Falling

Percy POV

I stabbed a zombie that was stuck on a spike trap. Luke and I were on guard duty today. We worked efficiently, but we didn't talk much to each other. We have a purely professional relationship at camp.

I wouldn't consider us friends. He's my superior, and he gives me instructions for the safety of the camp. He's tough, but a part of me respects him though.

"It's weird that Piper is late for duty, right?" I asked, just to say something.

Luke stopped his perimeter sweep and turned to me. Sweat flowed down his brow before he wiped his face with a rag. "We both know the reason why she's late. Jason and Piper have been out of it recently, and it's affecting their work schedules too."

I terminated another zombie before stopping.

Luke was starting to walk back to the museum. But, he didn't go inside. Instead, he grabbed his backpack from the stairs out front. He tossed me a water bottle before drinking some water himself. The cool water flowed down my warm throat, rejuvenating me.

Finally, I set the bottle down and faced Luke. He was already looking at me with interest, but I couldn't read his thoughts. Luke is too careful and guarded to be read so easily.

"You don't think Jason and Piper are justified?" I continued.

"They're having personal problems, but in my opinion, it shouldn't affect their work. We have a responsibility to this camp just like parents have a responsibility to their children. And, you have an obligation to Estelle."

"That I do," I agreed.

"I'm sure Jason and Piper will figure things out soon enough. Anyway, do you have any family left?" I asked.

I wish I hadn't asked that because Luke's facial expressions changed. His jaw hardened as he shook his head. He walked to the perimeter before stabbing another zombie. The groaning zombie silenced before crumbling to the group outside the perimeter. Guard duty is easy, but it's a lot of work to clear the traps during every shift.

I gulped but continued to wait for an answer. I don't know Luke very well. We tend to have a lot of disagreements, so I never bothered to become friends with him.

"This camp is my family. Annabeth and Thalia are my family, and I fear that I'm going to let them down someday," Luke responded after a few seconds.

"What do you mean?"

"If I die, no one's going to be looking out for them," he said simply. "They are amazing women, and they can take care of themselves of course. But, some reassurance would be nice."

"Thalia has family," I affirmed. "Jason and Thalia are always going to take care of each other. Annabeth also has her little brothers. She won't be alone. Besides, nothing is going to happen to you, Luke."

Luke shook his head while frowning.

"You don't get it, Jackson. I'm not the man everyone knows to be. I did some pretty bad things in the past before the apocalypse. I was so angry with my father that I lashed out at anyone who got close to me," Luke started. I waited for him to go on.

"My father abandoned me when I was a child. He just left, and I was stuck dealing with a schizophrenic mother. I had to do what I can to get by every day. As I got older, anger and desperation bubbled in me and led to some awful things. For example, I was in a gang a few years ago where I tried to-"

"Luke, STOP," I commanded.

He froze his explanation and looked at me. I shook my head at him.

"I don't care what you were before the zombie world. The lives we live are so gray, and the past doesn't matter in this new world. I don't want to know what you did, Luke," I said firmly.

Luke took a deep breath and nodded. He smiled lightly before getting back to work. His father abandoning him must've been terrible. It's easy to understand how that could mess up a kid, especially if mental illness is a part of your family history.

After a few minutes of sweeping the perimeter, Luke spoke up again.

"I just don't want to lose another family."

"From what I can tell, you're sustaining this camp. You may have done bad things before, but it's not hard to find the middle ground," I responded.

"Think about it this way, in Greek mythology, the gods and goddesses are always cheating on their families and having kids with random people. They're also always killing innocents or using them as tools for their own quests. If we don't consider them awful and swear curses at them, then no one should swear on you either."

"Thanks, Percy," Luke said curtly. "You always try to make people feel better, don't you?"

"I do my best," I murmured.

We continue to slay zombies. We were trying to finish quickly because another group of guards are going to patch the perimeter with new traps. The perimeter is getting breached more often because there are more zombies on the streets. The hope is that putting more traps in close proximity will keep the zombies out again.

The plan should work. The museum has been a safe space for close to a year now, so we can't afford to lose our stronghold. We're going to do everything we can to keep it.

"So, who makes you feel better when you're down?" Luke asked suddenly.

I could only think of three people.

My baby sister, Stella, is my number one answer to that question. Grover is my best friend now, and he always puts a smile on my face through his kindness. Finally, Annabeth has crept into my defenses. I can't imagine living at camp without her.

"I have a few people," I responded to Luke. The answer was enough to satisfy him because we got back to work.

Luke fears for Annabeth because he cares about her.

Well, the truth is that Annabeth will never be alone as long as I'm here. I'll always be there for her one way or another.

***

Piper and I are very similar in terms of personality. We also share a lot of the same interests. For instance, Piper and I both love the ocean. Piper's grandfather used to be a seasoned surfer, so she's always had an appreciation for the ocean. We both love spending time at the Oceania: Art of the Pacific Islands exhibit.

