Next Day...
-Percy-
The bell rings to signal the start of homeroom and Percy, Grover, and Jason all head to their room. They talk about their ideas for the Halloween dance in just over three weeks the entire way there, speaking quietly and carefully.
"Leo got a lot of work done yesterday," Jason tells Percy. "I swear, the guy's a workaholic."
"What did he get done?" Percy asks.
"So you know there's supposed to be ten of us, right?"
"Right."
"He's already got all the molds made. He's just looking for plastic and plywood."
Percy's jaw drops. "You're joking!"
Jason shakes his head. "If you don't believe me, ask Grover. He left when I did."
"It's true," Grover confirms.
"Okay, I don't doubt you. And what's with the plywood?"
"Leo figured it would be better to make actual wooden shields so we can save the plastic for the armor. You wanted it lightweight, well plywood is relatively light, isn't it?" Jason explains.
Percy things about it for a moment. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
The classroom door opens and Annabeth walks in. She smiles at Percy before sitting down at her desk.
"Talk later?" Jason asks quietly.
Percy nods and Jason sits down at his desk.
"Whatcha talking about?"
He looks to the front and sees Annabeth facing him now, twisted sideways in her seat so she can see him.
Percy blushes. "Morning, Annabeth."
She smiles. "Good morning, Percy. Was it that serious thing you mentioned yesterday?"
"What?"
"Whatever you and Jason were talking about, dummy," she says with a laugh.
"Oh. Yeah, it was," Percy replies.
"Alright then. I won't ask about it."
Her laugh made Percy's pulse quicken. It wasn't a cruel laugh like it usually is from other students. This one was genuine. Kind. A beautiful sound.
"Oh sure, ignore that I'm here. I was talking with them, too," Grover complains.
"I'm sorry," Annabeth says. "Good morning to you, too, Grover."
Grover looks happier with that and smirks at Percy, elbowing him a bit.
Percy shoves his arm away. "Cut it out, will you?"
"What? You jealous she said good morning to me?"
"She said it to me first! And what does it matter?" Percy argues, making Annabeth laugh a little bit again.
"Alright, settle down!" Mrs. Dodds barks upon entering the classroom. "Roll call!"
She starts reading names off the list and every student calls out when they're mentioned.
"Alright, now that that's done, you can just do whatever until the bell rings!"
While everybody gathers around their friends and start chatting, Jason returns to Percy's corner and sits on a desk next to him and Grover.
"Morning, Chase," he says.
"Morning, Jason," Annabeth says.
"So..." Jason turns to Percy. "Bad time to talk about Halloween then?"
"What about Halloween?" Annabeth asks.
"It's nothing," Grover says, quickly. "Don't worry about it."
"It's just something our groups are doing for Mr. Brunner," Percy says. It's not exactly a lie, just more twisting the truth a bit.
"I'm in a group in that class," Annabeth says.
"What group?" Jason asks.
"Well, what group are you guys in? You tell me, first," she challenges.
"Armor and weapons," Percy says. "Our group gets to make some replicas of them. We're going to decorate some mannequins with them since this year the dance is Greek theme. I'm in the third class and Jason's in the first one."
"Oh, and I bet that makes you very happy," Annabeth teases, making Percy blush lightly.
"Actually, it does..." he admits. He's happy that she's actually talking with him about it instead of instantly making fun of him.
"So why all the secrecy?"
"We answered your question. Now it's your turn," Percy says, avoiding her second question.
She raises her eyebrows. "Art. I'm with an art group for Greek myth. I'm in the second class."
"Then we cannot answer your other question, I'm afraid," Percy says. He's starting to feel a bit more confident around her, though her eyes and laugh still makes him feel lightheaded.
"Oh really?" she says, leaning forward and resting her arms on Percy's desk. "How about we make a trade?"
"A trade?"
"Oh this can't be good," Jason chuckles.
"Yes," Annabeth confirms. "A trade. Information... for information..."
Percy hums. "What kind of information?"
