Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns all the rights to Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus. I am simply creating a work for enjoyment, and no copyright infringements are meant.
Rating: K+
Chapter 11
Seaweed Brain stood, his hand on the glossy black neck of Blackjack. He's wearing khaki shorts and a turquoise shirt that brings out his eyes. He looks completely shocked to see her, but soon it wears off and he grins at her.
"Want to go for a ride?" he asks, ignoring her question. Annabeth takes a shocked step back.
"W-what?"
His grin grows wider. "Let's go for a ride."
"I...I don't really ride well," Annabeth admits, a bit sheepishly. Seaweed Brain shrugs.
"That's okay." He motions her forward, and she takes a reluctant step closer. He impatiently beckons more quickly, and she finally walks over to stand right next to Blackjack. "Now put your hand here, right between his shoulder blades. I'm going to boost you up, okay?" Without warning he grabs her thighs and lifts her up. She knows enough to swing her leg over and around, and somehow she manages to get on right. Blackjack whinnies in disapproval at her crude methods, but he doesn't move. Seaweed Brain murmurs some calming words in his ear and digs around in a white box to feed him some blue doughnuts.
"You feed your horse doughnuts?" Annabeth asks, laughing in disbelief. He shrugs and cracks another smile.
"He likes them." He moves closer to her. "Move back. I'm getting on." Annabeth slides down the flank of his horse, and he slides on smoothly and effortlessly. He doesn't use any riding gear, she notices, so either he's a terrible rider or an amazing one. "Hold on tight."
Annabeth gives his back a look. "Uh-huh. Sure. I'm going to touch you. Totally."
Blackjack suddenly jolts forward, and Annabeth wraps her arms around his stomach in a reflex. She can feel his hard-abs moving in laughter as he spurs his horse into a gallop. "I thought you weren't going to touch me."
"Shut up," she mutters, scooching closer to him so that she's pressed against his back. Falling off a speeding horse is not on her bucket list. Plus he's really warm against the chilly air; she really should have brought a jacket.
Blackjack canters through the countryside for about twenty minutes before stopping in a clearing. Seaweed Brain slides off before offering to help Annabeth. Normally she wouldn't accept the help, but something about Seaweed Brain makes her want to trust him, even with just little things. His arms hold her waist tightly as he lifts her off.
Blackjack trots over to the other side of the clearing, and Seaweed Brain pulls out a blanket she hadn't noticed earlier. He lays it on the ground and then on top of it, and she follows suit, making sure to be just far enough away that she doesn't touch him. He puts his hands behind his head and looks up at the stars. She watches him for a few minutes before turning to the sky, too.
"There are so many interesting stories about the constellations," he says. "They're immortal legends. My mom and I used to go to this beach every summer, the beach where she met my dad, and she would sit by me on the ground and tell me all the different stories. There's the eagle, Aquila. He was Zeus' messenger. One of his most important tasks was to find Ganymede, one of the most handsome humans ever. Ganymede became basically a water boy to the gods. He's also known as the constellation Aquarius."
"There's Aries, or the Ram," Annabeth adds. "I always remember that one because of the golden fleece. Two kids, Phrixus and Helle, were children of a legendary king but were treated horrifically by their step-mother. Hermes sent the Ram to rescue them. Helle fell off and a sea, Hellespont, was named after her. Phrixus continued on and sacrificed the ram to the gods, and that's why the ram is forever saved in the skies."
"Gemini's pretty cool, too. It's the shape of two twins - gemini basically means twins - Castor and Pollux, who were adventurous and brave sons of Zeus. They helped Jason and the Argonauts during a rough storm at sea, and now their constellation is a relief to sailors who can see it." Seaweed Brain has a slight smile on his face.
"Pegasus was a brave horse who served Zeus and several heroes dutifully. That's why he's honored forever."
"I like Pegasus a I also like Sagittarius. He was originally an immortal centaur that was also a brave fighter. Hercules screwed up during a battle once and accidentally shot him with a poisoned arrow, and since he would have to live in pain forever Zeus took mercy on him and allowed him to die, making him into a constellation."
"Perseus is probably my favorite, though," Annabeth says, almost dreamily. Seaweed Brain turns over to grin widely at her. "He was such a hero. The greatest hero, in my opinion. He killed the fearful gorgon Medusa just to save his mother from a horrible marriage. He wasn't a womanizer like most of the other famous heroes. He also earned the favor of the gods."
"That's my second favorite. It used to be my favorite." Seaweed Brain is staring back up at the sky.
"What's your favorite one now?" Annabeth inquires, staring at him.
