Chapter 1: Our First Date
Annabeth
-Sometime In Late November-
Her confidence and thumbs up reassured me.
"I've got you…" My best friend voiced silently in the shadows above.
With her speed and graceful agility, I was more than glad to have her on our side. Relief settled upon me, and I pushed my back away from behind cover to slowly move forward.
Right beside me this whole time, my other best friend tapped my shoulder and gently stop me. She smirked, throwing two fingers down the path we were on and nodded.
I knew what she was hinting at, so I returned her smirk and let her go first.
Of course, her nimble and small figure could easily scurry through each corner and entryway without making so much of a sound, those silent footsteps making it impossible for me to keep her in my line of sight for long.
"Clear!" She gestured a few yards down with a hand signal.
I smiled, quickly assessing our position and our current likelihood of victory.
Despite being in a completely different biome than previously, I was already certain since the beginning of our brief survey. Surrounded by a bunch of ruined buildings, we were creeping carefully down a narrow corridor, both eyes peeling left and right to watch out for any sign of the enemy.
It was dimly lit all around me, or rather, veils of neon lights constantly changing colors surrounded the atmosphere, yet it was still hard to see anything without squinting my eyes.
Knowing both my teammates were my watchful eyes during our sneaky assault, I tried not to glance at them needlessly, not lest to give away their position to our enemy. Then I proceed to sneak further into our opponent's territory. It was their flag I was after.
Pssst…
I halted. Strapped over my shoulder was a long rifle. I quickly held it close to my chest just in case something unexpected happen. Her soft whistle sharpened all my senses as I follow her fingers waving at our four o'clock.
As expected, two tangos with the same rifle seemed clueless as they proceed openly down a different path. It was much wider and offered little defense, but it also didn't give a lot of chances for an ambush from the enemy.
So that's their plan, huh?
Behind them, their flag was in the middle of a wide-open space behind their path toward our territory. It was a good strategy since they could easily trace the path back to their flag once we triggered the automatic alarm by getting near in proximity.
I smirked.
Hmm… you are not a total idiot, seaweed brain.
However, I was still smarter than him- actually, I was smarter than the two of them combined, so there was no way the plan I'd thought ahead would fail.
Overhead, I caught onto a pair of blue eyes on my right side. She was on top of a second-story abandoned building, had plenty of covers, and even had the perfect sightline for those idiots who were carelessly roaming around to find us.
Beside my left flank but hidden in the darkness, I caught onto another pair of light hazel eyes flashing in between corners. She seemed almost like a praetor with narrowing pupils, ready to pounce at the enemy a moment's notice.
With a single smirk on my lips, they returned it just as well before immediately springing my plan into action. A loud cry soon followed from the girl on top of the building, giving herself away with an ensuing firefight.
"Ha! Take that, you two idiots!"
Pew! Pew Pew!
"Ah! It's Thalia!" The two boys screamed as they scrambled for cover.
While one was much more reflexive with his movements, the other boy who was wearing a white button-up shirt, a red tie, and a pair of long pants basically stumbled all over the place, almost tripping over himself as he tried to get away from the oncoming blasts.
Giggles broke out of me, I expected nothing less from the seaweed brain as he screamed for mercy behind a small rock cover.
"Hey! That's not fair! You've got the high ground!"
Thalia kept blasting at their location.
"It's not against the rules, dummy!" She laughed like a possessed demon, "Ha, take that! And that!"
Pew Pew! Pew Pew Pew!
"You know that's not going to get us, Thals. Give it up already." The other boy shouted.
"Nope! Hahaha..."
Watching from a close distance, none of her shots were hitting them as they bounced off their covers and disappeared into nothingness. Though that's exactly what I wanted.
"You asked for it!" The boy with blond hair spoke before moving out of cover and took aim at my best friend. Thalia immediately went for the wide-open target.
"Ha! I've got you!"
Despite the advantage of higher ground and plenty of covers, I knew the probability of Thalia hitting her target was minuscule. After all, none of us had years of experience playing fps like they did, and they most definitely could overpower us with skills and accuracy alone.
Just like I envision, the boy with dark messy hair popped out from the cover right as Thalia aimed at his teammate, the abrupt target made Thalia pause as she tried to decide which one to shoot. Just that moment of hesitation was enough for them to take her down at the same time.
