Chapter 78 - Etched On Skin (AU) (Part III)
published: Thursday, 22 July 2021
Annabeth wished she was the type of person who could take the high road. Usually she was, but apparently Percy was a bad influence on her.
When she told him as much, complaining, "You're making me reckless," all he had to say was, "I think the word you're looking for is 'fun'."
To be fair, messing with their friends was completely warranted. After exchanging stories, Annabeth and Percy had both realised that whatever relentless teasing each of them had experienced, the other had gotten it just as bad.
Like the time Beckendorf knowingly set Percy up with this horrible new camper in an attempt to make Annabeth jealous, but all it did was leave Percy with a clingy demigod who followed him around for days. Or the time the Stolls locked them both up in the same cell during Capture the Flag, and then conveniently "forgot" to let them out once the game was over, and Annabeth had to spend eight hours starving in a jail cell with Percy — overnight, too. Also known as: the night Percy almost became a cannibal.
Besides, it wasn't like they were messing with them on purpose — at first, at least.
On Monday morning, before the sun could come up, Annabeth sneaked into Percy's room, bleary-eyed, clutching her laptop to her chest. For years now, Annabeth had been insisting that Percy watch Roman Holiday with her. It was one of those old, romantic movies, but because she usually watched documentaries and Percy was only into Disney or action movies, they had to compromise — reluctantly on both ends.
Annabeth stumbled into the Poseidon cabin, tripping over her own feet. "This was the worst idea you've ever had and that is saying something," she said with a scowl, sitting down on the edge of his bed.
There was a groan from underneath the duvet, which was bunched up in a heap. "Go away," came Percy's muffled voice.
"You made me get up for this so, no," Annabeth retorted. "You're waking up." As she turned on her laptop and scrolled down to the Roman Holiday video file, which she had downloaded before arriving at camp, using her free hand to vigorously shake Percy by the legs.
It took a few minutes for the video to start playing, and Percy spent three of them struggling to open his eyes. Annabeth shuffled back so that her back was to the headboard, squishing Percy between her and the wall. He was propped up in the corner between the wall and his bed, head drooping tiredly.
If Annabeth was being completely honest, she was pretty sure neither of them were paying attention to the movie. As much as she was trying to focus, Annabeth kept zoning out — a courtesy of possibly five hours of sleep and ADHD.
Percy was even worse. His head was practically balancing on her shoulder and he was very obviously staring blankly at her keyboard.
"I'm gonna quiz you on the plot after," Annabeth mumbled.
He bristled. "Please. If you're actually paying attention to this I'll eat my own shoe."
The movie was almost 2 hours long, and by the time they were reaching the end of it, the summer sky outside had brightened and most campers were already up and about.
"I hate living with morning people," Percy grumbled. The blinds to his cabin were shut but they could see the silhouettes walking past, and the soothing chatter of demigods floated in every now and then.
"You're not not a morning person," Annabeth informed him. "You're just lazy."
Percy was leaning against the wall now, his body half-facing her. "You know we just spent two hours sitting here doing absolutely nothing, right?"
"I think it's safe to say that watching a movie together is not our thing," Annabeth said, stifling a yawn. She tried to comb out her hair with her fingers, but the tangled curls kept getting in the way. Annabeth frowned. "I must look like a nightmare."
Percy shrugged. "Honestly, I've seen you look worse."
Annabeth released an indignant scoff. "Excuse me?"
His eyes widened with alarm. "No, no, not that you look bad!" he stammered. "Just like—we—quests and that time in the Labyrinth—and the water slide—"
A snicker escaped her at his failed attempt to salvage the situation. "Zeus, if I'd known it was that easy to make you panic..." Annabeth rolled her eyes, swatting at him with a pillow. "Relax."
Percy looked like he had just suffered a heart attack. He deflected the pillow with a scowl. "You can't do that to me," he complained.
"It's funny," Annabeth said defensively. "Seriously, you don't have to walk on eggshells around me just because—"
The cabin door creaked, making both of them jump.
Annabeth glanced at Percy with alarm. He stared back at with identical panic. They were alone in a cabin, not only breaking camp rules, but also with very compromising appearances.
Percy released a helpless squeak as Annabeth snapped her head around searching for a place to hide.
Without any other choice, Annabeth dove off mattress, tumbling under the bed and shuffling so that she was pressed between the wall and the floor, sucking in a breath.
