[A/N: I will never get tired of saying this: Thank you all for your positive reviews! :D
Here's chapter ten, guys. I apologize in advance. I'm not exactly that knowledgeable when it comes to swimming so I wasn't able to provide more details about the competition. Another thing was I randomly picked the name of Christopher Columbus High school. I don't mean anything with what I wrote; they're all just for the story.

That aside, read on and I hope you like it! :D]


WISE GIRL'S SEAWEED BRAIN
Chapter 10: THE BOY IS MINE

PERCY

Swim meet was next week.

Everyone was busy with school while I, Samantha and the rest of the Goode High swim team was spending most of our time practicing. Good thing I had Annabeth with me. Otherwise I don't know how I would've caught up with the lessons I was missing.

We were having lunch at our usual table; the usual group – Annabeth, me, Samantha, Pete, Chuck and Barry when Amber and her friends came over and smiled at me. I sighed in exasperation but tried for a smile.

"Hello there, baby," she said.

Annabeth stood up. I grabbed her hand but she shook her head at me. "First, Percy's not your baby. Second, stop being such a stalker to my boyfriend." I sighed. Annabeth could be pretty touchy when it came to Amber.

"And who are you, his wife?" Amber asked.

"No," I said, cutting Annabeth's reply. "Though she soon will be but right now she's my girlfriend." Annabeth was clearly stunned with the soon-to-be-wife comment but she eventually smiled at me, blushing.

Amber smiled. I don't know what's up with that girl. Even she's clearly mad at someone, she would just give them a sarcastic grin and I was always reminded of the harpies back at Camp.

"We'll see about that, baby," she said. Her friends snickered. She turned to Annabeth. "You're on my list, you little blonde girl."

She walked away and I had to stop Annabeth from lunging at her. She's always been touchy when it comes to the blonde comment. I mean, I don't really get it but people seem to think that blondes are, you know, as smart as hippocampi. Personally, I don't think so. The reason was sitting right beside me.

Anyway, Annabeth thinks people don't take her seriously just because she's a blonde. She always feels like they won't see her clearly unless she proves herself.

"Stop it," I murmured. "You don't have to prove anything to her. Amber has a gift of getting people angry. If you do something to her, you'd be playing right into her hands."

Annabeth looked disappointed. "Don't you think I can handle myself?"

"I do," I said quickly. "I just don't want you to get in trouble, okay? This isn't Camp. You can't just go around running people you don't like with your dagger." I whispered the last part in her ear. My mortal friends weren't aware of my Olympian parentage and I intend to keep it that way. "I want you to just ignore her."

"I will when she stops trying to get you in her bed."

I frowned. "What - ?"

"Sorry, Perce," Samantha said across from me. "I kind of told her about the indecent picture thing." Pete, Chuck and Barry laughed.

I groaned. "I knew I shouldn't have left you guys alone that day." I turned to Annabeth. "I deleted the picture. You can even check my phone and see that I'm telling the truth."

"Oh, Samantha confirmed that," she said. "But you're still a teenage guy, Seaweed Brain. That means you have these urges and what's stopping you from accepting Amber's offer? She clearly wants you and – "

I didn't let her finish. I kissed her. My friends cleared their throats and there were murmurings around but I didn't pay them any attention. All I wanted was to answer Annabeth's question. When I pulled away, I said, "There. That's my answer." Annabeth raised her eyebrows and I added, "You asked what's stopping me. There's my answer. Um, actually, I didn't have to be stopped because I will never accept any offer like that. I will never do anything to hurt you. Keep that in mind."

Annabeth nodded. The bell rang and we all stood up. I walked Annabeth to her next class – French while the rest went to head to the pool area. She kissed me before going inside. It was kind of awkward because the rest of the class was already there. "What was that for?" I asked.

Annabeth smiled. "So everyone will know you belong to me."

I grinned. "Absolutely." I kissed her again.

"Mr. Jackson," the French professor, Mr. Aiken said. "Will you please be so kind to let Ms. Chase have her class now?"

I smiled sheepishly at him. "Got it, Mr. Aiken." I looked down at Annabeth and smiled at her. "I'll see you later."

"Bye."

I went off and head to the pool area.

The next day was January 18th.

Everyone knew what that meant but Annabeth and I had a talk over the phone last night that we won't be doing anything today. Coach Hark was having us practice until eight in the evening and the construction of the Parthenon in Olympus was already starting so we'd both be busy. The least I could do was buy a bouquet of flowers for Annabeth.

I picked the lock of her locker with the skills I acquired from the Stoll brothers and left the bouquet inside then went to Paul's room. He was my English teacher as well as my stepdad. English was one of the two subjects Annabeth and I had together. I managed to convince Paul to modify his seating arrangement so Annabeth and I could sit together.

I sat on my chair and waited for her. The rest of the class filed in and the bell rang. Annabeth wasn't anywhere. Just when I thought she had to go somewhere else or had been attacked by monsters, she came rushing in, her books on one of her hands and the bouquet of flowers on the other. She was blushing and I couldn't help but smile.

"You like it?" I asked.

