Hello again! I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am for not updating in FOREVER. Vacations on top of major computer problems have resulted in no updates. Don't hate me :( But anyway heres the next chapter of Goode is Good. Tell me what you think! Even if you hate it!
Annabeth's POV
"Percy?" I called after him as he walked away. It was so sudden, he just stood up and left. I didn't know what was going on. I stood up and followed him. I could feel Macy, Ryan, and Matt's curious stares on my back as I walked. I looked over my shoulder and noticed more than a few extra stares from random guys.
I brushed it off and looked foreword again, just as I have my whole life. I don't like to let people get too close to me because I can't deal with having to turn my focus away from foreword, to meet their needs. I put up a barrier. Percy cut through that barrier, and he's the one of the only ones who ever has. I think thats why I hated him at first, and why I love him now.
As I followed the last glimpse of him and my instinct to try and find him, I was brought back to 2 weeks ago, under the golden arch on Mount Olympus. "I love you." I heard Percy whisper in my mind.
I finally found Percy sitting against the lockers in an empty hallway, with his head between his legs. I was worried about him. I went and sat next to him. I didn't say anything at first and he didn't look up. I laid my hand on his back.
"Percy?" I aksed softly. A few seconds late he looked up.
"I'm good." He sighed. "I had a headache but it's getting better." He said, and I believed him but I knew that wasn't the only reason for him acting so weird.
"And?" I asked. He looked embarrassed.
He looked back down at the ground and my mind started racing with all the different possibilities.
Realization hit me. "The stares." I deduced. I could read Percy like an open book.
Percy sighed again. "I- I just.." He started.
I leaned into him. I kissed him, definitely passing the 5 second mark.
"I love you." Percy whispered, echoing the words in my mind.
"I love you, too." I whispered. I started to stand up and Percy followed. I looked at him and realized that with Percy, I didn't have to look away from foreword because he'd be right next to me, looking foreword with me. Probably making some stupid remarks along the way.
We started walking toward the lunch room, hand in hand, but the bell rang half way there so we just turned around to walk to our lockers. We were getting our stuff when Matt walked up to get to his locker.
"Perce, you okay man?" He asked.
"Yup." Percy answered, not looking away from his locker.
"What happened?" Mortals, I thought. The word was borderline revolting.
"Headache." Percy said. I could tell he really didn't want to talk about it.
"Side-affect of the ADHD." I said covering for him. "I owe you one" he mouthed over his shoulder. I smirk, letting him know he owed me a lot more than one.. In fact, he was basically in debt.
"Oh. That sucks." Matt said, completely buying my story. "Well, I have to run. See you people later." and he walked off to do whatever mortals do.
I slammed my locker closed before anything could suicide-jump out. Percy was still trying to find his stuff. He had both hands pulling books out and then putting them on the floor. Crumpled up papers and wrappers fell out with the avalanche of books.
"People made trash cans for a reason, Percy." I said, starting to gather up all the papers and wrappers.
Percy looked at the mess around him, like he was noticing it for the first time. ""Oh. Right."
He grabbed a few books and shoved everything else back into his locker. Where it all went, I have no idea. Percy took my hand and lead me through all the people to our next class.
I survived my first day.
Percy and I were putting books in our backpacks after 8th period. My book bag as a brown messenger bag, nothing special. I bought it from the camp store. As I slung the bag over my shoulder, I realized I had forgotten how heavy textbooks were.
So far, Goode seemed pretty cool. The classes too. I even got to take an architecture elective, which was cool, even if they were teaching really easy material. I still enjoyed it. Goode was especially big on the whole "your classmates are your family" thing. There were tons of out-of-school activities and more school dances than I thought possible, like one every month. Percy didn't participate in any out-of-school activities, which I can understand why. Being a halfblooded, school alone is already enough to cope with.
I decided to keep it simple too, no extra activities, after a clip board had been shoved in my face with a blonde girl asking for help planning the Fall Formal earlier that day. I needed my spare time to work on Olympus.
"I hate homework." Percy grumbled, still trying to shove books in his blue backpack.
"Here-here." I sighed and leaned against my locker, waiting for Percy to finish. "Do you want to work back at my place?" I asked. I figured that if I asked another guy at Goode that question they would immediately think I was playing my v-card. But not Percy. I doubt the thought even crossed his mind. Nothing was too awkward for us to talk about, ever. Percy wasn't one of those perverted guys who wolf whistled at every girl they saw. More like a baby seal with a really powerful dad.
"Only if I can copy your answers." He said, finally standing up with his book bag all packed and ready to go. He slung it over one shoulder.
"Whatever."
"Is that a yes?"
"No!"
"Why not?"
"For gods sakes, Percy. You're 16 years old! I think you can handle homework."
Percy pouted. His green eyes were pleading. His black hair was especially crazy, sticking in every direction. I stared at him hard. Hot, my inner teenage girl drooled. Shut up, I told it.
"Not going to work, Percy." I said.
"Heartless woman." He scoffed. I slapped him playfully on the arm.
Thats when he made the mistake of hitting me on the arm back.
