Piper and I went surfing for a couple hours before dinner, and the Stolls started another water fight on the beach while we were out there, thankfully leaving us alone this time. After that, I went to see Blackjack.

I knew immediately when Annabeth got back, because Blackjack's ears pricked up and he looked out the door of the barn curiously. Then I heard loud chattering from farther off.

She was talking to Will when I found her, holding a sheaf of notes on gods only knew what. He shook his head, but she made an insistent gesture and he took it from her with a sigh and a nod.

"Hey Wise Girl."

She turned to me and smiled. "Hi, Seaweed Brain."

"Have fun up on Olympus?" I asked as I kissed her cheek quickly.

"It was interesting. I was doing research."

"Oh I'm sure. On what?" I laced my fingers with hers and we began to walk down to the beach.

"Magical remedies for a snapped spine." Annabeth shrugged. "I didn't find much, but I gave what I did find to Will so he could look over it."

"Trying to help Luke?"

"Mhm." She nodded quickly. "He hates being in that wheelchair. It's so big and bulky, he can't get away with stuff he used to be able to."

We reached the beach and trodded through the soft sand. At the water's edge, I squeezed Annabeth's hand to let her know we could go, then we walked out into the water.

It didn't give underneath us, which was my intention, and Annabeth grinned happily, leading me towards a large, jutting rock a little way off from the beach.

"We have to have a picnic out here one day." I told her as we climbed up onto the rock. It was slippery for a moment, then I dried the top and there were no more problems.

"That would be amazing." She sighed, sitting crosslegged and looking out at Long Island Sound. I sat next to her and put an arm around her.

"Best do it soon, before the gods find something else to get us involved in." I joked softly.

"They can't rely on us forever. Eventually we'll be out of camp.... Hopefully." Annabeth said, resting her head on my shoulder.

I knew what she was thinking. Demigods don't survive long outside camps. If we ever left camp, it was highly unlikely we would be able to be out there for more than a couple hours before experiencing difficulties, especially with my scent.

"We'll figure it out." I told her, smiling and hugging her gently. A couple fish circled the rock curiously and I sent them away to do something for me.

Annabeth smiled and leaned into my touch. "I know, Seaweed Brain."

We stared quietly out at the water for a while. Annabeth's rhythmic breathing against my side was really the only movement I noticed. Everything was perfect.

"I'm hungry." Annabeth said suddenly.

I laughed. "All day on Olympus with nothing to eat? I'm not surprised. C'mon, let's go find the Stolls. They've always got food."

Annabeth nodded and I stood, offering her my hand to help her up. We walked back to camp over the water and headed in the direction of the Hermes cabin.

The Stolls weren't there, but Luke was, sitting on his bed and reading a book.

"Luke!" Annabeth grinned and plopped down next to him, curls bouncing. "I've got to tell you what I found today! No cures yet, but there was this book about magical remedies that might be able to help...."

I smiled softly as she kept talking. Sometimes it seemed like her mouth moved a hundred miles a minute. I couldn't keep up with her.

Luke, however, seemed to be having no problem. He nodded, listening to her intently. He was just as focused as she was.

I kissed Annabeth's head, interrupting her gently. "I'm gonna go call my mom, okay Wise Girl."

"Okay! Say hi to her for me!" And then she was back on track talking to Luke. I chuckled and left the building, heading for my own cabin.

"Hey, Jackson!"

I turned. "What's up, Clarisse?"

"We're starting a volleyball game in a half an hour. Wanna play?" She grinned at me. "It's been a while since I've kicked your butt."

I smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Who said you were going to be doing the butt-kicking?"

"So you're in?"

"Yeah, I've just got to IM my mom first. I'll be there soon."

Clarisse nodded and ran off, probably to find the Stolls. They were great at volleyball.

I continued on towards my cabin, responding to greetings and waves from other campers.

Despite the fact that Annabeth had been gone for a decent part of the day, today wasn't bad at all.

Wonder what I did to deserve that.

[A/N
So.... Uh..... It's been a while.
Like, 7 months.
Sorry.
I have some (fairly lame) excuses.
School. Theatre. Traveling Choir.
I've also kind of lost interest in Percy Jackson.....
That's not to say that I'm abandoning these stories, I'm going to do my dead level best not to do that.
Just, updates might be few and far between for a while. Bear with me?
Thanks for understanding.]