Okay. I had this chapter already written, and, as according to my new policy, I have to post it now. Also, I'm going to use this author's note to respond to reviews, since the last one was mostly just for hyper/lonely jabbering rambles, and I'm not going to get very many chances to respond to lots of reviews anymore. So, here we go.
piper (guest): Thank you! I like knowing I can make people laugh.
BLUE FOOD (guest): Yes, see? You understand me. And that's perfectly normal (I think) because I often feel like killing Percy too. Even though I love him. He will always be my favorite. Oh, and the official name for the Reyna/Nico ship is Reynico, just so you know. :) And using lots of exclamation points is nothing to be ashamed of, otherwise I would spend my whole life in perpetual embarassment.
Gwen (guest): Well, I explained in last chapter's author's note, so I doubt one is needed now, but I'm glad you like it so much. And I'm sure you're going to be VERY happy when you see a DOUBLE update. :)
WonderfulUnknown (guest): That'd be a very strange lottery, though, wouldn't it? But I think I'd like it a lot better than the normal lotto; getting updates from fave fanfics instead of money.
Percabeth101 (guest): *Sings* I'm HEEEEEERE! Sorry, I've got a thing for drama. :) And also, again, sorry, this time for not letting everyone know what was going on, but I didn't get much of a chance to. Sorry.
greatness (guest): I think I need to start watching Psych. I feel kinda bad, I don't even know what it is. But I think I need to start watching it, if only for the reference.
bookworm0818: Well I hope not literally in love with it. Marrying a story would be a pain. Also most likely illegal, depending on the state or country. :)
ilovemesometacos: Okay, first, I absolutely LOVE your pen name. It makes me smile. And the buzzing fandoms aren't really fading. They're getting worse, actually, if anything, since I recently wrapped up the entire Mortal Instruments series and started watching Sherlock. I CAN'T WAIT FOR SEASON FOUR. IT MIGHT KILL ME. *deep breath* Okay. I'm good now.
NinjaOfAwesome (guest): MUSHINESS! I think I like heart-touching philosopher. It makes my heart happy. And long is good. Long is great. I like long. Also, really, thank you. And the whole thing meant a lot more with all the fandom references, because I understand exactly how much you mean it. Thanks. :)
Me (guest): You're joking right? How on earth could it possibly be only 95 or 100 chapters? :) No, don't worry, it's going to be more like 110 to 120 chapters long. That might seem too long to some, but I don't think I'm capable of wrapping this up in any less.
Eve (guest): Thank you. As for the advice...general advice, I guess, is to start with fluff. Fluff seems to be the easiest to write, and fluff is also universal. Then you can fill in the in-between stuff and action. Just write little snippets as they come to you, and then it'll slowly get easier to join them together as you add to them.
Annabeth (guest): Divergent and Hunger Games are both awesome, although I have to say that I was epically disappointed in Allegiant. Not angry, per se, but disappointed. I expected more of it.
Ashley Marse (guest): The compliment is very appreciated. Makes me feel rainbowy, and that's good, because feeling rainbowy is hard to come by these days. :) Although, if you met me, you'd also think I was slightly deranged. But really, most creative geniuses (I know, I'm so modest) seem to tend to be a little on the crazy side. Einstein, for example. So I'd just like to think my slight insanity is a good sign for a bright future.
Leona Valdez (guest): You're in GREECE?! Okay, now I'm officially green with envy. Although the thing about the wifi does suck. And I think we'll just have to work on that whole thing about not liking Frank, because he's awesome once you get to know him. He's the clumsy guy always worried about letting people down and messing things up-but always a good person at heart. Cuddly panda-ish. :)
Albert25Einstein: That would be pretty cool, to post the final update on August 1. I'll try. It'll become my new goal. Of course, there's a good possibility I won't reach this one, and that upsets me, but it's not my fault that writing the really big stuff takes a while. And happy 4th of July to you, too. I love fireworks. :)
your no.1 fan (guest): Am I really? Wow. It's kind of strange that I don't realize how popular this is until I actually look, and realize I have almost 300,000 views, and that the majority of reviewers say this is the best BoO fanfic out there.
theboundseries: I think you're quickly becoming my most helpful reviewer. (I would also say something else that might seem like more of a compliment, but the other reviewers would riot). Your constructive criticism really helps, and I really appreciate all the time you take to write out all those longer reviews. Thank you.
Deathtoaster (guest): I think my favorite part of that may have been when you put the phrase 'three and a half hours of epic.' That was great. Official Iris Day was June 14-bummer that you missed it-but I recently saw a headcanon that made it a monthly thing, which is even more awesome. Every 14th day of the month. Also, yeah, OOC means Out Of Character. It took me a while to find that out. I had to turn to Google.