"Percy!" It was Grover, walking inside with his recognisable gait. His shoes were the only things Annabeth could see as he traipsed over to Percy's bed. Annabeth squeezed her eyes shut.
'Please don't see me', she prayed desperately. Aside from the obvious rule-breaking punishment, Annabeth genuinely didn't think she would survive the embarrassment. No, no, if Grover found her in Percy's room, in her pyjamas with a raging bed head, she'd simply go drown herself in the sea. It was only a couple minutes away.
isn't drowning yourself a little dramatic?
Annabeth rolled her eyes.
shut up
and stop it
handle grover first
annoy me later
There was a second's pause before the soulmark vanished and was replaced.
i hope you know i won't let you drown yourself
besides
it would be kind of funny if he found you now
no you idiot
it absolutely would not be
it would be to me
"Grover!" came Percy's voice, dripping with gaze nonchalance. "What's up?"
Grover stopped short in his tracks. "Why are you so awake?" he said confusedly. "You don't wake up before 9."
"Um," Percy hesitated. "Nightmare."
Annabeth covered her face with a hand, holding in a groan.
what else was i supposed to say?!
As expected, Grover let out a scared bleat. "Kronos again? I know we haven't seen them since the failed attack from the Labyrinth, but it feels weird, doesn't it? What was the nightmare about? Do we need to tell Chiron?"
"No, no," Percy said hastily. "It's not that important. Just the usual...evil laughing...and stuff."
Annabeth closed her eyes and forced out a silent breath.
oh my gods he can sense your emotions
youre such a seaweed brain
There was a beat of heavy silence. "Okay," Grover said slowly. "Are you gonna go tell Annabeth?"
Percy released a nervous laugh. "Why-why would I do that?"
"Because that's what you always do?" Grover said skeptically.
"R-right," Percy stammered. "I'll tell her later."
"Yeah, oh, and tell her Beckendorf is looking for her. Something about mines."
mines?
tell you later
It was the plan they currently had in the works. The Princess Andromeda was the only lead they had on Luke or Kronos, and Annabeth and Beckendorf were in agreement that waiting for them to make the first move and attack was too risky. A war was already inevitable — at least this way they wouldn't be taken by surprise.
can you stop thinking so fast?
i can't read anything
just slow down
i said id tell you later
percy you need to answer grover
youve been sitting in silence for ages
"Sure," Percy blurted out. "So, did you have something you wanted to talk to me about?"
"Oh, yeah," Grover said distractedly. "The Apollo cabin just challenged the Hermes kids to a canoeing competition. Travis asked if you'd regulate."
There was a loud exhale. "Yeah, yeah, sure."
"Okay, thanks, man," Grover said cheerfully. As he approached the door, Annabeth began to deflate, relieved.
"Oh, hey," Grover said abruptly, and Annabeth resisted the urge to groan frustratedly. "Have you actually seen Annabeth, by the way? No one can find her. She isn't in her cabin so we thought she'd be sparring with your something. But...clearly not."
Annabeth froze.
oh no
shit what do i say?
annabeth help me
Percy released a string of unintelligible syllables, each word tumbling out over the next. "I haven't seen her," he managed after a couple seconds of garbled speech. "But, um, I think yesterday she said she wanted to spar. Practice one of those new moves Clarisse was doing."
Fortunately, Grover seemed to buy okay. "I'll tell Beckendorf to check the arena. See you at breakfast." The satyr finally left the cabin after what felt like an excruciating decade, and Annabeth collapsed onto the floor like a rag doll, no longer tensing. The door slammed behind him.
"Oh my gods, I was so sure he was going to see you," Percy said breathlessly as she rolled out from under the bed.
Annabeth glared at him. "Did you really have to say that? Now Clarisse is gonna want to teach me that move she did. Which means I'll have to spend time with her."
"Sorry," Percy said sheepishly. "But in my defence," he added. "You were absolutely no help."
"Excuse me," she said, offended. Annabeth dusted herself off and struggled to her feet. "I was...you know...offering moral support."
"Okay, next time I would like moral support with actual ideas, please."
"Hey, if I can come up with the plans during quests, you can handle Grover," Annabeth pointed out. "I should get back to my cabin. And then get to the arena," she pulled a face.
Annabeth approached the window on the back wall of the cabin, facing away from the rest of the camp. As she wound the blinds up, she grimaced. "Next time, let's just go to the beach or something."
