Story Name: The Iris Network
Author: turquoiserainlilies
Disclaimer: Do not own Percy Jackson or anything related, just the plot (really, not even that original). THANKS RICK!
Summary: He's a gamer. She's the Queen Bee. Percy struggles with unwanted fame from his father. Annabeth can't forgive her best friend for falling in love. Living miles away doesn't stop two people's fate from meeting, after all, the best thing to fall in love with are someone's words. AU!AH.
Chapter: 10 of 22
Introducing: Juniper "June" Green
greek3fire v
new york 12/31/14 21:39 utc-5
percy jackson
greek3fire: Sorry about the fight
wisegirl6: It's my fault, really
greek3fire: Wow, getting Wise Girl to apology, it must be Christmas
wisegirl6: That was last week you dumbo
greek3fire: Still, I got a picture too
wisegirl6: Totally regretting sending it to you, you made it sound like I'm sexting you or something
greek3fire: Nah, that'll come off later
wisegirl6: Perv!
greek3fire: You started it!
wisegirl6: Ugh
greek3fire: You look beautiful though, if that helps
wisegirl6: Thanks Seaweed Brain
wisegirl6: On a different note, anything I missed in the life of a Seaweed Brain for a week
greek3fire: Now that you mentioned it, I could complain about my family again
wisegirl6: Oooo…rich kids problems, love those
greek3fire: Hey, you're a rich kid too!
wisegirl6: Evidentially not as much as you
greek3fire: I rather not talk about how wealthy my father's family is, but how obnoxious. Only Tyson is mildly cute, and that's when he's not on his tantrums. Don't even get me started about Amy.
wisegirl6: The step-mom
greek3fire: Yeah
wisegirl6: Totally can relate, Helena's been up my ass about school, it's university application season, you know what that means!
greek3fire: I'm sensing a lot of sarcasm and mood swings
wisegirl6: Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner
wisegirl6: Seriously though, I can't stress to her enough about how I'm doing the right things, she's still convinced that I'm going to sell my body to some 40 year old man I met on Omegle.
greek3fire: Seriously?
wisegirl6: I don't know why she thinks like that. It's just sort of her stigma about kids with divorced parents.
greek3fire: That they'd end up on the streets? Well, I'm half way there
wisegirl6: Really? Isn't your dad mega-rich?
greek3fire: Rather not talk about that.
wisegirl6: Well, as long as you don't mention Harvard or Stanford, I think I'm good. My dad's all set on my becoming a lawyer.
greek3fire: So what do you want to do?
wisegirl6: I don't know, I like drawing buildings and stuff, there are some architecture programs I'm looking into, but it's super competitive and everything
greek3fire: At least you've got an idea, still as clueless as ever
wisegirl6: You know, you could always work at your dad's business, right?
greek3fire: I think not
wisegirl6: I think you'd be brilliant at that job
greek3fire: How so?
wisegirl6: If you can get me to apology? You can persuade everyone into doing anything
New year completely erased all the glamorous illusions the holidays had set. The hollies were taken down, the mistletoe kisses lost their novelty, and the few wreaths that still hung upon the doors belonged to those who are too leisure to bother to take them down.
Evidentially, the Tanaka residence had not had this universal memo. It was December the 31st, a few hours until the next year, and her house still looked like Santa's workshop, if the elves had a really bad alcohol problem. Thankfully though, because Percy can't stand the thought of getting through this night sober.
He usually don't drink a lot at these parties, heck, he doesn't even go to these parties if he can help it, but then he found Reyna and Drew, standing closely together as if forming some sort of plan, and found that beer was an excellent stress reliever, you do the math. He was reaching for another cup when a hand stopped him.
"You really shouldn't." Juniper Green smiled at him. She was dressed in a Christmas green that matched her leaf-ish eyes. Her dark brown hair knotted into a bun. "It's an unspoken rule at these parties, the first one to faint gets permanent sharpie marks all over his face."
Percy grimaced and immediately put the cup down, "So you go to these things often?"
June shrugged, "I don't enjoy it, but when you hang out with my sort of friend, then yeah."
Percy's thoughts went to Grover. They got split up when they first appeared, the latter was looking for the girl that was talking to Percy right now, whom, he noticed, did not have a date. That thought should cheer G-man up, Percy smiled happily. Well, at least one of our love lives isn't completely complicated.
"You okay?" June asked, patting him on the arm.
