Jason Grace, Thalia's brother and law professor at New Athens University, somehow always ended up being the one to host the annual faculty Halloween party. And Christmas Party. And any party, really. He didn't seem like the type to enjoy that sort of thing, but Thalia had once confided in Annabeth that he did it all to have an excuse to invite Piper over without making it weird .
"I don't know why they don't just ask each other out already." Thalia had complained at the time.
Piper had made it clear to everyone but Jason that she would be more than happy to be invited for some one-on-one time, but either he was oblivious or far too nervous to actually bite the bullet and ask her out.
In any case, Annabeth agreed to attend the party, as she did every year, and had already donned her blue-gray dress and apron, a simply decorated straw hat sitting beside her sink. Her hair was already in a braid, and she was lifting the ginger-colored hair spray to her head when an insistent knock on the door interrupted.
"One minute!" She called.
The knocking became more insistent.
With a sigh, she put the can down and stalked across her apartment to the door, peaking through the peephole before unlocking the chain and swinging it open to reveal Silena Beauregard and Charles Beckendorf. Silena was a professor of Fashion Design, and she looked the part; her black hair was thick and shiny, pouring over her shoulders in soft curls like a waterfall, her blue eyes sparkling at the sight of Annabeth. Beckendorf, her fiancé, was a tall muscular Black man and head of the Engineering department. Annabeth blinked at them.
Atop Silena's head was a sparkling tiara, and a soft pink dress that wouldn't have been obviously hand-made to anyone but those who knew her well fell around her feet, draping over her arms and gathered in all the right places. Beckendorf wore a Princely-looking outfit, handsome with a brocade coat and vest, a ruffled ascot at his neck.
"We're here to pick you up!" Silena sang.
Annabeth raised an eyebrow, though she couldn't fight her smile, "You're early."
"I figured you might need help getting ready." Silena tossed a plastic bag into Annabeth's arms, strutting into the apartment. Beckendorf followed, giving Annabeth a sympathetic smile.
A frown came to her face, "Help me–? Silena, I am ready."
"Oh you are not going as that book character again, are you?"
"It's a comfortable costume!" Annabeth defended.
Silena stifled a giggle, perching on the couch, her skirts fanning around her in the most lovely way, "Look, just because it was a huge hit at a ComicCon–"
"Literature Con."
"When you were sixteen–"
"Eighteen."
"Yeah that– doesn't mean you should wear it for every costume party ever! Charlie, would you back me up?"
"I'm staying out of it." He chuckled.
"Oh you're no help at all." Silena whined, before turning her attention back to Annabeth, "Look, what's even the name of this character again?"
"Sophie Hatter, from Howl's Moving Castle."
"Isn't her dress green?" Beckendorf's brows knit together.
"In the movie it is. I'm dressed as book Sophie. Which I still need to spray my hair orange, by the way, so if you'll just give me one second–"
"Oh no you don't." Silena nodded to the bag still in Annabeth's arms, "I brought you something, and we are absolutely not, under any circumstances, spraying that beautiful hair of yours orange tonight!"
Annabeth knew that arguing with Silena was futile, so she sighed and headed back to the bathroom, bag still in hand, "Fine, fine, just give me a second."
She shut the door behind her, Silena calling that they'd need to curl her hair.
There were multiple pieces in the bag, all clearly expertly hand-made by Silena. Annabeth pulled them out one by one, her frown deepening. The material was soft, sure, and the gold bits were pretty, she supposed, but… She absolutely would not go anywhere dressed in such an on the nose, ridiculous, revealing–
When their car pulled up in front of the familiar home, Annabeth was desperately trying to tug down the skirt.
"Could you have at least made it historically accurate?" She complained, and Silena flashed a smile from the passenger seat.
"Nope. Tonight isn't about accuracy. It's about looking hot. Which you do." She looked at Annabeth pointedly, who rolled her eyes before clambering from the vehicle.
Her feet were adorned with brown leather sandals, criss-crossing all the way to her thighs. Her dress was an approximation of a toga, with a short skirt counterbalanced by long drapey bits that fluttered around her legs. A leather girdle of some sort cinched her waist, while gold jewelry wrapped up her arms, matching the accents sewn onto the white fabric of her outfit. Her blonde hair had been curled and pulled into a half-pony, with a band of gold leaves adorning her head. Silena had refused to let them leave until Annabeth had done her makeup darker too, with dramatic liner wings and smoked out shadow. Luckily, she had been allowed to go with a more neutral lipstick.
