Penny for a Dance? (Riley)

[Annabeth Chase]

Annabeth wasn’t really sure what she was doing here. It had been, what, a couple months maybe since Percy had dumped her and she, in turn, had gladly dumped him. Right into the lake. That had been the only triumphant thing about it all. But she was pushing that behind her. After all, it had only been two years of her life wasted on that water logged idiot. Okay, so maybe she was still bitter. But she had to come tonight. When one of her younger sisters had begged her to come so she wouldn’t have to go alone, she couldn’t just say no. Clara was too sweet to do that to. Though didn’t it just figure that within ten minutes of getting there, Clara spotted someone to dance with. And considering Annabeth was not in the mood to go hunting for someone herself, she was left on her own. At least there wasn’t a lack of things to watch. People watching could be interesting at times. Though couples watching was a tad annoying. Either way, she positioned herself next to the ice sculpture her cabin had collectively made (she could honestly say she did not expect herself to be any good with an ice chisel but Athena gave strange abilities to her kids sometimes) and simply looked around.

It felt weird to be in a dress, but that was yet another thing Clara had coaxed her into. Curse that girl. Now Annabeth just felt like a fool. Then again, wearing camp gear probably would have made her look more like a fool. But all the same, that tent opening was so inviting, open to the fireworks beach and, by the looks of it, almost guaranteed solitude. It was so, so tempting. But at the same time, there was one face that she sort of hoped she might find here. Well, and the rest of him too. Riley, had been his name. And she thanked Athena’s blessing of decent memory on that one. Then again, he wasn’t one easily forgotten. Even if they hadn’t talked for long. Didn’t it just figure that training had cut abruptly into that situation? But all in all, he had seemed really nice and fun and, yes, charming. Was it bad that she was looking for him here? No. No, she was single now. That was totally allowed.

Unfortunately, there were too many people here to see much all that well. If she remembered back to her younger days here, it had been much the same at her first camp dance. She had been ten. The whole thing had seemed so magical then, and the incident with Chiron had been hilarious. But probably mostly because she’d been so young and still so used to the unpleasantness of her old home. Camp was still a new and exciting thing and getting to dress up had been fun. Though she did remember it was crowded. It seemed it was a natural Greek thing to go a bit overboard when given the chance to, and enthusiasm was hardly in short supply here.

Wait, was that him? And not that far away either. She couldn’t help the smile that came to her face as she walked over and hoped that she didn’t seem like a stalker or something. Though in her defense, it had been a while since they talked. Hardly stalking material there. And thankfully he wasn’t entrenched in conversation at the moment. She came up beside him. “Hey, Riley.” How here was to hoping on that not seeming like a stalker thing.

Tag: the magnificent Riley!
Word Count: 595
Notes: yay, back in business!

[Riley O'Shea]

Riley had never once before been to a camp dance. Then again he hadn't been at said camp for too long anyhow..In fact, he didn't think there had been one dance held in the few weeks that he had spent there. Which was acceptable to him because at least it meant that they weren't entirely dance-obsessed. Something which had irritated him about his school in Ireland for the simple fact that he didn't often like the dances. The lighting was rather obnoxious and extreme, the music played was always along the lines sounding like a cable car accident, and the girls were....tasteless, for the most part. Of course he didn't feel he had a right to judge these ones right off the bat, given that the majority of them actually looked classy and quite impeccable in their evening wear, but he was still a tad bit skeptical. Why wouldn't he be? Girls would be girls..Though on the other hand, one could also say that boys would be boys-and he'd accept that just as easily for he knew how disappointing they were considered to be when it came to formal events. They didn't gel their hair, they didn't pick the right corsage color, they didn't use the right adjective when describing their date...All of those little details that girls found absolutely important and necessary to well, life, if they were being honest.

