Disclaimer: All characters belong to Rick Riordan. Story line is mine. : )

Chapter 10 – Annabeth

I don't know why I beckon Percy to talk to me. I feel brave. I stand up and hope he follows me because if he doesn't, I'll be absolutely mortified.

So I stand in the dark hallway, waiting for him. Should he be taking this long? Oh, Gods what if he doesn't come? What if he didn't realize I wanted him to follow me? What if he didn't really want to know anything about me and this is a set up?

All the doubts in my mind cease when the person I want to see most in the world saunters towards me. His jeans are tight, but not too tight. His black converses match mine perfectly; we both have equally ratty pairs. His grey shirt brings the beautiful blue out in his eyes. And his hair is a little messy. I have to stop myself from reaching out and fixing it.

When he stops in front of me I smile at him, and my heart beats a little faster when he smiles back. I love his smile. I don't know why I'm not thinking this through logically. He has a girlfriend. But I don't get out much, and I need to take this opportunity while I can. I just want to talk to him.

"Hey," he says. He says it so quietly that if we weren't alone in the hallway, I wouldn't have heard him.

"Hey," my lips say before I even think about it.

He opens his mouth for a second before he looks up for a second and closes it. Before it gets way too awkward, I get to the point of bringing him here.

"What do you want to know?" I ask, feeling curious about what he really wants to know about me. I like that he wants to know about me. I just don't know what he expects me to tell him.

He makes a face and leans into the wall opposite of mine. "So he told you." I almost laugh at how guilty he sounds. Luke is just worried about me, and I'm glad he told me. He's a great friend.

I nod and smile before he thinks I'm mad or something. He takes a deep breath and chuckles. "I'm pretty sure he wants to rip my head off," he says.

My eyes widen and I feel confused. Who would have known, I'm confused by Percy Jackson. Well then. Luke isn't mad about Percy, I just think he's had a bad day. He's been a little on edge since the injury anyway. I don't know what Percy means, and I'm about to ask him before I think better of it and decide not to. Then I decide to clear up that Luke is just stressed, but he just shakes his head and waves it away. Ok.

I shake my head a little and look down, digging my toe into the carpet. "So, what do you want to know?" I ask again, determined to get to the point. I like getting to the point, I think dancing around a subject is infuriating.

He looks at me, a little doubtful before rubbing his face and muttering, "I just want to know more about you." I feel my cheeks heat up a little and I hope he can't see in the dark. Damn it, why does he make me react like this.

I finally sit leaning against the wall and pull my knees up to my chest. My legs are starting to hurt really badly. I should probably slow the physical activity down, but I know I won't. What am I gaining from this whole encounter? I finally decide to make sure he spills too. "Ok. Sit down and I'll let you know anything you want to. But only if you let me know something about you," I propose.

He smiles a little, his teeth bright in the dark light. He sits down cross-legged in front of me, also leaning against the wall. The party is in full swing now, but it suddenly feels quiet, as if I'm pushing the world outside and hiding in my own little bubble.

And we start talking.

And we keep talking.

And I realize I love talking to him.

Just as much as I love the smile that he keeps flashing me.

We talk about stupid stuff. Nothing deep or meaningful. Just stuff that keeps us entertained.

He thinks for a second before biting his lip. "What is the last book you have read that you loved?" he asks. I like that he asks it. I like that he considers the things that he knows I like.

"Well…. This is a harder question than it should be," I say, blushing at how I can't come up with one title. "Divergent. That's a great book. I just like the characters and the plot is so well laid out and I just love it so much." I take a breath after spitting out the ridiculously long run on sentence and look down, blushing again. What the hell is with all of this freaking blushing? I'm not a little girl!

He smiles again, but it falls when we hear someone calling for him.

"Percy! Perce! Where are you babe?" I assume it's Rachel's voice, although I already know the answer. I've heard her talk trash about the dance team enough. But she used to be nice. I remember her in eighth grade when we had to work on a project in class together. She's super smart and I was surprised when I didn't see her in any of my honors classes during freshman year.

I find myself giggling nervously. "I think that's your cue." That was a mean thing to say. Nice job Annabeth, you don't sound like a bitch at all.

He rolls his eyes and I hope I didn't offend him. I feel really bad. He stands up, offering me a hand, but I'm too embarrassed to take his kindness. What is wrong with me? I watch him walk away, cringing. I'm a terrible person. I sit there for what feels like twenty minutes before my legs become numb and I stretch them out before standing up.

I join the party again, hoping to see Percy, even if it is with Rachel. Maybe then I'll wake up and stay away from him. I need to stay away from him, for everyone's sake. I know I won't find him, and I finally stop looking.

I join Calypso and we just sit for about thirty minutes, just talking. But then a guy comes over. And he's cute in a dorky way. Curly black hair and deep brown eyes. He asks Calypso to dance, and she looks just as surprised as me. I feel like I've seen him before, I think he's on the basketball tea. She looks at me, like she's checking to see if it's ok and I nod enthusiastically before practically pushing her into him. He smiles and winks at me playfully before pulling her to the sweaty crowd.

I look around for Luke before finding him. He has Kate Gardner pressed into a wall, and he's kissing her. I'm happy for him. He needs to date more. I smile, happy that he looks happier now. He was super tense.

I look away, not sure what to do with myself until Reyna comes over again.

"Hey," I say as she settles into the soft cushion next to me. She sighs a 'Hey' back and smiles.

"Am I too pushy Annabeth?" she asks suddenly. I shake my head, of course she isn't!

"No! Why would you even think that?" I ask.

She rubs her face a little. "Just wondering. It doesn't seem like people tolerate me very often."

I wonder if this is about Jason. No, because she's over him, and she's been over him for a while. There must be someone else. She looks a little defeated. I hug her and try to reassure her, because Reyna is one of the strongest people I know and she looks sad.

"Hey, don't worry about it. Whatever it is, it'll all work out. I promise."

She looks up at me and nods, pulling herself together a little. We talk until Calypso comes back, smiling widely, and refusing to give any details at the moment.

A/N: Hey guys! I hope you like the chapter! I love Reyna and I'm happy she's more involved in the story for now. Thanks for all the comments you guys keep leaving! I love them and I read them all. They mean a lot and help me move forward in this story. Please keep leaving them because I love them so much. Next chapter up sometime this week hopefully.