"Dude, you're seriously considering this?" Grover asks in disbelief.
Percy ignores him for the time being. His focus is set on Annabeth. His nervousness is gone and he's serious again. Confident, even.
"You were asking about a certain phone number yesterday..." she whispers.
Percy makes a sound at the back of his throat and Jason and Grover stare at him, as if they can't believe Percy asked her for her phone number.
"That's a hard bargain," he admits after a moment.
"Is it?" she asks, taunting him.
"I... can't. This stuff is top secret," he says with obvious difficulty.
"Oh well. Guess that number will have to wait, then," she says with a smirk. She turns around again just as the bell rings for first hour.
Percy grabs his bags and hurries out of the room, Jason and Grover right behind him.
...
-Annabeth-
He won't give up his group's secret, she thinks to herself as she leaves homeroom. Thalia told me he values trust and loyalty. I guess he's passed that little test. At least, for now.
She smiles to herself and almost bumps into Piper.
"Oh, hey girl!" Piper says. "You doing alright?"
"Yeah," Annabeth replies. "I was just messing with Percy a bit this morning."
"Oh really? How so?"
Annabeth grins and whispers to Piper. "Okay, so don't tell anybody because Jason and Grover are in on whatever it is they're doing, okay?"
"Ooh, I love secrets! I'm so good with those. But it's best to go somewhere less crowded," Piper suggests.
"Good idea. To class then?"
"Hell yeah! Tell me everything as soon as we get there!"
They walk to their first class of the day and when they take their seats, Piper turns to Annabeth and leans close. There's nobody else near them at the moment so it's safe.
"Okay, spill."
Annabeth lowers her voice to a whisper. "They're up to something and it's got to do with Halloween. Maybe even the dance. They won't tell me what it is."
"Ooh I knew Jason was hiding something," Piper mutters. "So what did you do to mess with them?"
"Yesterday, I ran into Percy outside my apartment building. He actually lives on my street so don't get worked up, okay?" she explains. "But he asked me for my phone number, insisting that we're friends, right? I didn't give it to him and told him to try again today."
Piper raises her hands to her chin, listening closely. "Okay?"
"So I offered a trade for information. My number, for whatever secret they're hiding from us," Annabeth says. "He looked so nervous. All three of them did."
"I'm guessing since it's still a secret...?"
Annabeth sighs. "He's stubborn. Loyal to his friends... And he seems to have a lot of trust from them..." Her mind starts drifting to Percy again, but she quickly snaps herself out of it before she gets too deep in thought. "He wouldn't tell me anything so he's just going to have to do something else to get my number."
"Girl, you are mean," Piper laughs. "You're going to drive the poor guy nuts about a phone number."
Annabeth grins. "Exactly. I'm trying to play hard to get with him."
"Are you sure you haven't done this before?" Piper asks her.
"I was always hard to get, even with whatever guys my mom wanted me to date," Annabeth says. "But... admittedly, for the first time, I'm actually having trouble keeping it up."
"Are you falling for him?" Piper asks.
"I don't know. I still just want to be friends with him, you know? At least, just to start."
"Yeah, I get that," Piper says.
"So now it's my turn to ask questions."
Piper rolls her eyes and sighs. "Alright, go ahead."
"Anything from Jason?"
"Nope. He still texts me, but he hasn't asked me the important question yet."
"Well, the dance is three weeks away, right?"
"Yeah," Piper nods.
"Just try to be patient with him. I'm sure he's just waiting for the right time."
Piper smiles. "You're probably right. Thanks Annabeth."
"Of course," she smiles.
The bell rings again, signalling the start of their class. Every once in a while, Piper leans close to Annabeth when the teacher isn't paying attention and they have a quick conversation.
"Psst! Annabeth!"
"What?" she whispers back. "I'm trying to do my work."
"I just thought of something you mentioned yesterday at the cafe," Piper says. "You said you live with Thalia, right?"
"Yeah? So what?"
"Her last name is Grace."
"I know that."
"Did you know the Jason's last name is also Grace?" Piper asks.
