The place was amazing. The most beautiful camping spot I have ever been to. And believe me, I have been to a lot. In the distance, you could hear the smooth flowing of a river that was probably connected to the beach. It was peaceful, very peaceful, and there was absolutely no sound but eventual croaking of frogs and chirping of birds.
"I can't believe you found this place" Juniper gasped as she fingered a tree trunk.
But my best friend just smiled, "Come on, let's set up camp."
The afternoon sun was burning the nape of my neck and I was sure that it would sting for a really long time. Every one of us was doing our best not to regret the boys' absence and I am mad at Thalia for not even letting Percy tag along. If he had, he wouldn't let me get tired like this. Silena wasn't any help either. She was just filing her nails and occasionally throwing a twig to the camp fire we haven't lit yet. Actually, that was more than what we expected from her.
"See, all done" I said, looking at my masterpiece that was in front of me. The tent was pitched perfectly and it took me one good hour to do so.
Thalia was trying her best to lighten our mood but she knows that we needed other people in her so called 'Girls camping trip'
"Fine. If you need them so much, I'll just call them." She cursed under her breath before pulling out her phone. Almost as fast as I could blink, she has dialed Percy's number and was calling him to come here this instant.
I tried so hard to hide that smile on my face and I knew that I was doing well with it until Juniper nudged me. I rolled my eyes at her and nudged her back before sitting down on a felled log drawing random patterns on the soil with a stick. "I asked Percy to get the guys and come here. He and Jason know where this is so it wouldn't be a problem"
"Oh my god, Thalia, you don't know how happy I am to hear you say that!" Silena squealed in excitement. Suddenly, she was already putting on make-up on her face and trying really hard to make herself presentable for her boyfriend, probably.
"Silena, you don't have to try. Beck wouldn't mind seeing you naturally pretty" Piper mused to her sister. Believe it or not, they were siblings, though Piper took on more of her father and Silena, her mother.
She completely ignored the statement and continued to put on light blue eye shadow on her eyelids, smiling as she looked at herself in the mirror, added a dash of mascara and little eyeliner before putting the kit back in her bag. "When do you expect them to be here?"
Thals looked at her watch (she wasn't wearing one) and counted with her fingers. "Oh in about…" she paused, thinking. "Now"
As if on cue, the guys hopped out of what looked like Beckendorf's pick-up carrying bags of their own. Percy greeted Thalia with a small, sensible smile before hugging me tightly. "How did you get here so fast?"
"Charlie here knows a shortcut. I was surprised you didn't take it"
His cousin waved it off before planting a soft kiss on Nico's lips. I winced at the sight, knowing I can't do that in public right now with Percy. This is the worst torture I have ever gone through in my entire life. Actually, the rest of the guys were already groping on their girls and I bit my tongue not to do the same. He seemed to see my expression before whispering something to my ear, "Later"
Unconsciously, I smiled at this. It was better than nothing and I was glad that he really did want it as much as I do. "Come on guys, we came here to have some mother nature bonding time." My boyfriend coaxed.
"He is right" Grover muttered as he pulled away from Juniper. "But what do you think we're supposed to do? The girls practically did everything we're supposed to"
"When my parents, Jason, Thalia, and I went here when I was twelve, I sorta got lost and ended up seeing this cliff. You could practically see everything from there. I didn't get to show it to them, though"
"Why don't you do it now?" Jason almost pleaded.
He smiled before taking my hand and pulling me to the forest with them following suit.
I was kinda surprised on the outward display of affection but I realized that Percy and I held hands before and this wasn't any different from them but I was blushing along the way, not very different from before. He turned to me once and smiled his usual smile. "You're gonna love it." He said before tugging me along the trees, slow enough for our friends to catch up on us but fast enough to notice that he was really psyched about this.
And what I saw stopped me dead on my tracks.
