bhhstilinski

[bhhstilinski]

Chapter 6

Annabeth studied the numbers listed on the sticky label that was currently perched on her fingers. Under her name, it displayed the words “Bus 3, Group 9.” She slapped the nametag onto her shirt and glanced around for Emi.

Wading through the crowds of seniors pushing toward the front of the room for their own nametags, Annabeth headed back to her seat. Emi was waiting for her in the middle of the row of chairs. Annabeth pulled down the auditorium’s folding seat and joined her friend, assessing the numbers on Emi’s nametag.

“Different bus,” she noted, “and a different group.” Annabeth groaned, disappointed.

“How unlucky are we,” Emi stated rhetorically. She slouched in her own chair and pulled her legs up to her chest so other kids could pass by them. “At least we’ll see each other at meals.”

Annabeth shrugged and examined the nametags stuck to the shirts of the people surrounding her. “I don’t see any other group 9s,” she said.

Emi mirrored her action. “Oh, looks like Grover is in group 12 with me.”

“How many groups are there?” Annabeth asked upon spotting a girl with “Group 14” written on her nametag.

Settling back into her seat, Emi shrugged. “I don’t know. My question is, why do we even have nametags? I mean, you’ve been in school with these people for twelve years already, and I’ve been here for three. We know everyone! Actually, what’s the point of this retreat at all? If we haven’t become friends yet, I don’t think we’re going to now.”

“I thought you were excited about this,” Annabeth pointed out, recalling the many instances of Emi’s passionate raving she had been privy to.

Emi sighed and burrowed further into her chair. “That was when I thought we got to choose who we spent the day with,” she explained, disgruntled. “I don’t feel like doing camp activities with a bunch of idiots I don’t like.”

Annabeth ignored this pessimistic comment. “These must be small groups,” she concluded, still stuck on the large number. She turned around to face the auditorium stage again as the principal climbed the stairs and made his way across.

The principal began to address the senior class, but no one was really paying attention. All around her, Annabeth could hear whispered conversations and questions as people figured out who their groups were. Emi leaned over to Annabeth. “Maybe Percy will be in your group,” she suggested in a hushed tone.

“The chances are slim,” Annabeth responded. “And I don’t care anyway,” she added hastily before Emi could flash her knowing smirk.

Too late. “Three weeks ago you briefly interacted with this boy, and you haven’t stopped thinking about him since,” Emi pointed out.

Annabeth wanted to protest, but she couldn’t dispute the truth. “Whatever,” she said lamely, and leaned back from Emi. She pretended to be intently listening to the principal’s explanation about the bus schedules, but really she was just trying not to look at Emi and give her any satisfaction.

Once the principal was done talking, he dismissed the students, and the entire senior class poured out of the auditorium. They stormed toward the lobby and then out the doors, emerging into the faint light from the sun that was still rising. Buses awaited them, lining the sidewalk in a way that reminded Annabeth of elementary school. Those memories seemed to be resurfacing a lot lately.

She was one of the first to board bus 3, so Annabeth made her way to the back and settled into one of the seats there. She pulled out her phone. The bus ride would take about an hour, so she would need to entertain herself somehow.

The phone screen notified her that she already had a Snapchat message from Emi waiting for her. Annabeth sent a quick picture back. Her face assumed an animated expression as she took the photo and returned to its unemotional exterior a second later. Annabeth noted to herself that it was interesting how easy it was for her to fake a smile. She guessed it was because she’d had plenty of practice.

Annabeth pressed the power button on her phone, and the screen went dark with a click. She glanced around the bus as it filled in with other students, all chattering and laughing despite the early hour. Over her shoulder, Annabeth saw the coveted back row of seats were overflowing with boys fighting over who would get to sit there. Thinking back on it, there was no logic behind the desirability of those seats. One of them was only a half seat, so it was comfortably big enough for just one high schooler. But they had always been everyone’s favorite seats nonetheless.

~ flashback ~

“ANNABETH!” came the shout. Annabeth jumped and glanced around frantically, but she couldn’t find where the voice had come from. She had just climbed the steps into the bus, and the voice sounded like it was inside. “BACK HERE!” it yelled again.

Annabeth proceeded down the aisle of the bus, peering at the back. Just then, Percy popped into the aisle from the very back row. She rushed forward in excitement. “You got the back seat?”

“Yes, and I’m saving that one with my backpack, but the fifth graders were threatening to take it if you didn’t show up soon!” Percy responded, pointing at the single-person seat across the aisle from him. As Annabeth approached, he leaned forward and pulled his backpack from the seat into his lap. Annabeth sat down, feeling victorious.

“Wow,” she said with wonder. “I can’t believe I’m sitting here!”

Percy grinned at her happiness. “Best seat on the bus!” he boasted.

As they began their usual end-of-the-day conversation, Annabeth noticed all the other buses had already left the parking lot. She pointed this out to Percy, but before he could comment, the loudspeaker crackled to life. The bus driver’s voice projected throughout the bus.

“During the school year, we are required to perform three fire drills on this bus,” he began, “so today I thought we would do one of those. Now, can I get some fifth-grade volunteers to help the younger kids off the bus?” Hands went up, and the driver selected a few. “If we have a fire, the back half of the bus will go out that emergency exit,” he continued to explain. “You there, will you open that door for me? Just a push and a twist.”

The bus driver gestured to Percy, who looked overjoyed. He jiggled the handle on the back door for a moment before it popped open and he pushed it wide. “I’ve been chosen!” he whispered to Annabeth, eyes crinkling with his exuberant smile.

The fifth-graders chosen as helpers jumped down from the back of the bus first, attempting to look very responsible and mature as they did so, since they were the oldest grade. They turned to help the rest of the kids leave the bus, and Percy motioned for Annabeth to go first. She stepped forward and crouched down, taking the hand of the fifth-grade girl standing in the parking lot to help her make the jump. Once she was on the ground, Annabeth turned around to wait for Percy before proceeding to the “safe area,” which was really just a tree next to the sidewalk.

Percy refused any help from the older students and jumped down himself. He stumbled and fell the moment he hit the ground. He stood and brushed the gravel off of his pants, glancing around furtively. “Everyone saw,” Annabeth said bluntly. He glared at her and they made their way to the tree.

“First one here!” Percy said once they arrived, placing his hand on the trunk to affirm his victory, his embarrassment of a few seconds ago completely forgotten.

Annabeth ignored him. She stood on the grass, watching more kids run over from the bus’s front and back exits. Percy, bored, walked in circles around the tree.

When it was finally time to get back on the bus, Percy and Annabeth ended up near the back of the line. “This is so annoying,” Annabeth remarked. “We’re at the back of the bus! It would make sense for us to get on first.”

As it turned out, there was another reason why being first would’ve been beneficial. When Annabeth arrived back at her seat, she found it occupied. Her backpack had been moved next to Percy’s.

“Hey, you can’t do that!” Percy argued, indignant. “Move, this is her seat!” Before the boy who had taken the seat, who was considerably larger than Percy, could retort, the loudspeaker boomed throughout the bus.

“Everybody sit down,” admonished the bus driver. Percy remained standing, an angry expression on his face, his mouth open like he was about to protest. Annabeth shoved him into his seat before he could say anything. She sat down next to him.

As the driver announced that the fire drill had gone well, Percy turned to Annabeth angrily. “Why would you do that? He stole your seat!”

Annabeth glanced across the aisle at the fifth-grade boy sitting smugly in the seat that had, for a minute, been gloriously hers. She looked back to Percy. “It sucks, but at least we’re still in one of the back seats,” she said, trying to calm him.

“I guess,” Percy conceded, and slouched in the seat. “It is pretty cool that we have this one.”

The bus finally departed the parking lot. Percy was still shooting intermittent glares at the kid enjoying the single seat across from them, but for the most part he and Annabeth talked about their days like normal. Eventually, the stolen seat was vacated as the kid in it disembarked the bus, but Percy didn’t even notice. He was too engrossed in describing to Annabeth his harrowing experience of taking a timed division test that Annabeth neglected to mention she had aced. She also neglected to bring up the fact that the other seat was open, content to remain with Percy.

“Woah, wait,” he said suddenly, halting his story. “Look at how empty the bus is!”

The two of them stood up a bit, clinging to the back of the seat in front of them to remain upright, and peered out at the rest of the bus. Sure enough, it was emptier than it usually was at this point. They thudded back into their seat simultaneously, and Percy turned to face Annabeth excitedly, his math test forgotten. “I have an idea,” he announced.

“Oh, great,” she replied sarcastically. “That could never go wrong.”

“You’ll like this, I promise,” Percy reassured her. He slid to the floor. “Since all these seats are open, we can slide around under them!” With that, he laid down on the floor of the bus and army crawled to the next one. He climbed up onto the seat, crouched on his knees, and looked at Annabeth over the top. “Your turn!”

Annabeth followed his lead of getting onto the floor, but she instead laid down on her back and pushed off against the ground, sliding up to the seat where Percy was waiting. He beamed down at her as her face appeared from under the seat.

“Fun!” she declared, feeling like a spy on a mission. Percy apparently felt the same because the next thing she knew he was sliding under the seat while humming the Mission Impossible theme.

Annabeth joined him under the seat, and they spent the rest of the bus ride feeling like the coolest people in the world to have discovered such a wonderful pastime. She imagined herself embarking on adventures, journeying through tight caves and sneaking through underbrush in wild forests, all with Percy at her side. They were a team of explorers, a pair of outlaws, a duo of spies.

In the end, traversing imaginary worlds with Percy was much more fun than the novelty of the back seat.

~ present day ~

Annabeth wrenched her gaze away from the back seats as the bus began to move, beginning their drive to the camp where the senior retreat was taking place. The boys fighting over the seats seemed to have come to a consensus about who would be sitting there. Annabeth decided the back seat was actually pretty overrated.

The bus picked up speed as it traveled down the road. With her lack of entertainment, Annabeth’s mind wandered. She couldn’t believe she had once laid down on the floors of a school bus without thinking about all the disgusting things that were probably down there. But then, she had always behaved unexpectedly when Percy was involved.

When the bus finally stopped at the wooded camp, Annabeth bounded down the steps. She spotted Emi and made her way through the crowd. Emi twirled her long blonde hair around her finger as she chatted with a muscular, intimidating girl named Clarisse.

“Hey,” said Annabeth, appearing at Emi’s side.

The girls greeted her. “What are you going to do with your free time?” asked Clarisse.

“What?” Annabeth responded, confused.

“Apparently we have two free hours before we get into our groups,” Emi explained.

Clarisse nodded. “We can do the rope swing, the zipline, or rock climbing.”

Annabeth considered the options. “What do you want to do?” she asked Emi.

“I’m rock climbing,” Clarisse offered.

“I want to do the zipline,” said Emi.

Annabeth thought about it. Being clipped onto a rope, high in the air, soaring from one platform to another. It sounded terrifying. “Let’s do it!” she told Emi despite her reservations.

“Perfect!” her friend responded. Before Annabeth could change her mind, a camp counselor led all the seniors to an outdoor amphitheater where they received information about the schedule for the day. They were then pointed in the directions of the various activity options. Annabeth and Emi set out with the group of kids headed to the zipline.

The moment they arrived, they realized they should’ve tried to be at the front of the pack. The line was extremely long and moving at a crawl. As they inched forward, Annabeth became increasingly apprehensive about the obstacle before her.

A tall wooden platform rose up on the grassy hill, overlooking the rest of the camp. A cargo net stretched from the ground at their feet to the top of the platform, where camp counselors stood to assist students with donning their harnesses. A handful of kids were currently climbing the net, making their way to the top, while the rest of the group formed a haphazard line to wait for their turn.

As Annabeth watched, one of the kids on the cargo net reached the top and climbed onto the platform. He pulled a harness over his clothes and was clipped onto the rope. Then he pushed off and flew through the air. The boy took his hands off the rope as he glided, whooping with joy. The zipline seemed impossibly high off the ground. After a few moments, the boy hit the platform on the other end of the zipline. He was unclipped and shouted triumphantly one last time before descending the steps back to the ground, where he was now downhill from the group.

The boy sat down in the grass and watched his friends repeat the experience, each of them enjoying the ride as much as the last. Annabeth found herself growing more and more terrified as kids took their turns and hers came closer.

Finally Annabeth and Emi stood at the bottom of the cargo net, looking up at the platform above. The counselor called for them to climb up. Emi grabbed the net without hesitation, and Annabeth followed a moment later. She hauled herself up the net, wishing there wasn’t a zipline waiting for her on the other side of the climb. Emi reached the platform first, pulling herself over the top. Annabeth clambered over the edge after her. She stood up slowly, willing herself not to look down at the ground far beneath her.

Annabeth and Emi stepped into their harnesses, pulling the straps to tighten them. Emi approached the zipline first. From up on the platform, it seemed like an even longer path to the other end, but Emi didn’t seem to have any qualms. She offered up the loop on her harness, and the counselor clipped her onto the zipline. With a strong kick of her feet, Emi shot off along the rope.

