The first battle was over before it really started. As Annabeth predicted, there were some hidden guards, and such two sentries leapt out of the trees, rolled, and appeared before the four Blues, swords already drawn. Annabeth made short work of one, and saw Percy in her peripheral vision doing the same with the other. No maiming was allowed, so Annabeth settled for a glancing, shallow blow to each limb, and the pommel of her dagger in between the eyes. Unconscious, the guard, who Annabeth saw with a little stab of guilt was Lacey from the Aphrodite cabin, crumpled to the floor. Then to Annabeth's chagrin, a familiar figure materialised before her with a savage smile on her face.
"Hello, Annabeth," Piper said, her multicoloured eyes sparkling beneath her visor. She thrust towards Annabeth, but Annabeth parried and forced her friend backwards.
"Long time no see, Pipes," Annabeth feinted left, and struck Piper on her arm. Piper winced, but kept smiling jovially.
"Going back to school tomorrow?" Piper asked, her tone light and conversational. She charged Annabeth, but Annabeth caught the attack on the pommel of her knife, a manoeuvre only the most skilled dagger-wielder could have achieved.
"Yep. You'll be staying here this week?" Annabeth's blow was caught by Piper, but using the momentum she had gained from pushing Piper back, Annabeth charged her friend, and promptly disarmed her.
"I go to my dad's for weekends," Piper's sword was on the ground, but in an instant, she rolled to the side, and came up holding her cornucopia, no doubt stored in her combat boots - not regulation shoes, but not against the rules. She came at Annabeth with a flurry of roast chicken, steak sandwiches and hams.
"Mmm. Do stop by my place some time?" Annabeth deflected the storm of meat showering over her, and knocked her dagger against her friends sword: Blade to blade, metal clanging on metal.
"I'll try. What about this coming Saturday. Is one o'clock good?" Piper asked, trying to no avail to parry against Annabeth's furious attack.
"Sounds like a plan- And, oh. Don't take this personally." Annabeth whistled under her breath - not the most subtle of signs, but a sign all the same - and Percy, across from her, repeated the gesture to Clarisse. Clarisse ran to Jason, who Percy was fighting, and engaged him in a brutal swedge. Meanwhile, Percy abandoned his post, and sprinted towards the red flag before them. And as this was happening, Annabeth hit her friend between the eyes. "Sorry," She muttered to Piper as her friend fell to the ground and grabbed the daughter of Aphrodite's cornucopia lest anything happen to it lying in the woods. Then, with the four unconscious bodies lying in her wake, Annabeth ran after Percy, Clarisse and Malcolm.
As they sprinted through the woods to the creek, they only encountered two attacks. On the first one, Clarisse slashed with her sword and gave a swift kick behind the knees to their oppressor, and on the second, Percy clubbed him around the head with his own flagstaff. That was a pride that might never heal. Eventually, after running for a quarter of an hour, the sound of gushing water could be heard. It sounding like a bubbling concoction, or even just the pleasant sound of her father's stew boiling on the stove. Waiting for them by the creek was a line of campers, each wearing a ferocious expression on his face. Whilst this might have caused some perturb to any other kid, this was Percy Jackson. Looking untroubled, the son of Poseidon merely waved a hand, and a large wave kissed the shore, dragging a flock of screaming campers with it. The group leapt over the river, and landed steadily on the other side to the furious cheers of their teammates. Percy grinned and bowed.
Chiron trotted up then, conch horn in his hand. "Well done, Blues."
"Thank you sir." Percy said, grinning.
"Any casualties?" Chiron asked. As if on cue, the four unconscious Reds - Piper, Jason, Lacey and, as it turned out, Harley - were carried out on makeshift stretchers, along with two Blues: a knocked out Austin and rather severely bleeding Nico. A little sheepishly, Annabeth placed the cornucopia besides her friend, and out of the corner of her eye, saw Will barrelling down the bank. "Nico?" Will asked. He pushed aside his boyfriend's attendants, who were tying bandages around Nico's fresh wounds. "You're doing it too tight" Will snapped, grabbing a bandage from the first aid pack besides them. "This is how you do it," He said, demonstrating quite exaggeratedly the proper way to tie a bandage. "And to top it all of you need a little..." Will glanced up and smiled in a surprisingly joking way. He spread his hands, and wiggled them theatrically. "You need a little... Love. You should know all about that Percy. Eh Annabeth?" The campers laughed appreciatively, and Annabeth's face felt a little warm, but yet she rolled her eyes, smiling happily, despite the slight ignominy. From the stretcher came a quiet chuckle.
