[A/N: The last time I logged in, this story had 191 reviews. When I logged in again, my jaw dropped when I saw that it has 312 now! Thank you, thank you! :D
PuRceLLveRo: No, I won't be. This story is set after The Last Olympian, so Leo, Piper and Jason aren't introduced yet.
2down7togo: Dude, you have to focus on your exams. But anyway, here's a new chapter. :D
Annabethrulez120: It's March in this story, so if I do that, I'd be jumping into December. But thanks for the suggestion, anyway. :D
Izzy244: Thank you. And it's okay. :D
ToffyApple: Thank you. I do try to keep your interest by turning left when you guys expect me to go right. I know that's one way to keep you hooked and fortunately for me, it works. :D
Percabethfever: Writers are natural risk takers and I'm grateful you like that. Thank you for reading my story. :D
Potterjay all the Way: I've been worried about that, actually. Percabeth had gathered a huge fan base so I was worried at first that when I write them doing mature things, people will hate me. I'm glad most of you like it. Another thing that's been bugging me is whenever I write intimate scenes, I always overthink that maybe I'm using too flowery words. I'm a guy so it's kind of hard for me to write scenes like that without, in your word, being smutty. I'm glad that it doesn't. And thank you. :D
Shaft of Light: I'd been wanting to ask you guys about that, actually. Whether I was capturing Percy and Annabeth's characters well. Apparently, I am. And thank you so much. :D
CimFan: What can I say? I'm evil. :D
V.I.D Vishii: Yes. Actually, I'm working on my third original novel. Its a series called VESMIRIAN SAGA (First book is THE SINNERS, the second one is FLAMES OF RETRIBUTION and the third one is ETERNAL TORMENT. Anyway, I'm rambling. Sorry. :D). It's sort of Percy Jackson meets Number Four meets Aang. I'm hoping that it gets published someday. :D
Bradykins98: Isn't it obvious? Percy Jackson and the Olympians. :D But if your asking for one book, I guess it's The Perks of Being a Wallflower. :D
Thank you again for the reviews and please keep them coming. And can you help me promote this story? I want people to read it. Thanks! :D
I'm not Rick Riordan. I'm a 19 year-old amateur writer so I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. :D
WISE GIRL'S SEAWEED BRAIN
Chapter 22: CASTLE OF GLASS
PERCY
Through the haze of sleep and early morning, I heard rustling somewhere to my right. Judging from the sound of it, the person – if it was even a person – was trying to sneak up on me. Instinct kicked in and I bolted up right, bringing out the most lethal ballpoint pen in existence and uncapping it before bringing it up over my head, yelling, "YAH!"
It was hard to tell something about the creature because it was still dark, but I could tell I was a few inches taller than it. My blade clang as it hit something metal, blocking my attack. The creature grunted and kicked me on the chest, sending me sprawling on the floor. I was about to get up but a foot was placed on my stomach and the face of the person was illuminated by the light from the kitchen.
Annabeth.
"Di immortales Annabeth, you almost gave me a heart attack!" She grinned down at me. "Why were you sneaking up on me, anyway?"
"Just trying to surprise you," she said, leaning down and giving me a kiss.
As usual, Mom chose that moment to come down the stairs, catching us. Yet again. Two times in a row. That's got be a record for demigods.
Annabeth stood up, blushing, while I sat. Mom crossed her arms in front of her chest and glared at me. "You know," she said, "I'd very much appreciate it if you keep your activities down. Just because I didn't yell at you last night means I'm okay with this happening under my room." Her eyes then landed on my sword, which was lying discarded a few feet away from me. She frowned. "Were you two being kinky?" she asked flabbergasted. My jaw dropped and I swear I saw Annabeth turning blue. "Because if you were – "
"All right!" I announced loudly. "No need to go into that now, right? And no, Mom, we're not."