Almost immediately, Emi lifted her hands into the air, shouting with glee. Mentally, Annabeth was backing away from the rope, shutting down. She wanted to climb back down into the crowd of kids below, back to safety. She didn’t want to take the chance and jump onto the zipline, even if she might love it and have a great time. The risk of failing and facing terror was too great.

By now, Emi had reached the other side. “That was amazing!” she called to Annabeth as she was unclipped. “Your turn!”

The counselor manning the zipline clip turned to Annabeth. She couldn’t move. She wanted to back away, but she stood at the edge of the platform. There was nowhere to go but down or forward. Slowly, Annabeth took a step toward the zipline. Then she took another. “Ready?” asked the counselor once she arrived. Annabeth felt herself nodding. Her harness was clipped to the rope. She grabbed the handle with both hands, suddenly aware of what was about to happen. “Go ahead,” the counselor told her.

Annabeth took small steps forward until she was on the edge of the platform. The ground was so far beneath her. She felt dizzy. Her head spun. Annabeth closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and jumped.

The rope caught her, holding her in midair, and she felt herself flying along the zipline. After a moment, Annabeth peeled her eyes open.

The view was incredible. The ground flew by in a blur, Annabeth’s classmates appearing as small, colorful dots. Annabeth’s hair flew out behind her back, her braids swept away from her face by the wind rushing by. It wasn’t scary at all. It was exhilarating.

Once her feet touched the other platform, Annabeth was surprised to feel disappointment settling over her. She wanted the zipline to be longer; she wanted to be soaring over the ground again, feeling carefree and proud of herself.

As she descended from the last step onto the grass once more, Annabeth found Emi waiting for her. “Did you end up having fun?” asked Emi as Annabeth sat on the grass beside her. “I could tell you were nervous, but I thought it would be good for you.”

Annabeth smiled, grateful as always for her friend. “You got me there. It was actually shockingly fun though, once I took that leap. Taking the chance was worth it.”

“You’re welcome,” Emi joked, literally patting herself on the back. “I’m just such an amazing friend.”

“Truly,” Annabeth agreed, but she genuinely meant it.

#la rue #grover underwood #au #flashback #percy and annabeth #high school #pjo #percy jackson #percabeth #annabeth chase #summer camp #school bus

[bhhstilinski]

Chapter 5

The bell echoed through the building, the harsh ring battering the ears of its occupants. In response, countless footsteps stampeded through the hallway as the students hurried to their cars or buses, taking up conversations on menial topics. Annabeth carefully slid her laptop into her backpack and joined the crushing flow of bodies toward the parking lot. As she departed from the crowd to take her shortcut through the cafeteria, Annabeth pulled her phone from her back pocket. No messages. She was meeting Emi for boba at a place a few minutes from the school, and apparently the plan was still intact.

Once she was in her car, she carefully navigated through the parking lot. Deviating from her usual routine, she turned right as she pulled away from the school. Annabeth guessed that she would arrive first. She knew Emi had precalc last hour, which was upstairs, so she would get to her car later than Annabeth had arrived at her own.

Annabeth slipped into a parking space and turned the key, switching the car off. She gathered her purse from inside her backpack and locked the car behind her before heading inside the boba shop. She’d been there countless times, whether just for a drink or for a meal, too, so Annabeth had a go-to order. Today, she would just be getting a drink.

She ordered her milk tea and took it to a table, picking one by the window. She checked her phone again for lack of something to do and gazed out the window, waiting for the flash of blue that would signal Emi’s car had entered the parking lot.

Emi finally arrived a few minutes later, bursting through the door in a rush of energy. She spotted Annabeth at her table and grinned widely before joining the end of the line to order. Annabeth shot a smile back at her. Emi then launched into communication using hand signals, pointing at the man who stood in front of her. The man stood with his back to her, although he probably wouldn’t have been able to decipher Emi’s messages even if he had been turned around. Annabeth certainly didn’t know what her friend was trying to say.

When Emi slid into the seat across from Annabeth a minute later, strawberry boba tea in hand, Annabeth was already laughing. “What exactly were you trying to tell me over there?”

Emi took a sip. Annabeth slid her straw out of its plastic wrap and punched it through the seal of her drink as Emi responded. “He smelled so awful!” she said with a giggle.

Annabeth shook her head, rolling her eyes fondly. “You’re too mean.”

“Just mean enough, actually.”

“So did you have any tests in school today?” Annabeth questioned, directing the conversation toward a new topic.

Emi sighed. “Precalc. And I forgot to study all weekend, so I’m not too excited for that grade to come in.”

Annabeth chewed a tapioca pearl and swallowed. “Who’s your teacher?”

“I have Mrs. Lloyd,” Emi answered.

Annabeth furrowed her brow. “I had her, she’s great!”

Emi leaned back, raising her eyebrows. “Yeah, I knew you were going to say that. Doesn’t mean I like math any more than I ever have.”

“Of course you hate it.” Annabeth found herself shaking her head again. “I’ll never understand why so many people say math is the worst.”

“Because it is!” Emi protested. She took a sip of her drink, a mischievous look on her face. “Although Percy seems to like it at least… anyway, we’re starting a new unit for the rest of the week and I think it’ll be better than this last one.” She rushed through the end of her sentence.

Annabeth nearly choked on a tapioca pearl. “Woah woah woah, back up. You don’t just get to drop”—she lowered her voice—“Percy’s name like that and move on.”

Emi smirked. “Huh, I didn’t realize that name had any significance for you,” she said innocently.

“Shut up,” Annabeth said, “and tell me why you were talking to Percy?”

Emi raised her hands in mock surrender. “I wasn’t talking to him,” she confessed. “He apparently has precalc right before me, so I saw him today. He was staying pretty late, doing his homework right up until the warning bell rang. And then he left for sixth hour.”

“So you didn’t say anything to him?” Annabeth demanded intensely, her drink forgotten.

Emi chuckled knowingly. “No, but it’s nice to know how easy it is to get you riled up over him.” She took a satisfied draw from her drink, swagger in every movement.

Annabeth scoffed, her mouth hanging open in shock. She was speechless. She couldn’t believe her friend had tricked her so easily.

Finally, she worked up the ability to speak. “So, I have to pick my brothers up from soccer practice at five,” she said.

“Ha!” said Emi. “I see you changing the subject. But okay, sure. Your brothers. Aren’t they in middle school now?”

Grateful for the reprieve from discussions of Percy Jackson, Annabeth jumped to continue nudging the conversation away from the boy. “Yeah, and more annoying than ever,” she answered. She remembered her drink and took a sip.

“Are they hoping to play soccer in high school?” Emi asked, humoring her.

“Oh yeah,” said Annabeth, “but I’ll be long gone by then.”

“They’re in sixth grade?”

“Yup, sixth,” Annabeth clarified. “And it’s a good thing they have soccer every day after school or I’d have to drive them home.”

Emi made a disgusted face, slurping on the end of her drink. “Yikes. Dodged a bullet there,” she commented.

“Truly,” Annabeth agreed, and took a long drink from her own tea.

Emi fidgeted with her empty cup. Her face lit up as she thought of another topic. “So how excited are you for the senior retreat?” she said, her own anticipation audible in her voice.

Annabeth swallowed her last sip. “That’s next Monday?”

Mouth falling open, Emi stared at her, appalled. “What do you mean, ‘That’s next Monday?’ You had to ask? One week from this second we’ll be doing camp activities!” She slammed both hands on the table, palms spread, expressing her distress.

“Okay, sorry,” Annabeth said, smiling at Emi’s passion. “And which camp activities would those be?”

Emi opened her mouth to answer but hesitated, brow furrowing and breath catching in her throat. She expelled the air, defeated. “I actually don’t know.” She regained her energy. “But I’m sure they’ll be fantastic!”

Annabeth set her empty cup on the table, chewing her last tapioca pearl. “I always get milk tea for a reason,” she noted, commending herself for her brilliant taste.

Emi, who always tried a different flavor each time, shook her head in a disappointed manner. “You should never shy away from a challenge,” she lectured.

Annabeth scoffed. “I will gladly be considered a coward if that’s what I am for not wanting to try cantaloupe tea with mango boba pearls,” she remarked, pushing back her chair.

Following her lead, Emi stood too. They made their way to the trash can as Emi responded that her fruit combinations were innovative and actually made her a “boba pioneer.”

They pushed open the door and stepped onto the sidewalk, forcing themselves to end the conversation. “See you tomorrow,” said Annabeth.

“See you!” Emi called as she walked to the right, her bright blue car reflecting the sun where it sat waiting. Annabeth unlocked her own car with the push of a button on her key fob. She slipped into her seat, locking the car and strapping on her seatbelt. Then she turned the key and, checking over her shoulder, shifted the car into reverse.

Annabeth shifted the car into park, settling in alongside the curb. Beyond the sidewalk to her right was the school’s practice turf, where she could see her brothers’ team huddled up with their coach, finishing practice. The high school and middle school shared both the practice and game turf, since they were on the same campus, only separated by a parking lot, the fields, and some landscaping. When Annabeth was in eighth grade, she had taken her first hour class at the high school, and she could still remember rushing to the middle school for second hour. On her fastest days with clear weather, she could make the walk in eight minutes.

The parking lot had been deserted whenever she made her daily trek, but now it was bustling with cars coming and going. As the middle school boys’ soccer practice wrapped up, the high school girls’ team began to arrive. Annabeth could already see a few girls warming up on the opposite side of the turf from her brothers, passing back and forth and taking shots at the goal. She had played soccer through middle school, but had stopped before high school since she wasn’t enjoying it anymore. Plus, she needed more time to focus on studying.

As Annabeth watched, another girl stepped onto the sidewalk and slipped through the gate in the fence surrounding the turf. Soccer ball under her arm and wild red curls wrangled into braids, Rachel Elizabeth Dare approached her teammates. Percy’s girlfriend was clearly charismatic; even from a distance, Annabeth could tell the girl’s teammates were glad to see her. But despite Rachel’s well-known likability, Annabeth felt a twinge of animosity toward her. She wasn’t sure why. Rachel had always seemed nice, at least from a distance.

The girls’ team continued warming up, even forming their own drills as more players trickled in. Annabeth could still remember running through routines at the start of each practice when she had been on the team. She could also remember playing with Percy at recess in fourth grade; the informal scrimmages they joined often ended up being more fun than actual games with her team.

~ flashback ~

“Percy!” Annabeth shouted, waving. “Wait up!”

The sun beat down on her as she sprinted across the dying grass, kicking dust up around her sneakers. Her braids bounced along her back as she ran, and she reminded herself to pull them back into a ponytail once she reached her destination.

Percy stood in the distance, hovering outside of a group of kids on the makeshift soccer field. Really, it was just an empty plain of struggling grass on the playground, set a bit further back from the slides and swings. A group of fourth graders, including Annabeth and Percy, gathered there to play soccer during each afternoon recess. Annabeth always spent the first recess playing tag, but the day’s second recess was reserved for soccer.

She approached the group, a little bit out of breath, just as everyone was dividing into teams. “We’ll take Annabeth,” said Percy quickly, recruiting her to his team before anyone else could. She went to stand by him and a growing accumulation of other kids. Annabeth sized up her team and the other and decided their chances were pretty solid.

“Okay,” said Michael Yew, a scrawny boy who Annabeth could tell was in charge for the day by the fact that he had the soccer ball under his arm. “Let’s do keep-away. We’ll start.”

Everybody spread out on the field. Annabeth and Percy walked away together, aiming for the trees on the other side.

“I’ve been practicing this one move,” Percy began, “and my footwork skills are about to shock everyone.”

Annabeth raised her eyebrows. “I’ll make sure to get the ball to you, then.”

They separated, heading in opposite directions along the tree line. Annabeth watched as the game began on the other end of the field. Michael passed the ball to another girl, who dribbled for a while and then passed back. Shouts filled the air as kids called for the ball. Michael’s team kicked it around the field; Annabeth’s team couldn’t seem to break up a pass.

Suddenly someone passed the ball to Connor, a boy who stood near Annabeth. He was tall, with curly black hair and a pointy nose. Annabeth pounced, defending him closely, and stuck her foot in the way when he tried to pass the ball back to where it had come from. The ball spun out into open space.

Annabeth and Connor each hesitated for a second as they registered the fact that the ball was completely free of their control. Then, at once, they launched forward and raced for it. Despite the boy’s longer legs, Annabeth reached the ball first. She tapped it in the other direction and dribbled away, looking around for someone to pass it to before Connor could catch up. Her head tilted toward the tree line, where Percy stood waiting, his blonde curls looking golden in the sunlight. Annabeth kicked the ball as hard as she could in his direction.

The soccer ball shot across the grass, bouncing over the uneven ground. The mounds of dirt failed to disturb the ball’s path, however, and it arrived right at Percy’s feet. He immediately sprung into action, dribbling toward the nearest member of the other team, to that boy’s shock. The normal move, of course, would be to direct the ball away from the opposing team. Annabeth watched from afar, glorious in her victory over Connor, who had by now jogged away, as Percy approached the other team.

