'They were more than just a popular person with a great social and love life and pretty good grades...I'm going to find something to be known for other than the stereotypical it girl.' ~ Silena Beaugard
Reyna quickly put her books inside of her bag. Unlike everybody in school, she is avoiding Cat. She didn't like disobeying her mother but she knew if she saw Cat, she'll feel the urge to talk to her. Slamming her locker shut, she ran outside and bumped into a boy he never met.
"Sorry." Reyna muttered and blushed as she looked up and saw one of the cutest guy she ever met. This boy made her forget about her frustration with Jason even though rumors has it that Piper is dating another guy. This boy is gorgeous.
"It's alright." He smiled. "I'm Sky."
Reyna froze. Sky…that sounds like Piper's boyfriend? She mentally kicked herself, why does she always fall in love with her friend's crushes? Curse the fates. "Reyna." She nodded. "I um..better go now. I'm in a hurry."
"Bye." Sky shook her hands and left. As Reyna walked out of the school doors, she rubbed the hand which touched Sky's on her cheek. What's wrong with her? She couldn't possibly fall for another guy Piper likes too! It's obvious who's going to win this battle - Piper.
Just wonderful, she told herself grimly. Perfect. What the hell is she going to do?
"So…" Jason rubbed his fingers together nervously. "Is it true, Pipes? You and Sky?"
Piper's kaleidoscopic eyes met his piercing blue ones and laughed. "I'm going to the Valentine Dance with him but we're not dating! Ugh, I don't understand how rumors always twist and turn to a different story once it gets out there."
"Oh, okay." Jason stopped himself from even showing a simplest hint of a smile. No way is his body language going to tell Piper that he's relieve! According to Thalia, she'll know that he likes her if that happens.
"Why?" Piper frowned. "Something's up?"
"No, nothing." Jason blurted. "I was just wondering-"
"Yeah?"
"Whatever. I mean, I forgot what I was going to say." Jason shook his head. God, why did he think for a split second Piper would want to ditch Sky to go to a date with him on Valentine Day instead?
"Oh okay." Piper smiled. "So found out anything about Silena?"
"Not unless you want to hear about how my dad thinks she's a slut." Jason shook his head. "My dad is so judgmental."
"Well, he is a judge." Piper laughed.
Rachel snuck around Annabeth's house. Obeying her instruction, she didn't leave the house or steal anything. Snooping around wasn't a no on Annabeth's rules. Maybe she should pay more attention making them knowing how dangerous Rachel is but she didn't.
Rachel went through Annabeth's emails. Oh, why do people their emails unprotected? Once you get by the password (which was as easy as 'seaweed brain'), you have power through everything on her laptop. There's science notes you can quickly skim through if you're behind in studies, pictures of Percy if you're apart of the Percy Jackson fan club, designs of buildings Annabeth wish to build when she's grow up if you really want to beat her in being a world famous architect 20 years later, anything you need to know about Annabeth.
Rachel didn't want to look through all of that. She wanted to know what Annabeth is doing about the Shooter. It isn't hard to see that she'll be the one leading her friends through this. Sure, Percy's the leader but Annabeth will have the notes on her laptop. Percy's good at on the spot scheming and quick thinking. Annabeth is more of a long-term schemer, she'll be the one plotting everything against the Shooter.
She smiled as she scroll through each mail. This is gold.
"Rachel! What the fuck are you doing on my laptop?" A voice snarled as Rachel jumped and found Annabeth's storming through the front door.
"Oh, nothing." Rachel quickly opened a new tab and turned to google. "Checking the uh..Oscar winners! Big fan of the Academy Awards."
Annabeth nodded. "You could have asked me for permission-wait," She frowned. "The Oscars are in Feburaury this year!"
"Shit." Rachel muttered. "Really? They are always in January?"
"Yeah! Piper was complaining about that the other day. Something about her dad being nominated."
"Sorry, I meant the Teen Awards." Rachel corrected herself. "Not Oscars. Silly me."
"Oh really?" Annabeth cocked her eyebrow. "It doesn't seem like that to me."
"But it's true. Completely true." Rachel protested.
"Ask me for my permission next time." Annabeth sighed. "Rachel, I trusted you to let you in my house. Don't barge into people's privacy like that."
Rachel looked at the ground meekly. "Okay."
Annabeth snatched her laptop and went up to her room as Rachel sat on the sofa and smirked. At least she got the information she needed.
BEEP! New text message. Percy glanced at her phone. Damn, another text from Leo? Leo sent hundreds of texts to everyone on daily bases. They were all pretty stupid like 'Gods! I lost my screwdriver!' and one second later 'Found it!'. They were documentaries of Leo's life. Percy frowned, not bothering to see what it's about. It's probably another episode of how Leo took a big dump and how much it resembled a chicken nugget.
BEEP! Another one from Leo. Percy ignored it. His ADHD has been getting into him. He must have drunk soda or ate some sugary stuff.
BEEP! Percy glanced at the phone briefly.
