Five reviews already? None of my stories have ever taken off like this. EVER. Thank you guys so much.
The disclaimer is on Chapter 1.
I'm putting another element in this- a Nico versus Annabeth hate story.
Thalia studied the paper, and then erased a line and a half. If she was going to be a one-hit wonder, it needed to be a good hit. She carefully tuned her guitar and sang the first few lines, not quite sure where it was going.
Been working overtime
And getting sick of these crazy games
I'll be a satellite
And wait for someone to enter my gaze.
I see you like a star in the sky
And I love it, There's a light in your eyes
And I wonder, When you look in mine
Do you see them
Like a star in the sky?
[Britt Nicole. "Like A Star." The Lost Get Found. 2009.]
Fueled by her rush of inspiration, she quickly scribbled down the rest of the song. She didn't even realize who it was for. Because… because…
Thalia Grace had written a sort of love song.
"Come in," the voice said when Sally knocked on the door. She entered the spacious office, Percy right behind her. "Sally?"
She nodded. "Nice to see you."
"What are you doing here?"
"Percy wants to stay with you."
"Oh my gods," Piper ranted as she and Annabeth pushed through the crowd of paparazzi. "You look amazing today, Annie."
Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Are you being a suck-up or what?" she joked. "Just kidding. You look amazing too."
Upon entering the restaurant, Piper and Annabeth could already see Hazel, Leo, Clarisse, and Silena, the other members of Diamond, seated at one of the tables in the private banquet room. Piper joined her band after air-kissing every one of them. Annabeth took her seat at the other table, next to Luke. Thalia arrived a few minutes later with her brother and his bandmate Reyna in tow.
Reyna irritated Annabeth. It seemed to Annabeth that every time she tried for something, wanted something… Reyna always got it first. Not that Annabeth wanted Jason in her band, she just couldn't help feeling jealous.
"Evening, Reyna," she said, coolly. "Jason."
"Gods, what's her problem?" Reyna whispered to Jason.
"Probably jealous," Jason answered as the two of them sat across the table. Reyna took the farthest possible seat from Annabeth. Thalia, on the other hand, sat next to Annabeth and slipped a piece of notebook paper under her fork. Annabeth unfolded it to reveal a song- an ingenious song- a love song. She looked skeptically at Thalia.
"What do you think?" Thalia prompted.
"It's a love song."
"So?"
"Love songs aren't your thing."
"They are now," Thalia said, snatching the paper back. "This song, this will turn me from 'Jason's sister' to 'Elektra Grace.'"
"I suppose I did say you had talent all those years ago."
Jason knew what Thalia had in mind, though. After what Reyna had said earlier, he could practically see the third and unspoken title floating through her brain.
'Nico di Angelo's soul mate.'
Silena nearly broke her heel when she saw Piper in the restaurant. Piper McLean, Diamond's head girl.
Oh gods, why? She thought. She shook her head.
"Silena," a tall African-American guy in an expensive suit read off her nametag. "We'll need menus over in the banquet room."
"Oh my gods," she said, collecting several menus from the stack. "You're Chasing Waves' bodyguard. The one who sang backup at her concert."
He nodded. "That's me. But you can call me Beckendorf."
Silena smiled. "I like that. A lot."
"Just as much as I like 'Silena.'" He slid off his wraparound shades and hung them from his pocket. "Chop chop with the menus. Never irritate a pop star, especially not Annabeth. She can get moody."
Silena nodded and followed him to the banquet room, setting down menus in front of each person. "I'm Silena Beauregard; I will be your server tonight. I'll be here if you need me. Are you ready for beverages?"
"Not quite," Chasing Waves said.
Beckendorf winked at Silena.
As Sally left the office, leaving Percy and the father he had never met to socialize, he could see Chasing Waves' limousine, ant-like on the street far below. He watched her, the lead singer of Diamond, and several bodyguards enter a restaurant.
"Any ideas where you want to go to?" Poseidon asked, scaring the crap out of Percy.
"Not really…" he stuttered.
"I've got a nice place in mind. It's right across the street, in fact."
Percy fought hard to keep his composure.
He would be in the same restaurant as Chasing Waves.
Holy thunderbolts.
Silena finished taking the party's orders and flounced off to the kitchen. Beckendorf smiled as she passed him. Annabeth got up from her table and rushed off to the bathroom to fix her makeup. Piper whispered to Hazel. The chilly breeze blew in as the door opened in front. Annabeth didn't see the people standing in it as very significant, just a man in a well-tailored suit and a boy who looked like his son. She walked as fast as one can in heels to the bathroom and pulled it open, setting her clutch at a sink and pulling out her makeup.
Reyna spit a wad of gum into its wrapper and set it by her water glass. Jason made a face.
"Was that really necessary?" he grumbled.
"I will chew gum if I want to chew gum." She was distracted by Leo tipping over a wineglass and breaking it at the other table. She rolled her eyes.
