Thanks for the nice reviews! Okay, this upcoming week will be a bit crazy for me… so forgive me if I don't update at all . But that's the cruel fact of my life. I got lucky the last few weeks, but now I'm not sure if I can actually type as much as the next writer. Don't worry though- I'll still write as much as I can.

~GoGreen52

"If it's not fun, you're not doing it right"

~Bob Basso

Homecoming

Chapter 8- Artwork

-Annabeth POV-

We had a taxi bring us to the Met, and I was actually pretty excited. I mean, we where going to be looking at some really cool artwork.

"Annabeth, we can go in now," Percy said, brining me out of my thoughts.

I nodded, and blushing I opened the door so we could get out. "Thanks," I said. I'm pretty sure my face was as red as Thalia's shoes.

He gave me a shy smile and we walked into the art museum. I picked up a little map of the place and saw what we could look at. "I'm going to check out the Greek mythology stuff… I don't know about you guys," I said, and the boys looked at me weirdly while Thalia and Juniper laughed.

"Annabeth can't keep her eyeballs away from anything that has to do with ancient myths or architecture," Juniper explained, and the boys started laughing. What was so funny about this anyways?

"Yeah, well by," I said, and followed the map to where the exhibit was. I heard some footsteps behind me… I hope someone isn't stalking me.

"Annabeth, wait up!" I heard Percy's voice yell from behind me. Oh… so he's the stalker dude. But anyways, I decided to slow up and let him catch up to me.

"Hi Percy," I said, not bothering to look at him, instead looking at the map.

"Sorry about back there… it was rude-"

I cut him off, "Don't worry. I'm used to it." Percy looked at me sadly after hearing that. He doesn't understand at all. Me- nerdy, obsessed with Greek mythology and architecture, Bullies- high in popular chain, scary, and they have no reason to keep a clean record.

So, let's just say I was always picked on in high school, okay?

"What do you mean?" he asked. I knew he would too…

"I was always bullied in high school… but I never really tried to fight back, knowing I could seriously hurt them and get a bad permanent mark on my record," I said very quietly, speeding up. I wanted to just shut up and get to the exhibit.

But, of course he decided to stop me.

"Wait. So you where bullied, but didn't fight back because you would get in trouble?"

"Congratulations. Here's your car," I said sarcastically. Percy smirked at me, but when I started to walk again, he stopped me yet a second time.

"Annabeth, you shouldn't have to put up with that," Percy said nobly.

"I know I shouldn't, but I do because that's the sick tale of my life, okay?" I exclaimed. I felt some tears threaten to fall, but I used my will power and held them back. "I don't think you get it. I've always been the nerdy one. The one who you don't want to be friends with."

"But what If I want to be friends with you?" he asked. What an idiot. He had no clue what could happen, could he?

"And make me some charity case? Well, I'm sorry, but I have enough charity already to last me a life time," I said, some venom lurking in my tone.

"Who said anything about charity?" Percy asked, his eyebrows raising.

"Honestly, if you weren't so worried about your… looks, you'd see what I mean," I said, and stalked off to the exhibit.

I wanted nothing to do with him.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Once I got to the Greek Mythology paintings, I instantly felt like home. My mother, before she died, used to read Greek myths to me all of the time.

Those memories were the few I had left of her, so whenever I see something like Hercules, Athena, Perseus, or anyone else, I feel like home, and that my mother had never died from cancer.

I saw a familiar face looking at the painting of all of the greek gods, surrounding a large hearth, like a real family. Chiron Brunner, an old teacher of mine.

"Hello Mr. Brunner," I said, making him turn around in his wheel chair. His eyes lit up when he saw me.

"Please, call me Chiron. How have you been Annabeth?" he asked, as we shook hands.

"I've been good… got a book store, working on that degree," I admitted, and blushed as Chiron looked onto me expectantly.

"I've always known that you'd do something… not normal. Are you going to school for architecture?" he asked. My old teacher knew me too well.

"Exactly that Mr.- oops- Chiron," I said, and laughed at my goof up. I'm glad he laughed too, and didn't act as much like Thalia.

Thals, Juni, and I were all in the same class with him for a teacher. We were really the targets for all of the bullies, being the smartest and weirdest in the school.

"How are Miss Grace and Miss Busche doing?" Chiron asked, knowing that we were inseparable in high school so we probably are now, too.

"They're doing good… and they are actually here… somewhere," I said, blushing a bit when I couldn't find them.

"I see that they are the same old same old," Chiron chuckled, then looked back at the artwork. "Do you know the story behind this artwork?" he asked, not looking at me.

I looked to where his eyes pointed, and saw Princess Dione chained to a rock in the ocean. I remember my mother telling me this story.

