. Oh, gods. I just talked with Luke Castellan. He wants to see me soon. It was all I could do to not squeal like a girl. Over the past few weeks, it had seemed like my crush on Luke had gone down a bit, but now all that came back. Girls were so weird—one minute we're like, "I don't like him anymore." Then we have a tiny conversation with him and we're back to "Oh, my gods, he's amazing and perfect. I love him so much," and all those feelings come roaring back in a flash flood.
But before I let myself get too happy, I reminded myself that I still had to deal with my mom.
A minute later, my phone rang again. This time I checked before I picked up, but it was who I expected.
"Really, mom?" I demanded right after I picked up.
"What?" she said.
"You gave him my number, probably so I'd start answering my calls," I said. "Well, guess what? I picked up, thinking it was you, and started yelling at him. Thanks. Thanks a lot."
"Well, you should've looked at the caller," she replied. "Now, why haven't you been returning my calls?"
I exhaled. "I've been busy."
She scoffed into the phone. "Don't lie to me, young lady. Why are you ignoring your mother?"
"Because!" I said suddenly, sitting up and swinging my legs over the side of my bed, looking at the waning sunlight outside. "Because every time I do pick up, all you do is yell at me and boss me around!"
"Maybe if you picked up more, I would be better."
"Ha, funny, mom," I said, my voice poisonous. "Just face it. All you do is control me."
"And look where that has gotten you!" she shouted. "You're a world-wide known actress with an amazing life and wealth beyond belief! This is all you've ever wanted!"
"No, this is all you've ever wanted," I replied my voice shaky. "Yes, I do love acting, and yes, I don't have much to complain about with my life. But sometimes I just want to stop and enjoy my life. I'm a teenager, mom! Let me live my life while I can!"
"Teenagers would kill to be in your place," she insisted, her voice grating on my ears.
"Yeah, until they got here. Then they'd probably become suicidal from the pressure the world puts on you, the stress that slams your shoulders everyday, and the controlling bossy mother that more often than not seems to not love you."
She was quiet for a second. "That's not true."
"Really, mom?" I spat into the receiver. Even I was surprised from my tone. I had wanted to say these words for so long, but I found no pleasure in it. In fact, I could feel my eyes getting wet, and I blinked rapidly. "You know what? I should thank you for sending me here. It's been one of the best summers of my life so far. I actually am surrounded by people who care. I have so many new friends, good ones. And Poseidon and Percy are nice to me, opposite of you. Percy always makes me laugh, not frown or get angry like it always happens when I talk to you."
"Annabeth, stop these thoughts. They'll do you no good. And I expect an apology for the words you've just spoken to your mother."
I let out a muffled groan. This was so frustrating, and my head was in unbelievable pain. It was screaming at me, making everything go fuzzy. I could feel something wet slide down my cheek, and I wiped at it furiously.
"You need to start acting more mature, and be more respectful, young lady. If—"
I couldn't take it anymore. If she kept nagging at me, I would throw myself out the window. She was the one slamming the hammer onto the nail that was piercing my head in excruciating agony.
I pulled the phone away from my ear, then chucked it as hard as I could at the wall. I watched in satisfaction as it hit the dry wood, denting it and cracking the glass on the phone. The screen went black and I could picture my mom yelling curses at me even though I wasn't listening. I pushed myself to the end of the bed, my back leaning against the headboard.
Pulling my knees up to my chest, I hugged them and let the tears fall. I hated my life. I wanted to be normal, not some crazy big star. Wanted to have a normal day, without anyone asking me for an autograph or a picture. I couldn't go anywhere without someone recognizing me and start to spread the word.
That's why this summer was heaven. I had gotten a break from all that.
A knocking cut through the fog in my brain, insistent and hard as it continued.
"Annabeth?" I could hear Percy on the other side of my door. "Annabeth, are you okay? Why were you yelling? And what was that thud?"
"Go away, Percy," I called out, my vision blurry from the excess water in my eyes. But my voice cracked, and I swore in my mind.
The knocking paused. "Annabeth?" His voice was softer. He had heard my voice. "Are you crying? Annabeth, please let me in."
I looked tiredly at the door. "Percy, I said go away."
