3, 610 words! OMG, that's the longest chapter I've ever written!
First of all, I want to thank all those people who took time to review and Follow/Favorite. They completely made my day ;) ;) Do check out my other stories!
Roger9481: I honestly don't know why but I just sort of hate Rachel a tiny bit. But it's just the first chapter…not everyone is what they seem…
PercabethfanNo.1: Voila! Updates may be a little slow since school has just started and work is piled up high. But I shall try my best!
lovelyloveme: I'm really glad you think Annabeth is in character. I was a little anxious about the conversations; if they sounded awkward or unnatural. I apologize for any mistakes; English isn't my native language. Your suggestions were really insightful and I think I'm going to stick with the current title. And thanks a lot for your support!
Guest: Even Stevan: Thank you very much for your support! I'm glad you liked it.
Guest: Thanks a lot. I was kind of apprehensive of the whole ancient castle thing but I'm really happy it's working out.
AlphaX6: I'm really glad you found the 'Howartzi' concept interesting. I love HP and wanted to include something from it. Thank you for your support and enjoy Chapter 2!
SuperGiGi: Thank you! Again I'm happy to know I've stayed true to Annabeth's character. About their first year…there really isn't much to add. The whole Poseidon/ Athena rivalry exists in this AU too and I suppose that's reason enough. But now that you mention it, I think I might add some flash backs here and there. I'll stick with the current title now since I showed it to my sister and she loved it! (But yours was brilliant! I wish I'd thought of that ;)).
saoirsechase: Thanks a ton for reviewing! Here's Chapter 2!
Special mentions to RareDarkgon, lovelyloveme, percabeth9, Agp3602, AlphaX14, Flaming eyeball, Luishunter65, The Mortal Devises, WaterMelon713, dalbert236, saoirsechase, Niic-wolf, the dark abysssss, paintingbubbles, 7Lovely7, FanfictionalDunshine, Ms. Cumberbatch, Royal-Webb, megafaggot2.0 who have all Followed/ Favorited this story. (Hope I didn't miss anyone!)
Anyway, off to Chapter 2!
~0O0~
Half-Blood High
Chapter 2
"Morning" Annabeth greeted cheerfully, popping the last piece of hot chocolate waffle into her mouth. Piper glared at her menacingly as she slid into the seat opposite the blonde, her brunette hair still tangled and put up in a messy pony tail. She held a plate of pancakes and a cup of frothy, sweet coffee.
"You little-" the brunette swallowed whatever insult she had in mind as she caught the amused look on her friend's face, as she ate her breakfast. "You set my alarm for six. And you hid it under my bed. On repeat."
"Hmmm" Annabeth hummed thoughtfully, taking a sip of cold apple juice; coffee caused cancer and killed brain cells. "Yes. It was rather brilliant, wasn't it? You probably couldn't get back to sleep until you figured out where the ringing was coming from."
At the quelling look the brunette aimed at her, the blonde sighed resignedly "You know you would have overslept, Piper. It's the first day of classes-"
"Which starts at nine-"
"-and you take at least two hours to get ready. If I hadn't set it early you would still be up there at nine, combing your hair- which I see you haven't bothered to do today." The blonde said critically, shooting another disapproving glance at the messy up do her friend sported, while her own hair was put up in a tight bun at the nape of her neck.
"I got hungry." Piper muttered, her head bent low as she started to cut her pancakes and then drowse it with syrup. Annabeth involuntarily made a face at her friend's method of making a mess and then devouring it; she herself liked to divide her waffles into symmetrical pieces before eating it.
"I'm going to get more juice. You need anything?" at Piper's indistinguishable 'no', Annabeth picked her empty plate up and wandered off towards the buffet table. A red head from the south tower was helping herself to a cup of tea; there was no one around this early in the morning. Most of the students preferred to just entirely skip breakfast, including Piper, and then have a pack of crisps or something between classes if it meant more time to sleep. Some of the girls, like Rachel and her goons who were obsessed with their precious figure, didn't even indulge in light snacks, as far as the Annabeth could see. They probably ate cotton balls and air.
