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:17 of 22

wisegirl6 viii

san francisco 01/25/14 12:28 utc-5

annabeth chase

wisegirl6: Hey you

greek3fire: Hey you

wisegirl6: You don't sound too good

greek3fire: Oh, you're just judging me from the tone of my letters now?

wisegirl6: Maybe…how's Grover doing?

greek3fire: I don't even know

greek3fire: What about Silena and Ethan?

wisegirl6: I don't know either

wisegirl6: Our lives are messed up.

greek3fire: Yeah, but at least we have each other

wisegirl6: Keep saying that Seaweed Brain, I'd like to believe it

The words teenage boys held the connotation of something nasty. Video games, secret Playboy magazines, dottiness, low grades, and obsession with hot models. Teenage girls are not much better either. They are associated with shopping, the unfortunate color pink, and giggling.

So. Much. Giggling.

Girly-girls are the worst. A single giggle can be so high pitched that it can scattered a wineglass. Annabeth guess that it was a good thing that the drinks served in Summerville High cafeteria was in a plastic cup.

"Ethan." Silena gasped as the Japanese boy pressed a kiss to her neck. Annabeth cringed in horror. It was better when it was the pair of them (occasionally Nico, who is surprisingly good at chess) at lunch, but for the last week, there was Ethan.

Ethan Nakumura, who took up more than his share of the table. Ethan Nakumura, who laughed at Annabeth when she tried to read a book (reminded her a lot of Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, actually). Ethan Nakumura, who takes Silena in surprise make out sessions right in public. Ethan Nakumura, her best friend's worst match in the world.

Basically, if you look up the words teenage boy on urbandictionary, there would be a picture of him.

This lunch wasn't better. It started out with Annabeth and Ethan debated on feminist issues for about twenty minutes ("I'm not degrading them, I'm just saying that they're probably more useful in a kitchen or something"), which then moved on to him stealing all of Annabeth's fries, and now probably persuading Silena into an impromptu rendezvous.

She hated him with such a blinding fury that her vision almost went white.

Annabeth casted her glance towards the opposite side of the cafeteria table, and found that it was the third time today that she's done it. They'd catch her eye and try to make conversation soon. Yet, she couldn't help but to examine Thalia's laughing smile, Luke's bright blue eyes, and how much happier her old friends seemed to be than her.

This wasn't justice! They were the cheaters, the liars, the frauds, yet Annabeth was the one who sat with the most disgusting couple in the world. She coughed slightly, causing Silena to look up.

Instantly Annabeth felt pretty guilty. Her eyes didn't seem too happy, she wasn't doing this deliberately to get on Annabeth's nerves. Though there was a small smile gracing Silena Beauregard's face, it definitely didn't reach beyond her cheeks.

She still misses Charlie. It was obvious.

"Can I borrow your phone 'Lena?" She asked, tapping at the table nervously.

"What'cha need with her phone?" Ethan asked obnoxiously.

"Just give it!" Annabeth snapped.

Silena widened her eye and gave up the glittering cell in defeat. She held her hand up in mock surrender. "Sure, sure, whatever." And went back to lip-locking with Ethan. Sometimes it was really hard to feel sympathy for Silena, when she's pressing her own self-destruct button.

Annabeth breathed for a minute. Silena was the only one left after her own heartbreaking break-up. She owed it to her to get to the bottom of this.

Annabeth thought back to what Silena said about Charlie when she unlocked her phone, checking all the messages. He hadn't contacted in a while, and Annabeth refused to believe it was for a malicious reason. Even if it was, finding out what happened to this guy might give Annabeth the closure she needed.

The messages didn't seem suspicious leading up to the date that Charlie stopped texting (roughly 3 weeks ago). Silena had told him her address, he responded saying that he might drop by if he gets the chance at VidGameCon. Then…nothing.

His screen name, beckendorf99. Annabeth checked his profile to find it utterly empty. It turns out that he's not accepting any new friend requests, which might be tricking for Annabeth to contact him on her own. She'd need an expert hacker, someone who is skilled in communication and the internet.

Her mind immediately zoom to one person, but her heart closed it off. No. Annabeth thought, she'd use all other resources before she'd ever resort to him.

