Ship in a Bottle

What an Intriguing Lunch Period

(Edited)

Ah, lunch. How she loved lunch. It seemed to be the only time of day where students could sit back and relax for an unfortunately short amount of time.

Lunch money had never really been a big deal for Annabeth, although a few of her friends had money trouble. Nico Di Angelo, to be specific. Him and his older sister cared for their sick mother, who didn't have a job. There were some days that she offered to pay for his meal. It wasn't like he wanted to eat everyday, anyhow.

Her usual table resided near the back of the cafeteria, where all the 'weird kids' sat. By definition, her friend group was just a clique of misfits and degenerates.

At the end of the table sat Hazel Levesque and Frank Zhang, notoriously the OTP of their grade. No matter how much the Senior Class might've hated them, Hazel and Frank would always be the influential couple.

"Did anyone meet the new guy today?" Hazel asked. "He was in my PE class. He looks nice."

"You think everyone looks nice," Reyna grumbled, snatching a bite out of her sandwich. "Remember the last kid who tried to get in between you and Frank?"

Hazel cringed. "I thought we agreed he never existed."

"Which new guy are we talking about? There are a few, based on what the teachers were talking about." Percy Jackson, Annabeth's next door neighbor, could potentially be the certain man Hazel had encountered, but assuming wouldn't solve anything.

"Percy Jackson, I think?" Hazel said, shrugging her shoulders. "I only heard Coach say it once, so I'm not exactly sure."

Annabeth nodded meekly. "Yeah, he's my neighbor."

"Speaking of Percy," Jason trailed off, staring at the ground. "I invited him to sit with us for lunch, if that's alright with you guys."

"Yeah, he seems cool," Frank spoke.

Somewhere behind them, Percy Jackson was walking around the lunchroom. His eyes darted towards Jason's table, locking eyes with Annabeth in an instant. A grin splashed across his face.

Making his way over to our table, he said, "I was told I could sit here?"

He sat next to Jason, pressing the tray against the table. "Hey, everyone. I'm Percy Jackson."

Formal introductions came next, not that Leo's greeting was very conventional.

"Let me get this straight, you're from New York?" Frank asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. I went to AHS and was captain of the swim team until we moved here."

"No way! My cousin hates that school. He's the captain of their swim team for their rival." Reyna announced.

"You mean New York High?"

"Yeah, he goes there!"

Percy's grin widened, sending a wave of laughter through him. "That's your cousin? He absolutely hates my guts. I beat his team at the swim championships one year ago, and he vowed his revenge. I swear, the look on his face when he was handed the second place trophy was priceless."

"I like this guy already," Reyna declared, knocking knuckles with Percy from across the table.

"So, Percy, have you made any other friends yet?" Annabeth queried, attempting to contribute to the introduction.

He hesitated to answer, pausing before speaking. "I don't know if I'd call her a friend, but I met a girl named Drew at my locker today."

Everyone groaned. "No, you can't be friends with her! She's a monster and manipulates people." Piper scowled. "Trust me, befriending her would ruin your life."