"You don't stop loving someone just because you hate them momentarily"
After hours of 'training', Rachel was finally happy with one thing: Archery.
Why? Because sure, Annabeth was pretty much good at everything. In the morning, she had finished jogging and running before everyone else. She almost immediately started walking upside down when asked. She knew every stretching technique. (Mr. Chiron at one point told them to follow her.)
Honestly, Rachel didn't even need to start swords to tell how good Annabeth was going to be at that.
The one thing Annabeth sucked at was archery.
No matter how many arrows she shot, she never scored anything beyond 30 out of 80 and Rachel surprisingly did better.
Weirdly, there were stark differences between classes at the palace and at Camp Half Blood. That is, apart from the obvious 'comfort room' vs 'roasting in the sun' part. While they were hardly allowed to talk in Miss.Willow's classes, even shouting snarky comments across the ground wasn't a problem here. Rachel was sure there was some definition of 'kill' she missed out because coach shouted it at least once in every five minutes and he looked so happy about it.
So yeah, between thinking this place is crazy and the coach is mad, she knowingly or unknowingly overheard Annabeth and Piper's conversation.
Annabeth was replying to something Piper said, "-used to it, I guess. We've all gone through it many times."
"You mean all of the gang has?"
"Most of us are guards so yes but no, not all of us. Some people just dragged me in. It gets better with time."
"I don't see it. Aren't we here for being princesses?"
"Hey! What's more important than self-defen--"
"Ah! How do I hold this thing!! It never reaches--"
Annabeth chuckled, "You're asking the wrong person."
Piper laughed. "So have you fought with tiara?"
Fighting with a tiara? What?
Annabeth gave a distant look. "Huh?"
"Sword fighting."
"Oh yeah. Jason too."
Rachel doesn't know who Jason was so she doesn't understand why Piper suddenly looked interested.
"Really?"
Is that envy?
"Yeah. Fighting with Jason is harder. With tiara we have moves but no real strategy and easy distractions. Jason has too much strategy but that can be a weak point too. If you keep fighting, you can eventually lead him to make a mistake. Just takes little longer. He's just all about rules and no creativity."
"Right."
Is Lady Piper jealous or something? Or is she disagreeing with her?
I can see why.
Annabeth is just... ugh.
Annabeth said, "I have a date on Friday."
Piper shot an arrow so out of line that it hit Lady Kayla's target and scored a 40 on 80. Coach slammed what looked like a tattered baseball bat on the metal railings. "You just wait until Wolf Lupa takes over! She won't think twice about beating you!"
Rachel didn't know who this Lupa person was but she really hoped he didn't mean an actual wolf.
Piper shout out a sorry and turned to hit Annabeth. "A date!!? WHY are you saying that like: Hey, I just ordered hot chocolate? Didn't you tell me just this morning that you were fighting though?"
How can Lady Piper be excited for Lady Annabeth's date? They were both competing for the same Prince.
We all are!
Annabeth giggled. "Yeah we sort of made up... I guess."
Rachel wanted to say she was happy for Percy. She couldn't though.
"Whatsort of? What happened in.. 3 hours?"
She laughed. "No... It happened... in about 20 minutes."
Piper literally dropped her bow down and muttered sorry before coach could say anything. Rachel glanced at her and found her cheeks red and eyes wide.
"YOU DID NOT!" She clapped her free hand over her mouth, "I mean ... Did you two..?"
"WHAT?" Everyone around looked at Annabeth as she hit Piper with her bow. "NO! Piper! What the hell!"
"This is why I always insist on details. Gosh, you almost gave me a heart attack." Piper sighed in relief and Rachel wanted to do the same.
Annabeth wouldn't, right?
Na, she couldn't drop that low.
Annabeth must have been embarrassed too because she suddenly looked too focused on her bow and quiver.
Rachel shot again and got a 50 on 80.
Piper suddenly whistled. "Whoa Annabeth! Bull's eye!"
What now?
Annabeth snorted, still distracted, "I wasn't aiming at all."
Does it matter?
.....
Percy didn't know what he was expecting.
Did he wonder if Annabeth would wear a big gown and Percy won't be able to get close? No. That's unlike her.
Will she wear something that covers her from head to toe because she knew it was cold outside? Likely.
Or, maybe she'll ignore the whole dressing up? Chances.
But, what Percy didn't expect was this.
When he went to her room at 8 30 (late because of her class), he was greeted by a covered in black overcoat Annabeth. It ran all the way down her legs and arms so Percy couldn't even guess what she was wearing. He noticed the bright red lipstick and the almost free hair but chose to remain formal and not question it.