"Is that just a coincidence?"
"Nope. I thought you'd want to know that they're related. I don't think they have the same parents, as in I'm not sure if it's the same dad or mom or whatever, but they're related to each other."
"Wait, you mean to tell me that Thalia has a brother?"
"Yup," Piper says with a grin. "I'm surprised she never told you since you're this surprised."
"Well, normally I don't like to poke into someone's family story, but thanks for letting me know," Annabeth says.
"Anytime."
Annabeth rolls her eyes, but smiles as she gets back to work. The teacher starts looking around at the class at that moment so cutting their random conversation there was perfect timing. She can't help but wonder if there's anything else Thalia might be hiding, but she respects her privacy so if she doesn't want to talk about it, she's not going to pressure her for it.
...
Two hours later... class right before lunch
"Alright, you all know what you need to do. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to come to me," Mr. Brunner says.
Annabeth moves to one corner of the classroom with a few other students. They've been working on their ancient Greek paintings all week before Annabeth even got there, so she was doing everything she could to catch up.
One of the other students, who she recognizes as Luke Castellan, starts swinging around a wooden sword, dueling one of his friends. She can't help but find Luke physically attractive, but she has also observed that he's not very friendly. At least, not to those he doesn't really like, which apparently is a lot of the school. He's only been somewhat nice to her, but a bit more pressing with certain matters. Manipulative, demanding... she doesn't like those qualities. She's heard from several girls that he constantly cheats as well, though naturally he denies such accusations. And that also adds to the familiarity of him... His name sounds familiar...
She watches him 'fight' his friend when something clicks. He's part of a group with weapons involved. And there seems to be what looks like designs for armor on his table. Maybe he could know what's going on with Percy's group?
"Hello, Annabeth?" one of the girls says, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"There you are. We thought we lost you for a moment," she says.
Cal. Or, at least that's how she introduced herself.
"Sorry. I was distracted," she says, embarrassed.
"By Luke?" Cal asks. The way she says his name would make anyone think she accidentally drank poison.
"Actually, more by what he's doing."
Cal purses her lips and watches. Luke manages to disarm his friend and strike at his neck, stopping just short. A victory.
"Okay, so he's apparently good with a sword," Cal says. "So what?"
Annabeth frowns. She thinks if anybody could say something about what Percy and Jason are hiding, Luke could. He doesn't like Percy. That's what's making her hesitate. They don't like each other, so why would they work together?
You're overthinking this, Chase.
But what if I'm right?
Luke starts bragging and boasting how "Jackson is toast at the dance."
Bingo. That's my missing piece.
She remembers she has lunch next. Percy shares the same lunch as she does. It's a perfect time to talk to him. But for the time being, she needs to focus on her own project.
Before long, the bell finally rings for lunch and she packs up her project before leaving the classroom. She gets to the lunch line and looks around for Percy. She spots him and Jason further back in the line behind her. And Luke is talking to them.
"Piper...?"
"Yeah?"
"Hold my spot for me?" she requests.
"Um... yeah, sure. Is something wrong?" Piper asks.
"Just need to take care of something really quick. I'll be right back," Annabeth replies. She starts walking down the line towards Percy and Luke and soon she can hear what they're saying.
"If you even think of showing up to the dance next month, Jackson," Luke snarls. "You're gonna regret it."
Annabeth clears her throat and the three of them turn to face her. Percy and Jason don't look frightened by Luke, but more like they're trying not to punch him.
Luke's face changes into a friendly smile. "Annabeth! Hey there. Listen, would you like to go to the dance with me, sweetheart?"
Annabeth crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow at him. And what's with the sweetheart thing? He hasn't officially met her. Has he?
"What were you talking to him about?" she asks him firmly.
"Oh, nothing," he says, waving his hand.
"Nothing," she repeats, clearly unconvinced. "'You're gonna regret it.' Those were your exact words to Percy."
"Annabeth..." Percy pleads quietly.
She doesn't break her gaze from Luke, but she does hold out her hand towards Percy, palms out, to silence him.