"I'm not leaving if you're crying, Wise Girl."
I closed my eyes briefly, my head falling back against the hard wood, knowing he would stay true to his words. "The door's unlocked, idiot."
"Oh." His voice was sheepish. I rolled my eyes, but my smile didn't make it this time.
The door opened, and Percy walked in, shutting it behind him. He looked at me, huddled in a fetal position and crying on the bed.
"Annabeth, what's wrong?" His kind voice made me want to cry harder.
"Nothing," I said firmly, wiping my face hard to try to make myself stop crying.
Percy was next to me in less than a second, grabbing my wrist to make me stop rubbing my face so hard. He sat next to me, his back against the headboard as well, moving his grip so he was holding my hand instead. His eyes were so full of concern, so empathetic even though he didn't know what was bothering me.
Slowly, his face started to get blurry as my tears built up again. Usually I hated crying in front of people—it made me look weak. But something in Percy's eyes made me okay with it. It made me feel that I could do anything, he wouldn't care.
The first tear slipped over the edge, falling down my face like a person down a cliff, and I squeezed my grey eyes shut. I felt two arms go around me, and I leaned into Percy's hug. He pulled my legs up, putting them on the other side of his legs so he could hold me closer. I buried myself in his chest. He was supported by the headboard, and I was being supported by him—and not just physically.
"Hey, it's okay," he whispered against my hair soothingly. His thumb rubbed tiny circles on my back, seeming to make me cry all my tears out until my eyes were dry, and crying was like dry-heaving—it hurt, and it felt like I was tearing up, but nothing was happening.
I leaned back, wiping under my eyes and sniffling, my nose stuffed up. "I'm sorry," I said, then added, chuckling a bit. "I bet you probably didn't want to spend fifteen minutes holding a sobbing girl."
He smiled, making me happier instantly. "It's fine. If it made you feel better, then I'd do it any day."
Gods, Percy. Why do you have to be so darn adorable? It makes the whole not liking you think a lot harder.
I was about to say something, but my words were interrupted by a yawn. Exhaustion was creeping up into me, but I still didn't feel too swell. When Percy had held me still, I had been able to dull the headache, but it was back full force now. I shifted my legs, them still draped over Percy's, my knees on his lap. The pillows on my bed were lounging about, one in between Percy's lower back and the hard wood behind him.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked carefully, looking at my eyes. His hand came up, and he gently wiped away the dregs of the tears.
I took a deep, unsteady breath. "It's—it's just my mom. She's so frustrating." I told him about our conversation, how I kept yelling at her, but she didn't think anything of my words except that I was being disrespectful and needed to grow up. I didn't tell him about talking with Luke—that conversation didn't mean too much. To Percy, at least. However, thinking now that I had just talked to Luke and realized that my crush on him hadn't faded at all, and then adding my weird feelings for Percy, it was a complicated order, complete with a huge headache as the cherry on top. Yippee.
After I had told Percy, he was silent for a little bit, thinking. I hadn't really ever told someone about my rocky relationship with my mom. Malcolm knew, but he always took my side. That didn't change my mom from loving him—he was her perfect child. He's already big in business, and successful, and unlike her other child, he loved what he did and had no complaints. Gods, I missed him so much right now.
"She loves you," Percy said suddenly. "She has to. What kind of mother doesn't love her child?"
"Obviously not yours. Sally loves you so much. Sometimes I'm so jealous of you."
"You've got an amazing life. Otherwise you wouldn't have turned out as amazing as you are right now. Besides, jealousy is a bad emotion, right? Look where it got Rachel."
I sighed. "I still don't see why she's jealous. There's nothing to be envious of."
Percy scoffed. "You kidding me? She could go on and on about how she wants to be as popular as you, or have fans like you, or money or beauty or blah blah blah."
Yeah, but she has you. That should make up for everything.
"Well, if she had it, then she'd wish she didn't," I muttered.
"Look on the bright side of things," he said. "If you weren't a big movie star, then you might not have met me. The world for you would be charcoal black without my sparkling personality."
I laughed, high and unexpected. It felt so weird, since I was just moping around, and now I was getting lighter. This boy.
