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it couldn’t have been more cliche.
annabeth chase, a quiet bookworm, had a massive crush on percy jackson, captain of the swim team, and student body president.
and really, who could blame her?
objectively, percy was attractive. actually, scratch that. he was hot. like unfairly hot. but he was also so much more. he was smart. annabeth knew this personally because they had worked on a project together junior year and percy had been a genius at chemistry. and he was so nice to everyone. well, everyone except bullies. which was another reason she liked him. he stuck up for people who got bullied, no matter who. he was so good.
regardless, annabeth had long since accepted that this was nothing but a (big) high school crush that she would push down until graduation and then forget about in college. piper made the pushing-down-until-graduation part very, very hard.
“annabeth,” her best friend hissed from across the lunch table, “percy is looking at you. like staring.”
annabeth chuckled and rolled her eyes. they were in a crowded cafeteria, his eyes could’ve been in her general direction and piper would turn that into something. she looked up from her lunch to see piper’s eyes on her, then quickly shifting to something behind her.
“shut up,” she muttered.
piper reached forward and hit her arm. “i’m serious! look for yourself.”
annabeth hesitated. she wanted to look. but if she did and she immediately made eye contact with percy, that would be extremely obvious and super weird. still, curiosity got the best of her. she turned and her eyes scanned the room until they landed on percy. who was, in fact, looking at her. his eyes snapped away instantly and annabeth pretended to scan the room for another few seconds, hopefully to make it look less suspicious. then she turned back to piper, who raised her eyebrows.
“he was looking at me.”
piper beamed and hit her arm again. “told you!”
“okay,” annabeth rolled her eyes, “so what? doesn’t mean anything.”
“what do you-” piper was cut off by the lunch bell, then she continued like it had never rung, “-mean? that’s, like, super sus.” they sat for a minute, mainly to give the largest part of the crowd time to exit so they wouldn’t get squished between people. then annabeth gave her a sweet smile and stood up, ignoring everything piper had just said.
“see you after school.”
she turned and threw her trash away, heading for the exit door. which she happened to reach at the same time as percy. they both stopped short, as to avoid walking into each other. percy smiled at her and nodded towards the door. “go ahead,” he said.
“thanks,” annabeth replied quietly with a soft smile, walking through the door.
as she left, she heard one of percy’s friends, she thinks his name is jason, say “simp.” annabeth held back a laugh when she then heard a quiet smack and jason say, “ow, what the fuck?” she quickly glanced behind her as she walked away, instantly making eye contact with percy who had a stupidly beautiful smile on his face.
piper was going to be over the moon when she heard about this interaction. of course, annabeth’s luck would have it that her best friend was a hopeless romantic. piper was convinced percy had a secret crush on annabeth. she had no evidence of it. she just hoped it was true.
the rest of annabeth's schedule consisted of psychology, calculus, and design study 2. she was so happy she’d gotten her last class of the day to be her favorite class. it always put her in a good mood. and it just so happened that it was her only class with percy jackson.
they sat on opposite sides of the room, never spoke, and occasionally glanced at each other. but it still made annabeth a little happier knowing he was there. today was no different. she was already in her seat when percy walked in. she hadn’t meant to be looking at the door when he walked in, but she was. and the minute he walked in, he looked in her direction. which piper would’ve taken as a sign that he’s madly in love with her. annabeth chalked it up to a coincidence.
when class ended, annabeth packed up her binder and sketchbook. she made her way towards the front of the school where piper would be waiting for her. piper’s last class was physics, which was right at the front of the school so every day, piper would get to her car first and pull it around to the pick-up lane. they’d determined that the timing was perfect. annabeth would always walk out of the building right as piper pulled up in front of the school and it had become much easier than waiting for both of them to get in the car and then handle the parking lot, which was much busier by the time annabeth had left the building.
pushing the doors open, annabeth walked out of the school as piper was pulling up in front of it, windows down already. she walked up to the car and pulled on the passenger side handle, which was locked.