"You were too cocky, Thals!" The boy with dark hair smirked, "Time to say your final goodby-ye… Huh? No W-Wait! Jason! On our flank!"
Pew!
Narrowing dodging that surprise bullet, they survived somehow through sheer luck before ducking back in cover. It was useless though, soon a hail of blasts forced them in.
"Damn it! We forgot about Piper!"
Over the distance, I heard my best friend laugh, "You two are not the only one who knows how to bait and switch, dummies!"
Totally pinned down by my friends' onslaught, they had no choice but to remain in what little covers their wide opened path provided. Even when they returned fire, nothing could come close, their advantage in accuracy dramatically decline under the pressure of getting hit themselves.
"Where is Annabeth?" One of them shouted, "I am totally pinned down, Percy."
Finally! They realized I am missing from this whole firefight. I smirked, keeping to the sides as I sneak as close to their flag as possible. Percy took a small peek from the small boulder and almost got his head taken off by Thalia.
"Shit!" He ducked back down, "We are sitting ducks around here."
"Speak for yourself! Plus, I don't see her anywhere!" Jason shouted, "She must be going for our flag!"
Heheh… Of course, he is too slow to realize my plan.
"Damn it! What do we do now?" Percy shouted through the chaos of lasers pew-ing toward them.
"Don't ask me! This is your plan, man…"
Gosh, you are so hopeless seaweed brain… I smiled at their despair.
Maybe I should at least give them a chance… I thought for a moment, but then made a quick decision.
"Naw," I smirked and took my chance to sprint toward their flag.
Triggering the automatic alarm whenever the enemy team got close in proximity, I was about ten feet away when Jason shouted through the midst.
"There! There she is!" He exclaimed as Percy shot his head in my direction too, "C-Can you get a shot?"
A quick grumbled followed, "What do you think, genius?!"
Despite the red flashing warning around their flag, I sprinted as fast as I could, ignoring the frantic shouts coming from the two boys. Just the thought that they were about to lose, again… I savored it as much as I could and the thought even put a giant smile on my face.
"Fuck it!" I heard Percy shout, "Sorry, Jason! I'll apologize later! Huuaah!"
Our victory was almost in sight, and once I took the flag pole out of the floor, the game would end. There was no way they could win now. We surely won this match too.
Then something unexpected happened.
"Annabeth! Watch out!" Thalia screamed from the second story more than a few yards away.
"I- I can't shoot him! I can't shoot him!" Piper was frantic as well.
I realized then something went awry from our original plan, and that split-second hesitation made me glance at the oncoming rush.
"Huhhaaa!"
My eye grew wide with disbelief.
"Seriously?! Are you kidding me, seaweed brain?!"
With the blond hair boy on his back, Percy ran with furious determination in his eyes, all the while carrying an extra person stuck to him, using his own teammate as a shield to block all of my friends' attempts to bring them down.
That's so dirty!
"Ha! You didn't see this coming, did ya? Wise girl?" Percy smirked as he closed in on me. Even with so much weight on him, he rushed toward me at a speed I couldn't have imagined until they were twenty feet… ten feet… looking like they were about to tackle me from touching their flag at all.
"Ahhh! Get away from me!" I screamed, not wanting to be crushed by two sweaty and heavy bodies.
There was not enough time for me to draw my rifle either way. They were already too close and both my hands were empty the moment I decide to bull rush for their flag.
Damn it! That's what I get for being so prideful!
Now five feet away, the boy running with possessed strength was ready to discard his friend behind with a tilt of his shoulders, and Jason was thrown backward before his body impact and rolled horizontally on the floor. The way he was tossed as his body subsequently suffered scratches like a comedic character didn't look fun at all, but the sight of it brought a smile to my face regardless.
Meanwhile, Percy expertly reached for the rifle bouncing on his side with perfect ease. He launched himself forward, took aim with only one hand on the trigger…
"Here we go-oo- Whoa!"
