Before we start, I just wanted to thank all the guests that read my fanfiction! Your support is amazing! Same with all the users out there. You guys rock! The reviews for this week are: Guest- That's great that you spend hours reading my story! It's super sweet! Another guest- Oh, I'm glad that you think Percy's POV added value. That's good to hear. And yes, this love triangle is getting crazy. I'm glad you're enjoying my story! Alright, no more waiting. Let's get into it. (Disclaimer: I don't own.)
Annabeth's POV
Annabeth grabbed her borrowed sword while Piper clutched her's. Both of the girls' personal weapons were daggers so they had to borrow some swords from the camp's armory. Annabeth wasn't yet used to fighting with a Roman gladius. The biggest difference was the metal it was made out of. It didn't necessarily feel any different in her hands, but the contrast between celestial bronze and imperial gold was still there. Nevertheless, Annabeth was determined to win this duel.
Piper struck first slashing at Annabeth's leg. The blond countered the move, hitting Piper's sword out of the way. The daughter of Aphrodite stumbled but used her sword to catch herself. While she was struggling, Annabeth took this as an advantage and jabbed at Piper's shoulder. Piper seemed to expect the move and sidestepped. The two girls' swords clashed and they continued for a couple more minutes until Annabeth implanted the flat of her blade on Piper's thigh, knocking her to her back.
Annabeth leaned on her sword as Piper propped herself on her shoulders. She gave the girl on the ground a hand and pulled her up.
"Lucky win?" Piper shrugged.
Annabeth scoffed. "That was not luck. It was skill."
"Are you implying that I lack skill?" Piper raised her eyebrows as she picked up her fallen sword.
"No, but there's always room for improvement," Annabeth replied.
Piper frowned slightly. Annabeth could tell that she truly wanted to be an amazing swordswoman. "Piper, you're getting really good, and I'm super proud of you. Don't feel bad over one loss."
Piper nodded. "Thanks. It's not really a matter of proving anything to anyone else but proving to myself that I'm more than just a pretty face. Does that make sense?"
Annabeth nodded. "Yeah, it does, though it still probably wouldn't hurt to rub your amazing fighting skills into your snobby Aphrodite siblings."
"Good point. That definitely wouldn't hurt."
Annabeth smiled, glad to see her friend's frown turn into a smile. "Seriously, good practice. Now, can we go get a drink? It's hot out here."
Piper nodded. "Yes, let's go."
The two girls walked over to a bench where a water cooler was set up. They dispensed water into a couple of plastic cups that had been stacked up on one side. "Cheers," Annabeth joked as they hit their cups together and took a refreshing drink.
They set their cups down and Annabeth asked Piper, "How are things with Jason?"
Piper shrugged. "Good," she nodded. "I'm glad we met and got together for real."
"Yeah he seems like a great guy," Annabeth grinned.
"So... How are things with you and Percy?" Piper asked.
Annabeth's smile faltered. Things were... good, right? He still kissed her, cuddled her, sat by her, and talked to her. So, why did things feel so different between them? People back at Long Island always called Percabeth the unsinkable ship. That was before Percy disappeared, of course, but ever since Annabeth had arrived with the rest of the Argo ll crew, things felt weird. She felt like the "unsinkable ship" was just a tiny bit closer to going underwater. The thought made her anxious. She loved Percy with everything in her, but did he? It seemed like it, based on his actions. The main question Annabeth had was what was making this relationship more difficult. Another person, possibly...?
"Oh, uh, ditto," Annabeth replied to Piper's question. "We're pretty good."
Piper raised an eyebrow. "You don't sound sure."
"Ok, if I'm being brutally honest, something feels off, but I'm not sure what it is," Annabeth sighed, looking down at her empty cup.
"Oh?' Piper's voice softened, meeting the blond's eyes. That was one of the things Annabeth liked so much about Piper. She was always understanding and compassionate, especially when Annabeth needed someone to listen. Of course, Percy was also there for her as well, but Annabeth couldn't very well talk about this to him so casually.
