~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for."
- Bob Marley
After walking back to her room, Annabeth noticed a very important problem."Um.. Luke, did I give you my keys to the room?"
She knew she hadn't.
He shook his head, "No you didn't."
"I think I dropped it down somewhere."
"Oh.. no spare?"
Oh gods.
"The maids have one but they practically live with me so it's inside the room."
"Then what's the problem?"
"They aren't inside the room now. I told them I wanted to be alone for a while." Suddenly she remembered. "Percy has a spare."
Luke almost jumped at that. "WHAT?"
She hit him on the arm. "Not like that. I don't know if he has it but he has access to it."
"Okay wait, he may be in his room. I'll check."
Annabeth watched Luke climb up to the third floor and suddenly she remembered someone else.
Miss Willow should, right?
Here goes nothing.
Miss. Willow stared at her as she approached. "Yes, Lady Annabeth?"
Is that spite in her tone?
"I'm sorry but I lost my room keys. Do you have a spare?"
She huffed. "So irresponsible. Is this how --"
Annabeth tuned out for a minute. At last, she said. "-- and no, I don't have it. Prince Percy has the spare. He took it from me a few days ago and never returned it. He is being irrespon --"
Luke came back just then. "Guards say he isn't in."
"Oh great. Guess I'm sleeping with Piper today."
Luke hesitated, "Or.. we could search it. I remember where we walked."
Annabeth wasn't dumb enough to not understand the opening. We could search it together. She didn't know what to think of it but after about 2 hours, they finally found the keys where she had stopped to eavesdrop on the Prince.
Karma, huh?
They juggled the key between each other all the way while walking back to her room and Luke opened the door, still smiling over silly things they were talking about.
Then, he froze.
Percy was in her room, lying on the bed, looking at photos.
Annabeth heart skipped a beat despite their fight. She reacted first, "Percy? What... What are you doing here?"
Percy got out of bed and took two intimidating big steps towards Luke, "What do you think you're doing?" he challenged.
Annabeth put one hand on his chest and stopped him, "Back off. He was just helping me."
He turned to her, angry, "Helping you what? Helping you unlock the door?"
She frowned, "No, helping me find my keys. I lost it when we were walking. We had to retrace our --"
"Why didn't you just ask Willow? She always has a spare."
"I DID. She told me you took them and you were with...", she trailed off. "You were gods-know-where."
Rachel. Rachel. Rachel. Stop occupying my mind!
Percy looked away, "I was in the terrace."
"Great! Because I'm not even allowed access to the 3rd floor. Forget the terrace!"
He turned to Luke, "YOU. You DON'T have the clearance to walk on this floor."
What? No. I'm not gonna watch you push him like this.
Luke paled but Annabeth answered for him. "Of course he does. Jason comes over all the time. What makes this different?"
Percy makes a fist but keeps his gaze on Luke, "Leave. And. Don't. Let. Me. See. You. Tomorrow."
He tried to pull Annabeth in but she just stepped on his toes. She demanded that she wanted to say bye to Luke and when he awkwardly stretched one hand, she said something about formalities and hugged him.
You're my friend. Don't be threatened by Percy.
"What the hell?" She spat, after closing the door.
He didn't speak.
"He's your guard Percy! Just like Jason!"
Anger flared in his eyes, "He is NOTHING like Jason. Nothing!"
She didn't step back, "You think you have any right to march up against my friend, No, my guardian, and shout like that? Being a Prince does not mean you act like shit, Percy!"
He crowded her space, "Oh you think I'm acting like shit? What were you doing with him? He isn't even allowed in these areas!"
"He is your guard! You literally live one floor above me. Of course he is allowed!"
"NO Annabeth. He isn't. Not anymore. Don't you get that?"
Annabeth reeled back for a moment. "What? Percy you cannot control who I wish to see! I like Luke and I want to see him!"
His expression hardened, "Not when you're in the Selection."
Annabeth felt irritated. Not everything is about Selection.
