"Lights?"
"Check."
"Camera?"
"Check."
"Pretending to be desperately in love with each other for ulterior motives?"
"Just turn the damn video on, Jac—Percy."
Percy winked at her. "So close. You were two syllables away from ice water."
They were standing outside of Target, the wind whipping through their pajamas like they were paper. Annabeth shoved her hands in her armpits, trying to preserve body heat, and cursed Thalia for leaving her homeless without a coat.
"Stupid roommate," she grumbled.
Percy pulled out his phone and held it up. "Think of it this way. You may not have a home, but you get to hang out with me all day!" He fumbled with his phone, nearly dropping it on the pavement before catching it with his fingertips.
"I feel so blessed," Annabeth said drily. "Can we just get this over w—"
"Hey, guys!" Percy said to the recording camera.
Annabeth quickly forced a smile onto her face.
The number of viewers jumped—first ten, then a thousand, then a hundred thousand. It continued to climb by the minute as thousands of people stopped what they were doing to watch Percy Jackson stand outside of Target.
"You might be a bit confused," Percy said to the phone, "since I'm with the Target girl who shouted at me last video."
Comments started popping up.
That bitch.
Don't listen to her, Percy, ur awesome! 3
Don't worry, guys, I'm trying to get some tea on her. After it spills, no one will hire her again.
Annabeth's heart plummeted. Not good, she thought. Most definitely not good. She had to get this right.
Motivated by the thought of no future employment, she made her smile wider and then—unable to think of anything better—wrapped her arms around Percy, pressing herself to his side like she was one of those Instagram girls posing for a picture.
(Why, oh why, had she not been blessed with their knowledge of how to pose for the camera in a non awkward way?)
Percy looked caught off guard by her impulsive move, but he quickly hid his surprise behind a smile and wrapped an arm around her waist.
"Here's the deal," he said. "That last video was us pulling your lovely woman doesn't actually hate me, and I don't dislike her either."
Annabeth laughed. She almost winced at how fake it sounded.
"So, people of YouTube, I'm here to introduce—drumroll, please—my girlfriend, Annabeth Chase!"
For the next five minutes, the comments exploded. Shock and confusion and heart emojis flooded the screen. The number of viewers tripled.
Percy went on the explain that he and Annabeth had been dating for three months, that they'd kept it under the radar for personal reasons, and had decided to announce the news with a bang.
"As an apology for keeping our relationship from you guys, we're going to do something special," Percy said.
Annabeth couldn't help but wonder at his words. He was apologizing for having a private life. Why? And what gave his viewers the right to expect an apology?
Percy continued. "We'll be live streaming on and off today, filming our first Valentine's Day as a couple, just for you."
The comments about her had drastically changed.
OMG they're perfect!
She's sooo cute! I love her bedhead!
They have matching couple pajamas! Talk about couple goals!
A.C. is such a good actor! I can't believe she fooled us all; I was ready to rip that girl apart before I heard it was a set-up.
"We'll be back in ten minutes tops," Percy said.
Annabeth furrowed her brow. Weren't they going to be filming for longer than five minutes? Nevertheless, she hid her confusion and waved at the phone until the video ended.
When it did, she immediately stepped away from Percy. "Why did you end it?" she asked. "We could have kept filming."
Percy slipped his phone into his pocket. "Because of you," he said. "We seriously need to work on your camera skills.
"What?"
He chuckled. "Is this your first time acting on camera?" He gestured for her to follow, then jogged to the crosswalk and pressed the button.
"What did you mean?" Annabeth asked, following him. Goosebumps erupted on her arms from the cold.
"I mean…" Percy paused. "Well, to put it mildly…"
She folded her arms. "Spit it out."
He leaned against the post. "All right, Chase. You're as authentic as a knockoff brand of Spam."
Annabeth opened and closed her mouth like a fish. "But...but...I was smiling and waving. I even hugged you!"
"Yeah, and you were as stiff as a board the entire time," he pointed out. The crosswalk sign lit up, and they began walking again. "Performing for the camera is an art," Percy said. "You have to be enthusiastic and happy. You do know what that word means, right?"
"Ha ha," she grumbled. "All right, I get it. I suck. What do I do?"
He raised his eyebrows. "Really? You're asking me for advice? Can I get this down in writing?"
She swatted at his arm, but he laughed, danced out of the way, then turned so he was in front of her, walking backward. "I'll teach you," he said. "Think of something you're really passionate about."
"Architecture," Annabeth responded instantly.
"Architecture," Percy repeated. "A designer, huh? Tell me about it."
Annabeth's eyes lit up. "It's amazing. You should see the things I'm learning…." She began rambling about beams and interior lighting and curved windows, about the buildings she had seen and the ones she wanted to build. She was so engrossed in the topic, she didn't even notice the minutes flying by.
"Okay, stop," Percy said.
She suddenly realized how much time had passed.
"You see?" he said. Sometime in the last ten minutes, he had began walking beside her again. "Architecture is what you're passionate about. When you talked about it, you lit up like a Christmas tree. That's what people want to see on camera. Enthusiasm. Authenticity. Not fake smiles and tense hugs."