"You really are a dork, you know that, right?" Nico said, his voice slightly slurred. Will kissed his hand dramatically.
"I know sunshine. Now come over here Percy, show off those muscles and help me carry this stretcher."
One hour later, Annabeth was standing in a flannel pyjamas, staring into the bathroom mirror as she brushed her teeth. Once done, she spat into the mirror and washed her face thoroughly, until the remnants of dirt from rolling around in the dirt and fight with Piper had disappeared without a trace. There was a rap on the door.
"Hurry up, Annabeth! There's an entire cabin waiting their turn," shouted the familiar voice of Malcolm. Annabeth scowled at her reflection in the mirror.
"Alright, Alright! I'm just brushing my teeth." Annabeth plucked up her toothbrush and placed it back in the pot the cabin used for such brushes. Then she dried her face on a towel and stalked gracefully out of the room, almost flinging the door into Malcolm. She gestured largely to the door.
"Your bathroom, sir."
"Thank you, gods."
Annabeth poked her tongue out at him, and half strode, half tripped into her bed. She slid into her berth, smiling at the familiar feel of her covers over her body and the pillow beneath her head. There were her books and magazines bedsides her bed. Her parka hanging by the door. Her chest filled with her clothes. It was almost surreal, the familiarity of it. Like greeting an old friend after many years apart, even if it had just been barely five months - four really. And so, like she always did, Annabeth grabbed her book. And like she always did, she read and listened to the bumbling around her as her siblings got ready for bed. And as she always did, she immersed herself in that storybook world that was so far away, yet only in her hands. Because she could read and read and read, and slowly, the world would fade away leaving only her and the magical land hidden between strings of ink on a page.
It was five minutes to light outs when there was the knock on the door, and the entire cabin was indulging in peaceful pastimes like reading or writing. Malcolm, who was nearest the door, opened it a crack. He took one look at who stood beyond it, sighed deeply, turned to Annabeth and proclaimed with great clarity: "It's for you."
"What? Who is it?"
"Percy."
"Tell him to go away -I'm tired."
"Talk to him yourself." Malcolm let the door swing open to reveal a very awake looking Percy, wearing nothing but swim shorts and a towel around his neck. Annabeth sighed and turned on her front to face the boy at the door. "What do you want Seaweed Brain?"
"I'm going swimming. Wanna come?"
"I'm exhausted. And besides, I'd rather not be a Harpy's dinner." Annabeth groaned.
"You won't be. Besides, do you really want to go sleep?" There wasn't any malice in those words, only raw concern. Did she want sleep? Gods of Olympus, more than anything. But did she want to go to sleep, as such? Well, that was another matter. Annabeth's cabin knew about the nightmares well. They understood why, and understood the constant fear wrought down on her, in those dark, bleak nighttimes. Should she go or not? This wasn't a question Annabeth had any wish to contend with this late into the night.
"I don't know, um-" She began.
"Go." Cut a voice through the air. Annabeth stared incredulously at Malcolm. "Go," the boy repeated. "If it'll help you sleep easier, go." Malcolm's tone was almost imploring.
"You've certainly changed, Malcolm," Annabeth noted. Malcolm nodded.
"We all have. Live a little. Just go swimming. You won't be able to sleep anyhow, you have nothing to lose."
Annabeth huffed a little, and glanced at Percy who pulled his pouty seal-face. "But if you're caught, it won't just be trouble with the harpies- It'll be trouble with Chiron too." Annabeth muttered.
"Please," Percy pleaded. "You don't even have to swim- I just have a burning desire to. Besides, I've got drinks." Percy held up a six pack of San Pellegrino. Annabeth felt herself melting under the gazes of her cabin. Eventually, after a time that could have been seconds or minutes or hours, Annabeth sighed deeply. "I won't swim, but I'll come, if only to make sure you don't do something rash and get caught." Percy grinned joyfully. "Oh, and if I get eaten," Annabeth continued, "It's you and Malcolm's fault. And I expect a nice eulogy at my funeral. Like I made at your funeral two years ago, Perce. 'Bravest girl I ever knew,' and all that stuff"
"You got it," Percy said, "Come one." Annabeth sighed one more time and grabbed her rumpled hoodie at the foot of her bed. "Lights out!" She called as she ducked out of the cabin and into the biting night air.