Luke looks between her and Percy, then starts laughing. "Oh, I think I see what's going on here. There's something going on between you two, isn't there?"
Annabeth's stare doesn't change. She's not going to reveal anything to him. "There's nothing going on, Luke. But I think you should leave them alone."
"Aww," Luke mocks. "Come on, babe. You're not seriously going to defend this weirdo, are you?"
"One, I'm not your babe. I've heard enough about your relationships. And two, I don't care if he's a weirdo like you and everyone else says he is. I'm not going to just stand by and let you threaten one of my friends." Her tone takes a dangerous edge, her eyes turning angry.
Luke snarls at her. "I'm warning you, Chase. I don't care who your family is. Nobody talks to me like that. Understand?"
"It's not my family you should be worried about," she retorts. She isn't shaken at all by Luke, but she secretly hopes he doesn't call her bluff. There's still that strange feeling that she knows him from somewhere...
They continue their intense staring contest for a few more moments, casually following the lunch line as it inches towards the trays. Finally, Luke makes the first move. He turns and jams a finger into Percy's chest.
"This isn't over, Jackson," he growls.
Percy slaps his hand away with the back of his own. "I didn't expect it to be."
Luke storms off and cuts the line, much to the dismay and anger of the other students still waiting in line.
"Thanks for that, Annabeth," Percy says then. "But I didn't need your help. I had it under control."
She puts her hand up again and takes a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. "We need to talk," she says after a moment. "Your table. Jason, you need to hear what I have to say, too."
"Okay..." Jason says, clearly concerned.
"What is this about?" Percy asks.
"You'll know in a bit," Annabeth replies. She returns to her original spot by Piper just in time to collect their trays of food.
"Damn, girl!" Piper says. "I don't know what was going on but I could feel the tension from here!"
"You could? I was hoping that was just me," she confesses.
"So what are you doing?"
"I'm going to sit by Percy today. There's something I need to talk to him about."
"Okay then. Don't have too much fun," Piper says, shooting her friend a wink.
"Shut up," Annabeth says, her confidence fading and being replaced with embarrassment. Heat rises from her neck and spreads to her cheeks. "It's not like that."
"Uh huh. Anyway, you go ahead. I'll keep the other girls company in your absence, your majesty."
"Don't call me that again, please..."
Piper laughs and they exit the line. They go their separate ways and Annabeth finds Grover sitting at his usual spot, waiting for Percy and Jason.
"Where exactly does Percy sit?" she asks him.
"Oh, hi Annabeth," Grover says. "Um... why do you ask?"
"You'll know in a bit. You know what? Never mind that. I'm just going to sit."
She moves around the table and sits down on the other side. She starts eating while she waits, causing a bit of awkward silence between her and Grover.
"You're part of his Greek myth group, right?" she asks him.
"Yeah," he replies cautiously. "Well, not Percy's group. I'm in Jason's group, but we are working together on our project."
"Good. Then you might be interested in this, too."
Soon, Percy and Jason arrive at the table.
"Annabeth?" Jason asks., warily. "So you're serious about talking to us?"
"One second. Percy?" she taps the spot next to her.
Percy and Jason share nervous glances before he sits down next to her. Jason sits next to Grover, directly across from Percy.
"So what did you want to talk about?" Percy asks her.
Annabeth quickly looks around for Luke and finds him far across the cafeteria. Still, she keeps her voice low.
"I don't understand what's going on at all, but I know it has something to do with your group," she begins. "Luke's threats to you... I have that same class you guys do, but with Luke. He's part of your group?"
"No, he's in a separate one," Jason says. "So am I, but we've teamed up to..."
"To what?"
"Nevermind."
"Whatever it is, Luke is going to pick a fight with Percy."
Percy sighs and he looks around the table at Jason and Grover. They seem to have some sort of silent discussion with each other for a moment before Jason nods.
"Annabeth," Percy begins. "We already know what he wants to do."
She looks at him, confused and concerned. "You do?"
