Chapter Two: Football And Cooks

Tweeet!

The sound of the referee's whistle seemed to linger in the air, sending a shiver of anticipation rippling through the two groups of fans. The corner flag hung limply from its pole, looking as exhausted as the football player standing a pace away, or the twenty others clustered around the goal.

It was the eighty-ninth minute of the game. Annabeth's school team, Goode High, were losing one-nil. If they didn't score from this corner they weren't likely to get another opportunity.

Both sets of players tensed at the sound. Frank the corner taker took a short run-up before booting the ball high into the air.

Annabeth narrowed her eyes, her gaze flickering between the ball's arc and the players beginning to jostle in front of the goal. The delivery was perfect, right into the middle of the penalty box, out of the keeper's reach, but close enough to the goal to pose a serious threat.

Jason Grace was six foot three inches tall, a powerful figure in the centre of the mass of players. The defender marking him was an inch taller, but could not leap as high. Jason's head connected solidly with the ball, but his aim was slightly off and the ball cannoned off the crossbar.

"He looks so fit." Piper murmured next to Annabeth, her kaleidoscopic eyes sparkling as they locked onto the blonde centre-forward.

Unlike her dreamy friend, Annabeth's eyes were fixed on the ball rather than the muscular players fighting for it. Her eyes followed the round object as it landed and bobbled out of the penalty box, then widened fractionally as another Goode player ran onto it and pulled back his leg.

The Goode High supporters erupted with cheers as he fired the ball through a forest of legs into the back of the net. The player wheeled away to celebrate, punching the air in triumph, and as he turned away from Annabeth she caught sight of the back of his shirt.

11 Jackson.

"That's Percy," she realised, wondering how on earth she had not known he was on the football team. She recalled Piper's advice on needing more bandwidth and frowned slightly. Perhaps her friend had a point.

There was no time to waste. Jason Grace grabbed the ball out of the net and ran toward the centre circle, gesturing at his teammates to get into position. Percy exchanged a few high-fives with his teammates as he jogged back into his half.

The referee's whistle rang through the stadium again and the opposition team kicked off. Annabeth looked to the giant electronic timer mounted on the top of the spectator's stand. Three minutes of added time remained. Three minutes to find a winning goal. She shook her head slightly. Time was not on their side, but the late goal had given them a morale boost. If the Goode players could maintain their momentum they just might be able to force their opponents into making a mistake.

The opposition team knew the atmosphere had shifted against them and tried to run the clock down, playing the ball around their back line. Annabeth knew the tactic well. Her own team often did this after taking the lead in games, letting the enemy push forward to open up gaps in their lines. It worked well against desperate teams who tired in the last minutes, but if the defence made a mistake so close to their goal it could cost them dearly.

As soon as the thought entered Annabeth's mind, the exact scenario played out on the pitch. The enemy right-back received the ball with his back to Goode's half, not realising that Percy Jackson was bearing down on him from behind at full speed. He fumbled the ball under pressure and under-hit the return pass back to the goalie. The ball rolled to a stop just outside the penalty box with none of his teammates anywhere near it. Jason Grace pounced instantly, muscling the defender trying to stop him out of his way. The goalkeeper rushed out to block him and Jason rounded him like a training cone, lifted his head and slid the ball into the back of the net.

The Goode High supporters erupted as the opposition players crumpled to the turf. Jason sprinted to the stands and, to Piper's delight, pulled his shirt off in celebration.

"He's so ripped!" She squealed, eyes wide as saucers.

"Ugh, I can't believe you." Annabeth rolled her eyes.

The opposing team pushed forward desperately in search of an equaliser. The ball went long down the left wing, was repelled by the Goode left-back. An enemy player intercepted the loose ball and attempted a raking pass into their centre forward, but gifted it straight to Frank Zhang instead.

Like a sweeping cavalry charge, the Goode counterattack surged forward from midfield. Frank played a long pass into right winger Nico di Angelo, who outsprinted an exhausted enemy defender almost to the byline before cutting the ball back for an onrushing Jason Grace. Jason charged into the penalty box as enemy players closed him down, then flicked the ball left just as three breathless defenders converged on him.