It would have been a flawless execution. The using his friend as a shield tactic, the possessed-like strength he had to be able to carry such a heavy person on his back while rushing toward me... It was all going accordingly for him, until…
"Ah-ahhh!" His footing fumbled on a very small step, yet it was enough to knock him off balance as he fell forward. His heavy figure flew right towards me. It won't be long now before we would…
"Eeeeh!" I shrieked and waited helplessly before the rough impact.
Thud!
A metallic ringing sound echoed throughout the battlefield, and rather than being tackled, I gingerly open my eyes and saw seaweed brain face-plant straight into the flag pole instead. His face was smacked up nicely against it and his pretty nose squished too.
I blinked in surprise.
"Owww…" He grumbled with crossed eyes while his hands stretched forward.
With that turn of event, the loud alarm blared which signal the match ended. We won by a landslide through sheer points alone, yet none of us were cheering because we were all watching the two boys as they groaned and rolled on the floor in pain.
"Mmuwhaaha!" We burst out laughing like mad.
-Line Break-
"Oww-Hey! That stings! Can't you be a little more gentle?"
Somehow, Percy only suffered some minor bleeding. Luckily, his nose wasn't broken or anything. It would have been a real hospital visit if that happened. For whatever reason, Piper came prepared and packed an ointment cream for scratches and cuts with her. At first, I thought it was strange for her to have something like this in her bag, but given the injuries both boys suffered through our last match, it's safe to say that I felt grateful for it regardless.
I smirked, "Shut up and turn this way, seaweed brain."
He pouted at me and my heart skipped a few beats.
But before I could snap awake from that sudden daze that Percy gave me, I was already on the receiving end of their grinning gazes. They were both gleaming with interest.
"Ahem!" I cleared my throat and continued to apply the cream on his nose and forehead.
It was around five-thirty in the afternoon. We hung out on a bench by the pier just a few blocks away from our school, Thalia and Piper sat on my right while Percy sat on my left. Dusk was already approaching along, the sun was setting against the river waves, growing with a warm yellow shimmer before us.
"I am never playing laser tag with you three again." A grumpy seaweed brain complained and sucked in another breath while I rub another bout of cream on a scratch.
I shook my head at him and smiled, "You are such a whiny baby, seaweed brain."
That brought a few warm chuckles from my friends. I smiled at their reaction, but then he noticed and gave all of us a mean frown. I chew on my bottom lips as to apologize, then paid all my attention to a small cut on his cheeks which earned me another yelp.
"Oww! That hurt again!"
I sighed hopelessly, "It's supposed to hurt, seaweed brain. Now come on, I am almost done."
Unwittingly, his reluctant figure leaned forward again as he braced for the stings with his eyes close.
Gosh! I am dealing with a huge baby… I smiled at that thought.
Today was a Friday. It was the end of another week, which meant our long weekend away from school was coming up. Monday was a public holiday, after all. Hence, we decided to do something fun after school ended. And yes, we ended up playing laser tag; it was something I never thought to experience before as I enjoyed the quiet peacefulness of being at home.
After a quick rundown of the rules and being given our equipment, we decided it would be girls verse boys. Of course, they complained right away, but we gave them no choice on the matter, and the end result: we beat them by over a thousand points and won, but both of them suffered injuries because of their last-ditch attempt to bring us down. I just never expected they would be so into a silly laser tag game to risk getting hurt from it, but then again… they were boys so I guess it wouldn't be too farfetched.
As we sat side by side on a large bench, another voice joined his companion.
"By the way, you still haven't apologized for throwing me off your shoulders, Percy." He rubbed the part of his chin with a sore red spot, "But then again, it wasn't a fair fight from the start."
That voice belonged to Jason Grace, twin brother of Thalia Grace. He had his back leaning on a lamppost beside our bench, an argument soon ensured with my best friends beside me.
"You are just jealous, baby brother." Thalia sneered.
His nose twitched in disdain as he narrowed his blue eyes at being name-called.
"Three against two, how could I be jealous when it's obvious you three have the advantage of winning from the beginning?" Jason did have a point, and I watched as Percy nodded along in agreement.
"Didn't stop you from trying your best, right Jason?" It was Piper who teased him with a sly smile, "If it's so unfair, why did you try so hard, hum? You two still lost by a mile, by the way."
"Don't tease me, McLean!" He huffed and turned unruly away from the girl with long brown hair.
