A/N

Don't kill me for being late, please, I'm tired and weary right now. Everything is due in two weeks and I have like three exams plus two reports or something and some project.

I'm lowkey dying.

Shameless plug: check out Const3llations on Fanfiction, and read his story "When the Sky Falls." It's Preyna and I'm co-authoring.

mortal au. party setting.

Enjoy!

"Reyna."

"Percy."

The girl paused to take a sip of her drink before turning her head around, looking the boy straight in the eye. Her elbows leaned onto the marble counter-top a little uncomfortably, but Reyna had endured far worse before.

"What are you doing here?"

The boy kept eye contact with her in such a way that made Reyna shift a bit in her spot. He brought the red, flimsy solo cup to his mouth, making sure those orbs of his never left from her sights as he stared at her from over the rim.

Percy, unwaveringly, set it back down, as if it were some kind of beer-mug.

"I don't know what you mean."

Reyna rolled her eyes.

"Sure."

That cheeky grin of his spread across his face, one that he knew Reyna couldn't resist, the bastard-

"No, seriously, I don't." He replied, an innocent look in his baby-seal eyes. The girl narrowed her own; she knew this was a sign of anything but innocent coming to her.

"You. Popular kid. Everyone likes you. Me. The socially inept kid. Everyone hates me. Yet, you're here, alone, with me. It can't be a coincidence, either, because there are many, many kids here and this is the one place they come to for their fix of illegal underage drinking."

Percy hummed in agreement. "Yeah. Never liked alcohol, but it helps Luke loosen up. He's been too stressed lately. Captain of the team and stuff."

Reyna raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were captain."

"Been paying attention to me, have you?" The boy questioned, to which Reyna just crossed her arms. He smirked but brought his hands up in mock surrender.

"I'm just not ready for the leadership thing."

That was something Reyna doubted – Jason, her best friend, had frequently spoken of the older boy's charisma, and his unnatural ability to lead others. Still, she wasn't going to intrude on something she didn't know about.

"You still haven't told me about why you're here."

"Can't I see my favourite person when I want to?"

"We're lab partners, not friends, Jackson."

"And maybe you want to talk about the science, then."

The girl looked heavily sceptical. "I'd... rather not."

Percy pouted, those adorable, plump, kissable – no! No, Reyna! – lips of his jutting out. "Come on! I'm dyslexic, not incompetent."

"No means no, Jackson."

The boy sighed heavily. "Alas!"

Reyna's face scrunched up in confusion. "Did you just say alas?"

"I did." An infectious grin spread across Percy's face, and Reyna had to physically restrain herself from copying his actions, "Cool, right?"

"Yeah. Sure."

The boy eyebrow's arched in mild surprise, before he smiled and scooted a little closer to her. To Reyna's surprise, she didn't tell him to back off.

"You." He started, whispering, voice barely audible. Reyna's eyebrows creased in confusion at his single word. What?

"Me."

Oh.

"Friday night."

"I'm not interested in –"

"Luigi's pizza. Down the street. You know where it is."

Reyna blinked. What? She'd expected the popular guy to ask her for... stuff, not... what was he asking for, exactly?

"What?"

Percy just smiled a dazzling smile, not taking his eyes off of hers.

"I just want to get to know my lab partner better. You know. For the sake of our grade. It's shared, after all."

Reyna wasn't oblivious. She knew it was complete and utter bullshit.

Still, all she did was let a smile break out on her face. "Sure. It's not a date, though."

Percy couldn't help but laugh at her stern look.

"Sure, Reyna," He said, still giggling, though from the alcohol or because of her she didn't know.

Reyna found that she didn't particularly care.

Fin.