She raised her eyebrows at me. "I don't buy it, Perseus." Oh, great. There went the full name treatement. "I swear, if you are – "
"Mom, we're not – "
" – I will make sure to ground you until you're seventy- five – "
"Mom, I told you, we're not doing that – "
" – I most definitely didn't raise you to be a se – "
"MOM!" I yelled, probably waking up the entire neighborhood. Mom's eyes flashed dangerously. "I'm sorry I raised my voice at you, but seriously, we're not doing anything – "
"Like you weren't doing anything last night when we walked in on you, without any shirt on, both of you?" she challenged.
"Fine," I conceded. "We were just kissing last night, and . . . um, we got carried away. We just made up and got back together last night, so I guess there wasn't anything wrong with that, right?" Mom didn't respond. I sighed. "Okay, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disrespect you, Or Paul, most especially Annabeth, but I swear nothing is happening. Annabeth was sneaking up on me and I thought she was a monster so I attacked her, hence the commotion and the weapons."
Annabeth looked up at Mom. "He's telling the truth, Sally," she said. "I thought I'd wake him up by surprising him, that's why we both ended up on the floor."
"Kissing?" Mom asked.
"Mom . . ." I groaned.
"I just gave him one for this morning," she said. I was surprised to see she was looking relatively calm, despite the fact that Mom would be chewing us out any minute now.
Mom nodded. She trusted Annabeth more than she trusted her own son. Go figure. "All right," she said. I exhaled in relief. Mom turned to me. "I suppose you still remember what we talked about when you were fourteen and what I told you last night?" she asked. I was horrified as she brought up the talk. That one scarred me for life. "I don't condone it, but I can't be with the two of you all the time, so all I can do is drill into that thick skull of yours that you have to be responsible, understand?"
I managed a nod. Your Mom just mentioned educating you about sex right in front of your girlfriend. How embarrassing is that? Annabeth looked like she was trying to swallow a watermelon, though I was sure she was just fighting her laughter.
Mom glared at me one more time before going back to their room. Annabeth burst into a fit of laughter as soon as Mom closed the door. "Great," I grumbled. "Can I just die of embarrassment now?"
Annabeth tried to keep a straight face but each time, she just end up laughing more. I growled at her. After five minutes of this (exaggeration, dudes), she finally stopped, her stomach most likely containing enough air to lift a hot air balloon.
"That was awkward," she said, her face flushed.
"Now you tell me," I murmured.
She grinned and stood up, taking my hand in hers. "Come on, Seaweed Brain, don't pout or I'll bite your lower lip off." I smirked. "At least I know my boyfriend's been educated," she said, chuckling.
I groaned. "Can we please not bring that up? Last night was a total embarrassment."
Mom gave me another talk last night. She said that she was really disappointed in me for what she saw. I told her that she, actually, had to be happy that Annabeth and I were back together. She said that's he was, but that didn't mean she appreciated what we were doing.
After about an hour of talking about being an adult, she eventually let me go to prepare dinner. She even offered Annabeth to spend the night, which I was totally ecstatic about, but Mom said, "Don't get any ideas, young man; you're sleeping on the couch."
So that's how I ended up spending the night on our sofa.
Annabeth grinned. "It was," she said. "But I'm happy we're okay now."
I smiled at her. "Me, too." We kissed and then I remembered where we were so I pulled away. Annabeth gave a questioning look. "Mom already caught us twice, let's not make it thrice, okay?" I said, kissing the tip of her nose.
"You know what they say, Seaweed Brain; third time's a charm," she said mischievously.
"What do you mean?"
"I'll let you work that one out," she said. "Listen, there's a reason why I woke up early. Can you drive me to my apartment? I need to shower before school."
My eyes widened. "You're going back to school?"
"Yeah," she said. "I want to spend as much time as possible with you."
That made me feel warm so I leaned in for another kiss but Annabeth stopped me with a finger, saying, "Uh-uh. Remember where we are, Seaweed Brain."
