This chapter was inspired by browniesundae, who suggested I include something different, other than football and cooking. Now look what that's gotten me into...
Percy's blue Prius bounced in a slightly uncomfortable manner as it rolled off the road and up the wide, sharply-curving driveway of Piper's massive house, causing the four passengers inside to jolt and sway at the unexpected motion. Percy, well used to the performance of his car's insufficient suspension, simply leaned into each bounce as he eased the car up the little slope.
"Yow," Dakota muttered as he righted himself, gripping the overhead handle for leverage.
"Ouch," On the opposite side of the car, Leo's breath misted on the door's window as he started to peel his forehead off the glass, then he froze as he caught sight of the building looming above them. "Holy shit!"
Piper's house was four stories tall, an expansive, oblong structure in the style of a romanesque castle. It had a towering facade of smooth Bavarian stone topped with a parapet that still twinkled with shining Christmas lights. On the left of the driveway was an open-air porch about the size of Percy's apartment. The Prius rolled past it, turned and stopped outside the front doors, giant twin rectangles of walnut wood twice a person's height. Above their heads, an oversized porte-cochere, a driveway roof, stuck out over the middle of the driveway on Bavarian stone columns, providing shelter to anyone getting out of a car and into the house. On the other side of the driveway was a long three-door garage that looked capable of housing no less than six cars, all three doorways decked out in more strings of red and green Christmas lights.
"She called this a house?" Malcolm choked out from the middle of the back seat. His eyes seemed to be watering as they tried to take in their lavish surroundings.
"I live in a house," Leo's voice was awed. "This? This is a freaking mansion!"
"Hey, guys!" Piper emerged from a gap between the two doors, looking tiny against the massive doorway. "You're right on time, the pizza's a minute away."
Everyone's stomachs growled at the mention of food, even Annabeth's. As football players in season, all of them were constantly hungry because of the high amount of physical activity they expended every day. There was a lame joke going around the school that those on the school teams had two states of existence: hungry and eating.
Piper came forward a couple of steps, beaming, then looked confused as she caught sight of the assortment of cars parked along one side of the rectangular driveway.
"Why didn't the guys park in the garage?"
"Dunno, maybe they didn't see it," Leo quipped.
"Impossible," Malcolm rolled his eyes.
"How could anybody miss something so big?" Dakota pointed to the long, low extension. "With so many lights, every car coming down this road can see it!"
Piper skipped over to the garage and pressed a button next to the furthest door. The spotless-white door started to retract into the ceiling, revealing Piper's red Audi next to an empty slot.
"Thanks." Percy drove his Prius over, reversed it, and started backing into the space. The three players and Annabeth waited for him by the door.
"I'm almost afraid to go in," Malcolm gestured to the huge walnut slabs before them.
"What d'you think it's like inside?" Dakota spoke aloud.
"A pair of curved stairs," Malcolm guessed. "Fireplace in the centre. Marble floor."
"A giant chandelier hanging from the ceiling," Leo added.
"You're almost right." The corners of Annabeth's mouth quirked upwards. "But the floor is walnut, not marble."
"Marble would be freezing cold in winter," Piper had appeared next to them. "But walnut is great!"
"I love walnut," Leo agreed.
"Oh, is your floor walnut too?" Piper asked brightly.
"I wish I even had a floor," Leo said, sounding amused. "I live in a rented place and the floor is bare concrete. The owner never bothered to even tile the place over."
"I went to his place a couple weeks ago to borrow a textbook," Dakota shuddered. "It felt like I was walking on an ice bed."
"My house has some walnut," Malcolm quipped. "A few packs of it, in the snack drawer."
Annabeth shook her head at his silliness.
Percy came walking up to them from the garage, jingling his car keys in his hand.
"So, shall we find out what's behind those doors?"
"Oh yeah, come on in!" Piper put her shoulder to the left-hand door and pushed, creating a gap just large enough for her to squeeze through.
"Um, is that the widest they can open?" Leo asked, looking dubiously at the little gap that Piper had just disappeared into.
"Don't be silly." Percy put his hand on the other door and pushed it open wide enough for all of them to enter. Annabeth quickly tore her gaze away from where it had been locked onto his tricep, her mouth feeling a little dry. She was also a touch amazed at how effortless he'd made it look, because she knew from personal experience how heavy those doors were. It took all her strength to shift them whenever she came over.
The five of them entered into a giant foyer large enough to fit a futsal court. There was a small round table front and centre, flanked by, as Malcolm had correctly guessed, a pair of oversized staircases leading up to a wraparound second-floor corridor, all of it lined with a long connected walnut balustrade. The fireplace was set into the far wall opposite the front doors, with two normal-sized doors on either side of it at the base of each staircase.
The four guys gaped up at the twinkling chandelier hanging over their heads, then looked back down to take in the bizarre scene before their eyes.
"'Sup, guys?" Frank waved a wicked-looking falcata, a Spartan sword, in greeting. He was clad in a Greek-style bronze helmet with a red horsehair plume and a red cloak over his t-shirt and jeans, a large round shield over his other arm.
"Prepare to meet your end!" Jason boomed from the other side of the foyer. He was clad in a matching set of replica props, but his cloak and plume were blue instead and he carried a straight-bladed double-edged Roman gladius. The outfit clashed horribly with his purple shirt and white jeans.
"You looked better in it yesterday, when you didn't have your shirt on," Piper giggled, and everybody groaned.
"Did you really have to say that in front of everyone?" Jason held up his arms in exasperation, a gesture that actually accentuated his muscular build with the sword and shield in his hands.
"Can you stop with the thirst trap statements for once?" Annabeth shoved Piper's shoulder, making her stumble. "Every time you two are in the same room, this happens."
"Thalia will be here any moment now," Jason warned, and Piper appeared concerned.
"Thalia?" Percy tilted his head. "Why is she here? I thought this was a celebration for the guy's team."
"Ha," Annabeth had seen the exchange on the girls' team group chat and knew the answer. "Just wait until you find out."
"What's all this?" Percy gestured at his two gladiator-clad teammates in front of him.
"My Dad's been cast for a role in a movie," Piper explained. "He brought some of the props back to practice. The guys have been fooling around with them ever since they arrived."
"En garde!" Jason called to Frank. The two of them settled into what they thought was a sword-fighting stance and then came at each other. The blades clashed together and clattered off shields, making Annabeth wince, then Frank ducked under Jason's swipe and lunged low onto one knee. Jason batted the falcata away with his own blade, then grunted as Frank drove his shield into his chest and shoved him off-balance. Jason went stumbling backwards and Frank's falcata came for his chest. Jason dived to one side like a goalkeeper to avoid the strike and in a supreme display of athleticism, landed sideways on his shield and shoulder-rolled to his feet. He dropped into the hoplite crouch, one leg bent and the other extended behind him in a lunge with his shield held up before him, the top of the round edge just above his chin. There was no opening for Frank to exploit and his falcata could only strike ineffectively at Jason's bronze helmet and shield before he put his strength into a massive sweeping stroke that knocked the helmet off Jason's head. The blue-plumed war helm clattered to the floor and came sliding toward Percy's feet, who lifted a foot to stop it under his sole like a football.
