Percy Jackson was in over his head.
Again.
But it was most definitely not his fault this time.
Ducking and weaving between blasts of fire and the dense trees, he finally spotted a boulder that would serve as suitable cover until he got his bearings, diving across the clearing to reach it. He rolled, landing upright and uncapping Riptide, the pen growing into a full sword as hideous laughter followed him.
"Come out little Demigod~! Don't you want to play?" The one he knew as "Kelli" taunted.
Ok, maybe he should have known better than to follow a hot girl into the forests outside the city by himself after class, and maybe he should have been suspicious when "Tammi" appeared from behind a tree, but they both seemed normal at first! Unfortunately, he was far from most forms of protection.
Percy peeked out over the rock, then quickly ducked again as another ball of fire sailed over his head, singeing the ends of his unkempt hair.
"Uh, ladies?" he called out, "Not that this isn't fun, but it's not exactly what I had in mind when you said 'alone time.'"
The two Empousai hissed with what must have been their version of giggles. Typical. Of course the first girl he tries to hook up with in several weeks turns out to be a monster. Then again, this was the longest he'd gone without taking a girl out since college began, and it was all her fault.
Wise Girl.
His Wise Girl.
They'd only talked a few times, but he was entirely captivated. She was smart, sarcastic, and put up with his ridiculous text messages- and he knew they had been ridiculous. It had only been about a month, but no one had talked to him like he was a normal person in a long time, and he craved it. Even so, he still had other urges, and that was what led to his current predicament. As more fire rained down on his little spot of safety, he made a silent promise to himself not to pursue any more random girls. Nope. He was going to be the undateable Percy Jackson when he survived.
If he survived.
He thought back to his classes, trying to remember what he knew about Empousai. There wasn't a trick to killing them, right? He just had to get close enough to slash at them with his Celestial Bronze sword… right?
He briefly entertained the idea of asking Wise Girl, but any hopes of texting her were doused as he heard the villainous demonesses close in. It was a strange noise, thump clop, thump clop, thump clop, as their mismatched legs carried them to his hideout, and he knew he'd have to do something reckless. Something stupid, even. But hey, he was all about reckless and stupid.
With a yell, he jumped up as high as he could, surprising the Empousa to the left (Tammi, he remembered) as he landed on top of the rock, swinging Riptide and watching the girl in the cheerleading uniform dissipate into dust with a hisssssss.
One down. He smirked as Kelli screached, lamenting the death of her sister.
"You… You little rat! You'll pay for this!" the demoness reared back, forming another ball of fire in her hands as Percy readied himself to dodge. He'd have to be fast, faster than he probably could move, he admitted to himself, but just as he was getting ready to withstand 2nd degree burns...
Kelli gasped. Her eyes widened, lips moving to form an "o" as she looked down at her chest, the tip of a knife poking through where her heart might have been. And then she collapsed into dust and smoke as well.
There was a girl behind her, a baseball cap in one hand, a Celestial Bronze knife in the other.
And man was she beautiful.
Percy couldn't help it. He gawked, openly, as the girl sheathed her knife and tucked the cap into her pocket, crossing her arms. She was tan, with startling grey eyes and curly blonde hair- her legs long and slender, toned muscle evident throughout her body. He tried his best not to obviously check her out, but he couldn't help himself as he eyed her through the ash. She was familiar too, though he had trouble placing exactly where, and she practically glowered at him.
"You're welcome."
"Huh?" he said, sounding intelligent.
The girl rolled her eyes with a huff, "You're welcome. You know, for saving you."
He frowned, "I had it under control."
"Sure you did."
Percy hopped off the stone, capping Riptide and dusting his pants off with his hands, "Look, it was nice of you to uh… stab the demon cheerleader, or whatever, but I didn't need your help."
"You were about to be a Demigod barbeque, Perseus."
Ok, he took it back. She wasn't beautiful, she was annoying.
"It's Percy." he snapped, even more annoyed that she knew his name and he didn't know hers, "and you're…?"
"Wouldn't you like to know." She tossed her head, long blonde curls bouncing in their ponytail as she did. Her neck, smooth and slim, was particularly distracting, and Percy swallowed, trying again.
"Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot- I'm um… grateful, for what you did."
