Percy Jackson One Shots and Short Stories

#1 - A Study Session Gone Awry

"Tell you later," Jason repeated.

"Hurry," Leo urged.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming." Annabeth slid her dagger into her belt loop and pulled on a pair of trainers.

She paused. "Wait, the New York Public Library? Jason, that's 5 hours away by train!"

Jason looked confused, but Piper seemed to explain it to him. "Sorry," he said apologetically. "I forget you don't live on Long Island anymore. We only had one drachma, and the first person we thought of was you."

"Give me 5 hours," Annabeth sighed for the third time the entire conversation. "I'll be there. Try not to die before then."

Jason gave her a thumbs-up sign just as the image disappeared.

Annabeth stuffed her purse into her back pocket and checked the line she'd have to take using her phone. She tried to use her phone as little as possible, but emergencies required it.

The walk to the nearest train station was less than five minutes, and even though she was walking into a battle with unknown opponents and unknown levels of danger, Annabeth was overjoyed to be far, far away from her studies.

She reached the ticket machines, and opened her purse to find her train card.

"Oh, gods almighty," Annabeth murmured to herself as a feeling of dread overcame her. She must've left her train card in the dorm when she'd left. "How could you be so stupid?"

"Surely a girl like you couldn't be stupid."

Annabeth spun around quickly, her hand on her dagger, expecting to see a threatening monster.

Instead, there was a handsome young man, probably in his later years at university. He had shaggy blonde hair, green eyes, and a cocky smile.

Annabeth could feel her immediate dislike for him. She glanced at the phone in his hand. The train route to New York was on it. She silently apologised to Percy and her mother for what she was about to do.

"Only when she's shell-shocked by the sight of such a charming man," Annabeth replied wittily, subtly sweeping her blonde curls over one shoulder. Hopefully her hair wasn't as messed up as she thought it was.

She sent him her most dazzling smile, looking up at him from beneath her eyelashes.

"And would the lady like to catch a ride with a charming man?" he asked.

"It would be her pleasure," Annabeth agreed with a slight flutter of her eyelashes.

The man grinned at her and proceeded to the ticket counter. Annabeth breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, she'd watched Piper use the same tactic on countless of men in the past, though her charmspeak was incredibly helpful, and the Aphrodite girls and river nymphs at Camp flirting endlessly with the boys at camp had taught Annabeth a few moves.

For the next 4 hours and 23 minutes - Annabeth kept her eye on her watch - of train ride, Jonathan, the "charming man", kept her company with talk of his life, and constant flirting. In fact, Annabeth was starting to tire of his insistent flattery. And flirting back was more tiring than she thought it would be.

But it had worked. She'd gotten a free ride to New York.

"I'm getting off here," Annabeth told him, glad to ditch the desperate boy.

"I'll call you," he promised, winking at her as he fiddled with the piece of paper with "her number" on it.

"I'll be waiting," Annabeth said with a forced smile. She stepped onto the platform and hurried towards the exit. It would be hilarious when Thalia received a call from him.