"Yikes," Dakota winced.
Frank had overstretched himself with such a lavish strike and Jason lunged forward as the opportunity presented itself. Frank raised his shield to block the gladius coming toward his throat and Jason kicked his legs out from under him. Frank fell with a crash and recovered his wits to see Jason's sword pointed at the centre of his chest.
"Victory," Jason declared.
Malcolm, Leo, Dakota and Percy clapped politely as Jason straightened and saluted them with his sword. Annabeth shook her head at their antics, crossing the floor to help Frank up. Percy bent down to pick up the discarded blue helm.
"This looks impressive." He inspected the prop, tapping a fingernail on the metal surface, then pulled it over his head.
"Dude, you look epic," Leo told him.
Annabeth glanced over and her heart jumped at the effect it gave his features. Percy's green eyes seemed to glow from within the helmet's visor. His posture and expression seemed to have sharpened against the hard edges of the war helm, creating an imposing air about him. Annabeth desperately tried to tear her eyes away.
"Are you not entertained?" Percy quoted the famous movie line, spreading his arms.
I'm more than entertained, I'm hooked, Annabeth almost blurted out, but then the deep chime of the doorbell rang through the foyer and the huge doors swung open to reveal Thalia standing in the doorway, both arms outstretched to hold the doors open. She looked imposing as ever with her black eyeliner and lipstick.
"Pizza's here. I need a bunch of hands to carry it in."
The guys trooped toward the doorway at the mention of pizza. Thalia had rolled her motorcycle right onto the porch, and now opened the front and rear trunk boxes to reveal stacks of pizza boxes. The guys each loaded their arms with a few boxes and headed back up the stairs.
"Why are you the pizza deliveryman?" Malcolm asked her.
Thalia snorted. "Piper knew I was near the pizzeria and asked me to pick them up and bring them here."
Malcolm glanced at the name of the pizzeria printed on the top of each box. "Doesn't this place deliver?"
"It does," Piper said brightly. "But this whole thing was so last minute. I knew we'd be short of time, and I knew that Thalia could get the pizza here faster than any delivery guy." She sounded quite pleased with herself.
"You asked her to rush all the way here to bring us pizza?" Malcolm said incredulously.
"Yep," Thalia's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Because what are friends for?"
"I wish I had a friend like you," Malcolm laughed.
"So that you can get me to bring you pizza?" Thalia asked dryly.
"Exactly." Malcolm nodded.
"You're unbelievable," Thalia snorted. "I'm never gonna be your friend."
Piper came back into the house to see that the guys had stacked the pizza boxes on the small table in the center of the foyer. She blinked.
"Why didn't you bring it into the dining room?"
"Your house has a dining room?" Leo asked in mock surprise.
"We don't know where it is," Dakota provided a more sensible reply.
"Oh!" Piper reddened with embarrassment. "It's through that door." She pointed toward their collective left, at a door next to the foot of the stairs.
The guys picked up the pizza boxes and started heading in that direction. Dakota lifted the last few boxes off the table, then frowned down at it.
"Why do you have a table from Ikea?"
"Dude, everyone has a table from Ikea." Frank told him. "It's such a household brand."
"Yeah, but…" Dakota indicated the extravagant display of opulence all around them. "It just seems a little out of place, you know?"
"We got this table as a quick fix, because the previous one broke when the chandelier fell on it." Piper explained.
"That must've been a sight to see," Dakota and the others stared up at the chandelier, wondering what the elaborate crystal craftsmanship would look like smashed into a thousand pieces on the floor.
"How did something like that happen?" Percy asked. "I mean, chandeliers don't just fall, do they?"
"One day my dog decided to launch himself off the second floor," Piper pointed up at the balustrade.
"Aww, no." Percy shook his head.
"Sounds like something I would do," Malcolm muttered, then more seriously, "how'd the dog fare?"
"He didn't make it." Piper shrugged.
"Oh, no. I'm sorry." Malcolm immediately regretted asking the question.
"It's alright," Piper waved a hand dismissively. "He's in a better place now. We buried him in the backyard. "If you want you can go visit his grave later."
"I suppose I should, now that I've brought him up." Malcolm looked solemnly. "Pay my respects."
Nobody had anything else to say after that, so they all filed silently into the dining room. Coach Hedge and the rest of the team were already seated, tucking into takeaway boxes of Chinese food, large bowls of salads and trays of roast potatoes.
"Wathhup?" David waved a massive hand at them, his mouth clogged with what seemed to be roast potato.
"Piper, you ordered all this food already?" Thalia stared at the long table laden with dishes.
"Chef managed to whip up the potatoes and salad," Piper said. "I picked up the Chinese on the way home from school. Why?"
"If you already had all of this, why did you ask me to get pizza?" Thalia said incredulously.
"It's a celebration," Piper didn't understand what the problem was. "We have to have pizza."
"Okay," Annabeth subtly came between her two friends, sensing danger from Thalia's expression. "Piper, I'm sure we all love pizza. But did you ever consider that you might have ordered too much food?"
"No, I didn't." Piper blinked innocently. "They're guys." She gestured at the table, as if they wouldn't believe her.
"Yes, we're guys," Percy agreed. "Not…food processors and meat grinders."
"Are you saying there's too much food?" Piper asked, still clueless.
"Are you kidding me?" Thalia shouted, making the guys at the head of the table lean away from her. "Just look at the amount of stuff there is."
"There's enough food here to feed our reserves," Dakota estimated. "And the entire girls' team too," he added.
"I didn't realise there would be so much," Piper squeaked. In desperation, she threw the problem to someone else. "I asked Jason if he wanted pizza, and he said yes."
"I was expecting you to order four or five," Jason said. "Not…" He gestured helplessly at the tall stacks of pizza boxes.
"Twenty-one extra-large pizzas!" Thalia bellowed.
"I'm sorry!" Piper, as always, was terrified of her older teammate. "We can finish—"
"No, we can't." Leo shook his head firmly.
"Tomorrow!" Piper was grasping at straws. "We can all bring some home—"
"That's more than one extra-large pizza per person," Malcolm pointed out.
"You sent me all the way here for a completely unnecessary pizza run," Thalia took a step toward Piper, trying to get around Annabeth. "I'm going to get you, you clueless—"
"No, you're not," Jason said firmly, grabbing onto Thalia's wrist from his seat at the front of the table.
"Let go of me." Thalia snarled.
"Sit down and eat some dinner," Jason shook his head. "You're hungry, and that's what's making you so angry."