I came for some peace when I ran into Piper there. She was looking at some statues of Pacific Islanders. A few tears were sparkling in her kaleidoscope eyes.

"Hey, is everything okay, Pipes?" I asked quietly.

Piper shook her head before taking a wavering breath. I felt awkward staring at her, so I decided to join her museum inspection instead.

I took my place next to her and examined the marble statues. They weren't anything fascinating; I prefer gazing at the boats on the other side of the room. Boats are so much more fascinating than marble people whom I don't know.

As I mentioned before, I love the ocean.

"Jason and I are in a rocky place right now. I know that you and he are great friends, so I don't want to say anything," Piper expressed sadly.

"Piper, you know that Jason loves you, right? More importantly, Reyna is a great girl, but she's moved on just like Jason's moved on."

"How do you know he still doesn't have feelings?" Piper asked angrily. "Jason got with me because he thought his girlfriend was dead. We live in a zombie apocalypse. He thought Reyna was dead, so he came to me."

"I know he loves you because he chose you," I whispered.

Silence followed as Piper's eyes sparkled. We moved on to the next statue in the line. This one showed a model of a Tikki God.

"Jason chose you, Piper. Reyna and you are both amazing young women. He has all the information now, and he still chose you. I don't understand why you guys are fighting so much. It's clear to me that you both love each other. Sure, you need to figure some things out and get used to Reyna's presence, but ya'll are still strong."

I finished my speech and paused to look at Piper.

She seemed lost in thought, but I could see her digesting my words. I didn't know why I told her everything I did. I just didn't like seeing my friends feeling down.

Before I could say anything else to screw the moment, I decided to leave. Piper stayed in the Oceania exhibit while I walked back to my room. The East sector was empty during the middle of the day, and Stella was with Hestia right now.

I was on guard duty last night, so I was extremely tired.

A nap sounded fantastic right now, especially since I don't have to take care of Stella at the moment. While I love my sister, it was nice to get breaks from time to time. I walked through the East sector's hallways before coming into my corridor.

Without thinking twice, I pushed through the curtain and walked into my weirdly-painting room. My breath caught in my chest as I collided with someone.

We went toppling to the floor with me landing on top of her.

Her blonde hair spread out in one direction. Her chest was rising and falling heavily as our breaths rolled in the air between us. Her storming gray eyes gazed into mine. I had no clue why Annabeth was in my room, but I didn't mind.

My right hand was supporting my body weight next to her head while my other hand was near her waist. Our entangled legs made it hard to move, and my body weight was pressing down on her in a very comfortable way. For me, at least.

"Wise Girl," I let out a shallow breath.

We were only a few inches away from each other. Most parts of our bodies were touching already, and I longed for our lips to connect as well.

"What are you doing here?" I asked without moving.

"I was waiting for you, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth whispered. Her eyes flitted down to see my lips before locking onto my eyes again. I was frozen on top of her. She wasn't pushing back against me either.

"What did you need?" I asked.

My hand moved on its own as I moved a strand of hair off her face. You really should get off her, I thought. However, I so don't want to.

"I don't remember now, but I thought of something else," Annabeth replied.

Then, Annabeth gripped my shirt in her fist and pulled me down. My eyes closed as her lips locked onto mine. I sucked in a deep breath while kissing her fully. It felt like my brain was melting out of my body as I deepened the kiss.

Our lips moved in sync while we continued to make out. I wasn't sure how long the kiss lasted, but Annabeth broke it first.

I couldn't help but smile when I opened my eyes. Wow.

"You really waited till I made the first move," Annabeth teased. Her flushed smile only made me more attracted to her. I couldn't believe we just kissed. I was still waiting for my brain to start functioning so that I could talk.

"We both know you wear the pants in this relationship," I said.

Melodious laughter bubbled out of Annabeth's mouth, and it was too much to resist. I captured her lips with my own once again. We continued to kiss as I pulled her up. My arms wrapped around her waist as she leaned into my embrace.

My body was stinging with all the sensations of Annabeth Chase, and I savored every second of her touch and kiss. My hands moved from her waist to her blonde curls.

My forehead leaned on hers as we caught our breath.

"Seaweed Brain, why don't we go to the roof?" Annabeth suggested. "No offense to your room, but it's not exactly private. There's not even a door."

My hand engulfed Annabeth's as our fingers intertwined. She pulled me toward the door and led me outside.

"What are we going to do on the roof?" I asked.

She looked over her shoulder with a mischievous glint in her beautiful gray eyes. Before she even said anything, my mind raced with all the possibilities. Our smiles and enthusiasm validated our passion and attraction to one another.

"I think you already know what we're going to do," Annabeth whispered sensually.

"Oh, you're right. I definitely do," I smirked.