"Well," Annabeth's shoulders fell, and she realized they had been tense. "Things just don't feel the same. Like, he still kisses me and stuff, but I don't think we're spending as much time together. Even when we do, it feels weird. Do I sound crazy?"
Piper shook her head. "Annabeth, you're talking to a daughter of Aphrodite. I don't think you sound crazy. Part of the reason could just be that my mother promised to make your relationship complicated, but I think you should talk to him. Communication is key in a relationship. Not only that, but you guys could just be tense over the quest. You might just be scared of losing each other."
Annabeth unsheathed her dagger and turned it around in her hand, forgetting about the deserted sword on the nearby bench. After a few silent moments, she replaced it and turned to Piper. "I think you're right. I'll talk to him. Thanks for listening."
"No problem," Piper said, hugging her friend. Annabeth hugged her back, relishing the warm embrace.
When they pulled apart, Piper asked, "Do you want to go talk to him now?"
"What about our sword practice?" Annabeth asked, reaching for her sword.
"If you want to go talk to Percy, I'm pretty sure it can wait," Piper said, smiling.
"Thanks," Annabeth said. "Will you return my sword for me?"
Piper nodded. "Go talk to your boyfriend."
Annabeth briefly hugged Piper once more, then turned and jogged towards the main part of the camp, where she saw Percy last. She honestly wished that demigods could have phones so that she could text Percy and ask him where he was. A lot of the time she never knew that guy's darn location.
When she arrived in the main part of Camp Jupiter, she found Dakota from the Fifth Cohort. Annabeth stopped him and asked if he knew where Percy was.
"Last I saw him, he left for the Principia," Dakota said, post-swig of Kool-Aid. Annabeth nodded her thanks and ran to the Principia, asking the boys on duty if Percy had left. They told her that he left for his room. Annabeth again nodded her thanks and headed toward the praetors' cabins. She knocked on Percy's door to hear a "come in."
Annabeth stepped inside to find Percy flopped on his bed. He wasn't sleeping, just seemingly lost in thought. "Hey," Annabeth said, causing him to look at her.
"Hey, Wise Girl," Percy said. "What brings you here?"
Annabeth scoffed and walked over to the side of his bed, laying down in the crook of his spread-out arm. "Do I need a reason to be with my boyfriend?"
Percy smiled. "No, but I can't help but think that you want something."
Annabeth frowned, turning to face him. His eyes locked on hers. "Is something wrong?" Percy asked.
Annabeth took a deep breath. "Well... I feel like things are different in our relationship. It seems like something's changed. Is this just me, or do you feel the same way?"
Percy's expression faltered ever so slightly. "Annabeth, I love you if that's what you're implying-"
Annabeth cut him off, her gray eyes boring into his green ones. "I'm not asking if you love me, I'm asking if something has changed in our relationship and if you feel it too. So answer the question."
Percy's POV
"I'm not asking if you love me, I'm asking if something has changed in our relationship and if you feel it too. So, answer the question," Annabeth said. These words made Percy hesitate from saying anything more. Annabeth had come into his room, asking if he felt anything wrong with their relationship. Did he? Yes, of course. You couldn't go kissing another girl and not feel like something was weird with your current relationship. But what do you say to that?
"I do think that something's off," Percy replied. This was the truth. "Do you think it's 'cause of someone else?"
Annabeth broke eye contact, snuggling further into Percy's side. "I'm not sure..." She trailed off. "Maybe... Nevermind."
Percy was almost sure that Annabeth would've mentioned something about Reyna, especially with how she was acting near him earlier that day. Though, he was grateful that Annabeth didn't say anything about his fellow praetor. He didn't know how he would've responded.
"Did you talk to Piper?" Percy asked, changing the subject.
"Yeah," Annabeth said, pressing her lips together. "She said it's probably just the stress of losing each other on the quest."
