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“I’m sorry, you what?” Asked Annabeth, a mixture of shock and depredation welling in her gut
She has just come back from spending the weekend with her family when she was faced with the worst news possible, no one died but it might as well be what happened
Percy has a date
Persephone Jackson has a date
Annabeth's roommate has a date
Annabeth's seaweed brain got stolen from her
Annabeth’s seaweed brain got stolen from her in less than 48 hours
In order to fully understand the situation let’s contextualize a bit
Mayfair Academy is an all-girls boarding school created with the goal of successfully nurturing the daughters of the New York upper crust to be kind, empathetic, leaders and a bunch of other bullshit they tell the parents. Located on the upper west side of Manhattan, the school has many extracurricular activities to fatten up each and every girl’s academic resume. From debate to the arts to design and architecture to gardening. Also being home many sports’ teams like wrestling, swimming, equism and archery, to name a few.
You name it and Mayfair probably has it on the best of quality and on the rare occasion there’s truly no such club, a simple donation is more than enough to get the school moving in order to cover that terrible oversight on their part (That's how the sword fighting club was added even though they already had fencing)
As previously stated, Mayfair Academy is a boarding school. Although created with the daughters’ of the New York upper Crust in mind, it wasn't uncommon for the school to receive pupils from out of state or even country. Of course they’re accommodated as wholeheartedly as the ones whose families live close by, but unless the student has permission from their parents they're not allowed to leave campus or go back home for the weekend
Such was the case with Annabeth’s best friends. Thalia being from L.A (though her mother is currently in Scotland filming a remake of Braveheart) and Percy being from Greece (Long story, but the school has decided that unless one of her parents or older siblings are in the country Percy needs permission to go back home even if her family has a mansion in New York)
In the past Annabeth would be one of the students who stayed back at school. She didn't avoid going back home all the time, but due to the circumstances that made her start attending Mayfair Academy at 10 she’d only go back home for the holidays and breaks since at that time Luke was also home from his own boarding school.
Two years ago, she got a transferred Percy Jackson as her newest roommate and suddenly not going back home didn't feel as bad. Differently from her previous roommates, who she’d get along with just fine but sooner or later would change rooms to be with their own friends, Percy stayed.
Eventually in the same year, shortly after Percy claimed her rightful spot as Annabeth’s best friend. Thalia also transferred to Mayfair following her mother’s acceptance of a new role that took her across the country.
Unexpectedly, Annabeth went from being alone to being able to hang out with her two best friends as much as she wanted to and even though they had an admittedly terrible first meeting Percy and Thalia also became best friends who’d hang out even when Annabeth wasn't present.
Which lead her to the current issue
Less than a week ago, it was decided that Annabeth would be going back home for the weekend. It was her stepmother's birthday and May had desperately wanted her family together. Her health had gotten better recently, so it was the perfect time to spend time with her husband and their two kids.
Even though the situation hadn't been too ideal in the past, Annabeth loves her stepmother, so she wasn't going to miss her birthday.
So, because of that she wasn't able to go out with her friends who were planning to sneak out to go see a band almost on the other side of New York with the hunters and Percy's younger cousin, Bianca. Annabeth wasn't worried at the time, It was not the first time any of them had sneaked off campus, they were in a group and all knew how to take care of themselves and each other
She didn't think much of it, until Sunday night when she came back to her dorm carrying two Tupperwares full of cookies made for her to share with her friends and found Percy showcasing different outfits to a captive audience wearing only her underwear,
Hurried closing the door behind her, Annabeth asked “Why are you naked?!” She stared at her shameless friend, who’s currently standing in the middle of their shared room wearing clad in a matching blue set Annabeth knows Rhode must have gotten her. Why the older woman is always giving her little sister these type of things the blond girl will never understand, Annabeth mentally trailled off before giving a quick greeting to their friends, who are now Percy's audience
Snapping her head at the sound of her best friend’s voice, messing up even more the loose bun she had on the top of her head “You’re back!” Percy greeted Annabeth without care or comment over her own state of undress “How’s your mom doing? Oh, and did you tell Luke I said hi?” she asked with a big smile
“This girl” thought Annabeth, pinching the bridge of her nose before taking a deep breath “She’s great, the doctor said her health is doing much better. Luke said hi and that he’s looking forward to seeing you at the skatepark next week” before gesturing “Now, why are you naked? And why is everyone here?”
