Story Name: The Iris Network

Author: turquoiserainlilies

Disclaimer: Do not own Percy Jackson or anything related, just the plot (really, not even that original). THANKS RICK!

Summary: He's a gamer. She's the Queen Bee. Percy struggles with unwanted fame from his father. Annabeth can't forgive her best friend for falling in love. Living miles away doesn't stop two people's fate from meeting, after all, the best thing to fall in love with are someone's words. AU!AH.

Chapter:11 of 22


wisegirl6 v

san francisco 01/06/14 16:10 utc-8

annabeth chase


wisegirl6: you know what's pretty funny?

greek3fire: enlighten me Wise Girl

wisegirl6: my friend Silena actually guessed that you had green eyes

greek3fire: that's pretty crazy

wisegirl6: the odds are like one in tenth or something, right?

greek3fire: nah, i've seen three other people with green eyes, they're all related to me though...

wisegirl6: that doesn't count!

wisegirl6: well, my friend Rachel has green eyes

greek3fire: is she cute?

wisegirl6: don't even go there


The university application started in November, and ended in a few weeks, but Annabeth, being the eager beaver she is, already filed all her application to schools.

She had sent in five applications, four of which in America, and one to Cornwall she did as sort of a what the hell sort of thing, not really thinking she'd get in. Her safe choice was obviously University of California, Harvard was something her dad wanted her to try, and Yale as well, and…Columbia, New York.

Annabeth never did anything for a guy. When she was dating Luke, she had never once cancelled her own appointment for something important to him. Sport games? He can go with his friends. Movie night? She'd rather be at the spa with Silena. Restaurant reservation? Sorry, gotta babysit the boys tonight. However trivial her own activities were and how luxurious Luke's might be, that was the term Annabeth gave herself when she first started to venture into the dating world. Never give up anything for the boy, and stay in power, or he'll walk all over her.

(That worked superbly)

That's why she was hesitant. Columbia was an internationally recognized school for architecture and design, so it wasn't like she was going to lose anything by going. Harvard was her first choice, but she wouldn't mind Columbia either…what's the deciding factor?

Seaweed Brain. He's been on her mind ever since they decided to start using Snapchat in their penpalship (was that a word? They didn't even use pens). Annabeth hadn't told anyone of this really, especially not Silena, whom she know would gloat at how she just knew that he was green eyed.

He was green eyed, and lean, and muscular, and had the brightest smile, and was pretty much the image of perfection in her mind. She was sure she'd seen him somewhere, maybe on a newspaper clipping, he did say his family was rich and famous. That wasn't even the important part. He trusted her as she trusted him, they connected even without the actual connection, and he lives in New York, where Columbia was.

Harvard like her should? Or Columbia like she wants? Annabeth was frozen over her computer as she re-read all of her and Seaweed Brain's earlier conversations, their easy banter and slipping into darker secrets right off the bat.

(Somewhere in her logical mind, she scolded herself for trusting a random stranger, but the romantic side of her sprung up with razor sharp rose petals and started pelting the logical mind, screaming IT'S TRUE LOVE BITCH while sobbing in the corner)

She didn't want to choose, she couldn't choose, and thankfully she didn't need too. She had applied for early admission, so her acceptance letter should be arriving somewhere early to mid-February, a full month before she ever had to worry again, yet her mind still wouldn't settle.

It jumped into something else as well, her mother. Athena divorced Frederick Chase when Annabeth was seven, apparently she wanted to travel while he was such a stay at home dad. Her father always told her how she was a real wise girl like Annabeth and could solve (almost) every problem. She can surely fix this.

(She can also imagine her answer, boys or work? It's an easy choice Annabeth, just look at the one I made!)

Work, she chose work. Athena was Annabeth's role model despite all the hurt she's been through, but for once she didn't feel like following her mother's footsteps.

"You're so depressed." Silena chatted into her phone, "I know it was just the first day of school, and you still haven't got a response from that Kelp Brain of yours, but you can't let that get to you."

