Chapter Four: Paintball
“We’re doing what?”
Annabeth beamed at her boyfriend’s expression. “Excited?”
“You are the greatest girlfriend ever.”
She giggled and slipped out of the cab, paying the driver. They walked towards the building and Annabeth leaned over the counter, smiling at the teen boy who was working there. “4 please.”
He looked up and smiled. “Sure thing. Go back there and get all the stuff on and pick your paint colors…” He ran his eyes over what he could see of her.
“Keep your eyes above the neck,” Percy told him.
“10 bucks a person,” he grumbled at Percy, looking back down at his computer.
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“Red,” Katie muttered, picking up a tray of paintballs to load into her gun.
“Blue,” Percy called.
“Green,” Annabeth said, thinking about Percy’s eyes.
“Purple,” Travis said last as he finished zipping his gear. “You’re all gonna look like grapes have exploded on you when I’m through with you.”
“Why don’t we play teams?”
“Boys against girls?”
Travis looked at Percy and grinned. “I’m in.”
“Oh, game on.”
Katie put an arm on Travis’s shoulder, smiling up at him. “Don’t worry, Travis. We’ll go easy on you.”
Travis smirked. “Don’t bother—we’ll beat you anyway.”
They walked towards the field and Travis grabbed her hand, pulling her close for a moment.
“Fraternizing with the enemy, Travis.”
“Worth it,” he muttered, leaning in.
“Whoa, wait, a second.” She smiled. “Beat us and I’ll kiss you.”
Travis grinned. “You’re on.”
“Okay, rules,” Percy announced. “If you get hit with a ball, you’re out. Last one standing colorless wins.”
Percy and Travis did a complicated guy handshake and ran off to the opposite side of the field, leaving the girls to scheme…
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Travis dove behind a wall, breathing heavily. He heard the paintballs raining down on the wall, trying to hit him. He grinned. He’d nearly gotten Annabeth but she had done an excellent Matrix move, avoiding the close range shot. She had retaliated.
He heard a scuffle next to him, and prepared his gun, but lowered it when he saw Percy.
“They’re hiding by the tire. Let’s attack.”
He nodded and stood, peaking around the wall. Sure enough, he saw a mess of blonde hair over by the tire. They crept closer silently. They exchanged a glance, but before they could fire, Annabeth jolted up, unleashing the pellets on the boys. Travis narrowly avoided the onslaught, diving to the left and sprinting around a wall of tires. Percy sobbed theatrically, sinking to his knees.
“Save yourself!” he shouted, putting a hand over his heart as he fell. Annabeth hovered above him, grinning.
“Very dramatic, Seaweed Brain.”
Travis took the opportunity her unprotected back presented and fired off a pellet at her. The force knocked her over on top of Percy. From his vantage point, they didn’t seem to mind if their passionate kiss was any indicator.
Travis looked around, searching for Katie.
“Dammit, Gardner—where are you?”
He heard the sharp smack of paint splattering behind him. He cussed.
“Come on out, Travis. You’ve lost.”
“You missed.”
He heard quiet footsteps. “I’ve won. You’re trapped.”
“Wanna bet?”
In an instant, he was out behind the wall, spraying the air with paintballs. He felt the paint splatter against his chest, and noticed that Katie, standing in front of him, wasn’t colored. He glanced at his gun. Empty. Great.
Katie grinned. “I win.”
He glanced down at the red paint flowering out. It looked like blood. The spot was directly over his heart.
“Beautiful,” Katie said.
“Now that’s just mean.”
“You know what else? You lost to girls and you don’t get a kiss.” Giggling, she began to turn, but paused and glanced back at him. “Yet.”