Every eye in the stadium turned collectively toward the empty left side of the pitch, holding their breath in anticipation. To many inside the stadium who didn't understand football, it seemed Jason had squandered a golden opportunity. Annabeth's mouth curved into a smile.

Percy Jackson came racing into the penalty box like a cheetah, dodging enemy players left and right. With one touch he fired the ball past the goalie's outstretched hands and into the net.

"He did it!" Piper bounced on the balls of her feet excitably.

Annabeth clenched her fist in fierce satisfaction. 3-1 to Goode High with the last kick of the game. There was no way back for the opposition now. Despite dominating for most of the game, they had lost it all in the last five minutes.

The Goode supporters gave their team standing ovation as the full-time whistle rang out across the stadium. The tired football players came to the touchline to acknowledge the applause, several of them stepping forward to greet friends and family in the stands.

"Who knew Percy Jackson was such a good winger?" Piper said as she and Annabeth picked up their bags to leave.

Annabeth murmured agreement. He was good. Few players possessed the instinct and vision that he'd displayed on the pitch. Even fewer could develop the chemistry he'd shown with his fellow attackers. The three of them seemed to think and move in perfect synchrony, pulling the enemy apart each time they broke forward. If not for the enemy team's superiority they could easily have had a half-dozen goals between them.

She sent Percy a text as they started to make their way down from the stands.

'I'll wait for you at the car park.'

The two girls followed the stream of students heading out of the stadium and back into the school compound. It was the end of the school day and everyone was heading home.

Annoyingly, the car park was all the way at the other end of the school, making it a ten-minute walk until they reached Piper's car. Piper started the engine as Annabeth checked her phone.

'Alright. I'll be done in twenty.' The response had just been sent.

"Looks like we're gonna be here a while." Piper said when she showed her the message.

"How long does it take to shower and change?" Annabeth wondered out loud. "Guys don't take as long, do they?"

"Maybe they're having a debrief." Piper suggested. "It'll take him even longer to walk over. Stupid school layout."

"Whoever designed this place is an idiot," Annabeth agreed. "They should've put the car parks next to the stadium so that it's easy for people to come and watch games. Our stands are always half-empty because of this."

"Barely anybody turned up to our game last week," Piper added unhappily. "It's such an embarrassment. The first thing you do when you get your architecture license should be to remodel this school."

Annabeth loved building design and planned to study architecture in university.

"As much as I would love to, I doubt anybody will approve the funding for it. The school can't even afford new lighting." Annabeth gave a sarcastic wave toward the overhead lamps lining the car park. Although the tall structures looked identical in the fading evening sunset, during the night half of them flickered erratically or were completely blown, giving the car park a creepy, haunted look that gave anybody who drove past the shivers. The school itself was even worse. The corridors were so dark that the entire school could have passed for the set of a horror movie.

The mood in the car had turned sour at the mention of the school's depressing state. Piper hated feeling gloomy so she plugged her phone into the car speakers and started blasting a catchy playlist.

Annabeth's phone vibrated, catching her attention.

'I'm here. Blue Prius.'

"Gotta go," She straightened in her seat. "Percy's here."

"Welp, have a blast." Piper said. "You remember the number for the fire station?"

"I won't be needing it." Annabeth said firmly, then swung herself out. "Bye."

"Bye. See ya tomorrow." Piper gave her a wave.

"See ya." Annabeth waved back, then shut the car door.

Piper gave her one last wave from the driver's seat. Annabeth waved back, then decided they were being silly waving so much and turned away, grey eyes seeking the electric-blue of Percy's Prius.

She spotted the car almost immediately; it was the only car with its headlights on. It was also one of the last few cars in the deserted parking space. She walked over and opened the passenger door.

"Hey," she greeted him as she ducked under the doorframe and slid herself in.

"Hey," Percy replied.