Percy helped her lift up the window as she hauled herself out one leg after the other, her head ducking under the sill.
"Have a fun day with Clarisse," he said with a mischievous grin when she landed on the other side of the wall.
Annabeth shot him a withering look. "I hate you." As she turned around, about to make her way to her cabin, Percy called, "Wait!"
Confused, Annabeth hurried back to the window, where he was beckoning her. "What?" she demanded, voice hushed.
Catching her by surprise, Percy kissed her, chaste and his mouth wide in a smile.
"I still don't forgive you," she muttered as they drew away, but Percy just gave her a knowing look. He shoved her away from the window with a snicker, which she combatted with a glare before backing away from his cabin.
Two days later brought on Capture the Flag, with Annabeth and Percy on the blue team, led by the Ares cabin.
Annabeth was trekking her way through the woods, invisibility cap on as she scanned her surroundings for any sign of the flag. They were playing against Apollo and Hermes, which was always unpredictable because of all the unclaimed campers.
A bright red spot in the distance caught her eye. Annabeth felt triumph wash over her as she took off in its direction, hand hovering over the dagger at her hip as she raced past the trees.
And then—
Her right foot dug into a pile of leaves on the forest floor. Annabeth's mind sprung into action — blaring alarms went off screaming "trap!". It was a couple moments too late; a net with a signature Hephaestus weaving pattern jumped out from under her feet, cinching over her head and leaving her hanging helplessly from the tree overhead.
As the ropes suspended her a few feet off the ground, Annabeth scowled as the culprits appeared, silhouettes stark against the forest backdrop.
"I can't believe you didn't see that coming," Beckendorf said bemusedly, swiftly nabbing her fallen dagger off the ground. Behind him, the Stolls shared a smug fist bump.
Annabeth crossed her arms, her sour glare not softening in the least. She hated losing. Especially to friends who would never let her forget it.
As the Stolls lowered her to the ground, they released her from the net, only for Beckendorf to promptly handcuff her.
Annabeth almost immediately fell over, the shackles around her wrists weighing about thirty tonnes. "Hades, what are these things made of?"
"Smelted celestial bronze from their own forges," Connor declared triumphantly.
"Well, don't tell her," Beckendorf said urgently. "Haven't you seen any movies? The villain's monologue is always the bit where they lose."
Travis held up his hands in false surrender. "At least let us be proud for stealing the design."
Annabeth's mouth dropped open, aghast. "You didn't."
"For people who are supposedly really smart," Connor grinned mischievously. "You guys really need a better security system."
"Assholes," Annabeth spat as Beckendorf dragged her forward by the chain attached to the cuffs, the Stolls flanking her on either side.
They continued to walk in silence. Annabeth was the first to break it, "Should I be flattered by the need for a security detail?" Her gaze flicked from side to side, trying to find a way out of this sticky situation.
Beckendorf spared her a backwards glance. "Please. You're not getting out of those."
Annabeth eyed the contraption on her wrists. She had to admit that it was a stunning mechanism. Annoying, but beautiful.
"The security detail's in case Percy somehow appears out of nowhere," Beckendorf informed her with a smile.
Annabeth frowned. "I am much more dangerous than Percy."
"Not if he sees you locked up," Beckendorf corrected.
As Annabeth pretended to sulk, she silently thanked her opponents for unknowingly giving her a solution.
percy. percy. percy.
they've captured me.
Annabeth waited with bated breath, knowing full well it was a long shot.
Her heart pounded twice before the familiar script curled on her wrist.
crap
where are you
Relief flooded her chest.
i have no idea
there are lots of trees around me
Another pause as the tattoo erased itself. One word of untidy scrawl appeared in its place.
helpful
Annabeth rolled her eyes.
shut up
"We're here," Connor announced.
Annabeth blinked, having been too distracted by Percy to keep track of the journey. She'd arrived at the mouth of a cave — probably where the Red team were keeping their prisoners until they won the game. It wasn't looking too good for the Blues at the moment.
i'm at a cave.
what cave
do you see any landmarks nearby
Annabeth discreetly eyed her surroundings. Unfortunately, she couldn't make out anything but thrush and overgrown weeds.
no,
ask Grover about the caves;
he should know.
on it
A hand shoved her forward and Annabeth staggered into the cave, swallowed in shadows. Small make-shift prisons lined the inside of the cave; large cages served as their cells.
