Percy Jackson And The River Star

The Moon Illusion

It was night. I couldn't sleep. I kept looking at the window, but it was too dark too see anything. The moon was shining radiantly in the horizon. I could hear Grover's goat snoring. I kinda missed it. It reminded of our adventure across the United States. It reminded of Annabeth. What was she doing now? This mission was so low profile that we couldn't talk whatsoever. I believed she was planning her way out to talk to us.

"Who is she?" Vitória's sweet voice was next to me as she was accommodating herself in the chair beside me.

How could she ever know I was thinking about a woman? Girls have this ability in reading body language so easily it's scary.

"Her name is Annabeth."

"Hush, don't speak so loud. I'm right here. You don't wanna wake Grover up."

"Sorry." I apologized quietly.

"Annabeth, is she your girlfriend?"

"Oh, no. She's just a friend."

"Ah, I'm glad to hear that."

Vitória didn't apologize for her comment. I thought 16 year-old girls aren't as shy as 13 year-old boys.

"She organized my trip."

"Did she? She must be very smart."

"You have no idea. She can come out with a great solution for any situation."

She gave me a 'I am not so amused' smile. Then I realized that this scenario wasn't meant for a conversation about another girl. Wake up, Percy!

"I never saw the moon this big." I changed topics. "Even the color is different, it's almost orange."

"It's called 'The Moon illusion'. Basically it's an optical illusion in which the moon is apparently bigger on the horizon than up in the sky. I have always been fascinated with it. It's so beautiful, so romantic."

She looked straight into my eyes. I felt my face burning. Thank the Gods it was dark.

"Have you ever seen the moon rise on the beach?"

"No, never."

"It's beautiful, the first time I saw it with my friends we thought it was the sun in the twilight. It was so bright that it was magical. Do you want to see it someday?"

"With you?" She was asking me on a date

"No, with the chupacabra! Of course with you, Menino do Rio!"

I couldn't hold it. I started laughing; she kept looking at me, trying to be the adult one. I saw her holding her smile, pressing her lips hard together until she gave up and started laughing along with me.

"Shut up!" We heard Grover complaining.

The moment he shouted, I noticed Vitória was on top of me. I was holding her. I don't know how this happened. My heart was racing, my throat dried out. Her big black eyes staring at me.

"Yes." She said to me answering the same question I was making to myself: Should I kiss her?

Then, we kissed.

We spent the rest of the night talking about our lives. I told her about my adventures last summer, Half Blood Camp, my new demigod friends, my mom and my dad who I only saw once in my life. She told me about her school, taste in music, and about her dead parents. They died three years ago in a bank robbery, something quite common in Fortaleza. The robbers got nervous and shot people at random. She was the only child and she was going to take her father's place when she reached the age of eighteen. I was trying hard not to melt every time she smiled at me.