"Hey, no fair!" Thalia cried as Jason's lance punctured her knife. "That was my favorite." She grumbled as Jason forced her to surrender.
"That was kind of a cheap shot." Percy admitted. Jason shrugged.
"Hey, when it lets you win, you ARG!" Jason lept away as an arrow hit the shed an inch from his ear. Thalia lowered her bow, smirking. "Now that's no fair. You could have taken my ear off!" He cried indignantly.
"You do anything to win." Thalia mimicked him. "Besides, I never miss. You still have your ear." Percy had broken down into hysterics by then. Thalia and Jason's sibling rivalry got pretty intense sometimes, and Percy found it hilarious. When he wasn't in the middle of it.
"Let's just call it a draw." Percy had long since gotten used to the duels. It almost always ended with the loser retaliating after the battle was over.
"Fine. Percy, you're up next." Thalia too was used to the outcome. She and Jason were too well matched. Percy drew Riptide, and-despite having already tired himself out against Luke-beat Jason easily.
"You've become quite the swordsman." Jason commented.
"You can't fight on foot with a lance." Percy replied. "You guys go ahead, I'm going on a walk." He was overcome by his urge to see Annabeth. Thalia dragged a protesting Jason away, so Percy was able to slip down to the beach.
Rounding a pile of rocks, Percy came upon Pearl Cove. A secluded spot, but much too rocky for most people's tastes. A perfect spot to meet Annabeth. Smiling, Percy took an apple from his pocket and chucked it out as far as he could. He then waded out to one of the rocky islands to wait. Having gotten a much better power over the water, he willed his clothes to stay dry. He heard a splash.
"Thirty seconds, Annie. You're getting slow." Percy teased. A hand shot out of the water and grabbed his shirt, pulling him within inches of the water.
"Don't. Call. Me. Annie." Annabeth's face twisted into a snarl. Percy smirked at her and the mermaid let go. She placed her arms on the rock and rested her chin on them.
"Long time no see, Seaweed Brain."
"Yeah, I missed you too."
"Princely duties catch up to you."
"How'd you know Wise Girl?"
"Percy," Annabeth rolled her eyes "You're an open book."
"Only to you." He teased back.
"Whatever." Percy hesitated.
"I missed you." He said.
"I missed you too." She murmured. They spent a moment in companionable silence, enjoying each other's presence.
"By the way, Thalia and Jason are here."
"I wish I could meet them." Annabeth sighed.
"Yeah, they're pretty great." Percy said. "But no one will ever compare to my best friend."
"Aw, I didn't think you could be so sweet Fish Breath." Annabeth laughed. Percy shook his head. Annabeth always took his mind off things. "Thanks for the apple." She said, tossing the core on the rock.
"You always eat these so fast!" Percy said.
"What? They're good!" Annabeth protested. "Can you come in?" Percy sighed and flopped back.
"No, I should be heading back soon. Thalia and Jason will be wondering where I went." Annabeth looked disappointed. "I'll come back in a few days, then we can explore that new shipwreck you found." He promised.
"Alright. I just get lonely." She looked away.
"I know you do, but you know I try, right?"
"Yeah, I know." Percy gave her a reassuring smile. Annabeth returned it, then dove off. Percy waded back to shore. "I'll be back in a few days, I promise." He whispered. Then he walked back to the main beach, and ran into someone he did not want to see
So, cliffhanger...
Sorry for the short chapter, I didn't pre-write this one, and I have a bit of a writer's block. The next few chapters will be coming a little more slowly now, but spring break is coming up soon, and I'll have more free time then. I have some idea where this is going, but no clear outline yet. Go ahead and review if you have any suggestions or requests!