Chapter 25: Sleep Over III

Percy

"….."

To say this was very awkward would be an understatement because Percy just didn't know what to do or how to act with the only other person in the room with him. Blond hair, blue eyes, lean and muscular body type… This boy who looked barely a year older carried forward such a strong aura of importance that Percy couldn't help but feel somewhat inferior. There was a sort of determination and confidence behind his nature that Percy was truthfully a little envious of.

But surely, he seemed a little too confident, even a bit arrogant if he was telling the truth. It would be beyond pathos if he was just putting up a tough front. However, Percy doubt that outward confidence was just for show. If need be, he most likely could back it up, whatever it might be.

Despite Percy being another guy, even he could tell the boy with straight blond hair while he leaned on a dresser was the strong, handsome, and silent type. No doubts he was very popular with the girls in his school, after all, Percy knew all too well how that felt like.

Everything about him just made Percy a little jealous, as he was nowhere near as lean and muscular as the other boy in the room with him, nor as confident with his appearance. Percy could only wish he had those qualities, or at least, on the same par as the boy who was told to keep an eye on him until dinner was ready.

"Um… It's Jason, right?"

A little more than ten minutes have passed since he followed Annabeth and the twin siblings up to the third floor, the highest floor in the mansion. Though they separated when they've reached a corridor to two rooms. One was Annabeth's. The other one was the guest room. Apparently, the guest room was right next to hers, a fact that put a dampener on his entire being. A girl named Thalia took on watching Annabeth, while Jason was stuck watching with him.

For some unknown reason, Jason didn't seem too content with his babysitting responsibility. Not that Percy could blame him though. He wasn't too comfortable about this arrangement either. However, he was a guest right now and just staying for the night at Annabeth's home, so it would be rude to argue with Mrs. Chase regardless of his feelings.

Meanwhile, Percy's greeting was met with utter silence.

Instead, Jason looked rather agitated. There must be something else much more important that he wanted to do, and Percy could only guess what that might be.

Perhaps that's the reason why Jason didn't even try to initiate a conversation with him. It was an awkward position to be in when he just stood on the sideline and stared at him with an empty expression. Percy tried not to be bothered by it, and given that Jason didn't seem to mind or care about it either, he left their non-verbal interaction as it was easy enough.

"Ahem…" Awkwardly, Percy shifted away to the opposite side of the room and left Jason alone.

Ever since he stepped through the door, Percy had been eager to check around his guest room in the Chase Mansion. It was massive! For all he knew, this one-person bedroom might as well be the master bedroom, then again, he had never stepped foot inside any mansion before so he wouldn't know.

Everything was coming through his imagination right now, but compared to his small bedroom back home which was large enough as it was, all these empty spaces felt kind of silly and excessive. With an absurd amount of decorations and entertainment than he could possibly indulge in, a sudden deep voice broke his train of thought and his fascination.

It was Jason who spoke after a long delay. The tone in his voice sounded rough yet curious.

"Mm-hmm. What about it?" Percy's awkward greeting earned him a soft grunt from Jason, "And you are Percy, right?"

"Yep." Percy tried to be polite despite the nonchalant and standoffish attitude coming off of the boy with blond hair. He went over and extend his hand which seemed silly and stiff, but Percy did it regardless, "Nice to meet you."

His electric blue eyes narrowed a bit at his right hand, then he shook his head and sighed in a mocking, even contempt manner. Jason shook his hand with him and said, "Sure. Nice to meet you too."

Upon a closer look, Percy realized something strange with Jason's face. Specifically, there was a tiny, barely visible scar marking him from the top of his left eye down to his cheekbone. It was the one thing that sort of ruined his perfectly good-looking features.

Like Percy imagined, Jason could very well be the next ideal supermodel for a fashion designer given the way he looked and how he was built, but… well, Percy wasn't really the one to judge others, but he doubt his rough-looking features and those intimidating blue eyes would bold well for his image if he were to walk down a runway.