He could understand though, he supposed. If only because his mother had single-handedly raised him to. And possibly also because his father, Eros, had passed on some unique knowledge with the opposite sex merely through blood. Either way though, he knew to gel his hair. Though he didn't-because it was greasy and sticky and all around no good. Plus he was rather certain that with his hair spiked or slicked back, he would look like a positive...what was the term....doofus? He wasn't quite sure. As for the corsage and the proper compliment terminology, well that he didn't have to fret about, seeing as he didn't have a date. One or two girls had asked him about the dance, hinting that they might enjoy going with him, but honestly he had politely declined those offers with a small red blush and some smooth, polite talk. Riley simply didn't see the point in needing the date if he wasn't even sure he was going to stay long. Then of course there was the small fact that he practically knew no one. Well of course he didn't know no one. But he knew very few, and those he did know were really just mere acquaintances at the moment-so he didn't feel the need to invite one of those acquaintances to the dance just so they could make awkward small talk.

So arriving stag, in a mere black suit with a complimentary red tie (he figured his father would approve since red was always associated with love and Valentine's Day and such), Riley hung back in the crowd. He did end up dancing with at least two girls though they had just as easily dismissed him with a giggle after the dance was through. Not that he minded, no, in fact, it was probably better this way. And he was even more confident in that thought as he was approached by another lone feminine figure as he was relaxing just off to the side of the dance. A figure which he actually was rather delighted to see, compared to how he felt seeing any other girl approach him at the moment. The lovely miss Chase if he remembered correctly. Yes, she had been quite the intriguing young lady..even more so now as she looked positively alluring in her dress. "Hello there, Miss Chase,

[/color]" He managed an easy crooked grin as he bowed slightly in her presence. "I see you're not carrying a copy of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea this time. Spicing it up a bit, are we?[/color]"



tag ,, anna<3
word count ,, 661
notes ,, we're back, baby!

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[Annabeth Chase]

Annabeth was admittedly not the most versed in manners of dances. In fact, if she remembered correctly, she had never danced in her life. Sure there was the turn on the radio and move randomly to whatever happened to be on, which she would admit that she had done on one or two occasions (especially during long studying times, since breaks were needed for sanity). But that wasn’t like dancing with a partner in a formal setting. That was way out of her comfort zone. She didn’t like to acknowledge that anything was out of her comfort zone, but there were a few things even she couldn’t ignore. Dancing was one of them. She just hoped that all the work in swordplay offered a little bit of help on the dance floor too. Fighting was like dancing, after all, right? She thought back to the time her dad had taken her and her brothers to some event for one of the historical societies he belonged to the past fall. The group had thought it would be fun to theme it after the 40’s and play nothing but big band music. Which she had to say, she was luckily a fan of because there was no getting away from it. And her dad had insisted on trying to teach her and her step-brothers how to dance. Which was hilarious really because he had two left feet. Ah, to be a bystander at that event! But all the same, it had been fun bonding time with her dad.

However, that about summed up her experience with dances. So maybe it was a good thing that she hadn’t touched the dance floor so far. Somehow, she thought that the music selection here just didn’t seem to fit swing dancing. Oh well. However, upon spotting Riley, she realized she wouldn’t really mind getting a dance in, which in afterthought sounded a little girly. She thought back to her first encounter with Riley... oh, what was his last name again? Something markedly Irish, which made sense. Anyhow, that aside. She’d been reading at the time, in the dining pavilion. That was right, he’d talked about how he hadn’t known much about camp, which she felt a pang of guilt at having gotten herself too busy since then to show him around of help out as she’d promised. She’d have to fix that. And somehow their talk had gotten to poetry before their time ran out. Poe. Yes, he liked Poe. She breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn’t forgotten everything. That would be rather embarrassing. So at least she had somewhere to talk in randomly approaching him here.

