The List | Percabeth AU [ORIGINAL]

Chapter 37

"Hey!" I protested.

"Those aren't for you," she scolded me as she rearranged the food for the millionth time today.

"Er, it kind of is," I said with a smirk.

My mom blushed. "Just one."

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The doorbell rang, signaling the first person arrived. I jumped up from the couch and adjusted the uncomfortable collar of the shirt my mom forced me in. The door swung open to reveal Annabeth and her terrifying mom.

"Hey, guys. Come in," I said, gesturing for them to enter.

Athena gave me a steely glare. I froze on the spot. What the hell?

Annabeth shot me a warning look from behind her as I raised my arms in defense. She was wearing a short sundress today. Her hair looked different, but I couldn't place exactly what. It seemed as if the curls were less tight, and instead, dangled in loose rungs.

Athena took one glance around the apartment, and immediately I felt ashamed. I knew how nice their place was. It seemed as if the place was always spotless, and every square inch appeared to have had delicate attention paid to it. My place, on the other hand, was quite different. Instead of the sleek modern style at the Chase house, the Jackson/Blofis house had more of a bohemian style. My mom's little Knick-knacks were hung on the walls and were displayed on various shelves, and the carpets and walls were colorful instead of the bland white at Annabeth's.

I peeked at my mom's nervous expression and immediately regretted being ashamed of it. She worked hard on the place, and I honestly preferred a house with more character than one of contemporary design. The vibe was happy and inviting, and I liked it that way.

✰✰✰

The party wasn't a complete bust. A lot of my friends showed up, along with some of my family. Even my father, who had a horrible habit of missing events (cough*my childhood* cough), still made it. And even though the meetup between the whole mom and Paul and Poseidon's situation had been completely awkward and hard to watch, everyone ended up having a good time.

At one point I found myself alone with Poseidon. My mom and Paul decided to welcome some other guests that had just entered that I didn't know. I assumed it was a few personal friends of theirs.

"Percy," he said, "I've been meaning to talk to you alone."

"Yeah?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. I leaned part of my weight onto the countertop and set my cup of punch down.

"I just wanted to thank you," Poseidon replied. His sea-green eyes bore into mine, and I regretted setting my cup down. What did I do with my hands? I felt like a hopeless, awkward dork.

"For what?" I asked, with a high-pitched tone. Even to me, I sounded like a seventh-grader who had just begun to hit puberty.

He smiled. I assumed it was because of my squeakiness. Then he glanced at my mom, who was now hugging a friend. She pulled away with a large grin on her face. I never realized it until then of how beautiful she truly was; it was no mystery to why she attracted so many guys. She looked radiant and at least 10 years younger than she was.