"You can stuff the dinner up your ass." Thalia reached down, trying to peel Jason's grip apart. Annabeth grabbed onto her shoulders and pushed her backward and away from Piper, trying to force her into the empty chair next to Jason.
"Get…off…me…you…" Thalia was strong and tried to wrestle free, but with one hand out of action Annabeth had all the leverage against her.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Malcolm, seated next to Jason, eyed the struggle warily.
"If you touch me I'll kill you." Thalia fixed him with a death glare that made his eyes widen.
"If you can't get her into the chair, maybe you can get the chair to her instead." Nico, who had no fear of Thalia and was five seats away, suggested.
"Shut up, di Angelo!" Thalia shot back at him. "I'll do you next!"
"That's actually a good idea," Annabeth said. "Malcolm, get the chair."
Malcolm stood and walked over to stand behind Thalia and the chair they were wrestling her toward. He put his hands on the backrest and pushed the chair forward. The chair hit the back of Thalia's knees and she dropped hard into it, glaring so fiercely that everybody didn't know whether to look away or to risk her wrath by continuing to watch the unfolding drama.
"You're dead," Thalia snapped at Malcolm, turning her glare on him.
"You're not killing anybody today." Jason tutted. "Potato." He said to Malcolm.
Malcolm scooped up a potato with the large serving spoon and stretched out to slide it onto Thalia's plate.
"We can do this the easy way, or the hard way." Jason told his sister.
"Screw you," was her reply.
"All right then," Jason shrugged. With Annabeth pinning Thalia to the chair, he wrapped one muscular arm around his sister's shoulders and picked up the potato in the other. "Everyone look away," he ordered.
Nobody dared to disobey. The sound of Thalia's angry scuffling drifted into their ears for a few seconds, followed by a muffled exclamation, then silence.
"Okay," Jason said, and everybody immediately looked back to see Thalia's cheeks stuffed with what was presumably a mega-bite of roast potato. A ragged half-potato sat in the middle of her plate. There was murder in the tall girl's eyes as she chewed.
"We're going to continue our dinner now," Jason said calmly.
"Um, I'll sit over there," Piper pointed to the far end of the table, at the empty seat next to Annabeth's.
Annabeth took her hands off Thalia's shoulder and fixed her with a stern look.
"If you attack Piper, I'm going to drop you."
Thalia glared back, but gave no further response. Annabeth turned around and walked to her seat, looking serenely at peace with the world and everything in it. She took her seat next to Piper and Frank and ladled Chinese noodles into her bowl.
"Now I understand why the boys are willing to run so much for you," Coach Hedge, seated across the table from her, nodded approval.
"Oh, no." Annabeth shook her head. "The guys have been perfect. I only do that to my own teammates."
Hedge gave a smirk at that, like she had shared an inside joke, but remained silent.
"Not that I'm doubting you," Frank kept his voice low. "But is it even possible to drop her?"
"For me, yes," Annabeth replied. "I have a black belt in Judo. Second dan."
"Holy shit." Luke, who'd overheard her, goggled wide-eyed at his coach.
"Now that's the way," Hedge gave a short laugh.
"I'm never showing up late to training again." Frank muttered.
"I'm gonna spend a half-hour every day practicing crosses," Luke said. "Just because."
Annabeth broke into a smile, amused by their responses.
"Why didn't you use your moves on her just now?" John, seated two chairs away, asked across Frank.
"I didn't want to escalate things." Annabeth replied. "I'm not the only one with moves. Thalia is a third dan karate black belt."
"Oh, shit." The guys seemed to go a bit white.
"I'm never sharing a lift with her, ever." Frank mumbled. "Not on my life."
The mood around the table was light, the food sumptuous and excellent. The players and the two coaches were in fine spirits, still in the glow of their monumental success the day before. The Chinese food, first to arrive, disappeared first, followed by the roast potatoes and salad as the players refuelled. Boxes of pizza were opened and passed around the table, a sight that seemed to improve Thalia's mood. There were sixteen pizzas still remaining when the guys finally stopped eating, still a ludicrously large number, but some ways reduced from the twenty-one that Thalia had brought in on her motorcycle. Piper insisted on opening a bottle of champagne and went round the table filling everybody's glasses. Percy and the other drivers declined, popping open cans of soft drinks instead.
"Speech," Jason piped up from the end of the table.
"Speeeeeeeech," the rest of the players caught on, collectively turning their heads toward Annabeth.
"What? No, c'mon, this is a dinner," Annabeth protested.
"Speeeeeeech!" Piper joined in the chants.
"Guys—"
"Speeeeeeeech!" They started to tap their champagne glasses with their forks and knives, creating a cacophony of bell-like ringing sounds.
"All right, all right!" Annabeth raised her hands in surrender.
The players quietened down. Annabeth gestured to Coach Hedge.
"You first, Coach."
The older man gave a slight shrug.
"I don't have anything much to say. I haven't been around at all this season. But you're doing a damned fine job, so well done for that." A round of polite applause went up as he cast his gaze up and down the long table.
He rested his hands on the table and looked across to Annabeth. "Your turn, Coach."
Annabeth stood.
"I don't really have anything either," she began, to a chorus of disapproval.
"Boooooo," Chris said, smiling. "That's cap, you know it."
"I really don't!" Annabeth insisted with a smile. "This season's not over. We've still got games left to play. We've made it to the cup final for the first time ever, a massive achievement." She broke off as a round of whoops and cheers went up from the players. "Honestly, I didn't have an answer to Stursy yesterday. You all were looking to me for an answer and I didn't have one. We should have lost that game. Why we didn't was because of each and every one of you. Your quality as players beat Stursy's tactical organisation. I didn't engineer that. I don't think I could have come up with a solution to their tactics even if I'd known about it beforehand. I didn't win the game, you did."
Hedge had gone still, his features showing amazement at the words coming out of this high-school girl. The players were riveted, their attention fixed on her. Thalia and Piper were staring in disbelief at their teammate.
"We made history when we won the tie yesterday," Annabeth tilted her head. "So I think we should go make some more history and win the cup."
The players howled approval, making Piper wince as the din echoed through the massive house.
"To the cup final," Annabeth raised her glass.
"The final!" The players chorused, slightly raucously.
"Damn, Annabeth." Piper stared at her friend, something like awe in her kaleidoscopic eyes. "That was some speech."
"What? That wasn't a speech," Annabeth didn't see what Piper was so awed about. "I just spoke off the cuff."
"Bullshit," Thalia snorted from the end of the table.
"I don't see what's such a big deal about it," Annabeth looked baffled.
"Have you ever gone for any public speaking classes?" Hedge asked.
"No," Annabeth shook her head. Nobody believed her.
Piper's chef and maid came in to clear the table afterward. Percy complimented the chef on the texture of her roast potatoes, which led to a discussion about cooking. The chef brought him into the kitchen for a little tour. Annabeth and a few others tagged along to gape at the array of stainless-steel countertops and towering refrigerators, freezers and ovens.