Percy paused. He hadn't looked at it that way before. Could it be possible that he was connecting more to Reyna because he was at less risk of losing her? Psychologically, it made more sense to love someone who was less likely to die, but that didn't mean he would give up on Annabeth, right? No, that couldn't be the reason. It made sense... but it didn't at the same time. The war surely had nothing to do with Percy's attraction to Reyna.
Finally, he spoke. "I suppose that makes sense," Percy said. "Do you think that's the reason?"
Annabeth managed to shrug while lying on her back. "Again, I don't know. I am scared of losing you during the quest, but I doubt we would be separating like we are now if that was the main reason."
"Hey, we don't have to worry about it now," Percy said soothingly.
"No, we do. I don't want to fall out of love with you for some unknown reason. It doesn't add up."
Percy sat up, bringing Annabeth with him. "You know what? It's probably just my busy schedule," he lied. "We aren't spending as much time together."
Annabeth looked like she wanted to believe this. "You're probably right," she concluded.
Percy noticed that his arm was still around Annabeth, and he dropped it slowly. The arm around her almost made him feel like he was betraying Reyna, which didn't make sense since they weren't dating. Annabeth noticed Percy's arm fall off her shoulders and she frowned slightly, though she didn't say anything. Percy then felt guilty about this, though who he felt more shame for was unclear.
"Well, good chat," Annabeth said, kissing Percy. "No matter what, I'll always love you, Seaweed Brain."
Percy smiled back. "Same here, Wise Girl."
He did mean it. He would always love her, even if he did choose Reyna over her. And he would still have feelings (possibly even love) for Reyna if he did stay with Annabeth. He just had to choose before the quest...
Reyna's POV
Reyna headed towards the praetors' cabins, but not to her own. She was walking towards Percy's to see if he would take the swordsmanship class after lunch. She usually did the training, but she thought that it would be a good experience for Percy to teach others. Although, he probably already did that a lot at Camp Half-Bloood, being the counselor that he was. Nevertheless, it would be good for him to instruct the class, not to mention that Reyna wanted a break.
When she arrived, she was about to knock, when suddenly the door opened. Standing on the other side was Annabeth Chase.
"Oh, hey Annabeth," Reyna said, trying to sound friendly. "Long time, no see, huh?"
"Yeah..." Annabeth said, her expression hardening. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I just want to talk to Percy about a sword class," Reyna said. Annabeth probably thought that she was lying, though she didn't say anything.
"Well, I was just leaving," Annabeth replied. "See ya, Praetor.
Reyna nodded as Annabeth walked away, stepping into Percy's room.
"I bet that was awkward," Percy said, standing up from his bed.
Reyna just shook her head. "She didn't seem too mad or anything."
Percy tilted his head, making eye contact with Reyna. "So, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?" He winked.
Reyna rolled her eyes. "Nothing like that. I just wanted to ask if you'll take the sword class after lunch."
Percy nodded without hesitation. "Yeah, sure. I taught classes all the time back at Camp Half-Blood."
Reyna exhaled. "Good, I thought you would come up with some dumb retort."
Percy scoffed. "I'm not that immature!"
Reyna raised an eyebrow. "That's all I wish to say on the matter."
"Fine, I'll take the class," Percy said. "Is there anything else?"
"No..." Reyna said, turning. "Why?"
"You sure?" Percy trilled.
"Not every encounter we have has to be romantic, Percy," Reyna explained. "Especially not after you just had a conversation with your girlfriend! You can't say that you don't feel the slightest amount of guilt.
Percy hesitated. Reyna continued. "What were you guys talking about anyway?"
Percy met her eyes again. "She's noticed that there's something off with our relationship." He made a random gesture with his hands.
"Does she suspect that something is me?"
"Well, she hasn't implied anything about you," Percy said.
"It's only a matter of time, Percy," Reyna sighed, folding her arms and looking down.
"You know that offer I gave you?" Percy asked.
Reyna looked up. "What offer?"
