[A/N: Here's chapter 8, guys! Percy & Annabeth are strong, they love each other. But for them to fully understand what they really feel for each other, they have to go through stuffs couples normally go through. There might be heart breaks, break-up, make-up . . . Just keep on reading. :D]
WISE GIRL'S SEAWEED BRAIN
Chapter 8: BRAVE NEW WORLD
ANNABETH
I made my way out of the admissions office and went straight to the cafeteria. It was lunch time, so I figured he'd be having lunch.
With my Mother's suggestion, I transferred to Percy's school. Goode High. She was right, keeping my relationship with Percy while being the architect of Olympus would be hard so now that I was officially a student of Goode High, I'd be able to see Percy every day while still fulfilling my duties. I wouldn't be neglecting my boyfriend anymore.
Students were staring at me. I didn't pay any attention to them. It takes a whole lot more than glaring to intimidate a daughter of Athena.
The cafeteria was packed and noisy. I knew it would be next to impossible to find him so I tapped the shoulder of the first person I saw. She turned around and I almost asked her if she had unlimited supply of make-up. The girl looked like she tripped and fell face-first on a basin of baking powder.
"What?" she asked in a shrill voice.
I held my head up high and said, "Do you know Percy Jackson?"
The girl smirked and turned to her friends. They giggled. "Do I know Percy Jackson?"
I scoffed. "I believe I said that not more than ten seconds ago."
The girl stood up and looked at me from head to toe. I knew this kind of girl. She thought she ruled the school just because she wore short skirts and about a million types of make-up. "Let me guess, you're another one of those ambitious girls who thinks just because Percy is a nice guy that he'll go on a date with you. Then I'll break it up to you, sister; Percy doesn't date. He's reserved himself for me but he's too shy to say it."
I smirked. Who did this girl think she is? "I'm sure that's not the case. And I'm not planning on asking him on a date."
"Oh, then you'll ask him to sign your . . . private places."
My face felt hot. "Now why would I want him to sign my body?"
The girl's eyes widened, making her look like an owl. Nice tribute to my Mother. "Oh, my God, you're stupid!" Anger flooded my veins. I wanted to strangle this mortal but stopped myself. "Of course, you'd want that; he's the most popular guy in the school. The cutest and the hottest! And he's the swim team co-captain."
Her friends squealed in agreement. Seaweed Brain, a co-captain? I knew he joined the swim team but he never mentioned anything about being the co-captain, or about being the most popular guy in school. Looked like I got competitions here.
"Who are you, by the way?"
Then I spotted him.
He was walking to a table holding a tray of food, with a group of guys around him. There was a beautiful girl following them. Percy was wearing a checkered blue and green polo over a body-fitting black V-neck shirt that clung to his muscular chest. He was in dark jeans and white sneakers. Despite of my annoyance with the girl, I couldn't help but agree with her. Percy looked . . . hot. I blushed by the thought but then I thought, I'm his girlfriend; I'm allowed to think of him that way.
Girls followed him with their eyes. Some even snapped pictures of him.
The girl beside me snapped her fingers in front of my face. "Hello? He's mine."
I turned to her and smiled. "You asked who I am, right?"
She rolled her eyes. "Duh. What are you, deaf?"
"No, miss," I said, smiling teasingly. "I'll let Percy answer that."
She frowned. "What do you – "
"PERSEUS JACKSON!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.
Every single student turned to me. There were whisperings like, "Who's that?" and "His real name's Perseus?"
Percy looked up from his food, a confused look on his face. When he saw me, however, his eyes widened and his mouth opened. I couldn't help but laugh. Gods, I missed him. He stood up and said, "Annabeth?"
The girl beside me looked around in confusion.
Then Percy was running to me. I ran to meet him and threw myself at him, clinging tightly to his neck as he spun me around. He was laughing and I joined him as I tucked my head at the crook of his neck.
When he finally set me down, he was grinning like a lunatic and asked, "Why are you here? Gods, I missed you."
I couldn't stop myself. I grabbed his neck, pulled his face down and kissed his lips. There was a collective gasp all around us but I couldn't care less. He tasted sweet, as usual, with whatever he was eating. He kissed me back feverishly. I never fully understood how long we hadn't seen each other until that moment.
We pulled away when we were both panting but gave him a quick peck.