A series of giggles left my best friends at the same time.
I smiled. They still couldn't stand each other, huh?
Hard to believe, but it turned out Piper was already well acquainted with Thalia and Jason. Sure, Piper had been to our mansion before, but never once did I see her interact with the twin. It must have been a deep friendship because they were already so casual with each other.
What's more, I always get the feeling that something else was going on between Jason and Piper, like there was some personal history between them that I didn't know about.
Soon, those laughs and giggles turned their attention to me.
"Well, as far as the first date goes, I think you two really enjoyed that, right?"
Once those words left her mouth, those electrified blue eyes grew slick with amusement as she looked specifically at me and Percy, or rather, she was looking at me applying ointment cream on his face, and the way I could be so close around him without blushing like crazy.
"It's not a date!" We screamed.
"Ohh?" Another pair of playful hazel eyes joined her companion, their amusement overflowing despite the clear embarrassment on both our faces.
I sighed mockingly and wondered how we ended up like this.
It was far from expected, to be honest. This strange feeling of having the twins and even Piper with us after school was not something I could get used to, not even after three months had passed. I was reminded of the reason why, and the promise my mother forced upon me on the very morning after Percy spent the night over at our manor.
Annabeth, I am sorry to spring this on you all of a sudden, but I won't take no for an answer. From tomorrow on, I will have Thalia and Jason watch over you and Percy in school or wherever you two are together. It's something important for me, and something to protect you two from harm. Just think of them as your bodyguards, and they will keep you safe, okay?
Despite my vehemence protest, no amount of resistance was able to budge that wish of hers so I gave up in the end. Now, whenever Percy and I were together, Thalia and Jason would be there as well. The most shocking part, our school gave them a pair of uniforms just for the special occasion even though they weren't even high school students anymore.
What's worse, Thalia was beginning to live with me and my mother in the penthouse instead of the mansion. It would be an understatement to say that I had a really hard time adjusting to it. In fact, it was downright uncomfortable to share a living space where I felt the most comfortable, even if that person was my best friend. And sometimes, even Piper would stay along as well.
Thankfully, my mother wasn't unreasonable. She realized how awkward it would be to share the house with boys; it was her original plan to have Percy and Jason stay over as well. Through a really tough persuasion, we somehow convinced her to let them stay at Percy's place. Strangely, Sally was very easy-going with that idea, almost too easy; the fact that she didn't disagree with my mother's original idea either made this whole situation even more suspicious to me. Would any normal mother let his son stay over at a girls' place without some other motives? Wouldn't she want Percy to be with her instead, to be with his own family? And now that Jason was tagging along with Percy all the time, wouldn't she feel weird about a sudden bodyguard living with his son and companying him every day?
It was wildly illogical to me.
But at the very least, I didn't have to share a room with Percy so that's one disaster avoided already. Honestly, the flusters on our cheeks when my mother suggested for Percy to stay with me every night. I honestly thought she was making a joke, no doubt Percy felt the same way.
Now, November was here in the blink of an eye, and since that impromptu arrangement, I still couldn't understand why she had to go through all these troubles. Surely, Percy and I were getting closer than before, but we weren't that close enough to do something irreversible, so why? What good did it give my mom to keep so many eyes on us every single second of every day? What is she trying to protect us from?
I couldn't figure that out.
During those three months, I would stay at the mansion on the weekends just like always, but as expected, my mother had to find some ways to interfere with my life, insisting Percy to come over and stay with us too. As far as permission went, Sally had no problem with it whatsoever, though I suspect some ulterior motive on her part; her teasing smile could still make me shiver.
Just thinking back on our many sleepovers, or the growing time we've spent together for the last three months, my face literally couldn't stop heating up, and it was difficult to hide the blushes from everyone around me right now.
Ever since that memorable night we shared underneath the stars, I've been wanting to spend more and more time with Percy. Having him sleep over with me was exactly what I wanted. Yet, my mother conveniently couldn't pick up on my subtle hints whenever Percy and I were together.
I wanted us to be alone…
Though that was nearly impossible when we were kept under a microscope, whether in school, in our mansion, or just any time we were alone together. It was as frustrating as it sounded, and I was beginning to hate my friends because of it.