Plus, it wasn't like he was the type to do modeling in the first place. Percy just couldn't imagine his bodyguard trying on new risky fashion as his career of choice.

"So…" Percy tried to find something to talk about, "Are you- I mean, do you work for Mrs. Chase?"

Again, his blue eyes narrowed in a slightly annoying way.

"That's a dumb question…" Jason said simply, and coming from someone who probably wasn't as smart as Annabeth, that hurt Percy's pride.

Percy slumped forward and thrown his head down, "Okay. Yeah, that's dumb. But I guess what I am asking is what do you do for Mrs. Chase? Are you really a bodyguard?"

"Hmm…" Another grunt of a sort.

Yep. It was a one-way street with a dead end. That much was obvious. Jason was in no mood to have any sort of chat with him. Instead, he did as he was told by Annabeth's mom, Athena, to watch over him until dinner was ready, and that's exactly what he was doing. Nothing more, nothing less.

Percy was about to resign himself to something else- perhaps a warm shower to wash off the rainfall that soaked through his school uniform; it was still damp some places, which reminded him that he had no other clothes whatsoever to sleep in tonight- when Jason replied much to his surprise.

"I guess you could say that."

Percy looked at Jason for clarification and was thoroughly surprised that he actually got the nuance behind his gaze. And there I thought he might be a dense guy, given my overall impression of him and the way he talk to me with a bit of indifference.

"I do anything that she wishes for me to do, as long as it's within my power, that's all."

Huh? Doesn't that just sounds like—

"Oh. Okay…" Percy decided not to poke any further. He had a feeling that one wrong question, Jason wouldn't hesitated to throw him out the windows or something.

Since he didn't have anything else to keep their conversation going- or rather, Percy was hesitant to ask when Jason already look annoyed enough, he settled with his early goal.

"So… I guess I'll take a shower… Where is the bathroom?"

Jason pointed toward the wall farthest away from the doorway, "It's behind that wooden panel. Just slide it open. Also, she left some clothes for you."

Jason shifted away from the dresser and pulled the top drawer open. There was a set of pajamas inside, even a pair of underwear. It all looked rather new. Percy couldn't help but felt relieved that he didn't have to sleep with a pair of soak boxers.

Wait? How did she know my size already?

"Ah-hem… Thanks," Percy cleared his throat in embarrassment.

"Also, leave your clothes in the basket by the door. She figured you want them washed and dried by tomorrow morning." Jason instructed.

Percy couldn't believe this: the fact that he was getting treated so wonderfully even though he was a complete stranger to Mrs. Chase. He was only staying for the night because- well, everything that happened today with Annabeth, "Oh. Uh… thanks?"

Jason stayed still after saying everything. Percy stood awkwardly until he realized that was it, that's all he wanted to say. He hurriedly made his way to the panel Jason was talking about.

"I- I guess I should thank you too," Percy said as he fumbled with the wooden panel that looked identical to the rest of the wall. It felt almost like a hidden secret room or something.

"What for?" Jason replied instantaneously which threw Percy off guard.

"Well, you know…" Percy hadn't actually thought ahead when those words slipped out, "… for keeping an eye on me? I have a feeling you didn't really want to do it, even though you were asked to, so…"

His expression changed. Jason waved him off almost too quickly, "Whatever… It's fine. I'll be outside the room if you need something else."

Before Percy could even make a reply, Jason was gone at the speed of lightning. All he saw when he tilted his head was a flash of faint electric blue light behind his trail.

I must be seeing things... Percy ignored that strange hallucination and some even stranger sense he suddenly felt.

As soon as Jason left, a series of random thoughts passed his mind, where Percy couldn't help but wonder if Jason really hate him. But it's not like he could do anything about that, so he slipped inside the fancy-looking bathroom and took a quick shower.

… Or rather, it was supposed to be quick until his fascination for such a huge bathroom prolonged it indefinitely.

When Percy finally came out with a clean towel around his waist, he realized all his clothes plus his school uniform were gone, even the weave basket. Strange, as he didn't hear anyone coming in to take them away. Hopefully, it was Jason who snuck back in and took them to the wash, and it wasn't someone playing a prank on him.