She shut the door and pulled on her seatbelt. Percy gave her a glance. "Good to go?"

"What?" Annabeth blinked, slightly startled. "Oh yeah, yeah." Is that Axe body spray?

She fought down a cough as they peeled out of the parking lot. She took a slow breath, trying not to gag.

"So, your place, or mine?" He asked.

Annabeth inhaled sharply and choked on Axe, letting out a little strangled gasp.

"What happened? You all right?" Percy gave her another glance and almost struck the kerb.

"Fine," she gasped. "Just swallowed my saliva." She took a few seconds to calm herself, trying to regain her composure.

"I'm more familiar with my kitchen," Percy continued, oblivious. "But since you'd be making dinner in yours, maybe it's better to do it there instead. Up to you."

Oh. Oh. He wanted to know where they were gonna cook.

"Um," Annabeth squeaked, still recovering from the massive lungful of Axe. "Your place is fine."

"Alright." Percy flipped the signal lever and took a right turn. "Have you decided what you're gonna cook yet?"

"No, not yet." Annabeth willed herself to breathe normally. "I…don't really know how to cook at all, actually."

"I see." Percy pursed his lips in thought. "Then we'd better go to the supermarket. I don't have much in my fridge."

Annabeth nodded like it made perfect sense. "That's a great idea." She paused for a moment. "Do you…have any recommendations? What's good for dinner?"

"Just about anything can make a decent meal," Percy said. "Although….." He flipped the signal on and took another right turn before continuing. "Since you're not used to cooking I guess we should do something simple."

"Will it be fancy, though?" Annabeth asked. "My mother has high expectations." She added hastily. Ugh, what was wrong with her today?

Percy tilted his head to one side, thinking. The car started to drift left and he corrected the wheel, straightening his head. "Yeah, I can think of something that'll look nice."

The supermarket was clean, brightly-lit and smelled vaguely of chlorophyll mixed with Axe. Ugh. Annabeth shook her head violently as they passed through the entrance. She stole a quick glance at Percy, who hadn't appeared to notice the violent movement. She gave an internal sigh of relief. That stupid body spray seemed to have clogged her nostrils with its scent. She could never understand why boys thought it was a good idea to cover themselves in it.

"Where are we headed?" She asked cluelessly.

"Vegetables," Percy pointed to the racks of fresh produce. "Then frozen."

He led her over to a shelf filled with red, yellow and green capsicums. The vibrant colours reminded Annabeth of the traffic lights they'd passed through on the way there.

"The bright-coloured ones taste the best." Percy picked up a large red capsicum and showed it to her. "Make sure they're firm with smooth skin. Blemishes are kind of a turn-off, since you're cooking to impress."

He gave it a slight squeeze and handed it to her. Annabeth turned it over in her hands, marvelling at the rich red colour. It reminded her of Piper's massive nail polish collection. One of them was the exact same colour as the capsicum.

"Compare that with this one," Percy picked up a second capsicum that looked slightly dull. "Not as bright, and it's soft." He gave a little squeeze and Annabeth saw wrinkles form on the skin. "Capsicum is a crunchy vegetable. But if you cook this one it'll be mushy."

"Firm and smooth," Annabeth nodded. "Got it."

Percy put the softening capsicum down and picked out a luminous yellow one that seemed to glow in his hands. "Green, red and yellow make an excellent colour combination. If you can add any other colours, even better. It'll look very impressive even in simple dishes, like a salad. But since it's only us tonight we'll just get two."

He handed her the capsicums for her to place in the paper bag, then took her to the frozen section where he grabbed a pack of frozen chicken legs.

"How many family members do you have?" He asked.

Annabeth counted off her fingers. "Five, including me."

Percy examined the back of the packaging. "This pack contains six. Perfect."

He paid at the cashier and they walked back to his car, Annabeth flexing cold fingers from holding the frozen chicken and frowning at the water droplets condensing on the bag.

"Congratulations on the win today." Annabeth said to him inside the car. "You work really well with the other forwards."

