A/N: It's been a long time...
_Fonts' variation will appear before every chapter on this same spot_
Bold - A/N
Underline - setting/time
Underline + Bold - sub setting
Italic - flashbacks, letters, notes, song lyrics
Italic + Bold - texting
Italic + Underline - texting
Bold + Underline + Italic - third person in text, extras
Later that week, on Thursday night, Percy went to Annabeth's dorm again, but this time, he knocked before entering. He was here to ask Annabeth about the test, and wanted her to tutor him. But it didn't end well.
"Hey." Percy greeted quietly, closing the door behind him. "What are you doing?"
"Trying to focus on the works that'll never be finished in time." Annabeth replied, saving the file she was working on and closed the lid of her lap top. Percy walked towards her as she sat up from her bed. He picked up a piece of paper of a building.
"Is that a blueprint?"
"Yeah?"
"You like this kind of shit?"
"From time to time." Annabeth shrugged.
"So you like math?"
"Occasionally."
"Then why didn't you take high level?"
"Don't want to." She shrugged. "Now, what are you doing here? Get straight to your stuff before Tiffany comes back complaining about the guy she just hooked up with."
"Okay, so, here." He handed her a stack of worksheet. "Help me with the questions I left blank and I think I'll be ready for the test tomorrow." Sitting next to her on her bed as she started to scan through the problems.
The door opened abruptly shortly after she started to explain the first questions, cutting through Annabeth's explanation.
Behind the door, revealed a panting Tiffany. She stomped into the room and slammed the door shut.
"Annabeth." She commanded.
"What?" Annabeth replied sharply, tearing her eyes from the paper.
The sentence coming from Tiffany's mouth was cut short by the sight of Percy.
"Oh hey Percy." Tiffany said enthusiastically. Her expression changed into a happy face instantly. Annabeth quirked up an eyebrow.
"Not now Tiffany." Percy answered. Annabeth rolled her eyes in annoyance.
Yep, trying to hook up again. Fuck, can't she see that she's not annoying him, she's annoying me?!
"Okay." Tiffany replied with a lace of disappointment in her voice. She started to take off her cheerleading uniform slowly in a seductive way.
Annabeth kept explaining the problem to Percy, who tried to focus on Annabeth.
"Percy!" Annabeth snapped. "Choose between horny and passing."
"I'm sorry Annabeth." He turned back, giving her his attention, but Annabeth could sense that he wasn't listening at all, even though he was facing her and the paper, but his mind was elsewhere.
Sighing, Annabeth dropped the page and picked up her computer again, ignoring Percy's apologies. She had given him enough chance.
Seeing that Annabeth had done with doing anything with him, Tiffany walked up, patted Percy on her shoulder gently. He looked up, she batted her long artificial eyelashes at him.
"Can I help you?" He asked, slightly angered. Without answering verbally, she climbed onto him. As they proceed, sensing the movement on her bed, Annabeth got out of bed, making the biggest noise she could as she pulled out her chair and sat on to it to continue with what she was doing. That series of noise got Percy's attention.
"Annabeth please. I promise I won't be distracted." Annabeth didn't give him any response in any kind, but she had hid away a triumph smile that was surfacing.
Although Annabeth got what she wanted by ignoring Percy, she had him beg for her on his knees, but the constant begging from Percy and the constant seducing from Tiffany was driving Annabeth crazy. Picking up the small pillow on her bed next to her, she threw it at Percy. It hit him in the nose since the action caught him off guard.
"Out!" She growled. First time sounding this angry in front of Percy. "Bring Tiff with you."
"Jealous much?" Tiffany taunted with a devious, seductive giggle. Annabeth glared at Percy and ignored her.
"Not at all. I'd actually appreciate if you bring him somewhere else other than this room with you." Annabeth sent her a fake smile after witnessing Percy picking up his stuff. Nodding, Tiffany accepted the favor joyfully.
This, was how Percy got dragged out of the room; and, this, was how Percy find Annabeth even more irresistible, because she was just so unpredictable.
True to her words, Annabeth went to the fashion show with Jason, but not expecting this person to show up.