She could hear kids shouting at him to pass the ball, worried he would turn it over, but Annabeth trusted him. Percy dribbled up to the other boy, Lee, so close he probably could’ve reached out and shoved him. Then, just as Lee stuck his leg out to steal the ball, Percy rolled his foot over the top, pulling it away. In the same fluid movement, he kicked his foot to the left behind him, sending the ball out to the side. He spun and ran after it, leaving Lee confused as to what had just happened.

Percy finally passed the ball away to another team member, and Annabeth jogged over to him. She raised her hand for a celebratory high-five as she approached.

“Thanks for the assist,” he said, meeting her palm for the high-five. Their hands collided with a slap that, to Annabeth, asserted their victory over the other players.

“Anytime,” she responded casually. Percy beamed at her. “I don’t care how the rest of the game goes,” Annabeth continued. “That was a victory in my book.”

Percy shrugged. “There’s technically no winning in keep-away anyway. So that can count as a victory for us, just me and you.”

The thought of their teamwork and a win for just the two of them made Annabeth really happy for some reason. She smiled at Percy as they stood on the field, their shorts revealing legs marked with bruises that were the consequence of childhood fun. Annabeth always wore boys’ athletic shorts; she found them more practical. But even with just her shins showing, there were plenty of dirt marks accompanying the bruises.

“That’s true,” she noted in response to Percy’s initial statement. “I mean, whoever has the ball when the whistle blows at the end of recess wins. But that just discounts the entire game leading up to that point.”

Nodding in agreement, Percy added to her statement. “Plus Michael somehow always seems to end up with the ball at the last second.”

“And if he doesn’t have it, he just extends the game until he does!”

“Crazy how that works out,” Percy agreed sarcastically.

They returned to the game, immersing themselves in the competition until the whistle blew, signaling the end of the game. Sure enough, Michael once again ended up with the soccer ball under his arm. Annabeth gave Percy a knowing look, which he returned with a grin he did a poor job of hiding.

The next day, as Annabeth hurried down the hallway to the pre-lunch recess, she heard someone calling her name from behind her. She paused and turned around, waiting for the person to catch up with her.

Percy emerged from the crowd, a smile on his face. “What do you do for first recess every day?” he asked her.

Annabeth continued her fast walk down the hall. Percy rushed to keep up with her. “I always play tag around the small playset with some of my friends,” she told him.

“Sounds fun, can I join?”

Annabeth stopped in her tracks once again, and this time it wasn’t because she was waiting for Percy. He halted when he realized she wasn’t walking anymore. “Why?” she asked him bluntly.

He tilted his head as if it was obvious. “I want to hang out with you.”

She examined his features. Percy’s eyebrows were raised in surprise at her confusion; his eyes sparkled inquisitively below them. His mouth was tilted up on one end in a crooked smile, waiting for Annabeth’s answer as if he’d asked the simplest question in the world.

“Okay,” she said after a pause. “Sure.”

Annabeth continued walking, slower now so Percy could keep up. “I usually play soccer during this recess too,” he explained, although she hadn’t asked.

“Second recess games are so much more fun though!”

“I know! They really are. It’s barely worth getting a game started with so few people on the field during first recess.”

Nodding in agreement, Annabeth pushed through the doors that opened onto the playground. “That’s why I don’t even bother,” she remarked. She held the door open behind her so Percy could follow her out. “It’s better to wait until all the classes are outside at once during second recess.”

They stepped off the pavement and onto the grass of the playground, trekking up a small hill. “Which playset did you say you play by?” Percy questioned again.

“The small one,” Annabeth responded, and led them to the right. She stepped onto the woodchips. Her sneakers kicked them into the air as she walked. “It’s never crowded.”

They approached the small playset, which only had one tiny slide and a set of monkey bars. The area around it was coated with woodchips in contrast to the surrounding ground, which was grassy. The woodchipped space was bordered by the brick wall of the school on one side, but other than that it was open to access from all sides. In one direction it extended to the rest of the upper grades’ playground, where Percy and Annabeth approached it from, and in the other direction there was a small fence marking the division to the lower grades’ playground. Clearly it wasn’t meant to stop anyone from venturing to the wrong side, though, because the fence was only one panel long and short enough to climb over. Students from the upper and lower grades sometimes mingled near it, but they never crossed too far into the wrong playground.

On the side of the woodchipped area opposite the wall was a small slope. During the winter, kids would slide down on their stomachs, creating a mini sledding hill. The top of the slope was where the makeshift soccer field was. Annabeth noted that it was pretty empty. She wondered if it was always like that and she just hadn’t noticed, or if it was especially deserted today because Percy was with her instead. A warm feeling spread inside her chest at the thought of Percy choosing to spend time with her over his other friends. She was so used to being cast aside as a second choice. It made her smile to think that she was first in Percy’s head, at least for today.

“So we play with different rules than normal tag,” Annabeth began to explain to Percy once they arrived at the monkey bars.

Percy stepped up to the bars and grabbed the first rung, hanging as he swung back and forth. “How different?”

“Not bad,” she said. “You’ll be able to keep up.”

Percy dropped to the ground, sending woodchips flying on impact. His mouth fell open in indignation. “I never said I wouldn’t!”

Annabeth laughed at his expression. “I’m just kidding, Seaweed Brain. And all we did was add an element to the game.”

“Well fill me in on your complicated addition, then, Wise Girl,” Percy retorted.

Smiling at the nickname, Annabeth strolled to the small section of fence at the edge of the area. She put her hand on it. “If the players being chased are touching this fence, they’re safe,” Annabeth explained. “But you can only stay on it for ten seconds at a time.”

Percy smirked and followed her over to the fence. “What if”—he put his hand on the rail—“you hold on for your ten seconds, and then you take your hand off for a moment but put it right back on.” He demonstrated the action. “Doesn’t that start a new ten seconds?” Percy fixed her with a smug look. Apparently he thought he’d outsmarted her.

“Not so fast,” Annabeth said, eager to shatter his illusion of triumph. “In our game, the players who aren’t ‘it’ have to run back and forth between the sides.” She gestured across the woodchipped area to the matching fence section on the other side. “So the moment you’ve used your full ten seconds, you have to run across. And that’s when the tagger gets you.”

Percy shook his head. “Gets you, you mean. I’m too fast.”

Annabeth scoffed. “In your dreams. I’m much faster than you.”

“Wanna race?”

“Yeah, but I don’t think you do.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Percy said, his face assuming an offended expression.

“It means,” said Annabeth, “that for your own good, you should back down right now.”

Percy started stretching exaggeratedly as if preparing for an official race. “I feel like you should know me well enough by now to know I never back down from a bad idea,” he quipped, holding his leg folded behind him to stretch his thigh.

Before Annabeth could respond, she noticed three figures approaching. “You’re so lucky they showed up just now,” she commented to Percy, and walked away from the fence, toward her friends. “Hey, guys,” she called to Silena, Nyssa, and Katie.

“What’s Percy Jackson doing here?” asked Katie, looking a little annoyed.

Annabeth wasn’t one hundred percent sure about that herself, but she answered with what she did know. “He wanted to play,” she said.

“Okay,” said Silena, “but he has to be ‘it’ first.”

Annabeth turned and glanced back at Percy. He had stopped his stretching and was now trying to figure out how to climb on top of the monkey bars. She turned back around to face her friends. “Deal.”

The four girls headed over to the fence. “Percy, you’re ‘it’ first,” Annabeth told him.

Percy shrugged. “I guess you are going to find out I’m faster than you, then,” he said, following them and waiting for one of them to let go of the rail. “In ten seconds.”

“Starting now,” said Nyssa. Silena immediately took off, surprising Percy, who didn’t have a chance to catch her by the time he realized she’d left. Nyssa took advantage of his surprise, running after Silena. Percy chased her for a second, but eventually gave up, too focused on tagging Annabeth to care about the others. Katie made a break for the other side of the playground, and he didn’t even flinch. Clearly he was after Annabeth.

She was trapped. The seconds were ticking away and Percy was guarding her closely, determined to prove himself. Thankfully, Annabeth had always been able to formulate a good plan. She stepped forward quickly as if she was making a run, but kept her hand on the fence. Percy lunged at the motion, and Annabeth saw her chance. She dodged him and sprinted around him on the other side, headed for the fence.

Annabeth could hear Percy close behind her, his sneakers pounding the woodchips as he dashed after her. She avoided glancing over her shoulder, focusing instead on her friends on the other fence. They were cheering her on. Annabeth looked down at her feet, willing them to move faster. She pushed herself as hard as she could, hands pumping at her sides. When she looked up again, the fence was right in front of her. Annabeth launched herself toward it with one last push, arms outstretched, and grabbed the metal. She was safe. And more importantly, she’d beaten Percy! He tapped her shoulder a second after she hit the fence, just a moment too late.

Gasping with the thrill of the chase, Annabeth turned to address him. “Told you,” she said.

“Okay, but I still caught up with you,” Percy pointed out, not willing to give up.

Annabeth shook her head. “Whatever, I still won.”

“That was fun,” Percy admitted. “We should get some more people to play.”

Before Annabeth could respond, he turned and shouted in the direction of the field. “Hey, guys, come and play tag with us!” The herd of kids who had been struggling to put together a game of football ambled over. Percy began enthusiastically explaining the rules of the modified game of tag to them.

As the now-larger group set off playing the game, more fourth graders trickled in. People who wondered what was going on over by the small playset or who were just bored joined their game. Eventually, they amassed a crowd that Annabeth thought could have contained the entire fourth grade.

Annabeth was dodging Grover Underwood, who was ‘it,’ when the bell finally rang to signal the end of recess. The fourth graders made their way inside, sweaty and chatting animatedly. Annabeth’s gaze danced from person to person, searching for the one she wanted to talk to.

She felt a tap on her shoulder, but when she turned her head, no one was there. Suddenly Percy appeared on her other side, laughing. “Got you!” he exclaimed, and joined her on the walk, matching her stride.

“Thanks for getting everyone to play,” Annabeth told him, ignoring his trick. “I can’t believe there were so many people!”

Percy beamed at her. “I thought it would make you happy to have more people in the game,” he said earnestly. “And plus, with so many players and only one being ‘it,’ it was more likely that we’d end up on the same team.”

Annabeth grinned with amusement. “You’re that scared of going against me, huh?”

Percy shrugged, conceding. “Wouldn’t dream of it, Annabeth.”

~ present day ~

“Annabeth, stop daydreaming!”

Her brother’s voice jolted her out of her thoughts. Annabeth whipped her head around to see her brothers at the car doors, dripping with sweat. They were each tugging on their door handle incessantly.

Annabeth quickly pressed the button to unlock the doors, and her brothers yanked them wide. They tossed their backpacks to the floor in the back and slid inside. “Buckle up,” she reminded them reflexively.

Once she heard the responding clicks of the seatbelts locking into place, Annabeth switched the car out of park and left the lot, driving slowly as more of the high school girls’ soccer team arrived for their practice. She pressed the button to turn the radio on, hoping for music to clear her mind as she made the short drive home.

By the time she pulled into the driveway, Annabeth had almost entirely forgotten her daydreaming. She put the car into park just as the song on the radio ended, giving her the satisfying feeling of perfect timing as she turned it off and got out of the car. She and her brothers entered the house and were greeted with the smell of dinner.

“Come sit down!” Annabeth heard her stepmother’s voice call to them.

“I’m too sweaty!” Matthew complained, removing his cleats and spilling turf pebbles all over the floor.

Bobby followed suit, brushing off the turf grass that was stuck on his legs. “Me too, I want to shower first!”

Annabeth exited the mudroom after taking her own shoes off without causing a mess. Her stepmom stood at the oven, her oven-mit-clad hands extracting a tray of breadcrumb-coated fish. “Grab some forks and napkins for the table,” she instructed Annabeth.

Bobby and Matthew hurried into the kitchen, trying to prove how dirty they were, but their mother wouldn’t relent. “Sit down so we can all eat together,” she told them, and they trudged into the dining room, dejected. Annabeth followed them in, placing a napkin and fork at each of the five spots on the table.

At that moment, Annabeth’s dad emerged from the stairwell to the basement. “Boys, Annabeth!” he said as a greeting, and filled himself a glass of water from the fridge. Annabeth’s stepmother carried in the tray of fish and set it on a hot pad.

The family that Annabeth never felt herself a part of settled in at the table. Since they were an odd number, she was the only one without someone sitting across from her. She was stuck on the end next to her dad; she felt like an afterthought.

“So, how was practice?” Mr. Chase asked his sons. They responded with a clamor, talking over each other to explain the drills they ran through and who won the scrimmage. Annabeth took a bite of fish, trying to tune it out.

“Do you ever miss soccer, Annabeth?”

Annabeth looked up from her plate, surprised at the question. She hesitated to answer, considering it.