"So it's completely fair that you get to see 25 different girls at the same time and oh, did I forget? Kiss them and do whatever else that you want to but I can't even--"
"You can't see him because it is treason, okay?!! Please, Annabeth, I don't wanna hurt you."
Oh. Hurt me more you mean?
She crossed her arms and scoffed. "Done enough of that. So have you had enough of me yet?"
He frowned. "What?"
I won't ask. I don't wanna know.
Better to find out now, right?
Annabeth looked at him in the eye. "Did you kiss me because Rachel kissed you or because you really wanted to kiss me?"
Percy paled one moment and that was answer enough for her.
Gods Percy.. how many lies?
She scoffed, "I knew --"
He put his hands on his head, "Annabeth, you know it's not like that --"
She stomped one foot to the ground in anger, "REALLY Percy? Okay then tell me what it is like? BECAUSE SO FAR I'VE ONLY HEARD YOU LIE."
Percy grit his teeth. "We're not having this conversation again." He took one more step towards her. "I'M NOT OBLIGED TO TELL YOU ANYTHING."
She turned her face away from him in pain but her voice was clam and composed, "You're right. So neither am I. Now get out."
"What?"
She met his eyes again and Percy could have sworn he saw it shimmer. "I. Said. GET. OUT."
He frantically moved his hands in an attempt to touch her shoulders but she flinched away. She suddenly felt all her doubts rush back to her: the Selected's words from that morning, the fact that she can't take a princess puppet role...
It hurt that the kiss meant like it some sort of assurance from Percy. She suddenly hated it.
No, I'm not gonna cry in front of him.
"Don't make me throw you out. Just... Leave me alone."
Percy sighed and reached the door. "Wear light color. Accessorize. No skin. Be plain and boring. Blindly trust me on this."
"What?"
When Percy opened the door, Miss. Willow was standing on the other side. "What do you think you're doing?" He barked.
Willow visibly flinched, "I came to inform that the tests starts at 9 tomorrow."
Annabeth frowned, "What test?"
"Your first test as a Selected. Assemble in the diner."
She turned to Percy, "This is supposed to be for the grading, right? Why don't I sit it out and make it easier for both of us?"
Percy warned, "Annabeth." He then sighed, "Please."
How many more days do you want me to cry to sleep?
...
Next day, she put on a light sandal-pink dress which was probably the definition of blending in the crowd. Her maids gave her a quick hairdo which looked so complicated, she wondered how they possibly managed it under 20 minutes. She doubted if anyone would see her first in a group of 25 girls though, but that was the look she was going for. She remembered Percy's words:Plain and boring.
But still beautiful, she reminded herself.
Percy and Annabeth didn't sort out anything yet. The only thing she heard from Percy before the test was the common addressing he gave to the Selected during breakfast.
They were taken to a part of the castle that was probably the least visited by Annabeth: the music and dance department. It wasn't that she wasn't interested in it. It was just always closed off, reserved for the best of the best. Technically, it wasn't a part of the palace, so far away from the actual entrance that the outer gardens were its neighbors. Chairs were arranged in a 5x5 arrangement next to the big mirror in a dance practice room - which was odd since classrooms were probably somewhere nearby. Nobody questioned it of course. When they entered, Artemis and Hecate were sitting in two out of three chairs that were kept next to the projector screen, facing the rest.
Artemis smiled at Annabeth.
Piper nudged her, "You know the Councilwoman?"
"Not all of them."
"Whoa. And these people told you you're not competition and you actually believed them."
Annabeth opened her mouth but Artemis started speaking, "Welcome ladies. Your first test will be history. Please take a seat. You will find that papers are already placed in your seats. You cannot flip them until I say. Write everything you know about the questions. Cheating is useless, you'll all have different set of questions. 30 minutes."
Annabeth pulled the first chair out but Rachel did too at the same time. Willow interrupted them, "Lady Rachel, you may take the seat."
Annabeth glared at Willow as Rachel took her seat. Piper beckoned Annabeth over, pulling out two seats.
