Stuck In A Storm

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Short Story #28 - Stuck In A Storm - Hazel and Frank - Percy and Annabeth

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*Parallel universe where demigods do not exist and the seven are all in their Senior Year of High School.*

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"I'm gonna get you!" Annabeth yells playfully at Hazel, who just snuck up behind Annabeth and scared her.
"Ahh!" Hazel says as she runs away screaming. Annabeth catches up to Hazel right as they both come to a screeching stop at the edge of a steep cliff that drops off into a thick forest.
"Whoa." Annabeth says, impressed.
"Yeah. I just don't want to fall..." Hazel says uncertainly as she sees her foot slipping, "Um... Annabeth?"
"Yeah?" She says.
"Please pull me up before I slip!" Hazel whispers in a dangerous tone.
"Okay..." Annabeth starts to say. But is cut off when Hazel screams as she slips from Annabeth's grasp. "Noo!!!" Annabeth's yells are drowned out by Hazel's screams of pain.
"Oooofff." Hazel says as she slides into the creepy forest. She looks up just in time to see Annabeth lose her balance.
She sighs as Annabeth sits up next to her.
"Well that was fun..." Annabeth says as she rubs her head.
"Why did you fall after me? You could have gotten rope or some help or I don't know... Maybe an ambulance?" Hazel questions.
"Well... I couldn't see you, so I peared over the edge and I lost my balance." Annabeth says while looking guilty.
"It's okay. I'm glad I'm not stuck here alone. Let's see if we have cell-service." Hazel says as she pulls out her undamaged phone from her pocket.
"I got nothing..." Annabeth says as she holds her own phone high in the air.
"Me either." Hazel states gloomily, "So, what now?"
"I don't know. I guess we try to get to higher ground?" She suggests.
"Okay. Sounds like as good a plan as any. Why don't we go this way?" Hazel says as she points to a break between the trees.
"Sure. Let's go. We have to stick together. I don't want to be in here all alone. It's creepy." She visibly shudders.
"I agree." Hazel says as she starts to walk forward. All that can be heard is the crunch of the leaves and the snapping of twigs as they continue walking. Hazel looks behind her to see that Annabeth is gone.
Hazel turned around a tree and she vanished. Annabeth groans out load. 'What am I going to do now?' She asks to herself. She continues walking, in the opposite direction as Hazel.
Hazel stops in the middle of a clearing to watch the sun set. It has to be one of the most beautiful sunsets she has ever seen. She pulls out her phone to take a picture. She checks for signal........ Nothing.
Mean while, Annabeth has wondered deeper into the forest. It is very dark, damp, spooky, and scary. 'Now, don't get scared. How about I... Climb a tree. Yeah. It will give me a good vantage point.' So, she climbs the nearest tree. She pulls herself up and up, limb after limb, until she reaches the top. The view is spectacular, tress and canopy and the darkening sky, but it crushes her spirit. There is no civilization in sight. There isn't a single break in the forest. There is no sign of the cliff Hazel and her tumbled down. There is nothing but trees... Nothing.
About a mile away, Hazel is really starting to freak out. She keeps hearing strange noises and twigs snapping. Her breathing is irregular. It's hard to see because the sun has gone down leaving the forest in a blanket of darkness.
Annabeth is now in the same state as Hazel. She is so scared that she hasn't touched the ground. She is just hanging out on the bottom limb of the tree.
Back at the house, where the seven plus Nico, Thalia, and Calypso are staying for the weekend, Frank and Percy are worried. They know that Hazel and Annabeth went for a walk. The girls said that they would be back in 30 minutes. It's been 2 hours. Plus they can't get ahold of them via their cell phones.
Yep. Definitely time to worry.
"Frank?" Percy says.
"Yes..." Frank responds, knowing exactly what comes next.
"We are going to look for the girls." Percy states plainly.
"Way ahead of you." Frank says as he gets his shoes on.
"What will we need..." Percy wonders aloud.
Frank stars to rate off a list as both he and Percy grab the things he says for their individual bags. "Flashlights, rope, 2 jackets each, a bat each, we should carry some food in case they're hungry, water, radio, wallow talkie, and the backpacks for everything."
"Alright. Let's go. I thinner they went this way." Percy says as he walks off into the dark, flashlight a blaze, with Frank close behind.
