Chapter Text
Percy got so early to camp that no one was awake yet, except for the draids. He wasn't really planning on going to camp, not until much later in the summer, but Grover told him there were going to be some games held to boost morale and train for the upcoming war, even though the war was already underway.
It was probably more fitting to train for battle, but he didn't make the slogan and wasn't even that interested in participating, even when Grover told him.
"It's fine if you don't want to come, it was just that Annabeth was short a player and just thought... It's alright, man. Don't sweat it."
But when had Percy ever not sweated something related to Annabeth? Wait, that sounded weird, whatever, the point was, Percy was back at camp for the games, and apparently, the first obstacle of the games was going to be finding a fucking team.
"What do you mean your team is full?" Percy said, indignated to be honest, following Annabeth back to her cabin.
"Exactly that, Percy. We got all the people we need." Annabeth didn't slow down while talking, hands full of papers; he didn't know what they were.
It was already late, late enough that as soon as they got to her cabin, she would probably smack the door on his face and he would go back to his cabin to get some sleep. Still, it was the only moment he got to basically get Annabeth alone, since she had been ignoring him all freaking day.
"Grover said you had a spot left."
"That was four days ago. I got it solved."
"And you didn't think of waiting for me? What good of a friend I got." He mumbled the last part, which he regretted immediately.
Percy didn't think Annabeth was going to stop before getting to the porch of her cabin, but as soon as he finished talking, she turned around, pointing an accusatory finger and glaring at him.
"Grover said that you didn't look convinced and that I should look for someone else." Annabeth scoffed, and Percy gulped. "And for your friends, I'm pretty sure they are waiting for you in the city, where you have been all summer. So, no Percy, I didn't consider you; I considered the friends who have been here all summer with me."
With that, she turned around before Percy could say anything and hurried to her cabin. Percy didn't follow her this time.
"You didn't even consider Grover?" He shouted, trying to think of something to retaliate.
"He is commenting the games," Annabeth screamed at him from the door of her cabin, then she slammed the door. It echoed in the silence of the night.
"Whatever." He said, kicking dirt and walking back to his cabin.
Percy lay on his bed and tried to sleep; he really, really, tried to sleep. But he just couldn't.
"We are down a player," Clarisse grunted when she got to where Annabeth was sitting, eating breakfast.
Percy, who was also eating breakfast a few feet away, looked up as soon as she heard it. Annabeth was staring directly at him, glaring.
"What happened?" Silena, who had been sitting next to Annabeth, asked while Clarise sat down on the other side.
"Travis woke up in the middle of the lake, floating on his mattress."
"Oh my gods, is he okay?"
"Yeah, just got a cold and mild hypothermia." Clarisse shrugged, reaching for some juice and a piece of bacon in Annabeth's plate, who was still staring at him, squishing the fork in her hand so hard that her knuckles were white. "But Will said he couldn't participate."
"Did you hear?" Beckendorf asked, and he stopped behind Silena with his hand on her shoulders.
"Yeah, Clarisse just told us."
"So, what are we gonna do, Beth? Percy told me yesterday he might want to be on our team."
Annabeth closed her eyes, so she didn't see Silena giving Beckendorf a look and Clarisse rolling her eyes. Percy sipped on his juice, trying to act like he wasn't paying full attention to the exchange.
"Just a thought," Beckendorf said after Silena stared at him for a few seconds.
"What about one of your siblings?" Clarisse asked.
"They all went for ensemble."
"Silena?"
"Cheerleading mostly. Some are already in other teams."
"We could ask Will."
"I already asked him before; he wants to stay in the infirmary."
"I think everyone is already in their place. The games are literally a day away. I had to bargain with Bronte so she would get out of the designing and structure team, so that she could come with us." Annabeth looked down at her plate, moving the bacon around. Beckendorf looked up at his table and moved his eyebrows.
That, ladies and gentlemen, was his cue to stand up and go over there.
"Hey Beck, are you busy later? Oh, no, why the long faces, everyone?" Percy skipped his eyes over Beckendorf, who was standing very still so Silena wouldn't kill him, Silena, who smiled a little too tightly, Clarisse, who was glaring at him, and Annabeth, who wouldn't look at him and preferred to stare at the maple syrup bottle.
Absolutely no one looked sad enough for him to say that.
"We are down a player," Beckedorf said, which won him another glare from Silena and a cough from Clarisse.
"Noooo, what happened?" He asked in what he thought was the most sincere voice he could master at that point.
"Travis woke up in the middle of the lake, floating on his mattress," Silena explained.
"Like in the movie."
"What movie?" Beckendorf asked, confused, and Percy looked at Annabeth, who had her eyebrows raised. He had shown Annabeth the Parents Trap movie a few summers ago. He still didn't know if she had enjoyed it.
"Don't worry about it. Anyway, it sucks that you guys are down a player. I heard that everyone already has their places for tomorrow, and that if you have fewer than eight members, you can't participate. Something like that? Did I hear correctly?" Annabeth rolled her eyes, hard, and for some absurd reason that probably would be explained if Percy read more deeply into his and Annabeth's dynamics, why he had the instinct to fucking giggle.
But he didn't, he was game, he couldn't.
"But you wanted to play, didn't you?" Beckedorf asked.
"Well, that was yesterday; things change." He said, nonchalantly, looking at his nails.
"So you don't want to?" Silena asked.
"Well, I could be convinced."
"Cut the crap, Jackson. Are you in or not?"
"Don't these teams have a leader? I could talk with your leader, see if they want me on the team."
Everyone looked at Annabeth, who was frowning at her empty glass. Then she looked up with a blank expression and a serious face on. And looked Percy dead in the eyes.
"You are welcome to join if you think you can stay longer than the usual two days you have stayed the past few times you have come to camp."
Percy's jaw clenched. Whatever, he tried coming, but he left every time he noticed Annabeth was still mad with him, and he was still mad with her. What was the point of coming if it was going to be like that?
"I'm staying for a week." He informed, not joking anymore. A little more somber, a little like an olive branch.
"Okay," she nodded, looked around, probably trying to see if anyone would come and tell her they could be on their team. "Okay, so we meet tomorrow at eight to run through the strategy and check everything we need."
"I haven't said yes yet." Annabeth stood up, and for some reason, Percy took a step back, like she wasn't three apples tall and incapable of reaching his hand fully stretched for a high five, and yet.
Annabeth gave him a look that shut any smugness he had left after his plan worked.
"Beckendorf can put you up to speed with what we had discussed before."
"Don't you think the team captain should put me up to speed on her team strategy?" Annabeh rolled her eyes. He was surprised they hadn't gotten stuck at the rate the conversation was going.
"Whatever, later. I have to get my braids done first, then we talk."
And with that, Clarisse stood up too, and they both walked out. Silena and Becledorf stared at him.
"How did that go?" he asked, smiling awkwardly. They both shook their heads, disappointed and a little exasperated.