Beyond Tartarus (A Percabeth Fanfiction)

Chapter 43-European Road Trip

Annabeth

 It had been five days since we had arrived in Florence, and now we were leaving. Bummer, right? It had been amazing, viewing the sights, absorbing the culture and the history, it was life-changing. Now, we had to depart and I didn’t even know where we were going next.

 “Percy, come on, stop this secrecy act, I hate surprises!” I exclaimed, sighing in defeat as he shook his head.

 “Just tell me!” I practically whined like a little girl, pouting. He kissed my cheek, and looked me in the eyes. I gazed at him, hopeful. He simply grinned, and I rolled my eyes, as the two of us made our way out the door of our hotel room. We grabbed our entire luggage, took our room key, and made our way to the lobby. There, we checked out of the hotel, and got a taxi. I looked out the window, not paying attention to Percy, as if I were a bratty kid, mad at their parents for not getting them what they wanted.

 Our taxi dropped us off at a car rental place, about two miles from our hotel, which cost Percy a pretty penny. That’s what he gets for not telling me, I thought. I just shook my head; I was acting like a little girl. Percy was just trying to annoy me, to find petty amusement in my irritation. I loved him, but he was a goofball.

 We walked into the entrance of the car rental shop, the place empty. White, clean walls lined the wide room; a tiny grey desk was propped up by the wall directly in front of us. Behind the desk, sat an older man, busily typing at a desktop computer. We walked over to the desk, and Percy began to speak to the man with his minimal Italian. For once, I was grateful he had his memory swiped and sent to the Roman camp in San Francisco. But, then again, how could I be grateful for that? It had ruined our lives, completely, left us scarred and fragmented. It was the beginning of the end. It was over, yet I couldn’t stop thinking about it, feel angry about it, I don’t think I ever will.

 Percy received the keys for the rental car, thanked the man, and led us out to the car lot. In my mind, I continuously thought about where we were going, and why it would require us to rent a car. It confused me; I was tired of Percy hiding our trip information from me, as a way to tease me.

 “Hey, babe, can I see the car receipt-thing the guy gave you?” I asked, looking at him, smiling.

 “Uh, I guess, why?” He handed me the ticket, awaiting an answer.

 “Oh, I just wanted to take a look. I’m really excited to go on our first road trip, aren’t you?” He grinned, “I’m ecstatic.” He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a huge squeeze, and I sighed with content. I was truly excited, but I was even more excited to finally find out where we were going, without having to find some sneaky way to do it. Well, I still had to be sneaky about it, but it wasn’t as bad. I tried to take a look at the paper in my hand, but Percy still had me wrapped in his arms, and reached out to grab the ticket. Sneaky little-

 “I’ll take that!” He said, and I grunted, “Hey! I still haven’t taken a look at it!” I was twisting and turning so he couldn’t reach, but he simply laughed as I tried to rotate my body away from him. It was hilarious; honestly, we must’ve looked like fools, playing in the parking lot. Eventually he won, and just for that, I punched him in the arm. He laughed, which irritated the Hades out of me.

 Percy

 We had begun driving, about an hour or so, with only three more to go. However, it was getting late, and I decided to park the car, since there were very few headlights, which made me nervous, this late at night. I wasn’t a licensed driver in Italy, so the last thing I wanted was to be steering in the dark of night. As I turned off the ignition, I turned to look at Annabeth.

 “I know you may not like this, but I don’t want to drive any longer in the dark. It’s too dangerous, I care about your safety. So, how about we spend a few hours out here until daybreak?” I asked her, I was fearful that she’d think I was being stupid.

 “Are there any hotels nearby?” She asked, and I shook my head, “I looked at the map, on my phone, and we’re in an empty area; no hotels in sight, except five miles from here.” Annabeth smiled, took a look at the map on my phone, and placed it back down in the cup holder.

  “So, do you want to hang out here?”

 “Sure, why not?”

  Annabeth

 Percy and I laid out a shawl I had brought, and a blanket. We placed them on top of a field, close to our deserted car. We were no longer on the highway, so there was no way we’d be ticketed by the police. That reassured me, considering how we were picnicking outside at eleven at night. Percy set down our bag of food supplies we had purchased yesterday at the grocery store; Italian soda, Nutella, water bottles, pre-packed sandwiches, and granola bars. We had hardly eaten at all today, so I was grateful for a little break, a time to rest and eat. Percy handed me a sandwich and I thanked him with a smile. This was kind of fun, I thought. We both ate our sandwiches as we stared up at the clear sky, silence surrounding us. It wasn’t an awkward silence, but a calming silence. I felt like I was connecting with everything around me, the land, the sky, the Percy sitting next to me. He stroked my hair and I sighed, aroused. I put my sandwich down and crept closer to him, resting my head on his shoulder, as he continued to eat his sandwich.

 “Hey, could you put that sandwich down, please? Your wife wants to cuddle.” He laughed, and I waited for him to put down his sandwich. He didn’t, so I asked him again. He shook his head. Man, this entire trip he’s been trying to decline my requests, it’s probably because he’s agreed to everything I’ve said in the past; he’s making up for lost time. I decided to avert my gaze from his face, and focus on his neck. I planted a light kiss on his collarbone, and he tensed. I planted another, just above the previous one. I proceeded, upwards, planting each kiss higher up on his neck. He held in a breath, as I neared his jaw. My pressure increased, as I kissed his jawline, tentatively. He looked at me, exasperated, and sighed in defeat.

 “You win,” he said, as he plopped his sandwich onto the blanket, “I will never do something like that, again!” With that, he dove forward, his lips coming in contact with mine. He lay on top of me, as we kissed. I rolled to the side, and changed my position, moving on top of him. He placed his hands on the sides of my face, directing me to his lips. My hands grabbed his shoulders, for balance, as I hovered over him. His lips were demanding, but remained soft and comforting, salty and warm. I continued to kiss, feverishly, consumed by his actions. It had been a while, and I was pleading for his touch. I began to wish that day would never break.

Author's Note

 Oooooohhhh! Unusual ending, right? But did you guys kind of like it? I mean, after finishing Blood of Olympus, I think we all could use a little Percabeth! I was yearning for them at the end of the book, but I wasn't too happy with the outcome. Oh well, that's why you should read my fanfiction! Ha ha, yes, a teensy bit of self-promotion there, I'll admit it! Thank you all for your support, and please, let me know what you think! I love your feedback! Thanks again! Hope you enjoyed!

-Elisa Marie