'CRETA'S MAZE' was written on the large sign above the wide glass doors, and Percy seemed to be jumping in place as he waited for her to process the whole scene in front of her. Annabeth frowned, rereading the name, and then turning to face him.
"Please, tell me this isn't those horror things where bloody people chase you down screaming?" Annabeth asked, her eyes wide in sudden fear. Percy frowned quickly, and then he widened his eyes as well.
"No!" he said, and she sighed in relief. "No, for God's sake. You'll never see me walk into one of those willingly," Percy assured her. "It's an escape room."
She tilted her head to the side.
"Why are we in an escape room?" she asked, and Percy lifted his hand to scratch the back of his neck. Embarrassed, for some reason. She narrowed her eyes.
"I was thinking about the letters," Percy said, to Annabeth's surprise. "And I was wondering: maybe we could make this trip about finding remittees. Or, at the very least, make them not needed anymore. We're already here, far from everything we know," he shrugged.
Annabeth blinked.
"And what does an escape room have to do with the letters?" she asked.
Percy shrugged again.
"Poetic liberty?" he suggested, and Annabeth scoffed.
"Poetic liberty?" she repeated. "Alright, then," she continued, shaking her head softly with a smile. "What time do we have to be here?"
Percy took a look at the time on his phone, and smiled up to her.
"In a minute," he said. "Should we?" he offered a hand, and Annabeth rolled her eyes, accepting it.
The sign above the entrance of the escape room flickered to life as she and Percy stepped into the dimly lit lobby. The air was charged with excitement, the walls adorned with cryptic symbols and enigmatic patterns that she was sure could be found in one of those very insane fantasy books. Their surroundings were clear enough not to feel creepy, but she could tell that it was all built to make the nervousness bubble under one's skin — and if Annabeth hadn't been anxious from the moment her and Percy had stepped out of their hotel, she'd definitely be as soon as the woman started to give them instructions and offered them bracelets with a call button.
"If you want to give up and leave, just tap the bracelet twice," the woman said as they both tightened the thing on their wrists. "If you want to skip one riddle and get the answer to go to the next, tap it three times. The clues have an additional cost if it's beyond three, and they take away some of the time you have," she explained, and Annabeth turned her head to look at Percy.
Her best friend was already staring at her, with the shit-eating grin that would often take her breath away. A challenge glistened in his eyes, and Annabeth rolled hers affectionately — they wouldn't ask for clues, she knew, because her pride was now at stake as well. Percy's face was smug and his steps were lightweight; out of the two of them, he was definitely the one having the time of his life.
Deep down, she suspected it was related to how much she would feel in her element while solving riddles. And something told her that the memories of their first official encounter after their chaotic meeting were also bubbling behind his eyes — the video game they had played, the afternoon spent in warmth and laughter and the promise of so many things to come.
"Get over yourself," she mumbled under her breath, and was met with the very mature act of Percy sticking his tongue out. She pressed her lips together to keep down a laughter as the woman gave them some more instructions and rolled her eyes again.