"We're a bit empty at the moment," the chef said. "Usually we make a grocery run once a week, but we skipped it last week and you used up all the potatoes and salad today," she chuckled.
"Dude, this kitchen is the size of my living room," Chris shook his head.
"What d'you roast in here, a whole lamb?" Leo peered through the glass door of the combination oven that was the size of a normal refrigerator. "I could fit inside this thing," he said, incredulous.
"I think I'm gonna take a nap here," Nico opened a refrigerator and acted like he was about to climb into it. "Piper, can you wake me up for training tomorrow?"
"Nico, you're going to freeze to death inside that thing." Piper objected.
"Nah, it's a fridge, not a freezer." Nico said dismissively, as if he was making perfect sense.
"It's so cold that you'll be frozen stiff," Leo pointed out.
"It's cryotherapy," Nico explained. "For my legs. Footballers do that all the time."
"You're full of shit," Leo shook his head. "Refrigerators are for vegetables, not people."
"Nico, get out of my fridge." Piper told him, and Nico closed the refrigerator door, amused.
Piper brought them on a house tour next, leading the crowd of players through six bedrooms, a movie room, a large gym room, an indoor hot tub and for some reason a furry-carpeted play room with pastel walls and a little crib playpen.
"This was my playroom when I was little," Piper explained. "Dad kept it untouched, for the memories."
"Aww," Percy picked up a stuffed rabbit with the name Piper embroidered on one long ear.
"Hey! Put Fluffy down, he's shy!" Piper yelped.
"I'm pretty sure he's a rabbit, not a shy." Leo said.
"Sorry." Percy, aghast, gently returned the rabbit to the kid's chair it had been sitting on.
"If his name is Fluffy, why does his ear say Piper?" Thalia asked.
"His ear says Piper because he belongs to me," Piper spoke like it was perfectly obvious. "But nobody ever tattoos their own name on themselves."
"I see." Thalia obviously saw no sense in Piper's explanation.
"So that means somewhere on Jason there's a tattoo…" Leo peered up at Jason's ear, then started to lift the back of his shirt.
"Leo, don't be ridiculous." Jason twisted away from the smaller boy, snatching his shirt from Leo's prying fingers and pushing the hem back down.
"Nope, only some hickeys," Leo muttered.
"Leo!" Piper yelped.
"What?" Thalia's electric-blue eyes locked onto Piper immediately.
"There are no hickeys!" Jason exclaimed hastily. "You're full of shit!"
"If I ever see any on him," Thalia warned Piper. "You're getting a one-way trip to the A ."
"Could you stop threatening people with permanent disability?" Annabeth sighed.
The tour ended back in the foyer, where people started to disperse throughout the mansion. A few guys headed for the washroom. A couple others went back to the dining room for more drinks. Jason picked up the movie props again and this time Percy joined him.
"En garde!" Percy called, his voice ringing across the foyer.
The swords clashed and scraped. Neither of them actually knew how to sword fight and could only think of making straightforward cuts and stabs that were easily deflected. Percy seemed to realise he wouldn't be able to batter his way through Jason's defence and sidestepped nimbly before catching Jason's outstretched wrist with a rap that made him drop his sword with a flinch.
"You're disarmed. I win," Percy decided.
Jason shrugged and started pulling off his gear.
Thalia shook her head at his clumsy display. "That was so pathetic that I'm ashamed to even call you my brother. Give me those." She grabbed the helmet out of Jason's hands, pulling it on, then took up the sword and shield.
"Avenge me," Jason said to her.
"You're not worthy to be avenged," Thalia scoffed. "I'm doing this for myself."
The two fighters took up positions opposite each other.
"En garde!" Percy called.
Thalia nearly won the bout with her first strike, darting forward and lunging the point of her gladius straight between Percy's eyes. The tall winger flinched aside instinctively and the blade deflected off the side of his helm. He knocked the gladius aside as it retracted, missed it, then ducked under a second strike, eyes wide with astonishment as he realised Thalia's speed. He swung his sword, managing to deflect a third strike out of pure luck, then raised his shield against a fourth and fifth, the impacts ringing like a bell.
"Holy shit," Frank muttered.
Percy realised he was outmatched and retreated into the hoplite crouch. Thalia rained blows onto his shield and helmet with a ferocity that made all the onlookers wince. Only Percy's superior size and weight prevented him from being knocked backward by the barrage. He eyed Thalia carefully through the eye slits in his helmet, matching her movement as she tried to circle around him.
A wild swing took Thalia by surprise, forcing her back. Percy followed up with a backhanded diagonal strike that Thalia parried with her sword. She swept Percy's blade aside and began an inswinging slash, then grunted as Percy shield-charged her, connecting with her own shield and buffeting it against her chest. Her nimble footballer's footwork saved her and she skittered backwards until she had regained her balance, parrying another of Percy's swings. She knocked another strike aside and riposted fast. Percy half-managed to duck under the strike and it struck the horsehair plume of his blue helmet, jolting his composure. Thalia followed up with a shield strike into the centre of his chest and finished with her sword at his throat.
"I yield." Percy looked slightly stunned.
"Finish him!" Leo hollered.
Thalia mimicked drawing the sword across Percy's throat and the tall footballer collapsed dramatically, sprawling onto the walnut flooring in a clatter of props. Leo dashed over, acting heartbroken.
"Percy! Percy!" He shook his teammate's shoulder, to no avail. "Nooooooo!"
Thalia rolled her eyes at his silliness.
"Weren't you the one who called for this a moment ago?" Percy asked him, sitting up.
"Who's next?" Thalia demanded, pointing her sword at each of them. All the guys shook their heads.
Thalia's eyes fell onto Annabeth last.
"Think you can take me, coach?"
Annabeth shrugged. "You asked." She took the helmet, sword and shield from Percy.
What none of the guys knew was that this wasn't the first time Piper's dad had brought medieval props home. The last time it had happened, Piper had enthusiastically hired an actual sword instructor to teach Thalia, Annabeth and herself the basics of sword fighting, which was what had enabled Thalia to demolish Percy so effectively.
The players all took a collective step back as Thalia and Annabeth darted at each other with surprising speed. Their swords clashed in a flurry of blows. Annabeth deflected Thalia's gladius off her shield, then grunted as Thalia rammed the edge of her shield into the gap between Annabeth's own sword and shield. She stumbled backward but managed to keep her footing. Her sword came up and around as she went back, clashing off the side of Thalia's helmet.
Thalia was unfazed by the impact and pressed forward, sword swinging. Annabeth's eyes narrowed as the blades spun and knocked, starting to get a handle of Thalia's moves.