"Hey chica!" a voice chirped next to her and she turned to face Leo standing by her side, piling his plate with toast. "You look all lovely and serious this morning."
Annabeth snorted. "Why are you up so early? Did Jason kick you out again for snoring?"
"That was a onetime occurrence. Besides" Leo cut her off as she opened her mouth, probably to spew out a clever retort or a statics chart on how many times she'd found him in the dining hall before eight. "I was just listening to Captain Command Centre here."
Leo patted his stomach and then proceeded to add a few sausages to his crowded plate. Looked like Captain Command Centre was on a role today. Just like every day. Annabeth poured herself a glass of sparkling apple concoction while her companion grabbed a can of coke and they both made their way back to the table, where Piper was glumly sipping her cup of coffee.
"You look like shit, Pipes." Leo grinned happily as he slid in next to Annabeth.
"Nice to see you too." Piper said sarcastically "Jason kick you out again?"
"It was just that one time." Leo muttered while the two girls shared a smile. It was so not one time. "He's still sleeping, that lucky bastard."
"I would be too if someone hadn't decided to ruin my happiness." Piper shot her a friend a look.
"You would have overslept-"
"Annabeth" The brunette whined and spread her arms widely, gesturing to the room. "There's like literally no one else here. We are the only pathetic souls awake at six bloody thirty in the morning. Even the teachers are asleep."
"Fine" Annabeth admitted begrudgingly, after a moment of silence, where Piper raised her eyebrow and steeled her eyes as if challenging her to come up with a suitable excuse. "Maybe six was a bit early."
She did feel a bit bad now. Just because she was an early bird didn't mean she could drag her friend along too.
"HA!" Piper pointed at her in delight. "I win. Now you owe me."
"What!" Annabeth shouted indigently.
"You admitted it yourself Annie." The brunette sang. "You were wrong. And you ruined something that was very important to me. You have to do as I say now."
Annabeth studied her friend closely, her sleepy demeanor had vanished and her face was lit up with uncontrolled triumph. She sighed as the pieces clicked "This was ruse, wasn't it? You were deliberately making a scene so I'd take pity on you."
"Maybe" Her friend shrugged evasively. "Come on, finish your juice. We need to get up to the dormitories. I have something good planned. It's a girl thing."
"That's right! Don't ever include me!" Leo put his hands up as if in defeat, his breakfast halfway finished. Annabeth had almost forgotten he was there. "Just because I have a little something extra and lack a pair of boobs means I'm instantly barred from fun time!"
There was an awkward silence. And then-
"I wanted to talk about Jason and his…performance last night." Piper said seriously, standing up and grabbing Annabeth's wrist. "Would you like to join us, Valdez?"
Leo's face paled and he calmly took a sip of his coke to settle his emotions. "Nah, that's fine Pipes. I think I'm fine here."
"Perhaps I could tell Annabeth here instead? That way you won't be so left out." Piper added kindly.
"No. It's really all right Pipes." Leo squeaked, his face panicked at the prospect of hearing his best friend's manhood powers. "You two go on ahead."
"We aren't really going to talk about you and Jason…messing about, are we?"Annabeth whispered a little nervously as they left a very troubled looking Leo behind. Not that there was anything wrong with messing about or…more. She just didn't think she'd be able to face the blond haired boy after Piper's detailed description.
"No." Piper snorted and then grinned at her friend. "That's not a good enough punishment."
"Something worse than listening to your shenanigans with the blond superman? OK, now I am definitely scared."
"Oh, live a little, princess!" Piper grinned and threw an arm around the blonde's shoulders. "After this, you are going to thank me on bended knees. I promise."
Annabeth studied her friend's face again, the mischievous glint in her kaleidoscopic eyes playing traitor to the sincere smile she gave her, and sighed deeply. "I'm going to regret this, aren't I?"
"Probably" Piper agreed, pulling the reluctant blonde out of the cafeteria and towards the direction of the west tower stairs. "We'll see."
~0O0~
"No! Please…something else." Annabeth wailed. "Anything but this."
