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:19 of 22

wisegirl6 ix

san francisco 02/04/14 11:48 utc-5

annabeth chase

When Annabeth has a mission, she never does anything half way. In fifth grade Thalia and her were designated to make the class baking soda and vinegar volcano. When her 11 year old classmates expected a small hill the size of maybe a stack of books, Annabeth rolled in a colossal sized mountain on her red wagon.

Seventh grade, her father asked her to babysit her new younger brothers. When he got home there was a pillow mansion in the living room, completed with kitchen, pool table room, and a swimming pool (actually a basin of water, but basically the same thing to a toddler).

Tenth grade, English creative writing unit allowed Annabeth to use her novel writing muscles to create an epic tale about a mythological hero who journeyed to the east to find Olympus. It got an A- just because the teacher didn't have enough time to make it to the climax, deeming it 'too lengthy'.

Now it was senior year, and Annabeth's new mission wasn't assigned by anyone but herself, which made her more dedicated to complete it. So dedicated, that she was willingly putting herself in the path of her cheating ex-boyfriend.

"He locked his account pretty tightly." Luke skimmed over the information he had on his phone. "Whoever this Beckendorf guy is, he's no amateur to technology."

"Terrific." Annabeth said flatly, "Do you have any useful information on him?"

Luke didn't pick up on her tone, but continued scrolling on his shiny smartphone. "I managed to get into his friend's list, and mostly he chats with Greek Fire fans—" He paused, "Why are you looking up this guy again?"

"Are you implying that I can't enjoy the company of people who play video games?" She crossed her arm.

Luke hesitated. He surely knew the hot water he was stepping into. "No…well…maybe, Annabeth, you never seem to have an attachment to gamers before."

"No, but blonde jocks weren't really working well." She snapped.

He swallowed a retort and continued, though a bit more reluctantly. "Like I've said, the list mostly complied of Greek Fire gamers, but I managed to score the list of his top most chatted IrisFriends."

"Great!" Annabeth said, finally. She did not give up her lunch period to Luke so he can be all exclusive about the information. "Well?"

"Cabin5girl123 and hermeskid11." Luke frowned, "Hey, what's my dad's name doing—"

"Greek Fire is a game based on Greek mythology, where you get to choose your godly parents. This kid probably chose Hermes. your point?" Annabeth said pointedly. Luke gave her queer look. Something along the lines of how did Annabeth Chase know so much about a video game?

"Umm…So those two are his top chats, but they seemed to gone MIA as well…" Luke frowned. "Belledechocolat—so that's Silena, and this other kid named badboysupreme."

He paused.

"Well, is there something to this 'bad boy' that's important?" She drew quotation marks around the words bad boy, because as far as she's concerned, any guy that's truly punk wouldn't use that screen name.

"He's willing to talk." Luke told her, as if they were interrogating suspects for a crime. Well, the crime of disappearing and leaving a girl heartbroken, Annabeth thought, that was pretty accurate.

"I'll add him." Annabeth pulled out her phone without a second thought and went to the Iris Network app. She looked up for a moment to dismiss Luke, but found that he still wore that same odd expression.

"Can I help you?" She said coolly.

"You have an IrisAccount?" He asked incredulously.

"What of it?"

"You have enough friends in real life, what's the point of meeting strangers?" Luke said, bewildered.

She looked down at her phone again, and saw that she subconsciously opened the last text she sent to Seaweed Brain, something in response to that god-awful shellfish joke. Annabeth sighed deeply, she's got to finish that conversation from Friday…if only she could find somewhere her mother won't find her…

"I need a favor." Annabeth said without thinking, then regretted it instantly. "Can I borrow your laptop?"

"Left it at home." Luke shrugged. Just her luck too, Luke never forgets his laptop at home. It was, like, his second girlfriend (sadly, she speaks from experience).

"Then I'm coming over." She decided. "I need to talk to this badboysupreme, and preferably without my mo—dad looking over my shoulder most of the time."

"You really want to help Silena."

"Yeah, so much that I'm putting up with you."

The aftermath of the infamous Conversation On Friday didn't go so well. Athena had just shut down the laptop when the yelling begun. Annabeth didn't even remember half of the stuff that was said, only that she was super pissed off, and that wasn't a good combination.

At one point there was something accused of someone, leaving both of the girls in tears. Athena stormed out of the room—the house, and returned every night trying to make amends. Annabeth wasn't deliberately trying to be difficult, but it felt like Athena was.

"Goddamn it mom! You weren't here for most of my life, so stop trying to pretend that you can make decisions for me!"

