Annabeth POV
"Be careful at lunch today," Percy warned me as we walked to the cafeteria.
"Why what happened?" Oh Percy if you messed something up…
"Trinity's suspicious." I stopped walking.
"Suspicious as in she thinks we're you-know-what's, or suspicious as in she only knows something's up?"
"She knows we're different." He said. I bit my lip.
"I'll damage control," I said, "It'll be fine." He looked doubtful. I reached up and kissed him, "Trust me, have I ever been wrong?"
"You used to think that I had a crush on Rachel," He pointed out.
"Oh, so you didn't? That hurts, Perce, that really hurts." An extremely familiar, future-seeing, red head said in mock hurt.
"Rachel!" Percy's face broke into a grin and hugged her. I wasn't jealous anymore; Rachel was Oracle so, by definition, no dating. She might as well be a Hunter.
"Thanks for waiting up for us, Annabeth," She shook her head in disappointment.
"I was tired!" I defended myself as I reached out for a hug, "Mr. Hero over here didn't want to do his homework." She laughed.
"He can go up against a Titan on top of Mt. Olympus but he can't do homework?"
"Dyslexia! Thank you very much," Percy pouted.
"I've got dyslexia too, you know." He said nothing. I won.
"Lets just go to lunch, shall we?" Rachel said. I nodded and grasped Percy's hand.
"Ok, but watch what you say. Mortals are suspecting something." She nodded, probably already knowing.
"Keeping demigodly talk to a minimum." She said and mimed zipping her lips.
I was surprised to find all of our demigod friends sitting with Percy's mortal friends. I guess Silena had recognized Trinity from gym class and everyone else had flocked to the familiar faces.
Katie and Trinity were listening intently to Silena as she whispered something or other. It was likely about boys. Katie had started dating Travis Stoll just a few weeks before me and Percy had gotten together. They were a cute couple, but really unexpected. The Demeter cabin had been the Stoll's main target over the summer. One second they were at each other's throats and the next Juniper finds the two of them kissing near Zeus's Fist. I guess Percy and I could be like that sometimes.
And then there was Trinity who had been pining over Hayden for quite some time apparently. Hayden must be as dense as a brick. Even Grover and Percy had noticed on their own, and he had yet to. I suppose she needed a miracle. A miracle, or the help of a child of Aphrodite.
The Stoll's, on the other hand, were exchanging drachmas underneath the table with poor Nico. Nico was only thirteen but he seemed so much older. I had a suspicion that he was crushing on me, but even the King of Ghosts wouldn't go up against Percy over me. (True fact, MoA)
Juniper and Grover were staring at each other with googly eyes while Thalia mimed gagging to Beckendorf and Hayden. I wonder if Percy and I look like that…
"Look out, your ADHD's showing." He snickered. I realized I hadn't spoken for a few minutes. I elbowed his arm and the three of us walked over to the table.
"Well look at that, Percy found Rachel!" Thalia said and fake clapped.
"It's about time." Grover said.
"Rachel! I thought you went to Clarion?" Trinity said with excitement as she jumped up to hug Rachel. Oh yeah, Rachel used to go to Goode…
"I was kicked out." She shrugged. Finishing school, Rachel, not a good mix.
"How many of you guys transferred here, exactly?" Hayden asked, looking at all the new kids sitting around him. Percy and I sat down beside Grover.
"Lets see… Beckendorf, Silena, Rachel, Thalia, Nico, Travis, Connor, Katie… ten." I counted.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you're off by two." He said. I smirked knowingly.
"She's right, you're wrong, move over Prissy." Said the daughter of Ares who had first greeted Percy by shoving his face in a toilet.
"Clarisse too?" Percy said in shock as she took a place at the table with us.
"Don't forget me," Her surprisingly patient boyfriend, Chris, said as he lightly sat beside her. I couldn't tell if Percy was scared, surprised, or confused. Maybe a little bit of everything.
"Oh gods, are there any more?" Percy asked. I laughed and shook my head.
"Happy extremely late birthday, Seaweed Brain." I said and kissed his cheek, "Or early Christmas. Whatever works."
"Wow, Perce, you've got a lot of friends." Hayden said.
"No, we're not friends." Clarisse grumbled.
"Gee thanks," He said sarcastically, "Good to see you too."
"So you all met at camp?" Trinity asked. We all nodded.
"And you're all from everywhere all around the country?" She clarified. We simply nodded again. The fewer details we gave, the better.
"So why did you all transfer here so suddenly?" She asked. I figured someone would ask this at some point. I'd been working on my response for days now.
"Our camp has this new program going on that we need to be nearby for. Percy's school is closest so we decided to come here for the year." She nodded, totally buying it.
"Percy, Percy!" A shrill voice yelped.
"Oh gods, she still goes here?" Rachel moaned as Calypso strut up with a wide smile.
