Another Percy Jackson drabble! I find writing one-shots like these easier than full blown stories. It takes less time!

Anyways, read and review!

P.S. I think I'm getting better at these drabbles. But it might be just me. *shrugs*

~ Christina.

The piece of parchment floated to the white tiled floor and hindered in the air for a few seconds before fluttering gracefully to the ground. It was folded into fours and had the scrawly script of a boy's handwriting on the front. My eyes slithered down and lit up, lips curling into an anxious grin. I quickly pushed my books into my locker and bend down to retrieve it, hiding it from view.

I unfurled it and smoothed out the edges, revealing black words on white paper.

"Annabeth!" Thalia crowed as she walked up to me. Her electric blue eyes flickered between my expression and note in my hand. Her eyes turned cloudy. "That better not be what I think it is." She warned.

I hurriedly stuffed the note into my front pocket, the paper crackling as it condenses. I gave her a wry smile. "Of course it's not."

Unfortunately, I was never good at lying so it wasn't surprising when she saw right through the lie I'd fabricated. "Annabeth..."

I held up my hand, stopping her from saying anything else. "Listen, I've heard this lecture before. Please spare me another one."

"Let me see the note." My best friend held out her hand expectantly and I shook my head, defiant. She sighed wearily. "It's from him, isn't it?"

"I really wish you'd call him by his name." I told her jokingly, trying to lighten the tenseness in the air.

"Fine. It's from Percy, isn't it?"

I tried to deny it but the words were caught in my throat and I could just nod.

"Dear God." Thalia opened her mouth and closed them just as the aforementioned guy strutted pass.

"Shut up!" I hissed, slapping my hand over her mouth and pushed her against the wall. The impact reverberated with a loud bang.

Percy Jackson stopped across from me, talking animatedly to his friends. His attention kept diverting from me and his friends. They shifted and he was leaning casually against the wall, staring over his friend's shoulder...right at me. I flushed and he smiled widely, earning him a look from his companion.

"Kill me!" Thalia moaned. "My best friend is in love with the guy that use to straddle her and throw roly poly in her mouth."

I burst out laughing, swatting her arm. "No he did not!"

"Oh, yeah. That was me." She snickered sheepishly.

I grinned and brought out my books for the next class.

"So what does it say?" She urged, poking my front pocket, inquiring about the note.

"Like I'll tell you!" I stuck out my tongue.

"Why's he acting like you're invisible?" Thalia asked suddenly.

I frowned. "What?"

"You guys are dating, right?" She asked bluntly.

I paused, wondering why the subject was broached. "Yes."

"Then why isn't he over here, kissing your neck like he did with his ex-girlfriend, Tiffany?"

I was suddenly defensive. "Hey! That doesn't mean anything." I protested.

Thalia looked me over and her expression softened. "I'm sorry, Annie. I didn't mean it like that."

"It's fine." I plastered on a smile.

A frown touched Percy's face and he excused himself. He and the other guy did a complicated handshake and Percy gave him a friendly slap on the back. I walked with Thalia to our joint class; AP English. The halls were emptying out by the seconds as students tried to rush to their classes as the time winded down. A feather-light touch on my arm made me stop and I turned around, to find Percy standing behind me with a look of concern. "Can I talk to you?"

I glanced at Thalia who waved me off, shooting Percy a look of disdain. "Go on. Leave Tali alone and out of this yuck-fest."

"Hey, are you alright?" He asked once we were safely from view of the other bypassing students. He gazed around to make sure we were truly alone.

Probably so he won't be caught seeing with someone like me, the irrational part of my mind thought bitterly.

"Fine, why?" I answered.

"You seem upset." He observed.

I smiled. "I'm fine. We should...get to class."

He gave me a pointed look. "Annabeth, I know when you're lying. What's wrong?"

Giving him a pained look, I racked my mind for what to say next. I couldn't outright tell him that the reason I'm upset was because he doesn't show enough affection for me; doesn't display public affection for me but does for his other past girlfriends. It's not like me; it's not my demeanor to worry about such petty things. I'm lucky enough to be with him. But somehow that didn't stop the word from tumbling out of my mouth in a torrid of emotion. "Why aren't we exclusive?"

He blinked and the lines of his forehead creased. "What?"

"Why is our relationship a secret?" I reworded. "Is our relationship even real?"

The tardy bell sounded and I started for my class, only to be stopped by Percy, who grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards him. "What's brought this on?" He asked worriedly.

"I-it's just, at school, you act like I don't exist!" I exclaimed, trying to calm down those hazardous emotions lashing in my soul.

"Annabeth, we both have our reputations." Percy reasoned. "And for someone like me, I can't be seen with.."

I laughed bitterly, stunned by the hardness of my usual carefree laughter. "With someone like me." I finished. "So, basically, our relationship is just a figment of our imagination? It's not real? What's the reason you're with me? Hm? Was it the fact that our parents have been trying to pair us up since we were toddlers and you're just going along with it to appease them?"

