The Summer of Beauty, Brains, & Bruises

Annabeth

"I wanna go on a trip." Piper propped herself up on her elbow, her black choppy hair framing her face. She looked down at me that same mischievous tint in her eye as the night she kissed me. "I wanna go to New York. I miss it."

"Do you wanna visit camp?"

"No, no, I wanna actually enjoy New York, go to the beach to the city all of that."

I missed New York. It was my home, sure I was born in Virginia but there wasn't much Virginian in me, but I was definitely a native New Yorker. When Jason was alive we joked that he was practically raised by wolves but if you heard us talking you would think it was me. I talked with profanities in almost every other word. Piper thought it was adorable. But realistically I didn't get to go to the city much, cause you know, monsters. My senior year I finally went to real school in New York and I got to walk around the city all the time. Same when I worked on Mt.Olympus. I loved the energy. Everyone walked and talked so fast, which was a perfect pace for me. The lights the loud noises everything. It was perfect.

"Okay." I said, "You miss, 'I wanna go camping and hike in the woods' wanna go to New York City?"

"Not exactly," There is it, don't get me wrong Pipes loves the nightlife, parties clubs, ect. But she loves nature, she wants to live in a quiet place with access to the city, whereas I wanna live in a bustling city with access to the quiet. "I wanna stay outside the city, maybe visit for a day? But stay closer to the beach and woods."

"Okay," I sat up from where I was laying down on the bed, "we can stay on Long Island."

Piper grabbed my computer, she looked to be for permission to open it, I nodded yes. I'm very overprotective of that thing. I mean it was a gift from Daedalus, THE Daedalus. Piper wasn't that clumsy though. Whereas Percy almost spilled an entire bowl of cereal on it so now he's not allowed touching it at all.

"I'm looking up beach cabins we can stay at." Piper scrolled through villas, "Dam they're pricey." I never brought it up but Pipes wasn't rich. She didn't have a job at New Rome. Some of us did, Percy was the lifeguard at the pool during the summer, Leo was hired to build shit, Hazel works at the boutique in town and is a Praetor alongside Frank, (aka those two were loaded and if you saw their wedding budget, hold shit.) Nico trained demi-gods, which doesn't pay the best but Nico isn't that expensive, travels free for him and he's dating a future doctor. He doesn't need to stress about money. Me and Piper were the only ones without jobs. For me it didn't matter though, I worked on Olympus for years, and- they pay VERY well. Realistically if I didn't want to I never would have to work again but I love architecture, and I like keeping busy. Piper though had money for a two bedroom apartment and food. Basically it.

Honestly I don't know what she would do. She's majoring in International Relations and planning on moving to New York after college to work at the UN. I'm majoring in Architecture, Percy in Marine Biology, Leo Mechanical Engineering, Frank Zoology (I don't ask), Hazel Art History and Fashion, and Nico in Education. Yea, Nico in education. Man is he gonna scare some kids, he'll be an amazing teacher though. I know he will.

"Wait I might have an idea," I say looking over Piper's shoulder to look at the cabins, "and it's a lot nicer and cheaper then those things."

"Go on." Piper says, giving me a skeptical look like there's some catch.

There is.

I exhale, "Sally has a cabin in Montauk, I have a key."

"So," Piper says turning her head away from me looking straight forward, "you wanna go on a vacation with me to your ex-boyfriends cabin?"

"No," Yes. "His mom's cabin." Yea good going Annabeth that definitely made it better. "Listen Pipes I would call Sally ask if I can stay at the cabin for a bit. It would have nothing to do with Percy. It's just a cheap easy vacation." I grabbed her hand, "Just for the two of us."