Why can't they just leave us and let me have a normal relationship with Percy? Sigh…
"It's not a date! And even if it was, you guys being here would make this the worse possible idea for a date." I reiterated with a firm resolve and wiped the gleaming smiles off their faces.
Luckily, Percy stayed quiet and let me handle this.
"Admit it, Annabeth. You so wanted a date alone with Percy." Piper teased me too.
Those blushing cheeks on my face automatically grew a deeper shade.
"Well, I can't have a date alone if all of you are butting in, could I?" I quipped.
That was the wrong thing to say.
"Ah-Ha! So you do want a date with Percy!" Thalia's gleaming smile returned, "I knew it! Something definitely happened that night!"
Uh-oh…. That's not good. I don't like that look on either of them…
My face turned pale and I blenched in horror, "Noo… Please… Don't,"
Oh gosh, I am scared…
Like an octopus with its sucking tentacles circling around me, I squealed when those sadistic eyes unwillingly pull me in, and soon I was swallowed up by the two of them as they forced me to huddle around in a circle. Thrown right into the middle of their soft and enveloping bodies, they made me sit on the far side of the bench, taking me away from Percy and Jason so we could have a conversation to ourselves.
Yes, a nice conversation to ourselves… That's putting it mildly.
"What kind of juicy things happened between you and Percy that night, Annabeth?" I shivered at Thalia's scary coaxing smile, pure-looking but with so much hidden keen sarcasm behind them.
She thrust her right shoulder on mine playfully.
I gulped and barely replied, "N…Nothing happened, okay?"
"Naw-aw… That's not a nothing happened reaction, princess." Piper saw right through with her damn intuitive abilities, "Aww, spill it already… Why are you so shy about it? I bet something really amazing happened, right? Right?!"
I was suffocating through this little group hug no matter how much of a struggle I put up, "Ughh- W-Why can't you just believe me?! Nothing happened that night, okay? We just went to s-sleep-pp…"
I didn't mean to stutter right there, but the nonstop pressuring from them made me recall something that neither Percy nor I were certain happened.
Specifically, I remember gaining some awareness on the sandy beach when the sun was just beginning to rise, and I saw a faint peaceful look on Percy, warmth spread through me and I was somehow wrapped around inside his arms, my fairly warm body cuddling right up against him. I didn't remember much after that, and the next time I was fully awake, I was back in my room, my body right underneath the warm blankets without a single grain of sand on my nightgown.
"Anyway… Stop it already! Or I am going to get mad, okay?" I insisted, "Gosh! You two are one and the same, a giant pain in my butt! Can't you just leave me alone about Percy already…"
Finally, they relented with disappointed looks, but I knew it was only a temporary truce. Using this opportunity, I tried and tease them back about something on my mind since my mother's nonsensical arrangement.
"And besides, since you are so eager to talk about me and Percy dating one another- which let me reiterate one more time: We Are Not Dating! Why don't I flip the question around and ask why all you three have to watch over us like some babysitter or something like that, huh?"
That sounded rather harsh, but I knew it's not like their personality to get offended by my sometimes sharp tongue. As a result, they just smirked back. Hiding behind my exasperated demeanor, I sighed with relief.
I am glad to have friends like Thalia and Piper, who knew me too well and too confidently that I didn't mean that as an insult whatsoever.
"Think about it, princess… Now you get to hang out with us all the time, isn't that wonderful?" Thalia simpered without hiding her liveliness away.
I made a throw-up face at them.
"Ouch! Okay, that actually hurt our feelings…" And I would believe it, if not for those silly smiles on their lips.
Instead, I ignored them with an annoyed look, "By the way, how long are you guys planning to stick around me and Percy in school? You know some people are starting to think we are related or some distance cousins or something."
Thalia pouted, "Oh come now, I am here because your mother wanted me to. Plus, I'm giving up my free time to stay with you, so the least I could get is some appreciation, you know?"
"Absolutely not! You three are more like thorns on my side. Honestly, what is my mother so afraid of that she wanted you to take care of us? Are you even qualified to be a bodyguard?"
"Hey! I might not look it, but I can definitely protect you!" Thalia argued back, "Right, Piper?"