Annabeth turned in place, narrowly avoiding Thalia's blade as it lanced past her chest, inches away from her shirt. She brought her shield up hard, striking Thalia's exposed wrist. The taller girl gave a muttered curse as her fingers went numb, almost dropping her sword. Annabeth swept her blade toward Thalia's throat and Thalia managed to duck under it. Annabeth's knee made contact with Thalia's helm, knocking her down. Annabeth pressed her sword into the centre of Thalia's chest, then withdrew and gave her a hand up.
"That is what I'm talking about." Thalia blew a loose lock of hair out of her face.
The guys gave them a scattered around of applause. Leo insisted on trying the props on next, joined by Chris, Ron and Frank. Annabeth and Thalia went to join the group in the dining room, where Nico was presiding over a noisy game of blackjack.
"Nineteen," Coach Hedge announced triumphantly, holding up his cards.
"Aww man," Luke, John and Matthew shook their heads as Hedge used his hands to sweep the small pile of chips over to his end of the table.
"Eighteen," Beckendorf sounded a touch irritated. "Just one short."
"I'm on a roll!" Hedge declared.
"Coach, you want to take over?" Matthew stood from the table. "My brain is fried and so is my chip supply."
"I can take over," Annabeth agreed. She sat at the table, then reached across to grab herself a juice box.
A couple of the other players took the opportunity to exit the game as well, drifting away to the foyer or the washroom. Coach Hedge gleefully cashed out his winnings, which instead of money were small packs of potato chips and gummy bears. Nico redistributed the chips and shuffled his pack.
Thumping music suddenly reached their ears, sounding far away, followed by the unmistakeable warble of Piper's singing.
"Looks like they've moved into the karaoke room," Annabeth winced.
"I'm getting out of here then," Thalia made a beeline for the doorway. "I'd rather get run over by a herd of bulls than have to listen to that."
Annabeth's pile of chips grew steadily over the next several rounds as she alternated card-counting and half-listened to Piper and Jason's awful singing coming from the upstairs movie room, punctuated at times by the clatter of props from the guys in the foyer.
"Eighteen," she announced, placing her cards onto the table.
"Same," Hedge said. "But I have three cards."
"Aww, c'mon." Mark slapped his own cards onto the table, revealing a five and a four.
"Twenty!" Dakota laid down his cards. "I win."
"No, you don't." Nico revealed his own hand, looking smug. "Blackjack."
"Are you kidding me?" Dakota gaped in disbelief.
The players collectively shook their heads as Nico started to scoop the large pile of chips towards himself. With his newly-added winnings, he now had more chips than everybody else put together. Annabeth gave her own substantial pile a glance, thankful that she'd decided against betting big in this round.
"I'm out." All his chips gone, Malcolm stood from his chair, flicking his cards toward the middle of the table. "Rotten luck today." He shook his head.
"I swear, this guy is unbelievable." Mark said in agreement, sticking out his chin at Nico. "Sucking us all dry."
"Not all of us." Malcolm indicated Annabeth, who still had a sizeable pile of chips.
"Hey, I've only gotten blackjack once." Nico pointed out.
"Once is enough." Mark told him. "Look at that." He pointed to Nico's massive pile of chips. "That thing's as high as Mount Everest at this point."
"I'm gonna take a leak," Malcolm told them. He drifted out of the dining room toward the washroom, where he had to wait a couple of minutes because Leo was inside. He ducked into the massive kitchen afterward to grab a beer from the fridge, then took another one on impulse before drifting aimlessly back into the foyer. Chris, Ron and Frank were still darting about with the movie props. Malcolm glanced upward toward the direction of Piper's awful singing coming from the movie room, then shook his head and shuffled in the opposite direction, passing through some more rooms until he came to another sitting room overlooking the backyard, the two parts of the house separated by floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors. He popped open the bottle of beer and took a swig, then remembered what Piper had said earlier and stepped out to the patio.
The backyard was lit by warm yellow lamps mounted along the edge of the patio roof. There was a basketball hoop, a swing set and coiled garden hose on one side of the grassy space. The other contained a lemon tree and a little gravestone at the foot of the trunk.
He started to make his way down the short flight of stairs and into the backyard, crossing the grass to stand in front of the gravestone. It had three of its own little lights mounted on its top, shining down to illuminate the face of the stone. He crouched to get a better look at it.
The gravestone was made of white marble, ridiculously well-designed, and had definitely cost a lot. A life-sized likeness of the dog's face had been carved into the stone, taking up most of the gravestone's space. The words Rest In Peace Benny were arched over the dog's head, the dog's birth and death dates inscribed at the base of the stone.
"You actually remembered the dog."
Malcolm turned toward the voice and was surprised to see Thalia lounging in one of the deck chairs on the patio, a bottle of champagne on the table in front of her.
"Had to pay my respects." He lifted his beer bottle in greeting.
"You're taking this seriously, huh. You've been staring at the tombstone for an entire minute." Thalia sounded amused.
Malcolm frowned. Had he really been staring at the gravestone for so long? It hadn't felt more than a few seconds to him. He looked down at the beer bottle in his hand and remembered that he'd already downed a few glasses of champagne back in the dining room. He realised he must be a little drunk at this point.
"I was admiring it." He stood and gestured to the gravestone, unable to find words to capture its extravagance. "It's really well-designed," was the best he could come up with. He walked back up to the patio and sat opposite her.
"Piper cried for days when Benny died." Thalia told him. "She really was heartbroken. They hired a professional sculptor to make the tombstone."
"Seriously?" A laugh slipped from Malcolm's lips. "That's a bit overkill, don't you think?"
"When you've this much money…" Thalia waved a hand at the massive house, shrugging.
"I suppose." Malcolm agreed. He started to take another swig of his beer.
Thalia matched him with her champagne bottle, then screwed her face in disgust as she realised it was empty.
"I'm out. Damn it."
"Here. Take my extra." Malcolm handed his second bottle to her.
"You came prepared." Malcolm's eyes widened as she pulled out a butterfly knife and used it to pry the cap off.
"So did you." He remarked.
"Always good to have a blade. Useful." Thalia smiled in satisfaction as the cap dropped onto the table.
"To Benny." Malcolm raised his bottle.
"To Benny," Thalia agreed.
They tapped their bottles together and drank.
"So what brought you out here?" Malcolm asked her.
"Piper's horrible singing."
Malcolm snorted a laugh.
"I also like some peace and quiet once in a while. Helps me to think."
"I didn't think you were one for peace and quiet." Malcolm remarked.
"What, just because I dress like a goth and play loud music?" Thalia snorted. "You boys are all clueless."
"Well, I did remember the dog," Malcolm half-smiled.
"Good to know you have a heart," Thalia gave him a sarcastic smirk. "Or maybe that was just the champagne."
"It wasn't." Malcolm shook his head. "I'm a dog person. I like dogs."