"Yeah." Percy nodded, suddenly really conscious of the phone in his pocket. On his phone there was a photo app, and on that app holds a picture of a beautiful blonde girl that Percy had never seen before in his life, but pretty much instantly fell in love with.
It wasn't love at first sight, did that really count if you've known them anonymously for a whole month?
(Exactly a whole month on January the first, if he was counting correctly)
"Well, Lenny's waiting on the dance floor." June grinned, "See you around Perce!"
Lenny Lenny Lenny, Percy thought, that must be her date. The rumors were true then, still if June wasn't hanging on his words the entire night, did that mean that she wasn't really into him? Or maybe she was playing hard to get? Why are girls so complicated?
Like, if a girl you've known for nearly a month sends you a picture of them on Christmas, are you supposed to return the favor? Or is that totally sketchy?
(Now he was being self-centered again and worrying about his problem with Wise Girl, and not Grover's problem with June)
"Percy!" Drew's nasal voice materialized, right in sync with a short red dress that belonged in Victoria's Secret (you'd think that Vicky would want to keep the secret better), and not at an elite socialite's penthouse, "So glad you can make it."
He smiled forcefully, "Won't be staying long, actually, I've got to go home soon and—" Worry about whether or not to send a picture to Wise Girl.
(Well, she didn't exactly prompt for one, their conversations are of the norm)
"Reyna's looking for you, actually." Drew smiled prettily, "I believe she went to the washroom a few minutes ago, you can catch her before she gets…busy."
He didn't want to know what Drew's definition of busy is.
"Actually, I'm really not in the mood for—"
"Have a drink!" Drew smiled, shoving another red cup in his hand, "Loosen up, it's the New Years!"
She swirled away from him in a dazzling, shinny, red twirl. Percy felt dizzy at all the colors, this was probably the alcohol effect finally kicking in. Shaking his head, he put down his cup, and hoped that Grover had better senses than he did about drinking at these parties.
Then he froze completely, paralyzed. Reyna was there, across the room standing quite nervously. She was wearing a purple dress that, of course, she totally rocked. This was Reyna Ramirez-Arellano, she could wear a potato sack and Percy still think that she's the most beautiful girl in the world.
Suddenly his phone pinged.
wisegirl6 sent an image
wisegirl6: Happy early new year!
Reyna was suddenly the second most beautiful girl in the world.
Wise Girl was hanging out with a pretty black haired girl in red, who made a funny face at the camera, but Wise Girl easily took up the attention in her angelic white and bright smile. Percy groaned, just another pretty picture of her to stare at obsessively, trying to ponder if he should send one back.
Of course, the last time he told a girl his true self, she ended up stalking him for a while even after they broke up. Percy can't go through all that again, even if Wise Girl's across the country, he learnt not to underestimate girls when they have their mind set on something.
Reyna was in the room, and Wise Girl was waiting for him on the Iris Network. Maybe Percy was just too scared to show Wise Girl him because he doesn't know how she'd take it. If by some chance, she was checking any business reports of the East Coast and happens to spot one of the articles of Trident Inc., then boom, his secret is out.
Wise Girl isn't Reyna.
How do you know?
Well, she talked to you before she knew who you are, that's the difference.
What if she changed her mind? What if she likes Percy Jackson better than Seaweed Brain?
Now you're sounding like a girl
Shut up will you?
"Hey Percy." Reyna was in front of him now. Crap, Percy thought, the inner monologue had prevented him from looking at where he was going, and now she was in front of him in her purple dress. Compared to Wise Girl, who looked like an angel, Reyna was the bloody queen in her high heels and regal smile.
"Reyna!" He feigned a pleasant surprise, as if he wasn't dreading her appearance here, "What a surprise!"
Someone bumped into him, it was Drew, who giggled. "Mistletoe!" She pointed at the ceiling, "Sorry, left over from Christmas."
Percy fumed, it was unlikely an accident much less a scheme. Perhaps this is part of the favor that Reyna asked of Drew, pushing the two together until they were forced to kiss.
Drew skipped away, happy with her done deed, but Percy didn't move an inch, oddly, neither did Reyna.
"I'm sorry." She blurted suddenly. Reyna took a step back so she was away from underneath the plat, "It was a stupid idea."
Hell yeah it was, Percy refrained from saying so, "Ummm…what do you mean?"
Playing an idiot isn't as hard as he thought, perhaps there was a reason why Wise Girl called him Seaweed Brain.
