Road Trip, Chapter 16
written by SkylarCraze, a Warrior of Writing
Chapter 16: Awake, Yet Not So Awake
Author's Note: Hi! Well…it's been a bit, hasn't it? LOLs.
Anywho; Enjoy the chappie.
Annabeth's POV:
Percy's sweet.
I never thought I would ever say that. Annoying? Frequently.
Obnoxious? Sometimes.
Clueless? A lot.
Brave? Sure.
But sweet?
I'd never thought I'd say it, but hell. Percy is the sweetest person I've ever met. He's even kind of romantic. My thoughts drifted, going straight to the spot they'd been at for the last three days. Thoughts of that kiss…thoughts of those words…him calling me beautiful.
It was a flake, a little tiny bit, of what I could get from someone else, anyone else. But coming from Percy it was ten times whatever anyone else could give.
I remembered the way he smiled, a soft smile, when he said it. A single word, a single syllable, too. He'd spoken in single syllable-words then a lot, now that I thought of it.
You.
I smiled, bliss (naïve, silly bliss) filling me. I felt tingly and cuddly and so girly that if I saw myself I'd puke. Or walk away. Or give myself a lecture on feminism and how we should be tougher.
Ugh. I'm so annoying.
Right now, I sat in the car, waiting outside of McDonalds waiting for the idiot I'm in love with. He's buying some fat-engrossed burger with an equally horrible drink on the side. Coke.
I giggled. As long as I'd known Percy, he had had this addiction for all things caffeine. It was funny to see him hopped up on the stuff. Kind of like very hyper, very awake, very ADHD Percy. And his dyslexia? Notched up by ten percent to twenty percent. He would read a sign that said Chinese Palace, and say "Sense…chi…palace? Annabeth! I think that's a tae kwan do place!"
And I would look at him and go, "Are you drunk?"
He would grin because he knew that, though it sounds mean, it isn't. Percy knew that I was the smarter one and, though he was pretty naïve, he knew he was on the demigod version of a sugar high.
Thinking of demigods, as I sat there, I wondered…why hadn't we be attacked by monsters yet? Especially with Percy being a son of one of the Big Three. I cursed myself. Don't think about it, I thought. Just go on flowing. It's probably some of the gods' work. A break, complete with no monster for a few weeks. Alle-freaking-lujah! I should be happy.
I decided to push the thought away, not to jinx our luck, and then began thinking of Athena, my mother. Thought of gods always led here. I was still angry. She was my mother and at times, most times, we got along. But when she showed up at that very moment, I couldn't help but know she had probably been watching that stupid TV Hephaestus made to stalk us all. It really was a pain.
Note to self: go to Olympus and trash stalking-the-kids TV.
And the way she didn't show up at that beach? Made me sit there all alone for half an hour? Made me face those…thoughts all alone? Fear going back to Percy? Resolve going to Percy?
What mother leaves her daughter? Fights with her when she can sense her daughter needs her so much at that time? It was coldhearted. And showing up right at that moment? It made me BOIL. I hadn't been that angry since…a long time ago.
Slowly, the thoughts moved away (after torturing me) and the warm, thick wind and leather-y smeel and feel of the car took over and began lulling me to sleep. I felt my lids get heavier and heavier until I was softly slipping away…out of grasp…
The last thing I remembered was hearing a sigh.
Percy's POV:
She was sleeping when I got back.
Annabeth was curled into her seat, her face mushed sideways into the head rest of the passenger seat. Her hair, tied back into a bun today, was beginning to find its way out and a few strands were hanging loosely, framing her intelligent face.
I sigh, smiling a bit. She looked cute, sleeping like that, mouth kind of open, snoring little, girly snores. I almost laughed but thought better of it. I opened the door as quietly as I could and put all the food on my seat. I shut the door just as quietly. And breathed deeply, cleansing myself with air.
The last few days had been… odd. Annabeth and I talked, sure, but there were hours when we didn't say a word. It wasn't awkward, but felt…strange. New, in a way.
I was feeling kind of tired, zoned out. My body ached for her touch, but I didn't want it at the same time. I felt emotional, hormonal even, like I'd given up. I had kissed her, yes. Had we talked about it yet? Were we ever going to talk about it?
No. Probably not.
I wished that we did. What was the point? What was the point of my loving her long blonde hair, her deep, dark grey orbs, when I could barely say three words to her lately?
I hated this quiet, but I kind of…cherished it. Annabeth had always made me feel hot, burning, tempting desire. Now she was making me feel serene, calm like an ocean. It was weird that liking someone could do this to me.
When I got up off leaning on the door, I walked around and to Annabeth's side of the car. I slowly eased open the door and stared at her. What was I supposed to do? Pick her up and put her in the back? Wake her up?
