Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson.

Cupboard Trouble

By: Shutterfly Simmons

In retrospect, Percy realized that this probably wasn't his smartest idea. Unfortunately, it wasn't his dumbest, either. His girlfriend, Annabeth Chase, had a habit of reminding him of his particularly stupid endeavors.

Her personal favorite was the time he decided to get a side job to get some extra money. It seemed like a good idea, even Annabeth thought so. It was just his luck that he got stuck with the worst job ever. He'd had to dress up in a carrot suit to attract attention to a small grocery store. He'd attracted attention, alright. Several gawking children had hurriedly been pushed away by their parents, who were telling them not to stare. One girl had actually burst into tears. Seriously,Percy had thought as her mother gave him a dirty look, if she was afraid of vegetables, then he wasn't the one with a problem. Although Percy had later realized that seeing life sized food could be rather traumatizing for a kid. This had lead him to wonder if there were any food-like monsters, maybe an odd child of Demeter or something. Apparently, he had said this out loud, because the next thing he knew, Annabeth was laughing and telling him that he had the weirdest thoughts. In an attempt to justify himself, the whole story came spilling out. Then, she'd told everyone by the end of the week, the worst being his mom. Percy loved his mom, he really did, but a picture of him in his nightmare inducing carrot suit did not make a good screen saver. Apparently, he looked "adorable" in the photo, so she kept it as her desktop image for the rest of the year. Needless to say, it had been a long year.

For a moment, Percy wondered if his current predicament would top that one, but he soon admitted that there was probably nothing more embarrassing than that awful carrot costume. Just as he started praying to the Gods that nobody would find him like this, he heard the lock of the apartment click, followed by the slight creak of an opening door. Percy mentally groaned. It didn't take an Oracle to know that this was going to end badly. He tried to move, but it was no use. He was still stuck in this stupid cupboard.

"I'm home," he heard Annabeth call. There was a jingling noise followed by a light clattering sound as she dropped her keys on the table. He froze. Maybe if he stayed silent she'd think that he wasn't here. The idea sounded stupid, even to him. The kitchen was in the middle of their small New York apartment. Unless Annabeth took a very odd detour, he was going to be found. Her footsteps got closer.

"Where are you?" she asked. "Are you hiding from me? It you accidentally scratched the table with your sword again, I swear I'm going to-" The footsteps paused. Percy mentally groaned. She was probably standing right behind him.

"Percy, what are you looking for?" his girlfriend asked. He figured that the underlying question here was What are you doing in that cupboard? He sighed. Maybe it was being stuck in this uncomfortable position for so long, but he felt like playing dumb.

"I'm looking for some plates," he said.

"How long does that take? You found the plates, right?"

"Yeah, but I thought I should check the cupboards."

"Check them for what?"

"For holes," Percy answered, lamely. If he could move, he would have face palmed. Annabeth sighed.

"Seaweed Brain," she said, "I know you're stuck."

"What made you think you could fit into that cupboard while wearing your armor?" Annabeth demanded, as she continued to pull Percy's leg in an attempt to get him out.

Percy protested, "How was I supposed to know that it was too big?" Percy felt something slimy trickle down his shirt.

"Did you have to pour oil everywhere? It feels disgusting," he whined.

"Sorry, but we have to try to decrease the resistance."

"You don't sound sorry," he muttered.

"What was that?" she snapped.

"Nothing," he squeaked after a particularly hard tug.

"I think you're almost out," Annabeth panted. "You push from your side, and I'll pull from mine."

"Alright," he agreed. After a couple more tries, Percy tumbled out Annabeth.

"Sorry," he mumbled as he got off of her.

"That's alright," she said, rubbing her face. "So, what did you need the plates for, anyway?"

"I wanted to make you a snack before you came home," Percy said, sheepishly. Annabeth smiled.

"You're so sweet! Since it's getting late, how about we make dinner together?" she asked.

"How do you always come up with the best ideas?" Percy asked, agreeing.

"It's a gift. You know, I have another idea."

"What that?"

"Tomorrow," she started, "you can fix the scratches that your armor made on that cupboard."

(A/N): Percy's my favorite character, but in my head, he just seems like that guy who gets stuck in a cupboard. Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed this product of extreme boredom!