WiseGirl0801: Of course the wait is killing me. Who isn't being killed by the agony of an entire year? :) I like your quote, though. It's perfect for this moment.
BreathingintheSun: Once Upon A Time is amazing. I hate having to wait for the new seasons-but that is the horrible agony of being an original fan and watching it when it first began. It means you have to wait for everything.
RMS Titanic (guest): I've seen that! It made me giggle. And, yes, the wait is definitely getting to us. But we might want to stop the other fandoms from calling that therapist, since they might just have us all locked up in an asylum when he realizes the true extent of our crazy.
Rajell Cellar (guest): Isn't that Sea of Monsters? I'm pretty sure it's Sea of Monters. I own that movie. And the Lightning Thief movie. On Blu-ray. And I watch them. All. The. Time. Because I just love torturing myself. You should hear me when I watch them. Even when no one's home to hear me except for the dogs, I'm continously complaining and yelling at the directors. I went so far as to throw a pillow at the screen the other day.
drinkingthestarswithbob: I hope you have fun! I'll be looking forward to those reviews.
Okay, I need to stop myself there. Otherwise these responses could go on forever.
Enjoy!
Chapter XCII
Annabeth
"Are you ready, Annabeth?" Percy calls through her door, and she quickly scrapes her unruly hair up into a ponytail.
"Ready!" She calls back, and takes a deep breath before opening the door.
Percy gapes at her, and self-consciousness strikes through her, but she tries her best to hide it, flashing a smile and leaning against the doorframe.
"You might want to close your mouth before a bird decides to make a nest in it, Percy." She tells him, and gently pushes his chin up to close his mouth.
"Wow." He says. "Just, wow, Annabeth. You look amazing." Warmth spreads through Annabeth from the top of her head down to her toes, and she loops her arms around his neck, looking him up and down and taking in the pair of green trunks he's wearing, the way they ride low on his hips, and how nice his bare abs and chest look.
"You're not too bad yourself, Seaweed Brain." She teases, and he grins down at her, placing his hands on her bare waist.
"What, this? This is nothing; just something I find at the bottom of one of my drawers." He replies dismissively, his tone light and joking. "But that means you're the one that packed it for me, so obviously you thought I'd look good in it."
"It means no such thing." Annabeth argues, and then, smiling mischeviously, she decides to take a leaf out of his book and kisses him before he can argue back.
"Mmmm." He says. "We should see if the others want to swim too."
"Frank and Hazel might be down in the stables. Or in one of their rooms. They were in the hallway earlier, I know, but obviously they're not here now." Annabeth replies, wondering which it is. "Jason and Piper aren't in their rooms; I know that for sure. I think they're up on deck."
"We'll talk to them last, then." Percy decides. "Come on, let's find Hazel and Frank. Hazel's room first?"
Annabeth nods, and they go next door to Hazel's room. Percy knocks before opening the door-the room is empty. They back out and shut the door again, turning back to the hall.
"Okay, not there, obviously." Percy states. "They don't seem to hang out in Frank's room very often, so I'd say they're in the stables."
"Probably." Annabeth agrees. "Let's go-although I wonder why we didn't hear them when we were in the engine room?"
"We were a little busy." Percy reminds her. "And we weren't listening for them."
"True." Annabeth concedes. Then she grins. "I guess it's our turn to tease Frank, huh?"
Percy grins too, a mischevious light sparkling in his sea green eyes. "This is going to be awesome."
Annabeth rolls her eyes at his eagerness and starts down the stairs after him. Despite herself, she's excited to see the brilliant blush that's no doubt going to show up on Frank's cheeks when they show up in the stables.
They creep around the corner towards doorway of the stables, not wanting to let Frank and Hazel know they're there.
As they move in the cramped hallway, Annabeth is hyper-aware of Percy next to her. She can feel him, as if he's part of her. She can hear his heartbeat, feel his breaths as if they move through her own lungs. She adjusts her movements to work with him. When he takes a step forward, she steps with him, so attuned to him that they don't knock into each other once. Their shoulders brush, and she finds her hand automatically seeking his, craving the contact.
He turns to her and smiles. Even in the dim light of the hall, she can see the sad edge of it; the dark memories swimming in his eyes even now, when they're together, on their way to tease friends like old times.
