Of Shocks and Seashells

Of Swimming and Awkward Timing

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, a talking, flying black horse, or anything else that comes with it. Rick Riordan does.

Percy's Point of View

When Thalia got back from putting her suit on, I was swishing my feet back and forth in the water, creating tiny ripples that fan out across the otherwise glassy surface. She appears suddenly, right behind me, wearing a simple, black one piece bathing suit.

And...I have to admit...she looks pretty beautiful.

No, not the Aphrodite girls' type of beautiful. Aphrodite girls are hot. They wear skimpy bikinis, paint themselves with make-up, and drape on jewelry so extensively you'd think their thin little limbs would snap. Thalia is an entirely different beautiful. She's so pure, so elegant, so simple, yet striking with her startling blue eyes and her black hair. Her swimsuit hugs her body like a second skin, but it's not revealing, not at all.

She blushes when she notices my eyes scanning up and down her body, then her eyes narrow. "You about done there, Seaweed Brain?" I immediately blush, feeling the heat spread across my cheeks, looking down at the water.

"Oh, just get into the water and swim, Pinecone Face," I snap back.

"Fine," she shrugs, and walks over to the edge of the dock. She stretches her arms above her head, locks her arms tight, her body arching flexibly as she leaps off the dock. She does a perfect dive, barely making a wave as she plunges into the water. She's right. She is a good swimmer. I jump into the water, too, less gracefully than Thalia. The water envelopes over my head, submerging my body. I can see Thalia in the gloom, flipping in the water, swimming to her heart's content. I think I hear a faint laugh from her once or twice, and her mouth is turned up into a small, soft smile that makes her face less...hard.

A motion for her to the surface, and she kicks upwards, leaving a stream of bubbles in her wake. I wait until her head beaks the surface, streams of water pouring over her face from her hair. She takes a huge gulp of air.

"So?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. "How does it feel to swim?"

"Oh, it feels amazing Percy!" she breathes, her lips spreading open into a wide grin that makes her eyes brighter. "I've never swam since I was little, y'know, and getting back in...it's like a dream come true! Thank you so much for doing whatever you did!" She tackles me into a huge hug, knocking the air out of my lungs.

"You're...wel...come..." I struggle to form words, gasping for air.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" A sugary sweet voice says. Thalia and I jerk apart, looking up to find a seriously ticked off Annabeth and a delighted Silena. Behind them come more campers, and Chiron. The Stoll brothers burst into loud laughter.

"What are you doing?" Annabeth hisses. "We've been looking for you for hours!"

"Oh, don't worry about that, Annabeth, they are unbelievably cut together!" Silena squeals, clasping her hands. Chiron trots up, looking furious.

"What do you have to say for yourselves?" he demands.

Thalia looks at me, and I curse. "Oh, Hades."