"Sea and land may lie between us, but my heart is always there with you"
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Perseus Jackson was a Merman, wanting nothing more than to explore the surface.
Annabeth Chase wants to be i...
She wanted nothing more than to shut her mind off, to let her worry be forgotten.
Trying not to huff in annoyance, Annabeth made her way to the grand hall. Jupiter's fort, naturally did not host a ballroom, or very many recreational rooms. That was not its function, and Annabeth respected it.
She pushed a few pieces of furniture aside, clearing a decently large space in the room, giving her a clear arena to practice.
The princess of Athens began with some simple stretches, trying to remember her old instructor's words.
She flitted and floated across the room, dancing along to a recollection of noteworthy Olympian songs.
She paused her practice session for a few minutes, rushing to a nearby bookshelf to find a book on the art of dancing, flipping through the pages until she stumbled upon her required instructions.
After a brief reading session, she continued her personal lesson, cursing with every missed beat and misstep. At least she found some solace in the fact that she knew what to do now. And occasionally checked the book's instructions to see if her attempts were at least somewhat correct.
Annabeth had thought she was doing a horrible job at the dancing until she heard a low clap behind her.
Sea-green eyes met her stormy ones, and Percy gave her a beautiful smile as he stepped into the room.
There it was, that heavenly feeling she got in his presence. The thoughts which plagued her dimmed in comparison to his magnificent light.
'What are you doing?' he signed, tilting his head to the side as he looked at her with a mixture of confusion and curiosity.
"I'm trying to...well, remember the steps to the Bolero, I must perform it tonight," she explained.
And as he inquired what this 'Bolero' was, she dragged him towards the book and explained it in unnecessary detail.
His fingers brushed hers as they turned the page together. The princess's voice echoed through the hall as she described the process of the dance's art form.
Annabeth tried to control her smile as she watched the boy's eyebrows furrow into confusion as he stared at the illustrations of the dance form.
"How about...we dance together? I would love to have a partner," Annabeth suggested, her heart hammering at the thought of having him hold her the way she'd been dreaming.
Percy nodded, his own eyes twinkling.
"Come," Annabeth smiled, as the pair entwined their fingers. Heat shot up the princess's spine at the motion.
Percy's arm carefully wrapped around her waist, pulling her against him with more force than he had to. Not that the princess minded their proximity.
The pair stepped together. Annabeth whispered instructions and they seemed to be understanding the movements. They were aligned in their attempt.
Percy's hand spread across her waist, his finger's trailing up across her gown. He brushed the bare skin of her back with his knuckles. His eyes never left hers.
She pulled him closer to her as they continued their steps, eyes trailing on each other. Neither seemed to notice that they had lapsed into a waltz, using it as an excuse to draw the other closer to them.
"You look rather handsome today," Annabeth completed, tilting her face towards his.
Heat rolled off of him, under the dim light of the chandelier, she thought he seemed flushed.
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The pair stopped moving, all pretense seemed to have dropped.
Were his eyes on her lips? Or was she just imagining it?
Percy's gentle hand held her face in reverence and Annabeth allowed herself all the emotions she had suppressed.
Her eyes fluttered shut for half a minute, cupped by the warmth of Percy's hand on her cheek before they were interrupted.
"My apologies.....again princess," Hestia gasped, lowering her head in embarrassment.
"What is it?" Annabeth tried keeping her irritation at bay, moving away from Percy in a reluctant manner.
"The ball is to begin in three hours...I thought to inform you. It takes almost an hour to travel and you aren't dressed and....." she rattled on.
"I'll be right there. Please have a bath drawn for me," Annabeth interrupted, cutting her off with a forced smile, "thank you for reminding me, Hestia"
The old maid gave the princess a quick smile, before dashing off faster than Annabeth thought was possible.
"I believe I'll have to ready myself now," Annabeth sighed, turning towards Percy, "I suppose you'll have to do the same, considering you're accompanying me to the event."
Percy nodded.
"Let us....return then," Annabeth sighed with distant eyes, leading them back their individual quarters.
She was tired of interruptions.
She wanted to be with Percy, near him. She wanted to be able to hold his hand whenever she pleased, to show him how much he meant to her without restrictions.
She did not know how much longer she could go on like this, pretending that he was not on her mind at every waking moment.
She wanted to tell Percy how she felt, desperately so. But worry and fear kept her desires a secret.
Ah! How dreadful the fates were
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This chapter takes place before the events of 'The Ball' part one and two.
I hope you liked the chapter. We're inching closer towards the end of the story.