"Huh, me too. Guess we have that in common." Thalia reclined in her chair, putting her boots up on the low table. "You know, I was just about to head inside when you showed up. I wonder how long you'd have spent staring at that tombstone if I hadn't snapped you out of it."
"You've been here the whole time?" Malcolm tilted his head, frowning slightly. "I didn't see you when I came out."
"That's because you only had eyes for the dog." Thalia snorted.
"I have eyes for other things now," he replied easily. Before he could stop himself, his eyes traced down Thalia's outstretched legs to her riding boots, then back up her lounging form all the way to her face where his eyes met her own. Electric-blue irises locked onto his like retina scanners. She had gone perfectly still and he realised she had seen him staring. He distantly wondered if she was about to stab him with the knife.
"Do you always stare at everything for one minute?" She broke the silence.
Again, Malcolm frowned. It hadn't been that long, surely. Then he saw a slight smile form on Thalia's features and realised she'd been messing with him.
"Oh, you suck." He blew out a breath.
"Had you for a while." Thalia's smile widened. She tilted her boots back and forth on the table, seeming amused by the conversation.
"Was I really staring for very long?" Malcolm asked her.
"A few seconds." Thalia replied. "But you did spend a long time looking at the dog."
"I'm sorry," he said honestly. "I shouldn't have. I hope you're not upset." He cringed inwardly at how bad he sounded.
"That depends," Thalia's voice took on a bit of a drawl.
"Depends on what?" Malcolm sensed the conversation was taking a turn.
"What you'd do after you finished staring." There was a hint of a challenge in Thalia's eyes.
"What I'd—" Malcolm wondered if he'd misheard. His eyes widened slightly as they met Thalia's electric-blue irises again. She had the same look on her face that he'd seen when she challenged them to a sword fight in the foyer. He felt slightly alarmed as he realised he was staring again.
His vision sharpened as he took her in. Thalia's poise and expression was like that of a cheetah, sleek and focused. Every inch of her was relaxed, but Malcolm had the feeling that she was ready to pounce without warning, should a need arise. He realised that she'd manoeuvred the conversation to lead him exactly where she wanted him. Alcohol mixed with adrenaline in his veins like high-octane fuel, firing his confidence. If she was trying to test him, he decided he'd play the game.
"I'm out of beer." He got up from deck chair, grabbing his now-empty beer bottle from the table. "I'm going to get a refill." He shook out his shoulders a little exaggeratedly and twisted in place, cracking his back. He gave her a small smirk as he headed toward the sliding glass doors. "You want one too?" He called without looking.
He sensed rather than heard Thalia get out of her chair behind him. He eyed the reflections on the glass doors carefully, making a deliberate effort to keep his body loose.
"Oh I want one, all right," he heard Thalia say, then her palms slammed into his back and he let out a laugh as she pushed him up against the glass.
"You're insufferable, you know that?" She spoke into his ear.
"I thought you came here for peace and quiet." He teased, feeling her hands clench the back of his shirt.
"That was until you showed up." Malcolm suppressed a shiver as the cold surface of the glass reached him through his shirt. "I'm impressed, though. You managed to get the hint, and turned the tables on me."
"So now what?" His cheek pressed against the glass door, his smile widened as he eyed her from the corner of his eye. "Are you gonna stare at me for one minute?" They each seemed to be daring the other to make a move.
"I'll do much more than that," Thalia muttered, and leaned in.
A thrill shot from the soles of Malcolm's feet to the top of his head as their lips met, exploding in his brain like spectacular fireworks. Heat grew in his chest, filling him and spreading through his limbs until his whole body felt like it was on fire. One of Thalia's hands caressed the back of his head, long fingers running through his curly blonde hair. Her other hand gripped his shoulder, using it as a handhold to pull herself into him. He felt her warm body on his as she pressed herself into his back, a stark contrast with the cold glass against his chest.
Thalia wasn't letting him free from the glass door, so he freed himself, bracing his hands on the misting glass and pushing himself off. Thalia continued to kiss him with abandon and he was able to turn slightly so that his left shoulder now leaned against the the glass rather than his chest. His right arm came around to wrap around her back, the other coming up to rest gently on the side of her head.
They broke apart at last with a gasp and a heave, breathing hard. Thalia kept her hands where they were wound around him, holding him in place.
"You're drunk," Malcolm told her.
"Not so much that I don't know what I'm doing," she whispered back. "Is that a problem?"
"No, I think that's a good thing." Malcolm replied. He lifted his hand from her face, holding it up between them. "Just so we're clear. I'm keeping all my clothes on. I'm not gonna go that far and it's getting cold out here."
"Getting cold?" Thalia murmured. She adjusted herself and turned so that she was now facing him. "I can help with that."
"Gladly," was Malcolm's reply before she closed the distance between them and locked her lips onto his again.
It was in the early hours of the morning when Malcolm came awake with a start, shivering in the pre-dawn cold. His surroundings were dark and unrecognisable and he turned his head left and right, finally remembering when his eyes landed on Thalia curled up next to him.
They'd came indoors because of the cold, and must've fallen asleep while making out in the large armchair facing the backyard. He tried to sit up, wincing at the stiffness in his left hip and shoulder. Thalia had grabbed onto his left arm in the night and had her arms wrapped around it. He tried to disentangle himself gently, not wanting to wake her up. He couldn't extricate himself and considered her for a moment, then freed himself with a vehement yank.
"Mm sleep," Thalia slurred, shifting slightly before dropping off again. Malcolm smirked, amused, then stood, gasping slightly as his body protested. It was colder than he realised and he rubbed his arms, shivering uncontrollably.
His thoughts were foggy and confused. He looked about, trying to recall why he'd gotten up. His eyes widened as his bladder gave a sharp ache. Ah, right.
He padded through the dark, empty hallways, holding his right hand against the wall, partly for balance, and partly to avoid walking into the furniture. He finally found his way to the washroom and stumbled inside, gasping with relief when he was finally able to relieve himself. The little washroom was heated, something he was profoundly grateful for. He didn't know how long he spent standing in front of the basin, warm water running over his hands.
Finally defrosted, he made his way to the kitchen for a few glasses of water, then returned to the back sitting room to find Thalia exactly as he'd left her. He frowned as he tried to think of where they could go, dredging up half-coherent memories of the house tour Piper had led them through several hours ago. He distinctly remembered seeing a few empty bedrooms on the second floor and nodded to himself. If the washroom was heated then a bedroom most certainly would be as well. Tempting as it was to settle down next to Thalia again, the thought of spending any longer in the sitting room's insufficient heat was unbearable.
"Thalia, wake up."
The girl made no reaction. Malcolm tried again, then shook her shoulder.
"Mm sleep," was her only response. Malcolm shook his head, half-exasperated, and kicked her foot.
"Go away," she mumbled.
"Get up." Malcolm told her. "It's too cold here. We have to go upstairs."
"Go away."