"Just don't be a drama queen," Jason said. "Maybe I will let Piper into my heart."
That shut Reyna up. She pursed her lips as if she'd eaten something sour and reached for her lipgloss.
He wouldn't really do that…
Would he?
Annabeth swiped the mascara wand over her lashes one last time and slipped all her makeup into her clutch. As she left the bathroom, she tripped on the doorjamb and dropped it. She regained her balance and was just crouching to retrieve her clutch when the boy she had seen walking into the restaurant earlier held it out for her.
Annabeth raised her eyebrows and took her clutch. As she hurried back to the table, she should have been thinking about how embarrassing that trip and fall was, but she could only think about those eyes…
That boy was cute, she decided. Very cute.
Percy did not give a single crap until he realized who the girl was.
Her. Chasing Waves.
Neither of them had even spoken a word. Percy had just given her back her clutch and she had raised her eyebrows at him and left. At least he hadn't done something totally embarrassing, like go, "Um uh gah."
Still, he almost slapped himself. Why didn't he talk to her?
Scumbag ADHD. Percy Jackson's two-year-old-maturity-level brain had not recognized his celebrity crush until two minutes later.
At least Poseidon didn't notice Percy's expression, and they ate their dinner in peace until she walked up to their table.
"I'm sorry I didn't say anything earlier," she said. "I should have thanked you, at least. I'm Annabeth Chase."
"Percy Jackson," Percy said. "Pleased to meet you. Can I have your autograph?"
Stupid Percy! That's just as bad as 'um uh gah!'
She smiled. "Sure." She pulled out a silver Sharpie and an index card and autographed it, then left and returned to her table.
Percy stared at the card, relishing the way she underlined her name with a swishy line. At least he had her autograph.
Poseidon smiled. "That girl…"
"My celebrity crush," Percy admitted.
"Chasing Waves, isn't she."
"Yes." Percy cut off a piece of his steak.
"I remember when she was a little girl with her parents asking me for my autograph."
Percy suppressed a laugh. "Mom said you inspired her stage name."
"That I did."
Percy ate the piece of steak that he had cut off and whispered, "It's too bad I'll probably never see her again."
Silena set down the celebrity party's orders. "Who ordered the crab?"
"Me," Thalia said. "I love seafood."
"How come?" Reyna asked her.
"I'm eating all the little things that live in the ocean," Thalia said evilly.
Jason gave a derisive snort. "You are an interesting case."
"You're forgetting that I'm your older sister and I can make your life a living hell."
Thalia was distracted by the buzzing of her phone. The text was from Will. Thalia had had him review her lyrics. The message wasn't long, only a few words.
Absolutely brilliant. Annabeth's recording studio, tomorrow, noon.
Thalia gave a silent cheer and twisted a studded wristband. Friends in high places were definitely good when it came to your secret crush on a heavy-metal singer.
Nico and Bianca watched each other across the polished granite countertop. Neither moved a muscle. This was the sibling challenge- the staring contest to end all staring contests. According to Ethan, last time Nico had checked with him anyways, the two of them had been at it for eight hours and thirteen minutes. Nico picked up a piece of pizza, and, never breaking eye contact with Bianca, wolfed it down.
"You're going to lose, you know," she said, her voice perfectly even and threatening.
"I'd better not."
Nico's robotic vacuum whirred across the kitchen floor. Bianca tucked her legs up onto her stool, but she couldn't hide how startled she was. Nico didn't understand her pathological fear of robots- it was a pathological fear after all- but it most likely had something to do with a giant-sized automaton in that recurring dream Bianca had.
"For how long have you been staring?" Zoё Nightshade, the other female member of Planet Of Angels, asked. "Eight and some hours?"
Nico didn't even break Bianca's stare to make fun of Zoё's dialect this time. He just said, "I need a pillow for my elbows."
She snorted. "I will tell Ethan."
Nico and Bianca continued their staring contest. Zoё returned with Ethan, who had a pillow, and a bottle of black nail polish, which she started to paint onto Bianca's claw-like nails.
As Zoe was finishing her manicure, the vacuum cleaner touched Bianca's leg. She yelped and fell off her stool. Nico jumped up and yelled, "Victory!" Zoe barely rescued the nail polish from toppling and ruining the floor. Nico strolled to his bedroom and switched on the radio.
"And last but definitely not least," the announcer said, "Chasing Waves has composed another amazing song. Performed for the first time at her concert this evening, it looks promising enough to top Planet Of Angels' hit song Monster-"
Nico gave a derisive snort and turned off the radio. Gods damn the pop stars.
Nobody topped his songs.
Nobody.
"Ethan?" he called.
Ethan was at his door. "Yes, Sir Nicolas?"
Nico narrowed his eyes. "Don't call me that. I may need your help with a revenge plan in the future."
Ethan gave his best evil grin. "Well, you are in luck. I am excellent at revenge."