She nodded. "Thank you." Annabeth gave me a kiss.

"I would appreciate it if you don't do that in my classroom, Mr. Jackson and Ms. Chase," Paul chastised. His tone was playful, though. I don't call him Paul at school, nor he doesn'tc all me Percy. Everyone knew he was my stepfather but we still thought that it would be best to stick to formality.

"Sorry, Mr. Blofis," I said.

The overhead speaker blared to life and I had to cover my ears. Seriously, Goode is good except for their sound system that was new by the time Chiron was born. "Paging Mr. Jackson. You are needed in the pool area as soon as possible."

What? Swim practice didn't start until after lunch. What could've happened? I thought to myself. I stood up and looked at Paul. He nodded at me. I turned to Annabeth. She was smiling mischievously. "I'll see you later."

I rushed to where the pool area was. No one was there. What's going on? I looked around. It was definitely empty. Someone must be playing a joke on me. Then the lights turned on and I was blinded. I put up my hands to shield my eyes but there was already white spots dancing across my line of sight. Then I was able to make out two figures walking to where I was standing.

My first thought was: monsters.

I was on the process of uncapping Riptide when I recognized who they were: Barry and Coach Hark. On each of their hands were small boxes. Barry's was small, like the one used to contain a ring while Coach Hark's was the size of half a shoe box. I felt myself frowning.

"What's going on?" I asked.

Barry grinned and held up the box. I didn't notice before but there was a small chain wrapped around it, secured by a small lock. Barry answered me by throwing the box in the pool.

"Courtesy of your girl," he said, grinning.

Annabeth? "What do you mean?" I asked.

Coach Hark handed me the bigger box and told me to open it up. Inside were a bunch of keys. I looked up to him, asking. "Your girlfriend's quite persuasive. Just so you know, I've never done this before – help with a couple but hey, you're my one of my boys so I guess that's fine. She said you won't get what's inside unless you find the right key."

A grin threatened to split my face in half. This was just the kind of game Annabeth would play. The box I was holding had the key to open the smaller box that was in the pool. I had to dive in and try to open the box to find out what was in it.

I nearly jumped there with my clothes on. I don't get wet unless I want to. Lucky I remembered I wasn't alone. I stripped off my shirt, removed my shoes, socks and pants until I was standing there in my swim trunks. I dove to the water and swam under.

I had no trouble retrieving the small box. But I sure did have trouble opening it. I sued what little logic I had: if there was a bunch of keys, surely the right one was at the bottom, right? Wrong. I flipped the box upside down, spilling its content at the side of the pool. Coach Hark and Barry had already left.

When I thought that Annabeth was just pulling my leg and that the right key wasn't in the box, the lock sprung open when I used the key I recognized to be the one at the very top. I shook my head. Of course, Annabeth expected me to do what I did so she put the right key on top.

I unwrapped the box and opened it. I had to let my eyes and brain work for a couple of minutes before I believed what I was seeing: it was Mr. Chase's ring. The one Annabeth always had on her necklace. I took it out and stared at it. It was a simple gold ring with some stones embedded on top.

I noticed there was something else inside the box. It was a folded piece of paper. I opened it and read the note inside.

Seaweed Brain,

What? You think you're the only one with ideas for a surprise? Wrong. I know you're busy and don't have time to prepare for anything so I thought it's about time I do the same and surprise you.

This ring once belonged to my mortal grandmother. Dad gave it to me when I was a kid and told me to give it to the person that will change my life and touch my heart. I never wanted to give it to anyone until now. You can have it, Seaweed Brain. Take care of it the way you take care of me all these years.

I love you and happy fifth month anniversary.

Love,

Wise Girl

I couldn't speak. My throat felt sore and I had no idea why. It took me at least fifteen minutes to read the whole letter, thanks to my dyslexia. Then I had to read it again and that took me more time. By the time I was done, I was holding the ring tightly on my hand. Annabeth's giving me her Dad's ring?

Dad gave it to me when I was a kid and told me to give it to the person that will change my life and touch my heart. I never wanted to give it to anyone until now. You can have it, Seaweed Brain. Those lines touched me more than anything. I know it was stupid but I felt my eyes getting warm. I must've meant a lot to her to do this. I bit my lip and before I knew it, I was laughing, overjoyed with my girlfriend's surprise.

I slipped the ring on my finger, surprised that it actually fit. I stood up and my feet carried me back to our English classroom.

Class was still going on when I burst inside. Everyone looked at me and their eyes widened. My eyes were trained on Annabeth and Annabeth alone. She had a shocked expression on her face, as well.

"Percy, what the hell do you think you're doing?" she asked, her face red.

I held up my hand. "I just want you to know that I love the ring. Thank you," I said.

If possible, the class looked more surprised. Ananbeth stood up and I thought she was going to run and hug me. Instead, she yelled, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE IN YOUR UNDERWEAR?!"

I looked down and all blood rushed to my face. I forgot I was wearing only my swim trunks! "I – um. Sorry!" I yelled and run back to the pool area. I heard the class laughing behind me and I blushed even more.

I made sure I had my clothes back on when I went to my next class.