Malcolm flexed his jaw, wondering if it was worth the effort to give her the violent awakening she clearly needed to get her up. He decided against it and so bent down to put his arms under her back and behind her knees. He settled himself and lifted her into his arms, carrying her out of the room and up the stairs.
He stopped outside one of the unmarked doors, hovering in front of it as his left hand flapped at the handle, trying ineffectively to grasp it sufficiently without dropping Thalia, then the girl herself raised one arm to twist the handle and push the door open.
"Oh, thanks for the assist," Malcolm said sarcastically as he carried her inside, kicking the door closed with his heel.
"It was all I could manage," Thalia muttered. "How romantic," she said as he set her down on the lone queen-sized bed. "Or despicable, if you're about to take advantage of me."
"I'm not even going to be in the same room," Malcolm scoffed, turning to leave, but Thalia reached out and grabbed his belt loop with one outstretched arm.
"Choose carefully." There was a note of warning in her voice.
Malcolm stopped, then turned and walked around the foot of the bed, getting in on the other side. He pulled the blanket over the both of them, then turned to face away from her.
"Smart choice." Thalia told him as they both drifted back to sleep.
The sun had long cleared the horizon by the time the mansion's occupants slowly returned to life, its golden light illuminating the Bavarian-stone architecture in all its glory. The household's butler, maid and chef had been up since dawn, lighting the fireplaces, firing up the stoves and getting the dining room ready for their overnight guests' expected emergence.
Piper and Jason were the first to appear, looking completely at home as they sat down next to each other and were served omelettes and toast. Annabeth came in a few minutes later and the three of them exchanged greetings before digging into their plates.
"How many of the guys actually stayed over?" Annabeth asked.
"Percy drove Hedge, Dakota and Leo back last night." Jason, as ever, sounded like he was delivering a report. "Chris and Ron joined Frank's car. I didn't see when Matthew, Mark, Luke and John left, but Beckendorf told me he hadn't seen them or anybody else around when he left just past one o' clock, and their cars are gone anyway, so they must've gone off sometime after the card games ended."
"So that leaves…" Piper frowned as she tried to tick names off her fingers. She wasn't a morning person and her brain hadn't fully woken up yet.
"Thalia is probably passed out somewhere." Annabeth guessed. "Nico…"
"Tomas says he saw a pale, black-haired guy go out for a run just now," Piper indicated her butler, suddenly remembering. "That must've been him."
"Right, so that leaves Malcolm." Annabeth concluded. "We'll probably have to search the house after breakfast."
Malcolm woke slowly, his eyes fluttering open as he curled his fingers around the pillow he was hugging. It took him a while to remember how he'd gotten into the nice room with light-blocking curtains, soft pillows and a comfortable bed, then as his brain woke fully he realised, incredulously, that he was being spooned.
"The zombie lives." Thalia's voice spoke into his ear.
"How'd you know I was awake?" Malcolm asked. He hadn't moved since waking up.
"I felt your breathing speed up." Thalia replied.
Malcolm shifted slightly, testing his limbs to see if they still responded.
"Why are you spooning me?" He asked.
"You're warm," Thalia told him.
"But I'm the little spoon." He was slightly annoyed about it.
"You want your stiff cock pressed up against my ass?" Thalia asked. "I don't think you'd be able to handle that." He sensed her smirk behind him.
"It's not—" Malcolm began to protest.
"Oh please." Thalia scoffed. "It's morning. I know boys."
"I'm not—"
"Argue any more and I'm gonna reach over and check." Thalia warned.
Malcolm was silent for a moment, then sat up wordlessly.
"Regretting me yet?" Thalia's voice was full of amusement.
"Yeah," Malcolm glanced back at her. "I should've found a girl with better tits. You felt flat as a board just now."
"Bastard." Thalia gave his back a hard slap, then pushed herself upright behind him. "You catch on fast." She patted his shoulder approvingly. "I like you."
Annabeth, Piper and Jason were just finishing their breakfast when Malcolm and Thalia shuffled into the dining room. All three of them had eyes wide as saucers as they laid eyes on the new couple. After a couple of moments being stunned, Jason took on an incredulous expression, while Piper squealed loudly and Annabeth burst out laughing.
"What?" Malcolm didn't understand what had triggered all the varied reactions. He looked down at himself, failing to see what had given them away.
"Oh, shut up," Thalia said gruffly as she shuffled over to grab herself some toast.
Malcolm wondered whether she was addressing the trio of seated friends or himself. He decided not to ask.
Jason, ever straight and proper, pointed a hand at him. "You have black lipstick on you."
"No I haven't," Malcolm knew that couldn't be true. "I scrubbed it all off."
"You idiot," Thalia yelled at him.
Annabeth started laughing even harder, while Jason dipped his finger slightly, his lips twitching as he turned tomato-red, whether it was from suppressed laughter or some other repressed emotion, Malcolm didn't know. "On your neck. Under…under your collar."
"Oh, shit." Malcolm fought down the urge to slap his palm onto his forehead. A vivid memory from the night before rose unbidden to the front of his mind, making his face heat up. Of course there was lipstick on his neck. How could he have forgotten?
He was more inebriated than he realised, something that rarely happened to him. He gave Thalia a glance. The tall girl was glaring daggers at him, which he found more than a little attractive. His eyes flitted to the half-smudged black lipstick on her upper lip and he blushed even harder. He tore his gaze away with a wrench of will and walked up beside her, fixing his eyes on the tray of bread rolls. Next to him, Thalia was spreading butter onto her toast in long strokes, her body language giving him the impression that she was resisting the urge to bury the butter knife in his gut. Her arm twitched in reaction as he reached for his own knife and used it to cut a roll in half. He gave her a half-smirk, one corner of his lips curling upward.
"There are witnesses here, if you're thinking of murdering me already." he told her.
"You won't always be around them," Thalia answered. "I'll get my chance."
Malcolm buttered his rolls, then lined them with a generous helping of lettuce, tomatoes and cheddar cheese before finally loading an array of freshly-grilled sausages into them, bratwurst, cumberland and beef. He topped the burgeoning rolls off with drizzled scoops of Piper's chef's handmade honey mustard dressing and brought his plate to the table. He sat next to Thalia who'd taken the empty space beside Annabeth, and stared as Thalia pulled the lid off a decanter of water and put it to her lips, proceeding to down the entire thing in one go.
"I'm dehydrated," was her response to his incredulous look. "Aren't you?"
"Not really," Malcolm replied. "I got up in the middle of the night for a drink."
"I should've gone with you," Thalia sighed. "That would've been perfect."
"I did try to wake you up," Malcolm half-smiled as he remembered their early-morning interaction several hours ago. He lifted the first roll to his mouth and managed to cram a third of it in before biting off. He chewed rapidly, ravenous.
"You must've failed at it." Thalia concluded. She snapped at her own toast in a sharklike manner, evidently sharing his hunger.