"There's something I'm not supposed to tell you, and you know this," he explains. "But... You have to swear you can't tell anybody. It's a part of our project, but it's also personal."
"Percy, I don't understand..." Annabeth says.
"Dude, are you sure about this? I mean, you barely know her-" Jason begins, but Percy interrupts.
"I know, Jason. I know. But this isn't something that can go against us," he says. "Go ahead and tell her."
"We're going to orchestrate a mock ancient Greek battle during the dance," Jason say reluctantly, also speaking quietly. "We don't know what the plan for it is, but we're making our costumes for it. Mr. Brunner and the principal both know about it and are alright with this so long as nobody gets hurt."
"That's what I'm trying to put a stop to," Percy says. "Luke has been hurting me and many other students for a couple years. I know he'll even try to hurt me at the dance, but I don't plan to let him do that. We've got rules established. Direct contact is limited, no head hits but you may stop right before hitting to make your point across, disarming is a good way to win a sword fight-"
"You're going to fight with swords?" she asks him, still being quiet but also even more concerned. Her chest tightens and it gets harder to breathe, but she takes a sip of water and tries to calm down. Why are you so worried?
"Not real ones, relax," Percy says. "They're plastic."
"Not Luke's," Annabeth says, forcing herself to stay calm and collected.
"What?" Jason asks.
"Luke and his group made wooden swords. Was there something in your rules about that?"
"No metal blades, but beside's that, no," Grover says.
"Luke has wooden swords and he's good with it. I watched him duel one of his pals just last hour," Annabeth explains.
Percy's demeanor changes from nervous to serious, though this process took longer as the conversation went on. Did she mention she thinks it's attractive when he does that?
"You didn't happen to record it, did you?" he asks. She can almost see the gears turning. This serious side of him is new for Annabeth.
"No," was her reply. "I didn't think much of it until after he won."
"If he's practicing his swordplay," Jason begins, his expression also serious. "That doesn't sound good for you, Perce."
"He's hard to predict," he says in agreement. "But I've known him long enough where I can guess his strengths and weaknesses. If anything, I can just defend and gauge his strengths then. Exploit any weaknesses. Besides, I have some tricks up my sleeve."
"We were thinking of doing the phalanx," Grover recalls. "Is that still happening?"
"Yes. I want Luke to come to us. We'll taunt him. Try to pull him out of an advantage," Percy says.
"I want to help," Annabeth says.
"This is a group project, Annabeth," Percy says.
"I don't care," she objects. "If you get hurt..."
"I'll be fine," he interrupts, though there's a blush on his face.
"What are you thinking, Perce?" Grover asks.
He looks at each of them, even locking eyes with Annabeth. His green eyes still takes her breath away, even as intense as they are now. Focused. Determined.
"Jason," he says. Jason sits up and locks eyes with him. "Tell the others. After school. Leo's place."
"You got it," Jason says.
"What...?" Annabeth is about to ask.
"We know we can't beat Luke and his buddies with strength," Percy says. "We need to outsmart them. Annabeth..."
She looks at him and he continues. "I want you to come with us, too."
"I thought this was a group project and you didn't want me involved," she says, throwing his words back at him.
"I know, but I changed my mind. Are you coming with us or not?"
Annabeth smirks at Percy. "Do you have to ask?"
He smiles back at her, this time there isn't a hint of nervousness in his smile. It's pure confidence - and it makes Annabeth's heart flutter. "I guess not. Meet us at the front doors after school lets out."
...
Sometimes, while writing this, I forget this is still a high school. This just feels intense to me but I promise it won't be like this forever. Explanation is in the next chapter.
Also, please bear in mind that at this point in time the first 15 chapters were already written out so if you request for something to be in the next chapter, I cannot guarantee it will be seen. I do give myself opportunities to make slight changes to pre-written chapters in attempts to make the story flow a little better - whether I'm adding bits of detail or dialogue, or removing unnecessary dialogue - but even then I cannot make promises to have requests seen in the first 15.