"Thanks," Percy sounded surprised. "I didn't know you were watching the game."

"I was there for the last ten minutes." She said. "It's almost as if you three are telepathic. How long have you been playing together?"

"Only since the start of this season. Nico's a freshman. Just joined."

"You're joking," Annabeth shook her head. "You look as if you've been playing with each other for two years at least!"

"I guess we have good chemistry." Percy smiled slightly. "The first day he came in, boom. We just clicked."

"Unbelievable." Annabeth marvelled. "Will you be aiming for the title this year then?"

Percy laughed. "Impossible. We're terrible."

"You tore that team to shreds in five minutes," Annabeth was surprised at his lack of confidence. "Your front line is probably the best in this whole county!"

"Yeah, but the rest of our team is so-so. We played well for the last five minutes, but they were all over us the entire game."

"But…" Annabeth didn't understand how a team that seemed to play so well could not want to win a title.

"If you watch a couple more of our games you'll see." Percy told her. "We're porous as a sponge. Almost every ball seems to go right through us."

Annabeth frowned, trying to wrap her head around his words. He seemed to be describing a totally different team to the one she'd seen on the pitch.

"That was our first win of the season, you know?" Percy continued.

Annabeth's jaw dropped. "Only the first?"

Percy nodded, looking a touch disconsolate. "The season started last month. We've played four, lost two, drawn one and won one. The opposition you saw just now was the weakest in the division. Before today, that title belonged to us."

Annabeth could not comprehend what he was saying. She'd seen them play so well. How could they be bottom of the table?

The mystery of Percy's team occupied her mind until they pulled into a parking lot in front of a row of apartment blocks. Annabeth blinked as the car slowed to a stop, the loss of movement jolting her out of her thoughts. She stared up at the dark row of blocks. She'd never lived in an apartment before.

Percy's apartment was much smaller than the ones she'd seen on tv, but had a cosy, comforting feel to it. The front door opened straight into a small living room dominated by a two-seater sofa and coffee table set flanked by worn leather armchairs, all facing a tv mounted on the wall. Behind the sofa was a rectangular six-seater dining table and chair set, flushed into a corner to create more room. Next to the table and directly ahead of the front door was the kitchen doorway.

The left side of the house was what looked to be a whole wall of pictures. Frames and photos spanning the last few decades, all of them containing Percy and his parents. There were pictures of his parents in their early twenties, a collection of Percy mugshots that captured his growing up years, and a ton of portraits showing the three of them in his high-school years. The three categories were separated by two doorways that Annabeth guessed led to the bedrooms.

"I've never seen so many photos in one place." Annabeth gaped at the wall.

"Mom loves to take pictures." Percy explained. "Says it'll keep us from forgetting everything." He breezed past the photo frames and into the kitchen, jingling his keys in one hand. "Let's get cooking."

The two dishes Percy taught her were simple, even by her standards.

Preheat the oven to one hundred and eighty degrees celsius.

Annabeth turned the knob carefully, making sure the little arrow printed on it was pointing to the 180 mark. She watched in satisfaction as the oven lit up, then wrote it down in her notebook.

"Ten minutes to let it warm up," Percy told her. "While that's happening, we'll prep the chicken."

The chicken legs were placed on a small metal tray lined with baking paper. Percy sprinkled black pepper and coarse-ground pink salt on both sides, showing Annabeth how to make sure the little grains were equally distributed across the meat.

"Baking paper helps prevent it from sticking to the tray, especially if it's made of metal." Percy covered the marinated leg with a coating of oil, then gestured to the second, untouched one. "Now you do that one."

Once the two legs were in the oven, Percy turned her attention to the capsicums.

"How good are you with a knife?" He asked.

Annabeth see-sawed her hand through the air. "I use one maybe twice a week. Usually for fruit."

She was alarmed as Percy drew a large chef's knife out of the rack.

"Um, do you have a smaller one?"

Percy put the big knife back and drew out a smaller fruit knife.