“Do you wish you played a sport?” her dad prompted again, chewing a piece of his own fish.

Did she? Sometimes Annabeth missed the feeling of working with a team, moving the ball down the field together. But then, she’d always found it hard to play well with the other girls on the team. It was nothing like playing a sport with Percy.

~ flashback ~

Annabeth squeezed past Percy and plopped down into her seat next to the bus’s window. Percy was deeply engrossed in a conversation with the boy sitting across from them. He leaned into the aisle, ducking out of the way when somebody walked by but immediately moving back out again. Ethan, the boy sitting across the aisle, was just as engaged. They seemed to be debating something.

“—predicted they’d win, and that’s why I’m right!” Percy was saying with a flourish.

Ethan glared at Percy. “But they didn’t win, so you’re actually wrong.”

Percy cast a look at Annabeth as if to say “Can you believe this guy?” He turned back to face Ethan. “Well they won in spirit, so technically I’m right.”

“Technically, they scored less points, so the Bills won and so do I,” was Ethan’s response.

Another boy settled into the seat in front of Ethan’s and leaned in to join the conversation. “What are they talking about?” Malcolm asked Annabeth.

“They’re arguing about the Jets-Bills game,” she told him. “Percy thinks—“

“Percy knows,” said Percy, interrupting her.

Annabeth rolled her eyes affectionately, unable to keep a smile from creeping onto her face. “You’re ridiculous, Percy.”

Ethan sighed. “The Bills won, which I predicted, but Percy says the Jets won because of their spirit or whatever. He just doesn’t want to admit he lost. ‘Cause last week he said they’d win.”

Before Percy could butt in again, Malcolm spoke up. “I see only one way to solve this problem,” he announced. “With a game of human hockey!”

Just then, the bus lurched and squealed. It slowly began to move, driving out of the parking lot in a long line of identical vehicles. Percy pitched forward even further into the aisle, nearly falling out of his seat. Annabeth grabbed his sweatshirt, keeping him from sliding off.

“Where do you think you’re going, Seaweed Brain?” she said. “You’re not getting out of this now.”

Percy turned to her, indignant. “I wasn’t trying to escape! I just wasn’t in my seat enough.”

Annabeth raised her eyebrows. “I should’ve let you fall to the floor,” she declared.

“Shut up, you guys!” said Malcolm, annoyed. Ethan had a similarly disgruntled expression. “We’re playing human hockey. And I call being the puck!”

“There’s no room yet,” noted Ethan, “but I’m totally okay with you being the puck once more seats open up.”

Percy nodded. “I agree. And Ethan? You’re not even ready for these skills.”

Ethan attempted to kick Percy’s shins, but he missed. “Oh come on, I’ve played against you before, and I won.”

Annabeth piped up, leaning forward from behind Percy. “Oh, but I’m sure he won in spirit,” she teased.

“Hey!” protested Percy. “Whose side are you on here?”

The bus stopped, and this time Percy remained firmly in his seat. He pulled his legs out of the aisle, facing forward to allow other people to pass by and disembark the bus. “Sorry,” said Annabeth, leaning her head on the back of the seat in front of her. “I’m rooting for you.”

Percy leaned his head against the seat too, head turned toward Annabeth so they were facing each other. “I know,” he said. “You’re always on my side.”

The bus shook again, and Percy sat back. “The seat across from me is open now,” reported Malcolm, since the passenger who had been sitting there had just gotten off the bus.

“Game time!” shouted Percy. He leaned aside so Annabeth could slide by him and leave their seat. She made herself comfortable in the seat across from Malcolm, depositing her bag behind her.

“Okay, I’ll ref,” said Annabeth. “Get into your positions!”

As the bus trundled down the road, Percy and Ethan set up their backpacks leaning against the windows behind each of them. They both laid down in their respective seats, backpacks propping up their backs, and scrunched up their legs to keep them out of the aisle. “Ready,” Percy affirmed.

“Ready,” Ethan agreed.

Annabeth turned to Malcolm. “Okay, ready?” He nodded in response. “The game begins in three, two, one, go!”

At Annabeth’s word, Malcolm dove forward into the aisle between Percy and Ethan’s seats. Immediately they both kicked out their legs, each attempting to push Malcolm into the other’s seat. The referee had no real job in this game since it technically had no rules or defined end goal, so Annabeth sat back to watch, silently cheering for Percy. His features were scrunched in concentration, sandy blonde hair falling across his face but still failing to cover the glimmer in his ocean-blue eyes.

“Go Percy!” Annabeth exclaimed as Percy delivered a well-aimed kick that sent Malcolm falling into the space between Ethan’s seat and the one in front of it. This constituted a goal. Malcolm stood from the floor, grinning with exhilaration despite the fact that he was being shoved around, or maybe because of it.

Ethan sat up, looking offended. “Hey, no teams! That’s not fair! That’s like paying the refs.”

Percy and Annabeth shared a look. Percy sat up himself, leaning forward to high-five Annabeth.

“Another round?” Percy offered Ethan.

The boys settled back into their positions. Annabeth found herself thinking that watching human hockey was quickly becoming her new favorite sport.

~ present day ~

Annabeth turned to her dad. “I don’t really miss the sport,” she answered finally. “I guess I just miss being on a team. It’s nice to have someone to rely on. Someone to high-five when you score.”

“But you’re not scoring if you’re not playing a sport,” Matthew piped up, oblivious to the less literal meaning of her statement. Annabeth looked to her dad for his response.

“Well, I’m glad we don’t pay for you to play soccer anymore, then,” he said.

Annabeth looked down at her plate, disappointed. “Yeah,” she said halfheartedly. “Good thing.”

She finished her dinner quickly and asked to be excused to work on some assignments. Once she was in her room, Annabeth reached into her backpack for her architecture homework. It always calmed her to design buildings and calculate dimensions, imagining it being her job someday. The current assignment was to sketch blueprints for a home. All Annabeth knew was that it was going to look nothing like her house.

As she penciled in the shape of a window, she remembered how she once drew on windows, rather than drawing them herself.

~ flashback ~

The bus was late. Annabeth shivered, jamming her hands deeper into the pockets of her coat. Snowflakes fell on her hair, dampening it. She shifted her feet, stamping down the snow where she stood.

Annabeth had been waiting at the corner of her street for the past 10 minutes, feeling like she was slowly turning into a statue of ice. The other girl who was usually at the bus stop with her had apparently been driven to school today or just decided not to go, because Annabeth was alone. She couldn’t feel her fingers, and now her toes were starting to go numb too.

Finally the bus’s headlights appeared through the trees down the road, cutting through the dim early morning light. The headlights brightened as the bus drove closer until it came to a halt several feet in front of Annabeth. She started to walk toward the doors as they swung open, granting her access to the warmth inside. Annabeth trekked up the stairs, bid a “Good morning” to the bus driver through her chattering teeth, and took her spot near the back. The bus jerked and shuttered and they were off, headed in the direction of Percy’s stop.

A few pick-ups later, Percy boarded the bus, making his way to Annabeth. He sat down next to her and dumped his backpack on the floor at his feet, despite the fact that the bus was emptier than normal and there were plenty of seats he could’ve chosen instead.

“Good morning,” said Percy, still shivering.

Annabeth was grateful for the bus’s heaters. “Hi. Cold?” she asked sarcastically.

Percy smiled, rubbing his arms to warm up. “Oh, just a little,” he said, matching her tone.

They chatted as Percy defrosted in the warmth of the bus. Then Annabeth pointed out another benefit of the bus being heated when she began tracing shapes with her finger in the frost and condensation that clung to the window.

“A smiley face!” exclaimed Percy when he saw what she drew. He leaned over her shoulder and traced his own smiley on the glass.

“They’re friends,” suggested Annabeth about the drawings.

“They’re us,” Percy said with a crooked smile. His face hovered close to Annabeth’s in the dim light. The headlights from a passing car briefly reflected a spark in his deep blue eyes. For a moment it felt like they were the only two people on the bus.

The moment passed. Percy clambered out of the seat and into the one in front of it. He kneeled on the seat and raised himself up so he could reach the upper window. “What are you doing?” Annabeth queried.

Percy traced his finger in shapes on the condensation. “Decorating,” he said simply, covering the glass with stars.

Annabeth tucked her knees under herself and sat up tall to reach the top window for her seat, too. She joined Percy in drawing stars until the windows were full.

Later that morning, as they hopped off the bus steps and onto the sidewalk in front of the school, Annabeth and Percy hovered near the bus for a minute. They walked along the side, looking for their windows.

“I think we were three seats back from the emergency exit,” Annabeth said, pointing at the windows as she counted.

“There! I see them!” Percy shouted excitedly, earning a few odd glances from the other kids walking toward the school. Annabeth peered closer at where his outstretched arm was pointing. Sure enough, there were a group of windows spattered with stars. “I feel like a serious artist now,” joked Percy as he turned to go. “Come on, Annabeth.”

Annabeth hesitated for a moment before following him, her gaze lingering on their first sketches. As she headed into the school, leaving the bus behind, she thought about how sad it was that the drawings, even the smiley faces, would be gone once the outside air warmed up in the afternoon.

~ present day ~

Annabeth continued to work on her architecture assignment, but her mind was elsewhere. She shifted in her seat as she drew, adding a door to her house, but her gaze kept drifting back to the windows.

She couldn’t stop wondering about those smiley faces. Annabeth had never watched condensation disappear. Did it happen gradually, over the course of a day? Or did the smiley faces disappear from the window in an instant, just as Percy had disappeared from her life?

#annabeth chase #percabeth #pjo #percy jackson #high school #percy and annabeth #flashback #au #grover underwood #la rue #michael yew #ethan nakamura #silena beauregard #katie gardner #connor stoll #nyssa barrera #malcolm pace

[bhhstilinski]

Chapter 4

The air was pleasantly warm as Annabeth stepped out of her car, taking a deep breath. Fall had always been her favorite season; as much as she loved blankets of snow in the winter, fresh blossoms in the spring, and the bright possibility of long summer days, fall’s crisp atmosphere and changing leaves would always have her heart. Although it was only the beginning of September and summer was still clinging to New York, Annabeth could feel the promise of autumn days in her future.

She retrieved her backpack from the backseat and locked the car behind her, proceeding up the driveway to the house. She could tell by looking at the cars in the garage that her dad was still at the university where he worked, but her stepmother was home. Annabeth knew her younger brothers would still be at soccer practice until 5:00, so her stepmother wouldn’t be leaving to pick them up for a long time.

Instead of heading inside to be greeted with the chilly atmosphere, Annabeth elected to remain outdoors in the warmth of the late-summer sun. She tucked her backpack away in the corner of the garage and slipped her car keys into its smallest pocket. Then she set off down the driveway, embarking on a walk to the park.

As she trekked up the street, Annabeth was painfully aware she was traversing the same path she had once used to walk home from the bus stop. She approached the street corner where she would bound down the bus steps, never forgetting to turn around and watch for Percy’s wave. Even after saying goodbye to him on the bus, she knew to turn around and look at the windows before the vehicle pulled away. She would always wave back, not caring if anyone thought she was strange for bidding farewell to the giant yellow machine that carried her to and from school.

With a sigh and a shake of her head, Annabeth passed the street corner. She crossed and turned right, headed for the park. She could remember walking there with her dad before he met her stepmother; they would spend afternoons playing sports in the field or climbing on the playground equipment. It was almost laughable to think about now. These days he barely paid her any mind at all. He felt like a different person than who he’d been on those adventurous afternoons.

Annabeth only turned seventeen two months ago, but she had felt like an adult for years. She’d had to fend for herself ever since her dad and stepmother were married, and it only got worse when her half-brothers were born. Annabeth had only been six, but she felt a shift in their household. No longer did she feel like a bright spot to her father; she was suddenly treated like a burden tying him to his past life, those years before he’d met his wife.

Looking both ways, Annabeth crossed the street and reached the sidewalk. Her father’s lesson on how to safely walk through the road echoed in her ears. He’d instructed her to never walk diagonally because it would mean she would be in the street for longer, even if it would make the overall walk time shorter. Despite the fact that she was no longer five years old, Annabeth had never crossed a road diagonally.

She followed the ups and downs of the sidewalk, strolling along its small hills. Annabeth reminded herself that she’d wanted to go on a walk to clear her head, but it seemed to be having the opposite effect. She tried to let her mind drift, gazing up at the trees that grew alongside the path. Some of them leaned over her head, providing bursts of shade from the sun. Through the trees sat homes and neighborhoods, and Annabeth could remember peering out the bus windows at those street signs, waiting for the one spelling “Fabled Oaks” to appear.

Sure enough, Annabeth reached the peak of a large hill, and across the street to her right was the sign. It proclaimed the title of the neighborhood in bold letters, sitting at the end of the street amongst the trees. As long as she’d known Percy, she hadn’t spent much time at his house. But for some reason, against her will, even, Annabeth could still remember the route through that neighborhood to reach his home.