"Right," I agreed. "Okay, I'll just take a quick shower and then we'll go."
"Okay."
"Be right back," I said, going back to my room. I took a step back when I saw it, wondering whether I got the wrong door. Everything was rearranged and neat. The papers that were lying everywhere on the floor had been stacked in a pile on my desk. My jeans that I was sure was under my bed was hanging on the hook at the back of the door. Even my socks had been tossed to the laundry basket. My face burned as I rememberd there had probably been some dirty underwears on my floor last night and Annabeth had cleared them all up.
I took some clean clothes and went to the bathroom. I didn't take long since I didn't want Annabeth getting pissed at me. I was back in no time and found her sipping hot chocolate. Her clothes were wrinkled but I thought she looked really beautiful.
"Ready to go?" I asked.
"Sure," she said.
We got into my car and I drove. Annabeth was holding my hand the entire time, something I was totally happy about.
I parked the car outside her apartment. She was about to get out but I pulled her back to me and kissed her on the lips. She smiled when I let her go. "What was that for?" she asked.
"Nothing. I just missed you so much."
"Me, too," she said, giving me another kiss.
I went out of the car and opened her door for her. She smiled in satisfaction, patting my cheek playfully as she walked pass me.
We got inside and Annabeth placed the flowers I got her last night in a flower vase. I wrapped my arms around her waist and placed my chin on her shoulder. "I'm sorry I doubted you last night," I said. "I didn't mean to jump into conclusions."
She faced me and took my face in her hands. "I understand, Seaweed Brain. And you don't have to be sorry. Anyway, what were you doing here last night?"
I dropped my gaze and swallowed thickly. I went here last night to tell her about what happened between me and Samantha. I wanted her to know it from me, other than from other people but then I thought, no one knew about it apart from Samantha and Amber. "Annabeth, there's something I need to tell you – "
"Oh!" she exclaimed. I looked at her.
"What?" I asked.
"It's already quarter to seven, I need to take a shower now or we'll be late," she said, kissing me again. "Just wait for me, okay?" I nodded and settled on the couch.
I thought about the right way to tell Annabeth about what happened. Or is there any right way to confess a sin? Probably not. It's still a mistake. Then I remembered that I hadn't called Samantha yet. I sighed and took my phone out and dialed her number. She answered on the first ring, like she was waiting for my call.
"Hey, Perce," she said.
"Hey," I answered. I tried to say something but found myself being crushed by my newest friends namely Guilt, Self-Loathing and Shame – but I guess I already told you about them. They're pretty heavy. "I'm so sorry, Sam," I finally managed to say. What was I sorry for? That I used her? That I acted just like any other hormonal teenager?
"No, Perce," Samantha said from the other line. Her voice was shaking and I felt bad. "It's me who has to say that. I'm really sorry. But listen, there's something – "
"PERCY!" I heard Annabeth shout.
I shot to my feet and told Sam, "I have to go. I'll talk to you later."
"But Perce – "
I ended the call and rushed up the stairs and found her peeking from behind the bathroom door. "What is it?" I asked.
"I left my towel in my room," she said. "Can you get it for me?"
I exhaled. "Gods, I thought you were being attacked."
Annabeth grinned before ducking back inside. I went to her room and found her towel on top of her bed. I went back to the bathroom and knocked. "Can you put it near the sink?"s he asked from the inside.
My heart pounded as I slowly turned the knob and stepped inside. I'd been inside Annabeth's bathroom and I knew there was shower curtain so I figured I wouldn't be seeing anything, but that didn't stop my imagination from running wild.
Annabeth was taking a bath. One pull of the shower curtain and I'll see her –
GET A GRIP! I scolded myself. "It's here," I said, my voice hoarse. I turned to leave but was stopped at the sound of the shower curtain being drawn. "Seaweed Brain, I got shampoo in my eyes. A little help, please?" she asked.