Percy went back into the main bedroom only to see that it was empty. Jason wasn't here. Feeling lucky that he was alone now, Percy made his way to the dresser, relieved to see that the new set of pajamas was still there and he could get change without Jason watching him.

That would be real awkward… Percy thought as that uncomfortable scenario played in his head.

After a bit of fumbling, Percy slipped on the underwear, then put on a pair of grey pants before throwing a loose top above his head. It was all very comfy and surprisingly snug, and Percy was still curious how Mrs. Chase would know his size just from looking at him.

"Now, what to do?" He put the wet towel neatly on a hanger to prevent making a mess.

With so much freedom and time, Percy felt a bit anxious. The huge room made him feel a bit uneasy as well, and he wasn't used to anything around him. Of course, he could try to find something to do, like reading a book, watching the TV, just something that could keep him occupied, but he also didn't want to mess with anything without permission, even if this was only a guest room.

Despite not really wanting to, Percy knew he should see if Jason was still outside the door. He went over and peek his head through the doorway.

"Hey, Jas-"

Met with an even emptier hallway, Percy was surprised. Instead of keeping an eye on him, Jason left him completely alone by himself. It was exactly what Mrs. Chase didn't want, yet Percy didn't dwell on it too much. After all, there was an awkward atmosphere around both of them that Percy wasn't ready to experience again.

Tilting his green eyes to do a left and right scan, the hallway was lit up perfectly with small lamps along the corridor and lights from overhead, a sudden cool breeze blew behind him from the window toward the doorway, chilling the air around him a bit.

Sigh…

Percy should honestly be glad, but there was something about being alone and how he felt at the moment that he just couldn't get over. This feeling went beyond the unfamiliarity of staying the night at Annabeth's mansion home, and he felt— nervous… like being by himself or something was keeping him on edge.

"Oh well," Percy went over to the bed and plopped down.

Faced up at the mahogany carved ceiling and a small chandelier off to the side, Percy tried to ease his mind by closing his eyes for a bit. He wanted to relax and to calm his nerves.

… Yet not half a minute have passed before he was interrupted.

"Everything okay, Percy?"

Startled, Percy shot up from the bed yet he saw no one else in the room with him. His instinct went from zero to a hundred real quick, both his green eyes narrowed at every corner. The fright only amplified his alarm state since he was all alone by himself, making the feeling even worse.

"Who's there?!"

The reply came much calmer than he was expecting, "Huh? What do you mean? It's Owlfred."

Oh my God! It's only Owlfred… But where is he?

Holding a huge breath in his chest without even knowing it, every part of his body was so tense that Percy would no doubt get cramps later. Once he realized who that voice belonged to though, a long sigh escaped from his throat with that reassurance. Percy slumped backward and lay flat with relief after getting the fright of his life.

"Jason went away with something important to do, so he told me to come and check up on you."

Closing his eyes, Percy chuckled with short breaths since his heart was still beating rapidly out of his chest, "Please don't scare me like that again, Owlfred."

There was a short pause, "I see. I should apologize then because I forget you weren't used to how I operated yet. I guess I should give you a warning next time."

A ball of blue light materialized out of nowhere beside the bed, "Maybe this will help ease your nerves when I want to speak with you?"

Percy calmed down and smiled, "Yes. Please do…"

"No problem." Owlfred's replied blithely, "Well, do you need anything else? If not, I should-"

"Uh… wait!" He blurted out before he had a chance to think.

It was a bit of a selfish request, but Percy didn't want to be alone, and the thought about Owlfred staying with him so he could have some company sounded amazing. After all, he had nothing else to do.

"Can we talk?"

Rotating around, the sphere oscillated and expanded, "Okay. What do you want to talk about?"

Suddenly, words were frozen and Percy couldn't respond. Captivated by the holographic sphere with trillions of neon blue dots, Percy thought he saw something when they moved accordingly. It was unexplainable, his senses felt out of sync.

