Chapter Three

The reason why Annabeth was blushing a lot was because she had a small, tiny crush on Percy and he was being flirty. Another reason why was because everyone was staring at her in the cafeteria. Just thought to clear some things up! :) Happy reading~

Annabeth

Ever since what had happened yesterday during lunch, Percy's been following me everywhere. Like, literally, everywhere. It's weird. Creepy even.

Today, he actually walked me to calculus.

"Percy," I had said. "You shouldn't you be going to your first period now?"

He shook his head and gave me a wink. "When I'm with you, it doesn't matter where I am," he replied flirtatiously. My cheeks burned and I could feel everybody in the room staring at me. Some out of jealousy, others out of disgust, curiosity, or even hate.

So, now it's lunch and he walked me to the cafeteria, with Thalia trailing behind.

Percy takes my hand as soon as we sit down. Luke was already there, glaring at him. Percy gave a smug and victorious smile and started to talk to his other friends, giving me the cold shoulder as usual.

"Hey, Annabeth," Luke said.

My heart started to race. "H-hi," I stutter out, nervously.

He gives a chuckle. "You're cute when you're nervous," he smiles and his white teeth glisten. I immediately blush at the compliment and his gorgeous smile.

"Aw, now you're embarrassed," he says. He leans over and gives me a paper bag. "I bought you some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. My mom made them."

I accepted the bag with a thankful smile. Percy immediately notices this and glares at Luke, who was smiling smugly. "Luke," Percy says through gritted teeth. "Thank you. But I was planning to buy Annabeth some lunch today." Luke gives a sarcastically childish shrug (which I thought was adorable) and mutters, "Oh, well."

I look up at Percy. "You were?" I ask.

He nods and gives a smile, which was just as gorgeous as Luke's. "Of course I was, babe. After all, we're dating."

I frowned. We were?

My expression alerted Percy how confused I was. He starts to explain. "Well...I thought we were since you never said no to any of the things I asked."

I realize this was true. When he asked me to sit with him at lunch yesterday, I gave in. And earlier today, he also asked for me to sit with him at lunch. I look down at my lap. "Oh," I say. I'll admit, I was a little disappointed. Honestly, I would rather be with Luke. But another part of me was happy since I had a teeny, tiny crush on Percy...and because this would get me material to blog about.

Speaking of blogging, yesterday I gave a post that was dissing myself. I wrote, Who was that blonde chick with Percy at lunch with him? Does she even deserve to be with him? I got tons of comments agreeing with me (which made me feel a little offended) but was rewarded with ten new followers. Today, I guess I'll have to blog about how me and Percy are now 'dating' and stuff.

"Annabeth?" Percy interrupted my thoughts. "Is there something wrong?"

First I thought, NOW you're giving me attention. The next thought that occurred to me was some happiness. He was actually concerned about me.

"Nothing's wrong," I told him. "Just thinking."

"What were you thinking about?" Gosh, he was nosy sometimes.

"Um...Nothing much. You know, just stuff about school and you and-"

"Wait," he gave a quick, smug glance at Luke and then looked back at me. "You were thinking about me?"

How could I give that away so easily? "I was thinking about how annoying you are," I say, with sarcasm practically dripping in my voice. He pouted. I guess he didn't catch the sarcasm in my voice. But honestly, I thought his pout was really cute and I smiled.

"What're you smiling about? How funny it is that you made me sad?" He sounded like a child...An adorable child, in fact.

"No," I reply. "I just thought that you were really cute."

At that moment, one of the popular girls walked up to us. "Aw, is that Percabeth?" It was Drew, and she sounded really bratty. But at the same time, I thought I heard some jealousy in the tone of her voice.

Percy scowled. "Go away, Drew. Leave us alone," he said and then let go of my hand to put his arm around my shoulders. Drew scoffed. "Okay, Jackson. Hanging with the loser nerd, I see?" She turned around and started to click her six inch heals away.

Then he stood up. "Come on, Annabeth. I want to buy you something." Before I could respond, he grabbed my hand and dragged me to the lunch line. I thought I caught a glimpse of Luke glaring at Percy.

At the lunch line, people kept staring at us. Some of the girls were whispering to each other. I heard one girl say, "Did you hear? They're dating!" to her friend. Percy seemed to like the attention. To keep up the stares we were getting, he intertwined his fingers into mine. "So, Annabeth," he said, his voice breathy again. He was leaning in closer and closer. I heard the whispers getting louder.

"How does some food sound?" His green eyes were so intense.

I quickly reply, "Sounds good."

Okay, being the girl I am, I was falling for him a little...

But at the same time I was bewildered. Why was he leaning in so close? Why won't he stop leaning in closer and closer?

I thought I heard him mutter, "I'm really sorry about this." He said it so quietly, I almost couldn't hear his words. But I did.

He took a quick glance around the lunch line-which was filled with a quarter of the whole cafeteria, including Drew and the other popular girls-and then looked quickly down at my lips. Before I knew it, he closed his eyes and practically slammed his lips onto mine.