I almost slipped on the floor at her request. Seriously? Was she really asking me to do that? Didn't she know what the mere thought of being inside the bathroom with her did to me? I took deep breaths and debated whether or not I should just bail out or stay to help her.
"Seaweed Brain?" she asked impatiently. "Can you hurry? It burns."
I turned around and was glad to see only her head and neck were visible, but that was enough to send me into Guy Landia. I raised my hand in front of me and summoned water that was flowing from the shower. I controlled it and let it hover near Annabeth's face. I reached out and washed her face with it.
When the shampoo suds were gone, she opened her eyes and grinned at me. "Thanks," she said, pulling me down and kissing me on the lips. I was surprised and my eyes were wide open and I caught a slight glimpse of her wet body. Instantly, fire exploded in the pit of my stomach.
Annabeth pushed me away and winked at me, before drawing the curtain back.
I stood there for a few seconds, open mouthed. Then I snapped back into reality and went out, thinking, What the hell is wrong with Annabeth?
ANNABETH
Confession time: I was playing Percy. I intentionally left my towel in my room just so he'd have to go inside the bathroom with me.
On loose terms? Fine. I was seducing my boyfriend. There. Satisfied? I didn't know where that sudden need came from. I guess it was a product of my temporary separation from him. Since we got back together last night, I found myself needing Percy.
That's why I pulled that little stunt of mine. I wanted him to know, but sadly, my boyfriend's too much of a gentleman. I like that, don't get me wrong, but while I was trying to get him . . . excited, he just ran away. At some point, I was proud and happy that he wasn't like any of those guys.
It crossed my mind that maybe Percy didn't find me appealing at all, knowing that I was plain and simple, but I shook the thought away. I had felt Percy getting excited a few times that we were kissing, so I guess he found me attractive. But what if he got like that because of what we were doing and not because of me?
Percy certainly was the kind of guy that could be called . . . well, sexy. I watched as he emerged from the swimming pool. He shook his unruly hair like a dog and grinned at me. We were having P.E, the last period of the day. And since the next swim meet was two weeks away, Coach Hark reserved half of the class for the team to practice. Everyone was present, except for Samantha, who called in sick. I was disappointed because I'd been waiting to talk to her.
Percy's friends were genuinely happy to see me back, but I know they were mostly relieved for Percy. Barry cornered me after lunch and told me how sad Percy was when I broke up with him. He was about to say something else that involved Samantha, a game of truth or dare and someone dancing Sexy And I Know It, but Pete called him.
I had a note (from my Mother, Athena) excusing me from all those days that I wasn't able to attend school. Mother had given it to me in case of emergency. She wasn't a fan of ditching classes but she knew how unpredictable demigods' lives can be. One second you're enjoying a tub of ice cream and the next, you are between a monster's teeth.
Anyway, I watched as Percy made his way to where I was sitting. My eyes were glued to his muscular chest. He wasn't the skinny twelve year-old kid anymore. He was built and sculpted, but just in the right way. His abs rippled as he walked and . . .
Whoa, I thought to myself. Easy there, girl. Dang, Percy, what have you done to me?
He grinned when he reached me. I thought he was going to tease me but he simply said, "Do you want to go to the mall after this?"
I frowned. "I thought we're going to Samantha's place to visit her?"
Percy shrugged, but there was the slightest hint of sadness in his eyes. I wanted to tell him about it but he gave me another of his famous troublemaker smile. "I called her a while ago. She said she's fine now, so I guess she doesn't need us to check on her."
I tucked my hair behind my ear. I had something planned for tonight actually. "Um, do you mind if we just go to my apartment?" I asked nervously. "I just want you . . . I mean, I want to spend time with you, preferably alone."
Percy was eyeing me weirdly. Then he said, "Okay. I'll just take a quick shower and we'll go, okay?" I nodded. He pecked my cheek before going off.