~ flashback ~

Annabeth glanced to her right and then to her left. Knowing that a street crossing was necessary, she’d long debated with herself about which way to look first. She decided that looking left last made more sense. After all, it was the side of the street she would be walking on first, so it would be much more disastrous if she looked there first and a car appeared in that direction as she checked the other way. At the moment, there were no cars in sight, so Annabeth proceeded toward the neighborhood.

The street sign was a familiar landmark to her. She’d spent the last three years seeing it from the bus window, so walking past it herself felt strange. It was almost like she was surprised that the neighborhood actually continued past what was visible from the street.

She repeated Percy’s instructions in her head. Stay right until you reach the cul-de-sac, then turn into the driveway of the first house on the left. Annabeth walked past a side street, staying right. The houses lining the street were smaller than the ones in her own neighborhood, but they all seemed to have nice yards that would be fun for kicking around a soccer ball or climbing trees. Annabeth knew Percy was partial to swimming, but she’d seen him playing other sports at a distance during recess.

As the summer sun beat down on her, Annabeth was suddenly very aware of the amount she was sweating. Her head felt like it was on fire, her dark hair soaking in the heat. Her shirt, displaying the logo for a summer camp she’d gone to last month, stuck to her skin. She felt exhilarated from the exertion of the walk, but she hadn’t quite thought through the fact that it would make her sweat. Annabeth slowed her pace, fanning herself with the bottom of her shirt and waving her hand in an attempt to cool off. Remembering what she had read about fanning yourself actually expending extra energy, she stopped. She would just have to deal with it.

Annabeth could see a cul-de-sac around the next curve in the road. She was excited to see Percy outside of school. They’d never hung out over the summer before. She’d never even seen him in a setting that wasn’t school-related. They’d spent the entire summer using their school Google accounts to email back and forth to make plans. Percy had spent June at swim camp, while Annabeth had found her July occupied by her own summer camp and visits to her grandparents on the ocean. August was the only month they could make it work.

Percy’s birthday was the next week, and since Annabeth wasn’t close with his other friends, he’d invited her over to hang out just the two of them the week prior. She felt oddly nervous about it all. She and Percy had never been alone before. What if it was awkward and neither of them knew what to say? She just hoped their friendship would translate off the school bus, too. They had never even been in the same class before, although they would be for fourth grade in the upcoming school year.

Making a left onto the first driveway in the cul-de-sac, Annabeth stared up at the house in front of her. The driveway ended at an open garage which was only half full with a car. The other half was stuffed with knick knacks. Annabeth thought she could spot a bike, some boxes, and even a dog bed. The rest of the house was painted a warm tan color. The sun landed on the side paneling, giving it an inviting appearance. A small tree grew alongside the walking path, drooping over with beautiful reddish-purple leaves. Other plants lined the path too, leading Annabeth to the front door.

In response to her knock, Annabeth could hear a distant pattering of feet running quickly toward the door. It swung open with gusto to reveal Percy Jackson. His blonde curls bounced and settled into place, still recovering from his mad dash to the door. His eyes shone with excitement, pairing nicely with the smile radiating from every muscle in his face. To Annabeth’s relief, he didn’t seem to notice how sweaty she was.

“Hey,” he greeted her simply.

“Hey,” she said in return, trying not to grin and failing as she always did.

The pair of them stood in silence for a moment, each taking in the fact that the other was actually standing in front of them on this summer afternoon. Then a woman appeared in the hallway behind Percy.

“Well, invite her in!” called Sally Jackson. Annabeth recognized Percy’s mom from holiday parties at school, when she would always volunteer to help organize and run the various stations for the kids.

Percy’s eyes widened, and he blushed. “Right, uh, come on in,” he said, swinging the door open wider. Annabeth stepped into the house, taking it in. To her left was a staircase, leading to a landing with several doors branching off of it. To her right was a coat closet and a mat with shoes on it. Annabeth noticed Percy’s sneakers, which had obviously been tossed haphazardly onto the mat. In front of her was a hall leading to the kitchen and living room. After Annabeth removed her shoes, Percy led her down the hall.

His mom stood in the kitchen, rinsing off some fruit. “A snack for later,” she told them with a smile. Percy looked mortified for some reason. He whisked Annabeth out of the kitchen.

Percy took her on a tour of the house, pointing out his spot on the couch where he would always sit to watch TV with his mom. He showed Annabeth the garage, where he introduced her to his old dog Mrs. O’Leary. Then he brought her upstairs and showed her his bearded dragon, which lived in a glass enclosure under a heat lamp in his room. Annabeth noticed a rubix cube sitting on his desk.  It brought back fond memories of the past year, even though she wasn’t super into solving the puzzle anymore.

“I haven’t touched it since you solved it for me last,” Percy said, having spotted where Annabeth’s gaze landed. “I’m too scared I’ll mess it up.” Both of them chuckled awkwardly. They weren’t used to hanging out like this, and Annabeth could feel it. She thought Percy probably could too. But she knew they just needed to do something to take their minds off it, and then everything would be normal again.

Before she could suggest an activity, Percy beat her to it. “Want to see the backyard?” he asked, continuing his tour.

“Yeah, sure,” Annabeth responded. She followed him back down the stairs and through the kitchen again. On the back left wall, a door led to a porch outside. Percy then descended the steps that took them to the grassy yard, his swim team shirt billowing off his back with the quick movement.

Having shown her the backyard, Percy seemed at a loss for what to do next. Annabeth stepped in. “Why don’t we play some football? We can make up our own playbook.”

Percy seemed to brighten at this suggestion. “Oh, yeah, good idea!” he exclaimed. “I’ll run and get some paper and a pencil. The football is in that bin under the porch,” he said, and took off back up the stairs they’d just come from.

Annabeth walked under the porch, finding the bin easily. She opted for the rubber Nerf football rather than the full-size leather one. She emerged from under the porch just as Percy scrambled back down the steps, holding a few half-size papers and a pencil. He set them on the stair second from the bottom and looked over at Annabeth eagerly.

“I’ll be the quarterback,” she decided.

“Works for me, receiver’s my favorite position anyway,” Percy concurred. They lined up as if there were twenty more players on the grass with them.

“Blue, forty-two, set… hut!” Annabeth shouted, hiking the ball to herself and watching as Percy set off on a screen route. She threw the ball toward him down the imaginary line of scrimmage, sending it in a spiral. He caught it firmly and took off across the pretend field.

Annabeth followed him, blocking imaginary opponents as she and Percy sprinted. Percy ran until he decided he’d gone far enough, declaring that he had reached the end zone with a yell of “Touchdown!” Annabeth jogged in after him. They high-fived, and Percy spiked the ball.

“Maybe we should come up with color codes for each play,” Annabeth suggested as they walked back to the porch, football under Percy’s arm.

“Ooh, yeah,” he agreed. “The screen pass can be blue.”

Annabeth nodded and went to record the play in their makeshift playbook. “NFL coaches will be in envy of us,” she told Percy. “This book will be coveted by playmakers everywhere.”

Percy laughed. “They want it? Well they can’t have it,” he said defensively. “This book is ours and ours alone.” He took the pencil from the step where Annabeth had set it after drawing the play. On a blank piece of paper, he wrote, “Property of Annabeth Chase and Perseus Jackson.”

“Oh, full name,” Annabeth remarked. “It’s serious.”

“Very serious,” Percy said, attempting to make a stern face. He drew a pretty poor imitation of a football above their names.

They continued running and recording plays until their legs ached from running back and forth and their lungs burned from laughter. When they’d had enough, they returned to the house, bursting into the kitchen covered in grass stains. Percy’s mom didn’t look too surprised.

“We really committed to tackling the other team,” Annabeth said, but Mrs. Jackson waved the explanation away.

“That’s pretty normal in our home,” she said with a chuckle. Percy looked away, smirking.

Annabeth followed him to the sink, where they washed their hands, and then to the stools at the kitchen island, where they sat and munched on bowls of freshly rinsed fruit. “Eat fast,” said Percy earnestly. “I want to show you my fort in the woods.”

Once they had snarfed down the last of the grapes, satisfying their ravenous appetites, they headed back outside. Annabeth led the way out onto the porch and down the stairs this time, eagerly anticipating the next activity. “So, where’s this mysterious fort?” she questioned.

“Follow me,” Percy instructed. “I made it last summer, took forever. You’re gonna love it.” He wound a path through the woods just beyond his backyard. They approached a pile of downed trees, their branches intertwining. “I present to you, Fort Jackson!”

Annabeth took in the sight. In the middle of the pile of thin trees, there was a clearly worn trail. The branches had been pushed aside and arranged to create a walkway into the center of the heap, which had been hollowed out. Annabeth stepped forward, exploring the area. It was small, but Percy had personalized it with stump-like pieces of wood for seats and scraps of trash he’d probably picked up around the woods for decoration. A broken glass jar was filled with acorns, and Annabeth spied a collection of leaves of various shapes. But the most enticing part of the place was the swing.

Percy had tied a rope to a sturdy branch that extended from a tree towering above them. The rope went through the center of a circular plastic seat that hung down in the entrance to the fort. Annabeth could tell it was well-loved as the once-yellow seat was brown with dirt.

“Make yourself at home,” Percy said, gesturing around the makeshift room.

“Can I try the swing?” asked Annabeth.

Percy stepped aside and held out his arms ceremoniously. “Step right up,” he said, and took a seat on one of the stumps. Annabeth swung one leg over the seat of the swing. She leaned back on her other leg, gathering momentum before pushing off and launching herself forward. As she did this, she pulled her second leg onto the seat. She swung forward toward the path leading out of the fort, her momentum carrying her back inside and then forward again. While the swing was moving back and forth, the rope also spun the seat around. Annabeth was now facing Percy, beaming at him as the exhilaration from the swinging brought a laugh bubbling up from her chest.

Once the swing slowed down, Annabeth slid off the plastic seat, stumbling backward for a moment as she regained her balance. “Fun, right?” Percy remarked.

“Very!” exclaimed Annabeth, catching her breath. “Your turn?”

“You can go again if you want,” Percy said, shy for a moment.

Annabeth broke into a wide grin again. “Thanks!” Percy smiled back at her.

As the two of them played in the fort, collecting more items for Percy’s decorations and pruning the walls of sticks, they hardly noticed the sun’s descent in the sky. The darkening of the world around them was so gradual that it barely registered to their eyes. When they returned to the house for a change of activity, they were shocked to find that it was already dinnertime. Annabeth used the house phone to call home and ask if she could stay for dinner, but she was told to return home immediately.

Annabeth stood in the door frame, peering out into the dusk. She knew it would remain light enough for her walk home since the sun wouldn’t set for a while still, but she found herself hesitant to leave nevertheless. She turned around to say goodbye to Percy. He stood just behind her, holding the door open with a resigned look on his face.

“So I guess I’ll see you in a couple weeks,” said Percy unhappily.

Annabeth shrugged. “I guess. Well, thanks for inviting me over.”

“Yeah,” came the response. “And I mean, we can still email before school starts.”

“Definitely,” Annabeth agreed quickly.

There was a pause. Percy and Annabeth looked at each other, awkward again, neither one knowing how to end the exchange. Finally Annabeth turned to go. “Bye, Percy.”

“Bye, Annabeth.”

Annabeth walked down the path and into the driveway before she heard the door shut behind her. When she reached the road, she looked back at the home where she’d spent her afternoon. The tan house, which had been glowing in the sun earlier in the day, now faded into the background of trees. Despite the fact that it didn’t stand out from the landscape so much anymore, Annabeth still saw it as a kind of haven.

As she proceeded back through the neighborhood, Annabeth reflected on her friendship with Percy. The afternoon had proven that they fit together even when off the school bus. She was now anticipating the upcoming school year with even more delight. Not only would she get to see Percy on the bus every day, but she would also get to spend time with him in class.

Annabeth looked right and then left, repeating her procedure from earlier in the day. She crossed the street back to the sidewalk, again without encountering any cars. Before she continued her walk home, Annabeth paused to look back at the neighborhood she’d just come from. It felt odd to know that she’d now seen beyond the Fabled Oaks sign. It was no longer just a landmark; the sign now signaled a place where she felt welcome.

~ present day ~

Annabeth gazed at the sign across the street from her. Fabled Oaks. She thought that if she entered that neighborhood today she would feel woefully out of place. It had been a long time since Percy shut her out of his life. Annabeth missed the days when life was full of moments like that summer afternoon she’d spent in Percy’s backyard. She missed the wonder and excitement of blossoming friendship. What was between her and Percy now was more like a shriveled, neglected plant.

With the sun still shining above her, Annabeth pulled herself away from the neighborhood. She continued her walk down the hill, the park in sight just ten minutes ahead of her. But she had to admit to herself that the stroll she had intended to clear her head seemed to have done the opposite as her mind was filled with memories of happier days.

