**IMPORTANT A/N AT END. PLEASE READ**
Once again, you all have managed to completely amaze me. 14 REVIEWS! Guys (and girls) I started crying when I saw my inbox. Literally. Thanks so much to all of you for your amazing and positive feedback!
These epic reviewers are... livvybelle23, Die Hard Fan PL, Cassidy Hunter of Artemis, PercyJackson is SeaweedBrain, Qwerty616120, MissSemi-Dependent, Guest, allen r, Supreme98, MidnightBoredom, and Ashley. Thanks so much to all of you!
Sorry this was more than a week between updates, but ya know... life. (worst excuse ever)
Now, onto the chapter! Enjoy...
CHAPTER 12- WE VENTURE INTO THE GREAT OUTDOORS
ANNABETH
I know something's wrong the second I open my eyes.
There's sunlight streaming through the window, which wouldn't have been strange except for the fact that Chiron has woken us up at the crack of dawn every day up until now. I roll over onto my side and check the clock by my bedside. It reads 11 am.
"Annabeth?" Piper's voice, oddly groggy from sleep, sounds from her bunk. "You're up too?"
"I think we're the only ones," I reply, glancing around the room, which is still full of snoring girls. "Do you want to go and grab some breakfast?"
Without waiting for a response, I get out of bed and make my way over to the small cabin bathroom. After getting dressed and brushing my teeth, my eyes wander almost longingly towards Drew's makeup kit. I replay the scene from yesterday in my mind- Percy calling me beautiful just because I had a little bit of child-applied eye shadow on. If I was to wear just a smidge more…
My hands reach for the bag, and then suddenly I'm shuffling through its contents, swabbing globs of makeup onto my face.
"Are you almost done?" Piper's voice sounds from the other side of the door, and I drop the eyeliner I had been holding. "Some other people need to use it, you- whoa!"
She swings open the door, gaping openly. I tug on my shirt, feeling self-conscious. "So, what do you think?"
"Um…" Piper seems to be grasping for words. "Just out of curiosity, when's the last time you put on makeup by yourself?"
"Never, why?" I ask, shrugging. I barely ever wear makeup, and the last time I had to for my cousin's wedding, my aunt had applied it.
"Just… sit down," Piper pushes me back into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. "I'm going to try and.. um… clean this up a bit."
I sit there patiently, letting her polish off my face. After about five minutes, she steps back, looking pleased. "There."
A quick glance in the mirror shows me that she's wiped every inch of makeup off of my face, making it look as bad as it did when I first woke up. My heart sinks a little bit at the prospect, and I automatically berate myself. I've never been one to care about makeup; so why does it suddenly bother me so much? "Piper, what did you do?"
She has the decency to look abashed as we make our way out of the cabin. "No offense Annie, but you suck at applying makeup. As in I think Clarisse could do a better job than you. Why did you even try to put it on anyways? Did Drew say something?"
"No, not Drew," I say as nonchalantly as possible. "It was Percy."
"Percy called you ugly?" Piper's hands curl into fists as we walk into the empty dining pavilion. "I'm gonna murder him."
My cheeks turn fire-engine red as I think of yesterday's events. "Um.. it was actually kind of the opposite."
I'm not sure why I'm suddenly so shy about this. I mean, he was probably just doing it to get to me. But somehow… my feelings for that arrogant boy had changed yesterday when we were sitting at McDonalds. I no longer hated him with a passion, instead, I was willing to be his friend. The problem was, despite all of my brains, I couldn't figure out why.
"He called you beautiful?" Piper gasped, eyes wide. "Oh my Gods, I take back every bad thing I've ever said about that boy. You guys have to get together like, now!"
"And what about you and Jason?" I counter, smirking. During our 'washroom break' yesterday, Piper had confessed that she and Jason had become a lot closer and she may or may not have a crush on him (meaning she totally does). "I bet you guys are going to get together any day now."
"Yes, but the difference is, both Jason and I have already confessed that we like each other and- hey!" Piper glares at me. "You totally set me up for that one! Forget anything you just heard, okay?"