As far as Percy could tell, there was no way he could understand what Owlfred was thinking, yet… He felt like he could read between the oscillations of the blue sphere, revealing every bit of his emotions, his being, his existence…

For instance: Percy could tell Owlfred was very curious of him, yet he sensed apprehension approaching a level of genuine fear. But why?

"Percy? You okay?"

That somehow snapped him awake. Percy cleared his throat awkwardly to speak, yet no words were coming out. Again, Percy hadn't actually thought ahead. The fact that he wasn't familiar with anyone in Annabeth's family remained true even now, and it put into perspective how much of a stranger he was in this even stranger home. Percy just didn't know what to talk to Owlfred about.

"Yeah, I am fine. I just-" Then a thought hit him.

Is Annabeth a stranger then? Even though we've gotten along so well…

The logical answer was already obvious, as only a short week had passed since he met her in that coffee shop; Percy could never forget about it, the spectacular and disastrous encounter that made their unlikely paths cross.

Despite their romantic and cliché-as-hell meeting, Percy knew they couldn't be anything more than two strangers who quickly became friends at school- even if somewhere deep inside his beating heart, something else was screaming instead.

It never once crossed his mind until now that he didn't want his relationship with Annabeth to stay this way forever.

Whenever he thought about her, his heart would thump real fast, and it's been happening steadily since the first day they've met. What made it worse was: Annabeth's a very attractive and beautiful girl. No one in their right mind would deny that. Even Percy, who once swore never to pay too much attention on any one girl, sometimes found himself helplessly glue to her cuteness and alluring charm. Fun and delightful to be around, there was never a dull moment when he was by her side, and everything just became so natural and automatic.

Truly, it was effortless when they were together, and Annabeth just put him at ease like no other person in his life. He might not have wanted to realize it, but she was beginning to mean something more to him than just his tutor or his new friend at school.

No matter how much denying was going on inside him, it was obvious he liked her a lot. Still, the apparent reality between them made it hard to admit that he had any of those feelings for her, that he wanted something more with Annabeth who accidentally and literally crash into his life.

But does she?

That question brought back what Athena had said earlier in the living room: it's no wonder why she likes you… It was already a pretty clear answer, but Percy didn't have to confidence to interpret what that might have meant, to dive deep into those words.

Ugh! Why am I overthinking so much about this?

Not usually the type to linger on stuff like this, Percy felt himself getting a headache with how complex of a cobweb he was weaving. Or rather… He didn't understand why everything about Annabeth could be so complex all of a sudden?

To be honest, I don't want to be a stranger to Annabeth. I want to get to know her more… to progress our relationship m-more? Okay, that just sounded seriously creepy. Still, if I really wanted to get to know Annabeth, getting to know her family too would be a good way to start.

Percy turned his glossy and daydreaming eyes back to Owlfred.

"Percy? Are you sure you are okay?" He sounded more and more concerned at each interval.

He had to snap out of it again.

"Ahem. Don't worry, Owlfred." Percy recovered, "I'm bored, so I wanted some company, that's all."

Percy saw those blue orbs moved and mentally envision a small smile on Owlfred, "I see. Well, I appreciate you wanting me as your company, and I'll gladly stay with you until dinner is ready."

Percy smiled back as well, now finally thinking of something to ask his AI companion.

"Say, Owlfred? Can you really appear anywhere you want?" Percy asked, "How does that even work?"

Percy's question was less out of curiosity but rather more out of genuine concern. If Owlfred could indeed appear anywhere he liked without so much of a warning, it was inevitable that he would catch him in some embarrassing moments. Specifically, he was referring to just moments ago, when he put on his pajama clothes.

Instead of a clear answer, Owlfred replied, "I am afraid Athena had strict rules about revealing my protocol, but in essence, there are many different sensors around the mansion, and those sensors allowed me to materialize myself like this and talk freely anywhere I desire to go. I am restricted from contact with the outside world, as such, I am only allowed in areas where Athena had full ownership, like the manor, the penthouse, the car, as such."

