Percy strode quickly behind Annabeth who hadn't slowed her pace since the park. Her hair blew out behind him, making him smell the peach scent again.
They'd both not said a thing, just stomping back into the deep city, cars now starting their journeys home during rush hour.
I'm so stupid. Why did I try and-
Percy almost ran into Annabeth because she'd stopped abruptly. She whirled around to him, her face not the mask of frustration it had been when they'd stumbled out of the photo booth. Her face was now completely calm, though when he looked in her gray eyes, they looked as stormy as dark clouds about to form a tornado.
"What should we do now?" she asked cautiously. Her eyes never left his, which unnerved him, but Percy couldn't make himself look away from them.
"Uh…I don't know. We could just walk." he suggested stupidly. He felt like slapping himself even more now.
She nodded. "Sure. Walk and talk." she agreed. She kept at his pace now, no longer barging through people, shaking her hands impatiently, just walking slowly, Percy's hands in his pockets again.
But they weren't talking. But it wasn't an awkward silence. Just a thoughtful silence. And they were both thinking about the same thing.
Annabeth had finally gotten her heart to slow it's rapid pace. It threatened to jump out of her throat, screaming to everybody that would listen that she loved the boy walking next to her. Her blush had calmed down too. She ran her hand through her hair, trying to comb out snarls that had been put into place by the wind…and partly to hide herself from Percy behind a wall of blonde hair.
Percy felt like beating the crap out of himself, thinking Annabeth thought he was some weirdo, and that she wouldn't want to do this ever again. They would grow even further apart then they'd been before!
She ran ahead of you. She probably wanted to run away, but didn't want to be rude.
He rolled his eyes and scuffed his shoe against the sidewalk, kicking a random pebble. It went a few feet, and they caught up to it, but Annabeth kicked it back in front of them.
Well talk to him! Don't be a mute to him! Annabeth scolded herself. She pulled the picture slip from her pocket, glancing at them.
"Did you see the pictures?" she asked. Holding the slip out to him. Percy shook his head, and grabbed them.
The first one was just them looking at the camera with shocked faces.
The second was them laughing about the first picture.
The third was actually posed, Annabeth was giving Percy Minotaur horns, while Percy was rolling his eyes.
The fourth was Annabeth grinning hugely, and Percy was laughing again.
The fifth was Percy sticking his tongue out at Annabeth and she looked appalled.
The sixth was Annabeth sticking her tongue out at him back.
The seventh one, the last one was just a nice one, them smiling, really smiling at the camera, and Percy's arm seemed to have wound it's way around Annabeth's shoulders.
Percy grinned at the small black and white pictures. "These are pretty good." he commented.
Annabeth grinned like him, "I know. I'll have to make copies so we can both have a slip."
She folded her hands behind her back and walked just a bit ahead of him.
Percy smiled again, slipping the pictures into his pocket.
"Could we go look at those posters over there?" Annabeth looked innocently over her shoulder at him. Percy rolled his eyes and nodded. "Sure. I'd like a few more on my wall anyway."
-x-
"Atagirl! Flirt with him! Lead him on! Good recovery! Any news about what happened in the photo booth?" Thalia added quickly between her cheering.
Nico had to keep a hold on the back of her shirt so she didn't hop up and start dancing from their hiding place.
Grover looked down at the cell phone they all designated to this mission. "Nope. No news from Connor and Travis."
Thalia didn't even seem to care about the answer to her own question.
Across the street, Percy was looking at posters of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd. Annabeth turned through posters of recent movies and CDs on the opposite side. She suddenly popped out into Percy's side showing him a CD. Percy started laughing and abandoned the poster to go look at the CD in Annabeth's hands.
Thalia squealed like a fan girl, which she was of Percy and Annabeth, and landed on her knees again.
"So what's happening now?" she asked again. Grover repeated the message, and still Thalia's happy expression didn't waver.
"Ok!" she shrugged happily.
Nico looked at her with a strange look, shook his head and looked seriously back at all of them, though Tyson was distracted again, watching ants march in a line back to their ant hill. "Now. What's your brilliant idea Thalia?" he addressed.
Thalia looked at him, her smile still bright. "You'll see!" she sang. Tyson started crawling, following the ants.
"Oh, hey big guy?" Grover tried to get Tyson's attention. Tyson looked back reluctantly.
"Yes goat boy?" he asked.
"Just stay over here." he pulled Tyson back by his arm. Tyson plopped down, crossing his legs.
"Thalia. How can we help you with the plan if you don't tell us?" Nico asked her impatiently.
Thalia turned towards him. "Because I haven't even thought of it yet!"
"WHAT?" the boys looked at her unbelieving.
"I'll think of it when the opportune moment shows up to put it in action!" she whispered to them, turning back to Percy and Annabeth.
