Annabeth grimaced at herself in the mirror. She had spent the last half hour wrestling with her eyeliner, desperately trying to do the wing thing that so many of Aphrodite's children had perfected at age 12. Typical. She could take on hoards of hellhounds and legions of Laistrigonians, no problem. Bring it on. But giver her some glorified face paint, and she'd be reduced to a frustrated wreck.
Who invented eye makeup, anyway? They did realize that in order to apply it, you have to close your eyes?
The makeup was allied with a dress in a feminine assault against Annabeth's usual shorts and t-shirt. She scrunched up her lips and exhaled sharply through her nose. Fancy clothing was a huge tactical disadvantage - where was she supposed to put her knife?
Besides, it all was pretty pointless. Annabeth would never be one of those "pretty" girls—she was too severe looking. Her sharp, angular cheekbones, perpetually pursed lips, and hard, calculating, fierce grey eyes prevented her from ever looking casually cute. All the suffering in her life destroyed any innocent allure she might have ever possessed. True, her experiences made her stronger, but she'd never be able to pull off angelic beauty that so many guys loved.
Rachel, with her red curls, little upturned nose and electric green eyes, was pretty. Annabeth also conceded Rachel was probably easier to get along with than she was. Not that Annabeth wasn't an open book or anything, but Rachel could afford to be more free-spirited. She was completely mortal, after all. She'd never have to feel the weight of the world on her shoulders—literally.
But Annabeth no longer experienced an irritating gnawing sensation when she saw Rachel. The redhead was the virgin oracle now, so it didn't matter what guys thought of her.
But in the past, Annabeth had seen Percy with Rachel. Watched them laugh together. Caught him smiling in her direction.
A sharp pain shot through her chest as she examined herself in the mirror.
Percy.
At the end of the Titan War, Zeus had offered Percy immortality as a reward for Percy's service to Olympus.
Annabeth squeezed her eyes shut. Of course Percy had jumped to accept the offer. He would have been stupid to refuse. Who wouldn't want to be young and powerful forever?
Percy had been a true hero in the Titan War. He deserved the happy ending he received.
But why couldn't he have gotten the girl too? Heroes were supposed to get the girl. Everyone knew that.
"Hey." Piper poked her head into the Athena Cabin's bathroom. She and Annabeth were getting ready for the Olympus Winter Solstice Celebration together. Only the heads of cabins were invited, something Annabeth thought was horribly unfair to everyone else, but she didn't protest too strongly. Olympian parties… well… as Mr. D tried (and failed) to poetically put it, "burn like the mortal lives Olympians covet—bright and brief."
Anyway, Piper had begged to get ready in the Athena Cabin with Annabeth, since the Aphrodite kids would probably smother Piper in their excitement to doll her up. Annabeth readily agreed. Piper's refreshingly sensible disposition was very compatible with Annabeth's own no-nonsense outlook. Plus Piper was just a good person.
Although they wouldn't come right out and say it, Annabeth had a sneaking suspicion Piper and Jason had a thing going on. Piper discovered they had been fake-dating in Piper's mind for the past school year, but now she was trying to make it work for real.
Jason, Piper, and Leo had arrived at camp after Jason mysteriously appeared with amnesia on their school bus in Arizona. Mark, a strong Ares Camper, had gone missing the night before Jason had appeared. Annabeth soon put the pieces together - Jason was the strongest demigod from a Roman Camp that Hera sent to serve as a peacemaker between the two camps. Annabeth could only assume that Mark was sent to the Roman Camp as the strongest Greek demigod.
It would have been Percy. If he were here, that is.
"Are you okay?" Piper frowned concernedly. "You look kinda sick."
"Fine." Annabeth replied hastily, wiping her eyes surreptitiously. She quickly tried to change the subject. "You look really nice."
She wasn't lying. Although Piper tried her darndest to hide it on a daily basis, she couldn't deny being a child of Aphrodite had its perks. Piper's kaleidoscope eyes were glinting in the light, and her long brown hair, which had been straightened for the occasion, was falling in waves on her shoulders, framing her heart shaped face. Her dress was also beautiful—a strapless, skin-tight, red dress that fanned out in silk at her knees.
Piper rolled her eyes and aggressively gestured at the dress. "It was the only thing of Lacy's that fit. Normally, I wouldn't be caught dead in something so-"
"Sexy?" Annabeth offered with a grin. "I don't think Jason will mind, somehow."
Piper glared daggers. "Shut up." Then her face softened as she moved to stand next to Annabeth in front of the floor-length bathroom mirror.
"You look beautiful." She breathed.
Annabeth couldn't see it. Her blonde hair was twisted into a knot on the top of her head, a few stray ringlets hanging parallel to her cheeks. Her dress was a sheer gray, roughly the color of her eyes. Styled after the Greek togas, it was one shoulder, and the material hung in shimmering sheets as it wrapped itself around her body.
Passable, but nothing Aphro-tastic.
Piper seemed to hesitate before she continued. "You think you'll see him?"
Annabeth sighed. The Aphrodite cabin had probably made her and Percy's relationship a legend by now, so Piper would know all about it, despite Annabeth's efforts to avoid the topic.
She shrugged noncommittally.
"Maybe." She fussed with her dress. "It is an Olympian Party. I'm sure he'll make an appearance."
Piper bit her lip. "I'm really sorry-"
"Don't be." Annabeth cut in curtly, trying to impress that she really didn't want to discuss it at the moment. "You had nothing to do with it." Nothing to do with the fact that he left me, pulling the same crap the gods did to our parents.
Stop it she chided herself. It's no use.
She noticed Piper staring at her worriedly. She hastily smiled a painted smile and said, "We'd better get going. Wouldn't want to miss our ride into the city."
Piper's eyes lit up. Annabeth had forgotten Piper had never seen Olympus. She remembered the anticipation she'd felt before her first visit to the City of the Gods. It was truly a divine place.
And I get to redesign it. Annabeth thought giddily. Redesigning Olympus had been her reward after the war. It was a huge honor, and she was using Daedalus's notes to repair the damage Olympus had sustained after the war, making the city bigger and better than ever. Olympus 2.0.
She'd been afraid of running into Percy the first few times she'd gone to the city, but she soon came to realize he spent most of his time in Poseidon's court. Underwater. A whoosh of relief washed over her every time she left Olympus without an encounter, but the sensation was always accompanied by a pang in her stomach.
Piper looped her arm through Annabeth's and steered her out of the bathroom.