Annabeth carefully folded the shirt in front of her, laying it gently in the duffle bag on her comforter. "I still think this isn't one of your best ideas," she said, pointedly glancing at Rachel. Rachel grinned, adjusting the pillow in her lap as she observed Annabeth's meticulous packing routine.
"It will be good for you. You rarely participate in any of our school's social events. You're always so busy doing things for others. It's about time you did something for yourself." Annabeth knew she couldn't argue with Rachel. Her friend was somehow always right, wiser than most eighteen-year-olds. "Fine," she sighed, zipping her duffle bag shut and spinning around. "Let's do this."
Annabeth squinted in an effort to read the small print on the instruction booklet, the poles of her brand-new tent spread out on the ground in front of her. Rachel had disappeared fifteen minutes prior, leaving Annabeth to figure out how to build it on her own. She had just figured out which pole corresponded to the pictures when a chuckle sounded from behind her.
"Well, well. Is Miss Valedictorian-to-be struggling to build a simple tent?" Annabeth whirled around, coming face-to-face with a pair of sparkling green eyes and a cocky grin. The color drained from her face as she realized Rachel had left out a key detail of the excursion - the person she couldn't stand the most was tagging along. "What are you doing here?" she demanded, crossing her arms defiantly across her chest.
"It's a class trip, Annabeth. Last I checked, I am a senior like you, and therefore a member of this class. Pretty sure that means I am allowed to be here." Percy responded with an infuriatingly smug tone. Rolling her eyes, Annabeth turned back around, preparing to continue her set-up when a rumble of thunder interrupted her actions. "Was that thunder?" she questioned, eyeing Percy who looked just as confused as her.
Slowly, she registered the sudden lack of tents and camp equipment surrounding them and the persistent buzzing of both her and Percy's phones. Glancing down at the screen, she saw a text from Rachel and read it aloud. "Huge storm heading towards the campsite. Piper offered me a ride, but we didn't have time to return. Sorry, Beth. If you stay in your tent, you should be fine! Text me after the storm so I know you're okay."
Annabeth let out a shocked laugh, looking up at the sky which had turned three shades darker since her conversation with Percy. "We're on our own," was all she could say. Percy shook his head, eyeing the pieces of her tent littering the ground. "Do you want some help?" he asked, his tone condescending. "No thanks," she snapped, leaning down to pick up the instruction manual. "Not from you."
An emotion flashed in Percy's eyes that she couldn't register before he shrugged, backing away. "Good luck," he called out sarcastically as he made his way back to his bag a few feet away. Annabeth bit her lip, preventing a snarky remark from escaping her lips. She didn't feel like wasting her energy on him. Percy knew just how to get under her skin.
An hour had passed, and much to her dismay, Annabeth had made little progress on her tent. Percy, on the other hand, had finished his in less than ten minutes and had been inside since then. She could smell some sort of food cooking from his tent, annoying her further. How was he so effortlessly good at camping? He didn't try in anything school-related, yet he was some sort of outdoor savant? It bothered her more than she cared to admit.
Annabeth had just finished securing the poles into the ground when a small drop of rain splattered onto her arm, soon followed by dozens more. "No," she muttered, brushing her arm in an attempt to wipe off the water. "Please, not yet." Percy poked his head out of his tent, watching her with a smug expression as she fumbled to tie the corner of the tent around the first pole. "You're not going to finish in time," he said, his eyes shining competitively. Annabeth glared at him, wiping the water falling down her face away.
"Watch me," she spat out, her heart beating fast as the wind picked up. Just as the sky opened up, Annabeth finished tying the last corner and practically threw herself inside of the tent. She smiled to herself as she looked around the space, admiring her work. Percy didn't know just who he was up against. He hadn't since the first day he stepped foot into their school sophomore year, his cocky demeanor radiating throughout the hallways.
From the first time Annabeth had laid eyes on the boy who was set to become her arch nemesis, both academically and socially, she only had one goal - to take him down. So far, she had. She wasn't about to stop now despite the end of their senior approaching quickly. Annabeth still held the top spot and was determined to keep it that way.