It was getting colder in the forest. It was getting darker in the forest. It was getting scarier in the forest. Hazel was seeing things. She was stumbling around in the darkness, tripping over twigs on the ground, and running into trees. Suddenly she sees a light appear in front of her. It takes the shape of Frank. She runs toward him with her arms outstretched. She runs right through him. She turns and looks at this hallucination. The fake Frank starts to scream in agony as blood starts to seep from the wounds inflicted by Hazel when she ran through him. His soft whimper along with his sorrow and pain filled expression breaks Hazel's heart into millions of pieces. All she could think was 'This is all my fault...'
She crumples to the ground at the feet of the slowly fading, fake, mangled body of Frank. She reaches out her shaking hand to grasp at Frank, but she only touches air. Her screams can be heard by all within an eight mile radius.
Annabeth heard Hazel's scream. She looked up, eyes puffy and red from crying. She is facing her own fears. She can not go to Hazel's aid, for below her she saw her very own horrible hallucination. Percy was being eaten alive by huge, ravenous spiders. His screams of peril were unbearable, so Annabeth had her hands over her ears to block them out. This was all in her head so, of course, it did not make a difference. She shut her eyes, but the image shined as bright as day under her eyelids.
Annabeth screamed and screamed, unable to escape this nightmare. Her screams pierced the night. Percy perked up his head. He heard her.
"Frank?" Percy says as his voice cracks at the end.
"What? What is it?" Frank says worriedly, stopping in his tracks.
"I... I heard... I heard Annabeth... I heard Annabeth scream. She was scared." Percy says. His tone getting higher and his talking getting faster. "We have to help them Frank! What if they are being murdered right now? What if..." He gets cut off by a slap to the face.
"Get it together man! I don't need you more riled up. I can tell that you know where to go. We are going to run there." Frank says calmly. "Listen to me! We are going to get there. Nothing bad is going to happen to our girls. They're strong. They are fine."
"Okay. Okay. You're right. Let's go. It's this way." Percy says, a little bit reassured. He walks ahead of Frank and turns to the left. They walk for aways until they come to a cliff overlooking a vast forest.
This time they hear Hazel scream.
"Hazel!" Frank yells back, his body language frantic, as he starts towards the edge if the cliff.
"No!" Percy yells. "We need to think it through."
"You're right. Okay so, rope! We can tie it to that tree and then make our way down the rope, over the cliff, into the forest." Frank develops.
"Okay. Sounds good. Then we will use the walkie talkies to communicate. The radios we can use to track our way, that way we don't get lost." Percy adds on.
Frank nods and they set their plan into action. They tie the rope around the trunk of the the tree and safely make their way down the cliff. Once they get down, they get out their radios and walkie talkies. They both set their radios to track their every move and they test their long range walkie talkies.
"Okay. I'll go after Hazel, you go after Annabeth. I'm guessing that they are separated, for they are stronger together." Frank says. He cringes a second later when he hears Hazel scream. It came from the right.
"I can't take much more." Percy says as Annabeth's own scream pieces the air from the left. "Let's go."
With that, they set off in different directions.
Hazel is still crying on the ground, all her fears surrounding her, when she hears a familiar voice call her name. She knows that voice. It's Franks. She curls up tighter, so she can't hurt him again.
Frank is trumping through the forest. He has been walking for ages with no luck. Suddenly, he stumbles into a small clearing. He sees something, a wounded animal maybe, curled up on the ground. He turns off his flashlight so he doesn't scare it. He lets his eyes adjust to the darkness. When they do, he hates what he sees. It's Hazel and she is curled into a ball. He can't tell if she is dead or injured or what. He slowly approaches her. His face is a mixture if love, fear, worry, horror, and surprisingly determination. He reaches toward her, his hand shaking. He slowly caresses her hair and she flinches away, without even looking up.
"Hazel... It's me. Frank. It's okay. I'm here. You're safe." Frank whispers quietly. She looks up, confusion in her eyes. The question she asks breaks his heart.
"Am I dead?" She says, her tone almost hopeful.
"No..." Frank responds in utter shock.
