In which, Annabeth is offically a girl and also annoyed at Malcolm's older brother tone and Percy's small brain. (This a pretty common trope in the fanfic world but I decided to try my hand at it)
OOO
Annabeth Chase had always been a girl. But at the same time, she had always been a demigod and a fighter. She had always been strong and smart.
Most of the campers had the brains to be scared of her, even the ones older than her ripe old age of thirteen.
Annabeth was so used to being strong that sometimes she forgot that she was a female, with female hormones and female . . . Well. She was so used to being identified by her intelligence or her short temper that she forgot the certain vulnerabilities that she was born with.
Until Malcolm gently pulled her into the empty cabin and told her she should probably take a shower.
Annabeth was angry, she didn't have time for a stupid shower, she had to finish her strategy for the capture the flag game tonight.
Malcolm didn't even react anymore when she slapped his forearm and told him to leave her alone and stop pestering her, that she had a stomach ache, just a small one, and she was fine and he needed to stop being so overprotective.
He shook his head, "Wow. You don't . . . Come on Annabeth, you need to trust me on this one. I have older sisters."
Annabeth didn't know what the Hades that was supposed to mean and she told him as much.
Malcolm drove her by the shoulders to the bathroom, "The sooner you take a shower, the sooner you can get back to your strategies." He said, blocking her way out with his arms, "And I'm putting my foot down on this one."
Annabeth crossed her own arms over her chest and huffed. The only person in the Athena cabin (and possibly all of camp) more stubborn than her was Malcolm and he recently started going soft on her, all protective and calm. Annabeth would catching him frowning at Percy sometimes during meals, like he was confused about the situation. That Annabeth could relate to.
She glared at Malcolm but her half brother simply glared back until she threw up her hands and headed for the girls bathroom, "Fine. I'm taking a stupid shower."
Malcolm sighed in relief, "Good. Don't freak out. I'll be back soon with some--I'll be back." Annabeth heard him close the bathroom door and then faintly, the door to the cabin.
Annabeth was trying to figure out what in the world he was talking about when she took off her jean shorts and was met with a surprise. Not a happy birthday Annabeth surprise, more along the lines of Yeah, I'm one of Hera's cows, pooping in your front yard, what are you going to do about?
Annabeth groaned in annoyance, of course, of all the nights. Of course before capture the flag. Her clothes were probably ruined and she silently cursed at the sky to the goddess of the time of the month. If their was one, she didn't like Annabeth. Then again, at this point, which gods did like her?
Stepping into the shower, Annabeth allowed herself to feel like crap. The past few days had been stressful and Annabeth's stomach kept hurting. She had blamed it on anxiety but now she had a more legitimate reason to be pissed off. She didn't know if she was satisfied or more angered by that.
Annabeth stood in the shower for awhile, not bothering to wash her hair or soap up, she didn't know what she was supposed to do.
Sure, Thalia had made offhand comments at Luke for "being a male and having everything easy" and even at Annabeth once for "being naive about what growing up meant", but at seven, there was no real heart-to-heart between them about this stuff. Annabeth cursed Thalia for that in the shower while her friends were preparing for the game.
Besides Thalia, Annabeth didn't have that many girls for friends, now that she was really thinking about it. Percy, Grover, Luke, and even Chiron. Annabeth couldn't exactly go to one of them and go through the embarrassment of what was happening. Luke would have been the only one she considered but now even he . . . Annabeth cheered herself up by thinking of trying to get Perseus Jackson to understand.
She could picture his confused, fish-out-of-water look surprisingly easily, a face to match his stuttering, "Well I'm scarred for life."
"Annabeth?" Malcolm called, his voice coming from the bathroom door again,"Are you freaking out?"
"Urgh." Annabeth replied.
He laughed in good nature, "I thought so. I've got clothes for you, where do I put them?"
"Outside the stall is fine." She grumbled, suddenly feeling like putting her fist through a wall, "Thanks." She said bitterly.
"I figured you rather me than someone else." Malcolm replied, sounding slightly amused as he waited. Gods, he knew she needed someone to take anger out on, darn him.
She groaned, "This game is going to be awful."
His voice took a gentler tone, "You don't have to play if you don't feel up for it . . . We understand."
And Annabeth really, really didn't feel up for it, "I can still make a plan though."
"Of course you can." He said and Annabeth could picture his somewhat silly smile, "Your plans always win."
She suddenly felt an overwhelming gratitude towards her half sibling, "Thanks Malcolm." And that time, it was a lot easier to say.
