21: Fight Song

Annabeth POV

I was not expecting to see Percy at my lunch table the next day, yet there he was in all of his glory. He and his group of friends were waiting around my lunch table.

"Annabeth, what's going on?" Thalia asked curiously.

"How would I know?" I retorted.

"Annie, literally, you've been all over the place with regards to Percy Jackson. Now, he's waiting at our lunch table with his friends."

I sighed as we continued walking towards the table. I had no idea why Percy was here with his friends. However, I liked Percy's friends a lot, especially Piper and Katie. All of them were so nice, so it was good to see them all.

"Hey, Wise Girl," Percy said.

His smile was bright as he greeted me. His left arm was rubbing the strap of his backpack nervously as they waited for us.

"Percy, what are you doing here?" I asked curiously.

His friends seemed dumbfounded as they stared at Percy. "Bro, I thought that they knew that we'd be joining their table," Connor Stoll exclaimed.

"Err, I kinda didn't ask yet," Percy acknowledged before turning back to me. "Wise Girl, do you think it's okay if we joined you and your friends?"

I absolutely loved his friends, and I wanted to be with Percy too. It was typical that Percy and I would have a huge fight, and then, he'd do something to make it up. Technically, he wasn't even at fault.

His friends just stared at Thalia and me awkwardly.

"Yeah, absolutely," I said brightly.

"Jason, I spend enough time with you, so keep your distance, brother," Thalia smirked.

They all visibly relaxed as we all took our seats and started laughing. Percy effortlessly maneuvered around his friend group to sit next to me.

Hazel sat next to Frank when she arrived as expected. After all, she had a crush on Frank from art class, and they were cute together.

Leo and the Stolls immediately got along, no surprise there either.

"I really like your friends," Percy whispered. "And, I thought that you enjoyed mine as well. I guess that I thought this would be a good idea."

"Seaweed brain, it's a fantastic idea. Sometimes, you're not that dumb," I commented slyly.

"I don't know if I should be insulted," he chuckled.

I laughed as we continued talking. It felt so good to interact with him again, especially after getting accustomed to seeing his face and talking to him every day.

I was about to bring up our fight and clear the air. However, I got interrupted by Piper, Hazel, and Leo, who all had a question.

Percy and I weren't paying attention to the rest of the table, so we didn't realize that they were raising some interesting questions.

"Percy, what gave you the idea of merging our friend groups?" Piper asked loudly enough.

"Huh?" was Percy's intelligent response.

"Come on, bro, this friend group fusion is fantastic, but why?" Leo asked cooly. "Is it because you wanted to be closer to Annabeth?" he added slyly.

"What? I, um, I just get along with Hazel and Nico, and I thought that this group would get along with our group of friends," he answered.

"To me, it seems like you just wanted to be near Annabeth," Piper commented. Piper had a way of analyzing relationships and emotions.

"Piper," Percy sighed. "Guys, Annabeth and I are just friends. This is honestly because Annabeth and I wanted our friends to meet."

That seemed enough o satisfy most of the members of the group. However, some of them were still not convinced. Regardless, they got back to their conversations.

Percy sat tensely for a few seconds before continuing his lunch.

His words slightly struck a nerve in me. We were just friends? Well, yeah, but I thought that we were so much more.

His words admittedly made me a little sad.

He was right about our friends, though. They were all getting along relatively well (like these people here belonged with each other). I was incredibly happy with Percy's choice.

If anything, it made me like and admire him more.

Lunch ended too quickly for my liking. Before I knew it, the group separated to go to their respective classes.

I was walking out of the cafeteria with Thalia.

We were walking behind Percy, Jason, and Piper. However, we were a few feet away, and they didn't seem to notice us walking nearby.

"So, Percy, you're just friends, huh?" Piper cooed slyly.

I could practically hear the mischief and knowledge in her voice. My ears immediately perked up as Thalia and I both tried to listen.

"Piper, that's what Percy said," Jason stepped in.

"Jason, I love you, but you're not the smartest when it comes to these things. Clearly, Percy's making an effort to get closer to Annabeth," Piper explained.