Leo Valdez: URGENT PERCE! ARE U IGNORING ME? THIS IS FUCKING IMPORTANT! IT'S LIKE YOUR LIFE! OH MY GOD, DO U KNOW WHAT UR MISSING OUT HERE?
All caps, typical Leo. Last time he did another 'emergency' text, it turned out to be the fact he was locked out of his home. About two seconds later, it was off red alert since he remembered he kept his keys under the carpet outside of his door.
BEEP!
Leo Valdez: PERCY! IT'S 6PM, U OBVIOUSLY AREN'T SLEEPING SO ANSWER ME! DID U SEE THE TEXT I SENT YOU LIKE A MINUTE AGO?
Well obviously he didn't remember where his keys are again or he couldn't remember how to solve his problem. The solution is always pretty simple, especially when it's Leo's problems. Everything seems a lot clearer when you stepped outside of the frame and analyze the situation better.
BEEP!
Leo Valdez: SHIT! A PIGEON DUMPED IT'S FUCKING SHIT ON MY LAWN MOWER OUTSIDE. I KNEW MY DAD SHOULD HAVE PUT IT INSIDE! BUT ANYWAY, THAT'S NOT IMPORTANT. NOT IMPORTANT COMPARED TO UR PROBLEM ANYWAY. URGENT!
Percy sighed. There's no stopping these 'urgent' text messages unless he read them. He picked up his phone and scroll through tons of texts similar to.
Leo Valdez: ARE U FREAKING OUT NOW? CUZ I AM! DON'T IGNORE ME, I'M INNOCENT! JUST A MESSENGER!
Finally, he got to a bottom and found the text Leo's other texts were talking about. It said:
Leo Valdez: RACHEL JUST SENT ME THIS ON HER PHONE. SHE SAID SHE FOUND IT LYING AROUND ANNABETH'S HOUSE. PLEASE DON'T KILL ME.
And beneath the words was a picture of Luke and Annabeth kissing.
"Piper, do you think there's something a bit different of Annabeth these few days?" Percy whispered across their lunch table. It's lunchtime and only Percy and Piper are at the lunch table so far. The others haven't arrived yet.
"Different?" Piper raised her eyebrows. "Not that. I uh.. don't think so. Why? And why don't you ask Thalia? She's closer to her."
"I don't they are getting along really well nowadays." Percy admitted. "And I don't know. I just have a feeling. I think we're kind of drifting apart and she's hiding a secret or something. Piper, your mom is like the love expert isn't she? She must have some genes rubbed off in you."
"Yeah.." Piper frowned. Okay, now she understands why Annabeth calls him a 'seaweed brain'. "Why don't you just confront her? Tell her what's bothering you."
"Excellent advice!" Percy beamed quickly but stopped. "But you don't understand the situation."
Piper pursed her lips. "Then tell me the whole story."
Percy glanced around him sneakily like he is in some spy movies infuriating his enemy's office and passed her his phone. "Look at this." He hissed pointing towards the screen.
"Oh." Piper's voice fell silent as her eyes met the picture of Luke and Annabeth kissing. "Damn."
"Exactly." Percy heaved a huge sigh. "I really like her and I don't want to lose her. I don't know how to break this to her either."
"Yeah." Piper winced. "That will be tough. If I were you, I'd tell her though. Relationships just don't work if you hide secrets from each other."
"Hide secrets?" Percy repeated. "Oh, look who's hiding it here? I'm just-"
"Stop." Piper commanded. "Look here she comes now. Good luck."
"Hi guys!" Annabeth smiled as she placed her tray next to Percy's. "How are you?"
"Can we talk?" Percy's green eyes met his girlfriend's. "It's important."
"Yeah?"
Percy felt Piper's nod of approval across her. "It's just I..I..I think you look gorgeous today."
"Aww, thanks seaweed brain!" Annabeth giggled. "You're not so bad yourself."
Damn it, Percy's mind cursed as he avoided Piper's eye. He blew it. He just couldn't do it.
"Hazel, why don't you just move on?" Frank suggested lightly. "You know, if Leo's going to act like this, it's no point."
"I guess." Hazel shook her curls. "But it's a girl thing. I can't just get over it."
"Leo's Leo. He's like a cannon, you can't tame him. It's impossible to get something out of him if he doesn't want to. Besides, there's tons of guys who want you." Frank said shyly.
"Like who?" Hazel frowned.
"Uh…certainly not me." Frank said a bit too quickly. "But like I mean your science partner! Uh…that guy who sits next to you in English!" He started listing every boy he remembered in school regardless if they really do like Hazel or not.
"I bet not." Hazel muttered. "It's Leo. I don't know what's wrong with him. He's just gone and we're still friends. I don't think I still like him but it hurts since he doesn't seem like he even remembered the time we dated. It's like I wasn't there. Like it never happened."
"Maybe it didn't?" Frank hinted.
"Let's just move on. Did you have any new information about the Shooter?" Hazel pleaded trying to sound brighter but it sounds ironic as the subject she is mentioning is pretty much the opposite."
"No, not really. It seems like the Shooter has quieten down. Maybe it's a dangerous time for it to move."