"You will never guess what just happened!" She said to him with excitement.
"Who's the girly?" Clarisse asked through a mouthful of chips. Calypso's top lip curled in disgust like a cat.
"Calypso Cielo," She said, "But as I was saying…"
"You're irritating, walk away." Clarisse said. With anyone who actually knew Clarisse, that would be the end of the conversation. Calypso didn't get the hint.
"Excuse me, I wasn't talking to you." She said rudely. Oh boy, "Anyways Percy…"
"Are you trying to get killed here, girl?" Clarisse said. Her voice was tense. This was so bad, just so bad. Calypso laughed.
"What're you gonna do?"
"You sure you want to push me?" Clarisse yelled and stood up, knocking over a soda.
"Uh oh, I made Ugly mad." Calypso said sarcastically, "My cat's scarier than you,"
"That's it!" Clarisse lunged at her, knocking her to the floor.
"Kick her butt Clarisse!" Rachel cheered. The rest of the table stood to get a better look at the fight while the rest of the lunchroom broke into applause and appreciation for Clarisse.
I should be stopping this, I thought. It was just so entertaining watching Clarisse La Rue punch Calypso in the face as she flailed her arms around uselessly. I found myself cheering the Ares Girl on.
"Yeah Clarisse!" Percy looked at me with wide eyes.
"Annabeth!"
"What?" I asked with annoyance. He just looked at me, "Fine." I grumbled and got up to help him pull Clarisse off of the screaming girl.
"You made your point! Off!" I yelled as I dragged Clarisse off. If you've ever stopped a daughter of Ares mid-fight… well, just don't ever do it. All sorts of colorful profanities poured from Clarisse's mouth, both in Greek and English. Chris took her arm and pulled her up to her feet while I joined Percy out of the range of her fists. Calypso lay on the floor still with a bloody nose, puffy eye, and too many bruises to count. Her hair looked like a mop and I was pretty sure Clarisse had bitten her. I honestly tried to get the smile off of my face…
"She hit me!" No duh.
"You egged her on!" I argued. Calypso ignored me as she wailed on.
"Eeewww, look at my hair!" She screeched as Victoria rushed over to blot the blood off of her face with a tissue.
"I don't see a difference." I muttered angrily. Percy squeezed my shoulders as Calypso looked up at me with nothing but pure hatred.
"Why don't you just go back to where you came from, Blondie! You ruined everything!" She squealed as she got to her feet, "Percy would have been mine that day if you hadn't showed up! Go back to your hole you ugly, whiney, selfish little female dog!" Yeah… she didn't really say female dog.
Anger heated up in my stomach and spread throughout my entire body. Steam was coming out of my ears.
"I'm gonna kill her," I growled, "I'M GONNA KILL HER!" I yelled. Percy wrapped his arms tightly around my waist as I kicked and scratched to get away, "LET GO!" I yelled. He only hugged me tighter, cutting off my access to my dagger. It wouldn't hurt her; it'd just scare her out of her skinny jeans.
"Not here, not now," He said urgently in my ear. He knew I'd kill her for real right here in this cafeteria. I kicked against his shins, but he still wouldn't let up. Stupid curse of Achilles!
"Get your hands off me now Percy!" I said viciously, "Let go now or I swear to the gods I will…" Profanities just as bad as Clarisse's were thrown from my mouth. I'm not sure whom they were directed at exactly. All I knew was that I was mad.
"What is going on here?" A mature voice yelled as it entered the cafeteria. I barely saw Coach Xeno enter I was so mad. My vision was tunneled on Calypso, blinking to make alligator tears come out. That little…
"Annabeth beat me up, Coach!" She wailed. I froze, and stopped fighting against Percy for a second. His arms froze too. I winced as Hayden's water bottle exploded in his hand.
"What? No I didn't! I was close, but I didn't!" Xeno frowned.
"Percy, Annabeth, Calypso. My office. Now." He said shortly. Nobody spoke a word against Clarisse, for fear she would beat them up to probably. It was Clarisse herself who stepped forward. It was unlike an Ares to give up credit for their fight, so this was only to be expected.
"I'm the one that beat her up! I get to go too!" She said. Even Xeno looked scared, so he allowed her to come along.
The four of us sat on the metal bench in his office as he rubbed his bald spot.
"Cielo, tell me your side." She pretended to wipe a tear away.
"I came over to say hi. And then Annabeth got up, and she knocked me over. She started hitting me, and… and…" She burst into the worst fit of fake tears I had ever seen.
"Jackson, your turn." Percy told him the truth. So did I, so did Clarisse.
"La Rue, detention after school all week with me." He said, "Calypso, you too." She looked up in shock.
"I'm the victim here!"
"Yes, but you lied." He said calmly, "End of discussion. Now go to class and leave me alone."
