This takes place after The Titan's Curse, and before The Last Olympian, so basically during The Demigod Files. PLEASE NOTE: This is slightly Alternate Universe because Nico is at camp and is not angry at Percy, and Nico and Percy are good friends. I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
"Okay Jackson. You can do it." I said as I stared at my reflection in the mirror. Please, no lectures. I already know how cheesy this is. "Just get it over with." I said, trying to give myself a pep talk. "She's your best friend… Other than Grover… but don't ask him the question… because that'd be awkward." I said to myself. Man, my pep talks are terrible. "Just ask her out."
I decided acting it out would be the best solution. Hey, I didn't say 'least dorky' solution. But I did need an Annabeth to play the part of Annabeth Chase, and I didn't have time to have auditions, so I walked out of my cabin and luckily I saw Nico casually walking by.
"Nico!" I shouted.
He turned as I called his name. "What?" he yelled back as he walked towards me.
"Listen, I need you to help me."
"With?" Nico asked.
"A problem." I said with clenched teeth.
"You're going to have to be more specific, Percy." Nico said so oblivious to the fact that I didn't want to tell the whole world that I couldn't ask out Annabeth Chase. Well, maybe not the whole world, but all the campers walking by, which is a lot.
"Just come with me." I said and dragged him by his arm into my cabin. "Here." I said as I extended my arm holding a blond wig.
Nico just gave me an 'oh my gods, you can be serious with a mix of laughter' kind of face. "You have a blond wig for what reason?" Nico laughed.
"Because. Now I want to ask out Annabeth, but I need to get it right. So here. Just be Annabeth for now."
"Oh my gods, you can't be serious!" Nico said as he laughed his head off. See? I told you, that was his 'oh my gods you can't be serious with a mix of laughter' face.
After a minute of him laughing at me, he finally needed to take a break for a breath. "Are you done?" I asked annoyed and impatiently.
"Not quite." Nico said and continued to laugh.
"Okay, you're done now, Nico. Just help me!"
"All right, all right. Hello Perseus." Nico said saying the last pert in a high pitched voice, which wasn't anything close to Annabeth's voice, or what she'd say. Why couldn't I have chosen somebody else?
"Okay, okay. Seriousness now." Nico said. "Hey Percy, what's up?"
"Um, nothing…" I said, not sure what to say.
"Percy," Nico said "that's when you're supposed to talk and ask her out." Nico said like 'no duh'.
"Oh, right." I said. Apparently we were taking turns being obtuse. "Um, uh… What should I say?" I said. I could talk to Annabeth, but I couldn't ask her out.
"Okay, just act normal." Nico advised. I nodded and said "Okie dokie, got it."
Nico paused for a second and then proceeded to say, "On second thought, don't be yourself. Try being a little less 'Percy' and a little more 'cool'." Nico said. "Kidding, Percy. Just talk to her normally. Then casually ask her out."
"I can't do it Nico. I can't think of anything to say. Help me!" I said starting to panic.
"I got it. Let's try a bunch of different conversation starters, then you can pick the best, 'kay?" Nico suggested.
"Okay."
"But you have to be Annabeth and I'll be you so I can demonstrate what you say, all right?" Nico asked.
"Yeah, sure."
"Here's the first one: Yo' s'up Annabeth?" Nico said in his totally 'coolio' voice.
"Do you really think that would work?" I said sarcastically. Yep, definitely not the right person to ask.
"Okay, how about this. Good afternoon, Dearest Annabeth. Will you take this dance?"
I stared at him just blinking. "Nico, 'take this dance?'" I repeated. "There isn't going to be music.
"All right, all right. How about a song? Walk up to her singing 'Just the way you are' by Bruno Mars. Oh her eyes, her eyes, make the stars look like they're not shining." Nico sang. "Her hair, her hair, falls perfectly without her trying. She's so beautiful, and I tell her everyday." Let's just say there's a reason why Nico's not in the Apollo cabin. Neither am I, so this idea just isn't going to work. Annabeth would probably be laughing so hard she wouldn't be able to answer me.
"Um, I don't think that will work." I said.
"How 'bout a-"
"No, just no Nico." I said cutting him off before he said his idea.
"Fine. How about a poem? Ahem." Nico said fake clearing his throat as if he were about to make a speech. "Roses are red, violets are blue… something something something."
I shook my head. "Nico, this isn't working."