"That didn't answer my question," he said playfully.
I gestured to the piece of paper on my hand. He snatched it and looked at it. When he looked up, the look on his face was so comical I started laughing loudly. "You transferred here?" he asked incredulously. "Why?"
"I hooked my arms at the back of his neck and stared at his eyes. "I'm staring at the reason right now. I transferred for you," I said loudly, making sure those near us could hear.
His eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Really," I confirmed, kissing his nose.
Percy grinned at me then pulled my hand. "Come on, I'll introduce you to my friends."
I looked back to Amber and saw her seething with rage. I waved teasingly at her. She gave me a dirty finger before sitting back down.
Percy led me to his table. His friends were smiling at us and my face burned. I noticed the only girl on it was the only one who wasn't looking happy. When she caught Percy's eyes, however, she quickly smiled. I knew what that meant . . .
"Hey, guys," Percy said cheerily. "Meet Annabeth Chase, my girlfriend." The guys wolf-whistled. "Annabeth, meet my friends, Barry," he said, motioning to a guy who looked like he was in senior year. He had a buzz cut and seriously ripped arms. If he wasn't Percy's friend, I would've stayed away from the guy. Barry could be a son of Ares. He had a kind smile, though. "Chuck," Percy continued, pointing to a brown-haired guy with spectacles. "Pete." The last guy was lean, tall and had about a million facial hairs.
"And lastly, Samantha. I call her Sam." The only girl was beautiful. Long dark hair, gorgeous brown eyes, and a body that could put the contestants in America's Next Top Model in shame. She gave me a shy smile but her eyes were tentative.
"Hello," I said shyly.
Percy pulled a chair for me and I sat down. When he sat next to me, I quickly took his hand. He raised his eyebrows at me. I leaned closer to him and whispered in his ear, "I'm sorry for ignoring you."
The smile melted off his face and he pulled his hand away from mine. My heart dropped to my stomach. He looked at me. His eyes were cold and I knew, from that moment, that I had to do something to make-up for what I did.
"Percy, I—" My voice shook and I had to stop. I couldn't cry in front of these people. They sensed something was wrong and were eyeing us warily.
Then the doofus suddenly grinned. "Ha-ha. Got you!" I punched him in the arm. He yelled, "Ow!" But I buried my face at the crook of his neck. "Shh," he whispered. "It's okay. I'm not mad at you. I can never be. I will never be."
He tried coaxing me out of his shirt but I stayed there for some time, forcing the tears back. I'd been so worried that he was mad at me that when he did that little act of his, I nearly bawled my eyes out. I was relieved, too, that Percy was too kind and understanding. Sometimes I wonder if I deserve him at all.
"Hey, come on. No crying on your first day," he said softly, rubbing the back of my head.
I finally looked up and stared at his eyes. After being with him for four years, I hadn't gotten used to looking at his eyes straight ahead. If someone asks me what my favorite color is, I'd simple say, "Look at Percy's eyes; it's the most beautiful color in existence."
"You okay now?" he asked.
I nodded, placing my chin on his shoulder. "I really am sorry, Percy."
He shrugged. "It's okay. You were doing what you love. I can't expect you to drop it for me and—"
I silenced him with a kiss. His friends cheered. I missed him. I couldn't believe I even let myself be too focused with my dreams that I forgot that Percy was one of those dreams. My hands made their way into his messy hair down to his neck. I pulled him closer, deepening our kiss. I lost myself and bit his lower lips softly.
He pulled away, grinning. His lower lip was a bit swollen and puffed. "I love you," he murmured.
"I love you," I said simply.
"All right, love birds," said Barry. "Break it up before you two end up in the office."
I smiled and gave Percy another kiss. I settled my head on his shoulder and his lips found their way to my hair. I grabbed his right hand and pressed the palm on my lips. I kissed his fingers one by one and then his knuckles and then his palm. Percy squirmed and laughed. "Hey, that tickles."
I gave his hand one last kiss and let his hand fall. Percy tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and kissed my cheek. "You don't have to feel guilty, okay? What matters is that you're here now." I nodded. "Let me see your schedule."
I dug into my bag and handed him the paper. He looked at it and groaned. "Ugh. We only have P.E and English together."
"Ooh," said Chuck. "Lucky new girl. You have P.E with the swim team co-captain. Every girl's dream." Percy laughed and threw a French fry to him.