At first, I am shocked at what was going on. I mean, if we started dating today and also had our first kiss today, weren't we taking things a little too fast? But then, I realized how amazing of a kisser Percy was. I also heard people gasping all around us.

I also realized that my eyes were open.

Feeling self-conscious, I closed my eyes. And then I slowly put my arms around his neck. The gasps and whispers were getting louder. At the same time, Percy realized my reaction. He responded by putting his arms around my waist and pulling me closer to him.

It felt...nice. It felt romantic and that he really, truly liked me.

It also felt like it was going on forever.

Even though we would part our lips-only for them to meet again-for short breaths, I felt like I couldn't breathe. Maybe I'm too excited to breathe. I don't know.

Our kiss was interrupted when Percy pulled away from me. Okay, I'll admit, I was a little disappointed at first because I was really enjoying the kiss. But then I noticed Percy didn't pull away. Somebody pulled him away from me. Somebody who has blonde hair and a scar down his cheek.

"What the hell was that for?" Percy demanded him. Luke was glaring at him and it seemed like he could strangle Percy. I was standing there, dazed at what was going on. I slowly looked around the lunch line. People were whispering at what was going on.

"Dude," Luke growled at Percy. Then he started to whisper to him so that nobody could hear anything that they were saying. I only heard a few words at a time, "Annabeth...Bet...Car..." Whatever Luke said, it didn't make Percy happy.

"Fine," Percy said aloud. Everyone was listening intently, even the lunch lady. Then he gave a nervous laugh. "Haha, Luke, you're so funny. I mean, listen everyone, he just said the best joke! C'mon, man, tell the crowd." Luke glared at him and looked nervously at everyone. The two boys had the attention of all of us.

"Fine," Luke grumbled. "Um...Uh, knock, knock?"

"Who's there?" Everyone said.

Luke panicked, which I thought was really cute. But he lit up when he finally thought of something. "Who."

"Who, who?" The crowd echoed.

He gave a smirk. "Who, whew, well, that's repetitive."

Nobody laughed, not even Percy. We all stood there in awkward silence. Luke looked up at Percy (Percy is two and a half inches taller than him) and then grumbled something. Percy muttered something back with his green eyes startlingly intense. Then Luke walked away.

As soon as Luke was gone, Percy pulled me back into his arms. "So, Annabeth," he said, stroking my hair. "What do you want?" Everyone was still watching us, even Drew. Drew and I hated each other ever since we were little. Right now, she looked like she was going to burst into flames out of anger. Just to make her angry out of spite, I smiled dreamily at Percy and looked him in the eyes. "Your lips on mine," I replied. Percy seemed pleased with my answer. "You'll get that later," he said with triumph. Some girls looked really gushy and they squealed, "Aw, how cute!"

Percy ended up buying a soft pretzel and some lemonade for me. He bought a slice of pizza a Coke. We walked back to his table. When we got there, all of his friends were sitting there with questioning looks on their faces. I glanced at my own friends and they had the same expression and were looking straight at my direction. I quickly looked down at my lap. We sat there awkwardly, not even touching our food.

"What happened?" Grover broke the silence.

Before I got the chance to say anything, Percy replied, "Um...Nothing. Nothing much. Just buying some food and...Stuff." Luke had the same angry expression as before. "Percy," his voice had a warning. "Explain. Now."

Percy broke into a smile. "Okay. We kissed."

"You did what?!" Thalia was marching towards us right now.

I stood up, spilling some lemonade on Jason. He groaned and I quickly apologized. "Thalia, look," I said. She shook her head. "You guys..." She closed her eyes and then opened them again, her electric blue eyes almost glowing. I thought she was angry but then her expression softened immediately. "How can you not tell me? Oh, Annie this is so cool!" She said. We all stared at her and I slowly sat back down. "Annie, I wouldn't care if you sat next to Percy for the rest of your life! You two are in love!"

Okay, Thalia wouldn't get excited over a blog...but now she was getting excited over a kiss.

"Thalia?" Jason raised his eyebrows in a confused way at his sister. Thalia didn't notice. She walked back to her seat.

It is now after school. I am at Percy's house (I know, I'm shocked, too). We were in the living room, sitting on separate couches.

"I'm home alone for the rest of the week," He explained. "My mom went on a vacation trip with my step dad."

"You have a step dad?" I asked. It was the first time I met anyone who had a step parent like me. I wonder if he also has step siblings.

"Yeah, so?" He looked slightly offended for some reason. "I have my birth dad, too. He owns Poseidon Records. I still talk to him and all...Just not a lot. Like, he bought me my car so he doesn't completely ignore me."

"Cool," I reply and I meant it. "A multimillionaire birth dad who has a contract with famous singers? I have a birth mom who is a photographer. You would see pictures of owls and olive trees in Nature Weekly. She completely cut off from us though," I tell him. He nods, sympathetically. "But, my step mom is really nice." I half expected him to come to me and hug me or something. But all he does is nods like we're normal friends.

