Perachel

The End For A Beginning

Rachel grinned wildly as she turned her pad around, in the center she had drawn a large spiraling staircase, with a girl running down them. Percy leaned back in his chair, eyeing the work. He thought for a moment, and after a pause began clapping. 

"Bravo! You amaze me again and again with your artistic abilities, you can paint, sculpt, AND draw." He smiled right back at her. "Like dam you're good."

Rachel laughed a bit. "Yeah but people forget that when I got green mist spewing from my ears!" She walked over and sat by Percy. "But it is fantastic, if I do say so myself."

Percy nodded, playing with the tye-dye sheets. Her whole room was full of handmade art projects, in various stages of completion. Her walls were a whole different matter, covered in photos and drawings and paintings! Rachel just seemed to plan her art on her wall, and leave it there. Even her ceiling had a few paint spatters on the ceiling. Percy knew some pretty artistic people, but Rachel won first prize no doubt. 

Even in her cave back at Camp Half-Blood, she was beginning to paint the walls. Even though he knew better, he secretly thought she did it so she didn't look so much like an old hermit living in a cave almost all year. She was oblivious to his doubts, busy at the moment scrubbing charcoal off her fingers. Percy's smile fell a bit, he remembered on his first day at camp Clarrise La Rue had tried to shove his head down the toilet, and that was mostly it, but Rachel endured endless teasing. She reminded him of Grover at Yancy Academy all those years back, an easy target.

"Hey Rachel, remember when I first met you at the Hoover Dam?" He asked a bit tentative.

"Well duh, Percy Gotta-Go isn't a last name to forget! Also you kinda had a skeleton trying to murder you soooo..." She said like it should be obvious.

He nodded, "What was the first monster you ever saw?"

"Apart from you? Well the first one I remember was actually a pegasus. I saw him fly over Rico's Pizza Parlor. I was like, three and my mother said I was crazy, that it was just an airplane." She shrugged, "Why?"

"I dunno, I just wanted to know I guess. I also like to know what mortals see."

Rachel jumped up, "Can we go to the beach? I want to play volleyball!" 

Percy chuckled, "You're more ADHD than a caffeinated demigod, sure why not? Mind if I invite Annabeth? She loves the beach."

Rachel deflated a bit, "You see her all year long AND go on quests with her, can't it be just us for a day?"

Percy seemed a bit taken back, "Well I didn't say I had to bring her, we can go alone." He stood up and followed her out a door painted like a valley. She grabbed his wrist once they were outside the door, and pulled him along. He smiled and ran with her, she was right, he did spend all year with Annabeth, one day with a friend couldn't be so bad!

Rachel grinned as her bare feet touched the white sand. Then winced and fell. "Owwww!" She crossed her legs and looked at her foot, a red gash running along the ball of it. Percy rushed over and knelt by her. "You ok? That rock looked pretty sharp!" 

Rachel tilted her head, "Oh really?" She said heavily on the 'oh.' She frowned at her foot, "How are we gonna play volleyball now?" 

Percy didn't know why, but she looked so vulnerable right now, her long red hair waving gently in the wind, rosy cheeks burning. Her sky blue tank top was lightly sanded, and her white jeans almost completely spotless, save a few stains. She looked at him with verdant green eyes. "How? You saved the world, save this game..." But her tone was soft as Percy drew closer, and their lips met. She blushed, but didn't pull back, Percy did. 

He wouldn't meet her eyes. "That was... Not right, I'm sorry." He said quietly. 

Rachel took a small breath, "I didn't mind! My foot doesn't hurt all that much again you know..." 

Percy chuckled nervously. "I can get you a tiny piece of ambrosia, might help?" He offered standing up and brushing off the sand on his jeans. "I'll get a swimsuit too, you know, for swimming." He said sheepishly. 

Rachel smiled and watched him walk away. "Soon enough, he'll be my boyfriend!" She said giddily.