"I asked Drew to push you towards me, so that maybe we'll get back together." Reyna twisted her hair, "I mean, I thought it was a brilliant idea at the time, how could it not be? But you're just…really uncomfortable."
She burst out into a little giggle at the last word, and Percy smiled a bit too. Joking Reyna was less scary Reyna.
"A bit." He shuffled his feet.
Her eyes turned serious quickly, the same serious that Percy associated with her existence. Reyna was never unconfident, even when she was apologizing, she sounded like she was dominating.
"My parents were going through a bit of a financial trouble around the time I met you." Reyna said earnestly, "My sister Hylla and I had to find work, which is almost nonexistence for 15 year olds. I attended Goode High, barely scraping by when people like you and Drew have a fortune in your bank."
Percy opened his mouth to protest, but Reyna shook him off, "I was angry, at your luck, and maybe wanted a bit of glamour myself. I befriended Drew, but friends can only get you so far, when the news was out about you being Poseidon's heir, well…"
"You thought you could get a little further with a boyfriend." Percy nodded, "I kind of figured that."
Reyna smiled, a bit sadly and filled with remorse, "I really did try to like you Percy, thought that maybe that'd make everything better."
"I did actually like you though." Percy said, "Not too much, but you were a hot girl who wanted to date me, what else could I do?"
She cracked a smile. Things with Reyna was never easy, perhaps one civilized conversation between the two was all their going to get. At least Percy didn't feel like running off every few minutes. He was actually relaxing.
"I'm sorry about the last few weeks." Reyna said finally, she had been holding back those words, but now she must know as well as he that they must be spoken, "There was pressure from Drew, and all that craziness, I didn't really know what to do other than to try and hold on to the one good thing in my life."
"That's an awful lot of pressure." Percy whistled. Inside though he was feeling a lot better, most of the craziness Reyna had put him through had been largely Drew's fault. When you have famous friends, it's hard not to be jealous of them and want to prove your worth by holding on to something good. Grover must go through that too, Percy realized, and if he wasn't going to be the Drew to him, he'd have to step up as a best friend. "But I get it."
Reyna nodded regally, as if they were talking business plans, "I'm glad Percy, and though friendship is out of the question, I hope we at least can be respectful towards each other."
"Umm…yeah." Percy nodded, "Sure."
Reyna looked down, for a moment Percy had thought she looked shy, if not for the fact that Reyna was Reyna. She stood on her tip-toe, and for scary second Percy thought she was going to kiss him, and she did, on the cheek.
"Happy New Year's, Percy." Reyna smiled. She retreated and disappeared into the mass of bodies, all kissing and rejoicing at the beginning of a new cycle of 365 days. New heartbreaks, new hardships, and new everything. Percy stood as one of the singles with no one to kiss. Across the room, he could see Grover standing alone as well.
Percy nodded to his friend, who only broke their eye contact. Sighing, Percy put his hands in his pocket, and felt for his cellphone. Wise Girl's beautiful face lit up his entire screen.
"Happy New Year's." He smiled.
Click!
"Hey man."
Grover was sitting by himself on the stairs of Drew Tanaka's penthouse, he was holding a red cup, half-full, which wasn't a good sign. Grover never drank, and also, he was the designated driver.
"Perce." He said half-heartedly.
"You look down." He patted Grover's back in comfort, "You okay?"
Grover rolled his eyes, "I'm having a bad night, not that you'd get it."
Percy's forehead creased, "What do you mean—"
"I'm going to get another drink." Grover lied as he got up, obviously his cup was still half full.
"Hey, your crush turned you down, I get that." Percy protested. He wanted Grover to sit down. When had it become easier to talk to freakin' Reyna that his own best friend?
"No, you don't." Grover lashed out, "You've never got that sort of problem. You've been complaining all the time about how Reyna's been bugging you, but come a party you can't help but to talk to her?"
Percy gaped, "Dude, are you kidding me, she was just—"
"And June!" Grover snapped, "You talked to her earlier too, didn't occur to you to introduce me? Of course."
"She has a freakin' date!" Percy yelled, "Do you want to feel rejection all over again!"
"Shut up!" Grover exclaimed, "You don't know what rejection feel like and you never will, so stop pretending you know me, because Percy Jackson, you're the furthest thing from me in the universe!"
He glared at Percy with his brown eyes, not out of the usual annoyance or disapproval. It was a stronger emotion.
Hatred.
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Next Update: January 6th
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