A language warning even though I don't know why I give a warning I know all of you say these words too lol
PERI'S POV

"So how far do you think we'll get?"

Leo scanned the thicket of ropes with his eyes, grinning excitedly. "Are you kidding?! We'll be able to swing these shits to kingdom come and back!"

I laughed at that. "This is so badass! We'll be like monkeys or something! Demi-monkeys!"

He shook his head. "Nah, that's lame. We're like a bajillion timessmarter than monkeys! We'll be Tarzan and Jane instead."

I nodded in agreement before grabbing hold of one of the many hanging ropes. Its coarse feel helped me get a good grip. I saw Leo grabbing hold of his own rope swing.

"Damn, this is gonna be awesome!" He quipped one last time, the light in his eyes making my head swim.

I took a deep breath to level out my heartbeat and forced a grin. "On the count of three we jump off and say aah just like Tarzan, okay?"

"Yeah!" He enthused. "Okay, one... Twoooo... Three!"

My feet left the wooden beam, and I gripped the rough rope tightly, its surface gently digging into my skin. For a moment, everything was perfect. A cooling breeze washed over my face as the thrilling sensation of free fall claimed me. I looked over at Leo's face frozen in a laugh, and my grin only widened.

"I'm Tarzan!" He exclaimed. "Aaaa-!"

And then the ropes snapped.

Looking back, we probably should have checked the stability of the ropes and if they could even hold our weight. We probably should have stayed on the ground floor where there is no danger of becoming a bloody mess in the engine room. But you know they say hindsight is 20/20 vision that never misses.

"Aah- AAAUGH WE'RE GONNA DIE!" Leo screeched.

Our Tarzan calls transformed into screams of anguish as we fell. Our surroundings blurred with our flailing limbs and sputtered curses.

"Peri!" He yelled my name, and I desperately sought out his body, ropes slapping and stinging my arms and legs.

"Leo!" I crashed into his body for the second time in the last five minutes, and he wasted no time in bringing me into a tight embrace.

Leo shut his eyes tightly, squeezing me to his body. I felt his skin beginning to heat up, and I couldn't decide which would be a worse fate; falling to our death together or being burnt alive on my way down.

I thrashed against him in our spiral descent. "Leo stop! You're gonna flame up! You're gonna- oof!"

A stray rope slapped me right across the face, leaving a bright red whelp. My eyes shut from the sting, stars dancing behind my eyelids. We were still falling and there was nothing I could do. We were going to die, and I couldn't do anything about it. Gaea would win.

And then we jerked to a sudden stop.

Slowly, I peeked my eyes open.

We were suspended some twenty feet in the air upside down. Ropes tangled around our bodies, squeezing us together and holding the two of us up. The rough bindings cut into my arms, waist, legs, everywhere but it had saved our lives.

Leo's eyes were still closed, and he obviously had not gotten the memo that we were alive. "Oh my gods we're gonna die! Die! No! I was supposed to be rich! I was gonna have a big plane and fly around the world with bitches! Nooooo-!"

I laughed in having successfully cheated death once again. "Shut up you idiot, we're alive! Alive!"

His eyes opened, and I watched his large orbs focus on me. "What?" His head whipped around wildly. "Oh my gods the whole world is upside down! No! Nooooo-!"

If my hands weren't pinned by my side I would've pinched his lips shut. "Leo, the world's not upside down, we're upside down!"

He blinked and looked about himself again. "Oh."

"Yeah."

"Help!" He cried. "Help, we're stuck! Hel-!"

"Shoosh!" I exclaimed. "We don't need anyone's help. We can do this on our own."

Leo frowned. "But all the blood is gonna rush to our heads."

"It'll be fine, I go upside down all the time-"

"That makes too much sense."

"Now you listen here-"

The engine room door burst open, Jason and Piper running in with their weapons at the ready. Jason was poised in a battle stance, and I could tell he was on high alert. Piper held her knife high in the air more like a beacon than a tool for battle.

Jason's eyes scanned the work tables. "I heard screaming down here, Pipes, I just know it."

I sniffed. "Oi, up here."

Their heads tilted upwards, and I saw Jason's bright blue eyes lock onto us. Piper cocked her head to the side, obviously confused. Their lips twitched.

And then they burst into laughter.

Jason doubled over, holding his stomach as his laughter echoed throughout the engine room. Piper held onto a nearby work table for stability, tears in her kaleidoscope eyes.

Leo looked like he wanted to spit at them. "I'm so glad that you guys think this is the most hilarious fucking thing in the whole world."

Jason's face was reddening from laughter. "Nothing good ever comes when you two idiots are together-"

"Together?!" I gasped. "What do you mean together? We're not together! Piper, what have you been telling him?! We are not-"

Piper said something to Jason that I couldn't quite catch, but it made the blonde boy smirk.

"So are you guys gonna help us get down or what?" Leo said, exasperated.

Jason shrugged, the smirk still evident on his face. "I dunno, man, it looks like you like it."

"Shut up, asshole!" Leo said quickly, but Jason only laughed.

"We'll that's not how you should be speaking to your master, now is it, Valdez?"

"Jason, you're a huge dick." Leo said.

"Why thank you."

"I'll get you guys down," Piper said finally.

"Thank the gods," I sighed.

"After you admit that I am right, and you are wrong." She smirked.

I frowned. "About what?"

Piper waggled her eyebrows. "You know what I'm talking about."

~ "Peri, you like Leo don't you?" ~

My eyes widened at the memory, and I glared at her. "I will do no such thing!"

She shrugged her shoulders, smiling sweetly. "Your choice. Come on, Jason."

Jason laughed again and followed her out the door.

"Get back here you douche!" Leo yelled after them. "Jason, I'll give you another scar - but on your dick!"

My chest rumbled against his with a chuckle. "That was a little gay, don't you think?"

He sighed, defeated. "Yeah it was, wasn't it?"

There was a long silence, and I wondered if Jason and Piper weren't just bluffing.

"We're gonna die like this aren't we?" Leo half-joked.

I laughed. "Yup."

To my surprise, he pressed his forehead against mine, grinning. "Ah well, at least I'm not alone. I've got you!"

There were butterflies in my stomach, and it definitely no doubt about it must've been because of us being upside down. Yes. No doubt about it.

I nodded. "Yeah, this is better than being alone."

But what is this?