Percy Jackson One Shots and Short Stories

#46 - Rule Number Four (AU) (Part II)

Percy muttered a curse under his breath. Rachel was one of his exes and fairly nice, but she was also best friends with Silena, who was the chattiest person Percy had ever met.

If Rachel had seen Annabeth wearing his hoodie, there was a very slim chance that the whole school didn't think he and Annabeth were dating.

"Don't get distracted, right?" Beckendorf said uncertainty, noticing Percy's palour. 

"Yep," Percy murmured. He shakily walked out of the changing rooms to a roar of cheers from the other swimmers in his club behind him.

His own small team of supporters joined in the applause, but Percy saw Annabeth's ashen expression and he instantly knew that the worse had happened.

He wasn't able to concentrate for the rest of the meet, and it was just by a hair's breadth that he made it into the next round.

"Jackson! What was that down there?" Coach Hedge yelled. "Your form was off! Your strokes were like the angles of a collapsed monument!"

"I'm sorry," Percy hurried. "Coach, can we do this later, please?" Annabeth had rushed past his friends and was practically racing to leave the arena. "I swear, I'll be right back," he pleaded as he followed after her.

Percy burst through the glass doors and scanned the landscape for her. "Annabeth!" he called frantically when he spotted the familiar head of brown hair. "Annabeth, wait!"

He came to a stop when she turned around to face him.

"Hazel and Frank and Rachel?" Annabeth demanded. "Oh my god, Percy, do you know what this means?"

Percy chewed on his lower lip worriedly.

It meant that the first rule was scrapped; no telling anybody.

"We'll make up something," he insisted. "Hazel and Frank won't say anything if I ask them to."

"What about Rachel?" Annabeth covered her face with a sigh. "Percy, it's too late to contain it. It happened, let's move past it."

Percy hesitated. "Do...do you want to stop this?" He gestured between them. "Us?"

It pained him horribly to say that, but it was the obvious solution at this point. Say no, Percy begged silently. Say you'll stay.

"I don't," Annabeth said quietly.

Percy swallowed. "Then we'll figure the rest out."

<<< >>>

Annabeth pushed open the door to homeroom and averted her gaze to the floor.

People she'd helped with assignments, greeted in the mornings, and even made jokes with lapsed into whispers upon her arrival.

"Hey, what are you staring at?" someone said sharply.

Annabeth wanted to thank the angel that introduced her to Piper McLean, who whisked her away from ogling stares.

"This can't get any worse," Annabeth whispered miserably as she buried her face in her hands. Piper, Jason and Leo sat by the surrounding desks, all witnessing her despair in silence.

The classroom door creaked again as someone else walked in.

"Heads up," Leo murmured. "It just got worse."

Annabeth risked a peek, only to see that Percy had entered the classroom and had awkwardly taken his usual seat beside Hazel and Frank, far, far away from her.