#annabeth chase #percabeth #percy jackson #pjo #high school #percy and annabeth #flashback #au

[bhhstilinski]

Chapter 3

A paper landed on the table, almost sliding off the side before Annabeth caught it in her hands. It was warm to the touch, and she could tell Mr. Bentley had not been prepared for class. He’d probably spent the time between classes running to the copy machine; Annabeth could tell from the warmth of her page that it was freshly printed.

Emi settled back into her seat across the table from Annabeth, done passing out papers. The Architecture and Design classroom was arranged in table groups, and the two of them always sat together. Yawning, Emi placed her arms on the table and laid her head on top, ignoring her own copy of the sheet she’d just finished distributing. Annabeth, on the other hand, was already reading, jotting down notes as she did so.

Mr. Bentley stood and turned on the projector, appearing ready to address the class. The bright screen was a shock for the students’ early morning vision; it was only second hour. The teacher didn’t seem to notice, and instead began describing the details for the class’s next project.

Seeing that the bullet points on Mr. Bentley’s slideshow matched the ones listed on the paper, Annabeth continued to read, scribbling ideas in the margins. “I can’t wait to start work on this assignment,” she whispered to Emi, careful not to attract the attention of the teacher or of other students. Emi snored in response.

To Annabeth’s disappointment, the project would have to wait. The next slide in Mr. Bentley’s presentation explained a warm-up activity they would have to endure first. As the teacher displayed a puzzle on the screen, he began to walk around and check the students’ progress. Annabeth poked Emi with her pencil persistently until the other girl stirred.

“Wake up or you’re going to get caught,” she warned.

Emi lifted her head groggily. “Let me rest, can’t you just do whatever this thing is?” she said, gesturing at the screen. So she had at least somewhat been listening.

Annabeth shook her head. “Just act like you’re doing something; I’m sure I can figure out this puzzle.”

Emi sighed, sitting up fully and leaning back in her chair. “Okay, but you’re going to have to keep me awake with some gossip. How are things with you and Percy?”

Annabeth paused her work to shoot a glare at her friend. Emi had a satisfied look on her face, as if she’d been trying to figure out a way to bring up the topic of Percy Jackson all morning. “There are no things with us,” Annabeth replied sternly. But she wasn’t sure if she was trying to convince Emi or herself.

“I’m just going to have to go back to sleep then,” Emi teased, slowly leaning forward again.

“I’m telling you, there’s nothing,” Annabeth repeated. “He left me, so clearly there never was anything there in the first place.”

Emi thought about this for a moment. “So we hate him?” she questioned with a tilt of her head.

Annabeth pretended to be working on the puzzle activity, but she was actually contemplating. “I can’t hate him,” she responded finally. “He’s a different person now, I know that, but part of me can’t let go of who he used to be. And when I see him around, it’s like seeing a ghost.”

Fiddling with her pencil, Emi frowned. “Spooky,” she commented.

“Yeah,” Annabeth continued. “Spooky. My memories of him haunt me, but I can’t seem to let him go. It's not like he ever did anything truly horrible, like spread rumors about me or pull a mean prank. He just stopped being my friend. I can’t hate him because he never did anything cruel. I mean, the whole problem is that he didn’t do anything at all, not even talk to me.” She scratched out a failed attempt at solving the puzzle and started over.

“But that’s pretty horrible in and of itself, isn’t it?” Emi pointed out, scooting her chair in as Mr. Bentley walked by. “No explanation, no parting words, no reason. And he hadn’t so much as looked your way until last week.”

Annabeth shrugged. “I know I should hate him, but I can’t. Instead I end up wondering if I never mattered to him at all.”

Frowning, Emi opened her mouth to respond, but Annabeth continued. “No, really, maybe I saw him differently from everyone else. Maybe he was always like this and I just didn’t want to admit it. Maybe it’s just that he meant more to me than I ever meant to him.”

Silence fell over their table as Emi mulled this over. Annabeth returned her attention to the puzzle on the paper in front of her. “I’m not going to say that’s impossible because I don’t know,” Emi finally said, “but if it is true, he really missed out on you.”

Annabeth smiled weakly at her friend. It was a nice sentiment and all, but Emi’s statement was only a band-aid on the gaping hole in her jilted heart.

Suddenly something clicked in her head, and she feverishly returned to her scribbling. She could hear Emi talking, but Annabeth blocked it out, filling in the blanks and completing the puzzle.

“I did it; I solved it,” she announced to Emi.

~ flashback ~

“I did it! I solved it!” Annabeth proclaimed, holding up the cube. Its six sides each displayed only their designated color, each block out of nine meticulously arranged and slotted into place. The rubix cube had become the latest fascination sweeping the elementary school. In second grade, it had been the type of joke designed to provoke the response “underwear.” Annabeth much preferred this year’s rubix cube with its puzzling algorithms to the old juvenile prank.

Percy leaned across the aisle to take a look at the cube in her hand. They were far enough into the ride home that enough seats had opened up for them to spread out, although they still seemed to have an unspoken rule that they wouldn’t move more than a seat away from each other. Percy held his own rubix cube, hopelessly scrambled, and appeared confounded. “How did you do that?” Annabeth could’ve been mistaken, but she thought she heard an admiring tone in his voice.

She grinned and shrugged nonchalantly. “It was easy. You just have to know the algorithms to solve it step by step!”

This didn’t help the confused expression that had taken over Percy’s face. Annabeth relented. “Okay, it was actually pretty hard. It took me forever to memorize how to do it.” She reached out her right hand, her left setting her rubix cube on the seat beside her. “Here, I can do yours.”

Percy held out his puzzle, but hesitated before placing it in Annabeth’s grip. “Hang on, if you’re solving mine, let me scramble yours. We can test you again.”

“Challenge accepted,” said Annabeth with a smile, and they exchanged rubix cubes. 

She worked her way through the process, listing the steps she’d memorized under her breath. As she started working on the second side, she glanced over at Percy. He was focused, brow furrowed in concentration as he twisted the cube any way he could think of, trying to make it as difficult as possible. She appreciated that. He wasn’t going to go easy on her.

Annabeth returned her attention to the rubix cube in her own grip, sliding the last piece of the second row into place. She turned it in her hands, recalling what the next part of the process was. She resumed spinning the cube, twisting it harshly to get past a spot where it stuck. While a lot of kids had seemingly gotten brand-new rubix cubes overnight, both Annabeth and Percy had showed up with puzzles they’d discovered in their parents’ old things. The stickers on Annabeth’s were peeling off, and the sides of Percy’s tended to get stuck if you didn’t know to push hard enough.

The inner mechanism made a grinding sound as Annabeth spun the top piece around. She yearned to disassemble the puzzle herself and see how it was made; she was sure she could put it back together without instruction anyway. But she knew Percy wouldn’t be too happy about her abandoning her solving effort to take apart his current obsession. She could already imagine how his blue eyes would water, threatening to embody the ocean and spill over with tears. He would try to hide it whenever he got upset, but Annabeth couldn’t miss it.

“Wow, you’re moving fast,” Percy commented, watching her progress. He was obviously satisfied with his work in mixing up her rubix cube and had decided to observe the solving process. It was true; she was almost done. Annabeth’s mind worked faster than her hands, and she could see five steps ahead as she worked to catch up, eager to complete the motions.

“Almost done!” Annabeth said, admiring her work. There were only a few spins left until it would be finished. She turned to Percy. “Do you want to do the honors?”

His face lit up like the sunrise. “Thanks!” he said happily, putting the finishing touches on the cube. “Now I can say I’ve done it.”

Annabeth felt a strange pressure in her chest. She was suddenly overcome with a sense of warmth towards Percy. Something about his smile made her want to beam right back at him. Not knowing how else to express it, she piped up again.

“I can show you how to make each face look like a flower,” she said excitedly. “I love leaving my rubix cube like that when I’m done, and it only takes a couple of turns.”

Percy nodded, enthused. “Yeah, sure!” Annabeth held out his rubix cube and spun it a few times until four of the cube’s faces had a different color sitting at the center of the nine squares. She looked up at Percy.

“Got it?”

“Uhh… not exactly,” he said sheepishly.

Annabeth mentally facepalmed for not moving the pieces more slowly. “Okay, I’ll show you again,” she said, resetting it. “Don’t worry, it’s a little confusing the first few times.” She wasn’t sure why she felt the need to comfort him. If it was anyone else, even her best friends Luke and Thalia, she’d rub it in their face that she could do it quickly right away. But it was different with Percy. She was different.

Twisting the rubix cube slower this time, Annabeth repeated the pattern. Percy’s perplexed look began to fade.

“Alright, I think I got it now.”

Annabeth reset the cube again and handed it back to him. “Want to practice?”

“Thanks,” he said, and slowly started spinning the sides. After a couple turns, he stopped. “I have to admit, I’m definitely lost right now.”

The directional term snapped Annabeth out of their conversation. It reminded her that she was on a bus and needed to be looking out for her stop. Her usual plan was to start packing up three stops before her own so she would be prepared to leave. But suddenly she wasn’t so sure any of the people left on the bus had their stops before hers. And now that she thought about it, she could vaguely remember seeing the outline of her street through the window over Percy’s shoulder earlier.

“Oh no,” she said, starting to panic. Her breaths came faster. Suddenly it was very hot in the bus, even with the windows down to let the early-autumn breeze in.

“What’s wrong?” Percy asked, the rubix cube forgotten.

Annabeth’s face stuck itself into an unshakable frown. “I think I missed my stop.” As she said it, she realized it was true. She began talking out the situation with herself. “Okay, I missed my stop. I don’t want to be stuck here all night. So what’s the next step in the plan? What do I do? I could go up to the bus driver and ask to get off at the next stop?”

“Hey, it’s okay.” Percy’s voice broke through the torrent of anxious thoughts pummeling Annabeth’s mind. “You can just go tell the driver and he’ll go back for you. It’s their job to get us all home.”

As he said it, Annabeth realized how stupid it was to assume she’d have to wait out the night in the bus until the next morning’s route. “Right,” she replied as the bus lurched to a stop. “Yeah, I’ll just go up and say something.”

Annabeth returned to her seat a minute later with news. Percy’s eyebrows were raised inquisitively, asking a silent question. Annabeth was too caught up in her problem to wonder why he cared so much.

“He said I have to wait until after the last stop, and then he’ll go back,” she reported. “I don’t want to be the last one on the bus, that’s so weird.”

Percy didn’t reflect her attitude. “That’s perfect!” he exclaimed, beaming. Annabeth looked at him curiously. “I’m usually the last stop,” he explained. “Now I’ll have company.”

Despite the situation, Annabeth found herself smiling back at him. They sat side by side, working on their rubix cubes as other kids passed them by, walking down the aisle to dismount the bus. When it was finally Percy’s turn, they each packed up their own puzzle.

“See you tomorrow,” Percy said, standing to go.

“See you,” Annabeth responded. She watched him walk down the aisle, the anxious feeling in her gut returning as he got farther and farther away. As Percy climbed down the bus steps, Annabeth was struck with an idea. She slid over into the seat across from hers where Percy had been a second earlier. She waited for him to look back up at the bus. Sure enough, he did, and she waved. He waved back, both of them amused by the role reversal.

~ present day ~

Annabeth remembered how rubix cubes had remained popular over the rest of their third grade year. Percy never figured out how to solve them, although when Annabeth watched his attempts, she suspected he was messing up on purpose. For what reason she didn’t know, but she would always solve his for him, sometimes even taking it home for the night if she ran out of time on the bus ride.

“Annabeth? How’d you solve it? I don’t even know where to start, my brain’s short-circuiting this morning.”

Annabeth jumped. Emi’s question broke up her train of thought. She’d thought for a moment that it was Percy, once again asking her how to solve a rubix cube. “Just look at my paper,” she said absent-mindedly, sliding the page across the table.

“Thanks!” Emi said gratefully.

“No problem,” Annabeth replied, her mind still stuck with Percy on the third-grade bus.

#percabeth #annabeth chase #pjo #percy jackson #percy and annabeth #flashback #high school #rubix cube #nostalgia #school bus #au

[bhhstilinski]

Chapter 2 (cont)

The library stood out in the small town, a newer building against the old, concrete against the brick, wide against the thin. It was a few minutes’ walk away from the cluster of more central shops that housed stationery and trendy clothing. Although Annabeth loved the store offering a selection of planners and pens, her destination today was the library. She pulled into a parking space, noting the plethora of empty spots, and twisted the key to turn the car off, her music stopping abruptly.

Annabeth took her keys and phone from the front of the car, pulled her bag from the backseat, and locked it as she walked towards the front doors. Once inside, she made a beeline for the stairs, bypassing the children’s section. The bottom floor of the library featured tables with picture books on display, enticing young potential readers. Annabeth remembered getting her first library card and excitedly running around the building, collecting books from all the tables and shelves, curating a diverse taste from the moment she had the opportunity. She would read historical fiction, fantasy, mystery, and to the librarian’s surprise, books about architecture.