Annabeth brushes up against him, pressing her side to his, and pulls on his hand, stopping him where they are just before the stable doorway. She can hear contented voices within, and laughter muffled by the walls. But she can't tell what's being said, and she doesn't try to understand-right now, her focus is on Percy.
"Annabeth." Percy murmurs, and she tilts her head to look up at him. "What are we doing?"
In answer, she smiles, and hooks her finger in the hem of his swim trunks, pulling him against her. Her bare skin tingles on contact with his, her nerves erupting with sensation, and a fiery passion burns through her veins, bringing her lips to his.
She kisses him once. Twice. A third time, and his hand starts wandering across her back, his fingers dancing across her skin. His other hand releases hers and goes to the back of her neck, burying it in her hair, pulling a little because it's in a pony tail. But Annabeth doesn't care about the slight pricks of pain where her hair tugs on her scalp-she doesn't even really feel it, only registers it dully in the back of her mind.
Her hand wanders the planes of his chest, the hard muscle rippling under smooth skin, and her other presses into his lower back, pressing him as close to her as he can possibly get. At the same time, she steps forward, so her feet are practically on top of his, pressing her hips and his together.
"Annabeth." Percy gasps, pulling his lips away from hers for a second, his tone the slightest bit scandalized.
Annabeth loops her arms around his neck, smirking a little in amusement at his discomfort. "Yes, Percy?"
He looks down at her, those beautiful sea green eyes of his filled with a swirling pool of emotion-discomfort, scandal, desire, restraint, love. He frowns at her. "You are so not making this easy, Wise Girl."
"I told you when you got into this mess that I wasn't ever going to make things easy for you, Seaweed Brain." She replies, fondly remembering that moment. "I guess you just haven't gotten used to it yet."
"Oh, trust me." He mutters. "I am very used to it. That doesn't mean I have to like it."
Annabeth studies his face, just taking a minute to look at him. The boyish, stubborn set of his jaw. His messy black hair, falling into his eyes. His eyes...there's so much reflected there, but his love for her shines out above the rest, and his whole demeanor softens when he looks at her...When he looks at her, the shadows under his eyes are erased, the worry lines in his forehead smooth out and disappear. His lips curve up into that irresistable half-smile of his...
Annabeth doesn't realize she's going to kiss him until she is, crushing her lips against his with bruising force.
He smells like the ocean, like the sweet, salty summer breeze always present at the beach at Camp Half-Blood. He smells like home, and she knows the feeling of him better than anything else-his hair, his skin, his hands on her back. His lips.
Annabeth wraps her fingers together, holding on to him even tighter, wanting to live in this moment forever.
I never want this to end. She thinks, her eyes closed tightly, lips still locked with Percy's, trying her hardest to prolong the inevitable moment when she'll have to pull away.
Someone clears their throat, and Annabeth springs away from Percy, feeling her cheeks flush red. She doesn't let go of him completely, though, and somehow finds herself holding his hand again.
Frank and Hazel are standing at the stable doorway, both of their faces as red as if it'd been them who'd gotten caught making out. Frank is looking at the ground, refusing to look at Percy or Annabeth, and Hazel is staring at the ceiling in the same way, fanning her face in that old-fashioned way she has.
"Oh, hi, Frank." Percy says, perfectly casual, as if they'd just been talking and not locked in a passionate embrace wearing hardly any clothes. "Did you want something?"
"We came down here to talk to them, remember?" Annabeth mutters. She can't bring herself to look at Frank or Hazel either.
But her embarassment is overshadowed by another feeling, one that makes her feel horribly guilty as well-disappointment. Disappointment that they were interrupted, that they had to stop.
"Oh, right." Percy remembers, interrupting her thoughts. "Get on your swim suits, guys-we're going swimming."
"What swim suits?" Frank asks, confused.
"There are a bunch of them in the supply closet-there should be some that'll fit you." Annabeth adds, calculating.
"Why are there swim suits in the supply closet?" Hazel wonders aloud, her face scrunched.
"You can find pretty much everything in that supply closet. There should be some extra clothes in there, too-didn't anyone tell you that?" She replies.
"No." Frank answers grouchily.
"Oh. Well, I'll go ahead and show you where they are so you can get changed-Percy, why don't you go find Piper and Jason?" Annabeth asks, turning to her boyfriend.
Percy nods. "I will." He pulls her in for a quick side hug and plants a kiss on her cheek. "Meet me up on deck, okay?"
"Okay. Now get going, Seaweed Brain." She orders, and he grins, jogging backward down the hallway before spinning around and turning the corner.
Annabeth rolls her eyes. "Idiot." She mutters under her breath, but when she turns to Hazel and Frank, she's smiling. "Let's go, guys."