I stared at him for a second before grabbing the strap of his backpack, pulling it off of his shoulder and runing down the hallway laughing. There were a still students in the hallways so I had to maneuver around them. Percy had the advantage of knowing his way around the school but I had speed. This was a normal game that we played: I took his stuff, he chased me, the he would eventually catch me and we would fall over from laughing too hard.
"Hey!" I heard him yell. I peered over my shoulder. Percy was chasing after me, grinning from ear to ear.
I didn't know where I was going. I just ran. I turned down another hallway that I thought led to the front of the building but I ended up in a separate wing of the school. I could hear Percy's hard footsteps a little ways off. I opened the nearest door and ran inside. I took in the room, panting slightly, trying to stop laughing. There was no one else in the room. The lights were on and I could smell chlorine. There was a pool on my left and bleachers on my right. I ran over and ducked under the bleachers. I could have used my invisibility cap, which was in my backpack, but I decided to at least give Percy a chance.
I could see Percy stop in front of the door. He had a crazy grin on his face as he looked around. He reached out and turned the door handle. I remained perfectly still. This was the most fun I think I'd ever had inside a school.
Percy entered the pool room. I guessed that this was probably one of his favorite rooms in the whole school. He walked over to a stack of towels, probably wondering if I was there. His back was turned toward me and I took my chance. I stood up and jogged toward the door as silently as I could with 2 heaving book bags. I was almost to the door when Percy swung around.
"Ha!" He said triumphantly, running towards me.
I dropped both the bags and ran toward. Percy was closer to the door than I was and I knew I would never make it. I ran along the side of the pool toward the back of the room, laughing. I kept on sliding on the slick linoleum and almost fell face foreword a few times. Percy's shoes had better traction so he caught up to me in no time.
"No!" I tried to say while laughing as he grabbed my arm. He pulled me toward him and soon I was stuck in his grasp, by back pressed against his chest. I tried to squirm out but I couldn't.
Percy was laughing his head off. "Nice try, wise girl." he said starting toward to pool. I realized what he was trying to do.
"PERCY JACKSON, DON'T YOU DARE!" I yelled, still laughing. We were by the edge of the pool now.
"Don't worry. It's heated!" He teased as he started to fall into the pool, his arms still wrapped around my stomach.
We fell together. I squeezed my eyes shut, preparing for the impact. We hit the water and I could fell Percy let go of me as a cascade of bubbles swirled around us. Percy was right, the water was the perfect temperature.
I opened my eyes, still under the water. Percy's face was 6 inches from my own. He was grinning.
Bubbles swirled around us until we had our own little underwater bubble. It was exactly like the night of Percy's 16th birthday after we had been thrown into the lake.
Our noses were touching now. I felt a tingle travel down my spine. I was soaked but I didn't care. I closed my eyes. I felt Percy's lips on my own. We stayed like that until our underwater bubbled fizzed away. That happens sometimes, when Percy goy distracted he would forget to control the water. I pulled away and swam toward the surface. Percy probably hadn't noticed the bubble was gone, being able to breathe underwater and all, but I needed to breathe above water.
My head broke the surface. Percy's own a second after. He looked directly at me and smiled. I laughed lightly. Gods, he made me feel like an idiot.
I swam over to the edge of the pool and heaved myself out of the water.
"Leaving so soon?" Percy asked. He was floating on his back like this was some 5 star resort and not a school pool.
"Seaweed brain. Homework, remember?" I said, dripping. He swam over and got out of the pool. He was completely dry.
"Party pooper." He said sticking his tongue out at me.
"I demand you carry me." I said reaching out with my arms.
He rolled his eyes. "Fine." I expected him to hoist me up on his back for a piggy back ride, but instead he threw me over his shoulders. "Up you go then." he said, grinning.
"Not really what I had in mind…." I said he walked over to our book bags. I felt like a bag of flour, bouncing up and down every time Percy took a step. "Are you sure we can't opt for the more traditional route and go with a piggy back ride?"
"Nope."
"Please?" I said softly and cooly,drawling out the syllables. I knew how to get Percy to do what I wanted, with or without threatening him.
"Fine." He sat me down and grabbed our bags. I hopped on his back. My clothes were still dripping. We talked while he walked us both toward the front of the school. I made a mental note of which way to turn for next time.
We walked out the front doors. We got a few questioning glances from teachers and tons from other students. Which I guess was expected. I mean, Percy carrying a soaking wet blonde out of school had to raise some eyebrows. Everyone seemed to like hanging out on the front steps of the school, but it seemed pretty stupid to me. If you were done with school, why stay?
"We look like idiots." I said as Percy walked down the steps. He chuckled.
"You look like an idiot. You're the one wet, not me."
"Well I'm sorry if I don't have Poseidon-like powers." I shot back. An observer would probably think that Percy and I were fighting for real from all the teasing we did but thats just how our relationship worked. Whether we were dating or not, we were still best friends, so we acted like it.
Percy set me down on the side walk and hailed a taxi.
We hopped inside of the cab that pulled up to us. The driver seemed slightly pissed when he noticed my dripping wet clothes, but said nothing. We merged into the stream of New York traffic and drove towards my apartment.