Update time! It's finally the chapter with Silena's party! Sorry for not uploading last week, I was on vacation. Thanks for all the favorites, follows and reviews. Special thanks to LouTheDog who is now going to be beta reading this story for me starting with this chapter! I can't believe how well this story is doing. I really don't think of myself as that good a writer but I guess I must be doing something right haha. Alright well, enjoy!
Note/Song Suggestion: Listen to Feel it Still by Portugal. The Man while reading the party scene.
Disclaimer: Don't own
"You're out of your mind if you think I'm going to wear that." Annabeth grimaced, pointing to the item of clothing her friend had just walked out of her closet with.
"Oh come on! Why is it even in your closet if you're never going to wear it?" Piper argues, stepping over the pile of discarded t-shirts and jeans that now lie between the bed and the closet doors.
"I didn't even know I had that. I have no idea where it came from!" She replies honestly. Someone must have given the piece of fabric to her as a gift cause there's no way in Hades she would buy something like that for herself. She was a hoodie and denim kind of girl.
"Pleeease. At least try it on." Piper begged, holding the dress out to the blonde, kaleidoscopic eyes staring at her pleadingly.
"Just try it on Annie, what's the harm in that?" Thalia calls from her position of lying down on the bed and continuously throwing a random ball up into the air and catching it.
"Fine. I'm taking it off right afterwards though." Annabeth huffed in annoyance, snatching the dress from Piper and walking into her bathroom to change.
She pulls it on and somehow managed to get the zipper up without any help. Not bothering to look in the mirror at her reflection, she walks back to her room where her friends sat waiting for her, all dressed and ready for the night out.
Unsurprisingly, Thalia had chosen to wear the color black. She wore her signature leather jacket with a flowing black blouse underneath, black jeans and black combat boots. She didn't do anything with her hair, leaving it choppy the way she likes it and besides some eyeliner, she didn't look like she had much makeup on.
Calypso was dressed in an off-the-shoulder white blouse that had patterns of blue flowers on it accompanied by a pair of jeans and white wedges. Her hair was in a single braid on the side and she had a few touches of makeup on her face that outlined her eyes and cheekbones.
Piper had a casual solid maroon colored dress with a sweetheart neckline at the top. She wore a pair of black heels with it and a long silver necklace with a geometric shaped pendant was around her neck. She straightened her hair as well and used some lipstick and blush on her face.
None of them wore much makeup, Annabeth the least. She had some concealer and lip-gloss on but that was it.
When she walks back into her room the others stare at her with wide eyes. After a moment, Piper claps her hands excitedly and smiles.
"You look hot Annabeth. No guy within a hundred mile radius is going to be able to keep his eyes off of you." She says, turning her around to face the full-length mirror on the back of the door. Annabeth stared at herself in shock, not recognizing the beautiful girl staring back at her.
The dress was a tight-fitted short navy bodycon dress that outlined her figure quite nicely. The top of the dress was off the shoulder, similar to Calypso's shirt. The outfit was nowhere near what she usually wore.
"You have to wear that dress!" Calypso agreed, walking over to stand next to her in the mirror.
"Guys I'll freeze in this, it's January, in case you haven't noticed. Plus, it's way too short for my taste." Annabeth replied, tugging at the bottom of the dress that only went down to her thighs.
"We'll stay inside the whole time. As for the shortness…" Piper leaned forwards, smacking Annabeth's hand away from the dress, receiving an indignant "Ow!" from the victim.
"Leave it be. It looks amazing on you and I'm sure Luke will think so too." She argued, adding the last part in for good measure.
Annabeth immediately blushes. "Shut up. There's going to be tons of people at the party, there's a big chance we might not even see him."
"I have a feeling he'll be looking for you. Trust me on this, wear the dress." Piper insists, grabbing a pair of white heels to hand to her.
"Pipes…" Annabeth says unsurely, subconsciously tugging at the bottom of the dress again.
"Annie, you're wearing the dress." Thalia cuts in, making it sound like she didn't have a choice. Annabeth stares at her three friends, rolling her eyes and cursing under her breath.
"Ugh, alright fine but I'm not wearing those devil shoes with it. Let me wear my white low top converse and we have a deal." She bargains. Piper squeals in delight.