Annabeth bit her tongue, not willing to let it on to her best friend that her troubles was neither of this. Seaweed Brain forgave her, they decided to swap Skype later on, and she loved high school. She couldn't talk with Silena about her mother though. As amazing of a friend the Beauregard girl was in romances and relationships, she had a crappy relationship with her parents too (her mother had too many affairs, of all the things Athena did wrong, at least she didn't cheat on Frederick, she hadn't even remarried or dated).

"Let's got to the spa." She blurted out, "I'm feeling stressed, I think it's the university applications."

Half-truth, and she could hear Silena grin, "That's good, great! I'll meet you at Iris's in an hour."


Iris's Organic Spa is run by…well…Iris, an energetic middle aged woman with dark black hair but a bright personality. She was always buzzing around, fussing over the girls that came for a quick massage, facial, or more likely, gossip.

As good of their cucumber baths are, no spa is complete without the gaggle of middle aged woman chatting on their phones and spilling secret like there in a small town. As Iris's Organic Spa is more trendy than luxurious, the grannies are replaced by giggly high school girls. Today's crowd included some girls named Kayla, Lou, and Lacy. Sophomores, Annabeth somehow registered in her mind, she saw them around Summerville High. They were loud enough to be noticed, unfortunately.

"You heard the latest?" Kayla stage whispered to Lou, whose eyes grow saucers, "Apparently Luke can't get enough of the cheater's streak, and was cheating on Thalia with Rachel Elizabeth Dare."

She rolled her eyes. As poorly as Annabeth thought of Luke right now, she didn't think that he'd be making the same mistake twice.

"No way." Lacy shook her head, "I saw him at the jewellery store the other day, I think they're getting hitched right after graduation!"

"Shush guys." Lou gasped, "Annabeth is here."

Shit.

"Shit." Silena said, lifting the stereotypically placed cucumber from her eye. Her eyebrow twitched and her hand tapped at the arm rest.

"Were you listening?" Annabeth turned, "Silena!"

Silena rolled her brilliant blue eyes, or at least, Annabeth thought so, her cucumber just sort of shifted. "A bit, those girls are nasty."

Lou, no, Lacy, snorted. "Sure, but I'm not the the one who can't even keep a boyfriend interested."

It wasn't like that, Annabeth told herself, she wasn't boring by a long shot, that's not why Luke cheated, she just liked routines, she just liked the norm, and maybe risks aren't the best thing for her, but that's not why he cheated!

"Bet you can't even get a boyfriend." Silena retorted, sitting up fully now, "Seriously Lainey? Get. A. Life."

"It's Lacy!" She screeched. Kayla rolled her eyes, but Lou looked a little apologetic.

"Let it go 'Lena." Annabeth sighed, "I just can't deal with sophomores today."


They left the spa soon after, Silena dragged her to the new mall where she spent her new H&M gift card on a new top, while Annabeth used her chapters gift card to buy The Cuckoo's Calling, which she had been meaning to read since July, and Hounds of Baskerville. The entire time Silena was chatting about something, Charlie or chocolate, while Silena's mind was on what Lacy said.

Can't even keep a boyfriend interested.

Interested.

Interesting.

Annabeth wasn't boring, she hoped not. She had passions and friends and stuff to talk about with everyone. She could hold a decent conversation with Nico di Angelo for gods' sake, that took skills. Maybe she doesn't like to take many risks, but what's life without a little planning? Complete improv, that's what, and completely reckless.

She did take risks, she had a IrisFriend, she sent him pictures, she was going to Skype him later with the very real possibility that he might flash her or something. She was interesting.

"Don't listen to those girls." Silena's voice drifted, "They're juvenile."

"How did you know I was thinking about that?" Annabeth asked.

She shrugged, "I'm your bestie, plus you got your cut a bitch face on, and since I haven't done anything but be angelic, and Thalia Grace isn't nearby, the process of elimination wasn't hard."

"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." Annabeth quoted.

"Sure." Silena said, "Seriously though Annie, don't fret about it."

"It's Annabeth." She corrected off the bat of her tongue, "And I'm sort of fretting about it. I mean, I have good self-esteem and shit, but Luke's cheating isn't exactly helping with that. Why did he fall for Thalia and not me? What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing, I'm sure he loved you at one point." Silena nodded earnestly, "I would've sensed his insincerity if he had no feelings for you, my love meter would be all DAN-GER DAN-GER DAN-GER—"

"Got that." Annabeth swatted, "He loved me like a little sister, but he loves loves Thalia. That sucks."

