Annabeth's POV:
"Annabeth!" Ryan called from behind me.
He was running up to me with a wide grin on his face. He had on a light blue shirt that had a bunch of holes in it and little burn marks scattered around the chest area which meant he was just working in the forges. His shorts where plain light brown. A very Ryan outfit if you ask me, he never really cares about what he wears. In his opinion it doesn't matter what clothes you wear, just what kind of person you are.
I would have been super happy to see him, and I was trust me, but him calling my name made my major headache just hurt more. When he reached me I smiled at him trying not to think about the argument Athena and I had just a a little while ago.
"Whats up?" I asked.
"Oh nothing..." He started, but obviously something was going on. "I just got a quest!"
His face turned super happy and his smile, if possible, widened even more. I leaped into his arms giving him a hug, "That's fantastic! I'm so happy for you!" I began, "When did this happen?"
My headache raged because of the commotion but I really didn't care, this was a huge deal for Ryan, he hadn't gotten a quest yet and I knew he had been dying to go on one for a while now.
"Just this morning, and guess who gave it to me?" He asked.
"Who?"
"Athena!"
My eye twitched but I kept smiling, I knew what she was doing.
"Really?"
"Yes! Isn't that great! This is like the best thing that's ever happened to me, well besides you being my girlfriend." He said pecking me on the lips real quick. "I feel on top of the world right now, I mean it's an honor to be offered a quest by your mother, it means you're really ready."
Ryan looked so happy, I couldn't tell him about the plan my mom was using him apart of. The fact that he really hadn't been offered a quest because of his achievements would crush him. And right now he looked like a little kid in a candy shop. I won't tell him, I thought, He can never know.
"So what do you have to do?" I asked trying to sound as upbeat as possible.
"Well I'm suppose to go to Iowa and find Demeter's beloved stock of gold corn. Seems pretty lame, I know, but Iowa has a lot of corn. I have driven through Iowa and trust me, there's nothing there but corn. Athena told me I would have to be clever to find it."
"Oh," I said. "That sounds... challenging."
"Well, I know it's nothing like the quest's your used to, but in a way it's a different quest."
"No Ryan," I said smiling and putting my hand on his shoulder, "I think it's great, it's perfect for you. You love finding things, like when you search for car parts at the junkyards, it'll be like that, just a little more... honorable."
Ryan laughed. "Your right, this is a lot better than fixing cars."
"So when are you going to see Rachel? You gotta find out if I can go with you or not." I winked at him.
"I was thinking after lunch, which is in a couple hours. That reminds me, when did you wake up this morning?" He asked.
"Um... around thirty minutes ago." I told him guiltily.
"Annabeth Chase," Ryan said with fake mockery. "Did someone have a rough night last night?"
"Maybe."
"Hows the head?"
"Indescribable. How about yours?"
"A bit annoying but I'll be fine. It's you I'm worried about, what happened that night? You seemed to be having a good time but then you just like zoned off and stopped."
"I had a really good time, it's just I don't know. I was drunk, who knows what I was thinking?" I tried to laugh it off so it wasn't obvious that I stopped making out with him because I was worried Percy had gotten over me so much that he wanted to go hook up with and Aphrodite girl, something that Percy would normally never do.
"Yeah went a little overboard. For you anyway, most people wouldn't be affected by seven beers but you... your something else I guess."
I nudged him playfully. "Whats that suppose to mean?" I giggled.
OK so I was flirting, but he's my boyfriend, we're still allowed to flirt with each other right? Anyways we were walking around now, hand in hand, eventually we'd probably reach the strawberry fields for a quick snack like we usually do when we're bored.
"It means that you are lightweight."
"I am not a lightweight... OK I am but can you blame me?"
"No, I suppose I can't. But I can blame you for being adorable."
I got in front of him and looked up at his face. "That wasn't corny at all."
"Not one little bit." He said as he leaned into a kiss.
When he pulled away I smiled. It was a simple kiss, but I wanted to melt, even my head felt a little better. But in the corner of my right eye I saw a figure with black hair a green eyes that were piercing into our skulls. I put my head on Ryan's chest, facing the left, but I could feel the eyes burning into my head.
Yesterday night I didn't have a problem with Percy seeing me kiss Ryan. But now, I was beginning to worry.
It was done, Ryan would leave for his quest tomorrow morning. Alone. He wouldn't tell me the prophecy, he said he would be fine. I guess I'm stupid to believe that, no one goes on a quest and comes back saying they weren't in danger. Even if it is just the corn fields of Iowa, I could just picture him running away from some monster at night getting lost in a maze of corn. Like in a haunted house that had hay rides, or like Jason that freaky guy with the mask and chainsaw that runs around ruining party's by chasing people through the corn stalks and killing them. Shiver.
Okay so maybe my imagination was running a little to wild, but I believed him that he'd be safe while he was away. Ryan did tell me that the quest might take up the rest of the summer, which was about one more month. It just depended on how much of the prophecy he could decode in time.