The fashion show went smoothly and successfully. Annabeth and Jason went to the backstage to find Piper, since it was not a real formal one like the Victoria's Secret show, so spectators were allowed everywhere. Annabeth spotted Piper instantly, she was already in her normal clothes, but her makeup was still on. Jason and her stopped when they saw another guy walked towards Piper and started talking to her. The guys was a head taller than Piper and was waving his hand around, Piper seemed to have agreed to what he was saying, but still stomped her foot and waved her arms around, they both seemed frustrated at first and the conversation turned lighter because they started laughing, and teasing one another.
'Old friend?' Jason mouthed to Annabeth, who shook her head declining. She found the silhouette strangely familiar. Dragging Jason along with her, she approached Piper who was still standing at the doorway talking to that guy.
When Annabeth finally made out who the guy was, she ran up and engulfed Piper in a tight hug. "You did so well Pipes!" She squealed. Piper stumbled back at the sudden attack. Watching the scene unfolded in front of them, Jason and the secret guy forgot about each other, they just stood there watching the girls whispering.
"Why is Percy here?" Annabeth whispered after congratulating her friend.
"Long story."
"So you know him?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"I said, long story."
"We have time. Ready to go?"
"I need to get my purse."
"Good, cuz you're not getting away with this." Annabeth pulled back, Piper turned around, jogged back to get her stuff in the changing room. "Meet us at the front gate." Annabeth called.
Turning back to the stunned looking boys, she stared back at them.
Ignoring Percy, Annabeth asked Jason. "What is he doing here?" Jason shrugged. "You have a lot of explaining to do, douchebag." Annabeth said cunningly, putting a hand on his chest as she said that quietly in his ear, leaning a bit of her weight on him. Percy glared at Annabeth who was now smiling mischievously.
Piper came back not long after, seeing Percy and Annabeth in their previous position, she said in a singing voice. "It turns out that I'm not the only one with a secret somebody, right? Percy?"
"Wrong." Percy replied smugly. "I'm single." Piper's face fell.
"Then what was that?"
"Flirting." Percy said nonchalantly. Putting his hand on the small of Annabeth's back, he led her to the gate.
"You flirt with him Annie?" Piper asked in utter amusement.
"No comment." Annabeth answered professionally.
"You two seemed way too close to be friends." Piper shook her head, dragging the word along to make the effect she wanted.
"But that's how it is." Annabeth said, playfully bumped her butt at Piper, who bumped into Jason not seeing as it comes.
The second they walked out of the front gate, they were overwhelmed by paparazzi and flash lights from the cameras. They totally forgot about the fact that Percy was in a movie and Piper was a rising supermodel, and also the fact that Annabeth was rather well-known. Only Jason was safe to come out from the gate.
"Percy! Percy! Didn't know you're here! Can you tell me why you are coming?"
Percy hid behind Annabeth, holding both of her hands from the back.
"Is that your girlfriend there?"
"Annabeth! Nice job on the World Cup! Congrats on the trophy!"
Annabeth ignored the comment and focused on walking through the crowd.
"Piper! Piper! Piper McLean!" A bunch of paparazzi and fans shouted. "You didn't say that you have a boyfriend on Seventeen! Can you explain?"
Everyone ignored the paps and the fans, they walked straight to their car that Jason just started. When they finally shut the door and the noise outside, they heaved a sigh.
"Sorry guys, my bad. Forgot about this." Annabeth apologized.
"Where are we going?" Jason asked from the driver's seat.
"Somewhere quiet." Annabeth answered. "The paps aren't going to follow us everywhere, we're not that famous."
Jason nodded and started driving.
"Okay, now, you two," pointing to Percy who was sitting next to her, and Piper who was sitting in the passenger seat. "Explain. Start." Annabeth ordered.
Percy groaned. "Piper, you do it." He dragged Annabeth back from the previous position she was in, so now she was slumped against the back seat. Percy hugged her close and buried his head in her hair. "I need something to hide my face in to avoid all the embarrassment."
"Actually," Piper started. "I'll explain when we reached the place. I promise." She added. "It's too much to take in for you two." Piper answered Annabeth's unasked question.
"Now that we arrived…" Annabeth reminded once they all got their drinks in hand, sitting in a booth at the corner of the nearest coffee shop they could find with a very small amount of people.