She pondered his words. "That's actually good advice," she said slowly.
"Well, I do have some talents," Percy said. "Ready to try again?"
Annabeth puffed out her cheeks and then released the air. "I'm ready." She allowed a smile to cross her face. "Let's see how your teaching pays off."
As it turned out, Percy was a very good teacher. The next time the camera was on, she glowed like a fun-loving beacon—all happy smiles and laughs.
Whenever she felt herself become too stiff or her facade start to crumble, she would bring back the happy feeling she had about architecture, and then she would keep going.
It was all fake. She didn't really want to gush about fifty percent off funko pops, or roar with laughter at Percy's attempt at a Canadian accent—though it really was funny—or do anything else that friends usually did. She was just pretending.
But that was the point. Everything about it was fake—the video, her acting, their relationship—all of it was for the cameras. It didn't matter if she felt as authentic as a plastic doll.
It was because of this that she wondered: if it was all fake, then why did she care?
It was hard for her to have be around other people. For years, she had pushed them away, letting in only a select few, like Luke and Thalia. It was just easier. There was a smaller chance that she would get hurt.
Because of this, having fun was a novelty. Hanging out with cheerful people like Percy Jackson was a novelty. Being happy with others was a novelty.
And so, for the next five hours, she pretended.
Okay," Percy said. One arm was slung around her shoulder, the other holding up the filming phone. "Welcome to our fifth video in as many hours. Next up is a thriller. Annabeth, do you see that hot dog stand?"
"You mean the one selling obesity for 4.99?" she asked.
Percy appraised her. "Well, aren't you a ray of sunshine."
She smiled sweetly—once again, only acting. "Only for you, sweetie," she said, keeping her tone playful and flirtatious.
It was all for the camera.
"Here's the plan," Percy said. There was excitement in his voice."You're going to walk across the street and buy a hot dog."
"Thank god," she said. "Something warm."
"Oh, yeah! That's another thing we need: two coats and non-pajama clothes. We should go shopping after this. I know this place—"
"Back to the hotdogs," Annabeth reminded him.
"Right. You're going to buy a hot dog. I'll come a few minutes after you, and then all you need to do is follow my lead. Got it?" He pressed a five dollar bill into her hand.
She nodded. "Let's do this." She flashed a peace sign at the camera, slipped out from under his arm, and jogged across the crosswalk. She breathed a sigh of relief as she reached the opposite street. Just a little bit longer. Only eleven more hours of pretending.
The hot dog vendor was short, plump, and balding. A toothpick stuck out of his mouth. "What's your order?" he demanded.
"A bowl of soup."
Toothpick Man stared at her. "What?"
Annabeth rolled her eyes. "I'll take a hotdog. Two lines of mustard, one ketchup. No relish."
He muttered under his breath—something about dumb blondes—and pulled out a hotdog from his cart. He squirted the ketchup and mustard on and handed it over. "That'll be 4.99."
She pulled out the five dollar bill. As she did so, Percy came up, his phone discreetly filming at his side.
"Oi! You there!" he said in the worst british accent she had ever heard. "How much are you paying this chappie?"
Annabeth choked on her hot dog. She turned away, trying to disguise her laughter as a hacking cough.
Toothpick Man didn't look happy at the intrusion. "Hand over the money," he said. "I don't have all day."
"Now mate," Percy said. "What does your sign say?"
Toothpick Man only glowered.
"I'll read it for you," Percy said. "It says, and I quote: Unsatisfied customers get a full refund. Meaning, this lovely woman doesn't have to pay you if she's not satisfied."
The toothpick in his mouth snapped.
Percy turned to Annabeth. "Well? Are you satisfied, Miss?"
His eyes glinted with laughter. He winked at her and she felt something stir in her chest—some happy, carefree part of herself she had long forgotten. It was different. Bright. Real.
She relished the warm feeling. And so she played along. "Well," she said, "I'm not sure the mustard is up to standard."
Toothpick Man's eyes widened. "Whadda mean? I gave you the two lines like you asked!"
"Actually, you gave me one and ninth tenths of a line. See? The second one doesn't quite reach the end."
Toothpick Man fisted his hands. "It's close enough. Now give me the damn money!"
"Are you swearing at a lady, mate?" Percy shook his head disapprovingly. "Americans. I've got to say, things would have been much better if we English had won the war."
Toothpick Man slammed his hand down on the cart. "Listen up, mate. At least americans don't wear pajamas on 28° days. You british are crazy. And I want my money!"
Percy glanced at her, shoulders shaking from a suppressed laugh, and she felt that happy, bubbly feeling in her chest again.
If this was what it meant to have friends, she decided she liked it.
Annabeth smiled. "Here," she said to the vendor. She held out the five dollar bill.
Toothpick Man reached for it. Before he could grab it, the wind whipped it out of her grip. It flew sideways, smacked into a tree, slid down to the base, and then disappeared down a sewer grate.
Percy and Annabeth looked at each other and came to the same conclusion.
"Run!"