She eyed him, and he felt completely vulnerable. It was like she could see right through him, his weaknesses were all on display under her gaze.
After a moment, she dropped her arms, apparently deciding to let her guard down.
"Annabeth."
"Huh?"
"My name ."
"Oh." He paused. Wait… he knew that name, " Oh. "
She raised an eyebrow.
"You… you're Annabeth! Annabeth Chase!"
Annabeth Chase did not look pleased. "Yes, that's me."
"Your mom is Athena- oh man, Grover has told me so much about you!"
Alarm graced her features, "He… he what?! "
"Yeah, you're an Architecture major, right?"
"... Civil Engineering, yes."
"Cool." he grinned, "Though with skills like that, you totally should become a monster hunter instead."
The smile was not returned. In fact, Annabeth seemed to grow more frustrated, "Why?" she managed to shoot at him, glaring icy daggers with those beautiful grey eyes, "So I can be like you and nearly get killed every weekend?"
"Woah, let's get one thing straight," his grin disappeared again, "I was not almost killed, like I said, I had it under control. And I don't do this every weekend!"
She snorted, "Just most?"
"What does it matter to you?"
"It doesn't!"
"Good!"
"Great!"
"Fine!"
Silence hung in the air around them, not even the sounds of the woods breaking it. Finally, with a huff, Annabeth spun on her heel and started the walk to the city. Percy hurried after her, wanting to get back before his next class. He'd have to tell Grover all about this crazy afternoon, oh and mention he finally met Annabeth, and she apparently hated him for some reason-
"Stop that!" she suddenly whirled on him and he put his hands up defensively.
"What?"
"Following me!"
"I'm… I'm not. This is the way back to campus." he pointed out.
Annabeth didn't seem to have a response to this, other than to huff again and turn once more, marching away while Percy followed at a greater distance than before. Okay. So she really hated him. Great.
It wasn't long before the trees began to give way to paths, paths to roads, and roads to buildings, the subway station in sight as they passed through the magical barrier that protected the city. It always sent cool tingles down Percy's spine, and he swung his arms, feeling better already now that they were back in civilization.
"See you later, Annabeth!" Percy called, smirking at her glare as they parted ways. He couldn't help himself. Annoying her seemed fun.
He was still smiling when he turned and ran almost headfirst into his father.
"Woah- D-dad!" Percy's eyes widened as a strong hand reached out to steady him.
Poseidon's sea green eyes twinkled, "Percy. There's something I would like to talk to you about."
"Uh… ok, but in my defense, I didn't know they were Empousai and I already killed them."
His father raised an eyebrow, "I'm not here to discuss what you do in your freetime, Percy."
"Oh. Uh… Right. Ok, what's up?"
"Not here. I've made reservations." And just like that, they disappeared off the street without even a pop.
Annabeth didn't feel as satisfied as she hoped she would, returning to campus.
She didn't entirely understand what drove people like Percy Jackson and her mysterious text-friend to go after monsters. She had thought, maybe, if she did it herself, she would get it- but the reasons remained as elusive as ever. The Empousa hadn't been much work to kill, and she didn't feel alive, or a rush of adrenaline, she just felt… empty. And exhausted, despite doing little more than plunging a knife into someone's back. Maybe that was Percy's fault.
Oh, how he frustrated her!
Grumbling under her breath about idiots, she pulled out her phone, flipping it on. She needed to talk to someone about the Empousai, her mother, the campaign, anything, and so she texted the first person to come to mind.
3:46PM WISE GIRL
You wouldn't believe the day I had.
Much to her disappointment, Seaweed Brain didn't answer. Much to her surprise, her phone started ringing.
"Hello?"
"Yo, Annabeth!" Thalia's smile could be heard through her voice, "You busy?"
"Not currently, no."
"Great! We're going to give a certain Reyna Ramírez-Arellano a tour of the school."
"... Huh?"
"You know, that Roman girl I talk so much about?"
"I know who she is, but why-?"
"I'll explain later!"
"But-!"
"Meet me by the entrance in five! Ok, bye!"
"Wait, no Thalia-"
Aaaaand she hung up.
Reyna Ramírez-Arellano was notorious. The youngest Praetor New Rome had ever seen, and on top of that a fearsome daughter of Bellona and sister to the leader of the Amazonians, she had quite the reputation.