"Okay." Piper looked at Percy for confirmation. He nodded and flatten himself against the table, laying his head on his out stretched arm; staring at his drinks constantly get replaced by Annabeth's. "So, the short version is, Percy and I are engaged."
"You what?!" Jason and Annabeth choked out at the same time. Annabeth's gray eyes seemed to be near popping. She slammed her drink, perhaps Percy's, down on the table, looking into Piper's eyes seriously and curiously. "Explain. Now."
"Chill woman."
"How can I be chill when you didn't tell me about your engagement?!"
"But I told you about my boyfriends, which does not categorized as cheating by the way." Piper soothed the excited Annabeth. "So you all know who my dad is, and who Percy's dad is." Annabeth and Jason nodded, Percy tried to sleep but couldn't because Annabeth kept moving next to him, and that included sometimes putting her feet on his lap. He had to sit up and lean against the back and not the table, thanks to Annabeth. "Apparently, by dad wanted to be connected to a business family instead of a celebrity or entertainment family, so he found Poseidon, and they negotiated, which I have not a single idea of what is there to negotiate. Then they had this contract for us to sign." She continued, gesturing towards Percy and herself. "Neither of us agreed, but we were forced to sign." Percy nodded in agreement. "It was written in the contract that, neither of us can have a relationship publicized outside of this engagement, and of course none of us gave a damn about it. It also said that it was a platonic open relationship, so according to the contract, he has to attend this fashion show of mine. Contradicting, I know, I'm not the one who made the contract. Percy and I had been trying to call it off ever since, we had once thought maybe we would just gave into it-"
"But then she met Jason and fell for him." Percy finished off with a sly grin.
"An arranged marriage. You didn't let that slip when you rant about your dad Piper? Impressive." Annabeth said sardonically rolling her eyes.
"I wanted to say it, but then I'd need to explain a bit too much." Piper shrugged.
"It's not like you've explained anything less now." Annabeth retorted.
"No, but now that it's easier since you know, Percy is wooing you."
"Percy's what?" Jason sound surprised. The other three laughed at his reaction. "Oh no no, Percy, I don't trust her with you." He wiggled his finger in front of Percy's face.
"Well, too late, she's falling for me?" Percy smirked.
"Am I?" Annabeth interfered. "I always thought it was the other way around."
"You two really make a perfect pair." Piper quipped.
"Oh no Piper, stay out of it." Annabeth groaned. "You promised not to meddle with my-"
"Sex life." Piper finished for her.
"I don't have a sex life." Annabeth protested.
"Love life." Piper corrected.
"Don't have one either." Annabeth shook her head. "Lemme tell you something," she leaned closer to Piper. "I only flirt these days, I don't date nor fuck."
Piper raised an eyebrow. "Interesting plan you have there." She scoffed, not believing a word coming from Annabeth.
"You're coming to our school what? Next year? Semester?" Annabeth asked all of a sudden, waking everyone up from their trance after taking a sip of Jason's drink. She had tasted everyone's drink by now, and she would've drank Percy's if it wasn't blue.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Jason and Percy both asked. Piper was overwhelmed by questions bombarded by the two boys. She gave Annabeth a dirty look, and the latter smirked.
"Guys." Piper called. "I am starting my sophomore year there okay? Which will be next year."
"Aww… So you won't be seeing Jason around." Annabeth faked sympathy.
"Oh my god, I thought you are better than Thalia." Piper banged her head on Jason's shoulder repeatedly.
Jason pointed to Annabeth and did an action of slicing his neck. Knowing fully what that meant, Annabeth said. "I'm going to be the death of you?" She wasn't even able to finish the last word when she burst out laughing uncontrollably. Percy did too. Piper looked up from Jason's shoulder and eyed the two warily, then looked between the devastated Jason and the still laughing Percy, she raised an eyebrow.
"What?" Annabeth asked, innocently.
"I'm pretty sure you started all this Annie." Piper stated.
"Oh, what have I done. I only know that Jason told me I'm dead." She continued, putting on an act that made Percy and Jason continued their laughter.
