PERCY'S JOURNEY TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD | PERCY JACKSON X READER

Chapter Twenty Six

"So you're dating," Luke declares, nodding to himself.

"No, for the third time, we're casually exclusive," Percy says, a hint of frustration peeking through.

"Casually exclusive... In other words, you know, dating." Luke takes a pull off his smoothie, sending a glance over his shoulder. Thalia and Y/N are leaning over some petition Annabeth brought to Rosie's in hopes that they'd all offer a signature.

"It's casually exclusive," Percy repeats. Again. "We agreed. Don't want to label it as dating, just yet."

"God," Luke mutters under his breath. "It's like watching two middle schooler's fumble around like they aren't sure what a crush is."

Percy raises an eyebrow, taking Luke's smoothie and taking a cautious sip. It tastes awful; like pineapple and something else that's weirdly gritty. He passes it back with a sour face, and Luke gives him a look that says serves you right. "Have you been to a middle school lately? They're fumbling with bras and belts, my friend."

"Times have changed," Luke says with a disappointed sigh, like he wasn't at a middle school just a few years prior. He sips on his smoothie, staring at Thalia with some weird non-blinking gaze of love. Percy's not sure what's up with that, but he doesn't interrupt his friend and his creepy staring. "Thalia and I were talking about getting matching streaks."

Percy's noticed that, lately, a lot of Luke's sentences start with 'Thalia and I.' It's mostly sickening and somewhat annoying, but Percy deals because Luke is perpetually happy and glowing. "Really? That'd be cool, I think."

"Yeah, that's what Thalia said," Luke says, pulling his eyes off her and looking at Percy. "Would it be weird?"

"I mean, Christmas is coming up soon," Percy mentions. "You guys going to do some candy cane pattern thing?"

"No, she wants purple. But that'd be sick, the candy cane stripes. I'm doing that next year."

Percy was mostly kidding, but Luke actually seems excited, so he keeps it to himself. Let the man be passionate about what he wants. "Here's your milkshakes," the employee says off to their side, sliding them over the counter. Percy sends him a friendly grin and scoops them up, walking back to the table.

Annabeth's taking a deep breath, surely to re-address the issue at hand, so Percy hands Y/N her strawberry milkshake silently. "Thanks, Perce," she says comfortably, taking a sip. She slides a notebook out of her backpack, clicking her pen a few times. He hooks his chin over her shoulder and frowns down at her homework. "Don't look that way," she orders, lifting her shoulder in an attempt to shrug him off. He doesn't move an inch. "It's just some weekend stuff."

"But it's Friday."

"Yes, which is precisely why I'd like to finish it now so I don't worry about it later." She shrugs smally again, and Percy relents, pressing his nose to her cheek in some weird show of affection before he pulls back. "I'll let you know when I'm done."

"You mean you'll let me know when you're finished being a nerd," Percy grumbles moodily. Y/N sighs loudly. "Sorry. You're not really a nerd."

"Can you insult someone without apologizing two seconds later?" Y/N questions, flipping through her notes until she reaches the page she was looking for.

Percy's about to tell her that yes, he absolutely can, it'll just take him some time to think of an instance, but Nico bursts into laughter before he can get a word out.

Every single person at the table turns to him. It's not like Nico never laughs, because he does—and, Percy is proud to say, it's usually due to him—but it's still shocking nonetheless. He keeps laughing despite everyone's amused and worried faces, then he just gestures vaguely and says, "It was a funny tic toc, sorry. Fuck."

Y/N exchanges a bewildered look with Luke, and then with Percy. Kelsi reaches across the table, making grabby hands at Nico's phone to see whatever video made him laugh so hard, and before long their whole table's red-faced and causing a ruckus.

Y/N leans over to press a laugh into his shoulder, and he wraps an arm around her instinctively. He loves his friends more than life itself.

The weirdest part is, only Luke and Thalia really know about his and Y/N's not-dating-but-not-dating-anyone-else-either situation, and not a single one of his other friends have even asked. He's not sure if it's because they respect their privacy (which, oThalia maybe most of them do, but Leo would have already—and loudly, no doubt—asked if he were curious) or if it's because they haven't paid enough attention (it's not like he hasn't been more or less hanging off of Y/N for the past week, and she's been no less subtle if you asked him). The thing is, he kind of wants someone to ask. He wants to smile and say yeah, me and Y/N.

She peers up at him from where she's leaning on his shoulder, and Percy snaps out of his thoughts to return her stare. "Giving up on homework?"

"I can do it later," she replies with a shrug, but follows it up with an eye roll. "Though, that's probably just the part of me that's slowly turning into you talking."

Percy smiles, and he wants to kiss her. He's still not sure about the guidelines for 'casually exclusive,' so he decides against it. "If it helps, I finished all of my homework in class, even when the teacher told us we were allowed to talk."

"Really?" Y/N looks pleasantly surprised, and Percy nods twice. She leans closer and kisses him, quickly and softly, leaning back and smiling at him for a brief moment before she turns, packing up her bag—probably to save herself the trouble later. Percy just watches her, since it seems more interesting than seeing whatever Tic Toc Nico's spreading around their table now.

It takes Percy probably a full minute to realize everyone's gone silent, and even then, he only notices because Jason whispers, not all that well, "Wait, what?" and Luke whisper-yells back and "Shut up!" and Thalia tells him to "Be kind."

Percy looks at Jason first, then at Luke and Thalia, who are looking at each other. Typical, Percy thinks.

"So," Leo says, clearing his throat. "That's happening?"

"What's happening?" Y/N asks, glancing around like she missed something.

"I think us?" Percy says. She sends him a weird look, like he's just appeared out of thin air. "You... A second ago."

"Oh," Y/N says in realization. "That."

Luke sounds like he might be laughing, but he can't hear it over Jason's offended cry of, "How long has this been happening? Me and Leo were still placing bets!"

"We have no obligation to tell you guys," Y/N reminds them, but she doesn't seem all that bothered. "No one asked."

"You guys are a very cute couple," Hazel says, smiling proudly at them. "How long have you been together?"

Percy and Y/N share a look. "A week-ish?"

Leo gasps, giving Luke a disbelieving look. "You knew!"

Luke, for his part, rolls his eyes. "Of course I did. And that's why I'm twenty dollars richer."

Jason slumps in his seat, and Leo gives Luke an untrusting glare. Y/N's leaning over to ask Luke what the bet was, laughing at the pair's dismay, and Annabeth gives the rest of the group a considering look before she turns to Percy and asks the question he's been wanting someone to ask for the past week. "So, you and Y/N?"

He beams. "Yeah, me and Y/N."