“Miss Chase? That’s not necessary. You can just call me Annabeth. After all, we’re friends. Formal occasion or not.” A smile and a bow. Yep, now she definitely remembered that flirty charm of his. But not all flirty, after all he did seem to be a gentleman as well. Though she wasn’t sure if it was expected for her to curtsey or something. Seeing as she had no idea the proper way to do that, she decided against it. “Yeah, no book this time. Which is unusual for me, but I figured it would be a bit weird here,” she said with a smile. Spicing it up? She couldn’t help but laugh a bit at that. She was the last person around here to spice anything up usually. At least, not that she was aware of. “How about you? Not still surviving off of candy and cereal, are you? I hope you have been making a few regular meals? Sorry I haven’t shown you around or anything. But the offer is still open if you like. I mean, later maybe. Don’t want to interrupt your time here at the dance. Speaking of which, don’t tell me someone like you, and I mean that in a good way, is here alone?”

Tag: Riley! <3
Word Count: 654
Notes: sorry, forgot to add, probably wearing something like this minus the handbag

[Riley O'Shea]

"Right, sorry,

[/color]" Riley apologized, the smile that shaped his lips a bit bashful. His mum had always told him that being a gentleman was key but he realized that these days, and especially in America, calling a fellow camper by the title of 'Miss' or 'Mister' and their last name made him a bit odd. Granted a few of those Aphrodite girls had found it simply 'darling' but he received a number of funny looks from descendants of other gods. At least he knew better than to call guys his age and younger 'Mister' anything (just the elders deserved the title acknowledgement)-he'd learned long ago that it would turn him into the perfect victim for mockery. Even the kids in Dublin could be a touch mean with bullying back when he was a kid. Though that was true anywhere. Ah well, it had taught him to stick up for himself at least. However, more often than not, his older brothers had been there to fight his battles for him as well. Handy, and it made for the rule that the O'Shea brothers weren't ones to start trouble with. Not that anyone typically found themselves arguing the boys-no, for the most part, they were pretty close to being liked by all.

"Friends already then, Annabeth? You're awfully presumptuous, aren't you?[/color]" He cracked a smile in amusement, very clearly joking with the girl. He would hardly deny her the title of 'friend' when she would evidently make a very good one. Amicable. Intelligent. Humorous. All things that he could appreciate in a friend. And admittedly-he could add cute to her list of qualifications. Not a requirement obviously, but it certainly had him keeping a charming wit about him (more so than usual). "Fair enough. I suppose dances don't exactly promote quiet reading time.[/color]" He shrugged his shoulders. Of course there was probably a reason for that. Dances tended to highlight movement, activity, and noise. None of which were helpful when a person was trying to read. Personally he could get past the noise if he just holed himself up in a corner of the dance with Unbroken but he didn't entirely want to be that person, and he doubted Annabeth did either. No, that person always developed a reputation for being antisocial and decidedly boring.

Chuckling, the Irish boy rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly. "I'm still partial to Sour Patch Kids and cereal, but I've started helping myself to some more substantial meals.[/color]" He assured her with a nod. He had even lessened the amount of times he went wandering into the city to try new cuisine, but perhaps that was because it was getting a tad bit lonely eating by himself. To be fair to the New Yorkers though, sometimes one or two other lonely souls would join him at the bar or at those burger/chinese/mongolian/whatever-the-hell-they-were joints. "And I think I've pretty much managed finding my own way around at this point, but you know I could always use a tour. Just in case I missed something.[/color]" Or just in case he was fishing to spend a little more time with Annabeth Chase. The wink that accompanied his suggestion made have made it obvious to her that it was the latter.

Looking thoroughly amused, Riley shook his head, confirming that he had, indeed, attended the dance solo. "I, ah, had an invite or two, but nothing offered that I couldn't exactly live without.[/color]" He was hoping that she might understand he was indicating that his prospective dates had been lacking personality more than anything else. "What about you? Word around this place is that you should have had at least two offers..possibly more with you looking as radiant as you do now.[/color]"



tag ,, anna
word count ,, 629
notes ,, that's such a pretty dress!!

