Dishwork.

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Summary: Seaweed Brain's antics had, yet again, failed to keep him out of trouble. This time, due to my own stupidity, I had been dragged down with him. Cleaning duty after every meal for a week. A full week. Seven long days of burning lava and never ending idiotic comments from Percy. Some girls have all the luck.

One-shot.

" Seriously, you can't still be angry?"

I closed my eyes. 'Count to ten, Annabeth. Remember: you must not blind someone by throwing lava in their face.' The thought seemed so tempting.

He waited for answer but I continued with the plates. I looked at the three I had managed to clean, proudly. Then I happened to glance back at the remaining pile of dirty plates. Seven hundred and thirty- four. 'On second thought, count to fifteen.'

The air smelt of burning rubber and stale bread. I ground my teeth and dunked my hands in the smouldering red liquid once more, curling up my toes at the tips of my sneakers. I made some odd sound with my breath as the liquid started burning through the cloth of my gloves. Grasping the plate, I dunked it twice scrubbing vigilantly with the brush, and I slammed it down on the draining board.

"I've said I was sorry." He tried again.

"Well say it again anyway." I snapped as I subjected my hands to further torture. I kicked the base of the sink as it reached my skin.

"Look..."

"No, you look! What in Tartarus would possess you to tell Chiron that I was part of your idiotic scheme? I f you want to apologise properly, bring those gods-damned Stoll brothers in here and I'll give all of you something to feel sorry about." I ripped off my pair of gloves and ran to the water sink. The cold water gushing down my hands was the best feeling I've ever had.

"Here, I can..."

"If you want to help, go smash your head with a frying pan." Yes, I know. Incredibly mature of me, no?

He sighed and backed off. I retrieved another pair of gloves and shoved them on my hands. I noticed he hadn't even bothered to put a pair on yet.

"Feel like helping?" I asked with mock kindness.

He shrugged.

"Bags drying!"

"No, how about you get your hands permanently injured for a change?"

He rolled his eyes.

"Get over it, Annabeth. I f we're going to be here for a week, we might as well get on."

That made something snap. I turned sharply to see him fitting on a pair of gloves.

"Get over it? I did nothing, and yet I stuck up for your worthless ass, and for what? To get lumbered with having to spend a week of burning my hands off and listening to your non sequiturs?"

He stood facing me, looking down slightly. He looked more amused than angry, unlike me, seeing as there was practically steam coming from my ears. My hands were balled into fists and my glare reached its maximum potential. He walked slowly towards me, his arms crossed.

There was a small minute of silence before he spoke again, barely whispering.

At first I maybe thought, just for second that perhaps something meaningful might pass this boy's lips. Maybe, just once, he'd be able to keep a straight face and talk seriously for a while.

"Bags drying."

I couldn't help it. My hand immediately reached for the open packet of flour that was stashed in the corner of the open cabinet. The harpies are messy cooks, and the packet was semi open, its contents around the lip of the packet and the ground of the cabinet under it. I gripped it in my hands and looked at him.

"Annabeth, don't you..."

I chucked it at his face, letting it fly around the room but the bulk of it landed on Percy giving him a pale glow. I burst into wicked laughter as he rubbed it off his face. He took a deep breath as I prepared myself for a counter-attack.

"You, "he paused and broke into an evil grin, "are so dead."

I saw his hand reach for something as I dashed out of the room, sprinting into the messhall, that was empty. He followed directly at my heels and I quickly guessed what he had grabbed as the sloppy liquid squelched on the back of my T-shirt.

Ketchup.

I whipped my head in perfect timing. The red liquid made a line on my face, from my mouth to my forehead. I stumbled backwards and landed on a bench, painfully cracking my back.

"Ow." I muttered.

He reached me and held the bottle out protectively. The sight of his confused face covered in white powder made me laugh again and this quickly earned me another dose in the face.

"Had enough?" He grinned.

"In your dreams, Fish-boy." I smacked into him, landing on top of him as we reached the floor. He was temporarily winded and I smirked. One point to Annabeth. Minus two to Seaweed Brain.

"Do you feel like getting off me any time soon?" He croaked.

I leaned down, barely an inch away from his skin. I felt a tickle as I felt his breath.

"No, you're kind of comfy for a fish."

Even he, the densest boy to ever grace the planet laughed at that. Then his face went serious.

"Seriously? Are you getting off or what?"

"Or what, definitely."

"Fine, better make good use of this time anyway." He pulled me down by the collar of my t-shirt and I was centimetres away from him. Millimetres. I blinked and I saw the smirk still in his face.

'Is he going to kiss me?' My brain felt absolutely muddled. I saw him move forward an inch and in the second, I broke the space between us. My lips were on his just like before, except for the fact that before I hadn't a clue what I was doing. This was sort of planned (two seconds in advance count!) After a few seconds, we both began to deepen the kiss, ignoring the awkwardness we both felt. His arm slumped to my back and he almost held me in place. At least he was moving. For a second I thought I was kissing a dead person but then he got the gist. And he was pretty good too (mother would roast my head on a spit for speaking like this.)

I broke away and smirked.

"Beat you."

Seaweed Brain, as usual, looked absolutely dazed.

"You...you what?"

I rolled my eyes and held out my fingers doing a mime even a monkey could understand. Then he copied my actions of rolling my eyes and he pushed my hand away.

"Yeah, I get that you kissed me but..."

"Well, technically, you implied that you were going to kiss me so I thought..."

"Let's make a competition out of it? And I hate to break it to you, Wise Girl, but eh...I wasn't going in for a kiss. Thanks though."

My face flooded with colour.

"You...you what?" I stammered. He smirked and held out his fingers, doing another mime impression for me. I grabbed his fingers and felt like snapping them in half.

"I was going to squirt you..but ...you know...whatever makes you comfortable." He burst out laughing with his last statement and I let go of his hand but instead of moving, I glared.

"When the hell did you get so smooth?"

He smiled at me.

"Only a few lessons from a certain goat-boy..."

"Oh, no. You have not corrupted Grover with these teenage hormones have you?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"I think Grover's well aware without my help. He and Juniper have been together for quite a while and...I mean one day I walked in on them and it was not a pretty sight.."

"Stop there! Thank you for the mental image."

"Makes Wise Girl feel a little uncomfortable, does it? All this talk of kissing and hormones..."

"And what you just implied there, yes, it makes me feel a little uneasy so if you could shut up, that'd be great."

"Implied? I implied nothing. Your mind came up with a solution, I did not say they were doing that..."

"Then shut up about it!"

He chuckled.

"Now I have something against you. Something to make Chase's face pale and it rhymes with mexual sintercourse."

"I'm going to get off you now."

He laughed again.

"Get off me or get off on me because ...either works...whatever makes you comfortable!" He burst out laughing again and I got off him but I knelt beside him, grabbing his shirt and I held a fist under his mouth.

"You may have something on me, idiot, but it'll never compare with what I have on you."

He raised an eyebrow.

"And what would that be, dear Annabeth?"

I smiled.

"Quantum Physics."

His face paled.

I hope you like it, kind of a spur of the moment story ONE-SHOT!

LF xoxo