And when she says everyone, she means everyone
There's Silena, Drew and Piper all lounging around Percy's bed. Well, lounging around is the only way Annabeth can explain what they're doing. Silena is sitting with her back against the wall and legs crossed. Piper is laying on the side with her hand supporting her head. Drew is the only one of the trio who’s actually sitting, which is not any better because she’s practically on the edge of the bed looking at Percy like a lion would a Gazelle
On the other side of the room, there's Thalia laying face down on Annabeth's bed in a way that makes the younger girl wonder if her punk friend is even breathing. Sitting next to her is Bianca, who’s patting the older girl’s back while chatting with Rachel, who’s sitting on one of the two chairs they have inside the room.
“Well, not everyone is here. Clarisse went home for the weekend so she couldn't make it” Said Percy, as if that answers Annabeth's question. Then she blushed, honest to god blushed “I…I met a guy and everyone is helping me pick an outfit for our date” she said, her face redder than Annabeth has ever before. Now she, just like everyone else in the room, knows how far Percy's blush travels down
Wait, wait, wait , what?
“I’m sorry, you what?” Asked Annabeth, doing her best to keep her face and voice neutral despite the mixture of shock and depredation welling in her gut
Now, Annabeth found herself sitting next to Thalia when Bianca, bless her heart, moved to sit on the chair next to Rachel’s, giving the blond a safe space to rest her legs as everything crumbled around her
Percy, her best friend who’s been the only constant thing in her life for the past two years, just got a date.
Annabeth knew this day would come. How could she not when Percy looked the way she did? When she genuinely lost count of the number of people she had to scare away from her friend for the past few years?
Yes, people, gender neutral because Annabeth has had to chase even more girls away from her friend than she had to do boys. Though, she’s aware it has more to do with the location than anything else, she’ll have to ask Luke how many guys he has to chase away from Percy when they hang out next time she sees him, maybe she can make an excel spreadsheet based on the data
Fuck, it’s like Percy stands for “Pretty much Everyone Really has a Crush on You”.
Anyway, Annabeth knows her friend is the most beautiful thing to ever walk on earth. That’s an objective fact that’s only partially clouded by her biased point of view. But, did she have to lose her so soon? Everyone knows that as soon as a girl gets a boyfriend her friends can say goodbye to the friend they once knew
Soon enough, Percy will stop wearing the clothes she likes to wear because her boyfriend will find them “disrespectful” as if he didn't find her wearing that short blue dress she insists is a romper just because it comes with shorts underneath.
She’ll gradually stop hanging out her and their friends until the only time Annabeth is going to see her outside of classes will be at their dorm. Even so, that ungrateful asshole will probably have her sneak out to be with him because he won’t even allow Annabeth the decency of being able to sleep knowing her best friend is safe inside their shared room
Then, after thoroughly isolating and doing his best to dim Percy’s light, he’ll cheat on her because that's what shitty teenage boys do when they steal a beautiful girl away from her friends. That’ll actually crush Percy since, as intimidating as she is, she’s still as soft as butter when it comes to the people she loves.