Skepticism found its way through me easily and I held my narrowed gaze at her, "Hmm?"
Sure, Thalia might be good with a wooden sword as she had demonstrated by whooping my ass that one day, but I doubt that's going to come in handy if I was seriously in danger. But instead of shrinking back from her boastful claim, I saw not a single hint of doubt nor insecurity that suggested she was putting up a tough front.
"Of course! I am always taking care of you, you wouldn't even know what to do without me here." Piper spoke up, "Seriously princess, you should be more grateful to have such amazing friends like us, right Thalia?"
"Mm-hm." Thalia nodded back.
I sighed. That wasn't something I could argue against.
"Yeah-yeah… I love you two too, but still, I don't think I am ever going to get over how annoying you two can be." I said in defeat.
Piper let out a short little gasp, "Wow… That's probably the nicest thing you've ever said about me, Annabeth."
"Right?" Thalia couldn't help but agreed with a smirk, "I think I'll just take that as a compliment before she decided to be a smart-ass again."
It was utterly taxing to deal with the two of them together. Literally, my mental capacity couldn't handle being drained like this, and it's been happening a lot more frequently. It couldn't be helped though, not when we were living under the same roof for most days of the week.
Just when I felt impossible for being put into this situation, sly grins returned to their faces.
"By the way, you still haven't answered us, princess."
I felt even more impossible now.
"Yep-yep! I want to hear everything! About you and Percy, of course."
Snickers ensured when they rapidly gain their eagerness back, and soon merciless teases were coming back to haunt me.
"Do you guys have an off switch?" I asked but instead got tilted side to side by their nudging shoulders. They weren't going to stop, not anymore.
No amount of intervention could get rid of them now, I know that much. My eyes rolled as they squished me in between them, their anticipation going over the roof.
This was just as I expected. There was no way out, and I wouldn't be able to break free from their eagerly sucking tentacles holding me hostage unless I tell them something to quench their thirstiness. It would have to be something very juicy and very embarrassing, enough so that they could truly leave me alone. But that would mean...
"Muwa! Fine! I can't believe you two…"
I gave up.
…..
Their grins were totally in sync.
"Heeeh!"
I squirmed and revealed a little more with blushing cheeks.
"No way!" Soft and muffled giggles slipped out from my best friend with hazel brown eyes, "Heheh… you did what now?"
Keenly aware of our little bubble hiding away, Thalia and Piper made sure I couldn't see what's happening with the boys beside us. It couldn't be helped, as I was sharing some top-secret details about the moments leading up to my first kiss with Percy.
Of course, I hid a lot of things from them as I relived that day again throughout a reluctant admission. Specifically, I didn't talk about all the embarrassing moments Percy and I had- our awkward encounter being tangled up on my couch, nor our moment spent on my room's balcony, especially about the details which made us kiss on the beach.
Overall, I kept it all as barebones as possible, and luckily, it was enough.
As they eagerly absorbed every single juiciness I was willing to share, I wish they could have gone without those girly squeals and silly exclamations. Every time they did it, I would blush without end and I hated how much effect it had on me.
"No way! You two kissed already?!" They exclaimed together.
"Sshhh!" I put a finger over my lips to signal them to lower their voice, disbelief settled me at how unabashed they were about something so embarrassing for me.
"…. A…And that's everything, okay? Now can you two please leave me alone?" I pleaded, yet some part of me was not ready to face a particular boy beside us, so I wasn't in a hurry to break away from our little bubble.
Not expecting their wild smirks to make me feel even more uncomfortable, Thalia was the first one to say something, her expression like someone who just figured out the last piece of a puzzle, "I see, so that's why you wanted to be alone with Percy so much recently…"
A sharp gasp left me, my brain lagged a few seconds behind with that out of nowhere comment and I was too slow to properly deny her assumption.
Piper joined in right away.
"Hmm… I get it now. That's why you are being so mean to us… You want to smooch him behind our backs but we didn't leave enough time for you to be alone with Percy." She nodded as a matter of fact and even added a few snickers in to make fun of me.
I was speechless as they reached their conclusion, but I couldn't deny it because they were right. Well, only half-right. Yes, I might want some alone time with Percy, but it wasn't because I planned to kiss him or anything like that! Of course, my best friends would interpret something as innocent as this into something improper. Why was I even surprised in the first place?