As Annabeth reached the top of the stairs, she surveyed the top floor. A few chairs were arranged around a table in front of her, all facing a fireplace with a TV above it. The TV silently advertised different events the library would be hosting over the next few weeks, including storytimes for little kids and an arts-and-crafts day. Beyond the sitting area there were rows of bookcases that held the selection of fiction for teens and adults. Individual seats with attached desks lined the wall of windows to Annabeth’s left, each seat closed off by a screen that made for a more private study space.

She continued past the fiction section and turned to the right before reaching the non-fiction area. Her footsteps muted by the carpet, Annabeth approached the study rooms. Each room offered a table with several chairs and a whiteboard on the wall, so this hall was a hotbed for high school students. Since it was still the beginning of the school year, Annabeth had her pick from plenty of open rooms. Each had a clear glass wall, making it easy to see if they were occupied. She chose the one at the end of the hall that featured a window on one wall.

Offloading her backpack onto one of the chairs, Annabeth glanced outside. The sky was a vibrant blue, with puffy white clouds skidding across it. She wished she could go for a hike through a park rather than buckle down over calculus homework, but the life of a senior was not one to be desired. Especially one with aspirations as high as Annabeth’s.

Despite not knowing which college she wanted to attend next year, Annabeth knew she wanted to do great things. Her dream was to design an entire city, using her knowledge of architecture to create a masterpiece. Whenever she visited a new place, she analyzed the features of its buildings and its layout, knowing she could improve upon it if given the chance. The second she’d had a space in her schedule, Annabeth had jumped at the opportunity to take the Architecture and Design course offered at Olympian High. It was her favorite class, and not just because it was one of the only times she got to see Emi during the school day. She was truly invested in learning as much as she could; one day she would prove herself to be the best architect the world had ever seen.

Unfortunately, this also meant she had to battle her way through calculus. Annabeth grabbed her dark blue math binder along with a pencil that had a sufficient amount of eraser left and set to work on the newest worksheet. As she analyzed graphs and completed equations, Annabeth thought longingly of the days when math worksheets simply required you to prove you could add two-digit numbers.

~flashback~

“Thank the gods!” Percy exclaimed, his gaze landing on Annabeth as she walked down the bus aisle. “I need your help on this worksheet.”

It was the end of the school day, and the sun shone through the window onto Percy’s face, giving him a golden hue. His curls seemed to glow, their beachy look enhanced by the late-summer lighting. Annabeth slid into his seat beside him and dropped her backpack on the floor. She leaned in to get a better look at the paper in Percy’s hands.

Columns of addition and subtraction problems lined the page. Annabeth could see Percy’s scribbled pencil marks on a few of the problems, noting where he needed to carry a number and guessing at the solution. “Oh, this is easy, come on Seaweed Brain. We just did one like this yesterday. Here,” she said, reaching for the pencil.

“Sorry if I don’t have a mind like a sponge like you do, Wise Girl,” Percy retorted, smiling. He held out his hand to give her the pencil. Annabeth took it, their fingers brushing, and pressed the worksheet against the back of the seat in front of them. She walked Percy through one of the problems and explained his mistakes on the questions he’d struggled with. By the time the bus reached Annabeth’s stop, there were only a few problems left.

She slid out of the seat and pulled her backpack with her, hooking her arms through the straps. Straying from their usual routine, Percy stood up with her.

“I should get off here with you,” he said earnestly.

Annabeth stared at him, contemplating. With the way he was turned now, the light sparked his blue eyes. She thought they bore a resemblance to the reflection of the sun’s rays on the surface of the Atlantic. “You’re not allowed to,” she reminded Percy. “I think the driver has to have a note from our parents or something.”

Percy shrugged. “So?” he said, grinning. Annabeth couldn’t help but smile back. She felt a very strong urge to pick up her backpack and follow the boy down the bus steps. “We need to finish the worksheet,” he urged her.

“I don’t want you to get in trouble,” Annabeth said. She frowned when Percy’s grin fell from his face. “Get on your email at exactly five, and we can talk!” she offered.

“Okay,” he conceded, and she hurried down the bus aisle before the driver could pull away from her stop.

As the bus’s folding door squeaked and slammed shut behind her, Annabeth turned around. Her eyes scanned the windows, landing on Percy’s faint shape through the window. He waved to her, a simple goodbye that always made her happy. She lifted her hand and waved back as the bus lurched and drove away from the street corner.

~present day~

Annabeth pulled herself out of the memory, returning her focus to finding the limit of some equation on the paper in front of her. She found herself wishing a certain blonde-haired boy was still sitting beside her, offering a brain to bounce ideas off of and promising to email her. It was ridiculous. They had phones now anyway, and his number was blocked, although her calendar still alerted her to his birthday every year. She always found herself annoyed by the notification, but for some reason never turned it off.

As if summoned by her thoughts, Annabeth’s phone chimed. She knew by its tone that the text was from Emi. The smile that this revelation brought was dimmed by the remembrance that she’d given Percy’s messages a unique sound once, too.

Annabeth opened the text and paused her music to play the voice message from Emi, which detailed a disturbing occurrence of a rat hiding behind a box. She shot a sympathetic message back and returned to her homework, mentally cursing herself for taking calculus instead of statistics, the other AP math option. But as Annabeth worked her way towards the bottom of the page, her mind drifted back to her former friend, once again questioning herself and what she had done wrong that had led to the emptiness of the seat to her right.

#percabeth #annabeth chase #percy jackson #pjo #la rue #percy and annabeth #percy jackson and the olympians #flashback #high school #library #architecture #architect annabeth

[bhhstilinski]

Chapter 2

“‘See you around?’” Emi said incredulously. She and Annabeth had managed to snag one of the few booths in the cafeteria, and Emi was now shooting glares at a group of freshmen who walked by, looking for a table.

“Shhh!” Annabeth hissed, her eyes darting around the room. “Someone might hear you!”

Emi rolled her eyes and took a slice of cucumber from Annabeth’s container, dipping it in her own hummus. “He’s not even here. He and Grover eat outside every day while it’s still warm.” She looked over her shoulder. Annabeth followed her gaze, and sure enough, she could see Percy Jackson and a group of his friends sprawled across a few benches under a tree. He and Grover seemed to be invested in a conversation between the two of them.

Grover had once been Annabeth’s friend, too. She’d known him since kindergarten, before Percy had come to their school in first grade. They hadn’t been especially close, but they talked when they were placed at the same table in seating charts. In 6th grade, they were in the middle school band together. Annabeth had quit after that first year, since it was no longer required and her talent clearly lay elsewhere. But Grover had stuck with it, and now Annabeth knew he was second chair for the flute section, only behind Michael Yew, who was currently sitting on the bench perpendicular to Grover's. Michael played basketball, so he hung out in Percy’s group, too. Annabeth supposed Grover had remained friends with Percy in this way, too, since he played soccer.

“I can’t believe he actually talked to you,” said Emi, turning back to the girls’ own table. “I mean, how long has it been?”

Annabeth sighed. “3 years, basically. And he’s acting like it never happened, like he never abandoned me. I mean, we were best friends, Emi! Best friends. He was always there for me, every day. I had other friends on the bus, sure, but they came and went. He was constant. We were constant.”

“Okay, abandoned is a strong word,” Emi said, raising her eyebrows. “You’ll always have me. Unless you don’t do something about Percy. Then I will be sending Chris Pratt to haunt your nightmares.”

Tilting her head quizzically, Annabeth leaned back on her side of the booth. “Chris Pratt of all people, really?”

Emi shrugged. “He’s terrifying.” She took another cucumber slice.

Annabeth grabbed one herself. “What do you mean, anyway? ‘Do something about Percy?’ Like block him on all social media and devise alternate routes to my classes so I never have to see him in the halls?”

“Like the opposite,” Emi scoffed. “Maybe there’s something between you still. Follow him on Instagram and see if he follows you back! Oh, and say hi to him in the halls.”

“No way,” Annabeth said, shaking her head as she packed her lunch containers back into her lunchbox. “We hung out all summer before freshman year, and then he starts ignoring me the second the school year begins, and even stops taking the bus. It hurt, Emi. A lot. I’m not risking going through that again. Like you said, I have you, and that’s all I need anymore.” She zipped up her backpack and fixed Emi with a challenging stare, as if daring her to contradict the statement.

Emi lifted her hands in mock surrender. “Alright, got it. I just know he used to mean something to you.”

“The key phrase being ‘used to,’” Annabeth noted sternly.

“That’s fair,” Emi conceded. “I just don’t understand what happened between you.”

Annabeth’s face fell. She didn’t know either. It drove her crazy, how she and Percy were as close as ever one day and not speaking the next. He’d become cold towards her, ignoring her attempts to reach out and avoiding her if she ever spotted him in the hallways. Eventually, she’d given up, feeling embarrassed and defeated without even knowing why. “He made it pretty clear before,” she responded to Emi. “We’re done.”

Emi frowned too, looking down. Silence fell between the friends as other students filled the cafeteria with their chatter. Annabeth gazed almost longingly at other tables overflowing with teenagers, some having pulled extra chairs over to make room for their abundance of friends. She didn’t like to admit it, but she missed Luke and Thalia. They called to talk every once in a while, but it was never the same as it had been when they were all together. Annabeth often felt like they had moved on, into a new stage of their lives, and left her behind. She knew it wasn’t their fault, but she was getting kind of sick of being abandoned. These days, it felt like she was counting the weeks until she could graduate and leave this school behind.

Annabeth glanced across the table at Emi. She was glad Emi’s family had moved from Scotland, giving her the person she was closest with, the one she knew she could trust with anything. She’d never been close with her step-mother or step-brothers, and ever since her dad had remarried she’d felt forgotten by him, too. Emi was the one person who still felt like what Annabeth imagined a family was supposed to: reliable, fierce, and caring.

Emi was currently putting away her own lunch, long blonde hair falling in front of her face. As Annabeth watched, her friend gave another group of younger students a judging look, telling them without speaking to move along and find a different booth. Annabeth couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t be so mean!” she said playfully.

“We’re seniors now, Annabeth,” replied Emi, trying to appear intimidating. “We shouldn’t have to deal with the freshmen.”

“I think those were sophomores!” Annabeth said, a giggle in her tone.

Emi shrugged, masking her smile. “I can’t even tell the difference anymore, now that I’m so old and experienced with life.”

The bell signaling the end of lunch rang throughout the cafeteria. The sound of countless chairs scraping the ground as they were pushed back from tables echoed as a response. “You’re probably the youngest person in our grade,” Annabeth pointed out as she and Emi stood, slinging their backpacks over their shoulders. “I bet some of the sophomores are older than you.”

“Probably,” Emi admitted reluctantly. Then her face lit up the way it did when she had an enticing piece of gossip. “Ooh, don’t look now, but I think I see your boy’s girlfriend!” She nodded her head towards the doors that led to the outdoor seating area.

“He’s not my boy!” Annabeth reminded her friend, turning to see Percy Jackson push through the doors. He was met by a girl with unruly red curls and an abundance of freckles. She wore a blue Olympian High girls’ soccer t-shirt that was covered with splashes of paint in various colors. As Annabeth watched, the girl pulled Percy down for a kiss. She averted her eyes.

As she followed Emi out of the cafeteria and down the hallway, Emi teased her. “Jealous?”

Annabeth raised her eyebrows. “Hardly. And I like Rachel anyway, she’s nice.”

“Very true,” Emi agreed. “I sat near her and Grover in environmental science last year and they always let me be part of their project groups.”

Annabeth dodged a boy who was running down the middle of the hallway. “That must’ve been a good group; Grover loves the environment.”

“Oh yeah,” Emi said, grinning. “He’s very passionate. He did most of the work.”

Annabeth smiled. Grover had always been sweet. “Speaking of work…” she began, “can you study at the library today?”

Emi frowned, looking disgusted. “I wish. But I do have work.”

“See you tomorrow, then,” Annabeth said, offering a supportive grimace.

“Yeah, see you,” replied Emi, turning down the hall to their right. Annabeth made a left and headed for the school newspaper room.

Annabeth normally enjoyed the hour a day when she got to sit back on a couch and write articles for the school newspaper. She could lose herself debating the qualities of a recent movie or album when drafting a review, arguing her side of a topic in an editorial, or analyzing societal trends to compose a lifestyle piece. But today she spent the period combing the newspaper website for details about Percy Jackson. She searched his name and devoured each article that appeared in the results, often reading entire essays for one mention of the boy. Annabeth pulled up the newspaper’s companion site called the Olympics, which reported solely on the school’s sports games and athletes. She scanned countless pages of information about the swimming team just to find his name in the lists of competitors and record breakers. When the teacher strolled by, checking that everyone was on-task, she quickly switched tabs to a half-completed document, pretending to work on her next article. But as soon as the supervisor walked away, Annabeth returned to her shameful search.

She wasn’t sure what she was looking for. She just couldn’t get Percy Jackson off her mind.