Anyways, I had a feeling something big was going to happen to Ryan and I tonight. I have no idea why, or how this little mental note popped into my head but it came like, Hey heads up! Getting a vibe that something HUGE is coming up! Be ready! But I mean, it's not like it's a surprise. Ryan will be gone, for who know how long. A week? A month? Two months? There was something bound to happen.
Okay not that, I am a strong believer of none of... well you know what I'm talking about before I get married. No exceptions. Even if I had a day to live. It wouldn't be as special as it would be if I was truly in love, and if you marry the person you love, then it shouldn't make any difference. A lot of people would disagree, but they can tell me all they want how stupid it is, I'm not changing because it's "old fashioned" or because "everyone does it". I'm not trying to live up to other peoples standards, just my own.
I guess I got my answer to my vibe after dinner. I was walking around camp, no destination in plan exactly. It was around, say 11 o'clock at night. Anyway, I ran into Ryan. We started walking together and found our selves by the cabins, which was probably a good thing because I was getting tired.
"So I leave tomorrow," Ryan said. "And I have something to say."
He took both my hand in his, and looked me in the eyes. His hands were warm and rough from working in the forges, but they were gentle and kind.
"Annabeth Chase, I love you."
"And I-I..." I couldn't say it. "I adore you. I think you're spectacular."
I pulled him into a kiss because I knew a little part of his heart broke and I can't have a broken Ryan... that's like a puppy with a broken leg. But he pulled away.
"Why can't you just tell me you love me?" There it was, wounded puppy. Crap.
"Because I don't yet." I said shaking my head. "I like you a lot but I don't love you... not yet."
"But you broke up with him for me."
"Is that what you think?" I asked. "You think I broke up with Percy because I was in love with you?"
Ryan didn't answer, "Ryan, I broke up with him because I was confused. I didn't know what I wanted. Look, I loved Percy, but when you told me that you loved me too, I realized I had options and that maybe I should consider them before I make life changing decisions."
"But you're with me now."
"I'm with you because Percy ran away and didn't fight for me." I whispered. "I'm with you because I decided to give Ryan Leptker a chance. And I like you, a lot, if I didn't I would have dumped you and looked for Percy a long time ago. But here we are."
I sat down on the grass and Ryan gave me an odd look. "What are you doing?" He asked.
"Sitting on the ground. What are you doing."
"Standing and trying to convince my girlfriend she loves me like a normal person."
"Emphasis on normal."
Ryan sat down with me and looked at the stars. "Sometimes," Ryan started, putting his arm around me while I leaned in to his body. "I wish I never kissed you, that you were so upset after I did that you wouldn't ever consider talking to me again. You were always just so happy, and then..." He trailed off and looked at me.
I looked up at him too. I thought about how we never really talked like this, having a heart-to-heart just wasn't something we ever did.
"But then I think about how if I never kissed you," He started again. "We wouldn't be here now, you wouldn't know how I felt. Annabeth, being in love with you, and seeing you with Percy, was hell. And now... it's the best. I couldn't ask for anything more. So please, even if you don't mean. Tell me-"
"Ryan I can't."
"Tell me you love me." Wounded puppy again! Gods I hate it when he pulls the wounded puppy.
"Ryan," I said. "Look at me. It's been a month. I know it's been who knows how long for you, but for me it's a month. We don't live in a movie right now." For some utterly stupid reason I wanted to cry and you could hear it in my voice. "I can't say it when I don't."
"If you can't say you love me, then kiss me."
"What?"
"Kiss me." He said simply.
So I slowly leaned into him more for a kiss. I thought it would be just a little kiss, but then I was practically on top of him. Hormones ya know? Suddenly we were getting more and more into it and I was getting worried that maybe another hickey to add to the collection of last night's might not be the best idea. But that idea quickly escaped my mind.
Ryan smelled smokey, but a warm smokey, cozy smokey. He also smelled like leather. His lips were chapped but secretly I like them that way, it adds... texture. His fingers touched the back of my neck and a shiver passed through my body.
Not going to lie, we were getting pretty ravenous, maybe be even worse than last night. Probably because this was going to be the last make out session in a long time. And possibly because every thing we wanted to say came out of our lips like this. It was as if we were having a little conversation while making out. That makes no sense but I guess you have to do it actually get it.
All of sudden, I didn't want anything big to happen between me and Ryan tonight. I just wanted to be in this moment for a while. And just like that the feeling faded away, maybe it was just me imagining that there was something big to happen, like I wanted there to be. But now, that doesn't seem very important. What's important is us.
Right now.
Right here.
Haha, sucky ending to the chapter! I know that the whole Golden Corn thing is SUPER STUPID but it's all in the prophecy Ryan got... and trust me, even though you won't know it until the end of the story, the prophecy makes everything just a little bit more interesting! Hope you like it! -Aims