Annabeth winced as she saw Clarisse in one of the cages give her a dirty look. Yeah, her reputation was taking a hit today. Annabeth couldn't even remember the last time she'd been successfully imprisoned in Capture the Flag.
Beckendorf led her to the cage furthest into the cave, surrounded by piles of vines and an assortment of insects that made Annabeth scrunch her nose distastefully.
"See you after the game," Travis said airily as he twisted the lock on the cage shut.
Footsteps echoed across the stone walls as the three demigods traipsed out of the cave, leaving Annabeth alone for the foreseeable future.
She slumped back against the cage, rattling the metal sonorously as her eyes fluttered shut.
How on Earth could she have been stupid as to miss the netting? That was something Percy did — not her.
sorry
Just in case Percy had seen that.
Before she could continue wallowing, Annabeth's ears perked up. A not-so-distant sound filled the cave. There was the telltale plip-plop of water and the rushing of a stream.
Her eyes sprang open.
percy
i'm near a stream.
i can hear water.
water?
There was a pause that left Annabeth staring impatiently at her wrist.
i know where you are
Annabeth released a hiss of "yes" under her breath.
on my way
don't go anywhere—oh wait
Annabeth made sure he saw her choice curses.
She could've been waiting for all of an eternity or five minutes, but by the time Percy burst in to save the day, Annabeth was just about ready to punch through the metal bars herself.
"Wow," the son of Poseidon uttered with raised eyebrows as he regarded her.
"Just help me," she said curtly.
"You never actually need my help," Percy protested. "Let me have this for one second."
Annabeth lifted up her wrists and the handcuffs around them, glaring at her best friend.
Riptide shattered the lock like it was made of glass. Percy stared at the fragments, satisfied. "Whoever said the pen was mightier than the sword—"
"No time," Annabeth interrupted.
"Right, sorry."
Before she knew it, Percy was kneeling down in front of her, inspecting the shackles.
"What the hell are these?" he said, voicing her exact thoughts. Maybe less eloquently than she would've put it.
"They were Malcolm's design," Annabeth admitted. "I told him he needed a more secure password for his laptop."
"What," Percy snorted. "It'd not like it was greyowls123..." When he was met with silence, Percy tore his gaze away from the handcuffs to fix Annabeth with an amused look.
"No way," he laughed, practically shaking from it.
Annabeth lifted the cuffs, fake-threatening to smash them down on him.
"Okay, I can't get these off," Percy said finally. "Riptide won't cut through them and the gears don't make any sense."
Annabeth groaned. "Come on. We can't win this if I can barely even move."
"I hate to break it to you but I don't think we can win this, period."
"'It's not over till it's over'," Annabeth quoted. She ducked out of the cage after Percy, struggling to drag the heavy cuffs.
"Wait," Percy said, bending down to grab the long chain attached to her cuffs. "There, does that help?"
Annabeth reweighed her wrists. "Surprisingly, yes."
As they straggled out of the cave — past empty cages that Percy must've freed on his way in — Annabeth tried to formulate a plan.
"Okay, so our attack team is probably on it's way back to the base with the red flag—"
Percy winced. "Yeah, about that; Tom got captured and the others had just returned to base when I left to find you."
Annabeth pursed her lips. "Alright then. Stronger defence — that's fine. What about our Plan B?"
"Sending out you to sneak your way past them with the invisibility cap?" Percy pointed out. "You got captured."
Annabeth scowled. Damn it.
"Plan C, then," she decided.
"We don't have a Plan C."
"We do now," Annabeth said sternly. "Plan C is we go capture the red flag from their base."
Percy's brow furrowed. "No offense to the others, but we're our teams best players. Without us at the base—"
"Well, it doesn't matter anymore, does it?" Annabeth demanded. "If we try to make our way back now, we'll probably just get back in time to see the Reds win the game." She jerked her head in the direction of the Red base. "If we can get the flag..."
"You with handcuffs on and weaponless," Percy said slowly, as if to clarify. "And me. The two of us. Practically one and a half demigods are this point."
"Yes," she replied simply.
"Your plan is insane."
Annabeth's eyes gleamed. "Aren't they always?"
Somehow, by a miracle, Annabeth managed to drag her exhausted self as well as five tonnes worth of precious metal to the Red base, where she and Percy proceeded to demolish their defences.