“let me in, mclean,” she said.
“oh, oops,” piper said. she reached over to unlock it when her eyes zeroed in on something behind annabeth. then she looked over at her friend and smiled. “if this plan fails, you have every right to hate me. love you!” she called before stepping on the gas and driving away.
“pi- piper, what the fuck?” annabeth borderline yelled, stunned. she brought her fingers up to her temples and closed her eyes, heaving out a big sigh. she wanted to yell at piper. because now, she was going to have to bother her dad to come get her. she was about to reach into her backpack side pocket for her phone when a voice stopped her.
“annabeth?”
she froze. of course. of course, it would be him. annabeth turned.
“percy,” she said with a forced smile. he looked at her, then at the direction piper had just driven off in, then back at her.
“are you… okay?” he asked slowly.
she shrugged. “currently planning on murdering my best friend. got any ideas?” she asked innocently. percy laughed and annabeth ignored the way her heart involuntarily fluttered.
“what happened?” he asked, adjusting the bag strap on his shoulder. annabeth let out a small, bitter laugh.
“no clue,” she said. “piper drove off for, like, no reason. so i have no ride which means i have to bother my dad now, which is sick, i’m sure he’ll love that.” she paused, looking up at him. “sorry. didn’t mean to ramble.”
percy grinned at her. “it’s okay,” he assured her. then he paused, rocking back on heels. “i could… give you a ride. if you wanted?”
annabeth blinked at him. “oh,” she said quietly, smiling softly, “that’s okay. you really don’t have to.”
he smiled wider. “i really don’t mind,” he said.
she bit her lip. she really wanted to say yes. partially because it was percy and also because then she wouldn’t have to bother her dad. but she didn’t want to burden percy.
he sensed her hesitation and began to walk slowly, nodding for her to follow. “c’mon,” he said, “it’s really no problem.”
“you’re sure?” she asked quietly.
“absolutely.” he gave her a lopsided grin and it made her smile back. she just nodded softly, following him. he led her to his car, unlocking it. she slid into the passenger seat and was hit with the strong scent of boy and… the ocean? annabeth fiddled with the hem of her skirt as he tossed his bag into the back. percy pulled out his phone and handed it to her after a moment. it was opened to his maps. “can i get your address?” he asked.
annabeth nodded, taking the phone from him and typing it in before handing it back. he looked at it for a second and his eyebrows furrowed.
“oh,” he said, “you live in the same neighborhood as me.”
annabeth blinked. “really?”
he nodded. annabeth wasn’t sure what exactly to do with that information but she could already hear piper telling her it’s fate. percy began driving and annabeth made the mistake of looking over at him. obviously, he was already attractive. but percy driving…
she forced herself to look straight ahead before she started drooling. after a minute, he glanced over at her. “so, you have no clue why piper drove away?” he asked.
“nope,” she said with a short laugh. she began replaying the brief conversation they’d had in her head. “she said something about if her plan failed, i’d be allowed to hate her and then she just…” annabeth trailed off as piper’s words echoed through her head. a plan. she remembered piper looking over annabeth’s shoulder and then the wicked smile she gave her. a minute later, percy showed up. annabeth pieced it together.
piper’s plan was hoping percy would offer to drive her.
“oh my god, that devil,” annabeth muttered, whipping out her phone.
“what?” percy asked. annabeth stopped typing. how was she meant to explain piper’s plan to him?
“she, uh, said she had a plan and didn’t say what but i think i figured it out. it’s hard to explain, it’s kinda based off an inside joke… i guess.”
percy nodded slowly. “okay,” he said, “so now that you know it, are you still planning on murdering her?”
“oh, absolutely.”
percy laughed beautifully and it made annabeth smile as she typed out a text to piper.
to: piper
oh my god, you bitch
was your plan for percy to drive me home?
“how long have you guys been friends?” he asked. annabeth smiled softly.
