Chapter Text
Wow was Annabeth’s only thought when they pulled into the driveway. Stretched out in front of her were hundreds of people and horses. She had heard the competition would be big but she never thought it would get to this. All the good stables in the area had a rider represented here to compete today. The other stables weren’t of Annabeth’s concern though. Her eyes scoured through the mess of trailers looking for that ridiculous purple banner. She straightened in her seat when she saw it. Oh yeah, it was war now. The Jupiter Stables banner hung lopsided on the side of the trailer.
Annabeth turned around in her seat and craned her head to look at Piper passed out in the backseat. She reached out and shook Piper’s knee, earning her a groan in return. “Losers at 3 o’clock.” Annabeth joked, that made Piper sit up.
Annabeth studied Piper, her brown hair was plastered to her face and her ever-changing eyes were drooping from her recent nap. How Piper managed to fall asleep on the five-minute drive to this place was unbelievable to Annabeth. She turned back around in her seat and started her search for him.
Piper sat forward in her seat, looking out the windshield of the truck as it pulled down the driveway. “Have you spotted that black haired devil yet?” Piper asked showing that she was thinking that same thing as Annabeth. It was a long running joke to call that boy the black haired devil because he had a mop of black hair and his horse was midnight black as well. Piper and Annabeth made it a joke because they couldn’t tell which the other was talking about: the boy or his horse. Although if there was a Jupiter Stables banner then he was most likely here.
“He’s ahead of us, in the farthest arena away on Blackjack,” Chiron said. Chiron was the person driving the truck and had been silent up until now because hauling horses always makes him nervous. Annabeth looked straight ahead and spotted him, how could she not? Percy's horse, Blackjack, had a very distinct way of moving. He had big lofty strides that looked like he could push off from the ground, grow wings, and take flight at any time.
“Percy Jackson,” Annabeth said his name with disdain, “I can’t believe he had the nerve to show up”. Their history of hating each other went back ages. Annabeth had been riding for years under Chiron’s guidance and from a young age had shown great potential as a rider. For three years, she won just about every competition she entered. That all changed when she was twelve, when Percy Jackson showed up. Rumor is he's the son of some ex Olympic rider who had cheated on his wife and Percy was` the result. He came waltzing in with all his natural born talent and he became Annabeth’s only real competition. Annabeth had spent years perfecting her riding whereas Percy didn’t have to work at getting better.
Annabeth’s struggle to beat Percy wasn’t very hard, that is until 2 years ago when Percy’s dad dropped a quarter million dollars on a big fancy jumping horse. For a whole year, Annabeth always came in second place behind Percy and Blackjack. If it wasn’t for Athena, Annabeth’s fancy jumping mare that she has only had for a year, she would still be taking second place every time. This year had been an all-out battle, with Percy and Annabeth going back and forth. Sometimes Annabeth wins, other times Percy would win, it drove her crazy.
Piper and Annabeth watched as Percy took Blackjack over a jump. He was flawless up until they cleared it and Blackjack stumbled. Percy stopped, jumped off, and started inspecting Blackjack’s legs, as any respectable rider should. That’s when his trainer Lupa walked over and got on Blackjack.
Piper snorted, “He can’t even prep his own horse without Lupa stepping in and taking over if there is a problem.”
Annabeth couldn’t help but smile, Piper had the same views about Percy as she did. “He really doesn’t deserve that horse,” she said. Hearing Chiron sigh next to her she turned to face him, “What is it?”
Chiron shook his head, “Both of you should be nicer to Percy, that horse of his is extremely hard to ride”. Annabeth glanced back at Piper who was looking as confused as Annabeth felt. Usually when they talked about Percy, Chiron chuckled but never stuck up for him.
Piper mouthed the words, “What’s up with him?” but Annabeth just shrugged in answer. Chiron finally found a spot to park the truck and trailer. Which just happened to be right next to the arena Percy had been riding Blackjack in, and where Lupa was still working Blackjack.