"Quit your dramatics." Piper rolled her eyes and yanked the blonde's hair. The golden locks fell loose and swayed in the breeze drifting through the open window by Piper's bed. "You are in desperate need of a makeover. Especially your hair."
"What's wrong with how I do my hair?" her friend demanded hotly. "That was a perfectly good bun. It was firm and practical for class!"
"It was tight and ugly." The brunette corrected her and visibly shuddered at the blonde's taste in fashion. "You're seventeen. Not a seventy something old woman."
Annabeth scowled and opened her mouth with the full intention of letting Piper have it. They came here to study. To prepare for a good future and settle down. To garner knowledge and face the world without fear.
"Besides" Piper continued on quickly, sensing an oncoming tantrum. "If you let me pretty you up, guys will start to notice you more. Especially one guy. A blonde dreamboat."
"Jason?"
Piper smacked the blonde's arm, grabbed a hairbrush and started to work on the luscious golden lacks in front of her. Her friend sighed. "Do you really think Luke would notice?"
"Believe me, Annabeth." Piper said regally, loosening some vicious knots while the blonde winced in pain. Piper plowed on; she was merciless in these situations. She was on a mission. "After I'm done with you, even Jackson would beg to have a chance with you. Not that he doesn't need any more encouragement."
Annabeth refused to rise to the bait; for some absurd reason Piper seemed to be obsessed with the notion of Percy Jackson harboring some sort of hidden feelings for her. As if. She had caught him sending her lustful looks now and then last year but didn't think much into it. Boys were controlled by one specific part of their anatomy and she wasn't ready to meet that part yet. Besides, Jackson was too busy getting into the red haired slag and half the school female population to notice a prude like her. Like she cared. He was more than welcome to go ahead and catch syphilis.
Then why did that thought make her so sad? Instead of mulling over the jerk and getting more depressed she fixed her gaze outside the window while Piper's hand gently wove magic into her hair. The sun was shining brightly, the sky a beautiful azure blue, the water drops on the leaves in the nearby trees glistening thanks to the rain last night. There were big puddles of water on the ground; a couple of students had taken some of the horses out and were galloping around merrily, splashing water everywhere.
"Close your eyes!" Piper commanded and the blonde obeyed, sighing at the feeling of eyeliner against her closed lids. Gods, she hoped she didn't end up looking like a clown.
"Just a few more touches…here and….there!" Piper whooped in delight, the eyeliner tucked behind her left ear.
"I'm sure it's-" Annabeth's voice died in her throat as she saw her reflection in the mirror. Her frizzy hair, which she had earlier thrown into an unflattering bun, was now carefully brushed and let loose down her back. The golden strands caught the sunlight streaming through the window and glowed. Her eyes, which she had always deemed grey and dull, were now outlined with lustrous black kohl, which made it pop out and look interesting. There was a faint dusting of pink on her tanned cheeks and her lips were covered in a sultry lip-gloss in the shade of cherry.
It was like she had a completely new person but at the same time it wasn't. Piper had highlighted her best qualities and gave them a chance to shine.
"Wow."
"I know." the brunette replied smugly, grabbed the hairbrush and started to untie her own messy pony tail. "Luke won't know what hit him."
~0O0~
"Perhaps it's a bit too short." Annabeth whispered embarrassedly, trying to pull her navy blue skirt down her thighs. Piper slapped her hand away.
They were making their way towards the stable; Annabeth because she wanted to say hello to Porkpie and Piper because she had nothing better to do. It was half past eight and they had another half an hour more before they had to split up to go to their respective classes. There were students scattered around the ground; some taking refuge under the shade of the trees and others perched on top of the low stone wall that ran around parts of the forest.
Many turned around and glanced at them and immediately turned back for a second look. She could see them all staring at her with wide eyes and slack jaws. Most of the girls glared at her and pulled their boyfriends closer. She was making quite a riot with her new makeup and not regulation length skirt. Piper, chocolaty brown hair braided with feathers and with freshly applied sparkly lip-gloss, strutted past the gaping student body with a confident smirk and her chin held high.
Annabeth wanted to be run over by the nearest horse and just die.