“eleven years,” she replied, “we met in first grade. this kid pulled piper’s braids and i pushed him into a wall.”
percy laughed again. “never took you as a fighter, chase,” he said. she giggled. giggled. leave it to percy to make her giggle.
“we’ve been inseparable ever since,” she said. “and since then, piper has been the fighter between us. that girl can be… scary.”
“you can be too.”
annabeth looked over at him incredulously. “me? scary? yeah, sure.”
“i’m serious,” percy said. “we worked on that project together last year and when we were first assigned to work together, i was, like, super intimidated. of course, you were like the nicest person ever. but you’re very intimidating.”
“you said you’re. as in, like… present tense?” she asked. her phone buzzed under her leg but she ignored it. percy just nodded. “percy, i’m a 5’6, 140-pound girl who wears skirts almost every day. i’m not intimidating.”
he chuckled. “okay, when you put it like that, sure. but from someone else’s point of view, especially someone who doesn’t know you, you are.”
annabeth crossed her arms. he was nearing their neighborhood. “and how do i look from someone else’s point of view?” she asked. was she asking this purely to hear how he viewed her? maybe. so what?
percy glanced over at her with a smile. “very pretty and very smart.”
annabeth’s brain short-circuited. pretty. he’d called her pretty. actually, he'd called her very pretty. she studied him as he entered their neighborhood. percy looked over at her and chuckled at the skeptical look on her face.
“and your eyes are slightly terrifying. stunning, but kinda scary.”
annabeth hated that she was blushing. she bit back a smile. “that makes sense,” she said nonchalantly. “i get them from my mom and she can be… terrifying.”
percy laughed quietly. annabeth felt disappointed as she saw him turn on to her street. they were quiet as he pulled up to her house. her driveway was empty. instantly, annabeth’s stomach dropped.
“huh,” she hummed quietly.
“what?” percy asked.
“it’s, uh, my brothers’ birthday today. and we were going to go out for a movie and dinner once i got home. but… they already left,” she said quietly. then, mainly to herself, she muttered, “cool. love that.”
“oh,” percy said quietly.
annabeth looked over and smiled at him, shrugging. “it’s whatever, i’ll live. thank you for the ride.” the last sentence came out a little more shy than the first. annabeth unlocked the door and opened it. she put one foot on the pavement.
“annabeth,” percy stopped her. she looked back at him. “do you wanna get dinner?”
she blinked. “what?”
percy’s cheeks tinted slightly pink and he smiled softly. “you said they were going to dinner. which means you’ll be alone now. so i was wondering if you… wanted to get dinner? with me.”
annabeth’s heart may have stopped, she wasn’t sure.
“if you want,” he added.
annabeth smiled softly and looked over at the clock. “it’s only 3:15.”
seeing that he wasn’t being rejected, percy grinned instantly. “so then we’ll do something until later. and then we get dinner.”
annabeth slowly placed her foot back in the car and closed the door. “do what?”
annabeth tried really hard to ignore the little voice in her head that sounded an awful lot like piper. percy offering her a ride could easily be explained by him just being nice. he saw her struggling and wanted to be a good person. simple explanation. but percy offering to hang out with her and have dinner with her just so she didn’t have to be alone? that was… unexpected.
percy shrugged. “watch a movie, walk around central park, plan a murder. whatever you want.”
annabeth laughed softly. obviously she wasn’t going to pass on this opportunity. “okay,” she said softly. “central park sounds fun.”
percy beamed at her. he backed out of her driveway and began driving again. annabeth slipped out her phone, finally looking at piper’s texts.
from: piper
maybe
did it work?
annabeth bit back a smile.
to: piper
....maybe
“are you okay with taking the subway?” percy asked. “rather than, like, driving all the way there and having to park there and whatnot?”
annabeth nodded. “yeah, of course.” she looked over at percy. his cheeks were flushed slightly and she found it so attractive. “seeing as we’re going to be spending the next couple hours together, tell me about yourself. you’re virtually a stranger, you know.”
percy laughed. “a stranger?” he asked. “damn, i thought we were besties after working on that project together last year. what do you want to know?”
annabeth shifted so that she was sitting kind of sideways, looking at him. “any siblings?”
percy shook his head. “not yet. my mom is pregnant right now, though. i’ll have a little sister in four months.”
annabeth beamed. “does she have a name yet?”