She was pretty proud of them if she could say so — never before had they worked so in sync. Annabeth disarmed the mines while Percy fended off the Apollo campers; one earthquake from him and the lot of them were sent to the ground.
Will Solace wasn't anywhere to be seen, confirming Annabeth's previous suspicions about him being their main attacker.
Annabeth did knock out Michael Yew with a satisfying conk to the head, probably giving him a concussion in the process, courtesy of the handcuffs.
When she turned around, Percy had the Red flag in his free hand, Riptide in the other. "Let's go," he urged.
"It'll be faster if you sprint," Annabeth pointed out as they started towards the exit of the clearing. "I'll meet you back at the base once you've won."
Percy paused. "I have a better idea." He sheathed Riptide, dropping the pen in his pocket and stuffing the flag into the strap of his armour. "Will should be on his way back here any minute now with the flag — it won't matter how fast I run back to the base because he'll reach here before I get there."
"You want to intercept him and steal the flag back?" Annabeth asked, unconvinced.
Percy nodded vigorously.
"We don't do interceptions."
"It's technically not against the rules," Percy reminded. "We just never do it because it takes more time and manpower than a good defence."
Annabeth considered the idea. Fortunately for Percy, they had scarce options right now. "Gods, I can't believe we're doing this." She gritted her teeth. "Okay."
Percy raised a hand for a high-five that Annabeth reluctantly accepted by clanking her handcuffs against his palm.
"I'll wait on that side," Percy gestured to the oak tree behind him. "You hide behind the bush opposite. He'll run in with the flag — at high speed expectedly — and that's when you're going to tackle him."
Annabeth gave him an uncertain look. "As in football tackle him?"
"As in run and smash into him," Percy agreed. "That's when you steal the flag."
"The entire Red team will be sprinting down with him to see their victory," Annabeth pointed out. "We can't fight off thirty of them all at once."
"We don't have to," Percy corrected. He gestured wildly as he explained his plan. "You'll be wearing your cap when you tackle him."
"I don't have my cap," Annabeth said exasperatedly. "I already said that in this morning's briefing — I left it in your cabin yesterday."
"You mean this cap?" Sure enough, Percy whipped out the familiar Yankees cap from his back pocket, grinning madly.
Annabeth gaped at him. "What? How did you—"
"I did a quick run back to my cabin before I came to rescue you," Percy confessed. "That's why I took so long."
"And you waited this long so you could do a dramatic reveal?" she guessed.
"The opportunity was right there. You would've been disappointed in me if I hadn't taken it." Percy shrugged.
He delved on, "The flag will disappear when you grab it and everyone will go crazy. In all the confusion, you'll sprint up and regroup with me up the line on the left — I'll have started running the second you tackle Will. From there, I help you carry the handcuff chain and we race back to base — probably with dozens of angry campers on our tail. There, we win."
Percy spread his hands proudly to mark the end of his soliloquy.
Annabeth shook her head in disbelief. "This has to be the craziest plan I've ever heard." She sighed. "It's also really good. Well done, Seaweed Brain."
"Gotta be doing something right if I'm impressing you," Percy winked. He started to back away to the tree, but stopped in his tracks. "Wait."
Annabeth turned around. "What?"
"Kiss for good luck?" Percy had the nerve to offer a grin.
Annabeth rolled her eyes, but stepped in to oblige. "Two kisses," she said before kissing him again, allowing herself a moment to relax where she returned the smile. "Need all the luck we can get."
Percy's grin was spread from ear to ear as she walked back to the bush, placing her cap on her head.
"Oh, and don't say 'well done' to me, it feels like I'm talking to Chiron."
"Gross," Annabeth called back. Looking down, Annabeth ensured that she was in fact invisible before crouching down behind the bush.
Percy had already disappeared behind the tree's trunk, having kicked leaves over their footsteps to hide any evidence that they'd been there.
Annabeth estimated that two minutes passed before the low rumbling of approaching campers alerted her to the trigger of Percy's plan.
She peered round the bush — sure enough, the telltale mop of bright blonde hair told her that Will was on his way down the slope. Lagging about half a yard behind him was a horde of campers, from the Red and Blue teams alike, racing to see the grand finale of the match.
"Come on," she whispered under her breath. This had to work. In the unlikely event that it did, Annabeth vowed to tell Percy that he was a genius.