"Sorry darling, we don't do this without a price." Travis Stoll examined his finger nail mockingly, the gesture of someone who had all the time and power in the world. "Besides, we specialize in real life hacks, not virtual. If you need a professional hacker, I can hook you up with my cuz—"

"I'm trying not to talk to him, you know?" Annabeth interrupted. This wasn't the time for Travis to be uncooperative. "How about this, you find someone who can give me answers, and in exchange I'll talk to Katie about you."

His posture changes immediately, he almost tripped even standing still. Annabeth was happy to catch him off guard.

"You're a smart one, have anyone ever told you that?" Travis smiled crookedly. Well, Annabeth thought, he was a crook. "Even darlin' Gardner can't make me a computer genius overnight though."

She sighed. "So I have no choice?"

Travis sighed sympathetically. "I'll call my cuz, you guys can meet after school. I know how you feel about him Annie, but if you really care about Silena…" He held up a hand in defeat. "You gotta do what you gotta do."

She left out a deep breath. There was nothing else left to say, all has been settled.

Well, one more thing to say.

"It's not Annie." She decided. Annabeth turned on her heels towards her next class after lunch, hoping that meeting her ex wasn't going to be as awkward as she thought it would be.

Well, it wasn't really awkward. Luke was easy enough to deal with, he's easy-going and sort of funny if you squint. But then Annabeth's plan flips upside down when she saw the black haired girl standing next to him.

"Thalia!" She cried.

Her ex-best friend glared at Annabeth, who glared right back. How dare she be mad at Annabeth, for what exactly?

"What are you doing here?"

"Could ask you the same." Thalia crossed her arm. "Asking to meet my boyfriend using the Stolls, have you got a death wish?"

"They aren't that bad—"

"Shut up Luke!" Both of them snapped at the same time. Luke's smile faltered slightly, but a moment later he burst out laughing.

"Nothing's changed, you two are still two peas in a pod."

"Am not!" Annabeth and Thalia said in unison, then glare at each other as if they planned it. Which Annabeth definitely did not.

"Seriously Annie, what's the situation?" Luke asked, with a slightly concern. Annabeth felt a little foolish, she could've just called Luke and left Thalia out of this. Asking the Stolls to contact him made everything just a bit more dramatic than she would've liked, but then again, she couldn't have Silena been suspiciously with her talking to her ex.

"It's Annabeth." First and foremost, people should stop trying to force a nickname on her. "Also, do you know someone named Charles Beckendorf?"

"Can't say I do." Thalia answered.

"Excuse me, was I asking you?" Annabeth almost did the whole neck-roll-finger-thing, but was sure that her blonde hair and lean figure didn't give her the whole attitude she wanted to pull off.

"I can speak for my boyfriend."

"He can speak for himself."

"Oh, now you want to hear him speak!"

"Seriously, do you know this guy!" Annabeth cried. "This is serious, Silena's happiness depends on it!"

"I don't know, happy!" Luke yelled above everyone else. Of course this was the moment that a group of Freshman passed by their covert hiding spot—the bike racks next to the steps of the school. Blinking 14 year olds stared at them.

"Go away!" Thalia snarled.

"Just as ill-tempered as ever, I see that not even some affection can change that." Annabeth said coolly, unable to keep the retort to herself. Thalia's face was sour, but she brushed it off.

"You were saying something about Silena?" Thalia grumbled. They were all friends just last year, just two months ago—Annabeth realized. They were all going to the Snowflake Dance together…Silena was going to buy a dress for Thalia. How those two ever became friends, Annabeth didn't know.

She wasn't the only one who cared about the Beauregard girl.

"She's been dating Ethan Nakumura, but I can tell that she's not happy about it." Annabeth said hurriedly. She couldn't wait to finish this conversation. It looked like a total bust anyways. "Before that Silena had been texting this online friend, beckendorf99. He says he's from Arizona, and I'd like very much know why he suddenly cut off communications three weeks ago."

She handed Luke Silena's phone (Annabeth was going to get killed, but it was for Silena's own good). "Track him down? Maybe? Get a location? Can't you retract where the message came from?"