Chiron put the truck in park and shut it down, then turned towards the girls, “Now you two know the plan, get your horses unloaded and ready. I will sign you up for your events.” He opened up the door and got out of the truck, “Oh and NO messing with Percy” with that, he left.
Annabeth grabbed Athena’s lead rope out from under her seat and opened up the door to the truck. “Come on Pipes, we have a competition to win.”
After hauling Piper’s lazy butt out of the back seat, they both headed to the back of the trailer and opened the doors. Athena was at the back of the trailer so she was the first to be unloaded. Annabeth shimmied along Athena’s grey body until she was at her head and snapped her lead to the mare’s halter. Athena seemed to know they were at a horse show because she started pawing impatiently.
Normally Annabeth would correct Athena for such rude behavior but today was different. She was going up against Percy. She was nervous herself and didn’t doubt that her horse could sense that. Annabeth backed Athena out of the trailer and brought her around to the side where she then tied her. She got right to brushing down Athena’s dirty grey coat.
As Annabeth brushed Athena, she couldn’t help but marvel at how muscular the little mare had gotten in the past few weeks. The national competition was just a few weeks away and they had been working their tail off to get ready. That included making Athena rock solid with muscle. Annabeth had never seen her horse’s dapples stand out as much as they did this year. Athena was at peak condition. When Annabeth brushed Athena’s hip she took a little extra time to make sure the mare’s brand mark stood out. Although Annabeth herself wasn’t a fan of burning something into an animal’s flesh, she did admire the owl shaped brand.
Annabeth was so busy admiring her horse that she didn’t even notice the person walking up behind her. Athena told her, the mare suddenly pinned her ears back and charged with her mouth wide open ready to bite the intruder. The boy would have gotten his face torn off if Athena hadn’t been tied. That didn’t stop him from jumping back and landing on his butt even after Athena hit the end of her rope.
"Hey! What do you think-" Annabeth’s words stopped in her mouth when she saw who was scrambling to his feet in front of her. It was none other than Percy Jackson himself. She heard Athena grind her teeth so Annabeth stroked the mare's neck in attempt to comfort her.
“So sorry!” Percy’s words tumbled out of his mouth; he was flustered. Who wouldn’t be after nearly being killed by Athena? He stood up and straightened his clothes. “I just wanted to say good luck today….”
Why was he talking to her? Annabeth stared daggers at him wishing he would turn around and walk away but she forced herself to take a deep breath and say, “Thanks..” they stood their awkwardly for a moment before it clicked in Annabeth’s head what he was waiting for, “Oh and.. Umm... Good luck to you also.”
He smiled and she could feel herself relax. All the built up tension from just being around the person she hated the most drained out of her when he smiled. She hated how he could do that to people. As soon as she realized she had relaxed, she tightened back up.
Percy must have been seriously blind because he didn’t notice anything about her body language that seemed nervous. He sounded like he was talking to an old friend when he said, “Sorry about spooking her, I only meant to say good luck.”
“Well she’s really protective of me,” Annabeth said back while petting Athena who still had her ears back at Percy.
Percy nodded while keeping his eyes on the grey mare. “Not like you need protecting from me or anything,” he smiled and Annabeth forced herself to smile back, “Well I better get going. Big competition today.” He gave her one last small smile then turned and left.
Annabeth went back to brushing Athena. She was dumbfounded. Why had Percy been so nice? All they had ever done before was glare at each other. Never had they wished each other good luck. Maybe this was the start of a new trend. It would be nice to be friends with Percy instead of hating him.
Piper came from around the backside of Athena, Annabeth had forgotten she was there, “You know he was trying to intimidate you right? I just got a look at the pattern; it’s as if it was made for him and that black horse of his. All the jumps are set close together and high. Perfect for a horse who can launch himself over the jumps and turn sharp without losing any speed like Blackjack.”
Annabeth felt like she had just been stabbed in the back. Of course, he hadn’t come here to make friends. She clenched her jaw, “Percy just made one huge mistake. While his horse has the skill to win this thing he is missing one crucial detail.”
Piper smiled at her, “Oh?”