Annabeth felt ridiculous.
"You look great." Silena leaned in, her gloved arm wrapping around Annabeth's waist, "I made this forever ago for a final project in college– it's meant to be Aphrodite. So, perfect for you!"
The blonde snorted, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You know, the goddess of beauty? You fit the bill."
If Annabeth rolled her eyes any harder, they'd surely get stuck like that, "Yeah, and love . And I am pretty firmly–"
"Nonsense!" Silena giggled, pulling away to accept Beckendorf's arm to be led inside, "Who knows, maybe tonight it'll give you some luck!
"With who?! "
Silena just winked before being whisked away, leaving Annabeth feeling like a fool on the sidewalk. She debated leaving. But it was a long walk back to her apartment… And anyone who would give her a ride wouldn't want to leave for at least another few hours. A breeze blew through her, making her body shudder from the chill, and Annabeth decided she certainly could not walk home, not like this. With a huff, she tread across the meticulously cultivated lawn, ignoring the almost too-perfect jack-o-lanterns and calligraphed welcome sign taped to the open door.
Inside wasn't necessarily an improvement from the freezing outdoors.
Yes, college kids partied. But unbeknownst to most students, so did their teachers– especially those on the younger side. It wasn't a rager, but every room seemed more crowded than the last, costumed bodies almost shoulder to shoulder, tables ladened with punches and treats, and faces Annabeth only somewhat recognized waving at her as she tried to find someone, anyone she could complain to.
It struck her that maybe Jason didn't host these parties because of Piper, but because he was one of the only ones with a house large enough to accommodate everyone who would want to attend.
"Annabeth!"
She turned, mouth falling open in surprise as a mustachioed Thalia with slicked back hair and a white tank top pushed her way through to her, "I almost didn't recognize you! Where's the Sadie–"
"Sophie."
"–costume?"
"Silena happened." Annabeth gestured vaguely to her outfit, "So… this is it."
"Well you look fantastic." Thalia grinned, the mustache drooping funnily over her lips.
Annabeth blinked at her friend, "Are you…?"
"Freddy Mercury? Why yes I am."
"I didn't realize you were a Queen fan."
"I'm not all punk music all the time, Annabeth." Thalia tugged her towards the closest punch table, "I am a fully realized human being. I have multitudes. I have layers."
"You have definitely been drinking already."
"Of course." Annabeth's hands were suddenly wrapped around a red solo cup, some sort of spooky concoction swirling from within, and Thalia grinned at her, "Now it's time for you to get on my level, Chase."
"I didn't plan on drinking tonight…" Annabeth wrinkled her nose, sniffing the punch. It was way too sweet for her tastes.
"Aw, come on, you don't know how to let loose without at least one drink!"
The blonde goddess looked offended, "I do too!"
"Sure, sure, drink up!"
With another roll of her eyes, Annabeth found herself acquiescing, bringing the plastic cup to her lips and taking a sip.
Yup. Definitely way too sweet.
"Come on, I think Piper and Jason are around here somewhere. You'll love their costumes." Thalia was gripping Annabeth's wrist again, dragging her past vampires and witches and royalty and comic book heroes.
The house was huge, but it didn't take them long to find Jason and Piper tucked into a corner in the kitchen.
Jason Grace shared a single trait with his older sister; electric blue eyes. Otherwise, he was almost too… normal . Tall. Blonde. In shape. He had a small scar on his upper lip, but that did little to marr the brilliant smile on his face as he gazed down at Piper. At first, Annabeth thought he might have been dressed in regular work wear, with his glasses and button up shirt and slacks, but as they came closer she realized the shirt was unbuttoned to reveal a Superman t-shirt beneath. Figures.
Piper had donned the most elaborate Wonder Woman costume Annabeth had ever seen, leather armor with metal adornments, a gold circlet on her head, and a whip tucked into her belt. She was explaining something to Jason, voice strained to be heard over the noise, "So the creator, he had this BDSM polyamorous relationship, right? And he based the character off of his girlfriend and wife, and his girlfriend would wear these metal bracelets, you see, and she– Oh!" Her eyes widened when she caught sight of Annabeth, "Holy fucking shit!"
Annabeth once more wished she had simply told Silena "no", but that had almost never been something she was capable of.
"Ann! A! Beth!" Piper exclaimed every syllable of her name and despite herself, Annabeth allowed for a small smile to grace her lips. "You look amazing!"