These thoughts raced through Annabeth's mind for some reason as she made her way down the stairs to Luke's car after school. It occurred to her that she did this for more than the past three years of her life. Her, Luke, and Thalia, all in that beautiful car and being happy. How long did that happiness become a sign of Annabeth's ignorance? How long did the others pretend that they could keep going happily forever?

It wasn't forever, because Thalia was in the car as well, and she wore an expression that was a lot like Athena's.

"I don't want to fight." She put up her hand in surrender, "May invited me home yesterday for dinner."

May was Luke's mother. Annabeth nodded wordlessly and got into the back seat. Thalia took shotgun, as she so famously wanted to. Usually Luke would favor Annabeth because of the girlfriend thing, so it seems fitting that the tides turn.

She was tired of fighting to. Tired of Athena and Thalia, and tired of not being able to face the one person she wanted to face. How could she break the news to Percy though? She was still going through so many emotions.

"Luke told me you're tracking down this guy online?" Thalia raised polite conversation as Luke started up the car.

"Beckendorf99, he's Silena's boyfriend."

"Online boyfriend." Luke let out a chuckle, "Seems storybook cliché, something out of a Disney movie."

"I remember you use to love Disney movies Annie!" Thalia laughed, "Remember after Lion King? You were singing 'Hakuna matata' for weeks!"

"It's Annabeth." She said, but Luke and Thalia were too busy in their memories.

"And we had that video clip of her with the karaoke version!"

"Oh, I remember you and the Just Dance Disney film we made last Christmas!"

"Uh-uh, I'm pretty sure it was you.'

"Umm…King of Hannah Montana? Does that sound familiar?"

"Did we ever really date at all, or were you in love with Thalia the entire time?" Annabeth said suddenly. The car went radio silent as they approached the red light.

"Annabeth…"

"Did we?" She said hurriedly, getting all of the words out of her before her senses retake over and swallow them down. "Because it seems like all your memories are of her."

"Of both of you." Luke took his eye off the street for a moment, and rested them on Thalia, then Annabeth. "You're my best friends, above everything else."

"Yeah." Thalia nodded. Then as if this was getting too tense. She punched Luke in the arm, "You big cheeseball." And turned back to her, "And you, princess."

Annabeth rolled my eyes. "Statistically speaking, there are five official Disney princesses who are blonde, and five who have black hair, your odds are just as same as mine."

"Yeah, yeah, princess." Thalia laughed. "Oh, we're here!"

Annabeth looked out the window, and man, she hadn't been to Luke's place in a long time.

She lived in practically a mansion, but it looked like something straight out of time (history and architecture major, what did you expect?). Casa La Castellan was completely different, for one thing, the entire wall is made of glass. Three storey high and see through to the hallways, it was like something out of a sci-fi film.

She took a deep breath and followed Luke and Thalia into the house. As soon as the door was opened, May Castellan knocked all three of them into a hug.

"Annabeth!" She gasped, "I haven't seen you in, what, two months?"

She nodded awkwardly.

"Come in! Come in!" May's affection was somewhat overbearing, but a refreshing change from Athena's tough love approach. "I've made some sandwiches and treats."

"Actually, can I use your computer?" Annabeth asked. May's eyes faltered for a moment, but they perked up again a split second later. She probably realized that there was still Thalia to pamper.

"Computer room's to the left." She gestured.

When most people mean a computer room, it's a small office with a bookshelf and a desk. Castellan's taken that to mean a flat screen TV each on the four walls and all the electronic products you can imagine in various shelves under them. Annabeth plucked down to the white leathered seat with the first unlocked laptop she saw, and try not to be conscious of the fact that there was a floor to ceiling window looking out into the front yard.

She signed on quickly to the Iris Network (looks like no one in the Castellan household ever used it) and typed up b-a-d-b-o-y-s-u-p-r-e-m-e. She waited a total of two seconds before a message popped up.

badboysupreme: Hey beautiful ;)

Oh boy, Annabeth thought, and then, this is for Silena.

wisegirl6: You know a guy named beckendorf99?

badboysupreme: sure…why do you want to talk about him?

wisegirl6: Reasons

badboysupreme: Specifically…

wisegirl6: I know belledechocolat, okay? I'm guessing that if you know anything about this guy, you'll know her

badboysupreme: Man, that Silena chick? She's crazy for sending her address over the interwebs

wisegirl6: Is Beckendorf a serial killer hunting teenage girls?