"I didn't set you up; you practically walked into that one," I retort. "Anyways, I was thinking…" My voice trails off as some of the boys walk into the room, all of them looking well-rested for once. Percy's near the back of the group, rubbing his eyes and yawning. To my utter astonishment, my heartbeat begins to quicken. I blame it on the heat.
"You were thinking what? Annie? Annabeth?" Piper snaps her hand in front of my face, and I realize I've zoned out. "Are you okay?"
Of course, it's that precise moment when Percy chooses to holler from across the room "Hey, best friend!"
I bury my head in my hands as Piper looks at me curiously. I was hoping Percy would keep the whole we're-not-enemies-in-fact-we're-now-friends thing on the down low, but obviously my wishes were not answered. By this point, Percy's comment has attracted the attention of almost everyone in the room, including Thalia, who has just slid into her seat.
"Care to explain what that was all about?" She inquires, raising one eyebrow suspiciously.
"Nothing!" I say all too quickly. Seeing their disbelieving glances, I frown. "I just realized that I didn't hate him as much as I used to." That's a partial truth, but it's the story I'm going to keep on telling. Quite frankly, I don't think anyone would believe me if I told them what actually happened.
"Mhmm." Piper looks at me unconvincingly just as Chiron finally takes the podium. He's dressed in a leaf-patterned shirt and has a pair of black binoculars around his neck. I realize with a sinking feeling what we must be doing.
"We are going on a hike!" Yep, called that.
The room breaks out into chatter, some excited to venture into the great outdoors, some terrified of all of the creatures that lurk inside the forest. Chiron holds up a hand for silence and instantly the voices die. "Thank you. Anyways, as I was saying, all of you are going on a hike. However, since I am unable to participate because of my condition, and Mr. D has some…er… personal issues to take care of-"
"-meaning he's hung over-" Thalia mutters under her breath.
"-the twenty of you will be venturing in there alone." Chiron finishes.
This causes another ripple of conversation amongst the campers, and then Percy shouts out "What about the counselors?"
"The counselors are needed elsewhere," Chiron says firmly. "Now, I need all of you to pack a knapsack for all the things you need to survive the 'great outdoors'. What you choose will be a great aspect to your safety and therefore your survival, although you will not be marked on this."
"He's taking this pretty seriously," Piper comments under her breath, kaleidoscopic eyes wide. "I mean, survival? We're taking a little hike!"
I nod, even though I'm admittedly not really listening. For some reason, Chiron's warning (if you could even call it that) scares me, although I'm not quite sure why.
o-o-ac&pj-o-o
I pick my heavy knapsack up off my bunk, groaning under its weight as I sling it onto my shoulder. Once everyone got dismissed to go back to their cabins, I had rushed around packing everything even mildly related to the outdoors or survival. Call me crazy, but I don't think this hike is going to be as easy as everyone is making it out to be. Unfortunately, being prepared also means that I have to lug this five-pound backpack around the woods.
Thalia glances over from where she's stuffing her iPod into her almost empty knapsack, smirking as she sees me struggling. "Packed too much, Warrior Princess?"
I stick out my tongue like the mature person I am. "You'll see who's smiling when we get attacked by a bear and I'm the only one who has supplies." Granted, it's horrible logic, but I had to find some way to make my completely irrational claim sound a little more… rational.
"What about when the bear steals your backpack because he can smell all of the food you have in there?" Piper smirks, joining the conversation as we begin to walk to the edge of the forest. "Cause honestly Annie, I could smell it from across the room."
I ignore her jab and point to the fanny pack around my waist. "I'll have emergency resources in here, just in case anything happens." Like I said before, I was extremely prepared.
"Yes, let's give this hypothetical bear an excuse to maul your stomach to get to his next snack." Thalia mutters just as we reach the group.
"What's this about mauling stomachs?" Percy walks over to us, and for one split second it seems like he's going to hug me. We both pause, however, and end up doing a very awkward high-five, in which I accidentally elbow him in the side and he whacks his arm on my backpack. Piper and Thalia watch this whole exchange curiously, smirking the whole while.
"Nothing," I explain, blushing. "Thalia was just saying that if our hypothetical bear smelt food in my fanny pack, it would maul my stomach, which will not happen." I glare at her, and she raises her hands in mock defense.