"Thanks, Piper." She self-consciously tugged at the back of the skirt again. It was definitely too short.
With a grin, Piper grabbed Annabeth by the arm, dragging her closer to the counter and turning to mix some beverages, "What kind of drink do you want? A cocktail, a beer, a–"
"I already have punch." Annabeth held up her cup and her colleague snorted.
"Which you should be downing right now. Come on, we're on a time limit, don't make me bring out the tequila shots!"
Annabeth's nose wrinkled, but with a sigh, she knocked her punch back. It was still too sweet– dangerously so. She could barely taste the alcohol, though the tell-tale fuzziness of her head when she finished told her it was much stronger than it tasted.
"Well? What would you like?" Piper was grinning, and Annabeth sighed.
"A… margarita?"
"You got it babe."
Annabeth hovered between Jason and Thalia as she waited for her drink to be made, listening to them bicker quietly;
"Why aren't you wearing the full suit we got you?"
"It was too tight! It showed… way, way too much."
"It's Halloween, Jason. You're allowed to be slutty."
"I don't think anyone I work with wants to see me be that slutty."
In no time, Annabeth's hands were wrapped around a new cup, this one with her name written on it in permanent marker. Their little group found a spot to sit in Jason's living room, and Annabeth scrolled idly on her phone to pass the time, giving noncommittal hums every time someone tried to invite her into the conversation.
Then, just as she was mustering up the courage to ask Thalia to drive her home, everyone's attention was diverted.
"Holy shit." Thalia began laughing, a grin spreading on her face as her eyes caught sight of something near the front door. "Pipes, you seeing this?"
"I sure am." Piper herself was smiling ear to ear, glancing back at Annabeth with a smirk.
Annabeth tore her eyes from her phone, following Thalia's gaze with a frown that only deepened when she spotted what everyone was looking at. Perseus Jackson had arrived, adorned in a toga, laurels on his head, and a rubber chicken in hand.
"You match! " Thalia cackled, clapping her hands in delight. Annabeth wanted to rip that stupid mustache off her in retaliation, but instead she snatched the drink from her friend's hands and downed it, dismayed to find it was filled with more of that sickening punch.
"Hey!" Freddie Mercury complained, pouting, "I could have gotten you another one–"
"Oh he's coming over here–" Wonder Woman interrupted, and Annabeth averted her gaze as the shirtless professor draped in what looked like bedsheets approached.
"Hey guys," Perseus grinned, waving a hand.
"What's with the chicken?" Jason nodded his head at the toy in Percy's hands.
"Oh, this? I'm–"
"Diogenes," Annabeth interrupted, "Plato famously defined man as 'a featherless biped.' Philosophers loved it, but Diogenes–"
"He burst into Plato's school with a plucked chicken and declared it to be 'Plato's man.'" Perseus finished with a chuckle. Jason nods.
"Clever."
Annabeth could feel Perseus' eyes burning a hole right through her, though she refused to meet his gaze, and at last he says, "Aphrodite, right?"
"Athena." She disagreed for the sake of denying him the satisfaction of being correct.
His eyebrows raised, "Shouldn't you have armor?"
"This is her casual wear. Who would want to wear armor to a party?"
She didn't intend it to be funny, but Perseus laughed all the same, "Ha, even still, either could work. Athena was beautiful too." And with that, he turned and walked off.
Annabeth blinked. Her face felt warm and she could feel the eyes of her colleagues on her. Before any of them could say anything, she stood, storming off after Perseus.
She found him near the punch.
" Excuse me?!"
"Oh, here." He moved out of the way, pressing a cup of punch into her hands.
"No not– what did you mean by that?! "
"By what?"
"By… the… you know what!" She huffed, taking a long drink from the cup he had handed her despite herself. Her head felt fuzzy, her speech slurred slightly, and she felt like leaning on the nearest person– but seeing as that person was Perseus, she fought the urge.
He shrugged, "Sorry, not sure what you're referring to.
Annabeth frowned up at him, scowling, opening her mouth to tear into him when she thought better of it. They were surrounded by people, coworkers, and she didn't want to give them more ammunition for the rumor mill. "Not here."
He frowned, "Not here?"