"But, I killed you. So I must be dead." Hazel concludes.
"No. No. I'm alive. You never killed me." Franks voice cracks.
"I killed you," she says with tears in her eyes, " I ran through you and inflicted wounds on you and you died and vanished. You are dead and it's all my fault."
"No. Here. Feel my pulse." Franks says as he reaches for Hazel's hand.
"But I won't feel a pulse. Angels don't have a heart beat." Hazel says completely convinced that they are both dead, "You were my angel and now that I'm dead you have come to bring me to heaven."
"I'm not dead. You're not dead. We are on Earth." Frank tries to tell her.
"So... We are souls stuck on Earth. We are stuck with emotions. Stuck in a storm." She says with an air of wisdom well beyond her years. She sits up.
Frank can't take it anymore. He reaches both his arms out and tugs her into him. He puts his arms around her waist and sinks down on to the ground. They are kneeling while hugging.
"You are not dead. I'm not dead. Feel my heart." Frank says as he grabs Hazel's hand and puts it over his heart. Her eyes widen as se feels his heart beat steadily. She then puts her hand over her own heart.
"I'm alive..." She says in disbelief, "But, all my fears... They... I... What?"
"Hallucinations. That's my best guess." Frank says, "Now, let's get out of here. I know the way back. Let's go." He starts to get up and walk away.
"Wait!" Hazel yells. She doesn't even wait for him to respond before she brings her lips crashing down on to his. He automatically responds. He grabs her waist and brings her closer. Not an inch of space is between them. Hazel runs her hands through his hair and then links them around his neck. His fingers trail up and down her spine making her shiver with pleasure. Franks pulls at her legs, urging her to wrap them around his waist. Without breaking contact, Hazel jumps up and wraps her legs around Frank's waist.
As the kiss intensifies, Hazel finds her nails digging into Franks shoulder. Not hard enough to be painful though. Frank gently moans at the new, exciting feeling that bubbles in his stomach.
All too soon Hazel pulls away for air. She rests her head on Franks, keeping the closeness.
They stay like that for a while, just enjoying this, this intimacy...
"Frank!" Percy's staticky voice says through the walkie talkie. Frank sighs as Hazel puts her feet back on the ground. "Here. Eat this." Frank says as he hands Hazel some food and water. She nods in thanks.
"Yeah Percy?" Frank says into the walkie talkie.
"I haven't found Annabeth. She is no where to be found." Percy responds immediately.
"Well I just found Hazel. Judging by the state I found her in, it will be rough." Frank says.
"How rough?" Percy asks.
"Very emotionally rough." Frank says grimly.
"Okay, well I will keep looking." Percy says with determination.
"Alright. Hazel and I will make our way back to the cliff. Call if you need anything." Frank says.
"Right." Percy says. It's a short response. He is obviously caught up in searching.
"How are we going to find our way back?" Hazel asks concerned.
"With this," Frank answers as he hold up the radio, "I tracked myself and we just have to follow the path back."
"Oh. Ok - okay." Hazel nods as she starts to shiver.
"You cold?" Frank asks. He only gets the sound of chattering teeth in response. "I'll take that as a yes."
He then takes off his jacket and puts it on Hazel's shoulders. She then pulls it on the rest of the way, overwhelmed by the sweet smell of Frank. It sends warmth coursing through her body, along with comfort and good memories.
While Hazel was thinking about this, Frank pulled on a jacket he brought. He grabbed Hazels hand, snapping her back to reality, and walking the at they came.
Concurrently, Percy was getting more and more frantic. He HAD to find Annabeth, otherwise he wouldn't be able to live. She made everything worth it. Her smile, her laugh, her beautiful eyes, her hair, her style, and her lips made everything okay.
Percy stops suddenly. He heard a noise, almost like a squeal, come from above him. He slowly looked up, afraid of what he might find. Blue/gray eyes meet his meet his own.
"Percy?" Its voice says in a hoarse whisper, "Is that you?"
"Yes?" He responds cautiously. Wait, is it... It is. Annabeth. "Annabeth?"
"Oh, Percy. I - I can't come down." She says.
"Sure you can. Jump into my arms. I'm right here." Percy tries to convince her.
"No. Too many spiders." she says while clutching the branch she is perched on tighter.
"There are no spiders, I promise." Percy states.
"Yes. There were. There were billions of them. Billions of them eating you from the - the inside ou - out." she says as she starts to cry.