Wow… Percy was in awe, his capacities far exceeded his expectation. Like Annabeth told him, Owlfred was beyond today's science and far more advance. It was a true AI. Still, Percy had one more question that he really wanted to know.

"Can you see through those sensors?"

"Ahh." Owlfred's shifting glow suggested he hit a light bulb, "I see what you are saying. The answer is no. I don't see in the way you are used to seeing."

"Huh?"

Owlfred took on explaining, "In a sense, I could still see everything, but not in the same way humans do. For me, everything is a three-dimensional algorithm that fluctuates according to the sensors, giving me clear and precise visualization of the environment around me. Forms, objects, people… I could see all of them, but I could never see in the real ways humans do. The vibrancy of colors is only something I could mimic with my calculation and imagination."

So Owlfred didn't actually see me naked. Huh? Why do I feel so relieved about that?

"So to answer your question: No, I didn't see your nude form when you were changing your clothes, not in the real sense that humans do anyway."

His mouth slipped open in pure shock, stuck with an incredulous expression and he never learned to close them again, not even after a full minute had passed. To be honest, Percy wasn't sure if Owlfred's matter-of-fact answer made him feel better, or worse… Yep, probably just worse.

"Ahem… I- I didn't care about that." Percy denied quickly.

Owlfred saw right through him, or at least, it was according to an innate and unknown process inside his head that he seemingly didn't have control over, nor possibly understand. It was almost like an automatic script was telling him all of Owlfred's feelings and thoughts. He even saw a mental smirk from the AI that didn't have a physical body. Am I going crazy? Thinking that I could understand an AI?

"Anyways, how long have you been watching me?" Percy asked.

"Hmm? It was around the time when Jason told me to check on you, so about ten minutes give or take."

"Ten minutes?!" Percy couldn't believe it. Just ten minutes ago, he was still in the shower. Given that sensors were all over the mansion, as Owlfred explained…. Oh my God! Was he watching him in the shower too? Even though Percy knew his 'sight' was only a three-dimensional visualization of a sort, that revelation didn't make him feel any better.

"Um… Is it possible that the next time I am taking a shower, you turn off the sensors or something so you couldn't see- me taking a shower?" Percy was so embarrassed he had to bit away his urge to crawl underneath the sheets of the bed and hide.

Owlfred moved a bit closer to the bed, the blue orb phased through the wooden frame like a knife to butter, yet left no lasting damage to anything, "Hmm?" He was studying him with that curious hum that made Percy shivered restlessly, "You are a strange fellow, Percy. But if that's your wish, I promise I will go away the next time you are in the shower."

Percy coughed a few times, "Thank you."

Owlfred didn't reply.

"Um… next question." Percy said, "Do you think Jason hates me?"

It was a far cry in his attempt to find out how Jason felt about him, but given that Owlfred could see everything in the mansion, it wouldn't be that much of a long shot to find something concrete about Jason, or even know why he's so standoffish with him.

"Oh? Jason? Well, he's not that easiest person to get along with, I admit." Owlfred explanation didn't reveal much because Percy could gather as much after his tensed and awkward interaction with him earlier, "He's just like that with everyone, not that I could blame him, after all, his—"

Owlfred paused at a weird spot and stop talking altogether.

Percy picked up on the nuance right away, but he still wanted to know, "I see… but is there a chance that he doesn't like me specifically, because I get the feeling he hates me or something."

Again, Percy wasn't expecting another straightforward answer from his AI companion because what Owlfred said next made him regret asking, or at least, he was hoping for him to say otherwise.

"Oh? If you are talking about the probability ratio of Jason hating you, then I estimated a high likelihood of that being that case. Do you want to hear that statistic of that?"

A deadpan look went over Percy's face. He raised his hand slowly to signal another question that in all probability would result in another straightforward answer from Owlfred, "uhh… how high exactly?"

It was supposed to be sarcastic, but Owlfred didn't grasp it.

