Annabeth POV

I'm out of shape.

That much has become apparent enough as I attempt to scramble down the long-ass staircase to the beach, panting with every step I take.

I ran from the Colosseum to get here, and I'm suddenly regretting that decision. I feel sweat forming on my forehead and my feet ache from my sandals, which click obnoxiously against the cement every time I make my way down another step. My hand slides along the hot railing with ease and I don't even have time to look up and take in the view of the ocean.

I'm too focused on reaching the sand.

When I reach the bottom of the steps, I quickly take off my sandals and loop the straps around my finger as I begin making my way towards the water.

I'm not surprised in the slightest by how many people are on the beach today. It's a private beach for residents of the resort, and isn't nearly as big as the public beaches in Los Angeles, which only makes it seem more crowded. The sandy area where families and couples sit, sunbathing and making sandcastles, is significantly shorter in both length and width in comparison to most of the beaches I've been to in my life, and I'm definitely not used to seeing anything like the giant, rocky coves that line the sides of this beach. Usually it's just more and more sand stretched as far as the eyes can see, but the coves here almost serve as a barrier; keeping Olympus beach secluded from the rest of the world.

The sun is beating down really hard today, and I am seriously regretting that I didn't stop at my room to drop off my newly-acquired books before I came down here.

Oh well.

The beach gets more and more crowded the further along I get, and by the time I'm almost at the water, it's absolutely packed.

I weave my way in and out of towels and umbrellas, looking very out of place with my clothes on and my arms full of books. I carefully begin to walk alongside the water, almost knocking over some kid's sandcastle as I do.

I am about to apologize, when suddenly, I see something that catches my eye and stop in my tracks.

About fifteen feet away, half buried in the sand, I see an average looking blue backpack, and of course, Percy Jackson's skateboard. He rides a longboard that's covered from wheel to wheel in a variety of stickers, not too different from my own cruiser.

I recognize it immediately from the day we met.

I begin to head over, and as soon as I reach his stuff, I set my own books and backpack down next to it.

Relieved to finally have the extra weight off of me, I turn my head towards the ocean, already knowing where he's going to be.

It takes me a minute to spot out Percy's head of jet black hair, but as soon as I do, I immediately feel stupid for not seeing it sooner.

Of course he's the furthest one out there.

I make my way to the edge of the water, going in to my ankles before calling out to him.

"Percy!" I get a couple of annoyed looks from the people around me, but frankly, I couldn't care less. I yell louder this time.

"Percy Jackson!"

That gets his attention.

Honestly, I'm surprised that Percy even hears me, he's so far out, but as soon as he does, his head snaps over in my direction and his eyes widen in surprise when he realizes it's me.

A look of confusion takes over his face.

What are you doing here? Percy mouths.

I wave him over.

I see Percy's head duck underwater and he begins making his way over to me, not once breaking from his perfect swimming form as he does.

I'm immediately jealous that he knows how to swim so well, and then I mentally kick myself because I need to stop hating when other people are better at things than me.

As Percy rises from the water, a completely un-Annabeth noise escapes my throat and I quickly bring my hand up to my face to cover the blush that suddenly takes over.

Percy's body is spectacular. And I mean, spectacular.

My hand doesn't leave my face.

I hate this.

Percy shakes the water out of his hair as he wades his way through the water, making his way up to the place where I stand.

By the time he finally reaches me, I think that I have calmed down enough to finally take down my hand.

"Annabeth, what are you doing here?" Percy asks me, a look of deep confusion on his face. And honestly, who can blame him after the way I left things.

My stomach twists.

"I made a mistake," I blurt out. "It was dumb, and I feel stupid, and even though I almost never apologize to anyone for anything-" Looking up at the sky, I quickly pause to take a deep breath. "I came to say I'm sorry."

Percy smirks and cocks his head to the side. "Care to explain?"

"Honestly no," I say, shoving my hands into the pockets of my shorts. "But I will."

Percy grins and motions for me to go on, clearly enjoying this.

"Okay," I start with a sigh. "The first day I came here, even before I met you, I met Thalia."

"You met Thal-?" Percy starts to say, but I cut him off.

"Uh-uh, no interrupting."

"K, sorry," Percy chokes, clearly trying to hold back his laughter.

"As I was saying," I start, "I met Thalia, and we grew close really fast."

Percy shift his weight in front of me, and I'm having trouble not getting distracted by his lack of a shirt.

"So, one day," I continue, trying really hard not to look down at his chest, "she tells me that her ex, who she still has feelings for, is staying at the resort-"

"Yeah, Luke-" Percy says, and I hold my hand up to him.

"What did I say about interrupting?"

Percy shrinks.

"Anyway," I say, taking a breath, "Flash forward a couple days and we're at the dance and you and I had-" I pause. "A good time and everything."

Percy smirks and I shoot him a glare.

"But then, and here's where it gets embarrassing," I say, "when I saw you and Thalia hugging over by the bar…"

I look at Percy, but he obviously has no idea what I'm getting at. I sigh in exasperation, hating that he's making me spell this out for him.