"That sounded so wrong… and I am not smooching him, Pipes." I scowl at her. It was then I saw my opportunity to argue for that alone time I wanted with Percy. Yet, I couldn't even continue before they began to tease me mercilessly.
"To think that you fell in love with Percy after a week…" Piper snickered, "What did I tell you, princess? I think you owe me an apology for lying all this time."
"I…"
"I am surprised as well, Annabeth." Thalia followed up with a giant smirk, "I can tell you like him since you first told me about him, but I never expected it to be this much. Heheh- I bet it's because he took you all the way home without laying a hand on you, isn't it? Or maybe it's because he's sweet and took care of you, so you want to take care of him too? Or maybe you just found him cute and attractive? Which one is it? Mm? Mmm?"
I could barely glare at her.
"Hmm!" She cooed dreamily, "I could only imagine what happened after I lock you two inside your room, princess."
"I…"
"And who could forget about you still tutoring him every day after school ended, right?" Piper added, "I guess now I know why you are so close with him all the time. Imagine the surprise if other people in school knew what happened with you two on that weekend!"
She gleamed without pause, "I knew you two would be a good match from the beginning. I guess I was right all along."
There was no way I could take any more of their teasing. If they kept saying stuff like this, I would eventually be melted into a puddle between them.
"You two are talking like we are a couple already!" I complained embarrassingly.
"Wait?! You two are not?" They were bewildered.
"Of course not! We are n-not… even at that stage." I had to whisper out that last part, "Anyway, now that you know what happened, is it really that much to ask you guys to give us some alone time?"
"Huh? What do you mean?" From the looks on Thalia's face, she was completely 'clueless' about my subtle intent, or rather, she knew exactly what I was talking about, but knowingly put up an act to rile me up even more, "We give you two plenty of time to be alone."
Of course, if I had to list and explain every reason why she's wrong, I wouldn't hesitate to do it.
"Uh-huh… If that's the case, why do you three have to stick with us during our tutoring session? Or in our classes? And for God's sake, you were waiting for me during my bathroom break, Thals!" I easily pointed out every bit of their interference, "Not to mention when we were at home too! I can't get a single moment alone with Percy because I know you are always watching us from the sidelines. For real, aren't you guys taking your bodyguard responsibility a bit too far?"
That seemed to have struck a nerve or something with them. Thalia's playful pout morphed into one that's less than pleasant. As for the other girl, it was just for a split second, but I saw a brief regretful look passing over Piper's face.
"Okay. Fine, I get it." Thalia finally relented to my frustration with a sudden pensive look, "But I can't let your mother down when she wanted me to take care and protect you."
"From what?" My frustration boiled into real anger through my voice.
Met with silences, I sighed as expected.
"Forget it… If I am not supposed to know, then fine. But honestly, it wouldn't hurt to give us at least a few hours alone, could it? I mean, even I have a limit to your stupidity, you know?"
My best friends shared a short look.
"It's not up to me to decide, princess." Thalia said softly through pursed lips, her voice sounding rather deep and dour, "But I get it."
"Yep. We both do." Piper added with a faint smile, "So maybe we'll take our teasing and our bodyguard responsibility down a notch, okay? No promise, though…"
Well, at the very least they understood what I meant and why I was so frustrated with them. I might not have gotten what I wanted in the end, but that's about as good as I had envisioned.
"Thank you." I said thankfully, "Now, can you guys let me go already?"
They seemed to have finally realized how suffocating it was for me to be held down by their arms and forced to huddle in a tight circle.
"Oops…" They grinned, "Well, I guess we got what we wanted, right Pipes? Anyway, we promise not to pry too much about your love life anymore, okay princess? We are sorry."
They let me go at the same time and I got my first breath of fresh air in the last fifteen minutes.
"As long as you know how much of a pain you two were for the past three months, then I'll let it go and call us even." I said genuinely, "You two are my best friends after all."
Thalia grinned at that. As for Piper, she hugged me close before I could look around, "You are my best friend too, Annabeth. I am sorry about teasing you and Percy so much. I won't anymore. I swear!"
