Chapter 6: Annabeth and I Are Inside a Haunted Mansion

"I didn't know that it was so boring inside a haunted mansion," Annabeth started as we walked along the long corridor. "Their ghosts don't look realistic, and the sound effects are lame. But the look of the building and furniture are nice."

You could hear the usual music background for a haunted house: thunders booming, some "awooos," and Dracula's evil laughter. They weren't lame for me, though. Scary portraits were displayed on the walls, and we heard a girl scream at the top of her lungs on the other side of the corridor. I think it was the couple that had gotten inside before us.

"What can you say about that?" I questioned my girlfriend.

The yellow lights at the ceiling were flickering. "Over reacting," she answered with a yawn. "I mean, would you really scream like that if you saw a ghost that's not even real? How pathetic."

I grinned wickedly. "What about if it's not a ghost?"

She narrowed her eyes, but it didn't affect me. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, you know what I mean, Wise Girl."

"Well, sorry. I don't."

Speaking of what-about-if-it-wasn't-a-ghost, something was lowered down behind her.

Uh-oh.

"Erm, Annabeth, don't look behind you. Let's just keep going, okay?" I said uneasily.

She smirked. "Why, Percy, because there's a ghost lingering behind me? I'm not scared of a dummy ghost."

But I still tried to warn her. "Wait, don't—"

Annabeth turned around, and I was cut off by a very loud scream. It was a giant tarantula dummy that was lowered on her back, though I guessed she didn't know it was fake. She'd beaten the scream earlier, or maybe because I was near her.

I felt sorry for the guy's ears.

She put her hands on her face with a horrified look. "P-PERCY, I-IT'S A T-TARANTU—AHHH!"

Annabeth held my hand and dragged me to the other side as fast as lightning, while I was trying hard not to laugh. I wished I still had had the camera's memory card to picture her current state, but thought better of it when I realized what she could do to me if I did that.

I was her boyfriend, yeah, but she could still give me harm whenever she wanted to.

The two of us stopped running when we reached a corner. Annabeth hugged me desperately, her face ghostly pale. I returned the gesture and could feel her trembling with fear.

"It's fine now," I soothed as I drew imaginary circles on her back.

After a moment, her breathing was back to normal. "Was that really a tarantula?" Annabeth clarified in a whisper.

I looked at Annabeth directly into her eyes. "Yeah. A tarantula...dummy."

She blinked. "A Tarantula...dummy...?" she echoed.

I suddenly gave a guffaw. "Of course, Annabeth! You said it yourself, remember? That all things here are not real. You should've seen the look on your face!"

Her hands were now running through her hair in frustration. "Oh, gods! I can't believe I did that! And what's worse was that I thought only stupid plastic ghosts were around here!"

"It's okay. Everyone makes mistakes, anyway. And you looked cute, too. If only I still had the memory card, I would've had taken a picture of you right now," I teased, grinning.

Annabeth gazed at me with deadly eyes.

I quickly raised my hands in surrender, gulping. "J-just kidding. He-he."

She was now looking at me with a mischievous face. I suddenly had a bad feeling about this.

"W-what?" I questioned, nervous.

"Nothing, Seaweed Brain. Let's try another ride after this, shall we?" she asked slyly.

I gulped again nervously. This wasn't the Annabeth I knew.

000

"Annabeth, are you sure this is safe?" I asked hesitantly as we were already ascending on the roller coaster. I couldn't sit straight, and we were sitting in the front row.

Dad, help me.

"Of course, Percy. This is just like riding a Pegasus. This will be fun! Don't puke afterwards, though," she said teasingly.

To tell you the truth, this was my first time riding a roller coaster. I gave her a confused look. "Wait, what?"

"Whatever, Seaweed Brain. Just brace yourself!"

I should've listened to her piece of advice. We were already descending when I screamed. A manly scream, mind. I was just caught off guard, okay? I think you get the picture. The people behind us were also screaming to the max.

The speed, the cold wind on my face, the exhilaration of swift turns and sudden dives were all combined to fill me with surprising joy. I was now laughing heartily.

"It seems like the seaweed brain is having fun," Annabeth said aloud. She, too, was laughing her heart's out.

I grinned at her. "I am, Wise Girl!"

"Here comes the loop!" exclaimed Annabeth.

Everything turned upside down, and then everything was right again. We passed by some shops and other rides into a wild rush of motion. Minutes had passed when our ride was already over. Annabeth and I balanced ourselves as we hit the floor.

"That...has got to be one of the coolest things I've ever experienced," I stated with a smile so wide plastered on my face.

Annabeth guffawed. "Geez. And I thought that you'd hate roller coasters."

I rolled my eyes. "You got your laugh. But riding on a Pegasus is way cooler than roller coasters."

"Right." She checked her watch. "There's still more time left, Percy. We should try the arcades."

"Let's do it!"

There were many games that we tried: the mini basketball, Pac-Man(Mr. D's all-time favorite arcade game), shooting games, and so much more.

We really enjoyed each other's company. We felt free from stress. I was really glad that Annabeth was having so much fun.

After many minutes, she checked her watch again. "It's time to get the pictures and our belongings, Percy."

"Oh. Time flies so fast," I said dejectedly.

"Percy?"

"Yeah?"

"Before we head home to your apartment, can we go to my place first?"

"Sure. But why?"

Annabeth smiled slightly. "I need to get something."