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[Annabeth Chase]

Annabeth hurried to correct herself. “I mean, if you want to. Just saying that you don’t need to feel formal or anything and… you know, don’t feel obligated.” wow, why couldn’t she talk normal? She gave him an apologetic look. But had to laugh at his question. “Presumptuous? Well, I prefer the term optimistic, I suppose you would say.” From her tone, it was obvious she was joking just as much. It was nice to have light conversation like this. “But yes, most definitely friends. At least, that’s how I see you. I assume I’m not the rank of a minotaur in your mind at least.” That would be a rather disappointing revelation after all.

She smirked a little. “Not particularly. Then again, it doesn’t hurt to take a break from reading every once in a while. Besides training.” Not to get her wrong. Training had its upside to be sure. Especially as a daughter of the goddess of battle strategy, she did enjoy a good fight and opportunity to outwit an opponent. But that shouldn’t be everything. And she had a feeling Riley wasn’t the sort to be all gung-ho about fighting though. He seemed much too gentle and nice for that. Which was good too, definitely.

It struck her as sort of really cute how he could be all awkward out of the blue. Why such a question would cause that, she wasn’t sure, but she went along with it anyhow. “Well, that is good. I mean, nothing wrong with candy and cereal. They’re all well and good, just you know, you need a bit better meals than just that. Especially with the training expectations here. Chiron would have your neck if he knew that was all you were eating. So I’m glad you’re getting in with the camp more now. Sorry, I don’t remember if you said before, but that can’t have been all you were eating before? I mean, can a person even get by healthily on that?” she asked curiously. Sour Patch Kids and cereal were fine maybe once a day, but every meal? She smiled at his obvious invite to help him out, so to speak. “Well then, I think I can most certainly find some time to make sure you didn’t miss any of the highlights.” That was one jobs he would be completely okay with. If it could even be called a job.

She gave him a jokingly disbelieving look. “Well, that is sad. But I can understand. There are a few less savory people here. If it wasn’t too late, I’d extend my own invite for you.” Which she had to admit, she really was hoping she wasn’t blushing at saying so. Which all hopes of that went out the window at his compliment. Or at least, almost. “Word around this place? I’m almost scared to ask what sort of word that might be. No, I didn’t get any. I just came with one of my sisters so she wouldn’t be alone either, but she seems to have found someone else to hang out with. Hence why I’m here. Not that I wouldn’t want to talk to you otherwise. But thank you. For the compliment, I mean. You do look rather handsome yourself. I pity the girls who got rejected before.”

Tag: Riley
Word Count: 550
Notes: horribly short, but was pressed for time and muse died out.

[Riley O'Shea]

Shaking his head in amusement, Riley offered the girl a small, darling smile. His specialty. "I would be absolutely honored to call you Annabeth,

[/color]" The demigod assured her, the name rolling off his tongue in a smooth manner. It was funny because he had often gotten compliments on his smooth, suave voice, but this time, he was certain it was purely the word he was saying that was so delicately alluring. Observing his classical shoes for a mere moment, Riley worked up the nerve to ask her what probably seemed like a small favor. Though he wasn't entirely sure. Were nicknames too informal for their circumstances now? He supposed he could find out. After all, he was confident enough that he could shrug off a rejection if it happened. Smooth talker, remember? "While you're allowing me that privilege...can I take it one step further and call you Anna?[/color]" He cocked his head to the side, liking the way the nickname sounded even more.

"Optimistic? Fair enough,[/color]" He grinned enthusiastically, nodding his head like he could confirm that they were, in fact, friends. At least for the moment. As he could very well admit that he found this Annabeth girl to be charming, in a different way than she probably assumed she was. "Certainly not that bad.[/color]" Riley chuckled, winking at the girl to indicate that she was much, much better than that, to him.