#pjo #annabeth chase #percabeth #percy jackson #percy jackson and the olympians #riordanverse #high school #au #grover underwood #la rue #rachel elizabeth dare #perachel #percy and annabeth #percy and grover #annabeth #percy #percy series

[bhhstilinski]

Chapter 1

Annabeth Chase’s least favorite way to start the day was in a rush. She liked having time to plan a list of tasks and wake up fully before driving off to school. She was also a firm believer that breakfast was essential to starting the day. Most mornings, she sat down with eggs on toast or a bowl of cereal and read the news on her phone for a few minutes.

Unfortunately, none of this was an option today. She should’ve known the day wasn’t going to be a normal one when it started with her waking up fifteen minutes after her alarm. Instead of the blaring noise from her phone, Annabeth was roused by the sounds of her dad waking up down the hall. She turned her head to where her bookcase stood faithfully beside her bed, within an arm’s reach. Blinking her bleary eyes, Annabeth focused on the clock sitting atop it. She stared at the clock for a second as her tired brain made sense of the lines and dots projected on its digital face. The moment she realized what time it was, she sprung out of bed in a panic.

After a rushed shower, Annabeth threw on the outfit she had laid out for herself the night before. She crammed textbooks and binders into her backpack and left her room without a second glance. In the kitchen, she grabbed a yogurt and some cheese and crackers for lunch later. Annabeth would’ve liked to pack a granola bar to eat for breakfast, but she reminded herself that she couldn’t even indulge in that luxury this morning. When she got to school she would have to stop by her psychology classroom to drop off a poster; she also had to run to the library and return a stack of books she’d used to research for the project. As that thought ran through her brain, it alerted her to the fact that she had left her poster and materials in her room. She bounded up the steps and all but flew down the hall, retrieving her poster and textbooks before heading back downstairs at a slower pace.

Annabeth gathered her backpack, phone, keys, poster, and books, struggling to balance all of it as she opened the door and left her house. She deposited everything but her keys and phone in the backseat and slid into the front. As she pulled out of the driveway, Annabeth glanced at the clock built into the dashboard. She would still have to hurry when she got to school to complete her errands and make it to her first class on time.

When she reached the parking lot, Annabeth pulled into her regular space and hopped out of the car. She had always parked in the overflow lot to avoid the majority of the other students since hearing nightmare stories about the horrible driving and hectic speeding that often occurred in the afternoons. Plus, the door was located close to her first hour class, calculus. Unfortunately, today she bypassed the math classroom and headed for psychology. It was her last class, and Annabeth didn’t want to lug her poster around all day. She made up her mind to drop off the project and then proceed to the library where she could return her textbooks, since it was located a little further down the same hallway.

To her disappointment, Annabeth arrived at the psychology classroom and was greeted with a flock of other students who had evidently had the same idea as her. A line of sleepy high schoolers stretched across the room and almost reached the hallway. Annabeth took her place at the end of the line, shifting the weight of her backpack on her shoulders and balancing the stack of textbooks in her left hand as she held her rolled-up poster in her right. With a few people still in front of her, Annabeth focused on keeping the book on top of the stack from sliding off. It was dangerously close to doing so. Just as the thought entered her mind, she watched as if in slow motion as the book slipped and fell.

It thudded against the thin carpet, resounding against the concrete not far beneath. Annabeth winced, trying to figure out how to bend down and pick it up without everything else spilling out of her hands and without her backpack tipping her over. As she attempted to crouch, a hand extended from beside her and reached down to pick up the textbook. Gratefully, Annabeth turned to the person now standing next to her. Her words of gratitude stalled in her mouth when she saw who was now holding her textbook. A memory resurfaced within her mind of their first meeting, when they were still just anxious kids on the first day of a new school year.

~flashback~

Annabeth slouched in her seat, peering out the window at the neighborhood where the bus had just screeched to a halt. A truck idled at the mouth of the street, and a cluster of kids around her age looked up at the yellow machine that opened its doors to them. Annabeth watched as the elementary schoolers boarded the bus, noticing how they fell naturally into a single file line. As she looked on, the doors to the truck parked at the end of the street swung open. A woman who looked to be the same age as Annabeth’s stepmother stepped out of the driver’s side while a boy around her own age clambered out of the other door. His large backpack made him seem even smaller as he followed the woman, most likely his mother, to the bus doors.

The other kids had already boarded the bus and filed into seats as the woman climbed the bus stairs and stopped to talk to the bus driver. Annabeth, sitting near the middle of the bus, could only catch snippets of the discussion, but she deduced that the boy’s mother wanted to make sure this was the correct bus before allowing him to board. After a brief conversation, the woman disembarked the bus and the boy appeared in the aisle. Annabeth noticed his hesitance as he walked between the tall gray seats on either side of the pathway. As he reached the seat where she and her backpack resided, his face brightened.

“Can I sit here?” the boy asked, gesturing to the space left in Annabeth’s seat. She nodded silently, sliding over and moving her backpack to the floor to make room for the boy to sit down. She tucked a braid behind her ear as the bus lurched and proceeded on its route to the school. The boy placed his large backpack on the floor and continued to speak. “I don’t know anyone here. We just moved, so this is my first day,” he explained.

Annabeth smiled. “Don’t worry, I’m only in first grade, so I don’t have many friends either,” she reassured him. An excited expression lit up the boy’s face.

“I’m just starting first grade, too! I’m Percy, by the way.”

“I’m Annabeth,” the girl replied, meeting Percy’s eyes for the first time. They were a piercing ocean blue, patterned in a way that made them look like ripples on the surface of the water. His hair fell in sandy blonde waves in front of his face, and she wondered if he had bothered to brush it after waking up that morning. Her own dark hair was braided in her favorite hairstyle, which she liked because it kept her curls out of her face. Percy didn’t seem to mind this.

The pair sat in silence for a moment before Percy piped up again, asking her how she spent her summer. Annabeth described how her new twin half-brothers kept her dad and step-mom busy, and Percy responded with anecdotes of trips to the beach with his mom and celebrating his birthday with blue cupcakes on the shores of Montauk. They chattered away as the bus carried them to school, and the whole time they talked, Annabeth couldn’t keep her gaze away from his eyes. Her own irises were dark brown, almost black, and Percy’s stare mesmerized her.

~present day~

Annabeth was met with the same stare as she looked into the eyes of her former friend. Percy Jackson stood in front of her, textbook in his grasp, a faint smile gracing his face. His backpack no longer dwarfed him as he had grown to be taller than her since they had first met. His hair, now full curls but just as unruly, fell across his forehead. But his eyes hadn’t changed. They still looked like the ocean, patterned with waves, a clear blue color betraying depth beneath.

“Hey, Annabeth,” Percy said simply. Three years since he had suddenly stopped talking to her, and the first thing he says is “hey.” Annabeth couldn’t believe it. She expected him to hand the textbook back to her, or at least place it back on top of the stack in her hand, but he held onto it. As the line of students moved closer to the teacher’s desk, Percy stepped with her, holding her book.

She didn’t know what to say. He was basically a stranger to her now. Since he’d abruptly ended their friendship at the end of the summer before freshman year, Percy had climbed in the ranks of popularity, becoming captain of the swim team and hanging out with people he’d never spoken to before. Annabeth had watched from afar as he seemed to become a different person, spending time with all the athletes, attending parties, and even dating a few of the girls in his new friend group. Unsure of how to read the situation, she just asked the first question that popped into her mind.

“What are you doing here?”

She cringed as soon as the words left her mouth. They sounded accusatory, despite the fact that her initial hostile feelings at his betrayal had simmered to a prolonged sadness years ago. Annabeth watched Percy’s face for signs of defensiveness, but he just let out a small laugh. “I’m in this class,” he responded.

“Oh.” Annabeth couldn’t believe how stupid she sounded. Of course he was in this class; it should’ve been obvious. She was too preoccupied with the shock of seeing Percy again. She wracked her brain for something to say next. “How do you like the teacher?”

Percy glanced at the desk, where Mrs. Reed was busy instructing a girl on where to put her project. “She’s… not my favorite,” he said, dropping his voice conspiratorially. “Way too strict for my taste. Once I showed up as the bell was ringing and she still gave me a tardy!”

Annabeth laughed despite herself. Percy always seemed to have that effect on her. “That is the rule, you know.”

He shrugged, grinning at her reaction. “Doesn’t mean I can’t think it’s ridiculous. I mean, come on, they get us for an hour every day. I’m going to make the most of my time right up until class starts.”

Annabeth had always admired his carefree attitude towards school. She knew he’d always struggled to focus in class due to his ADHD, and he’d learned to never put too much pressure on himself because of it. In hindsight, she wished she’d had the same mindset. Annabeth always put pressure on herself when it came to school, pushing herself to take the hardest classes and maintain a 4.0 GPA. She’d always valued knowledge, but she also hoped that she could make her absent mother proud. Her birth mom was a professor at Columbia University, so Annabeth threw herself into her studies, placing all of her self-worth on her grades. Part of her knew she was fighting a losing battle, but she liked to ignore that part.

She stepped closer to Mrs. Reed’s desk as the line inched forward. Her turn was next, but she suddenly didn’t want to leave. “So how’s swim season going?” she asked Percy, attempting to prolong the conversation.

His expressions betrayed his passion as he described early morning practices and weekend meets, detailing how he loved to cheer on the other swimmers almost as much as he loved to swim himself. Annabeth felt herself opening up to him again. It felt as if no time had passed from their last conversation three years ago. But reminders of how he abandoned her crept into her thoughts, and she knew she couldn’t open herself up again. After Percy left her, she’d had only her friends Thalia and Luke. But they were both older than her, with Luke starting college after Annabeth’s freshman year and Thalia leaving a year after him. Thankfully, she’d managed to make a friend at the start of high school.

Emily La Rue, referred to only as Emi by everyone except substitute teachers, was new to New York at the start of her freshman year. She’d moved from Scotland and met Annabeth just a few days into the school year. The two of them quickly became friends and would frequently stay up late texting each other. Where Luke and Thalia would chide Annabeth and tell her to get to sleep, Emi had the same nocturnal habits. They worked on homework together, hung out after school, and talked all the time. So when Luke and eventually Thalia went off to universities across the country, Annabeth wasn’t alone.

Despite having company and friendship, Annabeth would never forget the pain of being discarded. Percy had cast her aside to become popular because she wasn’t good enough for him, just like how she was never good enough for her mother.

Remembering their past, Annabeth steeled herself against Percy’s effortless charm. She nodded along as he spoke, but she promised herself that she would never let someone get that close to her again. When he asked about her articles for the school paper, she skirted around the question, instead mentioning that she might recommend him to other writers for a profile.

“Well I’m not sure if I’m interesting enough,” Percy began with a chuckle, “but if you wanted to write-”

“Miss Chase, is that your project?” The rest of Percy’s sentence was cut off by the admonishing tone of Mrs. Reed, who was staring pointedly at Annabeth. She realized it had probably been her turn to talk to the teacher for a while now.

Unfurling the posterboard, Annabeth responded hastily. “Uh, yes, I was just wondering if I could keep it in here for today? Until sixth hour?” She was keenly aware of Percy Jackson standing over her shoulder, watching this interaction.

“Sixth hour projects can go right over there.” Mrs. Reed pointed to the back wall of the room.

Annabeth proceeded to the corner and set her poster on the floor, checking one last time to make sure she’d written her name on it. “Thank you!” she said to the teacher as she walked back towards the door of the classroom, remembering she still had to make a stop at the library before the start of class. Percy was waiting for her at the door, still holding her textbook. “So…” she started awkwardly, “my book?”

“Oh, right,” he said, looking uncomfortable for once. He handed her the heavy volume. Annabeth gave him a terse smile as he continued talking. “So I’ll see you around, I guess?”

Annabeth wasn’t sure what to make of this. She had barely seen him for years, and all of a sudden they’re on “see you around” terms? She looked at Percy, hesitating in the door frame. “Sure,” she replied, and turned to the hallway, holding her books with two hands as she walked towards the library. Annabeth told herself not to look back. It didn’t matter if he was still standing there, watching her with his oceanic eyes. She didn’t care.

#percabeth #pjo #riordanverse #percy jackson #annabeth chase #percy and annabeth #former friends #childhood friends #flashback #high school #academic validation

[bhhstilinski]

Intro

Now That We Don’t Talk

~A Percabeth AU

When Annabeth Chase has a run-in with her childhood friend, she’s not sure how to feel. Percy Jackson suddenly stopped talking to her three years ago, and they haven’t spoken since. Can anything happen after friends have become strangers? Senior year has a lot in store for them.

Set in a universe where Percy and Annabeth are seniors in high school, Grover Underwood is Percy’s best friend, and Rachel Elizabeth Dare is his girlfriend. Annabeth’s best friend is an original character based off of my friend Emi! Her last name is La Rue as a nod to Clarisse, her favorite character.

#percy jackson #pjo series #pjo #alt universe #annabeth chase #percabeth #grover underwood #percy and grover #rachel elizabeth dare #fanfic #now that we don't talk #clarisse la rue