OOO
When Annabeth came out of the cabin later in different, darker clothes, Percy shot her a grin which she almost socked him in the face for.
"Nice camouflage." He said and Malcolm had to cover his mouth with his hand.
Annabeth stuck her nose in the air in the blonde's direction, "Thank you, Percy."
She quickly explained her team the plan of action finishing with, "If you have any questions, ask Malcolm. Now let's kick Ares' butt."
The campers raised their weapons in approval, cheering and Annabeth gave them a smile before turning and heading back to Cabin 6.
Not even half way there, Percy was chasing after her, "Hey! Where are you going?"
Annabeth resisted the urge to snap none of your business and she glanced at him over her shoulder but kept walking, "To the cabin."
Screw him and his long strides because he was beside her now, "Why?" His nose was scrunched up and he was frowning.
"I don't feel well." She replied. It wasn't a total lie, she did feel sick and cramped but she did not want to explain the whole story.
He pulled her to a stop by tugging her arm, trying to hold her gaze, "You're sick?"
She looked down and noticed that he had managed to get his armor on straight this time, and for some reason, she didn't like it, "Not exactly."
The worried crease was form between his two dark eyebrows, "How exactly?"
"I'm fine Percy, really." And she swatted his hand away when he held it to her forehead.
"You don't feel hot." He noticed.
"That's because I'm fine. I'm going back to the cabin, good night Percy." She had to wretch her arm from his grasp.
"You're not coming to the game?" He questioned behind her.
Annabeth whirled around to squint at him, "Will you leave me alone? For once?"
A wave of hurt washed over his face before he frowned, "So you're not coming then?"
Fists by her sides, Annabeth's patience had worn out, "No!" She shouted, "I'm not! Can you just-just . . . Go away?"
"You can't block me out if we're going to be friends." He replied quietly, holding her glare stubbornly.
And bringing up their relationship was the wrong thing to say, "What makes you think I'd want to be your friend?" Annabeth knew she should take it back while she still could, but her pride had clamped her mouth closed.
His jaw set and his frown deepened, looking at the grass and away from her finally, "Why do you have to be mean all the time?" He asked, quiet anger seeping into his tone.
"I have a right to be mean!" She snapped back. Urgh, if he would just . . . Leave her alone.
"No, you don't!" He replied coldly.
"Yes I do!" Annabeth insisted, her voice near a yell.
"Not to your friends! Dear gods Annabeth, no wonder no one wants to put up with you."
That stung, she would admit. People liked her . . . Right? Percy put up with her, Grover didn't seem to mind her, Chiron even--Oh. That was the problem, wasn't it? Everyone barely put up with her, much less wanted to be her friend.
Hot tears stung her eyes and cheeks and rage trembled from her stomach and out of her mouth, "I'm on my period for Zeus' sake! And I'm not going to argue with you when I feel like a damn train wreck!"
Percy's mouth was hanging open, his cheeks were red and he looked sorry, reach out his hand again but Annabeth waved him away, wiping her eyes rigidly.
"Just . . ." She shook her head and then turned before he could say anything else, heading back to the cabin before she felt anymore stupid hormones take over her body.
OOO
Almost exactly five minutes later, Annabeth had her nose in her favorite architecture book. She had given up on reading the small text next to the pictures, blaming the way her eyes were blurry on dyslexia. She had already read all of the text five times over anyways.
A soft knock rapped on the cabin door and Annabeth was ashamed of the way her heart leapt. She strongly considered ignoring him. He was just going to stutter over an apology and blush and Annabeth didn't want to deal with his chivalry right now. She was too pissed off.
"Please let open the door," Percy mumbled through the wood, "I'm an important part of your plan, as always, and I'm not leaving until you let me in. So your grand plan is gonna be jacked if you don't hurry up and--"
Annabeth ignored the "as always" and whirled open the door, "Look Percy, can you just--"
He shoved something into her chest, a beam coming to his face, "Here."
She looked down at the plastic container, closing her fingers around it. Even closed, the container smelled just like . . .
Percy Jackson grinned bashfully, a rose coming to his face, "Feel better." He told her and then scampered off to the others before the game started.
Annabeth stood there for a moment, allowing herself to smile, and then going back to her bunk. She got comfortable and surprised herself by not feeling rotten, laying her architecture book open on the mattress before taking the lid from her gift.
Her nose was met with the pleasant smell of a dozen blue chocolate chip cookies and she felt the grin rise in her cheeks. Maybe Percy wasn't as clueless as she thought.