Will crossed the rock that Percy had placed to mark the timing of Annabeth's entrance. As his foot went over the threshold, Annabeth snuck out from behind the bush, starting in a slow jog and gradually moving into a full-speed run.
The next minute happened in slow motion. Annabeth slammed bodily into Will from the side, sending both of them tumbling head over heels into the soil. In the tangle of limbs, Annabeth could hear Will's panicked shouts as she grappled for the flag.
A collective gasp erupted from the campers as her fingers clamped around the flag and it vanished from sight — at least, to everyone else.
"It's Annabeth!" someone cried out, but Annabeth had already taken off in a mad sprint. She ran as fast as she could force her legs to move in Percy's general direction, wind whipping her hair around.
"And Percy too!" came another shout.
Percy appeared from behind the trees, also breaking into a run as Annabeth's path melded into his. He reached out and snatched the cap off of her head, stuffing it into his back pocket as he fumbled to grab the chains still attached to her handcuffs.
"Get them!" one of the Hephaestus kids roared.
The ground shook as the amassed campers followed them, like moths to a flame.
"Keep—running," Percy panted, gasping for breath as he slung the metal chain around his neck, the chain hanging off his left shoulder and across his body like a sling.
The weight taken off of her allowed Annabeth to keep pace with Percy, even with the massive shackles she had to carry. The Blue flag was secured in her left fist like her life depended on it and she could see Percy holding the Red flag as they raced past the trees.
"Almost—there," she managed between heaving breaths, her heart thundering as her feet pounded into the ground.
The river was coming up in front of them.
"Quick!" Annabeth gasped, struggling to clamber into the water with the handcuffs. Suddenly she was in the air, Percy having scooped her up into his arms as he bounded across the water.
Annabeth was breathless as he set her down on the other side with a wink. They spun around to see the horde of campers raining down on them, just about to cross the water.
"Hold on," Percy murmured, raising his arms.
The water in the river erupted in an almost graceful manner — in fact, the entire river arced up in a way that made Annabeth stare in awe — dousing the other campers in water and propelling them back a few feet.
"Let's go!" Percy said, alarmed, grabbing Annabeth's hand and yanking her in the other direction while the campers recovered.
They raced across the grass, hand in hand, until Annabeth could see the familiarity of the territory they had earmarked as their base.
Percy stepped into the region first, his face alight with victory as Annabeth followed suit, crashing into him from behind.
"Yes!" Percy yelled, both flags dropping to the floor as he grabbed her by the waist and spun her around in the air triumphantly.
Unable to do anything else but laugh, Annabeth leaned in to plant a kiss to his cheek when he set her down.
"No!" Beckendorf shouted as the Capture the Flag banner over Chiron's head turned a stark blue. The rest of the campers had screeched to a halt the moment Annabeth and Percy crossed into home territory, the Reds moving off to sulk while the Blues celebrated wildly.
Before Annabeth knew what was going on, she was surrounded by her teammates. Malcolm snuck up beside her and undid the handcuffs, causing her to hiss in pain as the metal dropped to the ground.
"It's gonna bother you that you couldn't undo the cuffs, isn't it?" Percy mused, gingerly running a finger across the red marks on her wrists.
Annabeth whispered, "It's the first thing I'm gonna do when we get out of here."
He snuck her a furtive grin.
"How in Hades did you two manage to pull that off?" Clarisse demanded, inserting herself into the circle surrounding them. "The last I saw, Annabeth was locked up."
"Teamwork," Percy said unhelpfully, earning a mean scowl from the daughter of Ares.
"No, but seriously, how'd you know where to go free her?" Silena demanded. "Charlie and I had to go through the trouble of discovering an entire new cave system just to use as our jail!"
Annabeth risked a glance in Percy's direction. "Good instincts, I guess."
Percy shrugged in response, struggling to school his expression into one of nonchalance. He was also pointedly avoiding meeting Grover's eyes, whom Annabeth could see looked mighty suspicious of their vague explanation.
"You guys are just upset that we won," Katie insisted.
"Oh, please," Connor scoffed. "You guys didn't do anything."
"Now, now, we couldn't have pulled it off without you guys being as predictable as you could possibly be," Annabeth taunted. That's what they got for capturing her like an animal.
That cued another bout of squabbling, and Annabeth was just relieved that her friends seemed distracted enough by the game not to raise the question of her and Percy's hand-holding or cheek kisses.