"Not here," She confirmed, glancing around at the numerous bodies around them, before setting her cup on the table and grabbing his wrist, dragging him towards the stairs. She caught sight of Leo in the shittiest Party City Batman costume she had ever seen, squeezing between Piper and Jason on the couch now that Annabeth wasn't hanging around. She saw Luke, schmoozing some teachers dressed as Anakin Skywalker. She saw witches, vampires, and ghosts, but she ignored them all, taking the steps two at a time when she reached them. Perseus, for what it was worth, kept up with her easily.
Up here it was quieter, but they still could be seen from below, so she opened the first door she could find and gestured for Perseus to step inside. He raised an eyebrow, but obliged, Annabeth following behind him.
What she expected was a bedroom, or maybe even a bathroom. What she found was the tiniest closet imaginable, and she felt her face burn red as the door closed behind them, the automatic light clicking on.
It was quiet. Annabeth's head was swimming from the punch and the much too strong margarita Piper had made for her, and Perseus was waiting patiently for her to begin speaking. Finally, she jabbed a finger at him.
"Don't mock me!"
He exhaled, "What part of what I said sounded like mockery, princess?"
Annabeth felt her blood begin to boil and she sputtered indignantly, "Y-you just did it again!"
"Did what?"
"You're making fun of me!"
"I promise I'm not."
They stared at each other, Annabeth glowering, her grey eyes filled with anger, Perseus looking defiantly back, neither one planning on backing down.
Annabeth was suddenly too aware. Despite the brain fog from the drinks, the world around her sharpened– Her chest pressed to his, the feel of soft coats brushing against her bare arms, the way he was looking at her… He didn't look angry. In fact, he was entirely unreadable. And close. Annabeth sucked in a breath, trying to steady herself and maintain her anger as she stared up at him.
Finally, she spoke, "You're… just… insufferable."
"And you're annoying." Came his quick reply.
"Well you're presumptuous!"
"You're judgemental."
"Prick!"
"Spoiled–"
"Contemptible–"
"Bratty–"
"Arrogant–"
"Stuck up–"
"I loathe you!" She finally declared, placing a hand on his chest and shoving lightly. Of course, there was nowhere for him to go, and his eyes flashed with that same something that Annabeth couldn't place.
"And you expect me to answer with the same?" He countered, leaning forward, looming over her. Annabeth swallowed, her heart beat picking up. His voice was dark, low, and it sent a shiver down her spine. Her eyes darted from his eyes to his mouth, where she could just make out that freckle on his upper lip.
"Yes." She breathed, realizing they were inches away from one another.
"Mm." He moved as if to pull away.
And Annabeth, head swirling with alcohol, inhibitions lowered, heart beating harder than it had in so long, did the stupidest thing she could imagine.
Her hands grabbed a fistful of his toga, dragging him down to her level as her mouth pressed to his.
All at once, her body was flooded with warmth, her head spinning and the closet tilting on the earth's axis as her heart nearly beat out of her body. Yes, Annabeth Chase loathed Perseus Jackson. She loathed him for his impossibly good looks. She loathed his smile, crooked, but in a way that only added to the perfection of his face. She loathed how effortlessly charming he was. She loathed that he changed her syllabus, argued with her, picked the best students for the most interesting jobs, and that he'd called her a "crone" that first day. But most of all, she loathed that he was everything that she wasn't– what she couldn't have.
But in milliseconds, the rational part of her brain caught up with her. And Annabeth pulled back with a gasp, looking horrified with herself, "Oh, God, I– I'm so sorr–"
She didn't even have a chance to get the apology for her reckless behavior out. Because Perseus Jackson was grabbing at her, kissing her, one hand tangling in her curly hair while the other caught fistfuls of her dress, grabbed her hip, wrapped around her waist. There was a dull squeak as the stupid rubber chicken fell to the floor. Her surprise at this response ebbed quickly, and soon Annabeth was matching his ferocity, biting at his lower lip, tugging on his hair, pressing up against him as he roughly pushed her back into the wall.
Somehow it was seamless. She lifted her leg to hook it around him and he reached down to grab it, rubbing her thigh, never stopping in his barrage of kisses. Annabeth whimpered softly, and he shushed her, "You don't want to get caught, do you Princess?"
The auto light shut off, but neither stopped. It was like a dam they'd both been holding back had broken, and neither could get the flood that followed under control. He worked his way from her lips to her jaw, down to her neck, and Annabeth swore she saw stars as he began nipping and licking at the sensitive skin there, shivers rushing through her yet again.
He pressed a kiss to her throat and chuckled, a low sound in the dark, "What was that you were saying about 'loathing' me?"
