The List | PERCABETH AU [REVISED VERSION]

Chapter 2

Annabeth was the epitome of what I could never be. I was never going to succeed at school; I was failing almost all of my classes, and every teacher hated me. The only thing I had going for me was swimming, and I was not nearly good enough to make a living out of it. Even if I wanted to be like Annabeth and engage in class, I wouldn't have anything to say. I could never answer a question. Asking a question? No, thanks. I looked dumb enough already.

"Just a reminder," Mr. Brunner said as I came out of my stupor, "Multiple choice and essay final tomorrow. But I probably don't need to remind you, scholars!"

Annabeth's hand, as reliable as the sunrise, rose, "Mr. Brunner, how much will the final affect our grade?"

"Aha! Great question. The final will be worth 20% of your marks, so come prepared to display your knowledge tomorrow!" He said, his kind eyes crinkling at the edges as he smiled at the class.

Everyone took that as a dismissal cue and began standing up to leave. I was packing up my laptop when she asked another question.

"Could you go over the different verb tenses again?"

The students in the back of the class groaned. We had been so close to leaving for the day.

"Of course! Of course!" Mr. Brunner said as he turned the projector back on. "I think everyone oughta stay for this because it may appear on your finals."

——

Jason's apartment was ridiculous. Like, annoyingly ridiculous. I'm talking white marble countertops the size of Olympus and fancy art by Gods know who. Jason's father was one of those ambiguous business people who you never knew what they did, but you knew they had a lot of money and a lot of power. I doubted Jason even knew what his dad did.

Sometimes I walked through the place like I owned it. I was a professional swimmer who worked his way up to compete in the Olympics, with houses in New York, California, and Spain. I admired the rare art pieces like I'd handpicked them myself and watched a movie in the home theatre like I'd paid for it.

Today, however, I was just another high school kid. I had swim practice, I went to classes, and I was hanging out with my friends. As much as it was fun to pretend to be someone else, it was hard to deny that my life was already pretty sweet. At least, as soon I was with my friends it was.

Jason was frantically cleaning the kitchen as his sister, Thalia, watched. It always struck me at how different the two looked. While they both had electric blue eyes that could quite literally pierce your soul, Jason's golden blonde hair couldn't be farther from Thalia's midnight black. Even beyond physical traits, their demeanors were so different you'd think one had spent his childhood at military school while the other had spent her childhood fighting on the streets. But that couldn't be farther from the truth; they'd both grown up in a penthouse with servants and home libraries and people who would bend over backwards just to be a footnote in their lives.

Jason wasn't stiff or cold, but it could seem that way when you first met him. He needed reassurance sometimes; but then again, didn't we all? Well, everyone except Thalia. She was a storm...a stubborn, annoyingly powerful one. But her assertiveness and headstrong nature translated to fierce loyalty and confidence. I both admired and feared the storm. Mostly feared, but still, I liked her.

Sitting on one of the fancy sofas that I thought would cost a liver (or at least a sliver of one), was Leo Valdez, a skinny Latino boy with curly brown hair. He was busy creating a playlist for the party that I already knew would be chaotic at best. One minute he was blasting "Fire Burning" and the next "Someone Like You." Who did that at a party? Apparently, Leo.