"Ouch okay, what did I just walk into?" Another voice from the doorway asks. Nico comes into view wearing a simple black button down with some dark jeans and all black converse. He covers one ear from the sound of Piper's high-pitched scream.
"Annabeth agreed to wear that dress." Calypso explains, gesturing to the blonde who had just finished tying the laces to the white converse on her feet. Nico nods his head in approval.
"That looks great on you Annabeth. If I was straight I'd date you." He jokes, causing everyone else to laugh.
"Come on, let's go." Thalia says, grabbing her phone before starting to leave for the car. Annabeth takes a look at herself in the mirror once more, observing the outfit unsurely.
"Actually guys…I think I'm just going to stick with some jeans and a nice shirt. Sorry." She says, walking over to her closet again to start looking.
"No you can't! Nico grab her!" Calypso shouts urgently.
Annabeth doesn't even get a chance to turn around before she's suddenly hoisted up on Nico's shoulder fireman style. The action causes her to drop the clothes she had in her hands.
"What the-Nico! Put me down right now!" She yelled, struggling to get free from his hold. The others are quick to grab their stuff, following Nico down the wooden stairs and out the door where his car was waiting. It was a good thing her mom was working late tonight and none of her neighbors were outside because the scene was definitely a weird one.
"What the hell guys?!" Annabeth shouts when she's seated in the back of the car and they're on their way.
"You agreed to wear the dress if we let you wear the sneakers. You can't just take it back. We had to do what we had to do." Piper explained like it was common sense.
Annabeth huffs in frustration. The whole drive over to Silena's house she tries to make the dress a little longer but every time she tries the top gets pulled too low so she has to leave it alone. The others laugh at her struggling and she eventually gives it up, thinking a few choice words about her so called friends that she wants to, but doesn't say aloud.
When they pull up to the house she's not surprised to see empty beer bottles all over the yard and random streamers thrown everywhere. There are a few groups of people outside but Annabeth is sure the scene is much worse inside the house, if you could even call it that. Silena never advertised it much, but the girl was rich. She lived in a huge mansion with a courtyard, an outdoor and indoor pool, and enough rooms to get lost in for a good week. That was probably the main reason her parties were so popular.
As soon as she steps out of the car she smells the alcohol that only gets stronger as she approaches the house. The front door is wide open and once the group enters Annabeth practically chokes on the smell of intoxicating alcohol, drugs and sweat. Inside, people could be seen drinking from red solo cups, playing games that looked to be spin the bottle or seven minutes in heaven, and dancing (rather intimately) to the stereo that was pounding music so loud she was already getting a headache.
This was definitely not her scene. Ask her to choose between a high school party or spending an hour at the rink skating and she'd always choose the latter. Her friends didn't seem to think the same way she did though, barely a minute after stepping foot inside the house, Piper and Thalia headed straight for the dance floor, grabbing a red cup with some random type of liquor on the way. So much for staying together.
Calypso, Nico and her head to the kitchen which surprisingly seemed to be the least occupied area in the house. On the way there, Annabeth feels eyes all over her from many of the guys just standing in the hall. She shifts uncomfortably, not used to the attention and now wishing more than ever that she had never even tried on the short dress in the first place. Calypso spots some of her junior friends talking amongst one another. They smile and invite her over.
"Go. We know you have other friends besides us." Annabeth reassures, gesturing for Calypso to join them.
"Yeah, just know that we're always your number one group of friends." Nico adds smugly, getting an eye roll from Annabeth and a small laugh from Calypso.
"Thanks guys. I'll catch up with you later." She walks though a couple groups of people and then she's out of sight.
"Guess it's just you and me Blondie." Nico says, walking further into the kitchen where there was some food and, of course, a ton of beer bottles both empty and not even opened yet. He grabs one for himself before offering one to Annabeth who shakes her head. The last thing she needed was a hangover before practice tomorrow.
She spots Will Solace making his way into the kitchen, probably to grab another beer from the corner of her eye. He was wearing an orange collared shirt with some jeans. Nico didn't seem to be paying attention, instead gorging himself on the many different snacks at the snack table. A meddling grin spreads across her face when she gets an idea; the perfect plan for revenge. Nico had carried her out of the house forcing her to wear the outfit she had on and now she would be able to get her payback.
