2. A Real Cold Fish

The next morning Percy stood in line in the cafeteria as his food tray was being filled with slop that didn't even look edible. He picked up his tray and walked through the cafeteria to find a place to sit and eat. He could feel the eyes of the other inmates following him as he walked, and he received some hateful yet seductive looks from a table of girls as he walked past. Percy finally found a seat, and he laid his tray on the table. He sat down and began picking at his food, not sure if he wanted to put any of that mess in his mouth.

At the table beside the one Percy was sitting at, Annabeth and her crew were beginning to eat their breakfast.

"Oh, no, here she comes," Travis grumbled as Thalia made her way over to the table.

She sat her tray on the table across from Annabeth then sat down.

Thalia had a shit-eating grin on her face as she said, "Good morning, guys. It sure is a fine morning, and do you know why? Come on, set 'em down. I want 'em all lined up."

Annabeth and Travis grudgingly handed Thalia the drachma they owed her from the bet, and she began counting them out.

"Yeah, look at that," she gloated.

Jason handed her the drachma he owed her and said, "Smell my ass."

Thalia just laughed as she received the drachma Luke owed her, too.

"You know, AB," Thalia smiled. "It's a damn shame about your horse coming in last, but I sure do love that winning horse of mine. I do believe I owe that girl a great big sloppy kiss when I see her."

"Why don't you give her some of your drachma instead," Annabeth suggested.

After breakfast, Percy put up his tray and began walking down a long hallway toward the laundry where he was assigned to work. About halfway down the hallway, he noticed three girls leaning against the wall. Two of the girls were skinny little things, but the one standing in between them was a bigger girl.

As Percy walked past the girls, the big girl asked him, "Anybody get to you yet?"

Percy stopped and gave her a confused look.

"We all need friends in here," she said. "I could be a friend to you."

Percy's eyes widened then he walked away from the girls in horror.

"Hard to get," the big girl said to the other girls. "I like that."

Percy kept pretty much to himself at first. I guess he had a lot on his mind trying to adapt to a life on the inside. It wasn't until a month went by that he finally opened his mouth to say more than two words to somebody, and as it turns out, that somebody was me.

Annabeth and Thalia were playing chess on a bench in the prison yard when Percy walked up to Annabeth.

"I'm Percy Jackson," he introduced himself.

"Son of Poseidon," Annabeth said without looking up from the chessboard.

"I'm not sure of that. I've never even met my father," Percy said.

"Oh, you're going to fit right in," Annabeth laughed. "Nobody in here has ever met their godly parent. Thalia, who's your dad?"

"Hell if I know, never met him," Thalia answered as she moved a piece on the chessboard.

"Rumor has it you're a real cold fish, thinks your shit smells sweeter than most, is that right?" Annabeth asked him.

"What do you think?" Percy asked her.

"Tell you the truth, I haven't made up my mind," she said.

"I understand you're a person who knows how to get things," Percy said changing the subject.

Annabeth moved a piece on the chessboard and said, "Checkmate."

"Agh," Thalia grumbled as she put two drachmas down on the board then got up and walked away.

Annabeth just grinned then turned to Percy, "I've been known to locate certain items from time to time."

"I wonder if you might get me a prism," he said.

"A prism, huh? You plan on sending an Iris message to someone?"

"What do you care?" Percy asked.

"Well, if it was a toothbrush I wouldn't ask questions, I'd just quote a price, but a toothbrush isn't contraband now is it?"

Percy nodded, "Fair enough. Yes, I need to contact my mom and tell her I'm okay. From what I understand, an Iris message is the only way to contact the outside."

"You understand right," Annabeth said. "But how do I know you won't sharpen it and sink it into somebody's skull?"

Percy shook his head, "No, I have no enemies here."

"No? Wait a while. Word gets around; the Hunters have taken quite a liking to you. Especially Clarisse," Annabeth said nodding toward a gang of girls, mostly daughters of Ares and Hermes, that always hung around together.

Percy grimaced, "I don't suppose it would help any if I told them I wasn't interested or that they're not my type?"

"The Hunters take by force. That's all they want or understand, and if you don't give them what they want, they will beat the hell out of you," Annabeth warned. "If I were you, I'd grow eyes in the back of my head."

"Thanks for the advice."

"That's free, but you do understand my concern?" Annabeth asked.

"Well, if there's any trouble, I won't use the prism," Percy assured her.

"My normal markup is twenty percent, but this is a specialty item. The risk goes up, the price goes up," Annabeth said. "Let's make it an even five bucks."

Percy nodded, "Five it is."

"Waste of money if you ask me."

"Why is that?" Percy asked.

"Satyrs around this joint love surprise inspections. They find it; you're going to lose it. If they do catch you with it, you don't know me. You mention my name and we'd never do business again, not for shoelaces or a stick of gum, you got that?"

"I understand," Percy nodded. "Thank you, um…"

"AB, they call me AB."

"AB, what does that stand for?" Percy asked her.

"Annabeth."

Percy smiled, "Thank you, Annabeth."

Annabeth grinned and watched Percy walk away.

I could see why some of the guys took him for snobby, especially being a child of one of the Big Three, but he really wasn't a jerk. He didn't have the arrogance of say Jason or Thalia, who were also children of one of the Big Three. He had a quiet confidence about him that just wasn't normal around here. Yeah…I think it would be fair to say I liked Percy from the start.