Thalia was head over heels for her.
Still, that didn't exactly explain why Reyna was here. Outside of quests, and the occasional exchange field trip between Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter, the Romans tended to stay on the West Coast while the Greeks kept to themselves in the East.
With a sigh, Annabeth tucked her phone into her pocket (making sure to switch it off this time), and headed toward the designated meeting spot.
Reyna was already there, looking comfortable in a purple shirt and jeans, and squinting at a brochure.
Thalia, of course, was nowhere to be found.
Annabeth sighed, walking up to the brunette herself, "Reyna? Hey, I'm Annabeth-"
"I know who you are." Her voice sounded matter of fact. She didn't even look up at first, though when she did she gave Annabeth a once over, "Daughter of Minerva, yes?"
"Athena." She corrected, bristling a bit at the other girl's tone.
Athena's kids weren't usually accepted by most Romans, Minerva being a virgin goddess and not one associated with war like she was with the Greeks. That position was held by Bellona instead.
After a moment of the two girls sizing each other up, deciding whether or not respect was deserved, Reyna dropped the attitude and smiled. Maybe she realized her own prejudices, or maybe she recognized a kindred spirit in Annabeth. Holding out her hand, she spoke, "A pleasure, Chase."
Annabeth relaxed, accepting the handshake with her own grin. "Right back at you. What brings you to New Athens?"
"Grad school." Reyna tucked the brochure into her back pocket as she spoke. "I'm here for a few weeks to check out the campus, see if your University might serve me better than the one in New Rome."
"Aren't you a sophomore though?"
Reyna shrugged, "Never too early to see my options."
Annabeth, a junior, supposed that was true. It was almost time for her to decide if she wanted to continue schooling after graduation herself, or go straight into the workforce with her Bachelors. The thought made her queasy, so she quickly changed the subject.
"Thalia is late, then?"
A nod from the brunette. "Yes, I told her I could find my own way around, but she insisted on giving me a tour."
That sounded like Thalia, who ran up panting as they spoke of her. It reminded Annabeth of herself the day before.
"Oof, sorry about that! Got caught up in uh… class."
Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me you're skipping!"
"Alright, I'm not skipping." Thalia grinned, then turned to Reyna with a twinkle in her eye. "But who else would be ready and able to show Miss Praetor here around properly?"
The Roman blushed lightly and Annabeth bit back a chuckle. Something told her Reyna wouldn't appreciate being laughed at.
The three girls started off across the quad, Thalia pointing out the buildings and other locations, Annabeth wondering why she had to be here in the first place. She wasn't exactly the greatest wingwoman, yet Thalia insisted on bringing her along whenever she had interest in a guy or girl.
Maybe she was trying to get Annabeth to date too.
The thought was ludicrous, but Annabeth glanced at Thalia all the same, wondering if her friend was trying to put the idea of dating in her head. It would be an odd, roundabout way to do so, but Thalia learned long ago that talking to Annabeth about dating was absolutely futile. Maybe this was her way of subliminally suggesting it. Which would be weird. Definitely weird.
It wasn't like Annabeth never had any interest in anyone! But while others seemed consumed by it, she would rather direct that focus and energy to her studies. There had been a boy here or there in the past, but nothing serious.
At least, nothing until now.
Not that she was serious about Seaweed Brain, she hardly knew him, but no one had quite captured her curiosity and interest before like he did. He was bold to a fault, impertinent throughout their conversations, acting as if they were long time friends. He seemed to trust her in a way she didn't understand, mainly because it was difficult for her to trust even her closest friends the way he did.
And all this, because of a few texts.
Annabeth was so lost in thought, she didn't notice Thalia calling her name until it was too late.
"Annabeth!"
"What?" She snapped out of it, Reyna and Thalia both staring at her. She got defensive, "What?!" she repeated.
"I was saying ," Thalia continued, "That Reyna would benefit greatly from our Heroics Program, right?"
Annabeth blinked. "Right, of course, she'd be a shoe-in."
Addressing Reyna, she continued. "It draws in Half Bloods for miles around since it gives a full ride scholarship. Now, you do have to take some advanced fighting and monster literacy classes, since the idea is we're 'training heroes,' but with your background, I bet you'd get in no problem."