"Hey Will!" She calls out, beckoning him closer. Nico's head shoots up, his eyes widening in terror. He makes a series of really odd hand movements in attempt to tell her not to bring him over. Annabeth ignores him.
"Hey Annabeth, Nico. What's up?" He greets, nodding politely to the both of them. Nico raises his hand up to wave back shyly, almost knocking over his beer in the process causing his cheeks to color.
"Well Nico and I were just discussing how cool of a house this place is. We were actually just about to head up to the rooftop. You wanna come with us?" She offers.
"Yeah I'd love to. It's beautiful up there." Will smiles, turning to Nico who was fiddling nervously with his hands. He looks back up and neither one of them broke eye contact. Annabeth internally sighs, it was so obvious.
"Great! Well I actually need to use the restroom but I'll meet you up there." She lies, quickly exiting the room before Nico could kill her.
A moment later she realizes that she was now alone with none of her close friends around her, but it was worth it to see the look on Nico's face before she left the room.
Not really knowing what to do, she walks through the house, passing many drunk teenagers. She'd been here not even twenty minutes and she already had a huge desire to leave. Off the side of the main dance floor she spots a familiar face, no, faces. Talking with a lot of the other people in the popular group, and with a certain redhead clinging to his side, stood Percy Jackson dressed in a loose sea green button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He also wore dark colored jeans with a pair of very worn out high tops. She had to admit that he looked good. He laughed carelessly at what someone else had said, not bothering to shake off the frizzy haired girl at his side.
Gods, she is pathetic Annabeth thought. Rachel stood pinned to his side wearing just about the sluttiest outfit she had ever seen. Her green tank top looked ten sizes too small, skin tight and short enough to not even touch her belly button. The jean shorts she had on showed as much leg as possible, and to top it all off, she had black stilettos on her feet and her face was completely caked in make up.
She noticed that each person in the group seemed to have a drink. Some of them looked like they were on their fourth or fifth drink by the way they could barely stand upright.
Everyone, except one.
Percy didn't have a single cup or bottle of alcohol in his hand. As a matter of fact he looked to be completely sober. He joked with the others and laughed but not once did he stumble or look dizzy and out of it. He catches her gaze but only for a second because she turns away to walk down another hall, still processing the idea that Percy Jackson, known for being a bit of a delinquent and all out player, was sober at a party.
Somehow she ends up walking by a series of closed doors with some unsettling sounds coming from behind them. She quickens her pace to get out of that section of the house but before she can leave she collides into someone, losing her balance and catching herself on the wall next to her. The person she ran into groans, rubbing their head before standing up. She gets a good look at the guy and when she does she wishes more than anything that she hadn't come to this godsforsaken party.
Right in front of her, looking like he just recently redressed himself, his hair messy, sticking up everywhere and his breath smelling strongly of vodka stood the guy Annabeth had been hoping would talk to her all night.
"Luke?" His face drains itself of color. Annabeth had never seen him like this. He'd clearly had a lot to drink and it didn't take a genius to figure out why he'd just stepped out of a room with his clothes all wrinkled and messy.
Her assumption is confirmed when a girl about her age with straight brown hair and green eyes emerges from the doorway, giggling hysterically and hiccuping. She hangs onto Luke for balance and Annabeth feels her heart drop. A lump forms in her throat and she takes off. Running down the hall, not caring which direction she went.
"Annabeth, wait!" She hears his voice call desperately but she doesn't stop. Pushing her way through the crowds of people, she ends up finding herself at Silena's indoor pool. Luckily, no one else was in the room.
She lets the tears she was holding in fall down her cheeks. It was stupid that she was so upset over a guy. There was a small part of her that thought, just maybe, Luke might like her. She realizes now how idiotic that thought was. He was one of the most popular guys in school. She was just Annabeth Chase, bookworm and figure skater with practically no social life. Her eyes glazed over as she continued to cry silently. She sat by the edge of the pool, unlacing her shoes before sticking her feet into the fairly warm water. She never even wanted to come to this party in the first place. She jumps when she hears footsteps behind her, spinning around surprised to see none other than Percy Jackson approaching her.
She inhales deeply, using the back of her hand to wipe the tears off her face in attempt to hide her crying.