"Yeah, about that," I said, turning to Percy. "Why didn't you tell me you're the co-captain?"
"I –"
"And why didn't you tell me you're Mr. Popular here?"
"I didn't think it was worth mentioning," he said.
I raised my eyebrows at him. Lucky for him, the bell rang. "What's your next class?" I asked him.
"Math," he said.
"I have French," I said, remembering my schedule.
"Sam has French, too," Percy said excitedly. "Now that I think about it, you guys have every class together, right?"
The girl, Samantha, nodded. "I'll show you," she offered. Her eyes drifted to Percy for a second then she looked back at me and smiled.
"Oh, I'll show her," Percy said.
"Seaweed Brain," I said. "You can't be late for class."
The guys laughed. "Seaweed Brain?" asked Pete. "You call him that?"
I nodded and they laughed loudly again. Percy rolled his eyes. "Oh, I feel so loved right now."
"You are," I said, taking his hand into mine.
Samantha followed behind us while Percy and I walked hand in hand. A lot of girls were glaring at me and throwing me envious looks but I paid them no attention. Percy certainly didn't notice them. I smiled to myself knowing he was mine.
Percy stopped in front of a room marked 401. He opened the door for me. "I'll see you later, okay?" I nodded and kissed him. He grinned. "P.E's the last period and since you're the new girl, you get to race against the co-captain."
I smirked. "You're on, Seaweed Brain," I said, walking inside the room.
"See you later, Sam," he said.
"See you, Perce."
Wait, Perce? Did that Samantha girl just called my boyfriend Perce? I remembered him requesting me to start calling him that but I didn't. Seaweed Brain was my way to keep in mind what he and I had been through. I wasn't going to change that just because there was a girl who calls my boyfriend what he wanted.
I decided to talk to her the first chance I got.
Class was interesting but still a bit challenging. Like most demigods, I was dyslexic so I didn't do well with reading, except when the material was written in Ancient Greek, which my brain was hardwired to. I was also ADHD. I couldn't sit still for a long time, doing nothing. I had inborn battle reflexes, which help in keeping me alive during battles.
Still, I managed to give a good impression on my first day.
I was picking up my things when a group of four girls crowded around my table. "Hi," said one. "My name's Jane."
"Carrie," said another.
"Lynn," said the third.
"Dane," said the last.
I didn't ask for their names.
"So," said Carrie. "Your Percy's girlfriend, right?"
I nodded.
"How does it feel dating him?" asked Lynn.
"It's really cool," I answered honestly.
"Is he a good kisser?"
My face burned. "What?"
"Is he good in bed?"
I felt blood rushing to my face. Are mortal girls always like this? Girls from my school were a bit tamed than them. Do they really ask the guy's girlfriend how he is in lovemaking? I didn't know how to answer and I did think I would want to.
"Leave her alone," said a voice behind them. Samantha pushed her way near me. "Come on, Annabeth. One more class and you get to see Percy in his swim trunks." She winked at me and I blushed even more.
"Yeah. Come on," I said and gathered my things.
Next class was Social Studies. It was one of my favorite subjects. It's all I could do not to correct every wrong fact the professor said. He made me stand up front to introduce myself. I heard mutterings like, "She's Percy's girlfriend?" and "She's not even pretty." I ignored them, though. They were just bitter.
When class was done, I made my way to where the swimming pool was. Samantha got me a swimsuit and I changed into it. I was uneasy. It was the first time I did this, and the rest of the class would see me. I took a deep breath. I won't let this get the best of me.
"You done?" Samantha asked.
I nodded. The girl was really nice. I didn't think she would be a competition for Percy's attention. I wasn't blind; I knew she had some feelings for him but I thought she was too nice to steal him from me. With that aside, I thought she would be a good friend.
We made our way to the pools. I looked around for Percy. He wasn't anywhere to be seen. Not that I was anxious to see him in his swim wear.
A door opened and he came in. I immediately blushed.
I'd seen Percy without a shirt a couple of times before but that didn't prepare me with what I saw. Tanned skin, ripped arms, flat stomach and noticeable abs. He was built but not to the point of looking like a freak. My eyes travelled down and saw that he had a line of dark hair below his belly button disappearing into his swim trunks and –
STOP!
