A/N: Okay, there are two things. Firstly, I completely forgot to do this so i guess 'Disclaimer: I do not own PJO/HoO (Duh?). Also, tomorrow, I'm off on holiday for two weeks. I'll be without WiFi, so won't be able to update *cries*. But I promise- I swear on the Styx (cue my username)- that I will update when I get back.
Naturally, Annabeth arrived late. Peering through the cracked glass that decorated the doors of each classroom, she was greeted by the unappealing sight of a class hard at work, students scribbling furiously as they worked out equation after equation. It looked so tedious, so agonisingly dull, that for a moment, Annabeth was tempted not to go in. Then she spotted Percy, sitting in the back, next to the seat that she would occupy. His face was the image of hidden panic. Most wouldn't notice his discomfort, but Annabeth, having known him for five years, spotted it right away. He shifted in his seat, glancing around shiftily, eyes wide. His face was drained slightly of colour, and his fingers drummed relentless on the hard plastic table. Annabeth knew that he was anxious. About her. Of course, being a half-blood, arriving late anywhere could be a point of concern to someone. Who would know of you had been dragged into a dark corner and been mauled by a horde of angry centaurs?
With a sigh, Annabeth began to push open the heavy wooden door. She wasn't looking forwards to the torture that she was about to succumb to, but if it meant putting Percy's mind at ease, then sure, she would do it. As she was about to step into the classroom, a group of younger kids passed by, glanced at her, and gasped. At first, she pegged it as an exaggerated reaction people to people who walk in to class late. Then she realised that they had started whispering. Confused, she glanced down at herself- and groaned. For one thing, she was sodden. The rain had soaked her right down to her very bones, a freezing cold that seeped through her, one that she hadn't even been aware of until she focused on the water streaming down her arms, her neck, her back. Secondly, she was very, very dirty. As if the rain wasn't enough, she had just had to meet a monster, didn't she? A colourful array of mud (where she had rolled through countless puddles) and splashes of golden liquid (the ichor from the Telkhine) adorned her clothes, mixed with the rusty colour of her own blood.
Generally, Annabeth would get angry, infuriated by the whispers. But even she had to agree that turning up to a maths class covered in dirt and blood was a bit- more than a bit- suspicious. Turning away from the door before anyone could spot her, she hurried to the bathrooms. She thought that there were changing rooms and showers somewhere this school, but (being the new kid with little experience of the school) wasn't anxious to go on a long trek now, looking for such facilities. Instead, she strolled up a few hallways, retraced her steps once or twice, and found herself outside the bathrooms.
Annabeth did the best she could with a thin trickle of water, foamy soap and gritty paper towels. It was nowhere near enough for her to feel clean. The soap had hardly any effect whatsoever. The towels just hurt her skin, bringing out a raw, red mark where she had tried to rub the paper. However, after a long, hard battle, she was finally feeling at least slightly more presentable. Of course, her hair was mess, there was probably some mud on her face- there was just one small, cracked mirror in the corner- and the spare clothes in her bag were rumpled from where she had tossed them in without folding, but at least she didn't look like she had just crawled through a battle ground. Annabeth should know what that looked like.
Eventually, she was once again standing outside her maths class, but Annabeth knew now that there was no reason why she shouldn't go in. Besides, she couldn't cause Percy more trouble than she already had. That would be cruel. Cursing the education system for seeing it fit to include such boring, pointless classes in the curriculum- okay, maths could be important for an architect, but not the unit that they were doing now- and forcing her to do them. Still, she stepped into the class, forty minutes too late, and still an obvious mess. Eyes followed her all the way to back of the room- cons of sitting at the back, she supposed- all the way until she had found her seat next to an obviously relieved Percy, who grinned at her with sparkling eyes. At the front of the class, the teacher cleared her throat, signalling at those distracted by her sudden appearance to keep working.
Once the educator had taken her piercing gaze from Annabeth, Percy leaned in towards her and grabbed her hand.
"What happened? You look like crap" He asked, glancing around to make sure that no one was paying them any attention. Annabeth smacked his arm.
"I looked worse before, Seaweed Brain, believe me." Then she, too, glanced around, just in case of any eavesdroppers. "Attacked by a Telkhine," She muttered. Percy's mouth formed an 'O' shape, and he nodded, satisfied. Then he grinned, eyeing her from the corner of his eyes.
"Glad you survived, Wise Girl."
Annabeth snorted. "Yeah, though I'm pretty sure Elysium is nicer than this place."
There wasn't really anything funny about that statement. In fact, it was depressing, to think that death could be more fun, more appealing, than the teenage years. Still, Percy giggled.
"Sure you're going to Elysium?" He asked her.
"Ha ha. 'Cos saving the world comes to nothing in the end, huh?" Lightly, he kicked her causing her to grin and kick him back. They could have stayed like that the whole lesson, exchanging merry banter and making each other laugh, if it hadn't been for the stern looks shot from the teacher every now and then. Eventually, they saw the futility in ignoring the maths questions before them, and turned their attention to the work.
It was lunchtime, and Annabeth was trying to finish her homework. For some reason, at home, she had never quite been able to convince herself to occupy herself with school work. It wasn't that she had too much on at home- quite the opposite, the time on her hands when she got to her house was shocking- it was just that once she had made it home after yet another tiring day, she could hardly be motivated to do more work for those teachers. The result was that she was always hurrying to finish the work the hour before it was due in. Meanwhile, Percy sat across from her, watching her work. Nope, not distracting in the least.
"Come on," he complained for the hundredth time that hour, tugging lightly at her arm. "Let's go do something." Annabeth barely glanced up, chewing on the end of her pen.
"Like what?"
Percy spread his arms. "I don't know, something!"
Annabeth sighed and threw down her pen. She laced her fingers and looked at Percy, stared at him, until she lost herself in him, in his face, his eyes, everything. Ugh. Every. Single. Time. Shaking herself mentally, she sat up and folded her arms. She tried for an angry expression, but looking at that face, she couldn't keep it up.
"I've got this for next lesson, you know that."
Percy's eyes gleamed, a trouble-maker's spark shining within them. "Why don't we not go to next lesson then?" He stretched out his hand, and Annabeth, the logical, rational child of Athena, who had previously been preoccupied with her homework, the logical, rational child of Athena who valued the knowledge that schools could provide, wanted to say no, she honestly did. But, glancing up at Percy and his wide, pleading green eyes, she just couldn't. So she took the hand, and, with a thumping heart, let herself be pulled up. Sighing, she cursed her weak will, how easy it was for Percy to bend her to his will, and let him pull her away, her work still lying abandoned on the ground at her feet.