The Player's Proposal

11: 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."