I made my decision, but grudgingly. Annabeth hadn't touched me since that kiss. What would she think if she woke to see me carrying her around?
Perv. Of course she would think "perv". What girl wouldn't think that?
Slowly, I slipped my arm under her knees and the other just below her shoulders, bridal style. She was weirdly light. Not like paper light, but her weight didn't cause me to strain or something. I just…picked her up.
I kicked the door shut behind me as quietly as possible, but it didn't work. I should have known that the Wise Girl was a light sleeper. She looked up at me and cursed. She mumbled, "Damn dreams. I gotta wake up."
I grinned at her a little, amused. She thought she was dreaming? Was this the first time she's dreamt of me or has there been more? I felt a very unguy-like flutter of hope.
"I gotta wake up," she whined, but instead, buried herself closer to me. Her hands were now limpy trying to hold on the my neck, but she couldn't. I wondered what made her so tired.
"Annabeth," I said, trying to be as gentle as I could. "You're not dreaming. You fell asleep. I was putting you in the backseat so you wouldn't hurt your neck, sleeping weirdly, I mean."
Straight answer for a girl who likes them. I didn't mention how much I loved the smell of her Tide-laundry-addicting-detergent smell and the softness of her face in the crook of my neck. I didn't mention the hotness of her breath on my neck, a hotness that was starting to erase that soft, sweet, vacant ways we had had going on for the last three days. It was being replaced by a turned-on Percy.
She looked up at me, or tried, but was too tired. Her eyelids fluttered, but she couldn't hold them up. She starting snoring on my chest.
I grinned. What an Annabeth-ish move, I thought.
I placed her softly on the back seat. I turned to get a red blanket for her and tuck her in. Just before shutting the door to go to the front and grab my food to eat inside, I tucked a strand of hair behind her ears.
"Sweet dreams, Annabeth."
Okay. Not a good chapter. I know, I know. But it was a filler type. I felt bad for not posting for so long…
But! Since this isn't so good, a BETTER one will be coming very, very soon. You know, to make up for this one being bad. But you guys had some questions…and I tried to answer all of them in this.
Review! You know how I love getting those. And how much I LOVE getting criticism, you know, something to work with.
Please, please, please, please, please review? I promise I'll get the chapter up sooner with every review. Let's put it this way. 1 review = minus one day. But not the one sentence reviews. Me no likey those.
;-)
Take care, my lovely readers. I will have girly, Aphrodite fun-esque things up for you within 3 days. I hope.
- S.
Chapter 16: Awake, Yet Not So Awake
Author's Note: Hi! Well…it's been a bit, hasn't it? LOLs.
Anywho; Enjoy the chappie.
Annabeth's POV:
Percy's sweet.
I never thought I would ever say that. Annoying? Frequently.
Obnoxious? Sometimes.
Clueless? A lot.
Brave? Sure.
But sweet?
I'd never thought I'd say it, but hell. Percy is the sweetest person I've ever met. He's even kind of romantic. My thoughts drifted, going straight to the spot they'd been at for the last three days. Thoughts of that kiss…thoughts of those words…him calling me beautiful.
It was a flake, a little tiny bit, of what I could get from someone else, anyone else. But coming from Percy it was ten times whatever anyone else could give.
I remembered the way he smiled, a soft smile, when he said it. A single word, a single syllable, too. He'd spoken in single syllable-words then a lot, now that I thought of it.
You.
I smiled, bliss (naïve, silly bliss) filling me. I felt tingly and cuddly and so girly that if I saw myself I'd puke. Or walk away. Or give myself a lecture on feminism and how we should be tougher.
Ugh. I'm so annoying.
Right now, I sat in the car, waiting outside of McDonalds waiting for the idiot I'm in love with. He's buying some fat-engrossed burger with an equally horrible drink on the side. Coke.
I giggled. As long as I'd known Percy, he had had this addiction for all things caffeine. It was funny to see him hopped up on the stuff. Kind of like very hyper, very awake, very ADHD Percy. And his dyslexia? Notched up by ten percent to twenty percent. He would read a sign that said Chinese Palace, and say "Sense…chi…palace? Annabeth! I think that's a tae kwan do place!"
And I would look at him and go, "Are you drunk?"
He would grin because he knew that, though it sounds mean, it isn't. Percy knew that I was the smarter one and, though he was pretty naïve, he knew he was on the demigod version of a sugar high.
Thinking of demigods, as I sat there, I wondered…why hadn't we be attacked by monsters yet? Especially with Percy being a son of one of the Big Three. I cursed myself. Don't think about it, I thought. Just go on flowing. It's probably some of the gods' work. A break, complete with no monster for a few weeks. Alle-freaking-lujah! I should be happy.
