"Do you want to have some fun today?" Annabeth said as she sat on the opposite end of the bed, still in her nighty.
I Rub the sleep out of my eyes. "Yeah, you know... Didn't we have fun yesterday? And the day before too?"
"So, your saying you don't wanna go have fun with me today." She glared at me.
"I know a place we can go." I smiled.
We left the house and followed a long path. Eventually the path turned into a wooded path, built up over a stream. I hold onto Annabeth's hand tightly as I lead her to the place.
"Where are we going?" She said filling with excitement.
"Your just gonna have to wait till we get there and find out." I smiled.
"Hey! Carry me on your shoulders!" She said happily. "It's not like anyone is gonna see."
"Ok, hop on." I bend down facing her.
"Percy...not that way." She blushed.
I sighed and turned around, I hear the slight rustling of her skirt being hiked up.
"If you turn around, I'm gonna slap you." She said.
"Jokes on you, that turns me on." I smirked.
"Gods..." She sighed.
One of her slender toned legs, slides over my shoulder and presses against my cheek, then the other one. Both her thighs squeezing my head.
Heaven!
She pats my head. "Giddy up." I stand up and she hold onto my hair, pulling it slightly. "This is so cool, you can already see the lake from up here!"
"No, you can see the lake—"
"Ok, if you want. You can ride on my shoulders later." She said. "Lets get a move on horsey, were heading north, north east!" She points.
I keep walking down the path, she snatched a stick with some red barriers on it. A red bug flew off and surprised her. Annabeth lays, "It almost flew up my nose!" she said cheerfully.
The lake right next to us, large and filled with bright blue water. A large waterfall crashes near the end of the lake. A group of fishermen, chuckle as they watched us. One of them waved at us, and Annabeth waved back. I griped her thighs and started sprinting down the path. She screams, and laughs as we blaze down the path. Back at the house, we both receive a message from Kronos saying, we need to end our vacation and come back, that there is problem. Later that night, I'm lying in bed waiting for Annabeth. She turns off the light and climbs in bed, and snuggles up to me, laying on my chest.
"Isn't funny, how people are living normal lives in the world. And people fighting on the lines, their lives have become some sort of a responsibility haven't they?" She said quietly.
"For me, I wasn't getting stronger for anyone else. I was just about me staying alive." I said softly. Annabeth gets on top of me completely, laying on me. She cups my cheek and smiles looking into my eyes.
"Everyone expects great things from you now, and guess what... so do I. Talk about pressure, huh." She smiles.
"Yeah... I promised I'd save everyone. Helluva a thing to live up to." I said with a soft smile.
"Oh well, they'd understand if you take tonight off." She said softly, and nuzzled her face into my neck, her whole body compressed onto me.
November 7, 2024 Floor 55: Grandzam
"There have been reports, of players falling down and dying out of nowhere, while in towns." Kronos said.
"That doesn't make any sense." I said. "If they weren't in combat, and didn't loose health. They should be perfectly healthy."
"There characters are healthy." Annabeth said. "But what about our real bodies. We cant eat or take in proper nutrients because we are pretty much trapped in our minds. Our real bodies must be dying!" She said.
"If that's true... that means, we need to beat this game now." Kronos said. "This next boss... has wiped out 35 players so far. It's going to be difficult, but we are gathering everyone to fight it and push on."
"You got our help, but this needs to be clear. Annabeth's safety is my priority, if things start to get hairy in there, I'm gonna protect her. Nonnegotiable." I said sternly.
"A person with someone to protect is a strong ally to have. I'm expecting a great fight from you." He smirked.
The council disbands and Annabeth and I have to wait in the room.
"3 more hours of waiting..." She sighed.
"I know your gonna get mad when I ask you, but instead of the boss fight. Can you please stay here." I asked quietly.
"Why would you ask that?" She said.
"We wont be able to use warp crystals, so there's no telling what could happen. I'm scared if anything happened to you I—"
"So, you want to go in some place dangerous, alone. And you expect me to stay here, where it's safe?" She starts walking over to me. "You know what would happen if you didn't come back, Huh? I'd kill myself... I'd never forgive myself for staying behind, so what would be the point in living?"
"I'm sorry... I guess I'm loosing my nerve. All I want to do is run away with you. I don't care if we never make it back to the real world, I just wanna live with you, in our little house in the woods." I take her hands.
"It'd be nice if we could do that, be together every day... forever. Have you ever thought about what's happening in the real world? About what's happening to our bodies. Remember a few weeks after the game launched, many players passed out for an hour or two. My guess is that the players bodies where being moved to hospitals. If that's where we are right now, in hospitals, being kept alive by machines. We are on a time limit, it wont matter if I'm safe or not here. In a week, month, or another year, we will die." She said and collapses into my chest. "I want to meet you in the real world... Percy, promise me. Beat the game, and let's find each other." She said with tears streaming down her face.
"I promise." I said, all doubt leaving my body in an instant. I will beat this game, and I will find Annabeth!