"Great. This'll be fun." Nico groaned, and leaned against the tree trunk, closing his eyes, listening to Tyson whistling exactly like the birds.
-x-
Rachel sighed sadly, looking out of her dimmed car window, holding her phone in her pocket. Her father had ordered her back the millionth time he'd called. The driver turned the radio to a station of instrumental music.
Rachel rolled her eyes at the back of the driver's seat, and looked back out the window, passing food vendors, and clothes vendors.
The car was moving so fast that she only saw a blur of the back of the heads of a boy with black hair, and a girl with brown hair laughing at something.
She sighed. That could've been me and Percy today. Laughing together, spending the day…
She looked down at her phone, pressing buttons to go through her applications, going through her calls, and looked at the unanswered call she'd made to Percy.
She exited that and looked back up to the sky.
He's just busy. I'll get to hang out with him later. She reassured herself.
She closed her eyes, her head still leaning towards the sky.
-x-
"I'm buying this one! I seriously am!" Annabeth said still giggling slightly. Percy's face was red from laughing so hard, and he just nodded to her.
After buying the CD, they both went on walking, occasionally talking, but mostly just looking at their surroundings.
"I have to do something!" Thalia whispered to herself, even though the boys around her could hear her.
Nico sighed again, still looking like he was sleeping against the tree. "You said that about five minutes ago. And do you have a plan? N-"
"I'm working on it, I'm working on it!" She retorted angrily.
She looked around the street hurriedly, looking at every couple, every family, every person walking their dog, everyone.
Then right in front of her eyes, right outside the bushes, a little girl, maybe not even three years old, was walking behind her parents, and she fell over her feet.
The girl didn't cry, she just looked shocked that she was suddenly on the ground. Her mother cooed to her as she picked her back up, hugging her close.
A light bulb went off. "That's it!" Thalia almost jumped up again, but all three boys grabbed the back of her shirt. (They'd seemed to be doing that a lot today…)
"Do you finally have a plan?" Nico asked.
Thalia nodded enthusiastically. "The best plan yet."
Percy and Annabeth sat down on a bench in a shady area, in a different park than before.
I doubt either of us will ever go back to there.
Annabeth leaned her head back, closing her eyes. Percy snuck a peak, seeing how the sun washed her face, making it shine even more than before, and her hair was almost sparkling.
"Whatcha lookin at Seaweed Brain?" she questioned, eyes still closed.
Percy smiled, "Nothin Wise Girl." he replied. Annabeth giggled lightly.
Percy stood up from the spot, spreading his arms out like flying to stretch them out.
Annabeth went to stand up too. Percy turned away from her at the worst moment, and she started falling forward into the busy street. Annabeth didn't really notice the danger until she only saw black tar in her vision. She opened her mouth to scream, but then felt strong arms around her waist, pulling her back. They knocked the wind out of her, but she was falling backwards now, thank the gods.
Percy's landing was not soft. The back of his head hit the bench as he went down, and falling on his back on the concrete of the sidewalk doubled with Annabeth's weight on his. He let out a groan when he landed, feeling like he'd broken his back. Annabeth wriggled in his arms, turning around to face him.
Just like in the photo booth… her mind whispered.
They were too close, the only thing filling Annabeth's vision now was green eyes, and those green eyes were swimming with…something she couldn't name.
His arms tightened without Percy telling them to around her waist. Her gray eyes widened never leaving his. Her hands were spread out on his chest. She blushed when she figured she was almost straddling him.
Everyone just kept on walking by, paying them no heed.
Again, subconsciously, Percy moved closer.
He's going to… Annabeth's thoughts were drained, cleared of anything but Percy.
Annabeth couldn't tell you still today why she did what she did next. She pulled her legs up onto her knees, and pushed on his chest to bring herself up and away from him. Her blush was the worst it'd been that day.
Percy lie there for a moment, feeling the coldness physical and mental, of her rejection. He stood up slower than she had, and tried to catch her eye, but she purposefully looked over at the bushes across the street which seemed to be shaking in the same anger Annabeth felt.
"Anna-"
"It's getting late. I should be getting home now." she said, her voice like an icicle.
Percy stepped back, took a deep breath, and shook his head.
Well done idiot. You blew it.
"Sure. Let's get back to the car." he said, starting to walk back to the café. Annabeth looked at the sun setting, feeling the tingles settle all over her body. She wiped away the lone tear making it's way down the highway of her cheek, and turned to slowly follow behind Percy.
-x-
"Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no!" Thalia gripped the bush, shaking the branches.
Percy whirled around, walking away from Annabeth, and Thalia could see the shine of light on her cheek, but she wiped it away quickly, falling into step behind him.
"Well. That was definitely the best plan yet." Nico said mockingly.
Thalia held her face in her hands and banged her forehead.
"I ruined it." she mumbled.
None of the three boys spoke up to prove her wrong.