"Interesting." Reyna seemed to consider it, studying her brochure once more, "I'll certainly look into it.
Thalia did a fist pump when Reyna couldn't see. Annabeth giggled.
The tour didn't take too much longer, and soon the three parted ways, Thalia having convinced Reyna to go out for drinks and Annabeth insisting she had to get back home to study.
Really, she needed to work on the game plan for her mother's temple, and maybe she wanted to talk to her text-friend a bit too. Which is why she was delighted when she finally got back to the dorms and turned on her phone to see the messages flood in.
5:43PM SEAWEED BRAIN
oh gods my day sucked too
well it didnt all suck
i got to hang out with my dad a bit
His dad? So his father was mortal then- godly parents never just "hung out" with their kids. And while it was not uncommon for gods to have children from same-sex relationships, he didn't seem like a child of Dionysus or Apollo, the two gods most likely to be caught up in such an affair. Musing about if he was a son of Hecate, or maybe Demeter (he was powerful, or so he said), she quickly wrote back.
5:46PM WISE GIRL
That's not too bad
I had to deal with nonsense all day.
And entirely too much work.
5:46PM SEAWEED BRAIN
awww im sorry wise girl :(
would it cheer u up if i said i had to deal with that stuff too?
5:46PM WISE GIRL
I don't know if that would cheer me up
Now I just feel sorry for the both of us.
5:47PM SEAWEED BRAIN
well damn haha
need to change my cheer up tactics then
ummm
how do u feel about blue food?
Annabeth squinted at her screen, trying to confirm she read that right.
5:48PM WISE GIRL
Blue food?
That's kind of random
It's ok? I haven't really eaten blue food before.
5:48PM SEAWEED BRAIN
oh man
its the best
ok when is ur bday?
She debated giving it to him. Not many people knew it, so he couldn't figure out who she was through her birthday, right?
5:48PM WISE GIRL
July 12th
5:49PM SEAWEED BRAIN
aw shit
i missed it
5:49PM WISE GIRL
Why does that matter?
5:50PM SEAWEED BRAIN
i was gonna bake u a cupcake!
5:50PM WISE GIRL
What
You can bake?
5:51PM SEAWEED BRAIN
haha yeah
is that surprising or something?
She tried imagining the same guy who seemed to get caught up in fights every other day wearing an apron and bustling around the kitchen with a sword strapped to his hip. It was a silly image.
5:51PM WISE GIRL
A little bit, yeah.
Thank you though, that's sweet.
5:51PM SEAWEED BRAIN
ill just have to make u one for the solstice
theyre delicious
5:51PM WISE GIRL
Well, when's yours?
Birthday, I mean
5:51PM SEAWEED BRAIN
august 18!
5:52PM WISE GIRL
Ah
Missed it.
5:52PM SEAWEED BRAIN
dont worry, we can celebrate next year
Next year? Was he serious?
5:52PM WISE GIRL
Do you think we will still be texting then?
5:52PM SEAWEED BRAIN
of course
ur fun to talk to
why would we stop?
5:52PM WISE GIRL
I don't know…
It's just weird, isn't it?
Talking like this, I mean
5:53PM SEAWEED BRAIN
not really!
people meet over the internet all the time
how is this any different?
5:53PM WISE GIRL
Well for starters, I don't even know what you look like!
Yet we're talking at all hours of the day
First thing in the morning, late into the night...
5:53PM SEAWEED BRAIN
do looks matter that much?
would u stop talking to me if i didnt look how u expect?
She thought about it. Maybe she had been coming across as shallow, but honestly? No matter who he turned out to be, she couldn't imagine ghosting him. That was no reason to ruin the start of a friendship.
5:54PM WISE GIRL
I wouldn't stop.
5:54PM SEAWEED BRAIN
i think its more fun this way
like a mystery!
5:54PM WISE GIRL
You really don't care who I am?
5:55PM SEAWEED BRAIN
nah
its ur mind and heart that matter, right?
and so far
i like what i see of both, wise girl
Annabeth bit her lip, heart fluttering.
5:55PM WISE GIRL
Are you flirting with me?
5:55PM SEAWEED BRAIN
haha
sometimes
should i stop?
5:56PM WISE GIRL
Don't you dare.