There it was, the perfect view of the ocean. The waves rolling up the shore calmly. To my right, you could see nothing but tree tops and sometimes long winding rivers that would probably be connected to the water. The birds were flying peacefully in the sky, eventually hearing their eventual chirps of greeting. Though the sun was probably at its highest, it didn't seem to bother me anymore. I could already feel the cool sea breeze brushing on my skin and I closed my eyes at the feeling, breathing in the scent of it.
"It's beautiful" was the only thing I could say as I looked at him. "So beautiful"
He was looking at me, his eyes filled with obvious love. "I can't believe you're finally mine" he murmured, almost inaudible. It was nice hearing that from him, knowing his sincerity was at its peak as he did.
"We can't keep this forever" I told him, a sad smile on my face.
He sighed and stared at the sky. "We'll tell them, don't worry. But not now. It's better if we do it when they're ready"
"Who's ready for what?" I almost jumped in surprise but remained calm and collected inside.
Percy didn't answer for a while so Thalia repeated her question.
"Oh, you were asking me" Percy said, his hand rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "No, I was wondering when the right time to introduce you to Cas is. You know I don't trust you to meet her just yet."
Apparently, he's been practicing his lying because he was really convincing. It was as if he's been practicing this line ever since we started going out secretly. I understood why he felt like that. He may have been afraid of being judged. I still think it's better to tell them soon than let them find out by themselves. Thalia won't stand for that, knowing that she may have trusted me with her cousin or the other way around and we decide to fool around.
Memories of last night flashed through my head and I tried hard not to blush, failing miserably. So what I did was I hid it instead and stared at the ocean, where the outline of what seemed to be another island was in the distance. I liked the sight since it was the first time I've been actually at peace.
"Why are you blushing, Wise Girl?" Percy teased, nudging me on the shoulder. But his eyes knew the reason why. We were practically thinking of the same thing.
Silena cooed in the background and most of the guys were catcalling at me as if they found the idea very impossible. "Ooh, thinking about your 'secret admirer' now are you" she said the word with finger quotes and I blushed wilder, handing Percy the letter that he wrote to me in a completely different handwriting.
"So, who do you think SB is?" Seaweed Brain asked as he handed it back to me. He had this look in this eye that said that he couldn't keep up the act as much as I can. This was tearing him to pieces and I was feeling the exact same way.
If he doesn't kiss me in the next thirty seconds, I'm going to start crying. I can't even handle five minutes without making out, let alone an entire weekend. So I had to take a whole lot of calm, collective breaths not to pounce on him and press his lips to mine. That wasn't the greatest thing to do and Thalia would hate me for lying to her. So will Silena and we've been friends since forever. I can't stand it when she's angry at me.
"She won't tell…" Clarisse said as she intertwined her fingers with Chris. "But I bet she would tell you."
"Uh, no I won't"
Percy rolled his eyes at me before giving me his puppy dog look- which is so cute it should be illegal. "Come on, pretty please"
I shook my head, "Maybe later" I mused, considering the name that I could possibly tell him.
The rest went back to camp but I swear Piper was looking at me suspiciously. Thankfully, she was pulled back by Jason, probably wanting to make-out with her.
We sat at the edge and stared at what seemed to be the never ending ocean. "So who is SB?"
"I think you know"
He smirked and placed his hand on top of mine. "Yeah, I think I do"
Suddenly, Percy did the stupidest thing and climbed down the very unsafe terrain. He pointed to a cave nearby and I smiled at him, taking his outstretched hand. We took it slowly, knowing there was this really big possibility that whatever we were holding on to would eventually crumble a few minutes later. So we had to test where we stepped at and walked rather carefully to probably the most private spot in this camping trip.
His lips were on mine the moment we were hidden, kissing me so passionately that it made my eyes droop at the sensation. Well that and my heart melt until it was a large pool of liquid at my feet. My hands were around his neck, feeling his jet black hair in my fingertips. It felt nice, to finally feel free to do what we were really supposed to, making up for the many hours we have been separated.