"Piper" Annabeth hissed as yet again the brunette slapped her hand away from her skirt, their boots splashing water as the two girls walked on the dirt trail that led to the stables.
"Relax Annie." Piper frowned at her. "You have killer legs. I don't know why you have been hiding it under that bloody skirt all these years. I'm glad I convinced you to show them off."
"You cornered me!" Annabeth said glumly, remembering all too well the way Piper had eyed her uniform in the corridor and suggested they tweak it a little. Annabeth, with newfound confident thanks to the spectacular make up and her new hairstyle, had agreed readily. Now, seeing the amount of attention she was garnering, she wondered if the whole new look was just unnecessary.
"Whatever. If you have it, flaunt it." The brunette told her wisely as they reached the stable stands. Strands of hey were littered around the hard mud floor. The neighing of horses filled the air. "Besides, it's really not that short."
Annabeth rolled her eyes but her attention was mostly focused on Porkpie, who was loitering around a yellow mare. She watched amusedly as her trusted pet trotted up and down in front of Buttercup, striking ridiculous poses at times and neighing in what must have been a seducing way. Boys were the same, be it human or a four legged Equus ferus caballus.
The blonde whistled and Porkpie trotted over to her, temporarily abandoning his disastrous attempt at flirting. He lowered his head and she ran a hand over his silky mane.
"What's up, big boy?" Annabeth cooed "Is Buttercup playing hard to get again? Is she? Is she?"
Her horse released a series of disgruntled grunts and neighs which spoke clearly of his frustrations. Annabeth laughing, as she listened to Porkpie's complaints, suddenly noticed another horse in the next stall, silent and watchful.
His was the color of coal and his eyes glittered amusedly. He neighed and raised a leg towards her in a salute; Blackjack. Annabeth grinned and gave him a little wave. Blackjack was the friendliest horse in the Academy. He usually let anyone ride him, unlike her own buddy Porkpie who was quite picky in those matters.
The only negative side was that he was Jackson's horse. How such a hateful jerk could have such a sweet horse was beyond her but whatever the case Blackjack adored Jackson. They were quite a sight when they rode together. Blackjack galloped so fast it looked like he was flying.
She couldn't spot the green eyed devil anywhere but Blackjack's mane was freshly brushed so she figured he must have visited the stables earlier.
"Come on, Annabeth." Piper whined, leaning on a wooden pillar. "Let's go already. The smell is making me sick."
Annabeth ignored her friend and returned to rubbing Porkpie's mane. "Ok, now you listen here boy. The way to a female's heart is tricky. If horses are anything like humans, which they might be after seeing you're earlier performance, it's very important to make her feel special. You can…I don't know...compliment her hooves or something-"
~0O0~
"Equal pieces of zinc granules are dropped in two test tubes. Test tube A contains lemon juice and test tube B HCL…"
Annabeth's hand raced as she struggled to keep up with Professor Salt. Piper, who was sitting beside Annabeth as her partner, rolled her eyes at the blonde and continued to stare blankly ahead, successfully blocking out the droning voice of the teacher that had sent half the class to sleep.
After ten minutes even Annabeth set her pen down, looking bored. She had already finished this topic last year as a part of light reading and decided that writing it down again would just be a waste of paper. Instead she looked around the class in hope of something interesting.
She spotted Hazel and Leo at a table at the back. The seating plan was definitely not to the liking of the curly haired girl as she shot nervous looks at her partner, who was busy mixing random chemicals, grinning like a maniac. Next to their table sat Jackson and Dare. Dare had her hand under the table and Jackson had his eyes closed, a look of pleasure on his face. They were definitely not studying.
She looked away from the disgusting sight and came face to face with Ethan Nakamura, who was sitting a row behind her. He wasn't paying attention to the lecture either like the rest of the class. Instead his eyes were solely fixed on Annabeth. The blonde stared back at him and recoiled in surprise when he suddenly sent her a wink.
Annabeth turned back front, her cheeks a little flushed at the reminder of her current state of appearance thanks to Piper, who was now trying to balance a pencil on her nose.