Willow noticed, "Ah, no. Friends won't be sitting together. Lady Drew, why don't you sit in between these two?"
Drew didn't look happy about it but she pulled the seat to her right but Willow pulled one out for her to Piper's right. "I would prefer it if you sat here." She said.
She then placed Annabeth to Drew's right and moved on to separate other friends. What a lovely soul she was.
Artemis announced, "Okay that settles everything. Flip your sheets and start writing everyone. 30 minutes for you."
Annabeth flipped her sheet.
1) Name the second heir of third King of New Europe, his family and their accomplishments. Mention why this is significant to Ichor.
Whoa, thought Annabeth. That's easy. (A/N Of course she thought it was easy! She was Annabeth.) That's like asking Nico's biography. Annabeth didn't need a book to answer that. She heard it all first hand.
2) Name three defense procedures used in the Chinese-Europe war which failed in the Rival-Middle African war.What is the common point you find with this and the Rebels war of Ichor? If you were queen but you seek an alternative way then what would you do instead of abolishing the caste system?
This question was hard. There was no other way than abolishing the caste system. It had to be done. It should have happened years ago in fact. Annabeth chose to write what she felt.
3) Below is the rough sketch of the battle offense plan used in the battle of Germany and France in the 1960s. Assuming no nuclear weapons were used and the results of the battle would be same, explain the fault line. Also, based on the diagram, decide who is who and who lost.
Annabeth frowned. There was no Germany and France war that she knew of in the 1960s. Still the diagrams weren't too hard to decipher for a girl who is more interested in architecture and battle strategies than being a princess. Annabeth was sure she aced this one. She doubted if the others could have though.
4) [Bonus question from Percy Jackson.] Well, you all hardly know me so I'll keep it simple. My birthday. My favoritefood. My sword's name. Don't worry, no marks for this question. Try a small biography, let me see what you know.
Annabeth wanted to cry and laugh.This idiot.Instead, she started writing. She still had a good five minutes left to factor in his ridiculous biography.
Your highness,
August 18. Anything blue, preferably pancakes. Riptide (should I mention what else you call it?)
You drool in your sleep. You carry Riptide around everywhere, probably even on your dates. You love blue food more than your friends and we'll kill you for that someday. Yousecretly love cartoon films but hate Titanic. You love to swim but still get tired of too much water. Oh and yes, you always lose capture the flag unless I'm in your team. People wonder how you could find your way around a paper bag without me. Did I get everything?
No, I forgot to mention that you're a thick headed asshole who at some point of his life, majored in messing up.
You thought I was gonna say love,
Keep dreaming,
Annabeth.
Annabeth thought Willow had abandoned all sorts of resentment feelings towards her after Percy's outburst. So, naturally, she couldn't have been further from the truth.
After history, she paired her with the weakest ones for balance. She gave her wrong spoons for cutlery, worst partner for pair dance; if there was any loophole in a test, it looked like Annabeth always got it by chance.
She was starting to wonder if her history paper was rigged too. Still, the competitive spirit in her made sure she did pretty well no matter the odds. That seemed to irk Willow even more.
She was really glad when finally she had one test Willow couldn't poke her nose in.
Artemis announced, "We'll end with the dance and final statements. You'll be dancing in a 25 O pattern and when the whistle rings you'll shift to a 25 double infinite pattern. Volunteers please come out."
A group of men, all dressed in black pants and black shirts came out of the second door. Annabeth recognized almost none of them. They must be from the dance department. She was surprised to see Luke and Jason though. Piper and Annabeth stood next to each other in the formation. They all agreed on right side moment because that usually went smooth.
It was awkward : dancing with a strangers who probably thought the Selected were horrible. These people were from the dance department, after all. After two guys, it was Luke's turn with Annabeth. He didn't greet her. The first thing he said was--
"You kissed Percy?"
Annabeth blushed but it faded too soon after had happened last night. She wasn't expecting that question. "How do you know?"