“estelle.”
“that’s so pretty,” she said softly, making percy smile. “are you excited?”
percy pulled into a parking lot for the subway station near their houses and turned off the engine. “you can leave your bag here if you want. and yeah,” he said, getting out of the car. annabeth sat her backpack on the floor and got out too. “but also, kind of terrified? i have no clue what it’s like to be a big brother.”
annabeth grinned as they walked down the stairs, going underground. “i mean, i have no experience as a big brother,” she said, making him laugh, “and my stepbrothers are eleven and i’ve only known them for three years, so i… can’t give you much advice. i think you’ll do great though.”
his cheeks flushed again. the train pulled into the station and it was crowded with all the people getting off work. annabeth’s phone buzzed in her hand and she glanced down at it.
from: piper
SHUT UP
IM COMING OVER YOU HAVE TO TELL ME EVERYTHING
annabeth laughed softly and stepped on the train with percy. there were no available seats so they both opted to stand. she held on to the pole with one hand and quickly typed a reply to piper.
to: piper
no omg im not home
annabeth locked her phone and looked up at percy who was absentmindedly looking around. his eyes fell on her and he smiled instantly. there was at least a five-inch height difference, which annabeth found herself liking a lot. “why do you like to swim?” she asked suddenly. then added, “since i’m meant to be asking you things about you.”
percy smiled and shrugged. “i was a pretty… troubled kid, i guess you could say, and swimming always calmed me down. when i was younger, the apartment complex we lived at had a pool we could use for free, so i was there anytime i didn’t want to be home. and i got pretty good at swimming since i did it so much.”
annabeth grinned. “i would assume the captain of the swim team is good at swimming.”
he snorted. “okay, smartass,” he said, making annabeth laugh. “i love swimming but sometimes, i dislike being on the team. it makes it into a competition and takes away the calm aspect.”
the train was pulling up to a station and before annabeth could reply, a guy pushed past her to exit the car and pushed annabeth right into percy. instinctively, his hand gripped her waist as she stumbled forward. her heart may have fluttered if she hadn’t been annoyed with whoever pushed her. annabeth let out a small, angry breath, making percy chuckle. she looked up at him and blushed when she realized how close they were.
she stepped back awkwardly. “sorry.” his hand fell from her waist and she missed the feeling of it already.
“it’s okay,” he assured her. his eyes were shining. “the look you gave him, though. you can definitely come across as scary.”
“well he was rude,” she shrugged.
“are you gonna push him into a wall?”
annabeth laughed. “maybe,” she said. god, she loved his smile. her phone buzzed again and she glanced down.
from: piper
booooo where are you?
to: piper
ummm maybe with percy
annabeth locked her phone again and it immediately started buzzing repeatedly in her hand, making her smile. she didn’t need to look to know piper was losing it. she looked up at percy.
before she could say anything, he spoke. “what about you? any sports? extra curriculars? we can’t be best friends if i don’t know anything about you.”
annabeth ignored the way her heart fluttered at him saying best friends. she wasn’t sure if he was messing with her. really, she wasn’t sure how often they would talk to each other after today. she smiled softly.
“i played softball when i was, like, twelve. but that ended fast. i’m in debate club, which is fun. i love arguing with people because i’m usually right.”
percy laughed. their stop approached and they got off. “i can see you being in debate club,” he said once they were above ground again. “it seems like something you’d be good at. softball, though? didn’t expect that.”
annabeth chuckled. “yeah. like i said, it didn’t last long. i hated it and i was bad at it.”
they walked along in a random direction, chatting about simple things like school and random facts about each other. annabeth learned he loves blue, marine biology, and cookies - specifically his mom’s which he claimed are the best cookies on earth. he talked so animatedly, annabeth found herself enraptured by everything he said.
their conversation gets interrupted, of course, by piper. annabeth’s phone rang and she looked down at the caller id. “for fuck’s sake,” she muttered. she looked up at percy. “sorry, give me a second to take this.”
