Hey guys! This one-shot will take place between BOTL and TLO. I always thought Annabeth and Percy got along too well at the beginning of TLO after their awkward goodbye the summer before, so this was my interpretation of what could have happened in the school year in between.
Disclaimer: I only wish I could write the way Rick Riodan can...
Percy's palm was sweating as he gripped the drachma, his knuckles white from grasping it so hard. Just do it, Percy! he told himself. But what if she doesn't even want to talk to me? another part screamed back. There's only one way to find out...
With one final breath, Percy threw the drachma into the mist. "O goddess, accept my offering," he said, voice quivering. Seconds passed, each one an hour. Then the image of Annabeth Chase appeared in front of him. She looked up from something she was writing in surprise, her gray eyes widening when she saw him.
"Percy!" she said, dropping her pencil and tucking a loose stand of blonde behind her ear.
"Hey-," Percy began, his voice cracking. Coughing to cover the embarrassment, he began again. "Hey Annabeth."
She raised an eyebrow at him and bit her lip. "Hi," she nodded, then picked up her pencil and continued her writing.
Percy sighed in frustration. She was avoiding eye contact with him. Seconds of silence lapsed into a minute. "Annabeth," Percy said gently.
She threw down her pencil and turned her face toward him again. "What?" she demanded.
"I just wanted to talk to you! It's been- what? Four months now since we last talked? The whole entire fall has gone by without us even iris messaging once! I know we didn't leave off on a very good note last summer, but that means we need to make up for it at some point. Look at me," he said, as Annabeth had started bending down for her pencil on the floor. The gray eyes slowly looked up at him. Her face looked sad and tired as she sat up to face him again.
"Sorry," she said softly.
"I just don't understand why things are so..." he struggled for the word, "...difficult. Between us," he finally spit out.
Annabeth threw her head back and sighed. "Okay Percy," she started, still looking up at the ceiling. "You want to know what was running through my mind that last time we talked before leaving camp? I was struggling over the shock of seeing Kronos in Luke's body, silently dealing with a deep injury after the Battle of the Labyrinth..." she paused for a moment, as if struggling to get out the next few words. "I was still angry over the fact you were choosing a mortal girl over me to lead the quest, and was waiting for you to admit to me you were on Calypso's island.
Percy's eyes widened. "So you knew. Well, I guess I should have known you would figure it out."
Annabeth made a noise somewhere between a chuckle and a sigh. "Percy, I'm a daughter of Athena. How long did you think you could keep it a secret?"
Percy just shook his head. "Alright. So you know. How does that give you the right to ignore for this past semester though?"
"I had no right to ignore you. I shouldn't have run off that last day when the conch horn sounded. We should have had this conversation a long time ago. I was just upset how many secrets you had kept from me, about Rachel and Calypso and..." she stopped again. "Forget it," she muttered.
"What?" Percy asked, confused. "Annabeth, this isn't getting us anywhere." He could hear her mom calling her from downstairs to dinner. Annabeth stood up quickly, looking eager to leave.
"Percy, listen. I was stupid. I overreacted. I wanted to be mad at you for a lot of little things that don't matter anymore. Let's forget last summer and move on."
He opened his mouth to speak, but the connection had been broken. Like their relationship.
Good? Bad? I want feedback!