"It's okay, don't worry, we'll find something." Nico said reassuringly as he took a step backwards and tripped over his own feet. Somehow I didn't feel so reassured.
After about an hour of Nico trying different attempts to ask out Annabeth, he finally came up with a good one.
"Hey Annabeth, how's it going?" Nico said, not sounding dorky or 'trying to be cool, but totally not'. For a second I didn't say anything. It was perfect.
"Nah, that'll never work." Nico said.
"No, Nico that's perfect. I'm going to say that! Now you have to be Annabeth while I be me. That way I'll know what to say depending on what she says. Here we go. Hey Annabeth, how's it going?"
"Fine, just doing some reading. Why, what's up?" Nico said wearing the blond wig backwards.
"Um," I couldn't think of anything to say.
"What's wrong Percy? Are you trying to tell me something? Just… just tell me!" Nico said in his highest pitched voice and best impression of Merry from the Aphrodite cabin.
"Whoa. Dramatic much? I don't think Annabeth would say that." I said.
"Oh, yeah you're right." Nico said totally caught up in the acting that he didn't realize Annabeth wouldn't say that. "Okay let me try again. Percy, don't even bother asking me out. Cameron already asked me out and I said yes."
I gave him a look that said 'What in Hades?' "Nico, remember, think: Annabeth."
"Oh right. Annabeth, got it." Nico said. "Hi Percy," Okay so far so good. Let's just see how he makes this character anybody but Annabeth this time. "What's up?"
"Um, I don't know what to say." I said falling onto by bunk bead, planting my face into my pillow.
Nico sighed loudly. "Just make small talk. Then, ask her out."
"But I can't. Every time I think about asking her out, I freeze." I said but my voice was muffled into the pillow.
"Okay, well then we'll just come up with a script. C'mon, get up." Nico said. "Write this down. You say: Hey Annabeth, how's it going? And then Annabeth says: Good, just doing reading, why? And then you say: Do you want to- insert action-? And then she says-"
"But what if she doesn't say that?" I asked.
"Hmm," Nico thought for a second. "True. Then we'll just have to make up a bunch of scenarios for all the possible things she might say."
"Now option two that she might say is: Hi Percy, I'm not doing much, just thinking about my plans for Mount Olympus. What are you doing? And then you say:"
"Arghhh…" I moaned. Nico talked and made so many different scenarios for another half an hour and finally we had a good copy.
"Okay let's do one more quick run through." Nico said enthusiastically.
"Hi Annabeth, how's it going?" I said.
"Oh good, just walking around Camp." Nico said.
"Cool, mind if I come?" I asked.
"Sure." Nico said. "Are you ready for Capture the Flag tonight?" Nico decided to throw on some random lines, just to make sure I'd know what so say no matter what she said.
"Yeah. You are so going to lose." I said
"I don't think so." Nico said completely in character, even saying it in her tone.
"Yeah, you are." I said giving a smile as if I were really talking to Annabeth.
"Hey, have you seen the Aphrodite cabin yet?" Nico asked me. I have to admit, I did not see that coming. Very original, Nico.
"No, why?" I asked. See? No freezing up even when we didn't rehearse this line before.
"They redecorate the walls. Come on, let's go see!" Nico said.
"Okay." I said. And about ten minutes of Nico saying random things to test me and see if I can reply to anything, I finally got to the part where I ask Annabeth out. "Annabeth, do you want to hang out tomorrow? Maybe do some homework? I don't get the geography at all." Tomorrow is our day off from camp training and school. We still have classes at Camp, so tomorrow is like our weekend.
Nico nodded and smiled, "You're ready, Percy."
I was getting ready to head out of my cabin and find Annabeth when she walked in.
"Hey Percy!" said her voice. Thank gods, I finally got to hear he voice instead of a bad imitation of her.
"Hey, what's up?" I said. I was getting ready to make conversation and then ask her out.
"Want to do some homework and then hang out tomorrow?" Annabeth asked.
"Yeah, that'd be, uh, great."
"'Kay good. See you tomorrow." Annabeth said and then left my cabin.
I turned and faced Nico. "Hey don't worry," he said. "You'll get to use your training next time." And then he left my cabin.
So once again, it was just me and the mirror. "Three hours with Nico and she just comes and asks me. Why couldn't she have come two hours earlier?"
Thanks for reading my story! If you have read my other stories, do you like my short stories better or my long ones? Don't forget to review.