She dropped the hot dog and sprinted across the street. Luckily, the vehicles were idling at a red light, so she wasn't instantly run over. Cars honked and drivers shouted as she wove her way through them. Percy followed,, yelling at the cars in his bad accent.
"Oi, mate! That's my girlfriend you're shouting at!"
Annabeth risked a glance back. Percy was standing in the middle of the street, lecturing a hulking driver—who looked downright murderous—on the logistics of traffic lights.
"Why aren't they pink?" he said. "It would be so much more exciting that boring old red."
"Hurry up, idiot!" she called.
"I'M CALLING THE COPS ON YOU DELINQUENTS!" the driver roared.
"Time to go," Percy said quickly. He ran ahead, causing more angry drivers, and grabbed her hand. "Come on m'lady! We can't spend Valentine's Day in jail!"
She laughed as he tugged her along, leaving behind an angry hot dog vendor, shouting drivers, and several pedestrians dialing rapidly on their phone.
They didn't stop running for six blocks.
"Over here!" Percy gasped, skidding around a corner.
The sidewalk branched off from the road, away from the busy sounds of the city and into a quieter area. It stopped at the edge of a large fountain. A stone spout sprayed water upward, disturbing the water in the basin below as it rained down. A stone bench circled the fountain, holding in the shallow water.
Percy collapsed on the bench. Annabeth knelt next to him, muscles trembling as she gasped for air, trying to quench the burning in her throat. It was only by sheer willpower that she stopped herself from gulping down fountain water.
"All right….guys," Percy panted, addressing the camera. "Gotta...take a...break. Signing...off...for now." The phone went dark and his hand went limp.
The last twenty minutes began to sink in. She had assisted a british impersonator in a hot dog scam, had jaywalked, and then ran to avoid the police who were surely on their way.
What was she thinking? She was crazy; absolutely, irrevocably crazy. When had she become this impulsive?
She turned her head to look at Percy, who was now lapping at the fountain water like a dog.
Annabeth guessed she would never know.
Percy wiped his mouth and sat up in a crouch. "Well?" he asked. "Am I about to revive a stern lecture on jaywalking?"
He was smirking. His sea green eyes laughed at her—no, she realized. Not at her. With her. He wanted to laugh with her.
And then that bubbly feeling was back. "Jackson," she started, but she couldn't finish. A giggle erupted from her. She shoved her fist in her mouth to stop it, but it did nothing to muffle the sound.
Percy was laughing again. And then, as if a light switch had been flipped in her brain, she was laughing with him, clutching her stomach as tears of mirth streamed from her eyes.
"We're...such...idiots!" she gasped. She rolled onto her back and continued to laugh at the stormy gray clouds above them.
Percy stared down at her, a slightly surprised, slightly amused look on his face. Then he shook his head and looked up at the sky. "You're all right, Chase. I had my doubts, but goddammit, you're pretty all right."
Annabeth wiped her eyes and looked up at him. "I'm all right? That's the best compliment you can come up with?" She shook her head. "You're all right too, Jackson. You're damn all right."
Percy's eyes glinted. "Did I just hear my surname?"
Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up. You called me Chase. And where are you going to find a bucket of ice water to—AHH!"
Percy roared with laughter. "There's no rules against calling you Chase," he crowed. "Only for you calling me Jackson. How's the water?"
"I hate you!" she spluttered. She grasped the ledge and pulled herself into a sitting position, her body shivering in the frigid water. "You can't push people in fountains when it's winter!"
Percy was still gloating. He was so distracted, he didn't have time to notice Annabeth reaching for his shirt collar until it was too late.
He landed next to her in the water and let out a high shriek. "Cold! Holy frick, cold!" He scrambled to his feet and only succeeded in falling down again, splattering them both with water. "Get me out of here!"
It was only when Annabeth started laughing again that she realized what had happened.
She was happy. She was having fun. She was sitting in a fountain in freezing February, soaked with icy water, and she was laughing with a friend. And the best part?
She wasn't faking anything.
Percy voice jolted her from her thoughts.
"Are you just waiting for hypothermia, or are you actually too numb to move?"
Annabeth looked up to see Percy crouched on the ledge, soaked with water, white shirt clinging to his skin, his hand held out to her.
"I'm not sure," she said honestly.
His dark hair dripped with water, hanging into his sea green eyes. For whatever reason, she was just now realizing they were the most gorgeous eyes she had ever seen.
Hmm. Maybe she was getting hypothermia.
"Come on," he said. "Give me your hand."
She tried to take his hand, but for some reason—the cold, it had to be the cold—her muscles didn't respond.
Percy's eyes grew concerned. "Okay," he said, "Time to get out." He reached forward, getting a firm grip underneath her shoulders. His muscles contracted as he pulled her out of the water. "How about some dry clothes?" he said.
"S...sou...sounds g...g...good," Annabeth said. Her teeth were chattering too hard to stop.
"I know the perfect place," Percy said. His lips were now blue. "Say we hurry?" He held out his hand.
This time, she accepted it without hesitation. "Yes," she said. "I completely agree."
The cheesy romance is strong with this author lol.