They stopped at Jason's locker in the hallway. Thalai immediately grabbed my arm to stop me from getting closer to them. We were hiding behind a group waiting to get into a locked classroom. We were close enough to hear Percy, though.

"So, just friends, huh?" Piper asked again.

My heart raced as I awaited Percy's answer. Thalia was already smiling knowingly at me. Clearly, she was in support of my feelings for Percy (whatever they were).

"For now," Percy answered softly. "Just friends for now."

Thalia nudged me as she smirked.

I simply shook it off before continuing my walk towards class. Regardless, I couldn't stop the smile on my face and the butterflies in my stomach.

***

It was later in the week when we finally talking about our fight. I knew that neither of us could move forth in our relationship until we settled that.

The conversation was (as expected) difficult, but it was also so good to put it behind us. It was like the air and pressure around us had lifted.

To be honest, We were both very busy that week.

Percy was working hard to prepare for Districts this weekend while I was had been practicing more for the talent show. My dad, Helen, and my brothers were even coming to the talent show to support me. All of my friends were also coming, of course.

Finally, it was the big day: Friday evening.

This would be my first time sharing my voice in front of everyone.

And, I was beyond nervous.

I was waiting backstage, and the remaining acts were getting ready. The whole atmosphere was loud, and I could hear the audience cheering in the auditorium all the way to the music hallway.

"Annabeth, are you ready?" Thalia asked urgently.

She had checked her guitar and triple-checked that the recording was working. Thalia would be playing the guitar to support me as I sang.

"I am, not?" I finished helplessly.

My stomach swirled with nerves, and I felt queazy. We would be going on after a few more acts. The talent show had already gone on for two hours.

We were nearing the end of the show. I wasn't going last, but I was definitely one of the final acts (just my luck).

"Annabeth, you got this," thalia said firmly.

I nodded as I looked around the room. Most of the talents seemed very confident in their abilities, but this was my first time.

"She doesn't look like she got it," Rachel snapped as she walked over.

Her heels were obnoxious. You could hear the piercing sound over the loud music coming from the auditorium. The current group was a dancing duo. They were quite good from what I could see on the room's live monitor.

"Get lost, Rachel. Annabeth, don't listen to her," Thalia said.

"Oh please, Annabeth, you're singing a song. Can you even sing? I doubt it. YOu look like you're going to puke as soon as you get on the stage," she laughed rudely.

I shook my head as I excused myself.

I quickly make my way towards the music hallway's bathroom. I stared at my nervous face in the mirror. I was wearing a dress silk dress (formal casual but attractive).

I just needed some time to clear my head and breathe out of my nerves. I got this, and I could do this. This was my moment to share my voice.

"You got this, Wise Girl," a voice echoed.

I turned around to face Percy in the girls' bathroom. He looked around the bathroom to make sure the coast was clear before coming towards me.

"I know. I'm fine," I said firmly as I turned back to the mirror.

Percy came up behind me to look at my face. We gazed at each other through the mirror. He was wearing a soft, reassuring smile.

"You got this, Wise Girl," he repeated.

His arms hesitantly wrapped around my waist. He gently pulled me against him, and I accepted his warmth.

I let out a breath of relief.

His hold was so comforting, and I felt like I could do anything.

"Yeah, I got this, Seaweed Brain," I paused before smiling. "Now, if you let me go, it'll help me stop getting distracted."

I chuckled as he pulled away. His cheeks turned rosy in embarrassment. After all, Percy had just hugged his 'friend' as if we were way more than that.

I will say, a hug from the back had a higher level of intimacy and trust than a hug from the front.

"Good luck, Wise Girl," Percy expressed before leaving.

I smiled to myself before going back to Thalia. We made our way to the auditorium backstage and got in line. 3 more acts, not counting the current dance act, and it would be our turn.

"You're good, Annabeth?" Thalia asked.

"This is my chance to express myself to the world. I'm ready," I said firmly. If there was anything that I learned after living in Percy's life, it was the importance of expressing yourself and sharing your voice.

I was ready to sing 'Fight Song'.