Beach Daze (Percabeth AU)

Like I'm Free

It's been two days since I've met Percy, and today would be our first official date. I had no clue where we were going and he gave me no hints.

"Percy, I need to know how to dress!" I exclaim. "Like what if we go to the beach and I don't have a swimsuit and then you try to take me out to dinner while I'm soaked and have no way to get dry."

He just laughs and shrugs. "Just be yourself, Wise Girl."

I throw on jean shorts and a gray-blue sweater tank top that my best friend Piper told me brought out my eyes. Lastly, I put on my favorite Converse. And, just in case, I bring a bag with my swimsuit and flip flops. And my book of course.

Here, the text from Percy reads. I race to the hotel elevator and down to the lobby where he stands, waiting for me.

"Where's Mrs. O'Leary?" I ask.

"At home enjoying a tea party with Estelle." He smiles. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah." I nod. He grabs my hand.

"Let's go, then."

He takes me outside and to a car. He grabs my bag and puts it in the backseat, then opens the door for me. I smile, but cross my arms.

"My parents told me it's not safe to get in the car with people I've just met," I tease.

"Worried I'm a kidnapper?" He asks.

"It's a serious concern."

"It is, but I would never."

"I know." I give him a kiss on the cheek and climb into the car. He stands there for a moment, his face tinted red and a goofy grin.

"Seaweed Brain, it wasn't even a real kiss!" I exclaim, laughing at him. When I first saw Percy, I never expected him to be such a dork. He snaps out of his daze and we're both laughing before he closes my door and making his way over to the driver's seat.

"So where are we going?" I ask as he turns on the ignition.

"You'll see. It'll be a long drive though."

"You're taking me to some deserted wasteland to murder me, aren't you?" I ask.

"No, I would never make it a long drive. You're smart and you'd get out before I could even make it there." I laugh.

"You're not wrong." I smile at him. He glances at me as the car rolls down the road.

Our drive seems to take forever.

"We're almost there," he promises as we reach an old gravel path that enters the woods.

"This totally looks like a place to hide a body," I state.

"I swear I'm not a murderer!" He exclaims, exasperated. I let out a laugh.

"I'm just teasing you, Percy. I trust you." He smiles softly. His one hand rests at the center console, while the other steers the vehicle. I take that hand into mine and give it a gentle squeeze. He keeps driving down the path through the woods. Finally, we arrive in an open field over a cliff, the ocean below us.

"Percy, this is beautiful," I tell him. He turns to me and grins.

"Yeah, it is."

He climbs out of the car and races over to my side before I even have the chance to unbuckle. He opens the door for me and I climb out.

"Ever the gentleman," I tease. He gives me a kiss on the cheek. This time, I blush.

He opens the door to the back seat and hands me my bag, then opens the trunk. I peer into it to see blankets and a picnic basket.