Neither of them look particularly excited, but they follow her up the stairs, albeit reluctantly, and then to the supply closet. Annabeth rummages inside, feeling along the shelves until she finds the clothes-there isn't a light switch, and even if there was, she's not sure she'd want to see everything that's inside the closet. She pulls out the bundle of swimsuits, moving back into the hallway so she can see them.
"Here, Frank, these should fit you." She tosses him a pair of black swim trunks, which he catches easily, and then turns back to the bag. "And...here we go, Hazel. This one should fit just fine." She hands the bikini to Hazel, who takes it with a nervous look in her eyes, and then replaces the bundle back into the closet. "Go get changed, you two, and then meet the rest of us back up on deck."
They nod agreement, and Hazel places a chaste kiss on Frank's cheek before they both go to their respective rooms to change into their new swimsuits.
Annabeth blows out a breath, loud in the silence of the hallway, and then takes another deep breath, making herself relax. Then she strides up the stairs towards the deck.
Percy's standing at the top of the stairs, peering out at the deck with a slightly exasperated half-grin on his lips that quivers as if he's trying not to laugh.
"Hey, Percy, are you sure about this?" She asks, suddenly doubting whether swimming is such a good idea.
He glances at her and his half-grin briefly widens into a reassuring smile. "My dad's not like your mom, Wise Girl; he's totally fine with us dating. He's not going to drown you."
"What do you have against my mom?" Annabeth replies defensively, narrowing her eyes.
"She wanted to incinerate me." He answers.
"You're dangerous." She points out.
"She hates me. And she hates that you're dating me."
"Well, my mom can butt out. She has no place in my personal life." Annabeth states crossly, irritated that her mom would think she had any right to interfere in Annabeth's love life.
"Glad to see you love me enough to side against her."
"Don't get a big head, Seaweed Brain." She warns, and he grins.
"How could I, with you here to stop me?"
"Good point." Annabeth admits. "What are you looking at?"
Percy's grin widens, and he points wordlessly to the middle of the deck. Annabeth peeks past his arm and has to stilfe a laugh-Piper and Jason are asleep on the deck, tangled in each other's arms.
"I didn't know Piper snored." Percy whispers to Annabeth. She giggles, shoving his chest playfully.
"She's even worse than you."
"Hey!" He protests, frowning defensively. "I don't snore!"
"You keep telling yourself that, Seaweed Brain." She pauses, listening-there are footsteps behind them on the stairs. She turns to see Leo making his way up to them.
"Okay, so your dad isn't going to drown me or anything, is he? Because that would totally put a damper on this whole day." Leo comments, and Annabeth rolls her eyes. Percy doesn't even bother to answer him-he just shakes his head exasperatedly and takes a joking swipe at Leo's head.
He ducks, and Percy withdraws his arm, looking back at Jason and Piper. Leo pops back up with his signature grin in place. "Missed me!"
"Shhhh!" Percy and Annabeth say simultaneously. At Leo's questioning look, they both point together to where Piper and Jason are lying on the deck, and his grin just gets wider.
"It's like Christmas came early." He comments, eyes twinkling maliciously.
"I know how to make it better." Percy tells him, and holds up a camera that Annabeth didn't realize he had.
"Where did you get that?" She asks, curious.
"It's Piper's. I caught her taking pictures of us while we were sleeping; that's how I knew she had it." He explains.
"Wait, what?" Annabeth asks, but Percy ignores her and pushes the camera into Leo's hands.
"Here, you can be temporary photographer today. Well, camera man. Whatever. There's a setting on there for taking videos; use that." Percy tells him, and Leo presses the button to turn it on, studying it for a few seconds.
"This is a really nice camera. And it's waterproof-where did Piper get it?" He wonders.
Annabeth turns to Percy questioningly-she's wondering too. She knows about Piper's dad, and all, but Piper's not really one to buy an expensive camera or anything like that. And she didn't really have a chance to buy one, either.
Percy just shrugs. "Don't look at me, I have no idea. She might've gotten it from one of her sisters; it looks like something they'd have."
She nods thoughtfully. "That makes sense."
"Does it really matter?" He asks impatiently. "Come on, let's go!"
Shaking her head, Annabeth follows her boyfriend out onto the deck towards the sleeping couple, with Leo right behind her, wondering what she's getting herself into.
This chapter started running a bit long, so I had to stop there.
I love you, don't lower the IQ of the whole street, remember that it's inadvisable to try and walk on water when fully clothed, and laugh like a maniac-because you can! ;)