Annabeth smiled back at Piper. Anybody who has ever worked with Athena has told Annabeth the same thing: Athena is wicked smart. Way smarter than the average horse. “Even if Athena isn’t the strongest or the fastest she never makes a mistake, if Blackjack takes one misstep then the win is mine.”
“You’re wearing your game face, you do know that right?” Piper knew where Annabeth was going with this.
“And you know what that means right?” Annabeth asked Piper.
“You scare me when you wear your game face. Percy is going to have to have a flawless ride to win isn’t he?” Piper asked
“Exactly.” was Annabeth’s answer.
With only a few hours left until it was Annabeth’s turn to be in the show ring, she turned to Athena and got her ready. Annabeth was showing in her favorite event today: showjumping. Showjumping is when jumps are set up in a pattern; winner is the one who gets over the jumps the quickest.
After getting Athena all tacked up, Annabeth rode her out to the prep arena. She couldn’t help but smile as she warmed the grey mare up. Today was one of Athena’s good days; maybe they actually did have a chance of beating Percy at his own game.
After that Annabeth head over to the arena where Chiron and Piper were standing. That’s when she noticed whom they were standing by. Lupa and Chiron were actually talking to each other. They seemed to be acting like good old friends too. She stopped Athena a few feet away from them but couldn’t make out what they were saying.
Piper was the first to notice her, “Oh! Hi Annabeth…” She smiled; it wasn’t a genuine smile though. She was hiding something.
Piper’s greeting had alerted Chiron and Lupa; they quit talking about whatever they were discussing and turned their attention on Annabeth. “So how did Athena warm up?” Chiron asked.
They were trying to distract her from asking about what they were talking about, “Fine.” she answered. Annabeth looked at Piper who suddenly became very interested in looking at the grass. She knew, of course, whatever it was must be big if they didn’t want to tell Annabeth right before she went into the ring.
Annabeth was about to start grilling them about what they were talking about when she heard her name being called. It was her turn to enter the ring; she mentally filed this awkward exchange under something to harass Piper about later.
Annabeth turned to the ring and took a deep breath. Chiron nodded to her “Don’t forget to talk to her during the pattern. You know it comforts her.”
Annabeth nodded, she could feel her nerves building up as the rider before her exited the ring and the gates opened for Athena to go through. She started towards the gate when she caught Lupa’s eye, “Remember to relax. If you are relaxed then she is relaxed.”
Ok that was weird. Lupa never gives advice to anyone but her students, much less a rival student. It must be Percy’s work, trying to get her nervous and throw her off her game. Annabeth gave Athena a little kick with her heel and trotted into the ring.
It’s strange how nerves can diminish in a second. As soon as Athena took one step into the ring Annabeth gets down to business. The crowd outside the ring doesn’t matter. The sound of horses galloping in the prep pen fades to a distant hum. The burning sensation on her back from the eyes of meticulous judges ceases to exist. All that matters is here and now, horse and rider, jumps and seconds ticking away on the clock. This doesn’t even being to explain how a person feels when enter the ring with their horse or how Annabeth feels at this moment. Her issues with Percy fade from her mind as she lines Athena up to first jump.
As Annabeth pushes Athena up into the canter, she gets a good look at the way the jumps are set up. Piper was right, the course has many jumps that are spaced tightly together and high. It was the perfect setup for Blackjack, Annabeth wouldn’t be surprise if Percy stooped low enough to get his daddy to make a call and set the course up perfect for him.
However, enough of her being mad at Percy. It was time to win this thing. The first two jumps went by without a hitch. Which changing direction Annabeth could feel Athena get nervous, she remembered Chiron’s last words. Annabeth leaned down and talked softly to her horse. That did the trick; right after Annabeth started whispering she could feel Athena relax.
Two jumps later Athena started to tire. The course was hard on the poor mare and was wearing her down quickly. Annabeth risked a moment to glance over at Chiron. The look on his face told Annabeth he knew what was happening to Athena. Annabeth turned her attention back to the course as she took another jump and change direction once again.