badboysupreme: No…he's actually a 20 year old guy who's smitten with random people on the internet

wisegirl6: Excellent

badboysupreme: So you know Silena then

wisegirl6: Best friends

badboysupreme: So you're hot too?

wisegirl6: Seriously?

badboysupreme: Okay, I'll stop

wisegirl6: So who is Beckendorf to you? Friend? Co-worker? Doesn't he have a mechanic store?

badboysupreme: Man! He told you about that too! It's actually more of our dad's, but Beck's slowly taking over

wisegirl6: So…brothers…

badboysupreme: So…your number…

wisegirl6: Never

badboysupreme: FINE!

badboysupreme: Yeah we're brothers

badboysupreme: Who are you to him?

wisegirl6: A friend, and wondering where Beckendorf is, and why is he ignoring Silena if he's so 'smitten'

badboysupreme: Christ! I told Chris and Clare that it was a bad idea!

wisegirl6: Chris…and Clare…?

badboysupreme: Chris and Clarisse, Beck's friends. They've dragged him on a vacation. Apparently he works to hard

wisegirl6: Where?

badboysupreme: I need a favor from you if you want me to talk

wisegirl6: I have a chocolate bar with your name on it

badboysupreme: How old do you think I am? 12?

wisegirl6: Do you want the chocolate bar?

badboysupreme: Yeah…

wisegirl6: Good, where is he?

She saw the answer and clicked out of the conversation so fast that it may have caused the computer to crash for a moment. She logged on to Skype (that was more frequently used. Hermes and May do travel a lot for middle-aged parents) and quickly found the person she was looking for.

Now or never. She figured, then wrinkled her nose when she realized that it was a quote from High School Musical

"I've been expecting you." Percy said through the screen. He looked a little less pleased than he had been for a while. Annabeth felt guilty for knowing that she caused this.

"I know, listen." She said, "You know about VidGameCon—"

"Woah…" Percy interrupted, "I haven't talked to you in—in days, and you want to talk about VidGameCon?" His eyes searched the screen, as if the reception was bad. They both knew that they could see each other crystal clear. "What about your mother, and Greece!"

Moment of truth. She thought.

"I'm not going to Greece." She breathed. "I got into Columbia."

Percy was so still, for a second Annabeth thought her screen had frozen. Castellan brand never fails though, because she can still see him blink.

"Columbia, Columbia." He repeated, as if that was all he could say.

"Columbia University in the City of New York." She said, "I'm going to NYC."

That's the weight that had been nagging her for the past days. She could never tell him this over text, and Skype-ing over her mother's rage would be just impossible. Maybe Annabeth didn't just force her way to Luke's house just to talk to this bad boy guy, but to finally tell the truth to him.

She was going to meet him, actually.

"Amazing." He breathed, "You, Annabeth Chase, is amazing. God! I've got to take you to my favorite café. You can meet Grover and Bi—"

"Slow down." She said, laughing. "We might meet before that, actually."

He sucked in a sharp breath. "Seriously, am I in heaven?"

She blushed at the compliment, even though she was used to getting so many over the years, Percy always had that effect on her. Stupid, gamer, boy. "VidGameCon, I'm going."

He lit up. "You're kidding! It's during school! My dad had to arrange it with my teacher!"

"My record is flawless, there's no major test, and my teacher would rather each slugs then not let their favorite student graduate." Annabeth decided. "I'm going to Los Angeles."

"You're going to Los Angeles?" A voice behind her gasped. Annabeth turned to find the last person she wanted to ruin her day.

"I'll talk to you later?" She turned back to the computer, and regretfully closed the laptop with Percy's excited face fading on the screen.

"So that's your online boyfriend." Thalia said accusingly.

"Maybe." Annabeth shrugged. She wasn't in the mood for teasing from Thalia. She remembered their attitude towards Silena and Beckendorf… "I'm just breaking the news to him, I got into Columbia."

"Seriously!" Thalia said shockingly.

"Is that a surprise?" Annabeth scoffed.

"No." She paused, "No, you're the most brilliant person I know, but…"

She looked sheepish, an odd look on Thalia Grace actually. She handed over an envelope to Annabeth from her purse. "I was going to tell you guys over dinner…"

Annabeth unfolded the paper. Dear Ms. Grace, we are pleased to inform you that you've been accepted at Columbia University in the City of New York…

Next Update: February 12th, 2014

Question of the week: Who's badboysupreme? It's pretty obvious, I think

I mean, I think John Green was sick? I watched a YouTube video, but I forgot if it was recently. Sorry for the bad information. What did you guys think about the Fault in Our Stars trailer?

Prepare for the big one!