"Miss. Dare! You shall remove your hand from under that table immediately!" Professor Salt cried in outrage, glaring at the back of the class. The rest of the students turned around to see a pink faced Rachel, whose hands were now placed on the table. Jackson sniggered at her side and the red haired girl shot him a glare reeking of betrayal.
"And you Mr. Jackson" the flustered teacher turned toward the said boy, who had by now adopted a face suitable at a funeral. "It looked like you were having a good time. Why don't you tell us the answer to the question, then? Is it Test tube A or B?"
"Uh….test tube?"
"The reaction will be vigorous if we add zinc to which test tube?"
"….A?"
Annabeth sniggered amusedly as did a few others who had paid attention to the question. Professor Salt was not looking amused.
"Gather you're things Mr. Jackson" Professor Salt ordered, breathing hard through his nose. "It is obvious Miss. Dare is not the right partner for you."
He looked around the class "Miss. Mclean!"
Piper, too busy in her aerobatics attempt to notice the drama that had taken place, looked up in surprise at the mention of her name while her pencil went flying behind. A grunt indicated it had hit Chris Rodriguez, Ethan's partner, in the head, who was sitting behind the brunette.
"Miss. Mclean, gather you're things and partner with Miss. Dare, please." Professor Salt said as Piper glumly started to gather her books. Annabeth shot her friend a sympathetic look as the brunette made her way over to the back, where Rachel was shooting her a predatory look. "Mr. Jackson, in the front with Miss. Chase. Now HCL…"
Annabeth groaned and started taking down notes if it meant she didn't have to talk with her new partner. Jackson plunked down in Piper's empty seat and started to stare at her.
Annabeth ignored him, refusing to respond to his juvenile behavior, when a piece of paper hit her in the head. She turned to the raven haired boy, a murderous look on her face. But Jackson merely held his hands up in surrender and gestured behind. Ethan Nakamura was staring at her and after seeing he had got her attention, subtly nodded his chin towards the piece of paper that now lay innocently on her desk.
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously and picked up the paper.
Looking good, Chase. Wanna catch a movie together?
Jackson, who was leaning over her shoulder and reading, snorted loudly.
"What?" Annabeth demanded, quickly hiding the note in a book, an embarrassed blush coating her cheeks.
"Oh nothing!" Jackson replied mockingly, his eyes going wide comically. "Just…you probably think you're the cat's cream and all now because you finally decided to paint your face."
"Excuse me?"
"Come on, Chase. You look so obvious." Jackson smiled at her in pity, his green eyes hard as emeralds. His face looked angular and harsh under the white lights. "You look like a regular tart."
"I'm sorry, what?" Annabeth gasped in shock, her eyes welling up a little at the unexpected and painful comment. Her throat felt uncomfortably tight.
"Of course, I would never waste my time with you." The green eyed boy continued cruelly, nodding his chin towards Ethan, who was now pouring through his text, oblivious to the conversation in front of him. "You're just good enough for the likes of him. Barely."
"Oh, I see!"Annabeth snapped furiously, finding her voice at last. "And I suppose your friend is a model for morality."
"Oh, Rachel is a right slut." Jackson replied dismissively, as if he were discussing the weather. "You're just giving her a run for her money."
Annabeth seriously considered slapping the bastard-how dare he? - When suddenly the room was filled with acrid purple smoke. The blonde bent over gagging, tears running down her face as the class was filled with the sounds of coughing and retching.
"MR. VALDEZ!" rang out Professor Salt's furious voice and a guilty looking Leo dropped the vial of green liquid he was holding onto the floor and smiled uncertainly "Ooops?"
Fifteen minutes later, after Leo had earned himself a month load of detention, the class was evacuated and the students left for lunch.
"How did partnering up with Jackson go?" Piper asked interestedly as they made their way to the cafeteria.
"You don't want to know." Annabeth said quietly, her grey eyes still looking a little glassy from tears that were not due to the smoke, a dangerous tilt to her voice that made Piper take a step back from the blonde. "One day, I'm going to fucking kill him."
~0O0~
Wow…Percy is definitely an ass.
You're reviews would seriously help me in continuing this story.