“of course,” he said sweetly. annabeth smiled at him and accepted the call.
“what do you want, mclean?” she asked, wasting no time.
“TELL ME WHAT’S HAPPENING!” piper shouted instantly. annabeth let out a short laugh. percy glanced over as he walked beside her.
“you don’t get to make demands right now,” she said, “you left me at school. like what the fuck?”
next to her, percy laughed as he realized who she was talking to.
“yeah, but now you’re with you know who,” piper sang, “so can you really be mad at me?”
“yes.”
“annabeth!” piper drew out her name in a whine.
“talk to you later, pipes! love you,” she said before promptly hanging up. she looked back up at percy who was smiling. “sorry about that.”
“it’s okay,” he said. through the trees, they could see the empire state building. annabeth sighed, looking at it with in awe and a smile. percy chuckled. “you look like a tourist. have you never seen the empire state building?”
annabeth hit his arm, making him laugh. “obviously, i’ve seen it,” she said, smiling. “i just love it. the design of it, the structure, the architect was incredible.”
she looked from the building over to him to find percy watching her with a smile. “didn’t know you were an architecture nerd, chase,” he said, hardly teasing. annabeth smiled and furrowed her eyebrows.
“you’re not? you’re in the second year of design study, aren’t you?”
percy blinked and annabeth noticed his cheeks turning pink. “um,” he said, averting his eyes, “okay, can i confess something?”
“sure,” she said slowly. by now, they’d stopped walking, simply standing at the edge of the sidewalk looking at each other.
“i took design study last year because i wanted an easy class,” he said, looking up at the skyscrapers around them. “and then there was this cute girl in my class. towards the end of the year, i overheard her say she would be taking the second year of the class. so i took it too.”
annabeth studied him and he finally looked down at her. his cheeks were flushed and there was a hint of anxiety in his eyes and it clicked in annabeth’s head. she smiled slowly. “a cute girl, huh?” she asked.
percy’s lips quirked upwards. “mhm,” he hummed. “really cute. really smart too. it’s kinda intimidating, actually.”
annabeth barked out a laugh, her cheeks flushing. she looked at her phone in her hand to check the time. 5:37. when she looked back up, she noticed percy eyeing her up and down. annabeth bit her lip.
“did you still wanna get dinner?” she asked softly. percy beamed.
“of course.”
they ended up at a small italian restaurant near the park. on the walk there, annabeth had sent piper a single text that set off another chain reaction of piper spamming her, freaking out.
to: piper
oh my GOD he called me cute
as she sat across from him, two thoughts struck annabeth. 1) this entire day hadn’t been awkward, save for the brief moment where she was pushed into him on the train. but for two people who didn’t know each other, there had been no unbearably awkward moments. and 2) in another context, this day would’ve felt lot like a date. obviously it wasn’t. but it could’ve felt like one. or maybe just a little part of her wished it had been one.
even now, with percy talking about his college plans and annabeth listening with her chin in her palm and her elbow on the table, it felt like under different circumstances, this would’ve been a good date. percy’s eyes sparkled any time he spoke about something that excited him and she could see his green eyes glitter as he talked about his plans to major in education to be a teacher. she never said anything, but she also noticed they’d both be staying in new york for college.
“why a teacher? and for what grade?” she asked before taking a bite of her pasta.
percy lit up again. “i’ve always loved kids and i’d love to be able to be there for them and be someone they trust. i always had shitty teachers and i want to be able to be a good teacher for them. and i think i’d want to be a fifth or sixth grade teacher.”