I decided to push the thought away, not to jinx our luck, and then began thinking of Athena, my mother. Thought of gods always led here. I was still angry. She was my mother and at times, most times, we got along. But when she showed up at that very moment, I couldn't help but know she had probably been watching that stupid TV Hephaestus made to stalk us all. It really was a pain.
Note to self: go to Olympus and trash stalking-the-kids TV.
And the way she didn't show up at that beach? Made me sit there all alone for half an hour? Made me face those…thoughts all alone? Fear going back to Percy? Resolve going to Percy?
What mother leaves her daughter? Fights with her when she can sense her daughter needs her so much at that time? It was coldhearted. And showing up right at that moment? It made me BOIL. I hadn't been that angry since…a long time ago.
Slowly, the thoughts moved away (after torturing me) and the warm, thick wind and leather-y smeel and feel of the car took over and began lulling me to sleep. I felt my lids get heavier and heavier until I was softly slipping away…out of grasp…
The last thing I remembered was hearing a sigh.
Percy's POV:
She was sleeping when I got back.
Annabeth was curled into her seat, her face mushed sideways into the head rest of the passenger seat. Her hair, tied back into a bun today, was beginning to find its way out and a few strands were hanging loosely, framing her intelligent face.
I sigh, smiling a bit. She looked cute, sleeping like that, mouth kind of open, snoring little, girly snores. I almost laughed but thought better of it. I opened the door as quietly as I could and put all the food on my seat. I shut the door just as quietly. And breathed deeply, cleansing myself with air.
The last few days had been… odd. Annabeth and I talked, sure, but there were hours when we didn't say a word. It wasn't awkward, but felt…strange. New, in a way.
I was feeling kind of tired, zoned out. My body ached for her touch, but I didn't want it at the same time. I felt emotional, hormonal even, like I'd given up. I had kissed her, yes. Had we talked about it yet? Were we ever going to talk about it?
No. Probably not.
I wished that we did. What was the point? What was the point of my loving her long blonde hair, her deep, dark grey orbs, when I could barely say three words to her lately?
I hated this quiet, but I kind of…cherished it. Annabeth had always made me feel hot, burning, tempting desire. Now she was making me feel serene, calm like an ocean. It was weird that liking someone could do this to me.
When I got up off leaning on the door, I walked around and to Annabeth's side of the car. I slowly eased open the door and stared at her. What was I supposed to do? Pick her up and put her in the back? Wake her up?
I made my decision, but grudgingly. Annabeth hadn't touched me since that kiss. What would she think if she woke to see me carrying her around?
Perv. Of course she would think "perv". What girl wouldn't think that?
Slowly, I slipped my arm under her knees and the other just below her shoulders, bridal style. She was weirdly light. Not like paper light, but her weight didn't cause me to strain or something. I just…picked her up.
I kicked the door shut behind me as quietly as possible, but it didn't work. I should have known that the Wise Girl was a light sleeper. She looked up at me and cursed. She mumbled, "Damn dreams. I gotta wake up."
I grinned at her a little, amused. She thought she was dreaming? Was this the first time she's dreamt of me or has there been more? I felt a very unguy-like flutter of hope.
"I gotta wake up," she whined, but instead, buried herself closer to me. Her hands were now limpy trying to hold on the my neck, but she couldn't. I wondered what made her so tired.
"Annabeth," I said, trying to be as gentle as I could. "You're not dreaming. You fell asleep. I was putting you in the backseat so you wouldn't hurt your neck, sleeping weirdly, I mean."
Straight answer for a girl who likes them. I didn't mention how much I loved the smell of her Tide-laundry-addicting-detergent smell and the softness of her face in the crook of my neck. I didn't mention the hotness of her breath on my neck, a hotness that was starting to erase that soft, sweet, vacant ways we had had going on for the last three days. It was being replaced by a turned-on Percy.
She looked up at me, or tried, but was too tired. Her eyelids fluttered, but she couldn't hold them up. She starting snoring on my chest.
I grinned. What an Annabeth-ish move, I thought.
I placed her softly on the back seat. I turned to get a red blanket for her and tuck her in. Just before shutting the door to go to the front and grab my food to eat inside, I tucked a strand of hair behind her ears.
"Sweet dreams, Annabeth."
Okay. Not a good chapter. I know, I know. But it was a filler type. I felt bad for not posting for so long…
But! Since this isn't so good, a BETTER one will be coming very, very soon. You know, to make up for this one being bad. But you guys had some questions…and I tried to answer all of them in this.
Review! You know how I love getting those. And how much I LOVE getting criticism, you know, something to work with.
Please, please, please, please, please review? I promise I'll get the chapter up sooner with every review. Let's put it this way. 1 review = minus one day. But not the one sentence reviews. Me no likey those.
;-)
Take care, my lovely readers. I will have girly, Aphrodite fun-esque things up for you within 3 days. I hope.
- S.