Chapter 25: Rain
Summary: Okay, not MoA-related, but in light of recent events (i.e. Hurricane Sandy), I felt this had to be done. Partially inspired by Rick Riordan's tweet, which reads: "Percy Jackson would like to apologize for the hurricane. His dad can be SO embarrassing sometimes. Stay safe, East Coast."
Disclaimer: These characters are not mine.

Fat droplets of water and gale-force winds assaulted the window of Percy's apartment, inside which both he and Annabeth were stranded. The strong, late-season hurricane was most definitely making its presence known; public transportation had been shut down and the deserted roads had somehow transformed into rivers. It was too difficult (or, at least in Percy's case, too bothersome) to get down the street, let alone to Camp Half Blood. No one was allowed in or out of the city, in any case, and Annabeth couldn't have made it back to her boarding school quarters even if she'd wanted to. Therefore, the two demigods were stuck inside the New York city limits (and inside the apartment itself), while Percy's mom and Paul were stuck out in Atlanta after a writing conference, unable to find a flight back.

Percy and Annabeth had only been cooped up in the apartment for the whole day, and that added to the fact that they were ADD-prone demigods made them both a little stir-crazy. Their power hadn't gone out yet, thank the Gods, but they both knew that it was only a matter of time. And once their power was gone, the TV and computer would be as good as gone too. And thus, their modes of entertainment would vanish. The thought of this kept the two a little antsy - and just a little snappy, too.

"Jeez, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth commented as she flipped between TV news reports chronicling the storm and the damage it was causing along the Eastern seaboard. "What did you do to piss off your dad so much? He's throwing quite the hissy fit."

Percy groaned. "Why do you always automatically blame me? Not my fault, Annabeth."

Annabeth shrugged. "Well, I mean, the last time a storm this crazy passed through New York, it was kind of your fault."

"You know as well as I do that I did not steal Zeus' lightning bolt! Gods! That was, like, five years ago! You were even on that quest with me!"

"Well, duh, of course I know that you didn't really do it. But Zeus did blame you for stealing it, and he sent a pretty nasty storm as a result. So yeah, technically it was your fault."

Percy buried his face in hands. Annabeth felt that maybe she should stop, but she couldn't resist ragging on him just a teensy bit more. "Well, at least we know it's not Zeus this time. No, this time around, we have an entirely different god to blame..."

"UGH," Percy whined. "Can we stop with all the 'haha, this is all because of your dad' jokes? They're getting pretty old."

Annabeth punched him playfully in the arm. "I just think it's cute that you're getting so wound up about it."

"Uh, yeah, cause it's EMBARRASSING. My dad is responsible for displacing millions of people and causing, like, billions of dollars in property damage! So not cool. It's especially not cool that people are suffering just because he woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Percy looked away, clearly upset and more than a little peeved.

Annabeth placed a hand on his shoulder. "Percy, don't take it too hard. I'm sure there's a somewhat plausible explanation for all of this."

"Oh yeah? What good reason could there be for pummeling my city, as well as the majority of the Eastern seaboard?"

"Um. I'll leave it up to your dad to explain."

"That's probably a good idea."

"Besides, Percy, he's a GOD. You know how gods are. They kinda just do whatever, and it never occurs to them what effect it has on mortals. Plus, they kind of all pull stuff like this on a daily basis. Don't feel too bad."

"...Still embarrassing though."

"Yeah, I'd be pretty embarrassed too."

"Hey!"

"I kid, I kid." Thunder rumbled outside the windowpane. "Oh, yeah. Sorry, Lord Poseidon. Just joking."

"Wow, Wise Girl. Being impertinent to gods? That's my job. I'm impressed."

"I guess you've just rubbed off on me. For better or worse." Annabeth gave Percy a sloppy kiss, then paused, listening to the rain lash the windows. "You know," she murmured, "this rain makes for some great cuddling weather."

Percy suddenly felt a lot more alert. "Cuddling, you say? Define cuddling."

"Oh, shush. You're such a GUY."

"You love me anyways, don't you?"

"Sadly, yes."

Percy flashed her his signature dimpled grin and leaned in for a kiss, but was interrupted by a low, whirring noise - the unmistakable sound of power winding down. He leaned away to take a look. Sure enough, they were in the dark. The TV had gone silent, and the apartment was filled with shadows, with just a tiny bit of light emanating from the windows.

Annabeth sighed. "Well, that does it. I guess we'll have to go get the candles."

Percy winked at her. "Ah, candles. So romantic."

Annabeth stood up. "Well," she said with an impish smile, "if you help me look for them, then maybe, just maybe I'll show you exactly what I meant by 'cuddling.'" She sauntered off, without so much as a backward glance.

Percy suddenly felt a surge of gratitude for his dad and the storm he had unleashed. He looked up, muttered a quick "thank you", and scrambled off after Annabeth with curious newfound energy.

A/N: This is probably really bad because I wrote it really quickly for the sake of timeliness. Oh well. Anyway, in all seriousness, my heart truly goes out to all those affected by Sandy. You guys are in my thoughts and prayers.