Eventually, we had to pull away for air, his forehead pressed gently to mine as he gave me a quick peck on the nose. "I love you" he confessed. "So much"
I let out a few tears before hugging him tightly, feeling so invulnerable with him to protect me. "I love you, too. More than you could ever imagine" it may have sounded cliché or a little too corny but that was how I really felt. He was the only guy who has ever given me this feeling. He was the only guy who I had to please and the only one who I never really have to try to please since he's always found me perfect. He was the only guy I have ever loved like this.
We eventually found it best to sit down on the cold stone floor, resting in each other's arms. He was muttering random words to my ear, sometimes telling me stories before I even met him. "My dad, he asked me to try to drive his boat once when I was eleven. I was so excited I almost slapped myself silly just to wake up from the dream" I laughed and looked at him in the eye, placing a soft kiss on his perfect lips.
But we know this has to end soon. The moment he brought up our friends, I frowned. I don't want to come back there, knowing I don't have the freedom to do what I want to do with my boyfriend. "What happened last night?" It was the first time we ever talked about it, ever since it happened.
His beautiful sea green eyes look distant, staring at the crashing waves against the entrance. "No regrets, right?" he whispered, looking at me with features filled with love.
I nodded, placing my head on the crook of his neck. "No regrets" I agreed, fingering the hem of his shirt.
It was already about sunset when we decided to go back. If Thalia sends a search party after us, I know we would be doomed. So it was the best time to look at the sky once more and give him another soft peck. "By the way, we both know that we aren't lying about us dating someone else. I am with Cassandra Chase and you're with Seaweed Brain, so we're not technically lying to them right?" he looked nervous, as if lying to his cousin was the worst thing he could have done. Actually, it is.
"There you guys are" Katie said playfully, as if she was asking where we really went to. "We were getting worried"
"I had to show her the waterfall so we hiked all the way there, rested for a while and came back" he mused nonchalantly as he sat beside Nico with me at his left.
"So, did she tell you who SB is?" Silena asked hopefully. I know what she was thinking. If she can't get the answers out of me, she can probably get it out of Percy's.
He didn't answer for a second, his nose twitching in distaste as he saw what seemed to be a worm wriggling out of the earth. "Yeah, she did"
My theory was soon proven correct since every one of them asked my boyfriend who my secret admirer was. But he kept shaking his head, hiding that small smile that was playing on his lips. I was glad that they weren't that swollen after our make-out session so they didn't suspect that we did anything other than talk, like we used to. "I have specific orders from Ms. Chase that I cannot tell you anything." He answered in a very serious yet teasing tone. I hid my gasp at how sexy he sounded, trying so hard to control that needy feeling in my gut.
"And what will happen when you accidentally let that slip"
Percy looked at me with feign horror and I slapped him playfully in the arm but tried hard not to kiss him on the cheek. It was something all of us were somehow waiting for, just one sign of affection other than our usual physical assaults. They just need proof that Percy and I are together and that Cassandra and SB did not exist.
To their disappointment, I gave them none.
Apparently, they kept up with the camping traditions with the Stoll brothers sharing really boring scary stories that would probably give a child a peaceful night's sleep. It was so cliché, saying there were monsters in the woods when we perfectly know there weren't. Maybe there were bears but they're more afraid of us than we are of them. Plus, most bears have few natural enemies. And humans are not part of them.
It was something we had gotten used to over the years of being friends with them. They were a whole lot of trouble but can be really fun. "Come on, who has a better story?"
"Why are we doing this anyways?"
Suddenly, there was this ringing sound coming from Percy. He sighed and picked up his phone, excusing himself from the rest of us before heading to the forest alone.
I decided to follow him. Since we don't really have any secrets at all from each other, what's the harm of stalking your best friend? "Yes, I'm fine. It's not like they're going to hurt me… You know I can't do that, she's important to me in ways you don't understand… Don't you dare say that again, Rachel, I swear to God if you ever call her that again… Just don't call me … Whatever. I'm not going to break-up with her to be with someone like you… Don't even try, okay..." And with that, he hung up, looking pretty pissed.
