Can I just say that I don't think any of this will happen. Honestly, I am fully prepared for Annabeth not to be on that ship.
Well, all arguments aside, here it is. The end of the road. It's not like this was some insanely long story that took me forever, but it was a blast to write, and I got a great response to it. :) You guys are amazing!
VIII.
She's sort of surprised by how annoying three people who are almost her age can be.
"What's he like, Annabeth?"
"Are you excited to see him?"
"Why does everyone miss him so much?"
She doesn't understand why they couldn't have asked someone like Katie Gardener before they'd gotten on this godforsaken ship.
She ends up hiding herself in a secluded corner near back, and nobody bothers her for a while. She can contentedly read an architecture book and slip into the bathroom whenever anybody gets near. It's quiet, but after forty five minutes, her book starts to get boring. It's what you would expect, her having read it thirty seven times already.
After three hours, she's itching to get off this ship. She gets seasick on regular boats, on water, when she has someone like Percy driving, but in the air, with Leo of all people manning the ship...
She's surprised that her breakfast isn't somewhere in Oklahoma.
There's a loud thump from somewhere down below where they are, and Piper snickers.
"You know Leo, maybe it was a good idea, when Nyssa suggested that you check the generator a third time."
"Piper, you'd better shut that mouth before I shove my flaming fist up your-"
He's cut off by a punch in the shoulder from Jason. The son of Zeus whispers something in his ear, and the only words she manages to catch are "inappropriate" and "impolite".
She crawls over to one of the cots, and manages to get about half an hour of sleep before Leo somehow manages to hit a bump in the air. She wasn't aware that clouds had rocks in them.
She rolls over, and tries to fall asleep, but Hypnos won't grant her even that luxury. She finds herself getting tangled up in her memories, letting his presence wash over her for a moment in her hazy world.
She can practically feel his fingers in her hair, almost see his eyes floating in front of her. She can hear him saying something stupid, but even her brain doesn't know what wacky sort of thing he would say at a moment like this.
Piper rushes in, out of breath. "Jason says we're directly over the camp! Come out soon."
She stands up too quickly, and has to sit back down for four seconds before she can stand back up.
She rushed out to the deck. The boat is rocking dangerously, and she's ready for the waffles she had this morning to make a reappearance. She feels a shudder when the boat hits the ground, but her mind barely registers it. Her whole body has gone numb with doubts. Sure, he called Sally, and she talked to him in a dream, even if he didn't know whether she was real or not. But he could still have forgotten about everything. And whether she likes it or not, she's still included in everything.
She feels another thump rattle through her bones when the ramp smashes to the ground, but she's still frozen to the deck. He's here.
She's planned to introduce herself. Hello, my name is Annabeth Chase. I come from the other camp... and explain their goal and why they came. She still doesn't feel ready to though. She'd only rehearsed it ninety three times so far. But she's set on it. She has to.
And then she sees him.
He smiles, his teeth white against his tan skin, and his eyes crinkle just a bit around the edges.
At that moment, she just knows, and she takes off running. Somewhere behind her, she hears Jason mutter, "Yeah, that's Annabeth," and say what she was supposed to. She doesn't even notice that people watch her intently, seeing what she's going to do. She can see him, and only him. He is everything, and everyone, and somehow, his smile makes up for getting himself kidnapped for eight months.
She wraps her arms around him, but even that doesn't feel like enough, so she ends up wrapping her legs around him too. She's smaller, and the Romans have obviously been working him harder than she used to, so it takes no effort for him to support her there. She'd decided back in February that she'll never let him out of her sight again, no matter how much he protests. She's already lost him before, and if two weeks on Calypso's island felt like an eternity, a day without him now would feel like a millennium.
She realizes that she hasn't said anything since she breathlessly whispered "Seaweed Brain" when she first saw him, and she worms her way out of his arms, still holding his left hand. She takes her other hand and works it into a skeletal fist, and rams it right into his nose.
"Ow!" he exclaims, clutching his face. "What was that for?"
Like he doesn't already know.
"You," she takes in a shaky breath, "are the single." she hits his arm, for more impact. "Most." She's already out of breath again. "Annoying. Person. I have ever met." She draws in more air. Somehow, the familiar feeling of his hand in hers and his sea salt and cookies smell has left her still shaking with shock.
He gathers her up into his arms again. "Right back at you, Feather Brain."
He laces his fingers through hers, and they sneak away while Jason is being welcomed back.
"Won't they miss their big, tough, toga man?"
He gives her a lopsided grin, and she almost cries, she's missed that face so much.
"They can do without."
And he whisks her away to a secret place, where none of the Romans can find them.
A lifetime of talking couldn't replace the missing eight months that the two best friends spent apart.
But they might as well get started.
Review! Last chance! :)
I love you guys. Can't believe I went from like 10 reviews to ~30 in two days. Seriously, I can't tell you how much that made my week.
~PurpleShadowMonster