"Sooooooooo, when did this happen?" Piper asked excitedly. "You've got to tell me everything!"
"You don't want to know everything, I'm quite sure." Annabeth corrected her. "But do spill. I'm curious to know, too. You only met each other last night, yes?"
"We've seen each other around," Malcolm shrugged. "We're not strangers to each other."
"Clearly not," Piper grinned. "So how did it happen?"
"Alcohol," Malcolm grimaced.
"A lot of it." Thalia agreed.
"You're joking," Annabeth sighed.
Malcolm swallowed down a mouthful of breakfast and held up a hand. "We knew what we were doing, though. This isn't a drunken fling."
"For you it might not be," Annabeth eyed Thalia, clearly seeking an answer from her.
"It was drunken," Thalia agreed. "But not a fling. I hadn't lost my marbles at that point."
There was an extended pause as the new couple stuffed more food into their mouths. Jason, Piper and Annabeth gave them time to refuel themselves a little more.
"When was this?" Annabeth began the next round of questioning.
"Late last night, after I exited the blackjack game," Malcolm answered.
"Where?" Piper asked eagerly.
"On the back patio," Thalia told her.
"That's so romantic!" Piper squealed, and Thalia, disliking the way she was taking things, threw a round slice of tomato straight at her face. The rest of them stifled laughter as the tomato slice slapped onto Piper's forehead.
"Stop being so dramatic," Thalia scoffed. "You'd find it romantic if we'd hooked up in the washroom."
Jason picked the tomato slice off Piper's forehead and placed it into his mouth, making Thalia shudder.
"You're my best friend," Piper bounced up and down in her seat, her enthusiasm unaffected by Thalia's tomato attack. "Of course I'm excited!"
"I thought I was your best friend," Annabeth, knowing her well, feigned indignation.
"You're both my best friends," Piper clarified.
Thalia sighed at Piper's ultra-enthusiastic behaviour. She bit into her toast again, bringing the conversation to another pause.
"What I'm interested to know is, what brought you two together?" Jason asked.
"Champagne," Piper joked.
"Actually it was Benny," Malcolm said, and everybody's eyes widened.
"The dog?" Jason asked, confused.
"I remembered him, and went to visit his grave." Malcolm explained. "When I turned around, there was Thalia on the patio."
"You remembered the dog," Annabeth nodded in approval. "That's nice."
"What, was she lying naked on one of the deck chairs?" Piper asked, and this time a whole slice of toast smacked into her face like a frisbee. Jason groaned at his girlfriend's remark and Malcolm looked aghast, while Annabeth just sighed.
"Of course not," Thalia yelled. "I'm not you!"
"I forgot," Piper giggled.
"Who in their right mind would take off their clothes in the backyard at night?" Malcolm said incredulously. "It's so cold."
"Even fully clothed, it was cold." Thalia agreed.
"You made out while fully clothed?" Piper asked incredulously.
"Yes, we did," Malcolm said proudly.
"I don't believe it! When you have this—" Piper waved her hand up and down Thalia's figure and Jason clapped a hand onto Piper's mouth to stop her before Thalia decided to launch her butter knife into Piper's face.
"What were you doing out on the patio?" Annabeth asked Thalia.
"I wanted to think," Thalia answered. "You know how it is when I get tipsy."
"You find yourself a quiet corner," Annabeth nodded.
"She practically a hermit when she's drunk," Jason said. "But this time things took a turn."
"I saw this drunk fellow come stumbling out the back to find the dog and thought it was noble."
"Congratulations," Jason told Malcolm. "You're worthy."
"Actually getting Thalia's attention is no small feat," Annabeth sounded suitably impressed. "Many have tried and failed."
"Tried hard," Piper giggled. "Some of them were really extravagant."
"All those guys were pursuing a lost cause," Thalia said. "You can't offer me something that you don't have."
"Which begs the question, what gave?" Annabeth tilted her head in question. "You've always said that you wouldn't go for guys like him."
"Do tell," Malcolm paused with his bread roll almost to his lips. "Especially the part about 'guys like me'."
Annabeth gave another short laugh. Thalia, to his surprise, looked slightly embarrassed. He raised his eyebrows at her, which only caused her to redden further.
"To answer the second part of your question," it was Piper who responded. "Thalia has always maintained that fresh-faced cuties like you are not her type."
"Uhh," Malcolm felt his own face heat up. "I'll take that as a compliment, thanks."
"It definitely is," Piper giggled. She turned to Thalia. "But what made you change your mind?"
The tall girl tilted her head toward Malcolm. "He did."
"The alcohol probably helped," Malcolm added.
"It wasn't the alcohol, you idiot," Thalia snapped. "If it was, I would've left you on the bed just now."
Piper, Jason and Annabeth's collective gasps managed to cover the sound of his own. Malcolm stared in a mixture of amusement and disbelief at Thalia, who, realising her mistake, slapped a hand to her face.
"I know what you're thinking." She pointed with her other hand at Piper without looking, then swept it round the table to cover Jason and Annabeth like a rifle barrel. "It's not like that."
"It sounds like you slept with him," Jason began.
"In my house too!" Piper clapped her hands together.
"Why are you happy about that?" Malcolm asked her incredulously.
"It's so romantic!" Piper had clasped her hands together and was rocking them back and forth. "Like the beginning of a romance novel…"
"OKAY!" Thalia shot out of her chair, red as a tomato. "Let's set this straight. I did sleep with him." Piper let out a loud squeal and Thalia paused to glare at her. "But all we did was sleep. NOTHING else."
"We didn't even take any of our clothes off," Malcolm added.
"WHAT?" Piper's kaleidoscopic eyes were large and sparkling like disco balls at this point. "You were in bed together and you didn't even do anything?"
"I'm not that kind of guy." Malcolm shook his head.
"And I'm not that kind of girl." Thalia declared. "You got that, Piper?"
"I guess I do," Piper gave an unsatisfied sigh.
Their conversation was punctuated by the sound of footsteps approaching, then a moment later Nico breezed into the dining room, gleaming with sweat and panting slightly.
"There you are," Jason gave him a fist bump.
"Breakfast?" Annabeth jerked her thumb at the array of food on the kitchen counter.
"Sure," Nico nodded. He gave his omelette order to Piper's chef, then spun around and started heading out.
"Be with you in ten minutes. Gotta shower." He strolled past all of them, stopping halfway to clap Malcolm and Thalia on the shoulder. "Congratulations, you two."
All five of them gaped at him.
"How on earth did you figure that out?" Jason asked incredulously.
"There's black lipstick on the back of his neck," was Nico's amused reply, and Thalia groaned.
"Turn around," she told Malcolm. "I'm scrubbing it off, right now."
This chapter was completely unplanned. It's the first time I've ever written anything steamy. What did you think of it? Let me know in the reviews. Cheers!