"Okay, that was not what you took as in the first time." Jason pointed out between shakes of laughters. Putting a finger in front of Annabeth's face.
"Mm hm?" She shrugged frivolously, nodding for him to continue. Jason sighed in defeat, he took another breath, opening his mouth, but Piper started laughing, cutting off Jason in mid sentence.
"Let's just move on shall we, we aren't going to get anything out of Annabeth anyway." Piper laughed.
"Hey! You sound like I'm hiding something!" Annabeth protested. "But, yes, let's change a topic, this isn't going anywhere." She slumped her shoulders and studied the drink in her hand. "Whose is this again?" She raised the drink up a little.
"Mine." Percy claimed it from the side lazily. "But I'm not taking it back, cuz it has your germs on it already." He added.
"Since when do you care about personal hygienes?" Piper asked incredulously. Percy looked offended. "Okay, I've known him for years and he is the most… Let's say… Disorganized person I've ever known."
"Ew… Really?" Annabeth feigned disgust and scooted away from Percy a little, squeezing against the wall.
"Okay, okay, you have a point." Percy gave up, he sprawled on the couch, which now had a bigger space since Annabeth squeezed herself up. Piper smirked as Jason laughed at Annabeth's actions.
"Piper? Switch seats with Percy please?" Annabeth asked. Getting all the strange looks from the other three. "No, it's not that, nothing to do with him. He's good, I didn't mean to get rid of you, but I need to show Piper something."
Piper and Percy obeyed. Jason scooted away from Percy dramatically, mocking Annabeth's movement from earlier.
"So what is it that you wanted to show me?" She asked, stuffing her face in front of Annabeth's mobile screen.
"I was thinking of, playing a game." Annabeth suggested. Locking up her screen and looking at her. "I wasn't planning on showing you anything, it's only an excuse, lame enough to get you moving."
"Hey!" Piper protested, getting a 'be quiet' hand gesture from Annabeth. "Fine, sorry, but what's the game?"
"So, we all have headphones right?" The three nodded. "The game is simple but also can be embarrassing."
"Uh oh, I don't like the sound of it." Jason chickened.
Ignoring him, Annabeth continued. "So you play a song in the headphone to yourself, you have to sing a part, any part, and the others will guess what the song is."
"God this is humiliating." Percy groaned.
"They both have a god awful voice." Piper and Annabeth warned in unison, offending both boys slightly, but they let it slide.
"So why aren't you two dating?" Piper asked all of a sudden after the game died down gradually and smoothly.
"Oh yea, I had this question in my mind for some time now." Added Jason.
"Very good question Piper-" Percy started.
"He didn't ask." Annabeth quickly spoke, cutting off Percy from whatever he was about to say, but shrugging nonetheless.
"Really? That's not very you, especially since your little rise in fame in Hollywood." Piper commented.
"Okay, let me get this straight. I am not a playboy, I only appeared to be to get myself prepared for the show, I am casting as a playboy in that only show I did." Percy explained.
"Not the first time hearing this from you." Annabeth commented, and Jason nodded slowly indicating that he had heard this before as well.
"Kay… So if you'd like to put it this way, it still surprises me that you didn't ask a girl you like so much out. You have been talking about her every time we met to discuss the arranged bullshit."
"Language Pipes." Jason butted in. Being the decent boy he always was, he didn't like his girlfriend, especially at this age to have a dirty mouth. Since he couldn't really do anything about Annabeth's behavior, although not approving it.
"Sorry." Piper apologized casually on the face, not even sparing a glance at her boyfriend. Still keeping her gaze of Percy. "So, why?" She sounded concerned, but to Annabeth, that was just her normal gossiping mode.
Annabeth rolled her eyes. She raised a hand and put it in the middle between Piper and Percy. "Now, now, now, to spare Percy from the awkwardness since he claimed to not be as experienced, I'll explain." Percy let out a small quiet relief breath that only Annabeth caught the action. "He did ask, but I didn't reply."
"Why?" Piper whined.
