Chapter 2: SOS

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Hello… My name is PercyJacksonLover14. Nice to meet you…? I—uh—It's a long story… And to be honest, I have neglected my duties as a writer, and for that I sincerely apologize. I haven't had to the time to write for a long time. It's been stressful, managing my last months of school, Wattpad, classes, and FanFiction.

FYI: This is just a quick little something…

I have been part of FanFiction for about 3-4 years. And never have I ever thought that I would be getting reads and reviews for some stupid stories I wrote. I never thought I would have followers, favoriters, and friends that I would make through a website full of millions of writers.

I just want to thank each and every one of you for reading my stories, and taking the time to review from something as simple as, "Update" to a huge paragraph. It means so much to me… so much that sometimes I sit and stare at the reviews tearing up.

All those reviews, I do my absolute best to respond back to in some way. Those "Guests" out there, I highly encourage you to get an account because I want to thank some of you so much for just reading and reviewing. If not an account, give yourself a name, because I want to make sure and call you out in my next updates.

I am SO honored to write for this website, and this section of FanFiction. My name was supposed to indicate that I would stick to only Percy Jackson, but this community makes me feel so much at home.

Sorry I'm rambling… but—thank you so much, guys. Thank you so much for what you made me become, and all the support through my stories. All those personal PM's and encouraging reviews keep making me focus on adding updates to my stories.

SilverPedal's put up a story recently, and I just thought to myself, "Okay, PercyJacksonLover, get your head out of the gutter and write a chapter! You've put this off for TOO long." And so—here I am. I am sincerely sorry for putting it off for this long. I don't know how many more times I will update, but we'll see.

Disclaimer: My Story… MINE! MINE!

The soft sunlight poured through the hotel's blinds. Pepper shuffled around in bed, groggy and confused. Where was she? What was she—Oh!

Pepper's eyes shot open, and the grin quickly plastered on to her face. She turned her head towards Tony. He was still sleeping, his long lashes touched his cheek and his hair was a mess from the sleep.

"TONY!" Pepper hissed. She jerked off the cover's on her side of the bed, and sucked in a breath as the cold air brushed against her pale skin, before rushing over to Tony's side. She caught a glimpse of her hair in the large mirror, and saw strands of red sticking up in every which way on her head. She giggled before putting her hands on Tony's back.

One… Pepper dug her nails into Tony's back. Two… She lowered herself so her lips were right above Tony's ear. Three… "TONY!" She screamed. Pepper never saw someone jump as high as Tony.

He clutched his chest as he struggled to right himself, and get his bearings. The blankets wrapped around his body, limiting him from moving. "WHAT—WHA—I-" He fixed his blue eyes on Pepper, very slowly. Then without warning, he lashed out and secured his hands around Pepper's arms. He then pulled, having Pepper tumble back into bed.

The laughed as they had a massive tickle-fest. "Okay! I give—HEHE—UP!" Pepper screeched.

"That's right! That's what you get for waking me up, you little squirrel!" Tony said releasing her. Pepper sat up, crossing her legs on the bed.

"Squirrel?"

Tony chuckled, leaning back against the bed frame. "Look in the mirror. You look like a squirrel." Pepper pouted and threw her hands at Tony, resulting in another series of laughter.

"What's going on? Why did you wake me up? It's- " Tony glanced over at the clock. "It's seven in the morning."

Pepper shuffled out of bed quickly, running towards her luggage. She gathered her clothes, brush, and other toiletries before slipping on her slippers. "It's cruise day! We have to beat everyone to the boat! Get up!" She giggled before disappearing into the bathroom.

Tony had some time to stare out at the ceiling before deciding to get up and stretch. He let out an obnoxious yawn and padded his way towards the window.

The view from the hotel gave him direct line of sight to the Boston shoreline. It was only seven in the morning, but sure enough, in the distance, there was a boat cruising its way towards a docking port.

Judging by the distance, Tony guesstimated that the arrival time would be around nine or ten o'clock. So that left plenty of time for the two of them to grab some breakfast before running off towards the boat.

Tony stood there for a while before hearing the shower cut off from inside the bathroom. He quickly gathered all his clothes for his own, very much needed, shower and patiently sat on the edge of the bed.

"Buh- buh- buh- buh- buh! CRUISE timmmeeeee!" Pepper sang. Tony snorted and looked up at the ceiling to keep his laughter from resonating around the room to other hotel rooms as well.

"Buh- buh- buh- buh! Get your butt out of the bathroom!" Tony teased back. He heard Pepper drop her brush, and soon a head peeked out of the steaming bathroom.

With her red hair plastered against her neck, Pepper narrowed her eyes on Tony. "I'm watching you, Stark. One word and I can call my daddy to get me out of here!"

"Your 'daddy' can't help you once you're overseas, my dear. Now get out and do what you need to do out here. I still need to shower and get ready. I can see the boat from here."

She was out of that bathroom faster than a hare.

…

Tony slipped his towel around his waist and carefully dried his feet on the towel by the shower. He might've booked a five star hotel, but that didn't keep his germ-phobia from acting up every time he glanced at the tiled floor.