"Not really." Silena said, "You forgave him pretty easily for the Christmas thing, and you actually held some sort of conversation with Thalia at the Snowflake Dance, I'd say that you're not nearly as mad at them as you made it out to be."

"I'm mad." Annabeth protested, "I haven't spoken to them since!"

Silena rolled her eyes, "Oh, the silent treatment works so well. And why are you complaining, that led you to your Waterlogged Dreamboat!"

That was the weirdest name Silena came up with for Seaweed Brain just yet, but Annabeth let that slid. "Indirectly, you would've forced me to sign up anyways."

"True." Silena considered, "But it was at that moment when you decided to get an Iris Network, and at that moment he messaged you. Practically fate."

She patted the blonde girl's arm, "Look, life isn't always going to be this bad." She assured, "Actually, I've got good news."

Silena looked like she was ready to burst, Annabeth secretly suspected this, she had been fidgeting all through her facial.

"Let's hear it, did you or did you not get voted as Miss Universe." Annabeth questioned.

She snorted, "I wish, but this is better, I know where Charlie's going to be for Valentine's Day!"

Annabeth stared.

Silena pulled up her phone, completely with a rainbow phone case which she affectiously named Simon for no apparent reason. She scrolled through some web page. "So we know that he's a gamer." Silena said, "That he's quite addicted to Greek Fire like your Practically Merman Lover, and that a new Greek Fire game debuts almost yearly, at a specific event."

"VidGameCon." Annabeth recalled, "You don't mean…"

"It's in Los Angeles Annie."

"It's Annabeth."

"UGGGH!" Silena groaned, "Forget that, it's in Los Angeles, a few hours' drive max, it's on a Friday and we already sent in our uni applications, we can totally ditch class for a day or two."

She stared at her black haired best friend, was she crazy? "Seriously Silena?" Annabeth asked incredulously, "You're skipping class to meet your online friend?"

"You'd do the same for the Son of Poseidon." Silena shrugged.

"Who?"

"Poseidon, god of the sea, keep up with Greek mythology Annie." Silena snapped quickly. She was much too jumpy and Annabeth was too tired to mutter it's Annabeth at her. "If you really don't agree to this, I can just give him my address and tell him to swing by."

Her grey eyes widened to saucers, "Like that would be better." Annabeth exclaimed, "He could be a stalker."

"Charlie's nothing like that." Silena said fiercely. Annabeth was taken back at the sudden passion, which Silena didn't seem to have anything for but boys and clothes. "You know how you feel about Seaweed Brain, you gave him your phone number after a week. I've known Charlie for months, I trust him."

In Annabeth's brain, she wasn't trying to process Silena's argument about how she and Charlie were meant to be, but rather her statement about Annabeth and Seaweed Brain. She did trust him, utterly and completely and too much for someone she had only seen one picture of.

"When you have a connection like that." Silena pleaded, "You don't break it for the sake of playing safe, Annie. You can be cynical about any crap you want, but you do not, you cannot be cynical about love."

She paused. Silena was dropping big wet tears, staining her mascara, which she never did for anyone.

"All right." Annabeth said gently, "Silena, calm down. You can do whatever you want with Charlie. I'm sorry, it's none of my business."

Silena sniffled, "Hell yeah it's not."

She threw her arm around her blonde best friend, almost knocking Annabeth off her feet. "You're too logical for your own good."

Annabeth sighed, "Yeah, I sort of am."


wisegirl6: hey, you attending VidGameCon?

greek3fire: hells yeah!

greek3fire: wait...you remembered?

wisegirl6: kind of got reminded today

greek3fire: you broke my heart

greek3fire: so...why did you ask

wisegirl6: might stop by for a few minutes, maybe

greek3fire: sounds promising

wisegirl6: NO PROMISES SEAWEED BRAIN

wisegirl6: but i want to meet you


Back from the break! Next update on January the 10th

Bianca. Returns. Home

Reviews are welcomed and lovely ^_^