In the end Annabeth will end up in jail because she’ll kill the asshole for doing that to her best friend, though Percy's dad Poseidon will probably help her cover up the crime scene because he’s a protective father who runs the Greek Mafia (Percy genuinely being the only one who’s not aware of that fact and like hell will Annabeth be the one who spills the beans)
While lost imagining how Poseidon would help her cover up the murder of Percy's hypothetical boyfriend, Annabeth was interrupted by Rachel asking their friend “How long have you known this guy?” That question snapped her back to reality and once again she looked at her best friend, light of her life and reason for her anxiety
Said reason for anxiety was currently modeling a white corset mini dress. Annabeth could admit it was really cute, if only a little too short for comfort when she imagined that the raven haired girl was going to be wearing it on a date with a guy the blond doesn't know, but certainly— “Since last night” Percy said, as if already going on a date with a guy she met not even 24 hours ago before is completely normal for her “This dress is nice, but i don't know, i’m just not feeling it. I want to “wow” him, y’know. I usually wear blue, so maybe something red?” she continued as if her previous statement didn't need any more elaboration
Already feeling the beginnings of a headache, Annabeth is once again reminded that while Percy is usually not one to lie for no reason, she’s also not someone who’ll freely provide more information than what was specifically asked for “What do you mean you met him last night and you're already going on a date? Shouldn't you be getting to know him better?
“Yeah, what if he’s some type of serial killer?” Piper, the only other person with some sense in this school, questioned after finally looking up from her phone at Percy, who once again tilted that head of hers like some kind of baby seal
Pausing her self-assigned journey of going through Percy's clothes with the single minded focus of a Fashionista addicted to romantic comedies. Silena poked her head out of the closet, seemingly, for the sole reason of making sure everyone knew she rolled her eyes “That's what first dates are for, getting to know each other better” she said, throwing a red dress at the younger girl “Where are you guys going?” before resuming her previous spot sitting on Percy's bed
Percy quickly caught the dress “Thanks. We’re gonna go to the planetarium, maybe grab something to eat” She answered as she stripped down and put the red dress on. It was a long sleeved mini-dress with a sweetheart’s neckline. After seeing how Percy looks on that dress, Annabeth finally understood the“wow” factor her friend was looking for “What do you guys think?”
Theatrically dabbing her her eyes, Drew said “God, i’m gonna cry, all that is going to be wasted on some lame guy”
Piper nodded, for once agreed with her sister “There’s not a single man on earth who deserves someone who looks that good” with Annabeth echoing the statement
“You look great, Percy!” Came from Rachel and Bianca. Even Thalia finally lifted her head up from where she was still laying and gave a thumbs up before laying back do, but now face up
Percy laughed and said “Ok, ok, I get it. Thanks for the boost, you guys” then to Silena “Thank you, I’m 100% going to wear this for the date. You're a lifesaver”
Silena flipped her hair over the shoulder and her “You’re welcome” was said with all the pride of an artist showing off their newest masterpiece
“When is the date going to be?” Annabeth asked
“Well, my dad and siblings are coming back to the US wednesday, so the date is going to be Saturday” Percy scooched over and sat to Annabeth on her bed “I’d have it sooner, but i’m still not allowed to leave campus unless one of them is in the country” She rolled her eyes before grabbing a cookie from the tupperware
“You can always sneak out” Said Piper “Hey, gimme a cookie”
“True, but the date is during the day so i can’t climb out the east gate. I’d have to climb the one near the stables and go through the woods” grabbing a cookie Percy said “C’mon, open your mouth, want to see if i can make this shot”
“Fuck no, your aim is shit” Piper rolled her eyes before giving a quick “thanks” to Annabeth who gave her the second tupperware
“Only with Archery, i can play basketball, dodge ball and shoot a gun just fine” Percy defended herself with a pout.