Our parents had been friends since high school and have somehow reunited sometime in college. They went on to have us and have pushed me and Percy together for the sixteen years that we've known each other. By some miracle last year, Percy asked me to be with him but asked me to keep our relationship on the DL. Only Thalia and our family knows. I'd been fine with it at the time; high on the Cloud 9 but now, the effect of his presence was starting to wear off as I began to doubt what we have. The suspicion and confusion and hurt had been triggered by Thalia's reminder that he doesn't seem to want everyone to know about us. It seemed wrong that he would want this.

"Annabeth," He said tiredly, hastily trying to take back his words but it was too late. They have already been said and were taunting me, laughing and teasing me for my obliviousness and stupidity. "that's not what I meant."

"Stop." My voice cracked as I tried to demolish the stinging pain that had already dulled my heart. I turned and fled, racing up the steep staircase to the second landing of the school and entered the nearest restroom. The tears cascaded down my cheeks and my shoulders shook and sagged. I numbly pulled out my phone and text Thalia: You were right.

I walked over to the sink and splashed some water on my face, hoping to clear the redness and puffiness of my gray eyes.

I usually am, but what about? Was Thalia's reply.

I smiled at her lovable conceitedness and quickly responded:Percy.

Once the redness dimmed, I wiped my face with the rough towel and sniffed once, and walked out. I made it to class ten minutes late and the professor shot me a look of irritation and disbelief. I smiled grimly and slid into my seat next to Thalia. She gave me a look of confusion and gestured to her pen and paper, wanting me to explain everything through black and white. I shook my head and mouthed later.

A few minutes into the lesson, my phone vibrated three times, signaling three new texts. I pulled out my phone discreetly and snapped it shut in remorse. All three of them were from Percy. As I stuffed the phone back into my pocket, something crinkled and I suddenly remember the note. I retrieved it and smoothed back the edges and scanned the content.

I woke up this morning and you know what the first thought that ran through my head? You.

I'll see you tonight.

-Percy

P.S. I love you.

Tears welled in my eyes but I pushed it back, refusing to feel anything for him. I crumbled the paper and stuffed it in my jacket pocket, deciding to throw it out later. He could be kind of standoffish during school but outside of his posse, he could be incredible sweet.

No, stop it! I told myself. I couldn't feel sorry for him. I couldn't.

During the rest of the class, my phone vibrated nonstop and I switched it off and tried to focus on the lesson but it was no use. My thoughts kept veering in the wrong direction and most of the time, I had to pinch myself to escape one of my reveries. Finally, the bell rung and I hurried out of class. Thalia caught up to me and demanded shrilly, "What did he do?"

"I talked to him." I told her, dodging her question.

"About what?" She pressed.

"About what you told me." I said slowly.

"And?"

I sighed and leaned against the lockers. "And...nothing. It's over."

"You guys broke up?" She shrieked, looking panicked.

"Not officially." Then I laughed harshly. "Hell, it doesn't matter. Our relationship wasn't official even back then."

Thalia's expression was one of guilt as she hastily apologized, "Annabeth, what I said. I didn't think you would take me seriously! Oh, dear God, I broke you guys up! Annie, I'm so sorry. I'm so, so, so sorry."

I chuckled softly. "Hey, it's not your fault. I was blinded and I want to thank you. It made me realize our relationship was going nowhere."

"You," She pointed at me. "can not take a joke."

I rolled my eyes. "It doesn't matter. It's done. He even said that he can't be seen with me."

"That...bastard." She sputtered, fisting her hands.

"What are you gonna do?" I asked cautiously.

She stared at me. "Who's saying I'm doing anything?"

I gazed at her skeptically. "Are you kidding me? I've never seen you looked more pissed off. And you have that determined fire in your eyes. Not to mention, you look like you're about to blow Hell over and go on a rampage."

She squared her shoulders. "Oh. I was never good at hiding my emotions."

"Thalia," I begged. "don't do anything."

"Chill. I won't." She sauntered off and I got the sense that she was lying to me.

...

I made my way down to the cafeteria, dreading the moment when I'll see his face and my anger dissipated; dreading the moment when I walk in and see his arms draped around a girl's waist. But all seemed normal and as I shuffled to the lunch lines, I kept waiting for the moment when everyone would point and laugh and sneer at me.

It never came. I breathed a sigh of relief and paid for my turkey sandwich. I spotted Thalia sitting at our usual table and dodged hungry students as I weaved through the mass of people to our table.

I plopped the sandwich down and took out the water bottle from my backpack. "Hey."

"Hi." She said briskly, eyes roaming around the cafeteria. She seemed distracted.

"How was class?" I prompted when she seemed content to survey our fellow classmates.

She nodded and said, "Yeah."

I frowned. "Percy's in your class, right?" I asked nonchalantly.

She gave me another distracted 'yeah' and her eyes continued searching through the throng of students.

I shrugged and unwrapped my sandwich, picking out the tomatoes and scraping off the white condiments before slapping the bread back on and taking a huge bite.

"Hurry up and finish." Thalia urged.

I chewed thoughtfully. "Why?" I asked once I finished swallowing.

"Just do it." She persisted.

