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Percy was delighted that Annabeth wanted to learn how to cook. She’d never been taught by her dad or stepmom, and when she’d been on the run, they mostly ate whatever they could steal or find. There was no cooking in her early life.
And at camp, well the harpies and nymphs did all the cooking and cleaning. Not much opportunity there either.
So, Annabeth asked Percy to teach her. Percy was delighted; he loved cooking, did it with his mom all the time. He had loads of recipes from his mom, who inherited her family cookbook.
But he thought most of those might be a bit much for Annabeth’s first-time cooking, so he thought he’d go with something easy.
And well, everyone loved cookies! Annabeth loved his mom’s recipe especially, so he thought she’d enjoy being able to make a treat for herself when Percy wasn’t there to make it.
He started with gathering the ingredients for her, setting out the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, brown and normal sugar, chocolate chips, butter, eggs, vanilla extract, and blue food dye.
“Okay!” Percy chirped, grinning as Annabeth studied the ingredients. “So, we’re making chocolate chip cookies today.”
Annabeth straightened, “Right! Your mom’s recipe.”
She looked very excited, bouncing on her toes and gaze intent on Percy.
He nodded, “The best recipe ever. So, to start with we need to mix the dry ingredients. How do you think that goes?”
Annabeth moved forward, grabbing the flour and glancing at his recipe that he’d offered her. She dumped the flour in.
“Uh-“ Percy took a step forward but Annabeth was already reaching for the sugar. Percy had brought out the Tupperware they kept the sugar in, which was pretty big.
Percy’s eyes widened as she dumped the entire tub in.
“Hmm, is that enough sugar?” she wondered. “I mean, cookies are sweet.”
Percy felt faint.
“That’s- that’s enough sugar- that’s-“
“Okay, good,” she grinned. “So then… the baking soda… how much goes in these? I think just a pinch-“
“Annabeth-“
“Shh, I’ve got this, the baking powder next, also a pinch… and then you stir it!”
Well, she was right about mixing it…
“Um- why don’t I help a little-“
“This bowl is a bit small for all the ingredients isn’t it?” Annabeth wondered, turning to Percy curiously.
“You… added a little too much.”
She frowned, “Must’ve been too much flour.”
Well, she wasn’t wrong. But Percy was more thinking of the sugar.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Annabeth decided. “I mean, it’s just a little extra flour. Flour makes things fluffy right?”
Percy had no idea.
“Maybe- maybe lets try-“
“Do we mix the wet ingredients next- oh sorry, you were talking.”
“Yeah, wet next- but-“
“Got it, should probably mix it in a different bowl, so then-“ Annabeth grabbed another bowl while Percy clutched the counter.
He desperately wanted to interrupt but she was so excited- would interrupting upset her? She was following the recipe he supposed, there’d just be a lot and they’d taste bad. But Percy’s first attempt wasn’t the best so maybe that was a tradition?
He was about to ask if she wanted more guidance, since he was supposed to be teaching her, when she dumped the stick of butter in with two broken eggs- uh- those were pretty broken he was pretty sure she got pieces of the shell in- oh and there was the vanilla extract-
“Um, Annabeth?”
“Don’t worry, Percy, I know I need to mix the wet ingredients too.”
Percy debated internally, should he tell her? Maybe she didn’t get shell in, and he was just overreacting. Well, it was her first attempt, small mistakes would be okay.
Annabeth then dumped all the wet ingredients in and Percy resisted the urge to cry.
“Then you mix them together- oh! I almost forgot the chocolate chips!”
Annabeth promptly dumped half the container of chocolate chips in. Percy couldn’t tell if that was too many with how much flour and sugar she added.
“And now to stir!”
She stirred, and stirred, and stirred, and stirred, and then realized she forgot the food dye and quickly added it.
Percy was impressed that the recipe had enough wet ingredients to blend everything into cookie dough. He honestly thought they might end up with just powder.
“And now you bake it,” Annabeth declared.
“Not in the bowl!” Percy squeaked. “You get handfuls and roll them into balls and put those on the pan.”
“But then they’re balls?” she said. “Come on, Percy. I’m not dumb, I mean yeah I need to grab smaller bits but they can’t be balls.”
She then proceeded to make flat… circle-ish things of cookie dough, putting them on the cookie sheet he’d set out.
“We need more pans…” she frowned at it.
Percy dutifully got her more pans, letting her do her best.
Maybe one failure would help her understand how to read a recipe? Maybe he would get his mom to help next time.
Annabeth put all the cookie sheets in the oven, and then turned it on.
Oops, Percy forgot to tell her to preheat it- well… it was too late now… it did say it on the recipe he handed her though.
Annabeth set the oven on broil instead of bake, looking very proud of herself, and then launched at Percy and gave him a kiss.
“Thank you for helping me learn, I’m so excited!”
Percy melted, it was probably fine, he’d explain what went wrong at the end, so she’d know for next time.
While waiting for the monstrosity that Annabeth called cookies to cook, Percy and Annabeth watched an episode of Criminal Minds.
Annabeth was very annoyed that they got to see the criminal before they were caught. She liked trying to solve it with the clues she got before they did, it was ruined if they showed her the criminal though!
She grumbled about it until Percy realized she forgot a timer and threw himself off the couch to the oven.
“Oh! Are they done?” Annabeth hurried over and accepted the oven mitts from Percy.
She cheerfully pulled the sheets out, her body keeping Percy from getting a look at them as she bustled back and forth to gather all three of them.
“I did it!” Annabeth cheered.
You did not, Percy thought, getting a glimpse of the cookies.
Annabeth frowned down at them a moment later. “These… aren’t blue?”
Percy peeked over her shoulder and blinked. He’d never seen… things like those before.
Not only were they not blue, but they were a bright cartoon blood red. And triangles for some reason.
He squinted at a few of them that looked… oddly furry? He slowly reached out and poked it. Yeah… furry…
How did they get furry???
“Is that one vibrating?” Annabeth asked, staring at a different cookie sheet.
Percy joined her and stared warily at the possibly alive cookie.
“The one beside it is hissing,” he noted mildly.
It was hissing, Annabeth shook the sheet and it start hissing louder. It sounded angry.
“I think you brought them to life,” Percy noted, taking a large step back.
“But I didn’t even add ambrosia or nectar?”
Percy made a mental note to never add those to his cookies.
“We might wanna… kill them.”
“No! They’re my cookies, we have to eat them!”
Percy rather thought death was a better choice, but she looked so very earnest, he couldn’t really turn her down.
So, he accepted one of the mildly furry, red, triangle, vibrating cookies and took a small bite.
It tasted like charcoal mixed with chocolate.
Annabeth was watching him nervously.
He swallowed slowly, then went and filled a glass of water and downed it. Just in case it was poison.
“The chocolate is good,” he said lightly. “I think there’s a bit of room for improvement, but you definitely got the chocolate right.”
She beamed, “Excellent! I’ll bring the rest to camp and let others try them.”
Percy rather imagined it would be best for him to never return to camp again, as he feared it would be overtaken by furry, red, triangle, vibrating, hissing cookies.
“Sounds good,” he said, throwing the camp under the bus in a heartbeat. “I’ll get some Tupperware.”
The camp was on its own this time.
While he grabbed the Tupperware, he also discreetly broke the cookie up and tossed it down the drain.
Well, he could explain better how to make cookies next time. She could celebrate the birth of her evil cookies for now.