I smiled warmly and freed myself from her grasp, "You and I both know that's impossible…"
Piper chuckled and a grin moved across her lips, "Yeah, but at least I am going to try…"
I heard myself laugh in return.
Now that I was freed from their octopus-like grasps, the orange glow was gone and I was met with a dark sky, the sun had already set in the time we'd finished our private conversation. I blinked in confusion at first, not able to believe how fast time passed in such a short moment. Even the lamp post beside our bench was already lit up to illuminate our surroundings.
"When it did get dark so f-fast-tt… Wait, where did Percy go?" I asked out loud, noticing a sudden absence of a boy with messy onyx hair. He was nowhere to be seen. The only boy here with us was Jason, and he was playing with his phone uninterestingly, his body still leaning back on the silver metal pole.
"Hate to tell you, princess, but your boyfriend left as soon as you girls started to huddle up and whisper among yourselves." Jason said, "If I remember correctly, he said something about running away from your friends before he's caught in the middle of it too."
I froze. My hand forcefully clutched the end of my school skirt as I tried to pull as hard as I could. A strong sense of embarrassment enveloped my blushing figure.
"Heeh?!" Thalia almost shouted, "And you let him go by himself?!"
"Geez! Calm down, okay? He's just going to get something to drink from the store down the path… It's not a big deal." Jason revealed, then he whispered under his breathe, "Though I wonder why he's taking so long..."
Thalia seemed to relax a bit at the explanation, and Piper was more or less calm even before Jason explained the situation. However, I was not because…
"He's not my boyfriend!" I snapped so loudly it might just startle the three of them.
As a result of my outburst, they were shocked and even flinched back a bit in alarm. Decorated with crimson color tape all over my face, I couldn't even… not possibly…
Then I saw wry smiles moving across all of them in sync.
"Well, n-not yet anyway…yy…" I hid into both hands as I whispered out that last part.
I am so embarrassed! Why did I—
And abruptly came his voice behind us, "Who is what boyfriend now?"
"Eeeeh!" I shrieked. My body flinched as I looked behind us at the boy missing from the group.
"Oh, nothing…" Thalia's wry smiles and those tittering giggles rode on the edge of teasing us again. She juggled the explanation with an awkward dismissal, "Annabeth's just—"
No doubt he probably overheard what I've said already, but I decided to take things into my own hands before Thalia, Piper, or even Jason could do it for me; I just didn't want them to ruin everything… again.
"Nothing! Nothing at all!" I shot up from my seat and quickly led him away, "Hahah… Let's go, Percy. We'll see if Alfred is at the parking lot already, okay?"
I pushed and pulled him along away from all our friends.
"Whoa! Annabeth?! Slow down, okay?" Percy barely avoided tripping over himself.
It was only when I got a comfortable distance away did I relaxed in his arms. I was glad that Percy didn't argue with me on this. Pretty much alone now, he even let me rest myself against his strong arms while I pulled myself close to his lean and firm figure. It felt just as warm as it normally would be, but this time, I felt even more comfortable than before. A smile moved across my face as I turned a bit to look at him.
"Huh?" Then something was thrust in front of me suddenly, "What is it?"
Steam escaped into the night air from a paper cup.
"Here." Percy smiled when I took the warm paper cup in my hands. It didn't scorch my skin like I expected, but left a cozy feeling instead, "I don't actually know what your favorite type of coffee is, but I do know you love your coffees, wise girl." His smile was so wide and peart, "So I got you some."
Dazzled with affection, I asked, "Why?"
Percy shrugged, grinning curiously, "Why not? Do I need permission to get you something, wise girl?"
My eyes blinked.
"Just take a sip. It's warm, and the weather is getting cold. Plus…" Percy's right hand sneaked over my back and held a small spot there, "Maybe I want to repay you for taking care of those scratches on me earlier, so…"
He looked away, suddenly feeling unsure of himself. I stared blankly for a moment.
"You are such a seaweed brain." A smile went right through my lips as I gave him a small kiss on the cheek, leaving it with a bright red tinge, "Thank you."
He could barely look at me with his blushing face, yet his strong arm around me pulled me closer to him throughout, "Y-You're welcome, wise girl…"
