I Plan My Entire Life
It was another beautiful day at Camp Half-Blood. Percy watched as campers went about their daily activities. Clarisse drilled a phalanx of fully armoured demigods in the stifling afternoon sun. Unfortunately, that phalanx was made up of the Hermes cabin, so the level of enthusiasm wasn't exactly what Clarisse expected.
At the back of the formation, one of the new kids tripped over someone's sandal and fell face first into the dirt. Grasping for anything to hold onto, he ended up pulling two of his siblings along with him. The group crumbled faster than one of his mom`s homemade blue birthday cakes. Percy's stomach grumbled, he was starving - where was Annabeth with that picnic basket?
Apparently the Hermes kids had just about had enough of their training, and with the heat of the late August sun, Percy couldn't blame them. Not quite as bad as being coated in the lava of Mount St. Helens, but almost. Clarisse barked an order for the demigods to reform, which was followed grudgingly with some grumbling. The sound of approaching footsteps from behind him caught his attention.
He turned to look as Annabeth finished her hike up the small hill. She was wearing her typical outfit: an orange camp t-shirt, blue jeans and sneakers, with her Yankees baseball cap covering part of her blonde hair. She looked so similar to when he had first met her five summers ago, thanks to the clothes. Perfect. Percy wouldn't have it any other way. This quiet afternoon date had been his idea, after his girl had kicked his butt in the latest game of capture the flag. Some classic diplomacy, to make sure there were no hard feelings. Or at least that was the excuse he used.
He was about to ask Annabeth what the menu was for today`s picnic when a chorus of laughter drew his gaze back to the arena and the Hermes cabin. In the confusion, someone (ahem, Stoll brothers), had stuck a giant golden L to the front side of Clarisse`s helmet, where her forehead would be. As to how they had managed that, Percy was mystified. The twins never ceased to amaze him. Apparently they must have talked to someone in the Hephaestus cabin, or maybe Hecate, because the L refused to come off. It chanted Loser!, Loser! And doubled in size every time Clarisse tried to peel it off.
Percy started to laugh, but the joke dawned on him. Clarisse had been on his team during capture the flag, with the Hermes cabin joining Annabeth`s alliance. It probably didn't help that Clarisse had been the main reason for the loss. Not that Percy would say that to the daughter of Ares, he didn't want to get pummelled.
Percy laughed aloud again, but for a different reason this time. He was remembering the first time he came to camp, and how Clarisse had tried to bully him. He had been what, twelve then? Clarisse was older. She was around the age of...sew. Sewage. That sounded about right. Well, at least he knew one thing hadn't changed. His sense of humour was as lame as ever. He smiled at the thought.
Annabeth's voice brought him back to reality. "You having a party all by yourself over there? You got room for one more?" He smiled again. He was just way too happy to have this girl in his life.
"Nah, sorry. It's private." Percy knew that would earn him a punch. He didn't care. Totally worth the bruise. "I mean, I guess I could make an exception for you. You're kinda cute, I guess." Percy thought Annabeth's smile meant that he was back in the good books. He was mistaken.
"Oh wow, good recovery Seaweed Brain. That was totally original, and like, not at all sexist." Percy caught the glimmer in those stormy grey eyes he loved so much and realized she was just messing with him.
A thought formed in Percy's brain. It would earn him another punch. He didn't care. "Oh my gods, totally, like how could I even say something so awful?" He broke character and laughed. "You totes sound like an empousa. We should like, go to the mall sometime. Both of them laughed at the picture, casually strolling down 5th Avenue with Kelli, the cheerleader demon, discussing how boyfriend jeans were totally in this season.
They sat quietly for a few minutes, enjoying the peaceful breeze through the strawberry fields, mixed with the sounds of occasional traffic down County Road 3.141. Percy craved moments like these. After all the years fighting monsters, humans, gods, titans, and even the earth itself, he hoped this is what his future would look like. A quiet, sleepy retirement, spent with the girl next to him.
Percy eventually broke the silence. "This is weird," he said. Annabeth laughed. "Yea, we've sat together for an entire three and a half minutes without an argument or being attacked by monsters," she said. Percy smiled, but it was tinged with sadness. "Annabeth, do you realize that all of this is sort of coming to an end? Camp Half-Blood, quests every summer, even Mr. D being insufferable."
"But Percy, you hate that stuff. You've told me a million times how excited about Camp Jupiter you are. About settling down, safe from monster attacks. Just you and me." She added the last sentence with a pointed expression.
Percy sighed. "I do hate the monster attacks. I want to be able to live without being in constant danger of my being burned, bitten, or cut. But I don't hate Camp Half-Blood. I don't hate the friends we have here. And I certainly don't hate the memories we've made. We're going to college at Camp Jupiter in a year. A year, Annabeth. I'm going to miss this place."
Annabeth pursed her lips. He could only imagine how she felt. By the time Percy arrived for the first time, Annabeth had been here for years, and she had been a year-rounder. "I'd be lying if I hadn't been thinking the same thing, the past few days," she replied.
Percy looked at her. An idea came to mind. "Annabeth, I know it makes sense for us to go to college at Camp Jupiter. We'll be able to find some peace for a little while. So we should do it. But afterwards….." His voice trailed off. He knew it was far-fetched. But if felt wrong not to at least bring it up. He turned to look at her.
"I don't want to lose this place. And well, with Camp Jupiter, older demigods never have to leave. They can stay there as long as they want. Raise a family. I was just thinking - what if we tried that with Camp Half-Blood?" Now that he had started, the words started pouring out of him. "We don't even have to stay in this valley. I doubt there would be room for something like that anyway. But maybe somewhere nearby - far enough where it wouldn't change Camp, but close enough where we could visit sometimes. I like New Rome, but it's just too…..Roman. It's not home. And you could design the whole thing! Imagine it Annabeth! Creating a whole community, the future of Greek demigods. And that way, if we all stayed, maybe we wouldn't be so involved in the mortal world - we'd have less big fights among ourselves, like World War 2 or the Civil W-"
Percy noticed Annabeth's piercing gaze for the first time. Her expression was a mixture of surprise and anticipation. "Percy, that's...that's a big idea. More than big, huge. Do you have any idea how much planning, how difficult the organizing would be?"
He paused to think for a moment, staring out over the expanse of the camp, taking in the view. "Annabeth...don't you think it would be worth it? To have this, safety for Greek demigods, for….eternity?"
She took a deep breath in before a smile broke her face. "You're nuts, Seaweed Brain. But I love it. I think Chiron would agree. We'll have to get his help. I think the first priority would be to find a location. It would have to be-"
Percy's near-hysterical laughter stopped her in her tracks. It was just too much. If they could make this work...it would mean setting the course on the rest of his life. He had never really had the opportunity to plan anything for his own future, going from school to school, just trying to survive the next monster attack. And here it was. And of course, Annabeth would automatically start thinking about the details, when Percy was too caught up with the moment. He would have kissed her right then and there, if he hadn't noticed the black figure diving down on them from overhead.