Personally he wasn't as much a fan of training as everyone else, but he wouldn't admit that. It seemed only the Apollo kids were really excused from disliking training, as they had another useful talent: healing. Whereas Riley, he had to keep on training to be useful. He could get just as nasty and clever as everyone else around him during the heat of a battle (or even just training), he just typically didn't like to. His mother had been a descendant of Ares, so of course he was skilled in the area..But then again, his own father was so withdrawn from violence that the two almost balanced Riley out to a point where he was at a stand still with battle. He didn't necessarily like it, but he was still pretty damn good at it.

"Well I don't know about being healthy with them..but you definitely can get by at least.[/color]" The Irishman informed her helpfully. At least a person could survive for a small time. He wasn't sure about anything longer than a couple of months, and he wasn't about to do a research project on it. "But yes, actually. I was going into the city for dinner. Still do, sometimes.[/color]" Riley nodded slightly, a small smirk curling his lips upward as a thought came to him. "You know, while you're finding time to show me around..maybe you could also clear up your schedule one night so that you could maybe keep me company for dinner in the city? I hear this Red Lobster place makes delicious biscuits...[/color]" Plus what was the point in going alone when he could have much better company than just himself?

So she didn't have a date? Or at least not a reliable one. And not one of the male variety either. Well that did please him a little bit, as it meant that perhaps it wasn't too late to spend the dance with better company. "Late or not, I'll still accept that invite, love. Well that is, if you're willing to accept an offer for a dance from the poor old Irishman?[/color]" He winked, holding out a polite hand for the younger girl.



tag ,, anna
word count ,, 599
notes ,, cuuuuute.

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[Annabeth Chase]

He really did have that cute smile down pat, didn’t he? To say he was a charmer was putting it lightly. But that was fine by Annabeth. She sort of liked how he said her name too. Maybe it was the accent. Yes, the accent was definitely growing on her. When he asked her about the nickname, she paused though. She’d never let anyone call her that, well, except Luke, and he’d known her since she was eight, so she didn’t really count that. He was basically family. But anyone else, no. Not even Percy had gotten that. And it was that thought that made up her mind. “Yeah, of course you can. Call me whatever you want. Unless it’s an insult, deal?” she said with a laugh. It was time for a change anyway. Well, at least when it came to Riley. Everyone else was still on a strict no nicknames rule. “While we’re on the topic, is there anything you prefer to go by?”

She smiled at his acceptance of her viewpoint. “Then we’ll go with that, shall we?” Being friends with Riley definitely sounded good by her. At least friends. If nothing else. Not that she was shooting for anything else. Maybe. Sort of. Who could blame her though? He was funny, good-looking, and really nice. Any girl with half a brain would like him. And she liked to think at least half her brain was functioning, so ergo it fit. “Well, glad we’re even then. Because you’re certainly pretty high above a minotaur too, if you ask me.”

The mention of training made her think about her own habits. She and her siblings were an odd bunch around here. Usually people liked training, like the Ares kids, or they liked other stuff, like, say, Apollo’s kids. Not usually both. But since Athena was the goddess of both the useful crafts and battle strategy, her kids tended to have some odd hobbies. Like trying to beat each other at Risk in weekly tournaments, or design the better whatever the challenge for the time was, or simply sit around and do odd crafts together. It was just the other day that she herself had spent some quality time with one of her brothers when they found an old loom in the big house and jointly repaired it and got to work on a new tapestry for absolutely no reason other than to do it.

Healthy with sour patch kids and cereal. Yeah, probably not. She smiled and shook her head at the idea of him ‘getting by’ on such a diet. Not the best idea, but if that was his thing. Though when he clarified the real meals part, she had to give him some serious credit. A demigod in a new country, wandering out into ta city like New York on his own. That was not an easy accomplishment. “Well then, I guess I can’t argue there. As long as Mr. D doesn’t find out. I don’t think he’d be too happy with people randomly sneaking out. Not that it doesn’t happen. Just be careful not to be turned into a dolphin or something. It’s happened before.” Which had actually been rather funny at the time because it was a pretty annoying kid who got the punishment and everyone was almost – emphasis on almost – rooting for Mr. D in that encounter. The idea of sneaking out with him, though, did seem to make the risk sound a lot better. “Well, then, I think I do have a night or two free to join you for dinner. That sounds like a great idea. I haven’t been to Red Lobster in years, but from what I remember of it, they have really good food. And can’t beat the company.”

