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"Okay, let's go over the alphabet one more time."
Percy groaned.
"I've already said it six times now!"
Annabeth and Percy were sitting on a quilt in the strawberry fields, going over their weekly Greek lessons. Chiron had asked her the previous summer if she could tutor him, and she had agreed (albeit begrudgingly). That was before the whole lightning bolt fiasco, though, and they had barely even gotten three sessions in before they had to leave. Needless to say, between the stress of finding out he was half god and almost dying on their quest every five seconds, Percy had forgotten the few things she had taught him. She couldn't blame him, of course, but they were basically starting over from lesson one.
It was almost better this way, though. A year ago, they were strangers, enemies even. The lessons were awkward and stilted, with long periods of time where neither of them talked. Say what you will about putting the fate of the world in the hands of a group of kids, but it was definitely a bonding experience. Though Annabeth still couldn't figure out how she felt about him, they were closer now, their interactions easy.
"Just once more," Annabeth urged, "Promise."
Percy sighed and intoned monotonously, "Alpha, beta, gamma, delta…"
As she listened, her gaze fell over the ripe berries surrounding them. It was somewhat embarrassing to admit how much she looked forward to their lessons each week. It was peaceful, the breeze always carried a sweet scent, and she loved teaching. She also quite enjoyed his company, though whenever that thought crossed her mind, she shut it down immediately. Percy was a son of Poseidon, for the gods' sake. She needed to keep whatever "feelings" she may or may not have in check.
"…Phi, chi, psi, omega."
Percy beamed at her, proud of making it through without stumbling. Annabeth couldn't keep her own grin off her face. Olympus above, why was his smile so damn contagious?
"Not bad, Seaweed Brain."
She couldn't say for sure when the name had become a term of endearment, but she told herself it was no big deal. Friends teased each other like that all the time, right?
Percy stretched out on their picnic blanket, plucked a strawberry off a nearby bush, and took a bite.
"So what next, Wise Girl?"
"You shouldn't talk with your mouth full," Annabeth said automatically, "It isn’t polite."
Percy laughed, "Yeah, cause that's what I'm known for. Being polite."
Annabeth snorted as she flipped through her notebook.
"And you wonder why my mother doesn't like you."
"Just move on to the next lesson, Professor Chase," Percy said, rolling his eyes.
Annabeth handed him a small bundle of flashcards she had prepared the day before.
"Here are some of the most common words in the Greek language. You can take fifteen minutes or so to look over them, and then I'll quiz you."
Percy bit his lip, trying to suppress a grin.
"What?" Annabeth asked with an exasperated sigh.
"You're such a nerd."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You made flashcards and laminated them!"
Annabeth felt heat rising on her cheeks, "Well maybe I didn't want you bending them with your big, clumsy hands!"
Percy burst out laughing, "I meant it in a good way; I think you're great."
He said it so genuinely, Annabeth was sure her face was even more red now. It was such a simple compliment, she felt stupid for how flustered it made her. She never understood how he could just say things like that. It took her so long to open up to people, to express her emotions, while he wore them plainly on his face and in his words.
Percy was flipping through the cards now, oblivious to her inner turmoil.
Annabeth cleared her throat, tried to clear her mind, and managed out, "I'm uh… starting the timer now."
He nodded absently, his eyes scanning the cards in his hands, lips moving silently to form the words. She took a book out of her bag and flipped to the bookmarked page. After a few minutes of rereading the same four lines for the sixteenth time in a row, she gave up and closed it with a light huff. Her mind was racing too fast to focus.
Setting the book down, she scanned the fields around them. They were far enough out that the voices of the other campers were muffled and distant. It was strange... Right then, at that moment, she could almost imagine herself as a normal kid, at a normal summer camp, relaxing under the sun with a friend. No monsters that could hurt them. No gods who abandoned them.
Inevitably, her gaze drifted to Percy, who was immersed in his studies. She just couldn't figure him out. Well, that wasn't completely true. He had always been fairly open with her. She remembered the look on his face last summer on the bus, when he asked her why she hated him, why they couldn't just be friends. She had been so puzzled by his lack of regard for their parents' history. She supposed it wasn't really him she couldn't figure out; it was her feelings about him. They were confusing and overwhelming. She didn't know if it was admiration or envy, but she told herself it was the latter.