“That's the singular most american thing that's ever come out of your mouth” Said Drew, grabbing a cookie
Without missing a beat, Percy said “Howdy Partner, wanna grab some McDonald's before the pep rally tonight? A little birdie told me that Tommie Lee will also propose to Ashleigh after the big game. So, dress cute but no white, you don't want to outshine the future bride”
“Why did you have to challenge her?” Silena sighs “That felt like a hate crime” grabbing a cookie
“Hate crimes don’t work like that” Said Piper
“Well, i hated it”
It was nice being able to hang out with their friends like this. Happiness has many definitions and for Annabeth? One of them is sitting around in the dorm she shares with Percy, their friends filling up the place, all of them chatting and saying whatever comes to mind with their biggest worry at the moment being the dorm parent coming and ruining the fun
And if she’s terrified of losing that due to Percy getting a boyfriend, well…that's just the abandonment issues talking,
After all Percy is the most loyal person she knows, she wouldn't drop Annabeth just because she started dating some random guy (who doesn't deserve a drop of her attention)
With that thought in mind Annabeth was able to continue her week without thinking about Percy's date. Well, too much anyway, but most of the classes are boring, it also wasn't her turn to speak on debate, so her mind wandered a bit, sue her (still crushed Emilly Stevens though). It only happened once during the design and architecture club meeting. More than once when she attended Percy's swim practice (she had nothing better to do and Percy still needs help putting all of her hair inside the cap) and joined the swordfighting club meeting, but on her defense Percy texted the guy a few times so of course she thought about it
Then saturday came and Annabeth realized she’s full of shit
They're all waiting at the front gate for Percy's date to come and pick her up and when Annabeth says all of them, she means all of them with some extra additions. Besides their friends who were there on Sunday helping Percy pick an outfit, now there's also Clarrise who said “I have to see it” when told Percy had a date. Artemis and some of her hunters are also here, why Annabeth has no idea
Then there’s Percy. Although she saw and helped her friend to get dressed up Annabeth still couldn't help sneaking a glance or two at Percy, partially to check on the sea-eyed girl’s emotional state, but also because her friend really went all out for her date.
Usually, Percy did not wear makeup. She didn't have anything against it, but being in the swim team together with the foundation incident meant it wasn't really a part of her day-to-day life. Today though, she decided to give it a try. She had red lipstick that matched her dress and some eye makeup Drew did to accentuate their friend’s eyes. Her dress that before made her look “wow”, now away from bad dorm lighting and under the actual sun made her look like someone's dream. All of that combined with her beach swept wavy hair she had decided to leave down was the most effort Annabeth has ever seen her friend put on her looks up to date and by god did it pay off
Tappig her left foot on the floor, Drew asked “What time is he supposed to get here?” even though they just arrived to the main gate
Fiddling with the clasp of her crossbody bag, Percy said “ 2pm” in an absent minded tone, only to ask “What?” when everyone turned to look at her
“Prissy, you know it’s half past three, right?” Deadpanned Clarisse “Did you really get ready to wait half an hour at the gate? Lame”
Silena rolled her eyes “It’s not lame for her to be excited for her date, in case you forgot when Chris—”
“Ok, ok, fuck. I’m just saying” Said Clarrise putting her hands up in surrender
Still fiddling with her purse, Percy said “Silena, i love you”
“I know”
“What about me? I helped you so much too” Pouted Drew
“True, i love you too and that's why you have dibs copying my greek homework for the rest of the semester”
“ What did you help her with?” Asked Thalia, who for some reason is now wearing a circlet
Playing with her hair, Drew said “Well, besides doing her makeup, i also helped her with something else” with a smirk and damn if that doesn't sound ominous
“Percy, can you bring me a souvenir from the Planetarium?” Asked Bianca
Her usually independent cousin asking her for something was enough to distract Percy from her nerves and the two of them went to talking specifics, until Artemis said “Lester’s here” as she pointed to a brightly colored hippie van parking right around the corner
“Fuck! Ok, guys, how do I look?” Asked Percy, with a panicked look on her face
“You look fine, relax!” came from everyone
At the sound of the driver's door opening they all turned to look at Percy's date and… it was surprising
Annabeth is not one to openly judge people for their looks, but at this moment, looking at the boy going back to get something from his passenger seat he apparently forgot to take before he got out of the car and closed the door. She can't help but wonder if Percy had either been drunk or became a victim of witchcraft when she accepted going out with this guy
“Did Prissy get catfished?” Clarisse asked with a weirded out look on her face
Thalia groaned, saying “No, they didn't even meet online”
It’d be better if they did because at this moment Annabeth realized her best friend really meant it all those times she said she doesn't care about looks. Part of her thought it was one of those things people say whenever they don’t want to come off as shallow, as in, “I don’t care about looks” and the “as long as they're not ugly” being the silent part, but once again Persephone Jackson has proven herself to be a woman of her word
“He’s not bad, he looks… nice” Came from Rachel, who looked pained to even say that
Silena, who momentarily stopped glaring at her two sisters while making a “zip it” motion, agreed “Yeah, who cares about looks as long as Percy likes him” even though from the look on her face, she did not actually believe in what she was saying
“I thought they were going to the planetarium” said Bianca tilting her head in a puppy-like way “Why is Lester dressed like he’s taking her to church?”
