Hello everybody! I started another story! It should be on my profile, it's the prequel to another one of my stories. Read if you've got nothing better to do or you're interested or you want to be nice.

After we returned to the castle, I took a long, long bath. Then I fell asleep.

The next morning, Likker is shouting again.

"What, Likker?!"

"Princess, you overslept and have about a minute to get to breakfast!"
I sit up straight and throw my legs over the bed, getting up and picking out a dress. After slipping it on, it brush my hair madly and fly down the halls to the dining room, making sure to compose myself outside the closed doors. Then I push them open and take my seat as composed as I could.

"So glad you could join us, Annabeth." Mother's voice is sharp as it rings across the table.

"And I'm so glad that you are feeling better, Mother," I tell her with a sweet smile. She winces and touches her temple with her fingertips.
"Malcom, kingly lessons today. Annabeth, it's hunting day today for you and your men, so I expect—where is Prince Luke?!" She says angrily, noticing that he's gone. She sends a guard to fetch him. The guard comes back with a Luke in his undershorts, and the serving girl from the day before in her shift, hastily put on. Luke is cocky and the serving girl is in tears. Mother stands, looking ready to murder. I realize that she missed the episode yesterday.

"Luke, what is the meaning of this?!"
"Well, your Majesty, I don't like being rejected," Luke said, still cocky.

"You may go to your quarters. Stay in the whole day."
"Are you grounding me?"
"Yes." Luke was joking, but at her tone, his smile drops and he follows some guards out. Mother sits down, holding her head up with her fingertips. I take charge.

"Beckendorf, take this girl to the serving quarters. Stay with her today, alright? Make sure she is recovered." Charles Beckendorf gently offers her his arm and she takes it, sniffing a little.

I sit with a little surprise, not knowing I had stood up. Percy grins from across the table.

"You look just like your Mother." He says with a teasing grin.

I stick out my tongue out him.

"As I was saying, Annabeth, you may take Perseus out hunting today.

"Hunting?" Percy looks slightly queasy.

"Yes, why?" I am slightly concerned with his pale face.

"Oh, no…no reason."
After I go back to my chambers, I put on a deep green tunic, black leggings with boots, and a braid to the side. Then I grab my sword and arrow quiver and head out, grabbing Percy on my way out.

We ride horses out to the royal hunting grounds, or the patch of woods that is on the castle property. Percy still looks sick.

"Percy, you ok?"
"I, uh, really suck at archery."
"That's alright, I can teach you!" I say, confidently. He doesn't look very reassured.

We leave the guards a little farther back, telling them that we will be fine, since we are armed to the teeth. They relax in the shade with a few hunting dogs. We only take two, my favorites, Mrs. O'Leary and Cebby. Cebby is named after Cerberus, Hades' dog.

Percy stops at one big clearing, but I shake my head and lead him on through a thicket of trees, so thick together, we can hardly get through. At one point, we have to climb a tree halfway up, switch sides, and climb down. But finally, we're there.

Percy lets out a low whistle.

We're in a decently sized clearing, with trees almost blocking the sun so only a few rays filter through. But the best part is, it's alive. It acts like it hasn't been disturbed by the hopelessness of the world outside. The birds sing and the squirrels gather nuts, and once I even saw a bear.

"It's…it's beautiful!" Percy says, with surprising softness.

"Yeah. My father and I used to come here."
"What happened?"
"He didn't like being king, so he…left. I haven't seen him since."

"I'm sorry."

I shook my head.

"Doesn't matter. Aren't I supposed to teach you how to hunt?"

"I know how, I just can't. Physically unable."
"Not a thing, Seaweed Brain."
"Sure it is, Wise Girl!"
"Stop changing the subject. Draw your bow." He does as told, and I position him in front of a rock where I can stand and be as tall as him. I climb on the rock, lean forward slightly, and I massage his shoulders. "You need to relax. You're way too tense." He relaxes a teensy bit, and I move around to his arm and lift it up ever so slightly. "Always aim above the thing. Especially with distance. Okay, now shoot!" He releases the arrow and it hits a tree with a solid thunk. I clap. "That was close! About a foot from the squirell!"
"I was aiming for the bird."
"Where?" He points it out but I still don't see it. Sighing exasperatedly, he stands behind me and lifts my arm and uses my finger to point. His warm breath hits the back of my neck.

"See it now?" He asks quietly.
"Yep."
We stand there a few more seconds, then I clap, jarring him.

"Once more. You aimed to low."
"You told me too."
"No, I told you to aim higher."
"Oh." I make him draw his bow again, and massage his shoulders again. Suddenly, I feel his muscles. They're big. And nice.

I shake my head and lean forward on my tiptoes to whisper in his.

"Okay, now…release!" He does and we watch the arrow fly. It would have hit the bird, but the bird flies up and away, chirping. Suddenly, all the birds fly up, a sudden whooshing of wings. Then they're gone. Percy turns around

"I missed."
"It's okay. We'll wait until they come back."
We stand there for a few minutes, inches from each other, staring into each other's eyes. Then, he comes forward, joining me on a short, round rock that makes me the same height as him. Now, I have to look up slightly to see him and he has to look down.

"Percy…" I say.
"Sh. You'll ruin the moment."
And he kisses me.

It was like nothing like I've ever felt before. His lips move against mine and mine against his. I melt into him, moaning slightly in the back of my throat. I feel him smile against my lips but stop when I put my hands through his hair, and he slides his around my waist. I feel myself falling forward and suddenly I'm lying on him and he's lying on the moss. We don't stop kissing until Mrs. O'Leary decides she wants some of the action. Percy stands and offers me his hand, and I accept it.

We gather our things without a word and trek back to the guards. We mount our horses and ride back to the palace, and I can't stop thinking it.

When we eat lunch together, quietly across the table, I can't stop thinking it.

That afternoon, during princess/queen lessons, I can't stop thinking it.

Through dinner and tea and lying alone in my bed, moonlight filtering through the window, I still can't stop thinking it.

I want to kiss him again.

*Sighs with happiness*. I am quite satisfied with that ending. That's better than I do most kiss descriptions, but I've been reading lots of fanfics about kissing (unintentionally. I just read them and kissing pops up), so I was ready for the kissing.
Please review and tell me what you thought!