"Have you ever seen Clash of the Titans?" I asked, and Chiron nodded, looking at me expectantly. "This artwork vaguely represents that story."

Chiron nodded, seeing my point.

"Annabeth?" I heard Percy's voice ask from behind me, so I turned around. I saw all of my friends looking at me, sorry.

"Yes?" I asked, confused. What's to be sorry about?

"We're sorry for laughing at you," Thalia said, pulling me in for a hug. Chiron chuckled, and winked at me over the shoulder of Thalia.

She turned around to look at our old teacher… the one that really made an impact on our lives. "MR. BRUNNER!" she screamed, and pulled him in for a hug. A few people looked at us weirdly, but I just laughed.

"Okay, boys, this is our old teacher Mr. Brunner, and Chiron, these people are Percy Jackson, Nico Di'Angelo, and Grover Underwood," I introduced, and Percy shook hands with Chiron. I smiled, thinking of my dad when they did that. It was like Percy and Chiron just had a silent conversation about me.

We took a look at some of the other artworks, but soon left, wanting to get to the fun part of the day:

Paintball.

-Percy POV-

We got into a different cab, and rode to where we would be playing paintball. Of course, I never heard of the place before, but it's been awhile since I've been here.

I made sure to wear a hat and sunglasses throughout the day, besides the art gallery. That would be rude…

I still felt pretty bad about the fight Annabeth and I got in earlier, we've been skirting around each other ever since. I knew I had to apologize, and quick.

Walking into the place where we got all decked up in gear, or the 'Shack' that they called it, I knew I was in for some fun.

"Okay, boys against girls, but Juniper is going to sit out," Annabeth said, pulling on some gear.

"Wait, wouldn't that be unfair?" Nico asked, scrunching his eyebrows deep in thought.

Thalia wacked the back of his head and said, "Of course it's unfair. We want to give you dummies a chance."

My eyes went wide and I leaned back, acting a bit like my old-self, "Are you sure you can even come close to beating us? I mean, we do know how to fire a gun."

Annabeth's face turned red as she loaded her paintball gun up. "Oh, I'm sure," she said, putting a mask on. She didn't look like a girl, with how poised she looked. I got into my protection gear too, and loaded my gun.

Juniper would blow a whistle every time someone was out, and when it started and finished. But the whistle would blow longer for the start and finish apparently so we knew the difference.

Get it?

We all got into position, we being the blue team and the girls being the red team.

Then I heard the whistle.

I heard a shot ring in the air, soon after hearing Grover cry out in pain. Dang these girls where good.

I went into a tree, and saw someone walking down a little passage way. I aimed, then shot. The person who I shot at, sensed the threat and did the matrix move, dodging the shot. Then, they hid for cover. But under that mask I saw a little hint of blonde, and I knew that was Annabeth.

How did she do that?

I heard two other whistles be blown, signaling Nico and Thalia leaving the game. But for some weird reason I knew it was a draw that happened. Or Nico and Thlaia where just being dumb. But Thalia and Annabeth were too good to be dumb.

"Percy!" I heard Annabeth's voice yell from behind me, I turned around to see Annabeth, her paintball gun pointed right at me. I quickly pulled mine out, and shot at the same time Annabeth did.

But who won?

-Annabeth POV-

He turned around to face me, surprise written on his face. I wanted to see the look in his eye when I won, but he quickly drew his gun and shot at about the same time I did, but I shot about a millisecond before him.

I got hit, and flew onto my back from the close rang. I heard him fall too, and we both moaned, holding the place we shot each other.

"Are you okay?" he asked, and I took a deep breath and sat up. Getting shot in your abdomen hurt like crap.

"Yeah, you?" I asked, and he sat up too.

"Good," he said, and I stood up. He did too, not too long after and we headed back to the shack.

I looked at him and saw a red splatter mark, looking like a piece of artwork that I saw hanging in the museum. "You look like a piece of artwork, Jackson," I joked, and he looked down and laughed.

"As do you, Chase," he said, gesturing to my own blue splatter mark on my white cover up. I raised an eyebrow at him and we both started to laugh. I guess some art at the Met doesn't really have so much… meaning after all.

"Look, I'm sorry for being such an idiot to you… I actually want to be friends," he said after we took our masks off, and headed up the stairs to get to the main headquarters where we see each other play and stuff.

I know this place is totally awesome.

"I do too… so friends?" I asked, sticking my hand out.
"Friends," he repeated, agreeing with me and shook my hand.

But I want to be much more, too.

That was really fluffy, I know, but Percabeth is a main factor in this story, you know?

I NEED AT LEAST 10 REVIEWS FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER!

~GoGreen52