"I kind of thought that you were her ex, who she had literally just told me she was getting back together with."

Percy's forehead creases. "But Thals is my-"

"Cousin. I know." I say in exasperation, covering my face with my hands. "But I didn't know that at the time." I awkwardly lower my arms stiffly to my sides. "So the other night when we were sitting on the stairs…"

A moment of silence passes between us as Percy processes my words.

And then he bursts out laughing.

And doesn't stop.

"Oh my gods, that explains so much!" Percy gasps between laughs. "You have no idea how confused I was."

"Percy I'm so sorry," I say shaking my head. "I really thought that you were her boyfriend and that you were cheating on her…"

This makes Percy laugh even harder.

The fact that he is taking this whole situation so well eases the tension I've been carrying around considerably. I was so worried that he would be mad at me for the way I left things between us, and seeing him react so well floods me with relief.

About a minute passes in which we both stand there laughing, Percy grabbing at his stomach, and me covering my face out of embarrassment.

The people around us aren't getting any happier with me.

Percy shakes his head, grinning.

"I do have to say, I respect your loyalty Chase," he says to me. "I mean, I'm a pretty irresistible guy."

I jokingly punch Percy in the arm.

Mostly because it's true.

"You should just be glad I didn't slap you that night," I say, sending Percy into a whole new fit of laughter.

"Yeah, I'd probably still have the mark if you did," he says.

When we finally calm down, a moment of silence passes between us. The waves crash lightly behind Percy, and I'm suddenly reminded that he probably wants to get back to what he was doing.

"Well, I should probably get going," I say, motioning over my shoulder back towards the resort. "Just came to clear that up."

I begin to turn on my heel, back towards where our stuff lays sprawled out in the sand, when Percy's hand suddenly grabs my own.

I stop, turning towards him.

"Why don't you stay?" he says with a smile, and swings our linked hands playfully.

I look at Percy and see nothing but genuineness in his sea green eyes. He looks adorable with his wet hair plastered messily to his face.

"The water's really not that cold," he adds with a smirk.

I laugh. "Percy, I'm wearing my clothes!"

"So?" he asks, giving my hand a tug. "The sea doesn't discriminate."

I snort in spite of myself.

"C'mon," he says.

Percy's smile is infectious.

And that's when I make a decision I know I will almost certainly regret later. I begin to walk away, turning my body away from Percy until our hands are just barely linked. And just when I know I have him fooled, I quickly make an about-face, running straight towards the waves and diving right in, dragging Percy along with me.

I just barely hear him let out a gasp of surprise before we're both submerged underwater.

I don't come up for air or let go of Percy's hand as I swim further out into the water. A wave passes above us, and I feel Percy kicking alongside me, both of us treading against the pull of the ocean.

Once the wave has cleared us, we release our grip on each other's hands and begin to resurface. As soon as we do, Percy bursts out laughing.

"I was not expecting that," he says, shaking his head.

"I know," I respond, shrugging my shoulders with a smirk.

We're far enough out that the ground is just out of reach for me, so I have to tread, though I can tell that Percy doesn't have the same problem from the still set of his stance.

"Shortie," Percy teases, smirking.

I splash him with water.

"Hey!" He shouts, jokingly.

"You mess with the bull, you get the horns, Jackson."

Percy wipes the hair from his face with a chuckle. "Trust me, I know."

He says it with such conviction that I almost get the impression he has a bull's horn stashed away in an attic somewhere. Ridiculous.

"You're such a seaweed brain…" I say, shaking my head. Percy shoots me a confused smile.

"What?" he says, his head cocked to the side.

"Seaweed brain," I begin to explain with a laugh. "Because your head's full of kelp."

Percy looks up to the sky shaking his head, laughing. "Okay wise girl…"

I tilt my head in confusion. "Wise girl? That sounds more like a compliment than an insult," I say to him, smirking.

"Well, I wanted to say wise-ass, but figured you probably would've punched me."

I laugh. "You figured right."

Percy splashes me, and I splash him back, and we just spend the next couple of minutes going back and forth like that. I don't think my smile leaves my face once.

It really is a gorgeous day out, and I'm kind of mad at myself for not coming down to the beach earlier. I've been missing out on a lot.

Just over Percy's shoulder, I have a straight view of the resort, which looks totally different from down here. Less like a grand hotel, and more like a distant castle, embedded in the rocky coast. It's absolutely gorgeous.

"What are you thinking about?" Percy asks me suddenly, drawing my attention back to him. I snap out of my daze.

"Sorry," I say, "I didn't mean to ignore you, I was just zoning out."

"No, not at all!" Percy says quickly. "I was just wondering what you were thinking about. You always have this look, even when we're not talking, like the gears behind your mind are constantly turning."

I laugh at that.

"A pretty astute observation for a seaweed brain," I say with a smirk.

Percy huffs out a grunt, rolling his eyes. I take a minute to think before I respond.

"I was thinking about what type of structural support they used to embed the resort into the bluffs that way," I say to him, swallowing.