Percy listened to the wind whistling outside of the thin walls of his tent, his eyes tracing the corners of his tent for leakage. Although he was more than confident in his camping abilities, this storm was shaping up to be one of the worst he'd ever camped in. Before his dad passed and he and his mother were forced to move across the country to live with his grandparents, he spent every weekend camping with his dad. He had never felt more at home than he did outside, under the stars.
As much as Percy tried to keep his mind off of the girl in the tent beside him, he couldn't. Annabeth Chase had been a thorn in his side since his first day of sophomore year, when she had been assigned his tour guide. At first, he had been excited for the cute blonde girl to show him around. She had been the first positive thing he'd seen since they'd arrived in California the week prior. However, the moment Annabeth spoke, it was clear she had no interest in being cordial.
He never was able to quite figure out why she held so much resentment towards him. Percy had learned quickly that the school's reigning student was not to be messed with. Yet, he couldn't stop himself from teasing her every chance he had. Something about the anger in her grey eyes and the way her curly blonde hair bounced against her shoulders when she snapped at him lit a fire inside of him in a way he'd never felt before.
When Percy had seen her arrive at the camping trip, he surprised himself with how excited he was to see her. After all, they couldn't stand each other. So why did his heart race, and his face heat up when he looked at her? Why couldn't he stop watching the way her cropped tank hugged her figure, and the way her eyes sparkled as she joked around with Rachel Dare, or rolled them at him?
Scrubbing a hand over his face in frustration, Percy suddenly registered the loud crashes of thunder outside, and the small flashes of light breaking through his tent's dark fabric. "Annabeth," he exclaimed, realizing he had never made she had built her tent. The venom in her tone had forced him to back off even though deep down, he wanted to help her. He wanted to accidentally brush against her as they attached the tent to the poles, to be close enough to smell her perfume and see the mascara on her lashes.
Slowly unzipping his tent, Percy leaned out, immediately shielding his face from the harsh, pelting rain. Annabeth's tent was up, but it was beginning to sag inwards, the water pooling on the top. "Annabeth!" he yelled, worried his voice would be carried away in the wind. Just as he opened his mouth to yell again, Annabeth's tent collapsed, revealing her soaked form. She scrambled for purchase, her eyes wide in fear as another bolt of lightning lit up the sky.
"Annabeth!" Percy yelled one more time, scrambling out of his tent and racing towards her. He slipped on the slick, wet ground, catching himself at the last minute. "What are you doing?" she yelled, brushing her hair out of her face as she watched him stumble towards her, wide-eyed. "Saving you!" he responded, finally reaching her. He held a hand out to her. "Grab my hand!" Annabeth hesitated for a moment before another rumble of thunder startled her.
Annabeth's hand slid into Percy's, and he held it tight as they made their way back to his tent. He struggled to open the zipper, his fingers too cold to fully grasp the metal. Finally, the fabric gave way and they fell on top of his sleeping bag. Percy realized his arms were wrapped around Annabeth, his fingers brushing the skin of her waist where her shirt had ridden up. Her face was buried in his neck as she shivered violently. Percy freed his arm, reaching over and grabbing his coat. He wrapped it around Annabeth, watching as her frantic breathing slowed.
Annabeth looked up at him, her wet hair falling into her eyes as she looked around Percy's tent. "How do you know how to build a tent so well?" she asked, her voice tinged with disbelief. Percy held back a smirk at the slight jealousy in her tone. "Years of camping with my father," was his response, his chest tightening at the mention of his late father. Annabeth caught his gaze, an unexpected softness on her face. "I'm sorry about your father," she said, and he could detect the sincerity in her words. He had heard those five words thousands of times over the years, but they didn't feel forced or dipped in sympathy. He knew she truly cared. But why?