“fifth or sixth?” she asked, cracking a smile. “what about high school? all the girls could have a crush on you.”
he smiled slowly. “oh? i’m someone they’d have a crush on?”
annabeth blushed but smiled back anyways. every since percy had called her cute, she’d wanted to be a little bolder but couldn’t find it in herself to flirt with him. until now.
“probably,” she shrugged nonchalantly. “you’d have to be a science or math teacher, those are the hottest. oh, or a gym teacher, obviously.”
he laughed quietly. “what’s wrong with english or history?”
“too boring.”
“how so?”
“it’s all just… talking. science and math, especially science, there’s demonstrations and whatever. and i mean, a gym teacher… that’s obvious.”
“mmm, i see,” he hummed. “what about you, miss architect? why do you wanna major in architecture?”
annabeth smiled softly. “i mean, for one, i just think it’s beautiful. the way there’s so many styles of architecture. and the idea of building something that could last hundreds of years is so… i don’t know. i want to do that. like, i wanna build something amazing and be remembered for it.”
percy watched her with a dazed smile and sparkly eyes. “you will. i’m sure of it,” he said confidently, making her beam at him and blush. before she got the chance to reply, her phone rang. she looked at the screen and her mood dropped.
“my dad is calling, sorry. i’ll be right back,” she said, giving him an apologetic smile.
“of course, go ahead.”
she got up and walked towards the restrooms, accepting the call. “hello?”
“where are you?” he asked. annabeth stiffened at his tone.
“i’m out with a friend…” she said hesitantly. her father scoffed angrily.
“you didn’t think to say anything? and on your brothers’ birthday?”
annabeth blinked. was he being serious? “i got home from school and you guys had already left… and my friend offered to get dinner with me.”
“oh, so because we left, that gives you the right to just go do whatever you want?”
he was so angry and annabeth felt her anger rising as well. he had been the one to leave her alone tonight and he was mad that she didn’t want to be alone? when it was his fault to begin with?
“if you hadn’t left without me, this wouldn’t be an issue.”
he was silent. then, “when are you coming home?” his voice was bitter and quiet.
“probably in, like, an hour.”
he sighed. “we’ll talk more about this when you’re home. you’re not off the hook, annabeth.” and with that, he ended the call. annabeth closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down. she turned and made her way back to the table. percy smiled when he saw her and she watched as it dropped slightly when he read her expression.
“everything okay?” he asked as she sat down.
annabeth laughed bitterly. “he’s mad that i’m not home. as if he didn’t just… forget about me earlier.” she shook her head in an attempt to dismiss her anger. percy tilted his head.
“do we need to push him into a wall?”
she smiled for real now, looking at him. “yes,” she said. “maybe something worse, to be honest.”
percy raised his eyebrows. “are we adding him to our kill list, along with piper?”
annabeth laughed. her anger was almost completely forgotten now and she wasn’t sure how percy had done that so easily.
“yes.”
percy bit his lip. “do you… need to be home soon, then?” he asked. annabeth noted the disappointment in his voice. she shrugged.
“i told him i’d be home in an hour-ish. but i’m not opposed to angering him further if you wanna kidnap me for a little longer.”
annabeth realized just how bold her words were as she said them. but percy just smiled.
“i’d love to,” he said, “but now that we’re best friends, i don’t want him to hate me.”
her lips turned upwards. “best friends already? that was quick.”
“i guess i just like you, chase,” he said simply. annabeth’s brain may have fully stopped working just then. she couldn’t come up with a response. instead, she blushed and looked down to hide her smile. she looked up at him through her lashes to see his cheeks tinted red too. when their eyes met, he nodded towards her empty plate. “you ready to go?”
annabeth nodded. she willed herself to wipe the giddy smile off her face but she couldn’t. percy notified the waiter for the check and when he brought it over and set it in front of percy, it took one look between them for annabeth to predict how this was going to go.
“let me pay,” she said instantly. percy was already reaching for his wallet. “no, percy, stop. let me.”
annabeth pulled her credit card out of her phone case, where she kept it when she didn’t have her purse. she slid the card across the table as percy was placing his in the checkbook. “i got it, chase.”