Okay, right now I'm kinda confused. I mean, we're dating and at school, he kissed me and stuff. But now, he was acting like nothing romantic happened between us and we were just friends from the start.

"Percy?" I ask him.

"Yeah?"

"Just wondering...But why are you like that?"

"Like what?"

"I mean, you're acting like we're just friends right now but before at school you acted like you were totally in love."

"Exactly. I was acting."

"What?" I felt a little heartbroken. I'm hoping that he's joking and would just stand up and hug attack me and say that he's sorry and he loves me and stuff. But he was dead serious. I shook my head and mentally punched myself. I felt stupid. And now I regret falling for him, even it was just a little bit. Of course he was acting.

But...Why? Why was he acting?

"So...Why were you acting?" I ask, hoping my words sounded smooth and even. But they weren't. My words were a little shaky and sounded like I was trying to keep from crying. I was trying to keep from crying because I don't normally talk about my mom and because I felt stupid. As arrogant as this sounds, I hated feeling stupid. The last time Thalia called me stupid (as a joke) I didn't talk to her for two whole days.

"You really want to know?" He sounded unsure of himself. I nodded in reply. If there was one thing in the world I like, it was knowing things...And maybe blogging.

Percy sighed. "Annabeth, me and the guys-"

"The guys and I," I corrected him.

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. The guys and I. Anyway, they made a bet that until next month of something, I would have to date you. Like, date, date you. And if I wouldn't accept the bet they would trash my car. That car is really precious to me because it is the first thing that my birth dad ever bought me. I couldn't have them trash my car."

"And why do you have to date me? Why not Drew or Rachel or something?" My voice sounded choppy because I was angry. I was angry since Percy chose a car over an actual human being. But part of me wanted to understand because it was the first thing that his dad ever bought him. I would also treasure anything my birth mom would ever buy me because...because she hasn't bought me anything yet. I admit, I want something that I could keep in my hand that she gave me.

"I have to date you because you're the first one that I couldn't charm," he replied. "Annabeth...I'm just wondering but what do you think of me? Like, do you like me or hate me..?"

I wanted to lie to him and say that I despised him and he was an excuse for a human being. But I didn't.

"I...I guess I like you..." I bit my tongue. The words sounded foreign to me.

Do I really like him? Well, yeah...But do I like him more than Luke? I don't know, but I think the kiss helped a little bit. I guess I do like him more than Luke. Oh, gosh. This can't be happening. I can't like Percy. He's the popular guy and I'm the nerd. Besides, he flirts with every girl he sees.

Why do I even like him?

Well, the kiss helped. Also, he was really nice. He bought my lunch. He's also good looking...and muscular.

Something's missing. I'm pretty sure there's another reason. I keep thinking and thinking. And then I realize it.

It's because of the blog. If I really date him, the blog will get more popular and popular. I might even get to upload pictures of him.

"Oh." Percy's response breaks me out of my thoughts. "Well...I guess this makes winning the bet easier," he says smoothly.

"What do you think of me?" I ask.

He shrugs. "I don't know. A fake-girlfriend?" He replies.

I'm a fake-girlfriend to him?

I move to the couch he's sitting. "So...We're now officially fake-dating?" I ask him, dead serious. He shrugs. "I guess...But you can call it real dating if you want." I blush at that. "I won't think that," I say.

"But you just said that you liked me," Percy frowns in confusion.

"I didn't say why and how I like you," I reply smart-alecky.

He looks into my eyes. "Touche."

I laugh at him. "Anyway," I say. "Pinkie promise me that we'll only be fake-dating until the end of the month because of your bet. And we're keeping the fact that the dating's fake a secret. Okay?"

He nods and interlocks our pinkies. "Fair deal." Before he let go, he said, "Hey, did you hear what they're calling us?"

"What?"

"We're now Percabeth." I nod. I already heard about the 'Percabeth' stuff.

Then he smiled nervously. "Hey...Since we're going to be fake-dating...How about we practice some fake-kissing? Just so the relationship seems real," he suggested.

I laugh. I guess I really wanted to kiss him that badly. "Sure, fake-boyfriend," I say while laughing. He looks surprised at first, but then grins.

Then we awkwardly lean in closer to each other. He slowly puts his hands on my hips and I wrap my arms around his neck. He gives me a quick smile before closing his eyes and gently leaning in. It was a sweet and gentle kiss. I'm not really sure why Percy wanted a kiss. Maybe because he truly wanted to practice? I don't know.

But I guess you could say we were prepared for the fake-dating.

Was the chapter okay? Am I rushing things too quickly? _ Here are some suggestions I have:

Should I add some Lukabeth? Should I add some sexual scenes (I know,a little awkward, hahaha)? Should I slow things down a little more (I personally hate it when stories are slow. It just gets boring unless there are sparks in between)? Should there be more background couples (like Tratie, Jasper, Thalico, Frazel)?

Anyway, thanks for reading! Please review your thoughts!