𝕀 𝕄𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕂𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕄𝕪 𝔼𝕩 (𝓢𝓸𝓵𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓮𝓵𝓸)

Chapter 1.3

The seven were all seated in Nico's living room, drinking and chatting as they waited for the weary Annabeth to arrive.

Questions arose as time went on, everyone wondering why Nico had mysteriously called a group meeting. The last time Nico called a mandatory meeting, someone in his family had passed away to cancer. Since then, he'd been hesitant to get together on his own decision.

Jason Grace wandered to his best friend's side, a beer blatant in his hand. "Nico, buddy, why'd you call a meeting? You never call meetings!"

Leo Valdez poked his head into the conversation, slightly tipsy from his own drink. "Yeah, he's right. The last time you called a meeting was when-"

"Shut your fucking mouth, Valdez." Nico cut him off, the doorbell interrupting their talking. "Right on time, Chase."

"Who?" Piper questioned, narrowing her eyes on him. "Are you cheating on Percy with another guy?"

"Maybe Chase is her last name," Leo snorted. "Nico just likes being all mysterious 'n shit."

Crawling to the doorway, Nico swung the door open to reveal the weary blond woman from earlier. She'd changed, however, into more casual clothes. The redness in her eyes had simply faded, leaving a trail of crimson on her cheeks. "Am I late?"

Nico's eyes fled to the clock, the minute hand pointed directly at the hour. "You're just on time, actually. Come in, sit."

Annabeth wavered with all the eyes on her, but ultimately sat somewhat beside the couch. In the middle of the room stood an easel, a few markers and pieces of construction paper taped against it.

"What's all this?" Annabeth broke the silence, staring at the materials before her eyes. "For the plan, perhaps?"

Nico nodded gently. "Of course. We just so happen to be pretty extra."

Annabeth squinted at the easel, attempting to make out Nico's illegible handwriting. "So, now that everyone is here, we can start our meeting. President?"

Jason presented his gavel, pounding it hard against Nico's coffee table. Somehow, through all the meetings they'd put it through, the table never broke. "Alright, this meeting has commenced. Treasurer, give us the report."

Piper held up a small binder, only one sheet of paper in the rings. "Thank you, President. As it may seem we have money, most of us don't. Thankfully, my mother donated some money to our group bank account. Our balance as of an hour ago is 3,592 dollars."

"It's a good thing we all have individual bank accounts, too," Jason nodded swiftly. "That's not a lot to work with. Next, I'd like the secretary to give their report."

"Thank you, President." Reyna stood from her seat, hands wrapped around a bundle of papers. Clearing her throat, she began to speak. "Our last meeting was at the home of Leo Valdez because of his mid-life crisis, even though we're only 23-ish. The problem was ultimately resolved and no harm was done to any of us or the bank account."

"That's refreshing." Jason pounded the gavel a second time, just for the fun of it. "Alright, now we have our solutionist's report, that's always a fun segment."

Annabeth leaned to Piper's ear. "What is going on?"

Piper giggled quietly. "This is our club."

"I can tell."

Nico cleared his throat, pointing sharply at the semi-blank easel. "Before I begin my segment, I'd like to start with a bit of expositional talk. Only three people in this room know why I called this meeting, all for the same reason. Just a few nights ago, my boyfriend and I went to the nightclub to party for our anniversary. On that very same night, something awful occurred between him and one other person in this room."

Eyes gazed at Annabeth, who only nodded her head in confession.

"It wasn't her fault, because she didn't know Percy was actually dating someone already," Nico continued, bowing his head. "However, that doesn't erase what he did. Percy Jackson, my ex-boyfriend, has cheated on me with Annabeth Chase."

Gasps filled the room, everyone's eyes widening. "I know, I was just as surprised!" Hazel scowled.

"Why would he do that?" Jason growled, crossing his arms at his chest. "I'm taking away his social media privileges for our group account."

"Actually, I have other plans," Nico announced, clasping his hands together at his waist. "Annabeth volunteered to help us get back at him."

"Revenge!" Reyna cackled maliciously. "I like it!"

"What kind of revenge?" Frank questioned. "Nothing illegal, right?"

"Oh, definitely not." Nico shook his head. "I can assure you, none of us will purposely be breaking the law to get back at Percy."

Frank's eyes widened. "Purposely-?"

"That's not the point," Annabeth brutally interrupted, cutting him off. "Nico, what can we do to help you?"

"I'm so glad you asked." Nico flashed a smile, flipping over the page to reveal an entire plan written down. "Here it is: Operation Ocean Basin."

"Operation Raisin Bran?" Leo snorted. "That's not a catchy name."

"Ocean Basin," Nico repeated. "It's different, Valdez."

"I like it," Hazel blurted out. "As long as this makes you feel better, I'll do whatever it takes."

"Thanks, Hazel," Nico shot a small smile her way. "Any questions?"

"How do we play into all this?" Reyna yawned.

"There are two problems right now regarding Percy: Either he forgot about cheating on me in his hangover or he's pretending I didn't remember," Nico spoke curtly. "On the slim chance it's the first one, we have to make him think it's all in my head. I'll acquire a fake boyfriend, hopefully someone he might know. The rest of you will pretend not to know he cheated on me. If he shows signs of not remembering, that'll have to be informed at our follow-up meeting."

"This is a lot to process," Annabeth rubbed her eyes. "What can I do, since I'm technically his lover now?"

"If you're up for it, I want you to trick him into a false sense of security," Nico proudly declared. "Lure him into you, but don't do anything drastic. Make him so angry and want me back."

"You want me to purposely get on his nerves to regret what he did?" Annabeth questioned.

Nico nodded. "Yes."

After a moment of silence filled with Annabeth's thought process, she gave him a slight nod. "I'm in."