The Trampoline

Annabeth POV

Thanksgiving was boring. My dad didn't come home, which wasn't much of a surprise. I simply shook off the sadness and moved on.

The highlights of my break were playing Mythomagic with my brothers. They loved the game, but they weren't very strategic. Needless to say, I demolished them in every round using a Hades power card followed by an Athena strategy boost.

In my opinion, the Hades cards were the most effective in battle. Is that weird?

Cyber Monday was the last day of break, and I was planning on having a light day. I was going to read and watch movies all day.

However, Percy had other ideas in mind.

"Where are we going this time? You could announce yourself before picking me up. It's weird to have Helen force me to go with you," I rambled.

"If I announced myself, you wouldn't have come with me," Percy responded with his hands on the steering wheel.

His fingers were lightly drumming the wheel to the beat of the music. The pop radio station was playing Harry Styles (Watermelon Sugar) at the moment.

Percy looked good today. He looked fresher and happier than usual. It made me wonder if he broke our proposal during the break. I felt happy and sad at the prospect of him losing the proposal. Strange.

"Are you still in this deal?" I asked firmly.

"Of course. I wouldn't give up a night with you that easily," Percy countered. "Besides, I'm already planning out the night. We're going to start in a pool and make our way into a bed ."

"You're not going to win. Also, WHAT?"

Percy started driving again after the light turned green. Percy smirked as his hand brushed his rough hair. He didn't comb it like last time. I resisted the urge to reach forward and comb his hair for him. Or, at least, try to comb it.

"Don't be so innocent, Wise Girl. Pool sex is the best. Underwater kisses and slower movements due to a fluid medium create for an awesome experience," Percy explained.

"Shut up, Seaweed Brain," I exclaimed.

Percy raised his eyebrows while turning to me. The nickname just slipped out. However, the nickname matched him well. He was a total idiot who acted like his head is full of seaweed. Furthermore, I noticed that he loved all things related to water.

Yup, the nickname is sticking around.

"So, where are you taking me?" I asked. It was frustrating that he wasn't telling me. I hate surprises even though last time was a good experience.

"On our last date, I took you somewhere that you'd enjoy. This time, I'm taking you to a place that I enjoy," Percy responded.

"And, where is that?"

"It's right in front of you. Welcome to Mr. D's trampoline park."

Percy pulled into the parking lot of a large building. The lot was bustling with cars and people. Everyone seemed excited.

Now, it made sense that we were casually dressed. Percy was wearing a hoodie and gray sweat pants. I was in black tights and a red sweater.

It was a little chilly outside, so we were dressed for it. However, I had a feeling that our upper layer would come off once we were inside.

"Ugh, we're gonna get hot and sweaty, aren't we?" I asked innocently.

Percy smirked before shooting me a wink. "You said it, not me. However, if you wanna get hot and sweaty, I'm down."

I rolled my eyes at his innuendo. Regardless, I was smiling while getting out of the car. As I said, Percy always managed to make me smile.

He had a beaten-down blue Toyota, but it still worked well. He told me that he's saving for a new car. However, something told me that Percy didn't have a lot of money.

Percy and I rushed into Mr. D's trampoline park.

Despite my protest, Percy brought the tickets for us. There was no denying that Percy was a gentleman.

The giant warehouse was full of various trampolines. There was a free bounce area, a dodgeball region, an obstacle course, a basketball court, and a few arcade games. People of all ages were bouncing and having a good time.

"You would like something like this, Seaweed Brain," I smiled.

"Come on, Wise Girl, let's go bounce," Percy exclaimed. He quickly took his shoes off and shoved them into a locker. I did the same before following him to the dodgeball court.

We were playing with strangers, and it was girls against boys. Much to my delight, the girls won 3 out of 5 games.

"I let you win, Wise Girl. After all, I am the greatest dodgeball player the world has ever seen," Percy laughed.

I grabbed a dodgeball and threw it at his head. The surprising impact knocked him down onto the trampoline. I laughed light-heartedly while standing over him.

"Yeah, Seaweed Brain, you're totally the best at dodgeball," I said sarcastically.

Percy pouted while laying on the trampoline. However, he was blocking the way for a new game to start.

I held out my hand to him.

"You are such an idiot sometimes." I smiled. "Come on. Take my hand."

Percy's sea-green eyes sparkled while he grabbed my hand. His hand felt perfect in mine, and warmth spread through my body. It was a surprising yet soothing effect. Once he stood up, I was mesmerized by the light in his eyes. There was complexity, but there was also joy and satisfaction.

"You're doing it again," I whispered. "That thing with your eyes."

Percy rolled his eyes, but his grip tightened around my fingers. He pulled me towards the free bounce area.

I'm not sure how long we held hands as we bounced.

Eventually, I let go of his hand, which immediately felt weird. The sensation of his warmth was comforting; it felt like I was protected. We started a flipping challenge. It was much easier to do front flips and backflips on a trampoline.

However, that didn't stop Percy from falling on his face a few times.

I was in the middle of a backflip when I lost my balance. I yelped as my leg twisted causing me to lose my balance.

"Wise Girl," Percy shouted as he bounced towards me.