At Bianca’s innocent question they once again stared at the boy, now walking their direction holding an admittedly cute bouquet of yellow and blue flowers in his hands. The younger girl wasn't wrong, now that they're looking at him more closely, he’s really dressed like he’s taking Percy on a church date. Brown Khaki pants, tucked white button up with a red tie really sold that image
“Hello ladies!” He greeted the hunters with a surprisingly smooth voice and even more surprising is the fact that they greeted him back
“Hey, Lester” was their unenthused reply
“You look like a missionary” was Artemis' response.
“I’ll ignore that because i know my dear little sister is mean as a way to show her love”
“I'm the older one! It’s on the birth certificates”
“Lies and slander” Artemis' brother said before turning to turned to them and locked eyes with Percy
You know those scenes in romance movies where the main leads look at each other and everything fades away? Where they're so enamored they're all the other can see? Yeah, those scenes are actually disgusting from the pov of an outsider.
Rolling her eyes, Annabeth took her elbow to Percy’s stomach in order to bring her friend back to reality ”Hey, Lester. Good to see you” said the girl, a bit out of breath and Annabeth really wishes it was solely because of the hit
Snapping out of his daze, Lester said “Uh, yeah, good to see you too” he’s also breathless but that didn't stop him from rambling “You look amazing, perfect, just…wow. Sorry, i um got these for you” then he gave Percy the bouquet
Percy beamed, either because of the compliments or the flowers, probably both “Thank you, you look great too” she said with so much honesty no one could doubt that she actually meant it “You got me flowers! They're so pretty, thank you” she held them agaist her chest with a big smile
“Not as pretty as the person I'm giving them too, but they're a close second” Lester quipped, then for what seemed to be the first time he realized that there were more people around Percy “Oh, Hello to you ladies too. I’m Lester” he introduced himself
He got back a sad excuse of a greeting from the group, but he didn't care or seemed used to it, then he turned to Percy and said “Shall we go?” offering her his elbow and pretty much glowing when she accepted it. The two of them walking off together looked wrong, Percy looked like she was dressed to seduce and sell the President’s secret while Lester looked like a youth minister on a mission to convert her
“Bye, see you guys later” Was the last thing Percy said to them before hopping onto that hippie van and driving away with that unfortunate looking guy
After that the hunters also said their goodbyes, leaving only the main group behind in their awkward silence
Looking at her older sister, Drew asked “Can we talk now?”
“Go ahead” said Silena with a sigh
“That was the ugliest guy i’ve ever seen in my life” Unsurprisingly, the first one to say anything was Clarisse
“I thought i was hallucinating the first time, but no, he really looks like that” Sighed Thalia
Giving a sigh of relief, Drew said “Is he even the same species as her? Because i swear to god, he looks like that rat from flushed away if the movie happened while he was having a breakout”
“Ohhh, I know the one you’re talking about, his name is Roddy” Said Rachel
“I knew Percy was catholic, but i had no idea she did charity like that” That was Piper
“Maybe he’s dying and his last wish was to go out with her? Like a make a wish thing” That was Silena, reminding everyone once again that Piper and Drew are her sisters for a reason
“Can they ask for dates? one of my father's associates was dying and he asked to go on a date with my stepmother and he wasn't allowed to even though he was so sick he died the next day” asked Bianca, who sometimes dropped those little pieces of lore
“I don’t think that was a make a wish thing, Bianca” Was the only thing Annabeth could bring herself to say at the moment
Sometimes they forget she’s also a mafia kid