This Dark Night ― Percy Jackson & Annabeth Chase¹

―i. the beginning of the end

"YOU HAVE TO TRUST ME."

"I do trust you," Naomi said. "That doesn't make this any less terrifying."

"Nay, you've faced Titans, monsters, and Drew when she's out of Tollhouse cookies," Percy said. "This is nothing."

Naomi sighed. "Fine," she grumbled. "But if I get hurt, I'm siccing Annabeth on you."

"Fair enough," he conceded. "Now get on the board."

Naomi warily put one foot on Percy's skateboard, the other still firmly planted on the asphalt. Slowly, she brought her other foot onto the board, and tried to stay balanced—which was not an easy task.

It was a hot August day, which is what Naomi blamed her warm face on—not the fact that Percy's hands were on her waist to keep her steady as she wobbled on his skateboard.

Yeah, that definitely had nothing to do with it.

"Once you can keep your balance, it's a breeze," Percy told her. "Of course, for normal people that's easy, but for someone as clumsy as you, it might take some practice."

Naomi scowled lightly. "I'm not that clumsy."

"You've almost beheaded Nico, like, three times," Percy countered.

"He keeps sneaking up on me!" Naomi protested. "He's like a mouse, I never hear him coming!"

"I'm just saying!" he said with a laugh. "Now, come on, I'm not letting you leave until you can get five feet without wiping out."

"Shouldn't I be wearing a helmet?" Naomi asked. "And elbow pads, and knee pads, and whatever else skaters wear to keep from getting road-rash or... skatepark-rash?"

"Only lame people wear that stuff," Percy said.

"That's like saying only lame heroes wear armor," Naomi shot back. "That's a dangerous precedent to set."

Percy rolled his eyes. "It's five feet. You'll be fine."

"Famous last words," she muttered.

"Okay, I'm gonna let go, and you're going to push yourself forward, just like I showed you," Percy said.

Naomi almost told him not to let go, but she'd never live that down. Instead, she nodded nervously.

Percy let go of her waist, and she adjusted carefully on the board. She pushed off of the ground and quickly replaced her foot on the board. The skateboard coasted forward at a snail's pace.

Then some eight-year-old decided to be a little shit and do a kickflip right in front of her, and Naomi panicked.

She was on the ground in about a second flat.

Percy looked like he was trying really hard not to laugh as he ran over to her. "Are you okay?"

Naomi grumbled a few choice words under her breath, glaring at her now scraped knee. "I haven't skinned my knee since fourth grade!"

"There goes your record," Percy snickered. "But I think you got a new one—I don't think I've ever seen anyone wipe out that quickly."

Naomi glared at him. "You're kind of an asshole, you know that?"

Percy laughed, offering his hands to help her up. Either he overestimated her weight or underestimated his strength, because he ended up pulling her up harder than he'd probably meant, resulting in Naomi stumbling into his chest.

(She wasn't sure she could blame the heat for this blush.)

"Sorry," she said.

Percy laughed, but there was a nervous tone to it. "No harm done."