"Let me guess, Rachel Dare?" she was that one of a kind school slut who wants both Percy and a major in art. She was even trying to steal what I do best (architecture) from me. I hated her so much not because she once dated my boyfriend but because she even had the guts to call him after one year.
He looked at me in alarm but nodded, stuffing his phone in his pocket. "You're unbelievable, you do know that right?" I muttered, kissing him softly.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah" he waved it off as if it was some kind of disappointing feature about himself.
That was when I heard the gasp that came from the tree behind us.
It was Piper, thank God. She was a little quieter than her sister, a little more trustworthy to keep a secret. There was just one thing… She never hides anything from Jason. The moment she experiences something that is supposed to be told, he is the first one she would go to. And Jason can easily tell this to Thalia and she could tell it to Silena. The next thing you know, the whole school is siding in what seems to be the best about this relationship.
I pulled her wrist and pushed her against the trunk, covering her mouth. She looked so scared, as if she knew what I can do to her. And Percy was here too so she will most probably go out of here without any physical bruises but emotional ones. "Piper" I breathed, my breath hoarse. "Piper, don't panic" she nodded and her breathing turned even but that look hasn't even considered vanishing.
"We're not going to hurt you" Percy said, his voice very sincere. How I could kiss him right then and there.
She nodded again, biting her lower lip. "Just swear that you're not going to tell anyone. Or that you'll ever forget this ever happened, please"
"Why are you even hiding this? Silena's been trying to make Percabeth a reality for four years now so why are you trying?"
I sighed and played with the end of my hair. I do this when I'm nervous, especially if I have to answer questions like this. "They're not ready. This might be too big for them to absorb right away" my boyfriend was a life saver. I don't know what I'm going to do without him.
She peacefully agreed before starting to walk away, "Pipes, none of this ever happened, okay?"
"None of what ever happened?" she asked, feigning confusion. "I don't know what you're talking about"
A smile was given in thanks before she disappeared in the darkness.
We made sure that there was no one but us before Percy pushed me against the very same tree trunk and pressed his lips to mine, soft and pliant. And my fingers lingered down to the small of his back, one of the most sensitive parts of him. We were playing truth or dare before and he just sorta said it. It was like his pressure point or something, where electricity would flood his whole being when pressed too hard.
His palm cupped my cheek and we were both devouring each other with kisses, our tongues in a never ending battle. I don't care if I get sick, whether it's serious or not. I just want to tell Percy how much he means to me, how much I care about him. "I love you" he whispered, breathless.
"I know" I replied, "I love you, too"
We walked back to the campsite about five minutes after the make-out session. I wanted to recover and go out like I went in. Piper acted as if she has never seen anything earlier and she was talking to Jason, giggling softly at some joke he probably shared.
I never thought that I would be sharing tents with him. Thalia figured we were already very much comfortable sleeping in the same bed (once! It happened once! Well twice if you count last night), I think it's ideal for us to share the smallest tent. It wasn't like I minded though since the picture of his naked body was already imprinted on the back of my head. So, as for the moment, I was mentally satisfied.
"Let's play a game" Thalia announced, holding what seemed to be a bottle.
I am not going to play that game ever again. The last time that happened, I had to kiss Travis then Jason. I was not going to let history repeat itself. And I did the most sensible thing and excused myself, saying that I was tired and headed to my tent.
Honestly, it wasn't that bad. It was cozy, that's for sure and wasn't that small so we could move a little, rearranging ourselves unconsciously. I sat down on the mat and pulled out a pocketbook I've been reading since yesterday. Okay, so maybe it wasn't ideal for me to read during a camping trip, knowing there are so many things to do but…
"Hey, you okay?" It was Katie and I wasn't very surprised to see that she came to check up on me. She does that, even when she didn't need to.
I nodded, turning on the flashlight that was sitting right beside me. "Yeah, I'm fine. What made you say I wasn't?" Of course I felt better than fine. I just had a heated make-out session with one of the hottest guys in school. Why wouldn't I be fine?