Annabeth looked back at Chiron and was surprised to see his face emotionless when he had been full a sympathy a second earlier. He pointed over his shoulder. Annabeth’s eyes followed to what he was pointing at to see Percy and Piper doubled over with laughter. Percy looked like he was about to fall right off Blackjack because he was laughing so hard.
Anger surged through Annabeth’s body, why was Percy being so friendly? Why was Piper actually talking to that sea slug? What the hell were Chiron and Lupa talking about? Lupa had told her before she entered the ring that her horse would feed off her emotions. Athena sensed that her rider was pissed. Annabeth could feel Athena dig deep and find new energy.
As Athena launched herself over the next few jumps, Annabeth could feel Chiron’s smile without having to look over and see if he actually was smiling. What he did could have ended in disaster with Annabeth being too mad to continue the jumping course instead of harnessing her anger.
Athena was jumping as she never had before and when they passed over the last jump Annabeth wrapped her arms around the mare’s sweat soaked neck to hug her. After glancing over at the clock, Annabeth had the right to celebrate. It was one of fastest times Annabeth had ever gotten and not a single jump had been knocked down. Now all Percy had to do was make one tiny mistake and the win was hers.
Annabeth walked out of the arena with the biggest smile on her face even when she stopped next to Percy. Chiron walked up to Athena to give her a big pat on the neck and gave Annabeth a big smile for her flawless run.
“That was a really nice run.” Percy was good at making his statement sound genuine. Two can play at this game of pretending to be nice to each other.
Annabeth smiled back, “Thanks, she put her heart into it.” What she really wanted to do was turn Athena around and let her kick Percy right off his high horse. Literally. She wished Athena had been able to bite him earlier.
Percy probably would have forced her to make more polite conversation but it was his turn to ride the course. Lupa gave him a couple of reminder tips and he left. Annabeth slid off Athena and stood next to Piper next to the fence. No time to be mad at Piper for stabbing her in the back now. She had to watch Percy be beat at his own game.
Nothing interesting happened the complete first half of the course. Blackjack sailed over the jumps; he was quickly gaining on Annabeth’s time. The horse made the course look like it was child’s play. Percy felt this and relaxed, letting Blackjack do all the work without much guidance from Percy.
Piper reached over and gripped Annabeth’s arm. It was a rookie mistake to let the horse run the show. It never ended well. Piper knew this and that’s why she now had a death grip on Annabeth’s arm. They both watched as Percy came over one jump and went around another. Blackjack got confused, Percy cut too close to the jump he was only had to go around. The big black horse started to veer because he thought he was supposed to go over the jump. Percy quickly pulled the horse away from the jump.
Annabeth almost felt bad for Percy. Almost. She was preoccupied with trying to pry Piper’s claws off her arm. Watching Percy struggle had made her squeeze Annabeth’s arm to the point of being in pain. Percy was now trying hard to make up the time he had wasted with his little incident with Blackjack. When he lined up to the last jump, he had been successful in getting time back on his side.
That didn’t make Percy slow down though, he didn’t even bother to set his horse up for the last jump. The whole world seemed to slow as Blackjack raced towards the jump in front of him. He launched himself up, but because his rider hadn’t set him, his hind legs bumped the top pole. Annabeth’s heart stopped as she watched the pole rock in its holder. Her excitement came crashing down when the pole settled back into its place.
Looking at the clock confirmed her suspicions. Percy had won, but just barely. Even if she hadn’t won, she still took joy in watching Percy cower from Lupa’s animalistic stare. His trainer was not happy and had a right to be mad. He nearly made her look bad by not paying attention. Percy couldn’t even meet Lupa’s eyes as he rode Blackjack out of the arena. His win was no matter to Lupa, she only cared for perfect riders and Annabeth had no doubts he would pay for his actions later that week.
Chiron gave Annabeth a pat on the back, which brought her back to reality. So she hadn’t won, but she still had a better ride than Percy no matter what. For the moment, her dilemma about Percy was forgotten. If only it would stay this simple.