CHAPTER 1 - waterfall

Never in her life had Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, goddess of wisdom, failed to understand something. Until recently that is. She couldn't pinpoint the exact moment it happened, but it didn't change the fact that she was left feeling dumb, something that irritated her deeply.

Ever since they returned from their quest in search of Grover, things had become relatively calm in Camp Half-Blood, leaving the demi-gods to enjoy themselves by the beach. Unlike the others, Annabeth had used her free time to clear her mind, finding a peaceful spot in the woods near a waterfall. She had enjoyed the tranquillity and solitude, said solitude shattered when it appeared that it was also Silena's favourite spot.

Silena Beauregard, being the daughter of the goddess of love, never failed to infuriate Annabeth. Whether it'd be a sly comment about her lack of relationship with Percy, or the occasional giggles among her group when she happened to pass by. It didn't help that neither of them had a proper talk, instead choosing to settle for this animosity.

There were many things Annabeth actually hated regarding the French half-blood.

Her intoxicating perfume, that one could smell miles away.

Her occasional slips in her native language, which many found attractive.

Her ability to charm her way into anything she wanted…

To say that Annabeth was shocked when said vixen came out of nowhere and perched herself atop of a rock, would be an understatement. She carried what appeared to be a swimsuit, a towel and some solar cream.

"Are you following me?" she asked Silena, making her jump and quickly turn around, frightened. Her face immediately became cold, upon realizing who was there.

"Chase. If anything I should be the one concerned about you stalking me. I must say I'm impressed." she replied, with a raised eyebrow, "You even went as far as to invade my personal spot."

"I don't recall being told that anything here belonged to you, or to anyone, except the gods for that matter."

"Listen, why don't you just take your things and get out of this place before I lose my temper for good?" she ordered, with a bored look.

"And why don't you just shut up and accept that I won't say yes to anything you ask, unlike your pretenders, hm?" Annabeth angrily answered, taking two steps towards Silena. Neither of them had realized that they had inched closer throughout the discussion.

"My my Chase… If I had known that making you jealous was that entertaining I would have done it sooner! Cependant, laisse-moi te dire que le vert ne complimente pas ton teint de peau." she said, adding a wink after the French part.

Having studied French at school, Annabeth had a good idea of what that sentence meant. Not one to fall into the trap of flirting, she normally would have ignored the argument and left before things could escalate further. But she couldn't just let Silena get away with insinuating things like that.

"As if I could ever fall for someone as vain as yourself."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized in horror how it sounded, and how it could be interpreted as a challenge. Judging by the brief flash of hurt and surprise on her face, Silena had reached the same conclusion. Not one to back off from a challenge, she deliberately took some steps forward, making Annabeth shiver.

"Then you won't mind making a deal, chérie? Let's say that I have three months in order to seduce you and successfully make you fall in love with me. If I win, I get to boast about it in front of everyone, including Jackson, and you have to leave the camp for a week. Now if you win, then you get to have whatever you want from me, but it won't happen."

"This is ridiculous!" Annabeth exclaimed, with a nervous laugh.

"So I take it you're a coward then?" Silena asked with a satisfied smirk.

"Absolutely not! And fine, I'm in! But during those three months, you don't get to hook up with anyone, and if I win, then you'll have to keep it in your pants for the rest of the year."

"Deal"

"Deal"

Both of them shook hands, daring the other to look away, even when a spark of electricity shot through their arms, officialising the bet. Silena then slowly lifted Annabeth's right hand to her lips, kissing it, her eyes never leaving the girl's grey ones. Shocked, she could only stare after Silena as she sauntered into the groves, towards the Big House, leaving her more confused than ever.

From her spot in Olympus, Aphrodite could only shake her head at her daughter's antics, hoping that she knew what she was doing.