"Andromeda. She was a beautiful maiden who had a prideful mother. Her mother was so prideful she was willing to sacrifice her daughter's life to a sea monster just to not bruise her ego. But before the monster could kill her, Perseus swept in, pointed the head of Medusa at it, and turned it to stone. He freed her, and they were married until they both died. Now they lay next to each other in the sky forever." He's staring right at her, and Annabeth feels like smiling.
"May I ask you why it's your favorite?"
"My name's Perseus. And I'm here to rescue you from your prideful mother." Annabeth is about to ask why when she remembers she told him everything. But damn, he's pretty smooth.
"So I'm the beautiful maiden chained to be sacrificed to a monster?" she teases, very happy for no reason. No, the reason she is happy is laying right next to her.
"Not anymore." A smirk dances on his lips. "Not since I saved you. But you're still beautiful. The reason Perseus never went around with other women was because his Andromeda was always beautiful to him, even in old age. He had eyes for no other women. Just like I don't have eyes for anyone but you."
Annabeth wants so badly to be with him. He seems so different than any other boy she's ever met, and she has a distinct feeling that he'll be the one. But her mother had been right; she hasn't made great decisions with guys before, so no matter how she feels about Percy now, she can't be with him. At least not until she's one-hundred percent sure he's right.
She swallows, unable to speak. He just watches her for a while, his green eyes big and beautiful. "You're not ready yet," he guesses. "It's okay, though. I'll wait for you. I'll always wait for you."
"You barely know me," she protests weakly. "How are you so sure?"
His eyes are dead serious. "For weeks I watched you, listened to you. My friends tell me stories about you, Annabeth Chase. I know you, and so far I really like everything about you."
He's just so sweet. She wonders who his friends are, but doesn't ask. She's just glad he didn't use the word. If he had pulled out those three little words she wouldn't have been able to do this. Instead he's waiting, and she's decided to give it a try. She's going to let him have a chance.
"Friends, first. That's it." She stares him down, and he breaks a grin.
"I love it when you get bossy." Annabeth smacks him playfully. He tries to grab her, and she bolts to her feet, sprinting across the clearing. She hears him follow and is suddenly glad for being in shape. She outruns him for a while, but he is in better shape. He grabs her around the waist and pulls her down, falling so that she falls on him first and then he rolls over with her underneath. They're faces are so close that she's sure he's going to kiss her, and as much as she wants it, she shakes her head at him. He groans and rolls over on the ground, his hand laying dramatically across his forehead.
"You'res such a drama queen," she teases, rotating on her side to watch him. He musses his black hair and shrugs.
"What are you doing at Hazel's house?" he finally asks, switching the conversation entirely. He's kind of like a boomerang, Annabeth is noticing; one minute he's here, and another he's there without any warning at all. It's spontaneous, and different, and she likes it.
"My parents kicked me out." It sounds so emotionless, yet so final. She reverts the question. "Do you live in that cave?"
"Yeah. My dad has a little fisherman shack out on the island, but I prefer the cave. It makes me feel free. During the school year I'm up in New York living with my mom, though." He's staring up and the skies again, probably thinking about the original Perseus and how he had saved his mother.
"That's a big change. Huge city to lonely cave."
"But I'm not lonely." He turns to look at her, and Annabeth feels as though he's reading her soul. "I have you. You always visit the beach, every single day. And I have Mrs. O'Leary. And I have Blackjack. And during the day I hang out with my father."
"You're an interesting guy," she remarks. "Definitely more interesting than most of the guys at my school."
"All the more reason to be with me," he says jokingly, and she fixes him with a mock glare. He's unashamed, acting as though he hadn't just been majorly friend-zoned. He really is something else.
"And all the more reason I need my good night's sleep." She stands, walking over to Blackjack. Percy follows, sighing a little. "Can I ride in front this time?"
"Sure." He boosts her up on the horse before climbing on himself. He leans over her shoulder to see, and his arms snake under hers to control the horse. Soon they're flying back through the countryside, his breath warm against her neck. She leans back into him, realizing how terrible she is - she rejected him and yet now she's using him. Oh well. It's not like he doesn't like it. Besides, she didn't reject him entirely. She just needs more time, and it seems he understands.
He stays behind in the stable as she heads back into the house. Laying in the soft sheets of the guest bedroom, she can't help but remember how she felt around him. For a few hours she'd forgotten all her troubles, and instead had been happy and content. Already she misses him, and she looks forward to seeing him again soon. As soon as possible, too.
All she knows for sure is that she wants to spend as much time with him as she possibly can.