Annabeth and Percy skirted behind the cabins quietly as cats. They kept to the shadows, sticking to them like flies in a web. Becoming them even. And if anybody had chanced to look out of the window now, they would have seen nothing but the vibrant hearth of Hestia, merrily crackling, and an assortment of various different cabins standing proudly against the night landscape. Once they had broken free of the embrace of the cabins, they leapt behind the dunes, fast and graceful like asps, relying only on the fine bed of sand and the tufts of spiky grass to conceal them. Percy seemed to danced as he padded out onto the beach. He ran into the sea, pausing only to ask quietly her if she was sure she didn't want to swim. 'What? In my Pyjamas? ' Annabeth had asked him, waved her hand in dismissal and popped her soda. She took a long drain and watched him shrug and sprint into the sea. As soon as the brine touched him, he seemed rejuvenated. He dove into an oncoming wave, and for a moment was gone from sight. Then he appeared little way up, covered in kelp, and Annabeth laughed.
After a bit, Percy came up out of the water, and sat besides her on the sand. He leaned over and opened a can. Then he put it to his lips, closed his eyes and leaned back against the dune, taking a long swig of lemonade.
"Back to school tomorrow, huh?" Percy asked.
"I don't want to leave."
"Me neither."
They were silent then. A comfortable silence that settled like a shawl over their shoulders. They just sat there, drinking in each other's presence, drawing in all the comfort the other gave. Annabeth was glad for this little escape. To be able to just be here, untouched by the phantoms, the demons, the shadows of the world. Of the dark corners and secluded alleys. Of the overcast sky that covered the sun and the rain that washed away the warmth of the fires and the blood in your veins. At one point, they kissed a kiss that rattled the world and shook the sky with a shower of fireworks. At another point, they were slumped against each other exchanging nonsensical snippets of conversation. And it was such talk that lulled Annabeth. Such that made her content to close her eyes, and lean against Percy, and make way for the fatigue closing in on her eyelids. They didn't mean it. Not for the closing of the eyes, not for the dimming of the mind, not for the cloud around them. Not for the slumber. They didn't mean it at all.
Annabeth's eyes fluttered open. She stared about herself, confused for a moment. Where was she? There was sand beneath her - that wasn't right. And why was the sea there? And why was the sky pink? And this figure besides her and - Oh gods. Something clicked inside her, and Annabeth stifled a gasp. She shook Percy roughly awake.
"Wha-? It's dawn?" Percy sat up and glanced around him. Then he unleashed a creative stream of colourful curses with great profanity. "We need to get to back to out cabins now. Before someone finds us. Like a very lost surfer, a harpy, or worst of all, Chiron." Annabeth nodded. She sprang to her feet, dragging Percy up with her. Not bothering about the noise they were making, the pair sprinted up the beach and. The shadows were against them now, and as Percy and Annabeth stepped onto the dew-ridden grass they found themselves suddenly very expose. Percy swore.j
Annabeth took a deep breath and ran as fast as her feet could carry her to her cabin. The dew wet her bare feet, the fire seemed to cackle. Annabeth's heart was in her throat, because if she and Percy were seen, the teasing may never cease. She breathed a sigh of relief when she reached her cabin, slipping in quiet as a mouse, thankful that everybody was already asleep. Everybody that was, except for Malcolm who sat hunched on his bed. He looked up sharply as Annabeth came in. 'Where were you?' he mouthed.
'Fell asleep,' Annabeth mouthed back. She sat besides her brother and looked at him worriedly. "Are you okay?" She whispered. Malcolm shrugged helplessly.
"Can't sleep," He whispered back
"Why not?"
"I'm too worried."
"What of?"
"My father. My sisters. Money is tight, I'm not sure how they're doing. I can't e-mail them because they don't have internet access. I can't Iris message them anymore because I'm not sure where in New York they live. I don't even know if they can afford food, certainly not medical care if - gods forbid- the need calls."
Annabeth was, for once, unable to say anything. She didn't want to pity him. She knew what pity felt like. Knew how horrible it was when people looked down on you with those eyes like empty tunnels, sucking all the light away. She wanted to extend a hand -but wasn't sure how, wasn't sure what to do. In a way, Annabeth understood him. She recalled those months on the run, forever unsure what was about to happen. Like a train turning a sudden corner and running headlong into a boulder. So instead she did the only thing she could. She put an arm around him and gave her brother a supportive squeeze.
"I'm sure they'll be fine," She told him. Malcolm shut his eyes tight.
"I hope so."
The two children stayed like that until the light changed from hazy and pink, slowly to a brighter, steadier glow, and the night waved goodbye with a bouquet of wilted roses in his hand.