"Sh-shut up!" Annabeth groaned, grabbing his face and pressing their lips together once more. His leg was positioned firmly between hers and she rubbed herself on him, eliciting a hiss from Perseus' throat.
" Annabeth… " He murmured her name, and God it sounded good when he said it like that, filled with desire, just for her.
" Percy… !" She gasped as the hand tangled in her hair relaxed to cup her head, and he chuckled again. Annabeth couldn't help but ask, "S-something funny…?"
"I told you I'd get you to call me Percy before the semester was out." He teased.
Before she could say anything more, their lips crashed together again. Annabeth let her hands wander, feeling his bare chest, the thin fabric of the toga, stretched her arms to drape over his shoulders, her fingers tangling in his mess of a black mop once more. He bit and sucked at her lips which were already becoming swollen, and Annabeth moaned into his mouth. No one was up here. No one would hear them.
After another breathless moment of roaming hands, rough touches, and rougher kisses, Percy finally pulled back, breathing heavily. Annabeth could barely make out his face in the dark, but she knew if she could see him his face would be flushed and his pupils dilated. She would kill to know what expression he wore.
"How many… drinks have you had…?" He finally asked.
Annabeth did a mental tally, "Four…? No, wait, three and a half…"
She could feel his nod more than she could see it, "Then we stop here."
"But–!" A finger to her lips cut her off, and his laugh made her heart skip a beat.
"Yeah, I know, you want to jump these bones and have since the day you laid eyes on me."
"That isn't–"
"But," He continued as if she hadn't interrupted, "I was in the midst of getting my first drink when you so kindly interrupted me for… this . Seems a bit unmatched."
Annabeth could feel Percy lean in again, could feel his soft lips press to her cheek, and she let out a huff of frustration. This seemed to amuse him.
"You're more impatient than I would have guessed."
"You're just as annoying as ever." Annabeth grumbled back, her heart finally beginning to slow down and her brain nearly catching up with the situation. She was being… stupid. Utterly idiotic. Kissing him, of all people… Not only kissing him, throwing herself at him, and he was the one who decided to be responsible. She wanted to disappear into the coats, slip through them and discover some magical land with lampposts and talking lions rather than face the consequences of her actions.
But this wasn't a fantastical children's book. This was real life. A real life she needed to return to. She barely caught that Percy was speaking to her, so lost in the minutia of their situation she was.
"So should we go downstairs together or–"
"No!" She responded perhaps too quickly, "No, no I… this… I wasn't…"
"Then I'll go first." There was a grin in his voice, and she caught just a peek of it as he swung open the door to let the light in, before he disappeared and she was left in the dark once more.
Annabeth counted to ten. Then twenty. Then thirty. She steadied her breaths, her heart, her body. Then, she opened the door herself and slipped out onto the landing. Percy had already disappeared back into the crowd below, and she carefully descended the stairs, making her way back to her friends. Leo spotted her first and he blanched.
"Uh, be right back guys, vengeance calls!" He swooped away, his shitty cape billowing behind him.
Piper raised an eyebrow, "What was that abo– Oh God, Annabeth! What happened to your hair?!"
"My hair?" Her brow furrowed and she reached up a hand to try and feel the problem.
"It's a mess– come here." Piper tsked softly, her hands already working to separate Annabeth's curls and smooth them out as she frantically tried to think up a possible excuse.
"Um, it was hot, upstairs, so I opened a window and… it was the wind." Annabeth finally spoke. Confusion painted Jason's features.
"Upstairs? Why were you–"
"Bathroom. The one down here was occupied."
Jason nodded. Thalia was studying Annabeth carefully and she took a step forward.
"Your lipstick is smudged. Here," She rubbed her thumb under her lip and Annabeth flushed, pulling away and wiping at her mouth.
"It's fine, that… does it look alright now?"
Thalia nodded, "Mmhmm. You feeling okay?"
"Actually, could you give me a ride home?" Annabeth tugged at a wayward curl.
"Yeah, but it's not even eleven, you sure…?"
"I'm sure."
They said their goodbyes and Annabeth followed Thalia to the front door, glancing behind as they left. Percy was standing there, his eyes on her, his expression as unreadable as ever, but Annabeth swore she caught that same something in his eyes that always eluded her, a quirk of his lips, and then he–
To her horror, he winked at her.
Flushing deep red, Annabeth hurried out the door, wondering what on earth she was going to do come Monday morning.