I shook my head and tore my eyes away from him with difficulty. Too late. He already saw me looking and a huge grin appeared on his face. He walked to where I was and whispered, "You're staring at my body." His breath tickled my neck and my blush deepened.
I punched him in the stomach. "It's my body. I'm allowed to stare at it."
"Ooh, you're getting territorial now, huh?" I glared at him. "Fine," he said, wrapping his arms around me. His bare skin sent electricity throughout my body. "It's yours. You can stare all you want. Heck, feel and touch all you want."
He placed my hand on his stomach and grinned up at me. His face was red, too, but there was a different light in his eyes. I pushed him away and walked to where Samantha was standing. "I hate that guy," I murmured.
Samantha smiled. "You don't know how many girls would give up anything to be you."
I scoffed. "Lucky me, then."
Samantha looked at me in the eyes and said, in a quiet voice, "You have no idea."
PERCY
Having Annabeth with me in school was a blast.
I had to command myself not to stare too much at her in her swim suit. She'd kill me if she saw me. But it was really hard. Annabeth was just . . . oh, gods. Wow. Her tan skin was shimmering with the light reflecting from the pool. Her hair swept to one shoulder. She looked uneasy, which made her a whole lot cuter.
It was a bit hard to concentrate with leading my classmates in swimming. Barry noticed this, tapped my shoulder and said, "I'll take it, dude."
I stood beside Annabeth. She looked at me and smiled shyly. Gods, I wanted to kiss her so bad.
One by one, the pairs started competing. Annabeth and I were slated to go last.
When it was our turn, I said, "If you win, you get to kiss me."
Annabeth smirked. "And if I lose?"
"I get to kiss you."
She thought about it for a moment. "Sounds good to me."
We positioned ourselves and when Barry gave the signal, Ananbeth immediately jumped in the pool. Meanwhile, I straightened and let her swim up to the middle of the pool before jumping there myself.
Being the son of Poseidon, I could manipulate water. Salt water is the easiest for me to control. Pool water isn't that easy but I didn't use my power. Instead, I used muscle power to propel myself across the pool. In three strides, I managed to catch up with Annabeth.
We touched the other end at the same time. I kicked the side of the pool and pushed myself forward, leaving Annabeth behind. I was a few feet away from the end when a hand grabbed my left ankle and I disappeared under the water.
She was grinning at me and pushed me under. I could've used my power then but I didn't want to raise suspicion. I watched her swam away. I shook my head, grinning, and followed her.
Annabeth had won.
The rest of the class was cheering for her. She looked back and wrapped her arms around my neck. "Now, I will collect my reward." Then she kissed me. I wasn't aware of the loud cheering. All I knew was that I love this girl. All the disappointments I felt when Annabeth didn't call or text me for a week evaporated. I kissed her back and would've continued except that everyone was clearing their throats.
We broke apart and I helped her out of the pool.
I headed to the shower room, took a quick one and waited for Annabeth. She went out talking to Samantha. I smiled. I figured those two would be fast friends. They were so much alike.
"Hey," she greeted me, kissing my cheek.
"Hello, Perce," Sam said. Annabeth stiffened a little but smiled quickly again. I knew why. I asked her to call me that but she didn't. I guess I'll always be her Seaweed Brain. I could live with that.
"Hi," I said.
"What should we do?" I asked. "We could go see a movie or hang out at my apartment."
"Hmm," Annabeth murmured. "Both sound cool."
"Um, actually, do you guys mind to come over my house?" Samantha suddenly asked. "I just want to get to know Annabeth." Annabeth raised her eyebrows. Samantha looked at me. "You won't shut up about her so I guess that made me curious."
"Are you going to cook dinner?" I asked.
"Definitely."
"Oh," I groaned. "How can I resist your cooking?"
"She had cooked for you before?" Annabeth asked. I could hear something in her voice. I sighed.
"Once," I explained. "It was just a friendly dinner."
Annabeth nodded and muttered the word friendly.
"I mean, if you don't want to, that's fine," Samantha said.
"No, it's okay," Annabeth said, cutting whatever I was about to say. "I think it would be great to get to know my boyfriend's friend. We'll come."
"Cool," Samantha said.
Something told me this wasn't going to be a friendly dinner.
[Next - Chapter 9: LET THE RIGHT ONE IN]
