Chapter 8

Out of all those varied adjectives that existed in this world, Awkward was the most appropriate one to describe his situation, not that he knew many unlike the blonde sitting in front of him. Jason was shamelessly staring at Piper or he could be staring ahead for all he knew while the said girl sat with Annabeth and seemed to be having a mental conversation with their eyes. He hated it when people did that.

His best guess was that the girls were sizing them up but they could be thinking about battle strategies or what they would like for breakfast for all he knew.

All the people in the car were silent. The driver was sitting in the front his eyes on the road while the girls were done with the small talking-with-eyes thing and now we're staring out of the window. His mom and dad had decided to take another car as they were leaving for a meet with Malcolm, a guy around nineteen who was enormously successful. He knew there was something going on. Something related to the overthrow of the current system in which his parents were involved. What it was, he didn't know?

One thing he noticed about both the girls except for the fact that they were extremely pretty were the strange pendants both of them wore. They were unique and not something you would expect an orphan to possess.

Piper's pendant looked something calypso would possess; not her. It was really feminine, for the lack of a better term. It had two pink feathers with a small dove peaking out. The dove though small was built intricately with beautifully carved wings and onyx eyes.

Annabeth's was different with an owl with two sapphires for eyes. It puzzled him as owls usually had large silvery eyes however this one had sea green ones. It was strange yet beautiful. The owl's wings were spread and it was the same silver as the girl's eyes.

And that particular second Annabeth decided to look at him. She scoffed. Obviously, from her point of view it would seem that he was checking her out. Why else would a guy be staring at a girl's chest? Well…

And that, kids, is why he hated ADHD.

But the fact that he hated it didn't stop it from acting up as he started looking around one again. This time what caught his attention was her bandaged wrist though. He looked up to see that she was on the verge of falling asleep while Jason and Piper had already had. This gave him an opportunity to observe her. Apart from the bandaged wrist, her lower leg also had a deep cut which was not bandaged and the way she winced whenever the car jerked, she seemed to have an injury near her waist. Her face was beautiful in an angelic way. Even prettier than Calypso. Her nose was sharp and long while her full lips were chapped maybe from biting them. Her blonde hair was in a messy bun while some curly strands managed to escape and frame her face. They were not the usual blond but had a tinge of gold to them like honey.

And yet again, that was the moment she decided to open her eyes just to meet his sea green ones. She gave him a disgusted once-over before looking out of the window and falling asleep.

The rest of the journey, he didn't even look at her and instead focused his attention on the small stains on the car-seat, the small crack on the glass of the backseat and the threads of his blue shirt.

xx-xx

Annabeth woke up with a start as the car came to a halt. Seriously, why was the world so against her sleeping?

She got out of the car to enter the manor while fingering her necklace. It was of great significance to her maybe because it was the last thing she had that reminded her of her unknown parents. It had become a habit recently. She fingered it whenever she was nervous or agitated.

One look at the manor was enough to startle Annabeth. It was beautifully made with large windows and marble columns. It was as large as a small castle and was painted a beautiful white and had three storeys. The way the front arc was made, it might make the building weak, but the pillars made up for it.

The front lawns didn't disappoint either with large fountains and well trimmed plants. Fairy lights lit up a majority of the lawn and cold drink cans were littered around the place which indicated that a party had been held there.

They made it inside and the fact that she was astonished would be an understatement. She had recently finished high school courses and had taken architecture as a side subject after a lot of persuasion. She and Piper went in a nearby abandoned building where a man named Chiron taught them. And if one thing she was sure of was that she absolutely adored architecture.

A guy called Leo decided to guide them to their rooms where they would be living. Jason and his sister lived with their cousin as the atmosphere at their own house wasn't the best. Fortunately, the rooms were side by side.

Annabeth entered the room to find that a room better than any she had ever lived in. it was small and had a bed in the middle with a small cabinet and mirror. There was also a small desk in one corner and a closet on the other end with a few pair of clothes and uniform in it. She wasn't sure whether they were their size but knowing these people they had probably made it according to her size. So much money to spare…..

She decided to analyse the room further tomorrow and collapsed on the bed falling asleep instantly.

xx-xx

Percy woke up to light knocking on his door. He closed his eyes burying his face into his pillow trying to drown out the knocking not wanting to wake up yet with an emphasis on NOT. The knocking continued not getting any louder but picking up speed as if the person knocking was getting frustrated. He picked up his head from the pillow and muttered a groggy "come in".

Annabeth entered the room, her face void of any motion. Percy looked up to see that she was wearing a light blue cotton dress with sleeves that went a little below her shoulder and the bottom gently brushed her knees. She was carrying breakfast by the looks of it.

He threw off the blankets and sat up taking in her form.

"What are you doing here?" He asked

"I brought breakfast." She said.

"Oh" Awesome way to start a conversation.

"You like the place?" He asked wanting to befriend the girl. If she was his caretaker, they had to spend a lot of time together.

"Yes. The architecture is really good however the arch in the front weakens the structure." She said her tone a tad gentler than it had been before. He sat up and went over to the table where she had set the meal. Seeing that she was not in the mood of telling him off or killing him, he decided to ask what had intrigued him about her.

"Why is your wrist bandaged?" he asked her. Though innocent, the question managed to bring back the guarded expression on her face.

"It is none of your business." She said her voice the same harsh tone it was when they had first met.

"I was just asking" Percy said raising his hands in surrender. "Also, why didn't you shake my hand yesterday? You don't seem like the person with a social anxiety."

Wrong. Move.

Annabeth hastily set the rest of the cutlery on the table and stood up ready to leave.

"I'll be back when you finish eating"

What happened next shocked even him, himself.

Percy didn't know what came over him at that time. Maybe he wasn't used to people shutting him out or maybe he was intrigued by this girl or it was just plain curiosity. It could've also been the fact that this girl had puzzled and aggravated him or simply insulted him.

But he grabbed her wrist and pulled her so that her she was close to him almost at an uncomfortable distance and used his other hand to raise her face by the chin. "Don't ignore me."

Another. Wrong. Move.

The events that took place next were like a comedy of errors… except for the fact that there was nothing funny.

Her breath hitched and her calm grey eyes held a look of panic in them. He looked as if she would pass out any second. Looking at her state, Percy realised his mistake and left Annabeth who stumbled for a second.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to…" He whispered and kept a hand on her waist to steady her making her wince.

She smacked his hand away pushing him off making him collide with the table. She realised what had just happened and what she had done and muttered something along the lines of don't ever touch me before leaving the room.

Percy was shocked.

And that summed it up. No girl and no girl did that. He knew it was his fault but she didn't have to push him like that after he had apologized. He rubbed his knee where the table had hit him.

If she was going to be all rude and aloof, Well… two can play this game.