Percy chuckles in amusement.

"What! you asked!" I say, laughing with embarrassment.

"And there's no answer I would've rather received," Percy remarks. He looks at me with a slight grin and this depthful stare, and I just can't seem to fathom what on earth he seems to find so fascinating.

I'm not used to people looking at me that way.

"Race you to the coves," I say, splashing Percy as I start to swim off towards the rocky gulf to the right.

He throws his head back with amusement. "Big mistake," he chuckles, and takes off after me.

We spend a long time by the coves, swimming around the rocks and keeping an eye out for crabs.

Probably a half an hour has gone by by the time Percy and I decide to get out.

We body surf this mediocre wave back, and as we begin to exit the water and make our way back up the sand, I become painfully aware of the fact that I am indeed soaking.

The hot sand shifts lightly beneath my feet, but the heat of it isn't doing anything to warm me up. I let out an involuntary shiver.

"You look like you're freezing," Percy says with a laugh.

"Well, yeah!" I retort. "And you're not?"

Percy just shakes his head. "I'm kind of immune to cold. Probably because I'm in the water so much."

We finally reach our pile of stuff, and as soon as we do, Percy throws his towel to me. "Here, take it," he says.

"Percy, I'm not taking your towel," I say, rolling my eyes. I start to hand it back to him, but he side-steps me.

"Annabeth I really don't even need it. Temperature immunity."

I smirk, shaking my head at him.

"Plus I'm wearing a bathing suit," he continues. "Which, not to brag or anything, is already starting to dry."

I'm rolling my eyes, but somehow smiling anyway. "You sure?" I ask him.

"Positive," Percy responds, beginning to pack up his stuff. "Mostly because I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have been too happy about the idea of walking through the resort wearing soaking clothes. Doesn't exactly leave much to the imagination." He smirks in my direction.

I blush, pulling the towel tight around my arms.

"Thanks," I say to him.

Percy begins to put on his shirt (much to my disappointment), and starts to reach down to pick up my stuff too.

"Percy I swear to gods if you even try to be all chivalrous and pick up my stuff for me, I will murder you.

Percy just laughs, and continues to sling my backpack over his shoulder.

"It's not chivalry. Just human decency," he says. "Trust me, if I'm ever freezing in soaking clothes, I'll expect you to carry my massive pile of books for me too."

I snort. "Deal."

We begin making our way up the beach towards the steps, weaving our way in and out of the lines of towels and umbrellas as we do. When we finally reach the base, I decide against putting on my sandals again, not wanting to have to deal with the clicking noise they make against the cement.

We begin heading up the stairs, making small talk as we do. But when we're just about to reach the top, though, Percy anxiously clears his throat to speak.

"We should hang out tomorrow," he says, nervously running his hand through his hair.

I smirk in his direction.

"I mean, not just us," he says. "But like, all of us. Thalia and Jason and everyone. We could leave the resort for the day, head into the city…"

"I'd love that," I say, and Percy looks relieved.

"Really?" He asks.

"Totally," I say. "I think I've left the resort like once in the two weeks I've been here, and even that was just to run an errand for my mom."

"Awesome," Percy says, a smile tugging at his lips. "I mean, not awesome that you haven't left the resort, obviously, but awesome that you can go tomorrow-"

"I got it Jackson," I say with a laugh, putting him out of his misery.

We've finally reached the side door to the resort lobby, and I quickly run ahead to hold the door open for Percy. He laughs as he steps through.

"See," he begins. "Chivalry isn't dead."

I can't help but throw my head back and laugh at that, and as soon as I do, Percy joins in, and pretty soon, we're both just laughing like crazy people for no apparent reason.

"Annabeth, stop it! Your laugh is fucking contagious!" Percy gasps, which only makes me giggle harder.

I haven't even noticed that we've entered the crowded lobby until I hear someone clear their throat loudly to our right.

The concierge behind the front desk is giving us a stern look.

"Shoes must be worn in the lobby at all times," he says, motioning to my bare feet.

For whatever reason, Percy and I find this astronomically funny.

I fall to the floor from laughter, and Percy is right next to me in a matter of seconds, dropping the pile of books to clutch at his stomach. I keep trying to calm down, mostly because every single person in the lobby is looking at us now, but every time I try to stop, my giggles just hit me a million times harder. It definitely doesn't help that beside me, Percy has literally started crying from laughter.

"If you don't calm down and put shoes on, I am going to have to call security!" The concierge says with a raised voice. He is obviously flustered, his face almost turning as red as his lapels. Clearly he doesn't have to deal with crazy teenagers dying from hysterical laughter everyday.

"Okay, okay," I gasp out between laughs, but as soon as I try to stand back up, I fall to the floor again, right beside Percy, shrieking with laughter. My stomach is cramping painfully from laughing so hard, and I feel my eyes start to well up with tears. I lean my head against Percy's shoulder, and become aware of the fact that both of our bodies completely shaking from the force of our combined laughter.

"That's it," the concierge says, and proceeds to call security.

It was the first time I'd ever been tested for drugs in my life.