"I calculated a ninety-eight percent chance that he does. Based on his nonverbal movements, tone of voice, and subtle features when I was talking with him, it is in all likelihood that Jason doesn't like you very much."

Humorless by the unprovoked attack of his pride, Owlfred left him dumbfounded and Percy said as dryly as possible, "Thank you very much for clearing that up, Owlfred."

"You are very welcome, Percy," Owlfred replied as casually as possible and completely unfazed.

I was actually making fun of you, Owlfred… Percy stared at the blue orb with half-witted eyes, green waves dripping with a fresh dose of sardonic skepticism.

It might be the case that Owlfred didn't understand sarcasm- a highly unlikely scenario because Percy saw a smirk, one that reveal the advanced AI was teasing him all along. Yep. Percy was getting tease and make fun of by an entity that was entire built from the ground up from computer codes.

...That realization alone hurt his pride more than the tease itself.

Percy slumped forward in defeat, a dark cloud hung over his head as he bounced the question to Owlfred instead, "But you don't hate me, do you?" Percy gave the humorous AI a faint and hopeful smile.

Owlfred immediately replied, "Of course not! I found you very interesting. After all, you are the first person- or should I say the first boy- who has gotten this close with the princess in just a mere week. I was surprised, actually. It's fascinating to see how much effect you have on her, and it's been fun watching you two grow closer every day."

Percy couldn't register the words fast enough in his suddenly dazed brain. Again, his mouth went and stay agape in disbelief, but it was the last part that got stuck in his head for some reason, "Wait? What do you mean by every day?"

Ka-Boom!

"What was that?" Percy interrupted himself.

It was a loud thud sound, but the intensity of it sound almost like an explosion. What's more, the sound came from the other side of the wall. Suddenly, Percy felt his skin crawl.

"Is that from Annabeth's room?"

"Y-yes…" Owlfred said hesitantly, "We should see what the princess is up to with Thalia."

"Wait! You want me to go to Annabeth's room?"

Owlfred's system glow with a tinge of orange, "You don't want to go?"

Again, Percy thought he sensed the same tease in his voice, but he wasn't sure since… Percy didn't know if this was some hidden ability of his, or if he was just going crazy after a long day… Maybe both.

Thinking long and hard, he paused and regrettably made up his mind, "Never mind. I'll go with you."

…..

And that's how he accidentally saw two girls wrestling on the floor before him.

"Um…"

After knocking on the door to Annabeth's room, Percy wasn't expecting it to slide open by itself. He thought the door wasn't shut all the way in, but that's impossible because it stayed shut when he was knocking, which meant Owlfred automatically opened it for him.

Percy was half amazed by what Owlfred could do, but he was feeling half terrified too.

This isn't good… Now I look like a real creep just watching on the sideline.

"I am sorry. A-Am I interrupting?" He sputtered nervously.

Percy kept his eyes on the girl with those deep analyzing grey eyes. She was in her pajama already, her long honey blonde hair a little wet, suggesting that she took a shower already, as its wavy vibrant glow fell like smooth silk down her slender back, and currently, her entire attire was a mess, clothes unkempt and rumpled in a way that his wandering eyes caught a bit of her bare skin underneath.

Percy gulped and averted his eyes away, or rather, he tried his utmost best to.

Sparing a small glance at the other girl with short black hair who was underneath Annabeth, both of them looked as though they've been through a tornado, their eyes staring back at him curiously, until their emotions morphed into something else.

"Heheh…" The girl with short black hair giggled, "No. You are not interrupting."

It was at this awkward stare down when the girl being straddle on the bottom slip away from the girl on top and dust herself off, her smirks clearly directed at Annabeth who looked scarily emotionless.

"Um… I heard a loud thud, so I thought… Right, Owlfred?"

Of course, it was at the moment he needed his support most, that's when the stupid AI disappeared altogether. With no backup explanation as to how he managed to open the door to her room; this was really bad! Annabeth's surely gonna take this the wrong way! Percy stood there terrified of what the girl on top of her friend would do to him.