"I don't know. You seem distracted… Is this about the guy you're dating?"
"Maybe" I muttered, turning to the page I stopped at. "But he's not here at the moment so why be bothered." It wasn't a lie since I never really specified where here really was.
She sighed and looked at the ceiling. "You can trust me, Annabeth." Katie said, her eyes looking sincere.
Seeing that look on her face made me guilty that I kept something from her. But I know she was just luring me in, that she might as well be the tool that got the truth out of everyone. "There's not much to say" I told her honestly. My standards of not much were very specific. If there was something that happened, maybe a car accident or a death of a family member, that was an exception. But as of now, there wasn't much to say.
"Come on, Annabeth. This is your love life!" she was exaggerating. I know she was. It was as if I really cared about how that part of my life was probably least of my priorities.
I shook my head and continued reading, ignoring her desperate attempts for me to spill. Maybe she was dared to do this, to get the information out of me and tell me that maybe there was something she needed to know bad. "Katie, you know I can't tell you. I'm not ready to"
She looked disappointed but nodded, smiling kindly. "I'm sorry if I made it uncomfortable"
"It's fine" I replied, copying her tone. "I don't mind"
Katie nodded and stepped out of my tent, replaced by my boyfriend. "Hey" he said
"Hey"
"What are you up to?" he asked me, looking over to what I was reading.
The book was written by Nicholas Sparks, entitled The Notebook. It is probably one of the most beautiful novels I have ever read and maybe there was this possibility that Percy and I could relate to Allie and Noah. I know it wasn't like me to read something so short for like two days already but it was probably because I had a lot to worry about and a lot to do that I never had the chance to continue.
"Could you close it?" I requested, placing my bookmark on the page I have ended. "I have to change"
He nodded and zipped the tent close. After, he sat beside me and handed my bag. But I specifically requested that he give me his. He was confused, at first, but eventually understood what I meant. I got one of his black t-shirts and boxers before closing it again and placing it in the corner.
I unbuttoned my shirt and gingerly handed it to him, giving him a really good view of my breasts. I didn't mind that he was staring since it wasn't as if he didn't see them already. I put on his shirt and tied my hair to a messy bun before slipping the shorts from my legs and replaced them with his boxers.
"Don't you have clothes of your own, Wise Girl?" he whispered to my ear, pinning me against the floor. "Or are you just teasing me that I don't get to do what I can to you" this was said to the skin on my neck, his lips travelling to my jaw. I bit my lip that I could prevent myself from moaning at the feeling.
"Please, don't do this" I pleaded. I don't want to give in to the temptation that has suddenly exposed itself in front of me. Especially when I know that we couldn't continue this at all. He was mocking me, telling me that I will give in sooner or later. "I don't want…"
The thought trailed off when his hands went under the shirt he owned that I was wearing and rubbed my stomach, his mouth on the back of my neck.
But he understood when I almost cried and kissed me instead, on the lips. Just a soft one, enough for me to long for his talented hands inside me once again. "I love you, Annabeth" he whispered, his forehead pressed to mine and his breath on my face.
"Love you, too, Seaweed Brain" I replied in the same volume.
"Guys! Could you come out here for a second?" It sounded like Piper and I knew that maybe she was suspecting what we were doing.
I gulped and wiped my lips, hoping that whatever has happened to it will immediately disappear, well enough for it not to be noticed. Percy did the same, straightening his shirt and kissing me once again before unzipping the tent entrance and stepping out. I was just glad that I turned off the flashlight before they could see something they're not supposed to.
"What is it?" I asked sleepily, scratching my arm.
Thalia managed to give me her signature eye roll but pointed to the sky. The stars were shining brightly, almost impossible in New York City. You could even make out all the constellations. "It's beautiful" I gasped, almost inaudible.