"No. That was fake." He says as an idea pops into his head. It would be cruel, but it just might get Annabeth out if that tree, "except... The spider right behind you is quite real."
"Ahhhhh!!" screams Annabeth as she jumps out of the tree.
"Ooofff." Percy says as he catches her, arms out stretched. She clings to him shaking with fear, crying hysterically.
"You're so cruel." she mumbles into Percy's shirt.
"I know. I know. Let's go home." He says as he begins to carry Annabeth back to the cliff. He pulls out the radio and retraces his steps. He could feel Annabeth's breathing slowing down and her heart rate starting to beat regularly. She was calming down.
"Put me down. I can walk." Annabeth says, looking up at Percy. A small smile tugs at the corners of his lips. He puts her down, making sure she has both feet firmly planted on the ground. She sways for a moment, but regains her balance.
Percy looks down at Annabeth, relief in his eyes.
"My wise girl." He says so softly, so lovingly, so carefully. "I thought I lost you." He broke.
"I'm right here. Right here." Annabeth says as she puts her hand on his cheek. She rubs her thumb across the underside of his eye, brushing away a single tear. "It's okay."
Percy leans his head against her hand, cradling it with his own. Then he said it so quietly that she barely heard it.
"I love you Annabeth Chase."
"I love you, too, Perseus Jackson."
She didn't wait for a response (and neither did he) when they crashed their lips together. Percy clung to Annabeth, bringing her closer and closer. She held onto him by looping her hands around his neck, then in his hair, then on his shoulders.
Their lips moved in perfect sync. There was no other way to describe this kiss but as heart stopping perfection. All their emotion poured into the kiss; the love, the rage, the heart, the soul.
Percy slowly moved down Annabeth's neck, planting kisses from the corner of her mouth to her jaw to the nape of her neck to her collarbone. He found her soft spot - right at the edge of her neck - and started to suck on it softly.
"Perrcyy..." Annabeth whined happily. She felt his lips curve into a smile. He kissed the spot one last time and then looked into Annabeth's eyes.
"Yes?" Percy says in a husky voice.
"I'm hungry... for food." Annabeth says. She didn't want him to stop... But she way really hungry.
Percy pouted, but it quickly turned into a smile. "Here my love." Percy says as he reaches into the bag and pulls out a granola bar. He hands it to her and she starts munching.
"Alright. Let's keep walking." Percy says as he grabs Annabeth's free hand. With his other hand, he reaches for the walkie talkie.
"Hey! Frank!" Percy talks into it.
"Yeah? I'm at the rendezvous with Hazel." Franks voice responds.
"I found Annabeth! We're headed your way." Percy informs him.
"Great! See you soon. Oh! And make sure she drinks plenty of water." Frank says.
"Okay. See ya." Percy says back. Then he hands Annabeth some water, which she gulps down thankfully.
They walk in a comfortable silence for a while until they see the cliff above the tree line. They pick up the pace, eager to eat out o the creepy, horrid forest.
"Annabeth?" Hazel's voice calls. Hazel sees two figures walking in the trees.
"Hazel?" Annabeth calls back. Annabeth sees two figures standing by the cliff.
The two girls run to each other and hug.
"Oh. My. Gods." They both whisper. "I can't believe I lost you."
They both laugh the same way. The they laugh even harder at how they talk and laugh in sync.
"Come on. Let's get out of here." Frank states.
"Yeah. I wanna go home." Percy agrees.
"Okay." Hazel says.
"Let's get going." Says Annabeth.
They climb up the cliff, using the rope. Annabeth and Hazel quickly step away from the edge. They all walk back to the house, which surprisingly still has lights on.
As they walk in the front door, they all got bombarded with questions.
"Where have you been?"
"Why were you gone so long?"
"Are you okay?"
"What happened?"
Instead of answering the questions, Annabeth says, "Sit down. We will tell you the story. So, Hazel and I went for a walk..."

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Authors Note:

Hey!!! I'm back!
Internet! Oh yeah! *does happy dance*
This story really is worth the wait. I spent 3 weeks writing it, so I really hope you like it!
I hope you are ready to read because summer is so close! I will be writing a whole lot. There are currently 43 short stories that I have ideas for/have written. This is number 28 so... You can see how much you are in for.
Thank you so much!
I love you all dearly.

- water_and_art_girl

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