"O-Owlfred?" Percy called again, "Hey! Come on, where are you?"

Somewhere watching yet not showing himself, Owlfred was most likely snickering at the scene beforehand, that's if the AI could snicker in the first place.

Yep! He is definitely messing with me.

"Uh… T-This isn't what it looked like." Percy had to defend himself now. As expected after barging into a girl's room without any permission whatsoever, Annabeth hung her head down, her ears searing with the color of a red rose.

"I wasn't-" He tried to convince her, but Annabeth wasn't listening.

And when Percy noticed Annabeth trembling on her spot, he flinched away, "Really! I wasn't-"

Bonk!

Split-second later, an unknown high-velocity object warped space-time.

In an instant, Percy felt himself flying backward into the hallway and landed on his butt. His forehead sting with throbbing pain and burning with a fine red print. At the same time, a small book fell along with him. It was decorated with pink and white polka dots. It looked almost like a dia—

"You stupid, idiot, fucking dummy!"

Left stunned and dazed by the surprised yet justified attack, it took a full minute for Percy to reel his senses back. During that time, he noticed a nimble figure scrambling to him and pick up the book, then stormed back inside the room with a loud huff. It all happened in less than half a minute, and during that time, he met his eyes with the other girl who have already gotten on her feet. She gave him a friendly and amusing smile.

"That was quite amusing to watch, young man."

Finally, the voice of his brief companion spoke beside him. Of course, Owlfred would show up now, just after he's been hit in the head with such a precise and accurate throw. Damn. Who would have thought Annabeth had such an aim?

"That's not funny, Owlfred." Percy rubbed his forehead in pain, "I almost-"

"Oops! One second, Percy. Annabeth's calling me." Owlfred paused and teleported to the bed where Annabeth was avoiding all looks and attention with him. He wasn't surprised by her reaction.

Perfect! Now Annabeth must think I'm a creep or something…

Left alone in the hallway, Percy suddenly saw a hand extended out at his figure. A girl older than Jason stood before him and smiled, those electric blue eyes twinkled the same way.

"Here, Percy." It was the girl named Thalia, the twin sister of Jason.

Hesitantly, Percy grabbed her hand and she easily pulled him back up despite being much smaller. A wry playful expression moved across her face as she spoke to him for the first time.

"You okay? That didn't hurt too much, did it?"

Percy had to blink a few times. The stark contrast between her personality and Jason's were like opposites of the spectrum, and they were supposedly twin brother and sister? In fact, they didn't even look alike.

"I am fine. Thank." Percy said, "But honestly, I wasn't trying to-"

Thalia cut him off and pointed knowingly at the blue orb talking to Annabeth, "It's fine, Percy. I know Owlfred was messing with you." She smirked, "He has a habit of doing that, though sometimes his jokes go a little too far."

Percy was relieved. At last, someone understood the situation and didn't react violently, unlike someone else in the same room. He let out a sigh, "You are Thalia, right?"

"Mm-hmm." Thalia did a normal greeting, "Nice to meet you."

Finally.

"Nice you meet you too." Percy was glad Thalia seemed more responsive to him than her brother, "And sorry about running in on you two."

Thalia patted his left shoulder and shook her head otherwise. She leaned closer in a friendly, big sister type of way, "Don't worry about it, Percy." She smirked right after, "It's not like you caught Annabeth changing or anything like that… because she will beat you up for real if that happened."

Percy doubled over at that suggestive wink. He gulped nervously and glance over at Annabeth who most definitely overheard Thalia, the cold glare from her stormy grey eyes made him want to run back out the door and hide. He smiled weakly back at Thalia, silently asking if she wanted to get him killed while waiting for another book to fly toward his head.

"In fact, I say you save me from being attacked by that tickle monster behind me." Thalia gestured at the tickle monster. It was Annabeth. "So thank you."

Not sure what she was talking about, Percy had trouble ignoring his curiosity at that point.

"Anyway, did you hear anything behind the door? Before you came in?"