"Well," Percy says simply. "If a bear tried to maul you, I would attack the bear before it could lay a claw on you." He strikes a pose like a knight, holding aloft an imaginary sword. Piper and Thalia laugh, but I just stand there, dumbfounded.
Even though Percy was obviously joking, I still feel my heart dance around in quick little flutters, pounding out a rhythm I couldn't quite figure out. "Um… thanks." I manage to mutter, feeling my cheeks turn bright red for the thousandth time this week.
At this point, Chiron arrives to see us off, and has begun to usher kids into the woods. I join the fray with my friends, my face still tinted pink. Chiron waves to each person as they leave, reminding us that to stick together all the while. His face looks sad, which strikes me as a bit odd. Again, I think of his warning at breakfast, and involuntarily my whole body stiffens.
Percy looks at me in alarm, obviously seeing my change in posture. "You alright?" He places a hand on my arm and my body straightens even more at his touch.
I nod, just as we reach Chiron. "Yeah, fine. Just a little nervous."
"Have fun Mr. Jackson, Miss Chase," Chiron nods Percy and I respectively as we pass. "Be good, won't you?" He adds with a knowing wink.
I glance at him blankly, wondering why he would specifically only tell the two of us to be good… oh. Oh. I glance at Percy's hand, which is still on my arm, and then our body language- close and protective. It definitely seemed like we were- Gods forbid- dating. "Oh, but we aren't…" I trail off as Thalia pushes me forward, smirking.
"Don't worry Chiron, I'll supervise these lovebirds," She grins widely, bursting into laughter the second we're out of earshot. "Oh, that was classic."
I glare at her, my face now permanently tomato-coloured. "That wasn't funny, Thals."
"Really? Cause I found it hilarious!" Piper added, giggling. "Oh my Gods.. I never imagined Chiron would have done that!"
I roll my eyes and glare at them, but there's no real force behind it. "Come on, let's keep walking."
Everyone walks in silence for a bit, except for the occasional thump as one of us trips over a log. The forest is actually quite beautiful, with tall trees and lots of wildlife. Birdcalls fill the air, and the occasional ray of sunlight breaks through the thick tree canopy every once in a while, illuminating our path with a sort of hazy glow. At the back of the line, Drew begins to complain, and soon the Stoll brothers join in as well, even though their whines are half-hearted. I tune them out, focusing only on the beauty around me. Yet, at the same time, I wonder why Chiron would have sent us on this hike. I mean, sure, it's pretty, but there's no real leadership skills involved.
Only seconds after I have this thought, a shout echoes from the front of the line. I rush up, Percy by my side, just in time to see Clarisse ripping off a piece of paper taped to a tree. She reads through it quickly and scowls, balling up the paper and chucking it at the ground.
Curiously, I pick up the paper and begin to read it aloud, my tone growing more frantic with each word. "Even though it's only Day 5 of your leadership quest, the final task has begun. Follow this map and work together. Good luck."
Percy frowns, flipping the paper over to reveal a colourful map. "It's a whole bunch of stations. A couple for each day, I'm guessing, and ones to sleep at as well."
The map begins to be passed around, the collective noise growing louder as more people see its contents. I look at Percy somewhat frantically. "Chiron's insane. There's no way this is legal! And we might be trampled by some wild animal… or drowned in the river… or trampled by our hypothetical bear!" Yes, I'm being irrational, but I've never been one for the great outdoors.
Percy shushes me, glancing around the group. "Quite honestly, I think we're the sanest people here at the moment, so I would appreciate it if you kept your spazzing inside your head. Let's make it to the first station, and then we can sneak off into the woods and continue this properly."
"Continue what in the woods properly?" Thalia asks, sneaking up behind us. I groan. How does she always manage to show up at the worst times? "You know, I was hoping I wouldn't have to listen to Chiron's instructions, but right now it seems like you two definitely need a chaperone."
I roll my eyes but turn away from Thalia to face the rest of our cluster. "Okay, so I assume by now everyone's seen the map. It looks like we only have one station to get to today, and we'll sleep over there. On approximately Day 9, we'll arrive back at camp. Any questions?"
"What about food?" Travis calls from the group.