"What do you want Jackson? I'm not in the mood." Her voice breaks and she turns back around to look down at the pool, hoping he'll just leave.
"I just-….are you ok?" His voice gets closer to her. The way he speaks makes it seem as if he's genuinely concerned about her. An Oscar-worthy performance.
"I'm fine. Nothing you would bother with. Just go back to your group of friends. I'm sure by now they're all trying desperately not to pass out from all the booze and drugs they've inhaled."
He ignores her, coming over to her left side to also sit by the edge of the pool. He leaves a few feet of space between them. Annabeth doesn't even flinch, choosing to stay quiet and keep her eyes on the mesmerizing water patterns at the bottom of the pool.
Percy breaks the silence.
"You know I thought about becoming a swimmer once. Saw it on the Olympics one year and I thought it looked pretty cool. I had it all planned out, in high school I would be captain of the swim team, beating everyone I raced by a mile in the freestyle." Annabeth roles her eyes, realizing that even back then he was cocky.
"Then…I went to my first hockey game. I remember being in a trance, watching the players fly across the ice like lightning. The speed and agility they had was amazing. That's when I realized there was nothing else I wanted to do but be a hockey player." He finishes, looking a little lost in thought and swirling his feet back and fourth in the water, since he had taken his shoes off a few minutes ago.
"Why are you telling me this?" Her voice is quiet and curious. He could've been anywhere else at the party but he had chosen to stay here, with her. Why?
He shrugs. "I have absolutely no idea."
Against her better judgment, Annabeth cracks a smile at his ridiculous response. He looks over at her and grins. She doesn't look up but she can see it from the corner of her eye. It was as if he was a completely different person. She was glad that he hadn't asked her again why she was so upset. He was trying to make her feel better by distracting her with conversation and it was…sweet.
"So, while we're sharing stories, what's yours Princess?"
"Oh you were doing so well till you used that name Hockey Boy." She replies, finally looking up to catch his eye.
"Hockey Boy? Wow, way to be creative." He responds sarcastically.
"You calling me dumb?" She retorts, raising an eyebrow challengingly.
"If the skate fits." He teased. Annabeth gasps in mock hurt. What happens next, Percy has no control over. In her defense, he should've known better.
She gets up from sitting at the ledge in the blink of an eye. Percy barely has any time to stand up before the blonde comes up behind him and pushes him into the water. There's a big splash before he comes up sputtering pool water and stared at her, stunned. Had she really just done that? She stands with her arms crossed on her chest on the mostly dry poolside, looking down proudly at the sea green eyed boy who was now treading water.
Annabeth can't help it, she bursts out laughing at the scene. She has to hold her stomach because it hurt from laughing so much. He swims back over to the edge of the pool, lifting himself out of the water, soaking wet.
"What the hell was that for?!" He says, flipping his wet hair out of his eyes. She notices a hint of a smile on his face.
"No one calls me dumb." She states simply, keeping her distance from him as he stands in front of her.
"Well now that I'm soaking wet and my mom is going to most likely kill me when I get home, I think the least I should get is your skating story Chase."
She pretends to think it over. "Hmmm. Nope, sorry, but the only people who get to know that story are my friends."
"Ouch Princess that hurts. I have to be qualified to hear your story?"
She nods. "Yup."
"Well then I guess I better start from the bottom." She stares at him confused until he sticks one of his hands out that's still dripping with water.
"Acquaintances?" He asks, staring at her for a reply.
She smiles. She hated to admit it but he somehow had managed to make her feel better after what happened with Luke. She'd been seeing a different side to Percy Jackson lately, a caring and actual human side of him. He was different when he wasn't around his friends. She knew there was more to his story as well, and she found herself wanting to know more. With that thought in mind, she placed her hand in his, trying to ignore the warm feeling that spreads all over her.
"Acquaintances."
Hope you guys liked it! This was my longest chapter yet. Percabeth is getting somewhere! I loved writing every part of this update but I really want to know your thoughts so please review!
Side note: I'll try my best to update once a week but my summer is coming to an end and I have a lot of stuff that's going to be coming up so updates are probably not going to come as frequently once I start school :(
Goal is 20 reviews for this update. Love you guys!
REVIEW, REVIEW AND REVIEW!
-M