"Uh… No. Nothing at all…"

She studied him a bit. Less than a second, Thalia patted his shoulder again and let go, doing so without dropping any hints as to what she was talking about. It utterly confused Percy, "Mm… Good, because I am pretty sure Annabeth would beat me up too if you did overhear."

She added a snicker.

"Huh… Okay?" It was mildly intriguing. Now, Percy couldn't help but wonder what they were talking about before he heard that loud crashing sound coming from Annabeth's room. He decided to ask.

"So, what was that noise earlier? Did something fall?"

"Oh. That? Well, I guess Annabeth can tell you all about it." She left him a smirk.

Though Percy highly doubt that would happen, not after getting nailed in the head with her small diar—

"Oh? Wait, where is Jason? I thought he was supposed to watch you."

That reminded Percy about his bodyguard.

"Right! Uh… He had something important to do, so he left me with Owlfred."

Thalia paused in place.

A sudden chill ran through the room, gusts of strong wind blew a few times past the white silk curtains leading to Annabeth's balcony, putting out a few warm candles at a time. The cool breeze even reached beyond the doorway, revealing an unsettling atmosphere before him that Percy felt intensifying. That changed in the atmosphere made him grow tensed and rigid in place too.

Following that icy chill, Thalia's athletic and nimble figure bulged suddenly, "Wait! He what?!"

Percy wasn't expecting that abrupt panic in her expression, "Uh… something wrong?"

Those blue eyes grew serious and agitated instantly, "Did he tell you where he was going?"

"No, just that there's something important he needed to do." Percy said, "At least, that's what Owlfred told me after he disappear from the guest room. I was in the—" Percy didn't even get to finish his sentence because her fist slammed sideways at the doorframe.

Thalia's brows furrowed, "Shit."

Even not knowing what's gotten to Thalia, Percy knew well enough that something serious was on her mind. It was so sudden that Annabeth who was all the way across the room picked up on it too.

"Thals? Everything okay?" She seemed to have forgotten all about what happened before.

Percy thought he heard Thalia muttered to herself, saying: "Damn it! You fool Jason."

Then a series of quick dashes were made from the entrance of Annabeth's room toward Owlfred, "Come on, pal. I'll need your help to track my brother down."

"Thalia? Really, what's going on?" Annabeth reached forward but fail to grab her friend by her wrist.

It was clear that her urgency did not leave any time to explain herself to Annabeth, even to Percy for that matter. "I'll explain later. Just stay here. You two will be fine if you promise me that you won't leave until someone comes back. Owlfred, let's go."

On command, Owlfred dematerialized and left nothing else, not even a single word before Thalia rushed out the doorway, assuming with Owlfred following her as she closed the door with a heavy thud.

Again, Percy hallucinated and thought he saw trails of blue lightning behind the girl.

"Thalia, wait! Don't just-"

But it was too late. Her best friend was gone, which left them alone in the same room together.

If they were supposed to look after us, they probably weren't doing a very good job since both of them ditched on the first chance they get.

"Uh… This is awkward."

Percy tilted around to look at Annabeth. She did the same. Not a single smile whatsoever while they stood in place just as awkwardly as the mood that surrounded them.

"Ehh…" A bemuse whisper of some sort came from the girl on the bed.

Percy ran his hand through his hair on instinct. This was totally not what he was expecting when he came over to check on Annabeth, definitely not the part where he was forced to stay inside Annabeth's room given that Thalia ditched on them too. Neither of them could have seen this coming, and now Percy did not have a single clue how to start a conversation with Annabeth, or basically just anything regarding her at all.

All of a sudden, Annabeth wiggled back and forth on her seat, then she swung a big fluffy pillow/plushie and held it close to her chest. She turned her eyes away from him and those pink cheeks were showing off her insanely cute fluster.

Percy couldn't help but stare with an uncomfortable lump at his throat.

"D-Don't get the wrong idea,"

Annabeth finally tilted her shy gaze at him and that's all it took to give him a heart attack.

"Percy…"