My body collided with his firm physique. Strong arms wrapped around my waist as we fell onto the trampoline. I landed on top of him.

Percy groaned as his face contorted in pain. Then, his eyes locked onto mine. Our faces were only a few inches apart. Our breaths were mixing between us. Even though there were dozens of other people around us, we were in our own world.

"I'm sorry. I lost my balance," I said frantically. I was aware of the position that we were in. I could feel his abs contracting slowly against my stomach.

I tried getting up, but his hold on me was strong.

"Don't move," Percy whispered.

His eyes closed as he took a deep breath. My hair was falling to the side of his face as I watched him. Then, his sparking sea-green eyes opened again.

"I'm all right. Your elbow just jabbed into my stomach during the fall, but I'm okay," Percy replied. It sounded like a lie, but I wasn't sure. We slowly got up.

We decided that it was time for a break.

Percy and I walked towards the small cafe next to the trampolines. It was a fast-food diner with pizzas, burgers, and fries.

"We're splitting the meal, Seaweed Brain," I commanded.

"Wise Girl, you're not letting me be a gentleman," Percy whined.

I didn't care though.

First of all, we weren't dating. At most, we were friends, so he shouldn't be paying for me. Secondly, equality is important in any relationship. You can't expect the guy to pay for every meal just because he is a man. That makes no sense. Plus, it unconsciously establishes a power gradient.

Also, what about non-heterosexual couples? The new norms become stigmatized by following an old monetary tradition. I don't appreciate the stereotype, but that's just my opinion.

Once we got our pizza and fries, I decided to get some questions answered.

"Why do you like this place so much? I can see the childlike happiness on your face when you're bouncing on the trampoline."

"Hey, you're having fun too," Percy expressed. Of course, he was right. "Anyway, I volunteer at the pediatric hospital, and the kids like trampolines. I bring them to Mr. D's trampoline park every now and then."

"Oh, that's nice. I had no idea that you're a medical volunteer."

"Yeah, I volunteer on Sundays at Mercy Hospital. It's not a big deal," Percy explained.

Of course, Percy was the type to downplay his good deeds. Regardless, the hobby came as a surprise. I wouldn't expect the playboy of Goode High to be into service.

"Do the others know?" I asked. "I haven't known you for that long, but I'm talking about your friends."

"Yeah, of course. Grover, Juniper, and Jason are aware. Piper even joins me on blood drives around the city. She volunteers for the Red Cross."

Yeah, I knew that Piper serves at the Red Cross. Piper was special that way. She had all the money in the world, but she didn't care about that. She wanted to help people, and she did so with her voice and communication skills.

However, she never mentioned that Percy volunteered with her.

"Anyway, I'm gonna say that this date was a success," Percy expressed. He smiled while patting himself on the back.

"Not a date," I replied even though I was smiling.

I did have a fun time. I had gone on several dates before, considering I've had boyfriends in the past. Luke is the most significant one. However, my past dates didn't quite measure to the experience I had with Percy.

Seaweed Brain thinks outside of the box. Also, he thinks about what I will enjoy. He genuinely pondered my interests and what I would deem as fun. I appreciated that.

It almost made me forget that he was a player. Almost.

***

"Hey, Sparky, I thought that you'd be on a date," I acknowledged with a smirk.

"Sparky, really?" Jason sighed. "Unfortunately, Piper was busy because her dad came back from a shoot. She wanted to maximize the amount of time that she spent with him."

"Makes sense," I replied softly.

Even Piper's uber-busy dad managed to spend time with his daughter. I didn't know why my dad couldn't do the same. I was a little jealous.

I had come to Thalia's for a sleepover. We usually had a sleepover every few months, and we spend time together on Thanksgiving. Since we didn't talk much during the break, I decided to come over before school started again tomorrow.

We were waiting for Thalia to come down so that we could start a movie.

"Jason, I want you to be honest with me. Do you think that Percy will pass this deal? I'm realizing that he's an all-right guy, but I don't want to sleep with him," I expressed.

"Percy is one of my best friends. I can't say for sure if he'll uphold his proposal to you. However, I can say that Percy is passionate. If he sets his mind to something, he'll do it no matter how difficult the task may be," Jason explained.

It wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear.

"Why is he a player in the first place? Also, why is he sick/absent so often?" I asked curiously. I felt comfortable around Jason. Open conversations were easy with him.

"For your first question, your guess is as good as mine. I don't know," Jason paused. "As for your second question, I guess I never realized, but he is absent a lot."

"That's what I'm saying," I exclaimed.

That was the moment when Thalia walked in. "Annie, why do you care so much about him anyway? He doesn't even deserve your interest."

Jason glared at his sister.

"I'm sorry, but I have to look after my best friend."

I sighed. I appreciate Thalia so much. She was my best friend, but she was also like an older sister. I love her so much.

The movie started soon after that. Fortunately, the comedy movie lifted our spirits. Percy Jackson may be a mystery, but I decided to stop pondering him at the moment.

My bigger concern was about winning this proposal.

Percy may be the most complex boy in the world, but I didn't care. I don't want to lose this deal, and I don't want to spend a night with him because of a contract.