She sincerely hoped she wasn’t blushing when he accepted her invite. Clara would just have to deal with it if she didn’t like being ditched herself. “Well, then, sounds like you have yourself a date. I think I can do a dance. I’ll warn you, though, I don’t know how good I am at it. So sorry in advance on that one.” How hard could it be though. Looking around, it just seemed like people swaying basically. With a smile, she took his hand. “Lead the way then.”

Tag: Riley
Word Count: 718
Notes: I so love these two

[Riley O'Shea]

Chuckling, Riley shook his head just slightly in amusement. He was pleased to find that he was allowed the privilege of being creative when it came to what he called her. Okay, so perhaps 'Anna' wasn't entirely original but her tone led him to believe that not many other people were permitted to refer to her as that-or anything else besides Annabeth. Fortunately for the girl, Riley's ego wasn't so easily inflated that this privilege went to his head..though he would admit that a smile did cross his lips at the thought that he was perhaps considered special to her. Yes, he rather liked that idea, he decided. "Fair enough..Hopefully though you don't think beautiful is an insult as I do intend on calling you that.

[/color]" He winked somewhat flirtatiously, that small streak of being Eros' son obviously showing through in that moment. While he may have been a typically charming gentleman, he could occasionally slide in an outright flirtatious comment without an irritated reaction from the other party. "Riley, for me, is just fine. Some people here seem to call me 'Irish' though...[/color]" The boy trailed off, looking almost cutely befuddled by the nickname. He understood the concept but he didn't go around calling all of these demigods 'American' as their official title. "Either works, I suppose.[/color]"

"Well thank you, I would really hope so.[/color]" While he knew the occasional person didn't enjoy him, he couldn't imagine himself outright being compared to a monster. Though he did know, for fact, that some of the boys around here certainly detested him. Something about him distracting the Aphrodite girls or being 'too nice' to their girlfriends for his own good. Unreasonable in his eyes, but he had laid off striking up conversation, or lending his jacket to a girl with a chill so that perhaps he didn't risk too many enemies within the camp.

"Trust me, love, I don't intend on getting caught.[/color]" Riley assured her with a certain air of confidence about him. While he hadn't initially known that leaving the camp was frowned upon, once he had learned it, he easily adjusted his exits so that he didn't draw any attention to himself. It was easy enough too as he slipped out during the normal dinner time so mostly everyone was distracted by the prospect of food and even Dionysus was staring too deeply into his Diet Coke can that he didn't glance around to spot Riley. It felt slightly rebellious but no one was going to tell the adult Eros child that he had to sit with a bunch of younger children at a designated table, at a designated time to eat his dinner. He hadn't gone through the first two decades of his life listening to his mother just to leave and be bossed around by someone else-someone who hadn't even raised him, for that matter...And wasn't nearly as terrifying as the daughter of Ares was to her son.

Grinning in delight, it was evident to a few people that glanced their way that the Irishman was excited to have little miss Annabeth's company promised for his next dinner. He had went out with one son of Hermes that he had befriended a few of those nights but aside from that, some of his dinners were a little lonely, and lacking as a result. "Excellent, maybe we can stop at a bookstore for you afterwards,[/color]" Riley teased, though he was actually convinced that she would enjoy that about as much as she might enjoy dinner.

Taking her hand and placing a light kiss on it, Riley led her confidently to the dance floor, content with lingering on the edge of it-as opposed to forcing his way through the bulk of the crowd and to the center. This allowed them a little more space to have fun anyhow, as unbeknownst to her, he was partial to dips and spins. "Well you can always stand on my feet if need be,[/color]" He chuckled, easily stepping into the rhythm of the dance as he spun her once under his arm with a wide grin on his lips. "Not too bad, hm?[/color]"





tag ,, anna
word count ,, 694
notes ,, AHA. sorry that wasn't as good, eep.