Hazel wondered for a moment. "Or maybe they have been working, just quietly and nobody noticed."
"Good point." Frank nodded. "I'll go check the news to see if there's any suspicious movement." As he moved away to get his phone, he sighed. They call boys complicated? Girls are from another planet.
Two years ago, Silena and Piper were hanging around Silena's house. It was a Tuesday night and none of them had anything better to do then. Piper remembered the night clearly.
"You know, Piper." Silena tilted her head as she brushed her glossy black hair with her fingers. "Life is so predictable."
"Predictable?" Piper frowned. "Well, I guess.
Silena sighed. "If only life has more thrills. I got everything I wanted."
Piper wondered, yes, Silena does seem to have everything. Popularity. Beckendorf. Rich parents who care about her but let's her do whatever she wants. Good grades. That's all Silena ever wanted. "I guess you got to wait for something then. There isn't much you can do."
"Maybe there is." Silena's dark blue eyes twinkled. "I haven't exactly figure out how my life would go at this stage but I can pretty much promise you that I'd be different. Different to make a change in my life anyway. It's going to be a risk..but fun."
"Uh, you can always try to get A stars." Piper suggested. "Different seems bad."
"B's good enough." Silena shook her head. "and I don't know. My parents have been great things in high school. They were more than just a popular person with a great social and love life and pretty good grades. My mom was best friends with your mom, weren't they? They did pot when they were in high school. I'm not saying I'm going to do drugs, smoke or basically become like Thalia Grace but I'm going to find something to be known for other than the stereotypical it girl."
Thalia Grace was known for basically being a rebel. It's a well known fact that she dislikes her parents since they are strict and likes to have everything perfect. Their parents are successful and urges their children to become as successful as themselves. Thalia didn't like how everything seems to be on a schedule in their household. Neither Silena or Piper was sure what Thalia did exactly to gain her bad boy reputation since she was in a different grade but everybody assumed and made up stuff.
And Silena told her. Piper was sworn to secrecy and she still hasn't told anyone. It shocks her. She knew Annabeth, Jason, Percy, her friends would like to know it. Annabeth would probably think it's a key part to solving the puzzle but Piper didn't want to disobey her dead friend's wish of keeping it a secret.
It's totally not Silena. Piper couldn't believe her secret. Luckily, she didn't have time to make it public. It was so un-Silena, Piper spent days and night worrying about the day everybody knows about it. It'll either completely ruin Silena's reputation or make it stronger.
"Why this sudden meeting?" Jason frowned. "I just got this text and darted over." He held up his phone for everyone to see.
"Sit down." Piper gestured to a seat next to her.
"And hey! Where's Annabeth?" He glanced at Percy expectantly.
"Yeah, exactly." Percy nodded. "Look at this and tell me what you think."
Hazel had a glum expression on her face as she handed him Percy's phone. "Look."
Jason grabbed the phone as he sat down next to Piper and glanced at the picture of Annabeth and Luke kissing. "Oh..fuck. I am so sorry man. So you guys are uh.. over?"
"This idiot over here lost his chance." Frank shook his head.
Leo sighed. "And I had money on you guys getting married."
"Seriously?" Piper glared at him. "Not helping, Repair Boy."
"Percy." Grover squeaked. "Annabeth texted me. She's wondering if you're in trouble or something. Apparently, you haven't texted back in 5 hours?"
"Shoot!" Percy quickly grabbed his phone back. "Guys, she asked me where I am. She wants to go out for a date."
"Tell her you have plans with your mom." Piper suggested.
"Text her saying you have a guys out with me, Leo, Grover and Frank." Jason shrugged. "Guys only, no girls."
"You're too busy to go?" Grover offered. "As in homework? Food tech?"
"Or how about you have extra swim training?" Frank added after thinking for a while.
"Say you have breast cancer and uh.. have to go receive therapy." Leo blurted out finding all eyes staring at him. "What?"
"Leo, he's a boy." Hazel rolled her eyes which suddenly glazed with sadness. "And that's pretty serious. My aunt died of that."
Jason laughed. "I am so going to get you tested."
"Just give me that." Grover snatched the phone clumsily and texted Annabeth something.
"What is it?" Percy fretted. "What are you telling her?"
"Here, catch." Grover threw Percy's phone back to him as he read the text silently.
"Seriously? A nature hike with you. Nature. Hike." Percy repeated. "Wow, you make me seem so..you. I don't do nature."
"Now you do." Grover beamed. "Come on! The wild is waiting for us, Perce."
AN: Making love triangles and breaking couples a few weeks Valentine Day is perfect! Well, for me anyway. hehe, I love Valentine Day except for the fact I'll probably be spending it with cardboard cutouts of hot guys. Message me if you want to be my Valentine! Oh, and to keep my mind away from all those cute couples in my school, I'm writing a Valentine Special titled 'Poseidon's Adventure'. The introduction should be already up if you guys want to check it out :)
Sorry for not updating for a while, had a huge project due on last Friday so I have to work on it. Now that it's over, I can update! Yay!
~ Kisses, Emily