"See. You're happier already," he said, smiling. His hands were warm around my waist, and they sent tingles through me, clashing with my throbbing head.
"Well, that's only because you're here," I said honestly. Then I blushed at my words, looking down at my hands in my lap.
Percy chuckled. "I'm honored, Wise Girl. What else is bothering you, so that I might relieve you of your pains, madam?"
I smiled, then winced. "My head hurts. If this is a small headache, I must have an extremely tiny pain tolerance."
He leaned forward, coming close and placing his lips on my forehead, as soft as a butterfly but affecting me more this a raging bonfire. I stared at him.
"All better now," he said, smiling. I returned it.
Another yawn escaped my lips. My brain was falling asleep, and I welcomed that, knowing for at least a few hours I would be able to escape from the mind—numbing pain. Literally.
"You should get some sleep, Annabeth," Percy said. He started to sit up, but I didn't budge my legs, making him unable to move.
"Please stay," I whispered sluggishly. I know I shouldn't have said that, but it felt so good to be here with Percy, and I didn't want to lose that. My eyes were half-lidded, but I saw Percy's bright green eyes flash up to mine, a question in them, one that I didn't bother to answer.
"Please," I repeated. "Just for a little bit—until I fall asleep."
Percy looked at me, his gaze soft.
"Okay, Wise Girl."
With that, he settled back down against the backboard, and I laid my head onto his hard and warm chest, reveling in the feeling of being so close to him. All of what Jason had told me, and Rachel's words—they rushed to me, shoving their contents into my brain.
But I didn't care. I just wanted to fall asleep in Percy's arms, snuggled against his chest. His fingers played idly with my curls, and I could feel the rise and fall of his upper body with each breath. Whenever I blinked, my eyelash fluttered against Percy's shirt.
He shouldn't be doing this. Why wasn't he pushing me away? Why was I, as Jason told me, leading Percy down a road that had a dead end? I couldn't help it. I just couldn't.
The sun had fallen, and it was dark outside and in the room. Percy was quiet, hugging me tightly to him, his head resting on top of mine. My hands clenched his shirt as sleep started to overtake me.
Despite everything that had just happened, from the fall to the fight, all in one day, this was the most calm I had felt in forever. Just laying here, in quietude with Percy, I felt like everything would be okay.
With a small smile in my face, I drifted once more into unconsciousness, like I had earlier this afternoon, but this unconsciousness was much better.
The smell of ocean and Percy filled my nose, and I breathed deeply. My vision was darkening, and the last things I saw were Percy's sea-green eyes watching me with an expression I couldn't recognize. Nonetheless, sleep took over and my eyelids dragged themselves down, cutting off my sight. I held tight to Percy like I would lose him, falling into nothingness.
Aww, Percabeth is adorable. :)
Okay, so the vote was that everybody liked the long chapters, so I'll stick with that! Thanks for replying! :)
So there was a ton of reviewers, and I LOVE YOU ALL. Thank you so much! I'd love to write all the names down here, but I only have ten minutes left on the computer, so I don't know if I'd finish, then you'd have to wait till this afternoon to get the chappie... and I feel like you deserve a chapter after the last cliffhanger. :) So I'm just going to answer some questions! :)
Q&A
Nico Di Awesome: Yeah, that's kind of what is holding her back. She won't be able to see him later. And Rachel, of course. Also, yes, I ride horses, my family has four and I go with my sisters all the time. :)
the boltguard: Okay, so I sat for like five minutes laughing my head off at your review . . . it was awesome. :)
rocketgod123: Well, nature is weird. There can be a violent storm, and then nothing for the next two months. It's super unpredictable, therefore easy to write with, so I'm just going with the story that the tornado was the start of a big drought or the end of a rainy season. :)
Jedi1: Rachel isn't exactly trying to embarrass Annabeth—well, that's a part—but she's more like trying to prove to Percy that she's better than Annabeth, because she knows she can beat Annabeth. Remember, she's jealous of Annabeth, so she wants to hold onto something that will make Percy see she is still better.
Stella928: Yes, Percy is so oblivious. But that's what makes him so dang adorable.
Thanks for the reviews again! Enjoy!