"Tony! I see the boat!" Pepper squealed. Tony didn't need to respond, because he knew she wouldn't care if he said anything one way or another.

Slipping on his shirt, Tony hopped into his jeans and let the gel run through his hair for his classic messy look. "Stark, you are one handsome dude." He said winking at himself through the mirror. "And you are also very strange." He added quietly.

Tony stepped out of the shower and stepped into his shoes. "Pepper, grab-" His voice broke as he glanced out the window at the largest ship he has ever seen.

Well… He's been on cruises before, and some were a lot larger than the one in front of him, but this was the most stylistic ship he's been on since he was a child. It was impressive, but at the same time classy.

"That's a big ship." Pepper ushered out. Her hazel eyes widened as she took in the enormous boat in front of her. She put her hands on the window, squashed her face against it and began peering towards the end. "I don't even see the back!"

Tony tapped her on her shoulder, jarring Pepper back to reality. "We better grab breakfast quick. If the boats already here, we want to move quickly to beat the crowd."

They both stuffed their suitcases up quickly and double-checked their hotel room for anything they might've left behind. Pepper was practically bouncing on the balls of her heels in excitement, but this wasn't Tony's first rodeo. He knew the consequences of moving quickly versus moving carelessly.

"We good? WE GOOD!" Pepper squealed, still staring at the boat in front of the window. Tony checked the bathroom one last time and pulled out his phone. Checking the time, he slipped it back into his pocket and nodded.

"We're goo—Aye!" Pepper seized his wrist and began bolting down the hallway. She made her way towards the elevator, but thought better of it, and began hopping down the stairs. "Pepper!" Tony called out, holding back a laugh. Her suitcase jostled around as it hit stair after stair. Eventually, the suitcase flipped over completely, giving up with staying upright, but Pepper kept going.

If I don't move, too, I'll loose her completely. Tony thought with a huge grin. Bounding after her, he pulled out his phone again and checked the time. There was about an hour left before the doors to the cruise would open and the cruisers would start boarding.

It actually wasn't a big deal. He made sure to get a pre-pack plan where the two of them would get "priority" and get to the front of the line. He hated using his money for a benefit like that, but out of all his years of experience, it was worth the extra pay.

…

Pepper wolfed down another muffin as she kept her eyes planted on the cruise ship in front of her. Tony tried moving in her view, hoping to get her to snap out of the joyous stance she was in, but failed when she moved her head to the other side of Tony.

"You think the view is great?" Tony asked, keeping a smile from his face. He pulled apart a warm double chocolate muffin and plopped one half into his mouth. He fixed his eyes on Pepper, and waited for a response.

"What it isn't great?" Pepper questioned.

"Wait till you get inside the boat. That's when I'll let you gawk at a ship."

Pepper lowered her eyes to Tony's, and slowly narrowed them. A smirk played on her lips. "What's wrong with me gawking at a ship?"

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with it. I didn't say anything."

"You didn't."

"Absolutely not. What are you getting at anyways?" Tony asked, feeling a blush creep onto his face. Why was he blushing?

"Anthony Edward Stark, are you jealous that I'm gawking at a SHIP?" Pepper's face split into a ridiculous grin. Tony felt the blush take full affect and looked away, plopping the other half of his muffin into his mouth.

"No." He mumbled.

"That's so cute. You're jealous that I'm observing a ship, and not observing you." Pepper shook her head and washed down her muffin with her apple juice. And for the first time since the ship pulled into port, she looked at Tony. "Sorry?"

Tony shook his head. The conversations they had sometimes… man he loved this girl. "Meh, it's not like the ship is anything compared to me!" He raised his arms and flexed his lean muscles. "Eh? Eh?" He lifted his eyebrows towards his muscles.

Pepper leaned forward and kissed him. "Beautiful. Now that we're done, let's get in line!"

They both dumped their leftovers into a trashcan before gathering their suitcases. Tony handed over the key cards to the front desk lady, and said he would come by in about a week's time to collect it from the valet.

Since the port was literally a block away, the two of them decided to spend that time to walk peacefully towards the shore. It seemed like no one really thought the boat would arrive that early, so there was barely a fuss when they walked up to the entrance.

"Priority this way, please. The rest, please make your way towards the back entrance over there." A hostess said. She smiled politely and watched as Tony and Pepper made their way towards her. "Welcome to the Royal Jewel! Are you a priority couple?"

"Yes, ma'am." Tony responded pulling out tickets. The woman quickly looked it over and nodded. She unhooked a rope and led the two of them inside.

"Walk right on through! There will be one check in point up there, but then from there you'll be right in!"

Pepper was so distracted and said, "Okay, thanks." She grabbed the tickets and ran towards the first check in point.

There were a total of three, security checkpoints, and through each one of them, Pepper jumped up and down in excitement. Many of the security guards regarded her with a grin before ushering them towards the terminal towards the boat.

"Almost there, Pepper. We just need to get our room keys, and we can hop on!" Tony's voice hitched, and he noticed that he was just as excited. His heart pounded with adrenaline, excitement rushed through his veins.