Since I wasn't part of the swim team, I had already changed back into my regular clothes so when Percy emerged from the shower room, we were ready to go. I bid Barry, Pete and Chuck goodbye before getting inside Percy's car.
I was wringing my hands the whole time. Percy must've noticed this for he took them in his. "Something in your mind, Wise Girl?"
I looked up at him. "Um, no."
He chuckled. "Yeah, there is," he insisted. "You don't say 'um.' Actually, you once told me that it isn't a proper word so I don't have to use it. Seriously, what's wrong?"
I took a deep breath. "Just come back after an hour, okay?"
He frowned. "I thought we'd be spending the afternoon together?"
"We are," I said. "I just need time to prepare, okay?" I kissed him and went out the car. He was still staring at me like I was crazy. I waved at him and went inside the house.
When I heard his car driving way, I climbed the stairs and went into my room. I opened my closet and rummaged through my undergarments, looking for a specific one. Finally, I found what I was looking for. Looking at it made me more nervous. It was a black pair of lacy underwear. Thalia got it for me when we went shopping once. I had no idea why she did that, but I accepted it.
I sat on the floor of my room thinking. You might ask what brought this sudden decision in my mind. Well, here's the answer: During my separation with Percy, I found my feelings for him growing painfully intense. It wasn't only one time when I felt like it was too much and nearly went back to him.
Being a daughter of Athena, I was pretty good at separating and understanding my emotions but this wasn't something I'd experienced before. I tried coming up with explanations but couldn't find any except that I needed Percy. I needed him in ways that we hadn't gone through before.
When we were kissing last night, all those feelings came rushing to the surface, altogether with the longing I was feeling for him. If it wasn't because of Sally and Paul, I was sure I'd become a woman right there and then. In the couch, if you can believe that.
Now, I was sure of one thing: I need Percy.
I paced my room like a lunatic, pulling the dress down.
I was wearing one of my nightgowns that I deemed okay. It was red and barely reached the middle of my thighs. I had taken another shower and sprayed some perfume and even put light make-up on. I changed my bed sheets and pillow cases. I dimmed the light and put some soft music on. I just hoped that my preparations were enough to set the mood.
I had called Percy fifteen minutes ago. He'd be here in a few minutes.
There was no point in denying that I was nervous. I was totally freaking out. I nearly backed out of my own plan a few times before but whenever I thought about being with Percy that way, I found myself proceeding.
I heard my door opening and Percy's voice calling, "Annabeth?"
My heart jumped to my throat. "In here," I called.
I heard his footsteps. I had to crouch to stop myself from falling on my face, thanks to my buckling knees. Percy opened the door and stepped inside. His eyes widened when he saw me. "Annabeth . . ." he breathed. "You look . . . wow."
That helped me in easing down as I walked up to him. I reached up and combed my fingers through his hair. I heard him gulping audibly and I fought back a smile. "What are these for?" he asked.
I took his hand and made him sit on my bed. He looked like he needed to go to the bathroom. "Um, Annabeth? What's going on? Why are you dressed like that?"
"Percy," I said in the most alluring voice I could manage. "I have something to ask you and I want you to answer me honestly."
I saw his face change into a look of shock and I wondered for a while what that was for. "Do you find me . . . desirable? You know, as a girl?" Di immortales, this was a whole lot harder than I thought.
He exhaled in relief, and then he seemed to process what I asked for he looked at me in alarm. My stomach dropped. I knew I wasn't as pretty as other girls but I thought Percy found me attractive. "Why did you ask?"
"Just answer it," I snapped.
"Of course," he answered quickly. "I mean, come on, Annabeth, you are the most beautiful, gorgeous and sexy girl I've ever known."
My heart swelled. I pulled him closer to me and kissed his lips. It was different. I don't know how, but it felt more intense, like our bodies were aware of what was about to happen. I pulled away and looked him in the eyes.
"I'm ready now, Percy," I whispered.
[Next - Chapter 23: SLIPPING AWAY]