He was extremely pleased to see her trail her eyes over him that he completely forgot that it was a two way road.
"Done staring?" he asked.
She gave him an bored look, "You're dreaming Percy. I won't be the one staring tonight", she liked their arms and started walking.
He should have took her warning and prepared himself.
He didn't.
They reached the terrace and Percy overlooked the city view. Annabeth finally took off her overcoat and sat on the chair that he took out for her.
Percy felt like he was momentarily stuck in time.
She was wearing a lace material that had a deep V neck, a designed, but still in lace, full hand and a running lace material with a deep cut to show her tanned legs - that too, all in red. This was nothing like the dresses he had seen Annabeth in and that was a shock in itself. To top it off, she looked confident and not shy which was totally unlike what he had imagined.
That thought alone sent his heart on a 10 mile run.
His body temperature reacted to her.
He didn't want to stare but he found himself doing just that.
Stop, his mind said.
I want to, he argued.
She smirked, "Done staring?"
He coughed and literally hit his thigh to stop, "Huh? Yeah"
Annabeth laughed, "I warned you."
"You did", he admitted.
Mr Brain looked at Mr Mind to say: No, I'm not gonna kiss her. Not like this. You're supposed to be a gentleman today!
Mr Mind replied: Imagine running your hands over that--
I said shut up!
Or think of how sweet --
SHUT UP!
She asked, "What's with the oven?"
"Huh?"
"The oven, Percy", she pointed to her right.
Percy turned his head from where he stood, apparently frozen. "Oh yeah... I know I said rooftop dinner but I just had a different idea last minute.."
Annabeth crossed one leg over the other, showing it off even more, "Yeah?"
That's what I'm talkin--
Is Annabeth tryna kill me?
Percy gulped. "I-I thought we c-could make pizzas"
"I see", she bit her lip slightly.
Gentlemen don't ignore--
His cheeks started to burn, "Stop distracting me!"
"I'm distracting you?"
"No, not you! I mean yes! --"
She leaned forward slightly, placed one hand on her thigh and looked up at him.
Yeah, she's definitely tryna kill me.
First, she complains that she didn't get a formal date and now that Percy is trying to be the gentleman, she's riling him up.
His voice suddenly came out low, "Don't"
She smirked, satisfied, "Don't what, Percy?"
Percy stared at her. Don't what? Don't make me wanna kiss that--
Okay, change the topic.
"Annabeth!!", He whined.
And just like that, her reaction changed, she got up, laughing, "Okay okay, Where's the base and sauce? Lets get started."
Percy opened the one big plate cover (what do you call this?) in the table to reveal the pizza base, already lined with sauce. He went to the other side to bring all the ingredients (which are kept in different plates in another white table).
Breathe in, breathe out. You're supposed to woo her tonight but something else is happening.
He dragged the table along and mentally cursed himself. When he turned to look at her again, he pushed the table a little too much, out of mild shock, and the utensils cluttered.
She's showing her back to him.
Literally.
He realised that the dress she's wearing was also backless. Well.., not entirely because it had strings going from one side to the other but it didn't leave anything to his imagination. For all practical purposes, it looked backless till her hips.
Annabeth turned to the sound, "What happened?"
"Nothing. Just pushed this thing hard." He dragged the table closer to her.
"Lets make a half and half. Green pepper, black olives, pepperoni, bacon, chillis on mine"
"Okay. I'm going with ham, pineapple, chillis, sausage and mushrooms."
Annabeth made a disgusted face, "What kind of a combination is that? Chillis and pineapple and ham?"
"My combination! You wait untill you taste it!"
"Ah... No thank you."
They put a layer of cheese on top of the pizza sauce and arranged their ingredients on their respective sides. Annabeth poured tomato sauce in stripes over her side and Percy copied her but with pizza sauce. She sprinkled salt, pepper while Percy randomly read funny sounding masala names and randomly added them.
She sat on the chair with him standing next to her, too lazy to pick up the other chair. He started eating few ingredients. Annabeth elbowed his thighs and opened her mouth, indicating to feed her.
Percy almost choked on another thought first though.
Get your head out of the gutter.
How is she not even a little fazed?
He fed her the pineapple. Not able to resist, he stood behind her and squeezed her shoulder.
"No Percy, we're not adding the extra cheese."
"How is me squeezing your shoulder signal for extra cheese?"
"Okay then, no extra cheese."
"Uh.. I didn't say that."
She rolled her eyes, "What else do you want then?"
You?
"So me touching you is indication that I want something?"