“you’ve done enough,” she insisted. “please. at least let us split it.”
percy reached forward and placed his fingers on her card and slid it back in her direction. “percy,” she whined. he smiled.
“you can get it next time.”
that made her pause and she smiled again. he seemed to make her do that a lot. “okay,” she said, “next time. i’ll hold you to that.”
the waiter took the checkbook and before annabeth could say anything, percy’s phone rang. he grinned at the screen and accepted the call. “hey mom.”
annabeth smiled. he’d told her all about sally jackson and how she was the best mom in the world. annabeth didn’t really have a mother figure to compare her to, but she was confident percy was right just from how he’d described her.
“yeah, i’m still with her,” he said and annabeth willed herself not to react. he had told his mom about her? percy then looked at annabeth with a smile and an unreadable expression in his eye. “mhm,” he hummed in response to something sally had said. “i’ll be home in like an hour or so.”
just then, the waiter came back so percy said his goodbye and took the checkbook. he signed the receipt and looked up at annabeth. “ready?”
she nodded, standing up. when they left the restaurant, the sun was beginning to set, casting a golden glow over new york. they walked through central park slowly in the direction of the subway station and annabeth was hit with the realization this meant their day was almost over. she stopped suddenly, grabbing his arm. percy looked at her, instantly concerned.
“what?” he asked.
she shook her head. “i just,” she said quietly, “don’t wanna go home yet. today has been great and the minute i get home, all hell is gonna break loose and i’m just not ready for that.”
percy smiled sympathetically. “i’m sorry you have to face that, you really don’t deserve that.”
annabeth shrugged lightly, looking around at the buildings and trees before her eyes landed on him. she bit her lip and smiled. “thank you for dinner,” she said. “and for today in general. you really didn’t have to offer to hang out with me or anything but it really meant a lot that you did.”
percy’s eyes were a goldish-green color in the light as he grinned, stepping a little closer. “i saw an opportunity and i took it,” he said quietly.
“an opportunity for what?”
he averted his eyes for a moment, trying to find the words to say. “annabeth, i, uh,” he started, “i wasn’t lying earlier. when i said i like you. and i thought it would be an opportunity to spend time with you and eventually tell you that i, you know... like you.”
annabeth bit her lip to hold back a wide smile. she stepped into his space and her fingers trailed along his wrist before slipping into his hand. her heart was thumping and her mind raced and the only thing she could think to say was, “i like you too.” and that was enough to make percy’s face light up. he didn’t hesitate to cup her jaw.
“can i-”
annabeth cut him off instantly. “please.”
he chuckled lightly and leaned down to kiss her. annabeth may have died and gone to heaven then and there. she was sure percy could hear her heart pounding. her hand came up to rest on his side and she had to pull away after a moment because it was hard to kiss when she was smiling so much. another thought struck her.
“oh my god,” she giggled. percy’s eyes danced happily as he watched.
“wow, that bad?” he asked, only making her laugh harder and shake her head.
“no, no. it’s just, um,” she giggled again, “piper’s plan earlier, the reason she left me at school, was because she saw you and just hoped that you would, like, offer to give me a ride or something. which was insane and a complete shot in the dark. but it worked and now, we’re here.”
percy’s smile grew. “why did she even think to do that?”
annabeth bit her lip and rolled her eyes fondly. “she’s a hopeless romantic and she had no reasoning or evidence to it, but she was convinced you liked me back.”
“mm, smart girl,” he muttered, leaning down to kiss annabeth again, who happily accepted it.
when she pulled away, she laughed softly. “as much as i hated her for it earlier, i’m kinda glad she left me there. she’ll be over the moon when she learns she was right.”
percy smiled. “i guess we’re taking her off the kill list?”
annabeth pretended to think. “mm, i don't know about that,” she said, standing on her toes to kiss him again, “i’m not letting her off the hook that easily.”