I picked up my speed but apparently it wasn't fast enough. Thalia sighed irritably and snatched the sandwich from my hand and began ripping it into little squares and stuffed them one by one in my mouth. I gagged and pushed away her hands, glaring at her. She grinned sheepishly and threw away the rest of the sandwich. I chewed and gulped down water, trying to dislodge the piece of bread stuck in my throat.

"Yo!"

The room immediately silenced and I looked up, confused and a bit stunned. I glanced around, searching for the person that had spoken. And instantly wished I hadn't. It was Percy. He stood on one of the round, table and the girls looked up at him adoringly. I rolled my eyes and hot-white anger coursed through me. He moved on that fast. I was nothing but a front to him. A toy he'd discarded when he no longer had interest.

I finished off the bottle and stood, shouldered my bag and quickly walked to the door. As I pass him, he gazed at me with so much adoration and tenderness that I briskly turned away.

"Wait, listen to what he has to say." Thalia begged, holding onto my forearm.

I tried to escape her hold but she held on tight, reluctant to release me. "I don't think so." I hissed.

"Do you all know Annabeth Chase?" Percy said; he said it softly but the words coming from his mouth amplified in the silent room.

Murmur of yeses rippled through the crowd and I closed my eyes, willing myself to tune him out. Is this what he intended all along? To make me fall in love with him then crush my heart and humiliate me? I found myself laughing at the idiocy of it. It was so cliché. The idea was found in high school romance novels. Somehow, I imagined Percy to be more creative.

"I have something to say about her." He began.

Excited whispers filled the room as people anticipated the juicy gossips that will circulate through the school for the rest of senior year.

"Is she a slut?" A girl yelled.

"Did you fuck her?" A guy shouted and his comment was followed by crows and whoops.

"She's hot."

"Nice ass."

My cheeks heated and I ducked my head, ashamed and embarrassed. Tears pricked at my eyelids and rolled down my cheeks.

"Get on with it." Thalia murmured.

"No!" He thundered. The cafeteria quieted. "She is...the most amazing person I've ever met. We've been dating for six months and no one knows about but us. I didn't want to tell anyone. And not for the reason she'd think." He stared straight me when he said that and I felt like his green orbs could penetrate my soul and bare out my deepest, darkest secrets. "If I'd told, you'd never get any privacy, any peace. You know my reputation at this school and if people knew we were together, especially the girls, they'll never leave you alone."

I glanced at him, wanting so bad to believe what he was saying.

"I know you don't believe me but you know what I'm like. I've been protecting you since we were kids and just because we grew up doesn't mean we outgrow our habits. But you're right. It was stupid of me not to tell the school I'm dating the most amazing girl on the planet." He hopped down from the table and walked gracefully until he was standing in front of me. People made a wide berth when he was by them. We were only at arm's length. If I reached out, I could touched his chest. "I know you're still mad at me and you have every right to be." He stretched out his hand and gently touched my cheek. "But my actions were doing more harm than good. That wasn't what I'd intended."

Thalia was grinning and I noticed the girls that were in hearing distance was dabbing at their eyes and glaring at the boyfriends resentfully.

"Forgive me." He leaned down and whispered in my ears those two words that broke through the wall of anger I'd built.

"I-I," I sputtered, trying to emit coherent words.

"Y-you what?" He smiled.

"Forgive him, forgive him, forgive him, forgive him!" Thalia hissed, her voice rising two octaves as she barely contained her anxiety.

I laughed and Percy visibly relaxed. "I'd be stupid not to." I responded, cupping his cheeks in both my hand and leaned in, pressing my lips against his.

"Yes!" Thalia roared, dancing in circles around us. "Finally!"

I was amused. "You know, by the way she's acting, you would've thought she was the one you were serenading to."

Percy laughed and kissed me soundly on the lips, purposely ignoring the whispers and the shouts of his friends. I pretended not the notice the daggers his admirers were shooting in my direction and leaned my head on his shoulder.

"So cute!" Thalia sang as she continued her childish dance around us.

"Why did you do that?" I asked him.

He glanced down at me. "Do what?"

I gestured to the cafeteria. "Do that big production. All you had to do was tell me in private. You're not the person who does this kind of thing."

He shrugged. "I'm not."

"So why did you do it?"

"Let's just say I have great motivations." His eyes flickered to Thalia and back.

I cracked a smile. "And by 'motivations' do you mean threats?"

He grinned. "Yup."

"That girl..." I said softly.

"Are you guys talking good about me?" Thalia asked lightly.

"Well, we're talking about you." Percy teased.

Thalia narrowed her eyes slightly. "Don't play with me like that, Jackson."

"What are you gonna do, Grace?" He taunted.

She turned to me, smirking devilishly.

"No." I said automatically.

"What?" She whined. "I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to. That smirk on your face said it all."

"Damn. I need to work on hiding my emotions."

"Really? I didn't notice." Percy jabbed.

"Jackson..." Thalia warned.

"Grace..."

I laughed, glad that Thalia had warmed up to Percy in just hours. It certainly made hanging out between them easier. Even though they still teased each other, I knew they were just joking around.

Percy dodged one of Thalia's kicks and sauntered up to me, bend down and positioned his lips just below my ear and whispered softly, "P.S. I love you."

I smiled. "I love you too."