"That I'd stay away from you if you wish," Percy replied. "Do you want to take me up on that?"
Reyna bit her lip. She felt bad. She truly did. But not that bad. Honestly, Percy was kind of like a drug. He was bad for her, but she couldn't stop. The unfortunate thing was, the outcome was never good with these types of things. Even so, Reyna shook her head.
Percy tried for a small smile. "That's what I thought. The offer is always there. I don't want to make you do something that you don't want to."
"I know, it's just-" She paused. "I gotta go. It's almost lunchtime."
"See you later," Percy said. Before Reyna could leave, however, he grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips. He muttered something into her hand, though Reyna couldn't tell what he had said. Reyna shivered, stunned at the contact. She remained locked in place until Percy dropped her hand. Reyna looked down to hide her blush before retreating out of his room. The only thought running through her mind while heading to the mess hall was Gods, Percy, I love you.
Percy's POV
Right after lunch, Percy headed toward the arena to prepare for his class. He had never taught at Camp Jupiter, but it couldn't be much different from Camp Half-Blood, right? The only difference was the style of fighting. He was more accustomed to Greek, though he had learned a bit of Roman during his time in California. He would teach what basics he knew, assuming that these demigods were beginners. If not, it would be a review.
Shortly after arriving, a few newly claimed members of the Third Cohort started to show up, lounging around and talking with their friends, waiting for the lesson to officially start.
Finally, once everyone had shown up, Percy commenced the training. "Welcome, uh, legionnaires."
The gathered half-bloods nodded awkwardly, staring at one another.
"Let's start with warm-ups on the dummies," Percy said, feeling pretty proud of himself for at least getting the class started.
The teens started jabbing at the dummies, using the skills that Reyna and their centurions had already taught them. Percy walked around, occasionally correcting someone's form or the way they were holding their sword.
This isn't so bad, Percy thought. It's just like Camp Half-Blood.
Suddenly, a girl stopped Percy. She looked about 13 and had curly brown hair. "Um, If you don't mind me asking, Praetor, who are you dating?" She asked. It seemed like an innocent enough question, but it caught Percy off guard.
"Why do you ask?" Percy questioned.
"I'm just curious," said the girl. "Now answer the question."
Demanding much? Percy thought. Nevertheless, he responded. "I'm dating Annabeth Chase."
The girl gave him a critical look. "Could've fooled me." And just like that, she turned back to her dummy and continued to slice at it.
"Wait, what do you mean?" Percy asked. Was it that obvious that he liked Reyna?
The girl shrugged. "You look at Reyna a lot."
Percy just sat there. "That doesn't mean that I'm dating her."
"No," the girl agreed. "But you definitely seem to like her."
"Ok, what?" Percy exclaimed. "You know what, never mind. Keep training."
"The name's Olivia," the girl said. "But most people call me Liv."
"Alright," Percy said, not knowing how else to respond. "As I said, keep training.
Liv looked like she wanted to say something more, but seemed to think better of it and continued to practice.
Percy continued to help the trainees, but he couldn't forget what Olivia/Liv had said about Reyna. Was it really that clear that he liked Reyna, or was this girl just super observant? Either way, he needed to tone down his public show of affection for Reyna before other people started to get... ideas. Who knows? Maybe half the camp is gossipping about it by now, he thought.
He wondered if someday he could show his attraction to Reyna openly without any judgment from others, as he did for Annabeth. He knew that was wishful thinking, though. There were several reasons why he and Reyna couldn't be together officially. Percy didn't think that he could bare to choose between Reyna and Annabeth. He thought for the second time that day, which girl did he love more?
So, again, another short one, and not that much action or excitement in this chapter, but more insight. Also, that little Preyna moment with the hand. Ahhh! I know it was short, but I found it really sweet. The main reason that this one is a few hundred words shorter than usual is that I wanted to get it out to you guys faster. Anyways, thanks for all your support! I love y'all! Oh, and don't forget to review, review, and REVIEW!