THE NEW KID | Percabeth AU

f o u r

When Annabeth got home, she quickly showered and got dressed. Normally, she would wear a t-shirt and shorts until Helen told her to go change into something nicer, but today she decided to wear something more formal.

She pulled on a beige long-sleeve dress from the back of her closet; Helen had bought it for her months back, but she had never worn it. She still put on her Converse anyway. Hopefully nobody would say anything, since Annabeth couldn't walk in heels and flats were too pinchy.

When she was dressed, she quickly pulled her hair back into two dutch braids. Then, she put on some light makeup since she didn't like the feel of it on her face, but Piper would get mad at her if she didn't wear any. Finally, she headed downstairs. She decided to keep her locket on.

Helen was waiting by the front door. "Wow, you look stunning, Annabeth. And I love the matching locket." 

"Thanks, Helen," Annabeth said. She hadn't told anyone, but her mom - her real mom - had given it to her before she died. She still had the note with it. Even her dad didn't know.

After a few minutes, the boys came out. They had taken longer, mostly because their clothing was all over the place. It would take hours to find anything in there.

Finally, they all climbed into the SUV and sped off to Thalia's. It wasn't too far, which was good, since they went there often. Annabeth's mom and Thalia's dad had been best friends in college, so they lived nearby. When Annabeth's mom left when she was 7, and Thalia's dad's passed away a year later, their families had each other to comfort.

Once they arrived, they got out of the car. Out of habit, Annabeth was about to let herself in, but caught herself, ringing the doorbell instead as her family caught up to her. Thalia opened the door. "Hey come in. It's Jason's job to get the door, but he and Piper are a little...occupied." She added in a whisper. 

Annabeth laughed softly. "Of course they are."

The event wasn't too formal, so nobody was really wearing suits or fancy dresses. It was mostly just an informal dinner party with only a few families. People were milling around and talking. Since the dinner began at seven and they were a bit early, Annabeth, Thalia, and Piper all hung out for a bit, laughing about a movie and counting how many times Jason and Piper made heart eyes at each other. After a few minutes, Jason came up to them, with a familiar guy.

"Guys, I'd like you to meet Percy. He's new to our school." 

"Hi, nice to meet you guys," Percy said, his gaze landing on Annabeth. He winked, and Annabeth felt warm.

"Nice to meet you, Percy," she said, playing along. "Speaking of which, why don't I introduce you to some people? Since you moved, you'll fit right in. We love new people in San Francisco."

"Sure, why not." Percy replied. Annabeth took his arm and they walked away from the smirks of Thalia and Piper and a confused Jason. 

Once they had gone away from earshot, Annabeth let go. "So, we've never met, huh?"

"Yup, never." Percy had a lopsided grin, she noticed. It was...definitely not cute.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Fine. Then I'll introduce you to people."

After some time, it was finally time for dinner. The Graces were super rich. Thalia's dad had left behind a huge sum of money from his business, and their mom was giving some to charity. Annabeth was used to their huge chandelier and the big dining hall, but Percy looked around with his mouth open, leading Annabeth to laugh. "Are they, like, royalty?" Percy murmured.

"No, but they're really, really rich," Annabeth said. "Now, come on, let's sit down. You have to find the seat with your name on it." She pulled Percy to the table until she found her name, right next to - you guessed it - Percy. With a sigh, Annabeth realized that Thalia was probably in charge of the seating arrangements. 

After sitting down, they brought in the appetizers. Normally, Annabeth loved food, but today, she couldn't help but be a bit distracted. Percy had attempted to comb and gel his hair, but it was still messy. He was wearing a button down shirt. 

He looked hot. 

She suddenly shook her head and looked at her plate. She couldn't fall for Percy. Not the troublemaker kid, picking fights on his first day. Speaking of which, she had to ask him about that....

"Annabeth? You okay?" Percy said, nudging her slightly with his shoulder. 

Annabeth quickly nodded. "I'm fine. Listen, Percy, I have to ask you something. Why did you get into that fight today, with Luke?"

She chewed on her lobster as Percy stuck his fork into his mashed potatoes. "Well, he was being a jerk. He was saying some really rude things about some people at school. He was about to bother some guy named Leo, I think. I told him to stop, and he didn't so...I kinda punched him." Percy looked down, then right at Annabeth. "He deserved it though."

Annabeth looked away, gauging her feelings. How did she feel about this? For once, she listened to her gut instead of her mind, and she knew what she thought.

"He sure did, you Seaweed Brain."

"Seaweed Brain? Where did that come from?" Percy laughed.

"Because even though I agree with you, your head must be full of seaweed for you to do something that impulsive." Annabeth raised an eyebrow, but she couldn't help the smile that was on her face.

Percy shrugged. "Hey, I have ADHD. And I can't believe you think you're so smart, Wise Girl."

"I have ADHD too. And I am smart."

"Of course you are."

Annabeth was having so much fun, she didn't even notice Thalia, Piper, and Jason (who was completely filled in) smirking at her.

"I'm really glad Mom made me in charge of the seating," Thalia murmured.