Percy had this… energy about him; people couldn't help but be drawn to him. And the frustrating thing was, he didn't even realize it. He seemed shocked at anyone who showed even the slightest interest in him, romantic or otherwise. She wanted to shake him, to tell him he was funny and brave and kind. She wanted him to know he was more intelligent than he would ever realize, that if being a daughter of Athena taught her anything, it was that street smarts were just as valid as book smarts (and often more useful). She was envious of his relationship with his mom, the way he wasn't embarrassed to love, freely and wholeheartedly.
She was so guarded, and she hated herself for it. And she hated him. She was sure of it now, felt it in her gut, certain she had finally found the name for that burning feeling inside her. She hated his impulsiveness. She hated his impertinence. She hated his stupid jokes and the way his grin pulled slightly to the side when he told them. She hated his laugh and the butterflies that danced in her stomach at the sound of it. She hated the way his brows furrowed when he was deep in thought, the left dimple that appeared when he smiled, and that one lock of hair that always fell in front of his eyes. She wanted to reach out and tuck it behind his ear, run her fingers across the freckles on his nose, and—
Annabeth's alarm went off, and she was jolted out of her stupor. She blinked. What in the hades was that?
"You okay?"
Percy was looking at her, an eyebrow quirked in amusement.
"It startled me," she huffed, trying to shake off the rage that had been boiling inside her. A voice inside her head screamed that wasn't rage you dummy! It was—
"Ready to run through them?" Annabeth cut off the thought before it could take root.
She went through the cards on autopilot, her mind a million miles away. She could possibly, maybe, perhaps admit to herself that she might have the tiniest bit of a crush on Percy. But that was it. The feeling couldn't be anything more. She was drawing the line there, and that was the end of that.
"Earth to Annabeth? Hello?" Percy was sitting up, waving his hand in front of her face, "We finished the set."
"I—sorry."
He scooted closer to her, bumped his shoulder against hers, "You sure you're okay?"
Annabeth held back a sarcastic remark, suppressing the reflex by instead saying with a sigh, "I'm just… really tired."
Percy nodded, suddenly serious. All demigods, old and new, shared the same deep weariness of children forced to grow up too fast.
"Let's be done for today," she said, and after a pause, added much too awkwardly, "You're doing a good job."
"Thanks," he responded, not seeming to notice her clumsy attempt at a compliment.
They settled into a comfortable silence. Lying side by side on the picnic blanket, staring up at the clouds drifting above them, Percy said suddenly, "What’s your favorite color?"
"Um…why?" Annabeth asked, a bit taken aback by the question that seemed to have come out of nowhere.
Percy shrugged and said, "I guess it just feels weird to have been through all…" he gestured vaguely, "that... together and not even know each other's favorite colors. I mean, isn't that the kind of stuff friends should know?"
She must had paused for a second too long because he added nervously, "We are still friends, right?"
"Of course, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth responded, surprised at how automatic her answer was, and laughed at the relieved expression on his face, "I guess I just never really thought about it."
"…"
"…"
"So?"
"So… What?"
"So what's your favorite color?" he said again, exasperated, but a grin played across his lips.
"Oh, right," Annabeth let out an embarrassed chuckle, "Green, I think."
Percy nodded and said, "That's a nice color. My mom used to take me hiking in the spring, and the trees were always beautiful."
Annabeth shook her head, the words coming out before she could stop them.
"No, not forest green. Green like—"
She cut off abruptly. Had she really just been about to say green like your eyes? How embarrassing would that have been? Still, it was true. Ever since she saw him stumbling through Camp Half Blood's gates, green eyes glinting in the torchlight, she couldn’t get the image out of her mind. Ugh. What was wrong with her? She fumbled for an answer.
"Like… the sea."
"Green like the sea," Percy repeated, as if he were testing out the phrase, trying to picture it in his mind. She couldn't read the expression on his face, "I like it."
He smiled at her then, that crooked grin she had once found so annoying. She was surprised to find that now, it felt like home. He felt like home. And suddenly, Annabeth realized how stupid she had been. How obvious it all was. And she wondered what in the world she was going to do with this new information. But for now, they were together, and that was enough.
She smiled back.