"This isn't a TV drama Annabeth, that's a lot of work." Luke frowned, examining Beckendorf's profile, probably. "I can crack into his IrisFriend list, maybe find someone who's close and willing to talk."

That could be a start. Annabeth nodded. Then realized that she was supposed to be mad at Luke. She didn't know why it was so much harder to stay mad at him, could Thalia be right? Did she still have feelings for him?

Annabeth doubt it, not when she had her own online friend to think about. Seaweed Brain brought upon a slightly blush that she hid as Thalia and Luke looked over the phone.

"I'll talk to you about this as soon as possible." Luke nodded.

"You're just saying this like that?" Thalia said incredulously. "Luke—" She then looked to Annabeth. "You've really forgiven him, haven't you?"

"He apologized." Annabeth crossed his arm. That excuse seemed feeble against her own brain.

"I apologized too!" Thalia cried. Shoving Luke over and stood in front of Annabeth. "Look Annie, I may not use to be your sweetheart, but I was your best friend, shouldn't that count for something? Why do you forgive your boyfriend over your best buddy?"

"Because you're my best friend." Annabeth realized. It seemed pretty clear. She had been very fast moving on from Luke, falling in love with another guy in the span of less than two weeks. "Because our friendship was real while Luke and my relationship wasn't—" She glanced at the blond boy, who just frowned. "You lied, Thals, when I could've forgiven you for telling the truth." She then sighed deeply. "Also, it was Luke who told me the truth."

Thalia's eyes bulged. She tried to say something but her mouth just hang open, like a fish in a pond. Annabeth glanced at Luke, three is a crowd was right.

"Just get back to me once you've got something on this Beckendorf guy." Annabeth excused herself quickly. "I've got to go home."

The took the bus even if she could afford the cab. The chatter of other people allowed Annabeth to sink deeper into her own thoughts.

Things aren't much better at home.

Athena Williams pounced on Annabeth as soon as she reached home, probably hoping to catch the latter girl off guard, which worked. She didn't think that her mom was still in the city.

"Annabeth, we need to—"

"I told you." Annabeth said, annoyed. Athena was standing right in front of the mailbox, she knew that Annabeth had been checking every day for her acceptance letters. "I don't want to go to Europe."

Athena's grey eyes narrowed. "I'm just saying, I'd feel better if I met the boy, but he's online, practically fictional. Are you throwing your life away for someone you've only met for two months? Where are all your logic?"

"Where are all your compassion!" Annabeth cried. "If I fail at New York, I can always transfer to Greece, you know, but I could never be with Percy if I move there next year—"

"You're taking a risk on something that's absolutely ridiculous!" Athena pleaded. There was something sad in her eyes. She really didn't want to see her only daughter pursuing a future that doesn't have a failsafe. "Please Annabeth, I want to spare you the pain. You can join me, and—"

"End up pushing my own daughter towards something she doesn't want?" Annabeth retorted.

Athena's lips pressed even tighter. This oddly reminded Annabeth of McGonagall from Harry Potter. Difference is that McGonagall actually praise Harry for his risk taking (sometimes), while Athena could be the next dictator.

"I'm not you mom." Annabeth said, shoving Athena off of the mailbox. "Just drop it."

"You won't be so jaunty after the boy breaks your heart." Athena hissed, but Annabeth was no longer listening. There was the usual bills, ads, and various college brochures from small campuses, but underneath was a medium sized, all around average looking envelope. The only thing that made Annabeth's heart stop?

It was from Columbia.

I don't know why I see the resemblance between Athena and McGonagall, I think it's the Minerva thing, lol

Next Update: February 1st

Hey hey hey Valentine's Day is coming up. Another year of empty promises and no sweethearts ahh well

Response to last update's question: which TV world would you rather live in?

As much as I'd love to be a Doctor's companion, I think I'd probably get killed in the first week. ALL THAT RUNNING! To answer that question, I'd have to say Phineas and Ferb (I know it's technically a cartoon). I'd love to befriend the boys!

This week's question: Which book are you most anticipating in 2014 (other than Blood of Olympus, that'd be too easy :p)