"This work for you?"

Annabeth shook her head. She eyed the assortment of handles sticking out of the rack, then finally closed her hand around a small steak knife.

"You can't cut with that," Percy said incredulously.

"It's the only knife I've ever handled." Annabeth picked up a capsicum. "This can't be that difficult to cut, can it?"

Percy held up his hands in surrender. "If you're sure."

He used his big chef's knife to halve the capsicum in a single stroke, giving Annabeth a pang of jealousy at the effortless display of skill. He cut the capsicum neatly into quarters and eighths, then used the tip of the blade to slice off the whitened interiors. He shook the seeds into the bin and placed them on another tray.

"Your turn."

Annabeth fumbled clumsily with her capsicum, but managed to cut it into thick, awkward wedges that somewhat resembled Percy's.

Percy got out a pack of shredded mozzarella cheese from the fridge. He arranged the capsicum wedges on another tray, then sprinkled cheese onto them and slid them into the oven.

"Mozzarella melts easily, but can burn if you leave it for too long. Twenty minutes should do it."

Annabeth wrote everything down in her notebook, stopping several times to ask Percy questions. By the time she was finished, the food was ready and they sat down for dinner.

The chicken skin had dried into a thin, crispy layer on the outside, contrasting perfectly with the tender, juicy meat. Every bite was infused with the taste of salt and pepper. Simple flavours, but impeccably tasty. Annabeth's eyes widened.

"Oh, this is so good."

Percy smiled. "Good enough for your mother, I hope."

"It's gonna blow her away." Annabeth felt a deep sense of satisfaction and relief settle in her stomach. Or maybe that was just the chicken. It didn't matter. Either way, she had Saturday's dinner in the bag.

The capsicums were out-of-her-world; sweet and cheesy, the flavours exploded inside her mouth. It was pure foodgasm and she crunched through them in record time.

It was eight o'clock by the time they finished dinner. Percy insisted on driving her home, waving her half-hearted protests away with a chicken-greased fork.

Streetlamps cast rolling shadows across the dashboard as they drove down the road. Annabeth's mind had settled into planning mode, filtering through all that Percy had shown her and slotting them into little shelves in her brain, all ready for Saturday. The house kitchen definitely had salt, pepper and oil. She'd get the rest of the ingredients from the supermarket down the street. There was a tray big enough to fit five chicken legs, she'd seen her mother use it before. All that was left was to wait for Saturday.

The Prius rolled to a stop outside her house. Percy put the handbrake on.

"We're here."

Annabeth blinked her eyes open. She hadn't even realised she'd dozed off. She stifled a yawn.

"Long day?" Percy asked.

"Yeah." Annabeth cracked her neck as she straightened. "And I have two essays due tomorrow, too."

"Ouch." He winced. "Essays suck."

"Thanks for today, Percy." She told him. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

Percy's smile was illuminated by the light of a streetlamp shining through the windshield, accentuating his features in all the right places. "No problem. Tell me how it goes. I hope your family likes it."

"I'll text you after the dinner." She nodded. "See you tomorrow."

"See you." The car shifted slightly as she got out. He watched her walk up the sidewalk to her house, waiting until she disappeared inside the doorway before putting the car back into gear.

The smile remained on Percy's face throughout the drive back, only disappearing when he scrunched up his face and peered over his shoulder to reverse into the parking lot. His left leg was painfully sore from working the clutch for so long after playing an entire game and he developed a limp as he walked down the corridor to his front gate, fishing in his pocket for his house keys. He opened the door and was surprised to see the lights on.

"Percy, you're back." His mother was standing at the table, unpacking her handbag. She had evidently just returned home from work.

"Hi Mom." Percy spoke over his shoulder as he locked the gate.

There was no response and he walked into the kitchen to see her staring into the dishwasher, which he'd started before leaving the house. Two dinner plates, two glasses, two spoons, two knives and two forks. She knew boys rarely met one-to-one.

"Do I need to check your bed?"

"MOM!"