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[Annabeth Chase]

Annabeth had to smile when he chuckled. It was an odd feeling really, brushing it off as though it was nothing. The only person in the world she’d ever allowed to call her any sort of nickname (except maybe things like “wise girl” or she decided not to pick a fight with Clarisse back when she called her “owl head” regularly) was Luke. And that was a whole can of hellhounds she’d rather leave unopened. So maybe it sounded odd, but she thought of it as a positive step in the right direction, doing this. It felt like letting go of her pride if only a little bit and admitting that she did like Riley. At least as a friend if nothing else. If that made any sense. Though when he commented that he hoped ‘beautiful’ would be okay too, she could feel herself blush. “No… not an insult at all. Though I’ll warn you, I’ve never been very creative with nicknames so I wouldn’t expect anything wonderful in return.” To be honest, she didn’t really call anyone nicknames unless the name stemmed from her being annoyed with them. And she had a feeling Riley was not the type that would be easy to get annoyed with. So she was glad to hear that his name was okay. The ‘Irish’ part she wasn’t so sure wasn’t meant to be an insult. Depended who it was coming from. “Well then, Riley it is. Which is good if you ask me. It’s a good name.” Did she sound like an idiot? Possibly. Oh well, it happened. She liked to think not often, but then again, it was possible.

She laughed slightly. “Don’t worry, your hopes are not in vain.” He was so easy to talk to. Someone who seemed content with things and so laid back. She herself was naturally the opposite, always looking for room for improvement in whatever, always at least a little up tight. It was a nice reminder to slow down and enjoy life. Which given things lately, was very welcome indeed. And a night out for dinner in the city, just the two of them. That sounded so nice and both just the sort of break she could use and also just a really fun time. It had been a long while since she’d really skirted the rules like that. But this time she was looking forward to it. “Oh, no one does. It’s the chance that you might that makes it more interesting, right? Well, that and not being at camp for a change.”

And a bookstore? She didn’t want to let on how excited that made her, but admittedly a little grin escaped. If there was any sure way into a child of Athena’s heart, it was books. Well, and a myriad of other things most would deem as nerdy, but books was definitely a good pick. “Really? I know of three really good Barnes & Nobles in Manhattan. One is even three stories tall. They have such an amazing selection of books there on every subject you could think of!” She probably could have gone on for hours, but for fear of his eyes glazing over and him second guessing this little trip idea, she actually took the energy to stop herself. “I mean, of course, if you want to. I assume anyone who has such good taste in things like poetry can’t be that against books, right?” It was a bad recovery, but it was the thought that counted.

Annabeth smiled when he kissed the back of her hand. Seriously, why couldn’t America seen to drum up much in the way of true gentlemen like Riley. It was sad really. Though she was not at all complaining that he was Irish. Actually, it seemed to make him all the more charming. Oh gods, that didn’t make her one of those girls who fangirled over any boy with an accent, did it?

“I’m not going to stand on your feet. That sounds a bit uncomfortable for both of us,” she said with a laugh. She followed him onto the dance floor, glad he didn’t seem one for aiming for the dead center. There were so many people here and while she didn’t think her dancing abilities were that bad (hopefully) she was likely nothing compared to the Venus kids that dominated the center stage. Then he did the unexpected and took one of her hands and spun her. Thankfully the training here made it a bit harder to be caught off guard and embarrassingly fall flat on her face or something. She had to return his grin. “Not bad? I’d have to say this is looking to be the most fun I’ve had at a dance yet.” Well, besides the centaur in a dress thing from when she was, what, eight? That had been a different kind of fun entirely. That was to say, hilarious and not conducive to actual dancing at all.

Tag: Riley
Word Count: 829
Notes: just when I thought my muse was dead, this happens