"Thank you," he whispered, sliding his arm out from underneath Annabeth as she slowly climbed to her feet. "Thank you," she responded, gesturing to the tent surrounding them. "I didn't expect this." Percy stood up as well, walking closer to her and watching as her eyes widened slightly. He reached out and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, using his thumb to brush a droplet of rain off her cheek. Somehow, he could smell Annabeth's intoxicating floral perfume and it only served to distract him further. "I couldn't leave you out there, Annabeth," he said in reply.
Annabeth shot him a questioning gaze as she pulled his coat tighter around her. "But we can't stand each other." Percy chuckled wryly, running a hand through his damp hair. "Correction - you can't stand me." Annabeth scoffed, stepping closer to him. "What does that mean?" "I could tell from the first words you spoke to me our sophomore year that you didn't like me. I've learned to keep my distance since then." Annabeth's grey eyes sparkled with anger as she processed his words. "Keep your distance? You've had it out for my perfect academic record for the past three years! When I last spoke to Mrs. Bradshaw, she said I was only slightly ahead of you for valedictorian."
"I can't help it if I'm smart, Beth," Percy retorted, crossing his arms across his chest. He noticed Annabeth's cheeks redden as she focused on the movement before she tore her gaze away to glare at him. "Have you ever heard of humility?" Annabeth snapped in response, taking another step forward. "And don't call me Beth." Suddenly, they were nose-to-nose and Percy realized just how fast his heart was racing. The anger in Annabeth's face faded into something softer, something stronger, and a few moments passed in silence before they both moved at once.
Before he knew it, his lips were on hers and the only thing Percy could comprehend was how soft Annabeth's mouth was, the feeling of her waist under his fingers, and the pure electricity flowing through him at her touch.
He never knew he could feel like this, and he never wanted it to end. From the way she was melting into his touch, he knew Annabeth felt the same way.
Annabeth pulled back in a daze, unable to catch her breath. She could still feel Percy's mouth on hers, the gentleness of his kiss and touch forever etched into her memory. She had always found Percy annoyingly attractive, with his dark hair, sharp jawline, and emerald green eyes. It didn't help that he looked as if he was some gym god; even though she knew he rarely worked out. Annabeth hated to admit it, but over the past year, she had found herself stealing glances at Percy during class, unable to look away from the one person she couldn't stand the most.
Yet, here she was, wrapped in his arms under the pouring rain. She didn't know what would happen next. Graduation was just around the corner, and if she did make valedictorian, she would be off to her dream school and halfway across the country. For a girl who had her whole life planned by the time she was eight, she was somehow alright with walking down an uncertain path - with someone she had never seen as a part of her future.
Annabeth leaned in and kissed Percy again, smiling against his lips at the thought of a future with him in it.
Percy awoke slowly, a smile spreading across his face as he felt Annabeth's warmth against his side and the soft sounds of her breathing. He was about to sit up when the sound of grass crunching from outside the tent, followed by a cacophony of familiar voices stopped him. "Annabeth! Percy!" Rachel yelled, her footsteps stopping in front of the tent. "We're in here," Percy responded, his voice still raspy from sleep. "Where's Annabeth?" Rachel demanded, her tone sharp. Percy felt movement by his side, and Annabeth sat up, her eyes bright and her cheeks tinged pink. "In here," she responded, a slight smirk on her face.
Percy heard a sharp gasp from outside, before the tent's zipper moved and Rachel's shocked face peeked through. "Rachel!" Annabeth exclaimed, her hands resting on her hips. "Ever heard of privacy?" Rachel raised an eyebrow, her gaze trailing over Percy and Annabeth's messy hair and clothing. Granted, it was from the rain, but Rachel didn't know that. Percy opened his mouth to defend their appearances when Annabeth lifted herself up, her lips meeting his and stealing his breath away. Shocked gasps and exclamations from the rest of their classmates filled the silence, but Annabeth didn't move away, instead sinking further into his embrace.
He simply tightened his grip on Annabeth's waist, kissing her with all he had.
And he didn't plan to let go anytime soon.