Luke scoffed. "So you did", his tone changed, "Your friends met yesterday and refused to let him in without some password--"
Right. That.
"--Percy got angry. Then they demanded why you weren't there and he shouted something about him kissing you. I thought he was lying--"
She glanced at the judges and found Hecate looking at the mirror and back at the Selected a few times.
Was it just her or did she behave as if she was relying a message to someone on the other side?
Luke spun her around and when she came closer again, his tone got angry, "Your boyfriend was being a jerk."
Annabeth scoffed. Yeah right. Your boyfriend.
He isn't my boyfriend.
"I thought they met on Thursday."
"No. They didn't."
"We fought." She said simply.
She wasn't sure if Luke was surprised or hopeful, "You fought? Why?"
She shrugged, "Rachel kissed him, he didn't tell me, I got angry."
Annabeth felt his grip tighten, "He cheated on you?"
She sighed, "It isn't cheating. It is Selection. Besides, she kissed him first."
Whatever Luke was gonna say got cut off as he had to move.
After a few more guys and tempo changes, it was Jason's turn. He didn't greet her either--
"You really know this Luke guy?" Jason asked.
"Huh? Yeah I do he's a friend. Why?"
"No reason.", he looked at the mirror behind Annabeth.
"Since when do you dance?" She asked.
"Hey! I have a few talents. You.. you look nice."
She smiled, "And plain and boring?"
She smiled to herself as he spun her. When she looked at the mirror while spinning, she realized his expression was little guilty.
"Don't worry, that was what I was planning to be."
"Oh okay. By the way I'm supposed to tell you this. Next password is THIS BOY IS ON FIRE."
What? How...
Jason read her expression, "No, don't ask."
Suddenly a whistle was blown and the music became slower. He looked around, "Ah... I don't know what happens in this part."
Annabeth guided him around the room. "Do you see the double infinite loop?"
He nodded.
"The trick is to dance without hitting others. Just do what you've done till now and follow the girls while switching. Oh! The order changes now, you have to dance with Piper again."
Annabeth rose an eyebrow when he looked happy about it.
"Did he talk to you yet?" He asked.
She looked away. "Sort of. It didn't end well."
"Why?"
"He told me he didn't wanna kiss me."
Jason's mouth flew open, "Whhaaaat? Annabeth, is something wrong with your ears?"
She hit his neck where she was holding him.
"No, I'm serious. That makes no sense. There is no way he said that. Misunderstandings. You guys need to make up. The gang is empty without our number one couple."
She didn't reply.
"We're dancing extra time", he pointed out.
"Yeah. We used one break verse to change formation. Tempo is slow too. We should wait for the next to exchange again."
He nodded and looked towards the mirror.
Is Jason checking himself? Why does he want to look good? Or dance good?
"Why are you here? Shouldn't you be guarding Percy?"
"Leo is with him. I'll go back once the dance is over."
She guessed, "So you're here for Piper?"
He stuttered and blushed.
Right. That's why.
"You should be happy alright! Imagine dancing with Leo. He is shorter than you!"
"That's true." Annabeth remembered a time when she danced with Percy when he was shorter than her. That was awkward.
"He'll stop to point to himself to yell treason 10 times by now."
Annabeth laughed and placed her head on his shoulder. The angle made her look at the mirror. She decided she liked this reflection. That is, dancing with one of her friends in a plain dress in a studio part of the reflection.
Not the competing for Percy part of it.
She wished things happened differently. They could have given their relationship a shot a few years ago and avoided all this. Then again, Annabeth was sure it wouldn't have worked then. They were only kids and they both had their fair share of mistakes. She sighed.
When she looked at Miss. Willow, she got a disappointing look like: Behave!
She ignored her and looked back at Jason. Only, Jason wasn't looking at her. He was looking towards the mirror as if expecting Percy to come out of it and hit him for dancing with the Selected.
Weird, she thought, Percy wouldn't do that.
She mentally scoffed. Not to Jason, that is.
Besides, he isn't here, is he?