"Never seen this much stars before, Wise Girl?" Clarisse asked
Many of us were already lying down on the cool, slightly moist forest floor and stared at the sky. I, on the other hand, sat up, with Percy's head placed lightly on my lap. The stars were uncountable, unlike the ones in the city. And they were shining so brightly, twinkling boldly as if there was nothing that could stop them from showing off the best of them.
Apparently, Silena Beauregard has managed to notice what I was currently wearing. She raised an eyebrow at it and lifted her head from Charlie's shoulder. "Where did you get that?" she was curious but not scolding me for not looking pretty when I am about to sleep. I know how camping trips go, eventually when everyone is trying to pull an all-nighter and then ended up going to dreamland earlier than expected.
I furrowed my eyebrows at her and Percy too seemed a little too amused by my reaction. "What do you mean? I've always had this"
"But why do you need it?"
I bit my lip, and tried hard not to search for answers in his eyes. "To get comfortable" I said in a duh tone. Most of the guys snickered at where this conversation will lead to but I ignored most of them and unconsciously started stroking my boyfriend's hair. It wasn't very unusual since I've been doing this to him since we were thirteen. He closed his eyes as my fingertips lingered to his jaw with my thumb stroking his cheek.
Piper looked as if she already knew where I got it and why I was wearing it. I mean, she does know more that she's supposed to and I know she's happy that we're finally together. She just doesn't know how together we really were.
"Look guys, I'm getting sleepy and it's already like ten so can I please go to sleep?" Percy all but begged.
Thalia considered it for a second before waving him off. He smiled at him in thanks and tapped me twice on the shoulder before heading to our tent.
Juniper and Grover followed soon after, together with Jason and Piper. It was either because they wanted time alone or because they were really tired. Beck excused himself to bed too and his girlfriend smiled, kissing him softly before waving him off to the tent. So all that was left were me, Thalia, Silena, Travis, Katie, Connor, Nico, and Leo and we were not in the mood to talk about what we're supposed to.
"Seriously, Annabeth, what's with the outfit?" Leo, Piper's cousin, asked. I knew I shouldn't have changed after we talked, I thought. It was a stupid mistake, for me not to consider what's going to happen.
I skimmed my tongue on the inside of my cheek before twirling the ends of my hair between my fingertips. "Is it bad for a girl to possess these kinds of clothes?"
"They look like Percy's size, honestly" Silena pushed a little further.
But I took the moment to come up with a great reply, staring at the sky since it has helped me before. Well, maybe not as much as the ocean has but I can't walk all the way back to that cliff just because I needed to think. "It's my boyfriend's" I spit out almost three minutes after the question was asked.
They all looked at me with raised eyebrows and Thalia was the first to recover from the shock. "How did you get it?"
"Stole it from his closet"
"You mean SB? Whoever he is?" Katie questioned, looking a little surprised.
I nodded and shrugged. "Look, it's getting late. I should really get some sleep."
And with that, I stood and headed to the tent.
Why are boys so cute when they're asleep? I swear, his handsome face was so angelic, so peaceful that I didn't deserve to see such beauty. The next thing I noticed was the fact that we was wearing boxers and a white muscle t-shirt, making me drool over the way the sleeves were tight around his arms. I lowered my face to his ear and whispered those three words we've been saying to each other the moment we even started…
I settled myself beside him, resting my head gently on his chest. I was glad that I padlocked the entry shut so no one can make unexpected visits in the middle of the night and blackmail us because they did something while we were asleep. "I love you, too, Wise Girl" he mumbled back, kissing the top of my head lightly.
Sleep evaded me at that moment so I took the time to just be alone with my thoughts, letting them free flow from my brain. This week was so hectic, so spontaneous. Everything just happened for no apparent reason. Just last week I was staring at Percy make-out with another girl. And now, he was lying so he could make-out with me in peace. What kind of guy does that for a relationship that probably won't last forever? I'm just sure that we will try to go back to our state before we even considered all of this.
Soon, too soon, my eyes began to droop with the absolute tiresome day. I wasn't battling for it to stay open and I let out a small smile before I finally let sleep take its course.
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