"Either that..", she dragged out and frowned, "Or you're gonna do something stupid or you're nervous. Why are you nervous?"
Or I'm riled up but I don't think you know that yet.
How do I get outta this smoothly?
Percy smiled wickedly, "I'm not nervous". He stuck two pepperonis with sauce to her eyes and added the extra cheese while she struggled to make the burn go away.
"What the hades, Percy?"
He laughed, "The wash basin is that way."
While he waited for her to come back, he put the pizza onto the oven. He sat back down in his chair (which is no longer connected to the table) and felt someone slap his cheeks. He realised that Annabeth had stuck two big leaf like things from the ingredients to his face.
Who the Hades adds leaves to their pizzas?
"Hey!"
"You did it first!", she stuck a bacon to his forehead.
Percy grabbed hold of the olives and stuck it randomly on her face. He then took the sauce bottle.
"No! No Percy, the dress! No liquids!"
He laughed. Annabeth grabbed his wrists, giggling, and sat on his lap in an attempt to control him. The motion dragged their faces too close.
Annabeth was still looking gorgeous with her hair now lose and spread all over, make-up ruined except for the lipstick and dress... Gods that dress. He realised that she was sitting on his lap and his heartbeat picked up in a way that had nothing to do with nervousness. An olive dropped down between them when Annabeth giggled and that's it.
Percy lost it.
He grabbed her neck roughly and brought her lips to his and when they kissed, Percy felt like his brain was melting into his body and turning into fire. It was, in one word, rough and the fact that he hadn't eaten anything just made it worse. However, Annabeth was still giggling into their kiss and Percy felt annoyed. She pulled back too early.
He frowned. "No, again", he breathed it out.
He snaked one arm around her bare (almost bare) back to rile her up as he connected their lips again. For a second, he was scared that he went too far but it worked, Annabeth wrapped her arms around his neck and finally kissed back.
Feeling adventurous, Percy dropped the hand that is holding her neck and rested it on her bare thigh. Just when he tried to deepen the kiss, Annabeth swatted his hand away, "No, you can't touch."
"Hey! you can't wear a dress like this and tell me to not touch. Not fair, Wise Girl."
She got up rolling her eyes and went to check on the pizza. They still had good time left before it was done so Percy played soft music and held out his hand.
"Let's test those classes."
Annabeth took his hand, "You'll be surprised at how well I'm doing, your highness."
He rose an eyebrow, she never called him that unless they were arguing but it didn't sound spiteful at all.
It almost sounded flirty.
Great.
Kill me already.
Annabeth rested her head on his shoulder and Percy prayed that his heartbeat wasn't so obvious. "The view is amazing."
"Mmm hmm.. I haven't come here in months", he admitted.
She turned her head to look at him, "What about the other rooftop dates?"
"Oh I never brought anyone here. This place is sort of..." Special.
He wanted to say special but the words die in his throat. He didn't read Annabeth and she turned away again. After what felt like an hour the timer rung and she moved away to take out the pizza.
Percy was nervous about this part of the date. He thought he might skip it but it simply won't feel complete without it. He grabbed the plates and beckoned Annabeth to the attached room.
The room wasn't big, 80 square feet at best. It was dimly lit in an amber light. It had a glass bottom floor which showed the beautiful gardens below. The roof was glass too so they could see the stars. A blanket was spread around and it had two wine glasses next to extra plates.
"Wine?", she asked.
"Your favourite, I promise."
"Pizza and wine. Genius," she said sarcastically.
They relaxed on the blanket and started eating. The gardens were lit with multicolour lamps. They sky, with few stars, wasn't fully dark yet. It felt peaceful.
Annabeth broke the silence, "I wish I could bring Thalia here."
"Huh?"
"She's afraid of heights"
Percy handed over her glass, now filled, "Count me in, lets do it together."
She folded her arms around her legs and brought it to her chest. Percy's mind gave him a warning: Just don't look. Think about pizzas, blue cupcakes. Don't drink. That is a horrible idea.
"Drinking on your dates, Percy? Naughty."
"I don't do this often. I don't trust my drunk self around people."
"What am I then? A potato?"
He rolled his eyes, "That joke is too old. I still don't trust myself but I trust you. You'll safely stop me before I do something too stupid."
"That's true."
They went silent.
"This is nice", she said.
"Hmm"
Do me a favour, when you reach hundred, you can look: One sheep, two sheep, five sheep, ten sheep...
She sighed, "You deserve it, Percy. After everything."