"Well," Piper says, smirking. "Annabeth here packed about enough food to feed a whole army, so we should be fine. Just in case though, if you have any granola bars or water or even gum, speak up now, so that we can properly ration our choices."
Everyone begins to chime in now, placing a pile of snack food and water in the centre of our group. Percy pulls a pack of beef jerky out of his pocket, and even Drew produces a pack of mint gum. I smile inwardly as I begin counting everything. It's only been about two hours and everyone's already working together well.
"Okay!" Percy shouts, standing up from where he was sorting granola bars. "I only did a quick check, but we should be fine as long as no one overeats. So now I'm going to suggest we let Annabeth come up with a plan to get us to the first station quickly, because I'm guessing no one else has any clue what to do."
"You're just volunteering her cause she's your girlfriend." Clarisse mutters, but I notice she doesn't step up to take my place.
Ignoring Clarisse's irrational protests, I grab the map and begin looking over the quickest route. It's about four in the afternoon right now, meaning we have around three hours or so to get to the first station before sunset. A quick glance at my map proves that we'll have to take the most hilly route in order to get there on time.
After relaying this instruction to everyone else, I begin the hike. Within minutes, everyone's groaning. Percy walks up to me, grabbing my hand nonchalantly. I freeze up almost instinctively, and he quickly drops it, looking unperturbed.
"Good job back there with everyone," Percy comments, swinging his hand listlessly, as if he's not sure what to do with it now that I had rebuffed his proposal to hold it. My heart clenches a little bit, and I find myself reaching out for his hand now, clasping it in my own. Percy glances at me in surprise, and I just shrug, giving his hand a little squeeze. He squeezes back, and we spend the next three hours just walking up like that, soft palms pressed together as we feel our pulses pounding in unison.
After what seems like forever, all twenty of us finally reach the first stop, hot and tired and completely out of breath. I toss my heavy backpack off of my shoulders, finally unlatching my hand from Percy's. Thalia raises an eyebrow from behind me, noticing this, but I merely shrug and begin to pull my four water canteens out of my bag and pass them around. My eyebrows furrow together when I realize that just on the walk here, we've already finished off one container. There's no way that we're going to survive the rest of this challenge with just three bottles.
The first station is a small clearing with some sleeping bags in one corner and a large pile of wood and matches in another. Some of the boys have already begun to build a fire in the small pit located in the centre of the space, striking the wood with waterproof matches. I have to hand it to Chiron- this idea may be insane, but it was very well-organized.
After there's a small but growing fire, everyone begins to gather around as I pass out granola bars and Leo hands out a somewhat stale bag of chips he had in his bag. Percy and Jason also begin to roast some beef jerky, which tastes surprisingly good even when it's charred. That's followed by insane campfire songs led by the Stolls, and a really creepy ghost story told by Nico, whom the group has now nicknamed 'Ghost King'. In a weird way, it's like some bizarre camping trip with people you don't necessarily like, but end up tolerating after a while.
And I'd be lying through my teeth if I say I don't actually enjoy it here.
And with that, I leave you for approximately two weeks.
Confused? Allow me to explain...
Well, simply, I'm going on vacation. And the place has no wi-fi, so I won't be able to update. I'm not bringing my laptop either, so I won't even be able to write. I might type a bit on my e-reader, but it's so freaking slow that I don't think I'll be able to get much done. Plus, I'm on vacation, meaning I should probably be relaxing instead of writing fanfiction. And after that, the next week I have orientation for high school so I'm not sure how much writing I'll be able to get done. I promise I'll update at least once more before August finishes, though!
Also, sometime in this whole mess is my birthday. Care to give me a review as a present? We're sooooo close to 100 I can taste it... that sounded weird.
So, how'd you like this chapter? The idea of a group of kids getting lost in the woods was originally the foundation for this story, based on my own experiences (not this extreme, don't worry). Plus, you got Percabeth hand holding and everyone working together and Thalia having to chaperone Percy and Annabeth... tell me what you think!
Hope you enjoyed!
-Jace ;)
PS: Guess where I'm going on vacation! Whoever's closest will get a sneak peek of the next chapter! Hint: it's hot...