"Stop whining." Annabeth mimicked and continued, ignoring the offended Piper McLean. "I simply didn't want to go on dates and shits, because boyfriends can be annoying sometimes. They ask you where you go, who you're with and what you're doing. It feels like I've been stalked and there's this cctv following me around wherever I go. As much as I like Percy; and don't get me wrong Percy, I mean it, I really do like you more than friends, I don't want to go on dates and have those 'romantic hearty talks' when I have a hell lot of shits on my plate."
"So you're saying that you don't have time for a relationship?" Piper pushed.
"No." Annabeth groaned frustratedly. "I just don't want to hurt him by turning down his dates or pretending to enjoy it when everything is killing me."
"So, just because you don't want to wear formal cloths and shoes doesn't mean you have to give up on him."
"I didn't!" She hissed. When it comes to relationships, Piper sometimes pushed too hard. Annabeth looked at Jason for desperate help, and he got the message.
"Look, Pipes, maybe it's because she didn't want to ruin her friendship with Percy."
"Yes! Finally!" Annabeth sighed in a huge relief. "Someone who understood my frustration! Dates are not the most important thing, even if he told me that we don't have to go on dates, I wouldn't date him, because I value my friendship with him so much that, taking the friendship a step forward will not be something that I'm willing to risk. I will not risk our friendship until I think nothing could go wrong."
"I'm sorry Annabeth."
"No it's fine." Annabeth sighed shaking her head and dropping it. "Now that the mystery is solved can we all go home? I will talk to you for another time okay Piper?" She nodded, standing up and grabbing Jason's hand. Jason waved at Annabeth and Percy as he left with his arms wrapped around Piper's shoulders.
"You wanna go home now?" Percy asked as he slid into the seat next to her.
She shook her head. "I hope my confrontation didn't hurt you." She said, putting her head on his shoulder while playing with the empty drink cup in her hands.
"I wish I can say I could relate, but I don't really have a family background as complicated as yours. Although mine's complicated enough." He chuckled at the last part, and she did along, too.
"Yeah. I'm sorry I didn't reply to your text. I just- do you know how long it took for me to put all my trust in Jason? Because of my abandonment, I learned that people are not to be trusted, even if they're family. When I first got to know the Grace siblings, I appeared to be casual with everything but I am actually being real cautious and scared as hell, afraid that I will be deceived another time. It took me five years to trust Jason and Thalia completely and we had only been friends for seven."
"Yea, I get that. Didn't expect you to reply with anything either actually. Hanging out with you for months, I can already make a shape of your personality. You still didn't fully trust me, nor Piper, the only people that you trusted fully are Jason, Thalia and Malcolm."
"What you said is true."
"So allow me a wild guess."
"Spill."
"Your trust issue and friendship goal concerns are not the only reason why you wouldn't date me. Going on dates is just an excuse, because that can be arrange, I personally don't like fancy dates as well, I am down for casual light ones."
"Okay you got me. What I told Piper were not the only reasons…"
A/N: Apologies to you guys for this long awaited chapter. Loads had been going on.
Since I made the announcement about the development of this story and its future multiple times already (maybe I didn't, can't remember, courtesy of my 'awesome' memory) I have no reason to not finish this story and post the edited one. So there will be major changes to the story plot and characters but still the same story line (you get what I mean? I don't really care if you didn't, too lazy to bother about giving an explanation), and it will be posted after finishing this story, which means that this story is going to finish earlier than I initially planned, but it's going to be finished.
Dedications
PoppyOhare: Thank you for your prompt review.
MMV: Thank you for the continuous support. :)
ugh. mayyaaa: I have to add that space in the middle or else your name won't show. When I first saw your review on my first chapter, I was like "whoa, is this another person dissing me?" Not that I cared I mean, I accept reviews in any kind of version and tone, am a pretty laid-back person. Then you reviewed at the end of the last chapter, and you said that it's good, so I'm like, "oh, now I know what you mean." And now I feel like a super dumb person. :P
Slype99 Son of Poseidon: Ooo, thank you, hope to see you in the reviews again.
For those who didn't get a dedication/reply but reviewed, that does not mean I don't want to reply or I dislike your review, its simply because I didn't see it. Either because of the system's email push service or because it did not show on the reviews area. I thank all of you who reviewed, and I apologize if you didn't get recognized. Blame the system not me, I would reply to every single one if I saw them. I swear I would.