Annabeth was glaring at me when she met me for lunch. But as soon as I held up my finger, her eyes softened and she threw her arms around me. "I'm glad you liked it," she murmured in my ear.

I hugged her back. "How could I not? Annabeth, this is wonderful." I broke our embrace and looked her in the eyes. "Are you sure you want me to have it? I mean, it's your Dad's. What if he doesn't like it when he sees it on me?"

"It was my Dad's, Percy," she said. "It was given to me. And I gave it to you because you're the only one who deserves it. Besides, Dad told it himself: I should give it to the right person. And you're that person."

I kissed her. "Thank you," I said, leading her to our table. "Though thinking about it, I find it kind of weird you gave me a ring first. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?"

She shrugged. "You can give me one next month," she said, sitting down.

I smiled. "I'll make sure of that."

My friends were deep in conversation so I asked, "What is it, guys?"

Samantha looked at me. "The venue of the competition had been announced."

That caught my attention. "Really? Where is it?"

"Christopher Columbus High school," Barry said.

"What?" I asked. Rumors had been spreading around that there was bad blood between Goode High and Christopher Columbus High school which is in Bronx. The reason was still unknown to me. But I knew Goode High students aren't that welcomed at that school. "Why would Mr. Clay agree to that?" Mr. Clay was our school principal.

"There was nothing he could do," said Pete.

"Yeah," Chuck agreed. "Apparently the board assigned the venue."

"Ugh," I groaned.

Annabeth looked up from massaging my hand. "Why? What's wrong with that school?"

I told her.

"So you guys are afraid that they might manipulate the results?" We didn't answer. That was what we were scared about. "Look, as long as you swim well and clean, you guys have nothing to worry about. If they somehow managed to rig the results, I will personally make them pay."

I laughed at that one but my friends were curious. "Why?" asked Samantha. "What can you do?"

I threw my right arm on Annabeth's shoulder. "You'd be surprised." I glanced at my girlfriend. "You would be there, right?"

She smiled. "I won't miss it for the world," she said.

The day of the competition was here.

I wasn't the least bit nervous about the competition itself. Heck water is my domain. Nothing could go wrong as long as I was within it. The thing I was nervous about was the fact that half of the judges were from Christopher Columbus High school.

And the fact that my girlfriend wasn't anywhere to be seen.

Samantha and Chuck had competed. Sam won while Chuck tied with his competitor. Next were Barry, then Pete then the last one, a junior named James. I was for finale. If Goode won this, we would advance to the next round.

I checked my phone to see if Annabeth had texted me. No luck.

I sat down and tried to call her. It went straight to voice mail. I sighed and left a message. "Wise Girl, I'm about to race. Where are you?"

The roar of the crowd outside was deafening. There were spectators from other schools but mostly the seats were occupied by students from Christopher Columbus High school and our supporters, students from Goode.

Barry won, as I expected. Pete lost, so did James. Now it came down to me. If I won, I would be winning the title for Goode. If I didn't, then we lost.

My teammates gave me pats on the back. Coach Hark gave me a pep talk. Bu the one that actually helped me was when Samantha grabbed my hand and said, "I know you can beat them." Then she kissed me on the cheek.

I nodded and went out. I was greeted by loud cheerings, mixed with boos. I spotted Amber and the rest of, um, my fan club holding a huge banner with my picture on it and the words PERCY IS THE WATER PRINCE! printed on top. I had to smile at that one. Amber had no idea how close she was to the truth.

I positioned myself on the diving board and made a quick inspection of the crowd. Annabeth was nowhere. Where could she be?

I was too occupied with my thoughts that I didn't hear the signals. Goode High went nuts and screamed at me. I shook myself off of the daze and jumped into the water, my competitors almost halfway the pool.


ANNABETH

I was dead late.

Percy's swim meet started at three o'clock. It was already six when I was running down the hallway of the Christopher Columbus High school. There was no crowd. No noise. No cheerings. Please don't be over yet, I thought to myself.

Construction of the Parthenon was going on and I had to supervise the deliveries of the materials. I stupidly left my phone at our apartment and I totally lost track of time. When I checked my wrist watch, it was already half-past five. I panicked and immediately went down, hoping I could still watch him race.

When I saw the traffic, I lost it. I knew I wouldn't be able to make it in time. Luckily, I remembered Blackjack, Percy's pegasus. I whistled loudly and after a minute, I saw him in the sky. Travelling on a Pegasus wasn't exactly ideal, especially with so many New Yorkers out. But I had no choice. I just hoped the mist would make the humans see Blackjack as a falcon.

He landed me at the back entrance of the school. I thanked him and dashed inside, using the signs to guide me to the pool area. I was panting and sweaty as I burst into the venue of the competition. No one was there. My heart dropped to my stomach. I missed it.

Oh, gods.

What would I tell Percy? He would be mad at me; there's no doubt about that.

Then I realized I wasn't alone. There were two people seating on the bleachers with their backs on me. I knew even from a distance who they were: Percy and Samantha.

And they appeared to be hugging.


[Next - Chapter 11: THE SHARK SMELLS BLOOD]