She lied down on her stomach and he followed, still trying desperately hard to not look at her. He wasn't sure if his body was ready to be around her when she looked like this without it having a... um... reaction. He instead focussed on the multicoloured lamps far below them.
Percy frowned, "Why's that?"
"Well you basically run the country. Future king and all. You have so much work on your plate. Stressful day. You deserve a nice wine with someone who excites you."
Huh? What happened?
Percy broke his mental oath and looked at her but the fact that he can see her better this close up doesn't do anything to him. She looked sad, frowning a little as she twirled her now empty wine glass. It made him want to feed whoever made her like this to a monster.
He stroked her hair, "Are you gonna tell me what happened?"
She doesn't meet his eyes, "Nothing."
"Annabeth...", he forced her to face him, "You've not been yourself today, have you?"
How did I not see this before?
She didn't answer.
"Wise Girl..."
"Sometimes I feel I'm too vanilla for you."
He sighed, "If you think that looking like an eye candy and flirting is what I like then you're wrong."
She looked at him, "But you liked it didn't you? You liked it today. Don't lie, Percy."
"I did but what do you think would have changed if you were just yourself? I would have been less awkward. We would have done the same things. Well... Maybe I would kiss you a little later or little sweeter but that doesn't change anything.", He held her hand, "We can go at a pace that's comfortable for both of us."
"Don't the other Selected do this though? Isn't Selection about wooing you?"
"If they do it they do it because they want to. I don't want you to do things you're not comfortable with. Trust me, it feels way better when you get comfortable with it. You can always choose to woo me by kicking my ass."
Annabeth smiled, "I'm not uncomfortable. I just feel out of my element. Maybe too much."
He smiled too, "Start small then. Don't come to me wearing backless lace red materials in the first go. Seriously though, how are you not freezing in this?"
"That's what I'm wondering too. You see this skin colour thing on my legs?", she points to it.
He couldn't have seen it if she didn't tell her. It was such a thin lining, exact same colour as her skin.
"I have it all over. It is some sort of a heat retaining material. Supposed to keep me warm. I really don't feel cold except for my face and fingers."
"Woah, dress technology."
"Japanese invention apparently."
He waved it away, "TMI."
He stared at her neck (not like that!, readers, getyourmind outta the gutter too).He touched the red coral pendant on her necklace. "I like this on you. It matches with your dress too"
She looked down, almost longingly, "Yeah, I like it too."
Percy wanted to do it over. Did she like anything that happened today?
Annabeth read his mind. She turned towards him and put one leg over his. "Don't worry, I liked the kiss."
Percy groaned in annoyance, "You do realise this is cue for me to touch you, right?" He doesn't though.
Annabeth smirked, "Wanna get hit again?"
Percy decided to hold her head in between his hands instead. Before he lost his confidence, he said, "I wanted to try something else."
"Yeah?"
"Copy me. We'll stop if you don't like it, okay?"
She nodded. Percy brought their lips together. He kissed her upper and lower lips a few times before tracing his tongue a little along her lower lip. He then waited for Annabeth to repeat it but when she did, he traced the tip of his tongue along hers. Annabeth made a small squeak and he pulled back.
Too much? He thought.
But she smiled at him, "Now this..", she guided one of his hands to just above her knee, "-is invite for you to touch." She smacked his hand. "Don't go up."
He grinned. "Yes, ma'am."
They did it again: once, twice, thrice, little bolder each minute before she pulled back, blushing, and he let go reluctantly. "That's enough, Seaweed Brain."
He finished with a kiss to her forehead. They sat together cuddling, enjoying each other's warmth. Before Percy knew it, the wine, the dim light, and the comfortable feeling of being with Annabeth made his eyes heavy, and he drifted to sleep.
When he woke, daylight was coming through the glass floor, and a boy's voice said, "Oh...You are in so much trouble."
...
Listen! Listen!
So... Remember when Percabeth fought, Percy told there was a gang meeting and he kept trying to carry Annabeth over? But of course, when Luke and Annabeth danced, Luke told her that the gang meet didn't happen on that day. So... Now see this...
Just after Percy asks Annabeth for the Friday date (in the last chapter) he thought: I should have followed the initial plan and just carried her over. This is hard--
Got it now?
Oh and in case someone didn't get the reference, when Piper and Annabeth talked about fighting with a tiara, they meant fighting with Percy. Remember in the gang meet they make the password as TIARA GIVES BOOK TO SPARKY? Tiara = Percy. Book = Annabeth. Sparky = Jason. Note that these aren't the only code names they have for each other but well... I suppose everyone would think tiara is a girl, if anything and that makes it the best code word.
Happy reading!