HOME | DD

Description
Lighters- Bad Meets Evil (Between Demigod Files and TLO)
You and I know what it's like
To be kicked down, forced to fight
But tonight, we're alive
So hold up your lights. Let it shine.
'Cause this one's for you and me,
living out our dreams. We are right where we should be.
With my arms out wide, I open my eyes
And now all I want to see is a sky full of lighters.

Percy
I stood by the shore of the Sound and watched as campers partied and danced, counting down the minutes to New Year's. It was nice and all, but I couldn't get into it. For some reason (go figure), surviving another year seemed like a miracle, and a huge, blowout celebration wasn't quite what I had in mind.
I wandered down the beach until I was out of sight of the party. The moon reflected on the Sound and the thin layer of snow underfoot, giving me just enough light to see where I was going. I could hear owls hooting in the tree branches and monsters roaming around, but I concentrated on the calm of the water.
"Hey," a voice behind me said.
I turned around. Annabeth was standing there, bundled up in her winter coat and hat that made her blond hair stand out. "Why aren't you partying with everyone else?" she asked.
"I don't know." I sighed. "I just kind of want to relax, you know? Like, just for this one moment, we don't have anyone to kill, anyone to worry about. No enemies. I want to enjoy it."
She came and stood with me by the edge of the water. "Glad to be alive another year?"
"You read my mind."
We were silent for a minute, then I had an idea, but it made me nervous. My heart started pounding, but I asked anyway. "Annabeth, since we're, you know… still alive…"
She smiled. "Yes?"
"Let's dance."
"Ok," she said softly, her eyes sparkling.
I took her hand in mind and put my other hand on her waist. There wasn't any music, but we didn't need it. (And I didn't step on her feet, for the record.) It just felt relaxing. Easy. Natural.
And even if it was too good to be true, I wasn't about to pass this moment up. Who knew if we'd get another?

The Longer the Waiting- Josh Turner/Hello- Evanescence (Between Lost Hero and Son of Neptune.)
Hello, I'm still here,
All that's left of yesterday.

Annabeth
She wasn't exactly sure where she'd ended up this time. Somewhere shady. Quiet. Somewhere in the woods.
After seeing a picture of her and her boyfriend— kissing, like they used to all the time— Annabeth couldn't control herself and had run off crying, again. She tried to be strong, but it never managed to last more than a day or two. It was just too hard and the construction of the Argo II was taking too long.
No, she thought sharply. This isn't you. Percy would not want you to give up.
She found her way to a dock on the rarely-visited end of the canoe lake. Being near the water was like being near him, but obviously, not quite the same. She still found strength from it. "I'm still here, Percy," Annabeth whispered. "But I'm coming. The longer the waiting, the sweeter the kiss right?"
She'd quoted one of his favorite songs, a ridiculously romantic country song which seemed so unlike him. She liked that he always managed to surprise her.
Annabeth left the dock with newfound courage and a strong resolve to find her boyfriend. Then kick his butt for leaving her.

Draw Me a Map- Dierks Bentley (Son of Neptune)

Percy
For, maybe the eleventh time, Percy dreamt about Annabeth that night.
During most of the dream there was just darkness and quiet whispers. Then a dull sort of glow in the distance. As it came closer, Percy noticed it was a pair of eyes, which should have been creepy, but he found it beautiful. It was Annabeth's eyes. She looked like she'd been crying.
"Come back to me…" she whispered, her voice and face fading. Percy tried to reach out to her, touch her, say something, but she was gone.
He woke up in a cold sweat and was momentarily confused about where he was. It took a minute to realize he was at the gas station in Moose Pass, Alaska. He had dozed off when he should have been keeping watch.
Percy sighed and stared up at the stars. "I wish I could come back, Annabeth," he whispered to the sky, knowing his girlfriend couldn't hear him. "I wish I knew how. I wish I had a map to navigate this dang quest. I wish I had a map that could lead me back to you."
With a heavy heart, he resumed his watch, glancing at Hazel and Frank who's heads were now close together in sleep. Just seeing them, thinking of all they'd been through, gave him strength.
"I will find you," he whispered into the darkness.

I Don't Want This Night to End- Luke Bryan (Between Last Olympian and Lost Hero)

Percy
This was probably the happiest I'd been in a while.
Annabeth and I had had an awesome date. It started with dinner at one of the few places within my budget, Pizza Palace, then an action movie because neither of us was willing to sit through a sappy romance. And now, because it was too early to drive her back to her boarding school and end the fun, we were making our way out of the city. Traffic was barely moving, but we didn't care. The windows of Paul's Prius were down, the music was way up, and we were just glad to be together.
"You got your hands up!" Annabeth sang, loudly and off key. "You're rockin' in my truck! You got the radio on, you're singing every song."
"I'm set on cruise control," I sang next, even louder and more off key. "I'm slowly losing hold/of everything I've got. You're looking SO DANG HOT!
Annabeth laughed when I sang that last part directly to her. "You're such a Seaweed Brain."
I elbowed her in the arm. "Hey, it's true, what can I say?"
"Which one is true? The part about you living up to your name or the part about me being hot?"
I blushed. "Both."
We finally made it out of the traffic and headed down toward the beach, which was empty this late at night. We climbed out and Annabeth immediately took off toward the water, kicking off her sandals. The September weather was too good to pass up.
I caught up with her near the water, picking her up from behind and spinning her around. She laughed hysterically and it was like something out of a cheesy movie, but you know what? It was amazing. You should try it sometime.
When I finally put her down, she turned, wrapped her arms around my neck, and kissed me. My reaction was still the same as it had been that first time she'd kissed me, in Mount St. Helens: I was melting.
"I love you," I whispered, which probably surprised both of us, but she smiled.
"I love you, too."