The line was short since Tony made sure to get the two of them in early. There were about ten attendants behind desks, and about six of them were occupied with guests.

Suddenly, Tony heard Pepper squeal out, "OW!" He turned back in alarm to see her clutching her shoulder and hopping on one foot.

"What happened?" Tony asked.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going! So sorry!" A man said. He stared at Tony, suddenly wary. "Oh gosh! This—I'm so sorry, sir! I forgot something back at the check in! I was rushing! I-"

"Calm down. It's fine. You probably just startled her that's all. You're lucky your early, no one is down there." Tony remarked looking over the man's shoulder.

The man smiled. "I'm David." He extended a calloused hand towards Tony, who firmly took it, giving a businesslike shake.

"Anthony. But call me Tony. Hope to see you around on the boat. You probably should go and get your—whatever you lost." David nodded and sped walked back the way he came.

"NEXT!" An attendant called out. Tony took Pepper's hands and walked up to the booth.

"Anthony Stark, and Patricia Potts, please." He said. The attendant typed away at his computer, flashing them a grin on occasion.

"First time?"

Tony shook his head. "Not mine. But for her, yeah. It's our anniversary." When the attendant gave them a skeptical look he quickly added, "Our year anniversary of dating. Should've worded that a little better, huh?"

"Congratulations. For two teenagers, that's a huge commitment." The attendant said handing them two silver key cards. "Since you are signed up for Platinum. These cards can access anything, anywhere. They are wired to Mr.—Mr. Stark's account, so these acts as your credit card as well as your room key card. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask our wonderful staff on board. Happy Sailing!"

Tony gave him a curt nod and dragged the awestruck Pepper towards the entrance terminal.

"Platinum?! PLATINUM CARDS?" She shook her head. "I don't deserve this. I don't deserve you."

Tony looked back suddenly confused. "Why would you say that?"

"Tony… you spend so much on me. I—I could only get you that cheap watch for your birthday. And for my birthday you got me purses, shoes, and jewelry."

"Pepper, you fill my heart with joy. I'm rich, filthy rich. I haven't met a girl like you; someone who has little but is more than what she speaks. I only know how to spend money, and show love, but you only know how to show love and compassion. I don't deserve you, to be honest." He said looking forward.

He could already see the neon lights blaring from the opened doors of the ship.

Pepper slipped her hand into Tony's. "Then we're even. LOOK! LIGHTS!"

Tony grinned as he handed over the two key cards in his hands to the ship attendant. She scanned them both and smiled politely. "You're in luck. Being one of the first on board, the lines on the elevators are slim. Welcome aboard Royal Jewel. Your suite room will be located on the level 9, the highest level for cabin members. Just follow the lights towards the golden elevators, and go ahead and head up to your cabin. Enjoy your stay with us!"

Tony practically had to drag Pepper, as she stood frozen in spot. Her luggage dragged behind aimlessly as her eyes wandered the cavernous top of the cruise ship.

This was gonna be great.

But just as he was about to say it, Tony felt a shiver trail down his spine. It was the feeling he normally got when he was being watched or followed. Instinctively, he grabbed for his Iron Man backpack, but his fingers only brushed the fabric of his shirt.

Tony looked down and just saw his bare chest. Never in his life did he feel so naked. He depended on his Iron Man backpack too much. Oh stop it, Stark. This is about you and Pepper. FOCUS! He thought wildly to himself. He was just psyching himself out.

But he couldn't shake that uneasy feeling, all the way to the elevators.

Sorry if it was boring! This is just a huge filler for the journey. Things will pick up by either the 4th or 5th chapter. I just wanted to let y'all know how the cruise thing worked, because it was such an incredible experience.

Thank you for reading! And as always REVIEW!

This is for SilverPedals1402…

My pen name. PercyJacksonLover14. It's a mouthful I know, but here is the reason for my penname, and how it came to exist!

So I've been an avid reader of Percy Jackson since I was in 3rd grade, and I fell in love with Percy Jackson (check out my bio page because I mentioned that he is my fiancé). I had just finished reading "Son of Neptune" and was thinking, oh my gods! I need to know more! So I began looking up all these stuff about the next book.

Sure enough I stumbled across a FanFic about Percy Jackson, but I was actually thinking that it was Rick Riordan writing it because it was so good. Eventually I got an account because I wanted to read more and review, but not my anonymous. Thus Percy Jackson Lover.

14 is actually a very common number for me in my life. If you divide it by 2 it's 7, which is my favorite number. My house and school ID numbers start with 14, so I've always used 14 as my username for everything.

Later I stumbled across Iron Man Armored Adventures on Netflix, and watched all of it. Then I thought, if there is a Percy Jackson fanfic, is there an IMAA fanfic?! And so… HERE I AM!

SilverPedals1402 asked this question, so I wanted to thoroughly explain it in this update like I promised her! Little more to know about me, huh?

Question of the Update: What would you save first: Your family's prestigious treasured item passed down for GENERATIONS or your new puppy?