Annabeth remembers when everything changed: It was the day Percy Jackson walked into Latin Class with a black eye.
Now normally, most people paid no mind to Percy Jackson. He was one of those people that everyone called Percy Jackson. Not Percy. Not Jackson. Just Percy Jackson. He kept to himself, talking to no one except his cousin Nico, the water polo coach, and occasionally his other cousin Thalia. People said he ran in a gang. They also said that he was at the school on scholarship because his mom slept with the principal. The only thing Annabeth did know for sure was that he was from East St. Louis, which at this school made you an outcast in and of itself. The fact that Percy Jackson avoided most people only added to his…peculiarity. He was – to put it succinctly – the very cute, mysterious boy that was clearly bad news. He had acquired a Bad Boy reputation simply because the rather bland Goode High School needed one.
But Annabeth wasn't like most people. Percy Jackson fascinated her. Since the beginning of the year, she had been keeping casual tabs on him— a study if you will. Through Thalia, her best friend, Annabeth was able to glean some facts from all the fiction. She knew that Percy Jackson lived with his mother and stepfather. Thalia didn't say anything about the stepfather, but she say Percy Jackson was a "Mama's Boy," but Annabeth couldn't quite link "Mama's Boy" and Percy Jackson. But, Thalia also said he was a complete goof; another image Annabeth had issues equating with her understanding of Percy Jackson.
Anyway, Annabeth remembers the day well. It was December 13th , the day before Winter Break. When Percy Jackson walked into Latin, the entire class began murmuring. A black eye only solidified his image as Resident Bad Boy.
"Alright class, settle down. Mr. Jackson, thank you for finally joining us. You may take a seat next to Ms. Chase." Annabeth's heart fluttered a little as Mr. Brunner directed Percy Jackson to sit next to her.
He had a slight blush on his face as he made his way down the aisle in the silence of the classroom. Annabeth had the distinct feeling that Percy Jackson did not enjoy being the center of attention: Something Annabeth found interesting considering he was the star of the water polo team. Most teenage boys revel in that kind of attention, but not Percy Jackson…fascinating.
The sound of his chair scraping the linoleum floor jarred Annabeth from her observations. I haven't been staring at him this whole time, have I? Annabeth thought as she felt her face heat up. She couldn't help glancing over at him as he sat down. Their eyes met for just a moment before he looked down. She looked forward just as quickly to focus on Mr. Brunner, who was assigning partners for the project on Greco-Roman religion. Annabeth zoned out until she heard her name called.
"Annabeth Chase and," Annabeth tapped her fingers on her desk as Mr. Brunner scanned his list, "Percy Jackson…"
For the first time in her life, Annabeth's brain seemed to shut down. She was speechless.
After what felt like eternity, Annabeth turned her head to look at her partner. With surprise she met Percy Jackson's piercing green eyes.
"So…I guess we're partners, huh?" His voice was surprisingly friendly. Despite his shiner, his green eyes sparkled with good nature. Up close, he doesn't seem like such a bad boy…
"Yeah, I guess. So what god or goddess do you want to do our project on?" Annabeth ventured, trying hard to keep her voice from shaking. Annabeth had a clear idea already of who they would be doing the project on, but it was always polite to ask.
"Uh…well, my favorite god is Poseidon…So a project with him would be, ya know, cool."
Uh oh. "Oh. Well I was kinda thinking of doing a project on Athena, goddess of wisdom and war strategy. She's my favorite, and I already know a bunch about her."
Percy's eyebrows rose slightly, making him look oddly young. "Oh. Well…I know some stuff about Poseidon too. Like—"
"Yeah, but Athena's better. When she and Poseidon competed, she won."
His eyebrows raised higher, amused surprise on his face. "Well is there anyway we can do both…?"
"I mean, I guess…but I think the project is supposed to be on one god or goddess. There's not enough groups for us each to do two gods." Percy chuckled shaking his head, "What?"
"Nothing," Percy replied easily, still shaking his head slightly. Annabeth raised her eyebrows. He wasn't getting away that easily. "It's just that…I mean, why ask me who I wanted to do for the project if you were going to shut me down anyway?"
"I'm not 'shutting you down.' I was trying to be polite."
"Polite?" Percy scoffed.
Taken aback, Annabeth replied evenly, "I'm just trying to do what's best for the group."
"Okay, well wouldn't a project that we are both interested in be better?" Annabeth didn't reply. Why couldn't he just shut up and let her do the damn project. "God, are you always this stubborn?" Percy asked her incredulously.
Okay, now he was really getting on her nerves. "Yeah, I am. Because I know I'm right. It's not my fault you want to do a stupid god like Poseidon. I mean, what did he invent anyway?"
"Horses." Percy shot back, taking Annabeth by surprise.
"Fine, but horses wouldn't have been important at all in the grand scheme of things if Athena hadn't invented the chariot. So really Poseidon's invention was lame."
"Yeah but there would have been no point for chariots if Poseidon hadn't made horses."
"That doesn't even — ugh, anyway, fine. Why don't we ask Mr. Brunner if we can do a stupid joint project." Annabeth mumbled sullenly.
Percy Jackson looked a little smug as he replied, "Alright, let's. Mr. Brunner?"
Annabeth plotted as Percy asked Mr. Brunner about doing Athena and Poseidon. Of course, Mr. Brunner said yes, he was the coolest teacher ever. Annabeth would just make sure the project stressed how much better Athena was than Poseidon. All he ever did was get grumpy at heroes like Odysseus, and create massive storms. Big whoop.
Upon getting permission from the teacher, Percy turned back to the thoughtful Annabeth with a grin. "Oh wipe that smirk off your face, Jackson. Class is almost over. Give me your number so we can work on this over winter break."
Finally the bell rang. Annabeth gathered her books and walked out of the door with a small smile. So, Percy Jackson was stubborn…